Swift Boat Vets vs. Kerry

Who's telling the truth? I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. This would probably not be an issue had Senator Kerry not made his service in Vietnam the core of his bid for the Presidency. Unfortunately, I can't see that his Senate service has anything to be especially proud of.

So, that being said, he had to use his Vietnam service as the central point of his campaign. In doing so, he left himself open to anyone who wanted to dispute his version of his service. I wasn't there, so I can't say which version is the truth and which is full of lies. I don't know.

Here are a couple of points to ponder:

1. Served with, or didn't serve with. In my 20 plus years of para-military experience (I'm in law enforcement), I've learned that you don't have to work hip-to-hip with a person to serve with them. We have 2 day shift and 2 night shifts. The two day shifts see each other only when someone is working overtime on the opposite shift or transfers between shifts. Same for night shift. Now, not working with each other, the deputies still get to know the other shift because they may: be friends, hear supervisors talk (at muster and in general conversation), ask questions about what the other shift did in a situation, inmate talk (taken with a grain of salt, but over time you know what to listen to from inmates), have common friends, and most importantly, documentation. We have tons of documentation, from log books, to incident reports, to daily activity reports, and so on. Does Deputy A who is on Day shift 1 work with Deputy B who is on Night shift 2? I've got to split hairs here, served together yes, worked together no.

2. Wasn't in the same boat but saw or couldn't see what happened. I'm not sure this is an appropriate analogy, but how about this: when the WTC tragedy occurred, there were thousands of people involved. Did each person see exactly what everyone else saw? Did someone on the street see the same thing as a person inside the building saw? No, they didn't "serve" together, or even "work" together, but they did experience the same thing, but from different viewpoints. Even co-workers in the same office, one sitting at a desk and the other looking out the window. They worked together, served together, were in the same office, and experienced the same event but saw different things. A secretary, taking dictation from her boss who is seated with his or her back to the window, had a different view of American Flight 11 striking the North Tower than her boss who never saw it coming. Or this: have you ever witnessed an accident then discussed it with someone in your own vehicle? Chances are you saw different things.

What I'm getting at is that because of your view and your involvement in a situation, you may see something that can't be seen by someone else. For example: while Kerry was pulling Rasmann out of the water, they were both focused on getting Rassman out of the water and couldn't have seen everything going on around them. Did they lie about getting Rassman out of the water? The facts say no. Rassman went into the water and they both say Kerry got him out.

3. Are the Republicans behind the Swift Vets? Both say no. According to this article, Bob Perry made a $200,000 donation to the Swift Vets. Perry has ties to the Republican party as do many of the Swifties. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't people make donations to political parties they belong to, and to causes they believe in? George Soros and MoveOn.org (among others) have been behind Senator Kerry and have made numerous donations to his campaign, either directly or in ads on his behalf. Where is the difference?

Because I am the sort of person I am, I believe the best in everyone until I know differently. I will say straight out, I don't like Kerry. I haven't since before he began to win the primaries. I would say the same thing if the Swifties had never come into the fray. Nothing the Senator has done since he threw his hat into the Presidential ring has changed my opinion. Well, there was the photo op in the bunny suit. I still smile when I see it. I still can't figure out what his campaign stategy is except that he would do the same thing as President Bush, but differently.

The DNC lawyers have threatened TV stations with legal action if they show the Swift Vet ads. They are now reported to have suggested that the publisher of the Swift Vets book, Unfit for Command, remove the book from publication. I've also heard that letters have been written to book stores threatening legal action if they stock the book. I cannot verify that, so please don't quote me on that. I am not going to discuss the freedom of speech issuea because it isn't petinent and I've already discussed why it's not pertinent in a previous post.

Do the Swift Vets have the right to say what they believe to be the truth? Absolutely. Senator Kerry has based his entire campaign on his Vietnam service. The other Swift Vets were there. They have the right to dispute his version. Do they have the right to lie about it? No, not as far as I am concerned. If they are going to go public, they have a responsibility to tell the truth, just has Senator Kerry has a responsibility to tell the truth.

Senator Kerry has said "Bring it on" when referring to the charges made against him by the Swifties. Well, it's coming on. Mister Kerry, if you can prove that the Swifties are lying, you'll have my respect.

hmmm....I seem to remember someone else saying "Bring it on."