NationStates Jolt Archive

I strongly urge my fellow American citizens to vote for John Kerry in the November election. Although I myself cannot say I agree with Mr. Kerry on every issue, he strikes me as being infinitely more qualified for the job than George W. Bush.

Why would you re-elect George Bush? To paraphrase an earlier post of mine:

He can't talk to you about the standard of living. He can't defend his record on the environment (remember his attempt to remove the restrictions placed on arsenic in drinking water?). He can't tell you his actions abroad have made America more respected. He can't tell you that he's captured Osama Bin Laden. He cannot tell you he's found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He can't explain why womens' wages continue to lag behind men. He cannot say he's done anything to reduce our reliance upon foreign oil, nor can he claim he's done much to research cleaner, alternative energy sources (indeed, the Bush budget slashed government funding to these areas). Bush also cannot claim his new Medicare "fix" has helped seniors...his plan offered a LOT more choices than the Democratic plan, but none of the choices are any good! He cannot claim he's helped education, since college dues have continued to skyrocket under his administration. He hasn't really done too much to punish the corporate scandal-mongers such as Ken Lay from Enron.

He most especially cannot tell you about civil rights, since he is busily trying to cut off minorities from their Constitutionally-given protections. His government is even now arguing before the Supreme Court for the right to detain AMERICAN CITIZENS without charge, trial, or access to lawyers, and without notification to the general public that they are being held prisoner.

George Bush HAS done some good things. His attack upon the Taliban was a good move, and they probably deserved it since they had been sheltering Bin Laden for years, for example. But he's been an overwhelmingly negative President, and America cannot afford four more years of him in political, economic, or social capital. And I honestly do not believe Bush has -earned- another four years as President. I want honesty and integrity restored to the White House if at all possible...and it is not going to happen under GWB.

why re-elect him? i'm gonna have to go with spite. the neo-cons are bitter enough to say "if we can't have the country, NOONE CAN!!"

:P

LOL Bottle! Your shining wit shows through, as usual. :lol:

LOL Bottle! Your shining wit shows through, as usual. :lol:

oh come now, it's not like it takes talent to find humor in the Republican party these days. Bush is utterly ruining the art of satire...he's already such a walking piece of lampoonery that it's putting the good political humorists out of a job. not since Dan Quayle has there been such a threat to the future of American spoof comentary.

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

odd, all of those apply to Bush, except the last one...he's more akin to one of the great apes than the French.

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

odd, all of those apply to Bush, except the last one...he's more akin to one of the great apes than the French.

That's funny, Bush would want to cut defense and raise taxes... and that would be when??

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

odd, all of those apply to Bush, except the last one...he's more akin to one of the great apes than the French.

OK... I'll give you the first two, as they apply to ALL politicians.

Waffling - W doesn't waffle, he sticks to his guns, no matter how loudly anyone may complain.

Sniveling & Sinister - I suppose these are a matter of perspective, so it's hard to argue them. I just know I cringe every time I see Kerry on the news (or Hillary or Tom Daschle)

The last three most definately do not apply to W! He loves the military, and is loved by the military.

And finally, like they always say....
Better an ape than some haughty, french looking guy!

(ok, I made that part up :) )

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

odd, all of those apply to Bush, except the last one...he's more akin to one of the great apes than the French.

That's funny, Bush would want to cut defense and raise taxes... and that would be when??

dude, have you actually read Bush's economics plans?! my lord, please people, educate yourselves. and bush cut benefits to veterans while he was simultaneously using the War in Iraq as a campaign device...if that doesn't qualify as "military hating" i don't know what does. utter disrespect for the lives that he is using for his own political career doesn't seem like a nice way to treat the military to me, any how.

but hey, i shouldn't even bother arguing this. we've all picked up on the fact that people who are voting for Bush are just doing it on principle at this point. it's hard to admit what a gigantic mistake he's been, and i can't blame anybody for not wanting to face the realities of just how big an embarassment our CIC really is. we forgive you, you only had the best of intentions. you can publicly defend him all you want, 'cause we all know what box you really will be checking when that voting booth curtain closes...the "Anyone But Him!" box ;).

I bet half of the Kerry voters don't really want to vote Kerry, they just want to vote Not-Bush.

I bet half of the Kerry voters don't really want to vote Kerry, they just want to vote Not-Bush.

yup, that's me. Kerry was my last choice for the Dem nomination, and i wouldn't be able to stand the thought of him in the Big Office, except ANYBODY is better than Bush at this point. i don't defend Kerry because i don't really like the man, but at least he's not trying to take away the last few civil rights i've got. :P

I bet half of the Kerry voters don't really want to vote Kerry, they just want to vote Not-Bush.

You're right there. However, the polls are starting to swing back in Bush's favor. He's moving ahead a little further every week.
Look's like the chant is changing to "Anyone but Bush (except Kerry)!"

I bet half of the Kerry voters don't really want to vote Kerry, they just want to vote Not-Bush.

Yeah of course. WHy not? When the US media has been pointing fun at GWB that has no stable base at all!

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

OMFG NOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You've finally went man.. LOL :lol:

I'd vote for bush just cause Kerry wants to raise gas prices even more, I'm sorry, but I live on the outskirts of a city and I drive a lot to get to school and work.

but then again, I could vote nader.... we'll see

I'd vote for bush just cause Kerry wants to raise gas prices even more, I'm sorry, but I live on the outskirts of a city and I drive a lot to get to school and work.

but then again, I could vote nader.... we'll seewow, no offense but that is the worst reasoning i have ever heard when it comes to voting in a presidential election. you aren't serious, right? i mean, you wouldn't base such an important decision on gas prices that the president won't even be able to control, right?

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

:roll:
Would you care to explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please? Define whiney. And out of TOUCH? Hell, George Bush senior was so out of touch he had never seen a scanner in a grocery store before! THAT is out of touch for you.

As for raising taxes, you're damn right. He HAS to. Bush's budget has us literally drowing in red ink to the tune of $500 billion dollars this year alone. If you want the government to carry out its' responsibilities (like funding the military), you have to PAY taxes in order to keep it running. You don't get something for nothing.

And I seriously doubt he's military hating, considering he went to Viet Nam and has three Purple Hearts in addition to other medals. Mr. Bush copped out via the Air National Guard and didn't.

French looking? How the devil do you DEFINE that? French people look like just about any -other- type of people. Even if it were true, why the hell should we vote for someone based on their physical appearance?

And decisiveness? Bush changes his mind every week on something, especially when the political winds blow against him. What good is sticking to your guns if you're wrong? And when did changing one's mind become a political liability? We always clamp down on politicians for flip-flopping on issues, and it is unfair. Do we expect them to have a magical, crystal ball so that they can be right one-hundred percent of the time? How many times do we change OUR minds about an issue?

Your real problem is that you're letting others do your thinking for you. Do you buy into that commercial Bush is running accusing Kerry of being against pay benefits and body armor for our troops? That's insane! A good question to ask would be, "What ELSE was on that bill that made Kerry vote against it?" Both parties like to use "riders"...they attach bills to other, more popular bills in order to try and sneak stuff through (kind of like attaching a bill to provide corporate welfare to a bill that helps homeless people). Kerry was probably rejecting riders stashed in the Defense bills, not the Defense bills themselves. Now the Republicans are trying to make political hay out of it by giving you half the truth.

There will be a time - probably two generations from now - when a child in say Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, even Iran, will be reading their textbooks on the subject of World Civilization. They will learn that for eight years, in the early part of the century, there was a dynamic leader from the West whom had a vision of market-based economies and freedom for a region that was formerly centrally planned by brutal tyrants and 'mad men' despots. The children will no doubt be inspired and they'll develop some ambition to do whatever it takes to maintain their newly found freedoms. That wise and perceptive child might even ponder: "If much of what is good was because of the vision of a 'miserable failure', imagine what I can accomplish?"

There will be a time - probably two generations from now - when a child in say Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, even Iran, will be reading their textbooks on the subject of World Civilization. They will learn that for eight years, in the early part of the century, there was a dynamic leader from the West whom had a vision of market-based economies and freedom for a region that was formerly centrally planned by brutal tyrants and 'mad men' despots. The children will no doubt be inspired and they'll develop some ambition to do whatever it takes to maintain their newly found freedoms. That wise and perceptive child might even ponder: "If much of what is good was because of the vision of a 'miserable failure', imagine what I can accomplish?"

well sure, but we're talking about Bush at the moment. who i know you aren't talking about, since "dynamic" isn't even a word his supporters use to describe him. :P

I'd vote for bush just cause Kerry wants to raise gas prices even more, I'm sorry, but I live on the outskirts of a city and I drive a lot to get to school and work.

but then again, I could vote nader.... we'll seewow, no offense but that is the worst reasoning i have ever heard when it comes to voting in a presidential election. you aren't serious, right? i mean, you wouldn't base such an important decision on gas prices that the president won't even be able to control, right?

here's a little tip, don't believe stupid things I say. 85% of the time when I say something, I'm pulling it out of my arse :)

but seriously, I'm not sure, I need to sit down and look up EVERYTHING they're offering, blah blah blah.
I'm very pro-military, so that's going to have a lot of impact on who gets my vote, but it's not going to be the sealing thing. Like I said, I'd have to sit and do some research before I make any decisions

I'd vote for bush just cause Kerry wants to raise gas prices even more, I'm sorry, but I live on the outskirts of a city and I drive a lot to get to school and work.

but then again, I could vote nader.... we'll seewow, no offense but that is the worst reasoning i have ever heard when it comes to voting in a presidential election. you aren't serious, right? i mean, you wouldn't base such an important decision on gas prices that the president won't even be able to control, right?

here's a little tip, don't believe stupid things I say. 85% of the time when I say something, I'm pulling it out of my arse :)

but seriously, I'm not sure, I need to sit down and look up EVERYTHING they're offering, blah blah blah.
I'm very pro-military, so that's going to have a lot of impact on who gets my vote, but it's not going to be the sealing thing. Like I said, I'd have to sit and do some research before I make any decisions

okay, that's good to hear. if you're going to vote Bush then at least have some real reasons to do it, not something as flimsy as gas prices that, according to conservative economic theory, the president shouldn't be impacting anyway. if you want Bush to lower gas prices then you aren't a fiscal conservative, so you shouldn't be voting for Bush...weird paradox, but still.

There will be a time - probably two generations from now - when a child in say Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, even Iran, will be reading their textbooks on the subject of World Civilization. They will learn that for eight years, in the early part of the century, there was a dynamic leader from the West whom had a vision of market-based economies and freedom for a region that was formerly centrally planned by brutal tyrants and 'mad men' despots. The children will no doubt be inspired and they'll develop some ambition to do whatever it takes to maintain their newly found freedoms. That wise and perceptive child might even ponder: "If much of what is good was because of the vision of a 'miserable failure', imagine what I can accomplish?"

Only in YOUR Utopian paradise.

Just because history is written by the victor doesn't mean they'll find a way to have their own warped version of history. Also, if there is freedom coming to them, why have we so far seen nothing but more tyranny and anti-west sentiments springing up? Because of Bush's ignorant redneck policies, which allow him only to see the tip of his little pointy nose and nothing more.

George W. Bush is not a dynamic leader, at least not the TYPE of dynamic leader we need. He's impulsive, and he has a reputation in Washington for being VERY consistent about getting revenge on the people who cross him politically. I can offer all sorts of examples if you wish. And free market?! He's been trying to put up tariffs constantly, and the European Union is now fining us millions of dollars in retaliation.

And if you think we're going to overturn the repressive regimes of the Middle East with glorious words (and bombs where words fail), you are fooling yourself. We ESPECIALLY are not going to do it alone, and as long as George Bush is President, the rest of the world is not interested in helping us. Hell, even the Canadians are cheesed off with us, and they're our next door neighbors. I am not saying that the Middle East is beyond reform, but it would be VERY tough. And with the Toxic Texan in charge, nigh-on-impossible.

I suppose that the gas raising is in regards to the comment that kerry made well over a decade (or two cant remember) ago, in regards to a vote in the senate and then decided to vote AGAINST raising the gas tax all those years ago?

and for the comment that the military love bush, HA! I am active military and I dispise the man. I have to do what he says and orders because he is my commander in chief and all, but I would gladly have kerry be my commander in chief and I am going to vote for him. plus the MAIN reason that military likes bush is because we are getting pay raises like crazy. But none of them think of where they are taking that money from. The military is concerend with there own pockets. I think that the bush campaign is trying to buy votes. we are getting raises but there is no money for the daily operations. Now I am serious here (well I was before but more so here), do you guys have any idea how hard it is to get cleaning supplies for the office. We have to rely on 'hook-ups' to get the things we need because theres no money for it. That is sad.

well sure, but we're talking about Bush at the moment. who i know you aren't talking about, since "dynamic" isn't even a word his supporters use to describe him. :P

I'm suprised you'd agree [generally] with the post's content since you're probably a big defender of centrally planned economies :P

I suppose that the gas raising is in regards to the comment that kerry made well over a decade (or two cant remember) ago, in regards to a vote in the senate and then decided to vote AGAINST raising the gas tax all those years ago?

and for the comment that the military love bush, HA! I am active military and I dispise the man. I have to do what he says and orders because he is my commander in chief and all, but I would gladly have kerry be my commander in chief and I am going to vote for him. plus the MAIN reason that military likes bush is because we are getting pay raises like crazy. But none of them think of where they are taking that money from. The military is concerend with there own pockets. I think that the bush campaign is trying to buy votes. we are getting raises but there is no money for the daily operations. Now I am serious here (well I was before but more so here), do you guys have any idea how hard it is to get cleaning supplies for the office. We have to rely on 'hook-ups' to get the things we need because theres no money for it. That is sad.

Ssi Rrukk, I am honored that an actual soldier has posted on my thread. I salute you and thank you for serving America, politics aside. :D

plus the MAIN reason that military likes bush is because we are getting pay raises like crazy.

better than having to live off food stamps for defending your country. My father was in the U.S. Airforce for 20 years and we literally qualified for foodstamps, we didn't get any though because we cut back on a crapload of other stuff. I'm not saying you're wrong about what you're saying, but you should know yourself that being in the military is a job and in your job you would like to get a pay check.
Me, I happen to like my pay raises :D but again, as I stated in my earlier post, military issues aren't going to be the sealing factor for this election.

I suppose that the gas raising is in regards to the comment that kerry made well over a decade (or two cant remember) ago, in regards to a vote in the senate and then decided to vote AGAINST raising the gas tax all those years ago?

and for the comment that the military love bush, HA! I am active military and I dispise the man. I have to do what he says and orders because he is my commander in chief and all, but I would gladly have kerry be my commander in chief and I am going to vote for him. plus the MAIN reason that military likes bush is because we are getting pay raises like crazy. But none of them think of where they are taking that money from. The military is concerend with there own pockets. I think that the bush campaign is trying to buy votes. we are getting raises but there is no money for the daily operations. Now I am serious here (well I was before but more so here), do you guys have any idea how hard it is to get cleaning supplies for the office. We have to rely on 'hook-ups' to get the things we need because theres no money for it. That is sad.

Ssi Rrukk, I am honored that an actual soldier has posted on my thread. I salute you and thank you for serving America, politics aside. :D

feel doubly honored, you got TWO soldiers posting in here

edit: accidently double posted

:roll:

As for raising taxes, you're damn right. He HAS to. Bush's budget has us literally drowing in red ink to the tune of $500 billion dollars this year alone. If you want the government to carry out its' responsibilities (like funding the military), you have to PAY taxes in order to keep it running. You don't get something for nothing.


Not really. You almost have to deficit spend in times of war. As far as paying to keep the govt running, here's a novel idea... cut back on the size of the govt! The govt is 20 times the size that they were 100 years ago, and they are growing constantly. I really don't want the federal govt doing anything for me other than providing adequate defense, and a justice dept that is actually useful (The current one isn't).


French looking? How the devil do you DEFINE that? French people look like just about any -other- type of people. Even if it were true, why the hell should we vote for someone based on their physical appearance?


I guess that's a reference that only members of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy would get, since it's on all our radio shows and web sites.
(Although he really DOES look French!)



And decisiveness? Bush changes his mind every week on something, especially when the political winds blow against him. What good is sticking to your guns if you're wrong? And when did changing one's mind become a political liability? We always clamp down on politicians for flip-flopping on issues, and it is unfair. Do we expect them to have a magical, crystal ball so that they can be right one-hundred percent of the time? How many times do we change OUR minds about an issue?


You contradicted yourself a few times in that paragraph.
I don't see Bush changing his mind that often, and nowhere near as often as John "I voted for that bill... before I voted against it" Kerry.



Your real problem is that you're letting others do your thinking for you.

Others? What Others? I only do what Limbaugh tells me. :roll:


Do you buy into that commercial Bush is running accusing Kerry of being against pay benefits and body armor for our troops? That's insane! A good question to ask would be, "What ELSE was on that bill that made Kerry vote against it?" Both parties like to use "riders"...they attach bills to other, more popular bills in order to try and sneak stuff through (kind of like attaching a bill to provide corporate welfare to a bill that helps homeless people). Kerry was probably rejecting riders stashed in the Defense bills, not the Defense bills themselves. Now the Republicans are trying to make political hay out of it by giving you half the truth.

I'll agree with you there. That's why nothing gets accomplished in this country, because of these "rider's". But it's not necessarily a bad thing that congress isn't accomplishing anything. After all, the only accomplishments they know are govt growth.

Id vote for bush (if i could vote) becuase by the looks of it things wont change except that we would be bowing down to other forign powers like a dog or something. He has voted against every military program used in The War On Terror. He doesnt explain how the heck he plans on fulfulling his promises. He lies and changes position far to much to be trustworthy. Though there are something i would keep my I on about Bush. When Bush speaks he speaks in common language and i can understand him. Kerry saying this but means something else. I dont trust kerry at all and i would much rather worry about being blown up than if a tree gets chopped down or another oil pump is built. Kerry cant comprehend the fact that the UN doesnt want to help in Iraq it runs away everytime it gets bombed once. Kerry would rather leave iraq and let it bite us in the ass 10 years later but bush will finish the job if hes re-ellected. :?

Why would you re-elect George Bush?

Because I hate the world.

Why reelect him....
Because Kerry is:
whiney,
out-of-touch with the common man,
waffling,
sniveling,
sinister,
in favor of raising taxes,
in favor of cutting defense,
military hating,

and last but not least:
french looking!

out of touch with the common man? what are you talking about? that's what the republican party represents: screwing the little guy and helping the rich get richer. he's not in favor of raising taxes, he's in favor of moving the burden from the middle class to the wealthy.

French looking? I don't know where you got that.

Have you not noticed that Bush looks exactly like an ape? An ape handles money better, though.

I suppose that the gas raising is in regards to the comment that kerry made well over a decade (or two cant remember) ago, in regards to a vote in the senate and then decided to vote AGAINST raising the gas tax all those years ago?

and for the comment that the military love bush, HA! I am active military and I dispise the man. I have to do what he says and orders because he is my commander in chief and all, but I would gladly have kerry be my commander in chief and I am going to vote for him. plus the MAIN reason that military likes bush is because we are getting pay raises like crazy. But none of them think of where they are taking that money from. The military is concerend with there own pockets. I think that the bush campaign is trying to buy votes. we are getting raises but there is no money for the daily operations. Now I am serious here (well I was before but more so here), do you guys have any idea how hard it is to get cleaning supplies for the office. We have to rely on 'hook-ups' to get the things we need because theres no money for it. That is sad.

Ssi Rrukk, I am honored that an actual soldier has posted on my thread. I salute you and thank you for serving America, politics aside. :D

*Instantly gains 60 kilos, puts on flag g-string and sings the national anthem*

I suppose that the gas raising is in regards to the comment that kerry made well over a decade (or two cant remember) ago, in regards to a vote in the senate and then decided to vote AGAINST raising the gas tax all those years ago?

and for the comment that the military love bush, HA! I am active military and I dispise the man. I have to do what he says and orders because he is my commander in chief and all, but I would gladly have kerry be my commander in chief and I am going to vote for him. plus the MAIN reason that military likes bush is because we are getting pay raises like crazy. But none of them think of where they are taking that money from. The military is concerend with there own pockets. I think that the bush campaign is trying to buy votes. we are getting raises but there is no money for the daily operations. Now I am serious here (well I was before but more so here), do you guys have any idea how hard it is to get cleaning supplies for the office. We have to rely on 'hook-ups' to get the things we need because theres no money for it. That is sad.

Ssi Rrukk, I am honored that an actual soldier has posted on my thread. I salute you and thank you for serving America, politics aside. :D

*Instantly gains 60 kilos, puts on flag g-string and sings the national anthem*

out of touch with the common man? what are you talking about? that's what the republican party represents: screwing the little guy and helping the rich get richer. he's not in favor of raising taxes, he's in favor of moving the burden from the middle class to the wealthy.

French looking? I don't know where you got that.

Have you not noticed that Bush looks exactly like an ape? An ape handles money better, though.

You've been indoctrinated well, komrade :!:

They have entire sites devoted completely to comparing Bush to an ape, I've seen a few, they're pretty funny. But, anyways, I'd vote for Kerry because I'd really like to see the military disassembled one day, so since Bush is very pro-military, obviously I wouldn't vote for him. Also, Bush has been trashing the enviornemnt and hurt the economy (although I'm not completely sure that is from his economic plans or his war). Therefore, I am simply voting against Bush, not for Kerry. Actually, if Nader were running with the Green Party, I maight vote for him, since if they win 5% of the vote they gain government funding, or something like that, but he's going independent, so Kerry it is. :D

well sure, but we're talking about Bush at the moment. who i know you aren't talking about, since "dynamic" isn't even a word his supporters use to describe him. :P

I'm suprised you'd agree [generally] with the post's content since you're probably a big defender of centrally planned economies :P

nope, i'm not. i am very much a conservative when it comes to economics, unlike our current president. in fact, the fact that he is no longer anything resembling a fiscal conservative is one of the main reasons i refuse to even consider voting for him.

That's funny, Bush would want to cut defense and raise taxes... and that would be when??

When he rules the world, and can safely downscale the army.
Anywho, I posted this in the 'worse and worse ~ torture in Iraq' thread, but for those who missed it:

MY MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS, by W!

Just so you know ...........

*I attacked and took over 2 Countries, unilaterally and pre-emptively.

*I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the US Treasury.

*I shattered the record for the biggest annual deficit in history (not easy!).

*I set an economic record for the most personal bankruptcies filed
in any 12 month period.

*I set all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the stock
market.

*I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.

*In my first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on
vacation by any president in US history (tough to beat my dad's, but I did).

*After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over
the worst security failure in US history.

*I set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any
president in US history.

*In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their jobs.

*I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than
any other president in US history.

*I set the all-time record for most real estate foreclosures in a
12-month period.

*I appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions
than any president in US history.

*I set the record for the fewest press conferences of any president, since
the advent of TV.

*I signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than
any other US president in history.

*I presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to
intervene when corruption was revealed.

*I cut health care benefits for war veterans.

*I set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take
to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for
protest against any person in the history of mankind.

*I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.

*I've made my presidency the most secretive and unaccountable of any in US history.

*Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history.
(The poorest multimillionaire, Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.)

*I am the first president in US history to have all 50 states of the Union
simultaneously struggle against bankruptcy.

*I presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud in any market in
any country in the history of the world.

*I am the first president in US history to order a US attack AND military
occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United
Nations and the vast majority of the international community.

*I have created the largest government department bureaucracy in the
history of the United States, called the "Bureau of Homeland Security"
(only one letter away from BS).

*I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more
than any other president in US history (Ronnie was tough to beat, but I did
it!!).

*I am the first president in US history to compel the United Nations remove
the US from the Human Rights Commission.

*I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the
US from the Elections Monitoring Board.

*I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of
congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history.

*I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant. I withdrew from the World
Court of Law.

*I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default
no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.

*I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election
inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.

*I am the all-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign
donations.

*The biggest lifetime contributor to my campaign, who is also one of my best
friends, presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world
history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation).

*I spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in US
history.

*I am the first president to run and hide when the US came under attack
(and then lied, saying the enemy had the code to Air Force 1)

*I am the first US president to establish a secret shadow government.

*I took the world's sympathy for the US after 9/11, and in less than a year
made the US the most resented country in the world (possibly the biggest
diplomatic failure in US and world history).

*I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of
Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and
stability.

*I changed US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded
government contracts.

*I set the all-time record for the number of administration appointees who
violated US law by not selling their huge investments in corporations bidding for gov't contracts.

*I have removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any
other president in US history.

*I entered office with the strongest economy in US history and in less than
two years turned every single economic category heading straight down.

*RECORDS AND REFERENCES: I have at least one conviction
for drunk driving in Maine (Texas driving record has been
erased and is not available).

*I was AWOL from the National Guard and deserted the military during time of
war.

*I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any questions
about drug use. (wink,wink)

*All records of my tenure as governor of Texas have been
spirited away to my fathers library, sealed in secrecy and
unavailable for public view.

*All records of any SEC investigations into my insider trading or
bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

*All minutes of meetings of any public corporation for which
I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable
for public view.

*Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding
public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public
review.

So, why shouldn't you vote for me in November?

With Love,

GEORGE W. BUSH
The White House, Washington, DC

Note: this information should be useful to voters in the 2004 election.
Circulate to as many citizens you think would be helped to be reminded about this record

When he rules the world, and can safely downscale the army. Anywho, I posted this in the 'worse and worse ~ torture in Iraq' thread, but for those who missed it:

MY MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS, by W!

Wow, this is one of those posts that show why we should fear the demise of America's educational system. I am not even talking about history education, even a single semester of Poli-Sci would help some of these facts. I am being perfectly serious, if you want to be taken seriously by anyone, stop watching political mindwash commercials and ground yourself in some (or ANY) American History background. You will find the time spent will help you immensely.

Dubya loves the militry a bit too much.

Its another thing he has in common with the average petty little dictator...

Oh well, he probably didn't get enough attention as a child :( Shouldn't be too hard on him :)

Well... let me give the international view of your situation (as a Canadian citizen who lives 50km from the U.S. border, I can give a detailed, but somewhat impartial view of the situation.

WE LOATHE BUSH.

Well, thats a bit of an exaggeration, really, but it still represents the majority opinion. We were staunchly behind the U.S. after September 11th, and helped in any way we could. In fact, there are 2000 Canadian troops, mostly of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, in Kabul right now, leading the International Security and Assistance Force. Even 'accidents' like a jock American National Guard pilot killing 4 Canadian soldiers due to pure idiocy and ignorance of his briefings (who got off) were set aside.

Then, Iraq came.

We said, repeatedly, when we would join in against Iraq - if the U.N. weapons inspectors found anything, and the U.N. agreed. Then, 'Dubya' decides to bomb Iraq, since they didn't find anything in the short time they were there. The U.N. did not approve this unilateral approach. We refused to join, and the Bush was mad, even though everyone knew it was coming.

So he slaps massive tariffs on us, in contravention of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Even after repeated international courts telling the U.S. to lift the tariffs (mostly on softwood lumber - is it our fault we make more, better, and cheaper lumber than you!?) they remain - to this day. Sure for free trade isn't he? (well, only when it benefits him!)

Thats only a taste. Add to that the rantings of ultra right-wing conservatives in the U.S., and we are far from happy.

If Bush is reelected in 2004, then the world will have lost whatever respect remained in its opinion for the U.S.

The world needs John Kerry as American president, for Ralph Nader to stop being an asshole and stealing votes from the "Not Bush" category of votes ;) and for Bush to go back to Texas.

PLEASE, elect John Kerry as president.

NOTE: I'm actually against most of what John Kerry says, but... hes not Bush. Anything. Other than. Bush. It's a matter of American honour and pride, for you not to be blemished for another 4 years.

And stop whining about taxes and gas prices! You have it disgustingly easy! If you came up here, you would DIE from the taxes you'd pay! Well, pretty much anywhere other than the U.S. in the developed world.

Well... let me give the international view of your situation (as a Canadian citizen who lives 50km from the U.S. border, I can give a detailed, but somewhat impartial view of the situation.

WE LOATHE BUSH.

Well, thats a bit of an exaggeration, really, but it still represents the majority opinion. We were staunchly behind the U.S. after September 11th, and helped in any way we could. In fact, there are 2000 Canadian troops, mostly of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, in Kabul right now, leading the International Security and Assistance Force. Even 'accidents' like a jock American National Guard pilot killing 4 Canadian soldiers due to pure idiocy and ignorance of his briefings (who got off) were set aside.

Then, Iraq came.

We said, repeatedly, when we would join in against Iraq - if the U.N. weapons inspectors found anything, and the U.N. agreed. Then, 'Dubya' decides to bomb Iraq, since they didn't find anything in the short time they were there. The U.N. did not approve this unilateral approach. We refused to join, and the Bush was mad, even though everyone knew it was coming.

So he slaps massive tariffs on us, in contravention of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Even after repeated international courts telling the U.S. to lift the tariffs (mostly on softwood lumber - is it our fault we make more, better, and cheaper lumber than you!?) they remain - to this day. Sure for free trade isn't he? (well, only when it benefits him!)

Thats only a taste. Add to that the rantings of ultra right-wing conservatives in the U.S., and we are far from happy.

If Bush is reelected in 2004, then the world will have lost whatever respect remained in its opinion for the U.S.

The world needs John Kerry as American president, for Ralph Nader to stop being an asshole and stealing votes from the "Not Bush" category of votes ;) and for Bush to go back to Texas.

PLEASE, elect John Kerry as president.

NOTE: I'm actually against most of what John Kerry says, but... hes not Bush. Anything. Other than. Bush. It's a matter of American honour and pride, for you not to be blemished for another 4 years.

And stop whining about taxes and gas prices! You have it disgustingly easy! If you came up here, you would DIE from the taxes you'd pay! Well, pretty much anywhere other than the U.S. in the developed world.

Well... let me give the international view of your situation (as a Canadian citizen who lives 50km from the U.S. border, I can give a detailed, but somewhat impartial view of the situation.

The US is the last Super Power in the world. I appreciate the viewpoint, but this is coming from a country that usually follows the leader when it comes to world changing decisions. I honestly don't say that to disparage. Canada, like many of the other UN countries, simply does not have the economic or military might to fight this type of war alone. We appreciate it when the world steps in, but often, UN leaderships believes that if the US can't get it done even under UN auspices, that it simply can't be done. A decade, A DECADE, of a tyrant ignoring the UN rules set in place for them to be allowed back into the world community simply was ridiculous. The world simply doesn't have the backbone for what needs to be done for peace, but the US always has. True, we are a country of whiners (I agree with you on the gas issue) and the attitude that we can do it alone - screw everyone else, but look at history - we can.

...NOTE: I'm actually against most of what John Kerry says, but... hes not Bush. Anything. Other than. Bush. It's a matter of American honour and pride, for you not to be blemished for another 4 years...

:lol: That's funny, so is he

Why not have as two more poll options; A.B.B. or Unnamed F. Democrat?

Heck, with those additional choices you could just delete John Forbes Kerry - the Vietnam War hero and championship ribbon/medal tosser - right on out of the equation.

How does Kerry look french. I prefer calling him "reverse-Botox-faced".

I wouldn't vote for any of them.

You know, there are polls conducted every few days. The topic's fine, but polling the NS crowd over and over and over again doesn't accomplish much.

Anybody but Bush in 2004.


For all the reasons already stated above, it would be beneficial to the world and the international community. With Kerry in power, expect to see more cooperation with allies and the UN. If Bush gets re-elected, I can only imagine that things will get worse.


That includes relations with European allies and so forth.


Not to mention all the trade tariffs with Canada and all.

I'm not quite in the anybody but Bush camp.

I'm in the anybody that can unseat Bush.

I want to repeal NAFTA and GATT and stop CAFTA at all costs. I want to bring our trade balances back in line with reality and push for fiscal responsibility.

Bush will do NONE of these things.

Bush 'loves' the military? Right, that's why he cuts their VA benefits and combat pay and otherwise screws them over.

We used to have a positive trade balance with Canada. Not anymore. We used to have fair accountable elections. Then we got voting machines and voter registration manipulations. We need to destroy this conservative streak before it destroys the entire country. And if we don't then I have a feeling we'll take everyone down with our ship.

...I want to repeal NAFTA and GATT and stop CAFTA at all costs. I want to bring our trade balances back in line with reality and push for fiscal responsibility...

I'm dying to hear your economic wisdom on how this gets accomplished; go ahead dazzle me with your knowledge on the subject.

There will be a time - probably two generations from now - when a child in say Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, even Iran, will be reading their textbooks on the subject of World Civilization. They will learn that for eight years, in the early part of the century, there was a dynamic leader from the West whom had a vision of market-based economies and freedom for a region that was formerly centrally planned by brutal tyrants and 'mad men' despots. The children will no doubt be inspired and they'll develop some ambition to do whatever it takes to maintain their newly found freedoms. That wise and perceptive child might even ponder: "If much of what is good was because of the vision of a 'miserable failure', imagine what I can accomplish?"
Of course the text book they will be reading is Grimm's Fairy Tales? And then they will all laugh, waiting for recess so they can play with their favourite new toy:

*******************http://www.dartboard411.net/newdb411/websitepics/abc/georgebushdartboard100.gif

They are thinking of banning this new toy because students are not returning to class on time.

Bush has the vote of this citizen. Personally, I would like another conservative, like Alan Keyes (who by the way is an african-american) or Bill Frist (a doctor, and not one of the clone lawyers who care more for legality and less for actual justice), to run. I am not your token conservative, either. I am a person of science, in fact. And I believe in capitalism, because it rewards merit and penalizes laziness. Kerry and his ilk prefer to throw money at problems, money that they steal from the hardest working people in the country. Order over Chaos. We are not Europeans, like many people would like to be. They have their way, and we have ours, whatever the result. We are different, for good or for bad, and I will not deny this great nation its vitality. Peace through Strength.

Good day to you all.

why re-elect him? i'm gonna have to go with spite. the neo-cons are bitter enough to say "if we can't have the country, NOONE CAN!!"

:P


:roll:

Moron

Anyway you look at it, John Kerry is the wrong choice for America

John Kerry has confessed to war crimes. link (http://www.streamload.com/jmstein77/Kerry2.mp3)

John Kerry was awarded 3 purple hearts, yet lost only 2 days of duty. Fishy? I think so. link (http://www.insightmag.com/news/2004/04/27/Politics/Purple.Hearts.Three.And.Out-656749.shtml)

John Kerry attended a meeting in which assasination of U.S. senators was discussed. He later lied about ever attending it. link (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200403%5CNAT20040324a.html)

John Kerry's body counts include a woman, her baby, a 12 year-old boy, an elderly man. link (http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml)

John Kerry's VVAW encouraged Vietnam soldiers to desert and frag their officers. link (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/10/222651.shtml)

7000 marines died taking Iwo Jima, but Kerry's "The New Soldier" mocks the raising of the flag on the cover. link (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/2/prweb103472.php)

John Kerry through another soldiers medals over a fence outside the capitol, and only later admitted they were not his when he was found with them on his office wall. link (http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061703.shtml)

John Kerry claimed vietnam veterans personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephone to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, which has lost him the support of many who fought along side him. link (http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061703.shtml)

John Kerry marched alongside revolutionary Communists and in rallies with an abundance of Vietcong flags. link (http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=12215)

John Kerry's People's Peace Treaty was drawn up to end the Vietnam War. It contained 9 points, all of which were taken from the Vietcong proposal. This would leave American POW's in the country and all we could do is hope they would be returned. link (http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=20040220180726144)

John Kerry has been voted the most liberal member in the senate for four seperate years. link (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040227-111241-3716r.htm)

John Kerry has been AWOL from his Senate duties in 2003. He missed 60% of the votes HE WAS ELECTED TO VOTE ON! link (http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/cgi-bin/membervotes.cgi?&lang=&member=MAJR&site=congressmerge&address=&city=&state=&zipcode=&plusfour=&fullvotes=1)

John Kerry supports the wildly anti-semitic Muslime Public Affairs Council (MPAC) that has defended infamous terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah. link (http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=12954)

John Kerry claims to be Catholic, but opposes core values that Catholics hold dear. link (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/15/opinion/main612020.shtml)

John Kerry's website lied about his Vietnam service, and claimed he was skipper of the swift boat 94 when he wasn't. link (http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/04/23/discrepancies_noted_in_kerrys_record)

John Kerry IGNORED THE LIVES OF OUR ALLIES when he said no country other than Britain and the U.S. had more than 1000 troops in Iraq. (press conference 4/14/04) As of April 9, troops from Poland (2,400) and Ukraine (1,600) serve in the South Central zone of Iraq, including Najaf and Karbala. Troops from Britain (9,000), Italy (3,000) and the Netherlands (1,100) serve in the Southern zone centered on Basra. (United Press International 4/9/04)

Kerry has recieved endorsements from some of the most dispicable endorsements worldwide. Kim Jong Il(WMDs; insane), Al-Jazeera (As anti-American as it comes; voicepeice of Al Qaeda), Mahathir Mohamed (Wildly anti-Semitic PM of Malaysia), Jean Bertrand-Aristide (former dictator of Haiti), Tehran Times (state controlled newspaper of Iran). link (http://www.tehrantimes.com/archives/Description.asp?Da=2/8/2004&Cat=2&Num=026), link (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040312-120719-7926r.htm), link (http://cpsite.collegepublisher.com/palm/palm3.cfm?storyid=661937&paper_name=The%20Record), link (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1100530/posts), link (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040312-120719-7926r.htm)

John Kerry has no real stance on any issue. He has changed his mind on the following issues: Iraq War, eliminating the Marriage Penalty, Patriot Act, Gulf War, Gay Marriage Amendment, attacking the President, death penalty for terrorists, No Child Left Behind Act, Affirmative Action, Ethanol, Cuba Sanctions, NAFTA, double taxation of dividends, raising taxes during economic downturn, small business income tax, 50-Cent gas tax increase, leaving abortion up to states, Litmus test for judicial nominees, federal health benefits, tax credit health coverage, welfare reform, stock options expensing, medicinal marijuana, Burma sanctions, military experience credential for public office, PACs, using personal funds in your campaign, Israel security fence, ballistic missile defense, War on Terror, funding our troops in Iraq, and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. link (http://www.gop.com/kerryvskerry/backup.asp#1)

Kerry voted against the B-1 Bomber, B-2 Stealth Bomber, F-14, F-15, F-16, AV-8B Harrier Vertical Takeoff And Landing Jet Fighters, AH-64 Apache Helicopters, Patriot Missiles, Aegis Air Defense Cruiser, Trident Missile System For U.S. Submarines, M-1 Abrams Tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicle and Tomahawk Cruise Missile. link (http://www.aneducatedchoice.com/specific.doc)

Kerry has voted over 350 times to either raise taxes, vote against tax cuts, reduce the size of a proposed tax cut, voe against repealing previously enacted tax increases, and votes for democrat "tax cut" substitutes. link (http://commrnc.grassroots.com/resources/KerryVotesForHigherTaxes.pdf)

A secret service agent inadvertently got in Kerry's way while snowboarding, and Kerry called him an S.O.B. The same man willing to take a bullet for Kerry. link (http://www.drudgereport.com/kerryid2.htm)

Kerry is weak on defense. In 1991 Kerry voted to cut defense spending by 2 percent. Only 21 other senators voted with Kerry, and the defense cut was defeated. In 1991, Kerry voted to cut over $3 billion from defense and shift the funds to social programs. Only 27 senators joined Kerry in voting for the defense cut. In 1992, Kerry voted to cut $6 billion from defense. Republicans and Democrats alike successfully blocked this attempt to cut defense spending. In 1993, Kerry voted against increased defense spending for a military pay raise. In 1993, Kerry introduced a plan to cut the number Of Navy submarines and their crews; reduce tactical fighter wings in the Air Force; terminate the Navy’s coastal mine-hunting ship program; force the retirement of 60,000 members of the armed forces in one year; and reduce the number of light infantry units in the Army down to one. The plan was DOA. In 1995, Kerry voted to freeze defense spending for seven years, cutting over $34 billion from defense. Only 27 other senators voted with Kerry. In 1996, Kerry introduced a bill to cut Defense Department funding by $6.5 billion. Kerry’s bill had no co-sponsors and never came to a floor vote. In 1996, Kerry voted yes on a fiscal 1996 budget resolution – a defense freeze that would have frozen defense spending for the next seven years and transferred the $34.8 billion in savings to education and job training. The resolution was rejected 28-71. link (http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/2527/kerry12.html)

John Kerry has repeatedly tried to cut intelligence spending. Intelligence is our #1 defense against terrorism. A vote for Kerry is a vote for terrorism. 1995: Proposed Bill Cutting $1.5 Billion From Intelligence Budge; 1995: Voted Slash FBI Funding By $80 Million; 1994: Proposed Bill To Gut $1 Billion From Intelligence And Freeze Spending For Two Major Intelligence Programs; 1997: Kerry Questioned Growth Of Intelligence Community After Cold War; When His Bill Stalled In Committee, Kerry Proposed $1 Billion Cut To Intelligence As Amendment Instead; 12 Days After 9/11: Kerry Questioned Quality Of Intelligence. link (http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/2527/kerry12.html)

Files on John Kerry's past have mysteriously been stolen as the election heats up. link (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/03/27/kerry.documents/)

John Kerry's tax plan will stick it to the middle class. His plans could easily reduce household wealth of the half of all American families who own stocks by $1.5 trillion. link (http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=3550)

I don't have the space to list them all, but Kerry repeatedly lies in his campaign ads, and when caught, he refuses to admit he's wrong. link (http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=168)

Kerry has spoke of Iraq having WMDs numerous times. John Kerry was misleading the American public. In fact, he said "If you don't believe Saddam is a threat with nuclear weapons, you shouldn't vote for me." I guess you shouldn't vote for Kerry. link (http://www.gop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=3385)

Great Post Mr Ts fools.

John Kerry's body counts include a woman, her baby, a 12 year-old boy, an elderly man. link (http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml)
BY ALL MEANS READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE ------I DID :lol:

Oddly enough, this article from the Boston Globe is entitled:

Heroism, and growing concern about war

Why you would take this article and try and make John Kerry look bad, is anybodys guess, but after READING the WHOLE article, I came away with a firm belief that John Kerry was indeed a war hero. Here are some of the quotes from the article:

The Christmas Eve truce of 1968 was three minutes old when mortar fire exploded around John Forbes Kerry and his five-man crew on a 50-foot aluminum boat near Cambodia. ''Where is the enemy?'' a crewmate shouted.

In the distance, an elderly man was tending his water buffalo -- and serving as human cover for a dozen Viet Cong manning a machine-gun nest.

"Open fire; let's take 'em," Kerry ordered, according to his second-in-command, James Wasser of Illinois. Wasser blasted away with his M-60, hitting the old man, who slumped into the water, presumably dead. With a clear path to the enemy, the fusillade from Kerry's Navy boat, backed by a pair of other small vessels, silenced the machine-gun nest.

When it was over, the Viet Cong were dead, wounded, or on the run. A civilian apparently was killed, and two South Vietnamese allies who had alerted Kerry's crew to the enemy were either wounded or killed.

Well now it is certainly understandable how the elderly man died.

Further down the article, this account:

To his crew, Kerry was one of the most daring skippers in the US Navy, relentlessly and courageously engaging the enemy. But the battles and moral dilemmas were in shades of gray, and Kerry to this day wrestles with the scenes of death he commanded.

Kerry would watch in despair as a crewmate killed a boy who may or may not have been an innocent civilian. He would angrily challenge a military policy that risked the death of noncombatants. And he would try to escape the fate of five of his closest friends, all killed in combat.

NOTE:

Under Zumwalt's command, swift boats would aggressively engage the enemy. Zumwalt, who died in 2000, calculated in his autobiography that these men under his command had a 75 percent chance of being killed or wounded during a typical year.

The possibility of killing innocent civilians haunted Kerry. With many of the South Vietnamese waterways in ''free fire zones'' - meaning that the US Navy was authorized to shoot anyone who was violating a curfew - the likelihood that innocent villagers could be killed was high.

But Kerry does recall a harrowing incident, which he has never previously publicly discussed, in which he said a crew member shot and killed a Vietnamese boy of perhaps 12 years of age.

A member of Kerry's crew announced he was shooting, and the air filled with the ack-ack-ack of gunfire. The rounds blasted into a sampan, hurling the child into the rice paddy. The mother screamed as the flimsy craft began to sink, and Kerry, shining a searchlight, yelled, "Cease fire! Cease fire!"

That explains the 12 year old dying. However there is some discrepancy in that the boy might have been 15.

In any case, Kerry said he was appalled that the Navy's ''free fire zone'' policy put civilians at such high risk. So, on Jan. 22, 1969, Kerry and several dozen fellow skippers and officers traveled to Saigon to complain about the policy in an extraordinary meeting with Zumwalt and the overall commander of the war, General Creighton W. Abrams Jr.

The most intense action came during an extraordinary eight days of more than 10 firefights, remembered by Kerry's crew as the "days of hell."
On Feb. 20, 1969, Kerry earned his second Purple Heart after sustaining a shrapnel wound in his left thigh. According to a previously unreported Navy report on the battle, a two-boat patrol spotted three men on a riverbank who were wearing black pajamas and running and engaged them in a firefight.

The next day Kerry's swift boat convoy detected five Viet Cong in the river. Some of them appeared to be dead, but they were actually playing dead in an effort to stall the swift boat crews. It was a trap, and the swift boats came under rocket fire from the shore. The crews managed to capture the five guerrillas and sped away.

On the following day, Feb. 27, Kerry's boat was nearly hit in a rocket attack, and a crew member was shot.

"I laid in fire with the twin .50s, and he got behind a hootch," recalled Short. "I laid 50 rounds in there, and Mr. Kerry went in. Rounds were coming everywhere. We were getting fire from both sides of the river. It was a canal. We were receiving fire from the opposite bank, also, and there was no way I could bring my guns to bear on that."

Short said there is "no doubt" that Kerry saved the boat and crew. "That was a him-or-us thing, that was a loaded weapon with a shape charge on it. ... It could pierce a tank. I wouldn't have been here talking to you. I probably prayed more up that creek than a Southern Baptist church does in a month."

Charles Gibson, who served on Kerry's boat that day because he was on a one-week indoctrination course, said Kerry's action was dangerous but necessary. "Every day you wake up and say, `How the hell did we get out of that alive?"' Gibson said. "Kerry was a good leader. He knew what he was doing."

NOTE: Kerry received a Silver Star for his actions.

Indeed, the Silver Star citation makes clear that Kerry's performance on that day was both extraordinary and risky. "With utter disregard for his own safety and the enemy rockets," the citation says, Kerry "again ordered a charge on the enemy, beached his boat only 10 feet from the Viet Cong rocket position and personally led a landing party ashore in pursuit of the enemy. ... The extraordinary daring and personal courage of Lt. Kerry in attacking a numerically superior force in the face of intense fire were responsible for the highly successful mission.”

A couple of weeks later, on March 13, 1969, a mine detonated near Kerry's boat, wounding Kerry in the right arm, according to the citation written by Zumwalt. Guerrillas started firing on the boats from the shoreline. Kerry then realized that he had lost overboard a Green Beret who is identified only as "Rassman."

"The man was receiving sniper fire from both banks," according to Kerry's Bronze Star citation from that day. "Lt. Kerry directed his gunners to provide suppressing fire, while from an exposed position on the bow, his arm bleeding and in pain, with disregard for his personal safety, he pulled the man aboard. Lt. Kerry then directed his boat to return and assist the other damaged craft and towed the boat to safety. Lt. Kerry's calmness, professionalism and great personal courage under fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Naval Service," Zumwalt's citation said.

Kerry had been wounded three times and received three Purple Hearts. Asked about the severity of the wounds, Kerry said that one of them cost him about two days of service, and that the other two did not interrupt his duty. "Walking wounded," as Kerry put it. A shrapnel wound in his left arm gave Kerry pain for years. Kerry declined a request from the Globe to sign a waiver authorizing the release of military documents that are covered under the Privacy Act and that might shed more light on the extent of the treatment Kerry needed as a result of the wounds.

BTW there is absolutely no mention in this story about Kerry shooting a woman and her baby. Perhaps the poster is confused?

I guess if this article is supposed to make Kerry look bad, I guess he would just say "Bring It On"?

I have looked at some of the other articles (also some inaccuracies) but it would take awhile to respond to them. Bear with me, I love a mystery.