Bert|Evil wrote:Murtha's military record has been suspect for many years. I would bet that his actions in Vietnam were probably worse than what he has accused marines and soldiers of recently.
Reminds me of another guy who refused to release his military records because it would have shown the favoritism that kept his piloting skills out of Vietnam. I realize you'll see this as completely unrelated, but indictments have been handed down against some of the soldiers involved, and a Navy witness has some pretty damning testimony. What if they
did it? So you give soldiers the benefit of the doubt except when they're Democrat? That tastes like Karl's Kremlin-style Koolaid to me. Remember The Swiftboaters? A "quickly assembled" organization of several thousand men who swear they were right there in Vietnam with Kerry, despite the ludicrous inference that there were thousands of people there on the river that day. Republican veterans = good, Democrat veterans = bad.
Oh, and however Kerry's remark was spun, there is a grain of truth to how the joke came out. Hate me if you want, but:
1) Many servicepeople are in the military for selfish reasons. If you don't believe me, tell them they won't be getting VA benefits such as college money, re-up bonuses, lifelong healthcare, etc. A year later, see how many kids show up.
2) Recruiters lie to you. "You can choose from hundreds of jobs!" No, you'll be placed in the job they need you for, with a little wiggle room if you happen to show an aptitude for something. In my case, I was told (after I signed on) I could have any job I wanted, as long as it was tying bombs on airplanes. Kids can be sold a bill of goods because of their inexperience and naive idealism, and because it seems like a grown-up thing to do.
3) Many people have enlisted, not to defend our country from harm, but for self-discipline, to avoid jail, and in my own case, because there were few alternative sources of employment for a Trough Creek Valley farmboy. College wasn't an option until I could first feed myself, and the military feeds, clothes, and houses you. In exchange, I did what they told me to.
While nearly all veterans will tell you they are proud to have served, I think few really enjoy it while they are there, and if there was another way to get theirs, they would have gone that way. They'll tell you that war is hell, not that they really wanted to be where they were. The benefits of military service are many, but there are easier ways to grow up.
Of course, I'll be lambasted as anti-troop, which is what anti-Iraq-War people are called these days, but I'm a biggie-boy, and my vote counts the exact same amount as yours does.
The Kerry thing was the only thing to get Foley, Hastert, and crew off the front page, and if the RNC didn't use it or something like it, they'd have looked extremely weak. It's politics, y'all... and when Spinnity says the liberals are playing politics,
he's playing politics, and it's just a part of the dance. The GOP platform: Dems are weak on defense and will raise your taxes ("read my lips", anyone?). The Dem platform: The Republicans have mired us in a war that's been going on for millenia, in the wrong place, and have accomplished little else. You figure it out for yourself... I've done my homework, and I won't be voting anybody's party ticket.------->JMS
