Flashback PTSD of Coup-2000: JEB Crow Shrub parading Medal of Honor tool-supporters

[UTUSN]

There might be younger DUers who don't remember the travesty of Stolen-2000 -- the initial shock and confusion of Election Night; the grotesque cast of characters (Sandra Day O'CONNOR saying "This is TERRIBLE" when GORE was leading; Jeb Crow Shrub and his state-stealer/Katherine HARRIS; James BAKER; CHEENEE; Tim OLSEN; the Brooks Brothers riot). The whole thing was a nightmare. One of the most shocking, disgusting things was to see the B.F.E.E. machine using veterans as props, especially a photo op where a half dozen or more Medal of Honor holders were posed on a stage, wearing their Medals and their caps and saluting or some SHIT.

Now, I fully realize that members on active duty are supposed to be non-political and that veterans (meaning "NOT ACTIVE MILITARY&quot are civilians with all the rights of speech and politics of any other civilians.

BUT. These dweebs, along with VFW and other vets, cross a line when they are USING their military decorations and salutes and the flag as PARTISAN PROPS.

Back then I called the headquarters of the Medal of Honor association and the VFW and American Legion and complained on these grounds. Of course, got a whatever/ho-hum/fie on you.

What the link says is that Jeb Crow Shrub here is doing the exact same thing CHEENEE did with his veterans-baiting back then ("Help is on the way!&quot , coupling this disgusting parade of TOOLS-veterans with his unveiling of promises for veterans' benefits.

Remember Phil GRAMM, the wingnut dinosaur from Texas with his wife cashing in on ENRON? One of his favorite gimmicks was to use those military decorations presentations in political ways: His Senate office would get those requests from old veterans asking for help getting belated decorations (which they could get on their own or with minimal help from anybody filing out papers), then GRAMM on his campaign trips would do presentations wherever, with the media present of course. Fine. But guess where he would hold the event --- not at a court house or other public site, but at the local REPUKE campaign office.

*********QUOTE********

http://nypost.com/2015/08/17/medal-of-honor-winners-endorse-jeb-bush-for-president/

[font size=5] Medal of Honor winners endorse Jeb (sic) Bush for president[/font]

.... There are nearly 400,000 veterans living in South Carolina, more than in the other early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, according to the US Census Bureau. ....

Trailing in the polls behind front-runner Donald Trump, Bush is seeking to energize his campaign in Charleston on Monday by meeting with veterans supporting his candidacy.Trailing Trailing in the polls behind front-runner Donald Trump, Bush is seeking to energize his campaign in Charleston on Monday by meeting with veterans supporting his candidacy.

First reported by Fox News, the names of Bush’s Medal of Honor supporters are:

Kyle Carpenter, USMC, Afghanistan
James Livingston, USMC, Vietnam
Harold “Hal” Fritz, USA, Vietnam
Jay Vargas, USMC, Vietnam
Alfred Rascon, USA, Vietnam
Leo Thorsness, USAF, Vietnam, former Prisoner of War
Bruce P. Crandall, USA, Vietnam
Robert Modrzejewski, USMC, Vietnam
James Taylor, USA, Vietnam
Sammy Davis, USA, Vietnam
Leroy Petry, USA, Afghanistan
Donald “Doc” Ballard, USA/USN, Vietnam ....

*************UNQUOTE*************

[UTUSN]

1. [phone]. The lady laughed in my ear.

I called, said: I'm just a regular veteran, not a hero, 4 yrs, Vietnam blah blah. I'm calling with the same comment as in 2000, that I fully understand these fellows have a right to their opinions, but they are using their decorations as political props, supporting yes Jeb BUSH, the medal is its own thing, ought to be separate from politics, yes it's tempting to say these people who did the incredible things they did should be given carte blanche for anything they want to say and do, but the honor of this medal is its own thing and a thing apart not to be exploited for petty affairs.

The woman chuckled. I said, can you at least admit that I have a bit of a point?!1 She said that anybody can do whatever they want, including me, because this is America, that she noted down my comment. I said I was willing to leave my name. She said if I want to, not necessary. I said asking for the name is usually for credibility's sake. She said fine if that's what I want to do (because this is America -- everything is just equal).


Just talking to myself.


I should have asked her, what if they did something with bodily fluids and their medals. Yip, free speech. What about doing car commercials with their medals -- well, the car sellers *do* use the flag for this.

[Oneironaut]

2. I cannot agree.

They earned their medals. They should be able to use them any way they want. If they want to use them to support a candidate, then that's fine.

[UTUSN]

3. Your disagreeing opinion has no impact on my opinion, same as mine with yours.

Their activities to earn their decorations had nothing to do with politics. Politics has nothing to do with the decorations. The freedom is that you and I can disagree (although I'm correct).

[Lee-Lee]

4. Your totally off base expecting vets to remain silent

A military award or achievement is just like any other item a person may have on their resume- and if it's notable than they are entitled to make use of that.

It's no different than a scientist who advocates political stances based on global warming, doctors who advocate for health care reform, etc.

Would you call the Nobel Committee mad because a Nobel Laureate spoke out on a cause and was identified as having won a Nobel Prize?

I disagree with what they are saying- but I won't seek to relegate vets to a lower status of political speaking ability than anyone else just because I don't like what a few of them have to say.

[UTUSN]

5. I never said vets should be silent. I said they shouldn't use things that belong to the whole nation

Last edited Thu Aug 20, 2015, 02:03 PM - Edit history (2)

for narrow, petty, self-aggrandizing things that don't have anything to do with what the medals and salutes and flag stand for.

Uh, haven't Nobel winners been castigated for racist views? How about bestowing Nobels on Nazis? Why are Confederate symbols being challenged?

Veterans-baiting and confusing the topics won't get anywhere. Notice that I didn't play the I'm-a-vet-are-you? card. So some vets' opinions are worth more than others? (Don't mistake my many question marks here as actual requests.)