Text 226, 93 rader
Skriven 2004-07-29 21:55:22 av Ed Connell (1:379/1.6)
    Kommentar till text 158 av LEE LOFASO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Re: Nothing much, I guess
=================================
Hey, LEE.

 J>>> not. But in an echo where Kerry is portrayed as
 J>>> 'not fit to lead' a traitor, his medals a fraud,
 J>>> his purple hearts undeserved, un american, et cetera,
 J>>> I suppose anything is possible.

 EC>> You write as if this were not sadly true.  Kerry uses money earned by
 EC>> other men to take credit for what he doesn't deserve, to portray
 EC>> himself inaccurately.  When you hear John Kerry explain his position
 EC>> on any issue, what you hear is what Kerry perceives you to be.  Your
 EC>> acting all offended and all would be more appropriate if you were
 EC>> offended at someone's such lack of honest position and asking for your
 EC>> vote.  Banging the door and stamping your feet on the way out is just
 EC>> a replacement for your admitting the flaws in your candidate.

 EC>> Truth offends you.  So long.

 LL> On his web page, Vernon W. Humphrey, a candidate for Congress,
 LL> describes himself as being a retired Infantry officer having been
 LL> awarded two Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, the Combat Infantryman's
 LL> Badge, and "several other decorations."

 LL> No details are given on Humphrey's web page as to how or why he was
 LL> awarded those medals and "other decorations".  Presumably, he deserved
 LL> those medals.  The same as Kerry.

I was with you until you said, "The same as Kerry".

Of course, from the start, I agree and it is the same, but in making a
decision on whom to support, the evidence must be examined.

First lets consider Vern.  To me the fact that he served in Vietnam longer
than three or four months is a piece of the puzzle.  That Vern continued
serving as an army officer until he retired seems to mean something.  That
the army would seek Vern out for expert advice and consulting after his
retirement is significant.  The folks who would be in the best position to
know about his service considered him to still be part of the team.  That is
evidence that I take to the bank.

Not the least important evidence is that I've met Vern, both here on Fido,
and in person, and I've sat in a room at Stan's house and listen to Vern
wax.  My gut reaction (and here I'm overqualified) is that Vern is a man of
integrity and good sense.  It is my impression that he is fit to lead in
whatever capacity.

Kerry, on the other hand, I've seen only in the news.  Still, I judge how he
reacts to things.  Is he consistent, is he faithful, is he someone whom I
can trust?  His public record of being on all sides of various issues is not
comforting.

If I could ask Senator Kerry one question, here is what it would be.
"Senator, why do you now attack President Bush for acting in the very way
that you advocated before the invasion of Iraq.  When Clinton was the
president, you called for the taking down of Saddam on the basis that he was
a danger to us.  You, your party leader, Bill Clinton, and most of your
collegues shared the same belief, that Saddam had WMD and was thus a danger.
After the invasion, when we got a clearer look at things, you started
attacking Bush's actions.  It looks to me as if you merely saw this as a
target of opportunity, and went for it."

The evidence I've seen makes more believable the stories about Kerry's scary
behavior in Vietnam.  If those stories are considered in addition to Kerry's
public record and his behavior during this presidential campaign, I don't
trust the guy.  I think he is interested in one thing - himself.

 LL> Every candidate for public office has his/her own style of campaigning.
 LL> Kerry has his own way, the same as Bush.  Berry has his own way, the
 LL> same as Humphrey.  Regardless of party, or what office a politician is
 LL> seeking, campaign styles differ.

 LL> As for truth, each candidate presents his or her own version of the
 LL> truth.  The truth, as presented by one candidate, may be offensive to
 LL> supporters of the other candidate, who presents a different version of
 LL> the truth, which may be offensive to the other side.  That's the way
 LL> it goes in the world of politics.  The truth becomes expedient.

I am not so disallusioned by the political process that I assume that every
politician will say whatever he thinks, true or not, that will help his
election chances.  That certainly is the case with some politicians, but I
believe that some of them are men/women of character, who sincerely want to
serve our nation.

I'm sad to say that I think Kerry falls into that category.  I wish it were
not so.

It is one thing for someone to have a different view, different goals,
different emphases, and so on.  I might disagree, but I can still respect
such a person.  Kerry, I don't respect.


--- Fidolook Lite FTN stub 
 * Origin: Bush, "Let's roll."  Kerry, "Let's rollover." (1:379/1.6)