Will our media ever call the GOP on their lies - Kerry earned decorations [View All]

[papau]

Kerry earned his decorations - and Grant Hibbard is a liar -He either lied when he wrote John Kerry's fitness reports in NAM or he is lying now.

But I am not sure our US Media understands logic - Did you lie before, or are you a liar today? - is a Rather classic question to ask Bush and his team. Heck for a month we have had an ad on by Bush that ignores the fact that Kerry voted for 16 out of 19 Pentagon money bills - with protest votes only when they would not affect the outcome, and even then only on 3 bills - and then those protest votes indeed SUPPORTED Cheney's position on not passing pork barrel Defense bills - and Kerry indeed wanted to end the same weapon systems Cheney wanted to end - but this is still reported by our Media asCheney saying Kerry has consistent anti-Pentagon votes, followed by our media repeating the Mantra of bad Kerry votes on defense bills.

I guess context - as in conveying truth - is not the job of our media.


So today, as Joe Conason says, "Smear Boat Veterans for Bush -The "Swift boat" veterans attacking John Kerry's war record are led by veteran right-wing operatives using the same vicious techniques they used against John McCain four years ago."http://www.washingtondispatch.com/page2/archives/000183.html

What a crew of Veterans! "200" but we only have the ones below whose names are being used with their permission!

Corporate media consultant, former Reagan administration media official, and Texas Republican activist Merrie Spaeth (media contact - not a vet.)

Dallas attorney John E. O'Neill, law partner of Spaeth's late husband, Tex Lezar the Republican nominee for Texas lieutenant governor in 1994 during Bush's run for Governor (Lezar lost), and chosen by Nixon to dirty Kerry up in 71

Retired Rear Adm. Roy "body count" Hoffman, who had been Kerry's commander in Vietnam

And finally, former Lt. Grant Hibbard, who briefly supervised Kerry during his perilous stint in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Hibbard recently questioned whether Kerry deserved the first of three Purple Hearts he was awarded, suggesting that a shrapnel wound Kerry received in December 1968 was no more than a scratch.

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I wonder if the media - when it reports the "news" from this group - "news" certain to make primeTime news - and certain to be in a Bush Ad coming soon - will include a list of the Awards Kerry received and the reasons they were awarded?


John Kerry impressive record (to me) for an officer who spent just 10 months in Vietnam includes the medals below, each of which came with a matching ribbon. Kerry wore his ribbons when he testified before a Senate committee in 1971; the next day, joining hundreds of other vets, he lobbed them at the Capitol.

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Silver Star for "Gallantry in action" as in Kerry led three swift boats up a canal on Feb. 28, 1969, and ordered a daring attack on Viet Cong positions. When his boat took rocket fire, Kerry directed his crew to head straight for the beach, taking the guerrilla with the rocket launcher by surprise. Kerry jumped ashore and killed him

Bronze Star for "Heroic or meritorious service" as in the Bay Hap River on March 13, 1969, a mine exploded under Kerry's boat, driving shrapnel into his arm and knocking Green Beret Jim Rassmann overboard. Despite heavy fire, Kerry turned the boat around and pulled Rassmann back on board with his good arm

Purple Heart for being "wounded in action" as in 3 Purple Hearts (the second and third are represented by gold stars), all for shrapnel wounds. His arm was scratched during a night patrol in December 1968. His left thigh was hit during a V.C. attack in February 1969. The March 13 injury, his third, entitled him to return home, and he did

Combat Action Ribbon for "Ground combat while serving in the Navy" as Kerry went ashore several times in pursuit of Viet Cong

Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon for "Heroism of a unit in combat" for Kerry's participating in Operation Swift Raider, a campaign of boat attacks on enemy strongholds and sanctuaries

Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon for "Heroism of a unit" as in the Rach Gia interdiction, river patrols aimed at stopping Viet Cong infiltration from Cambodia

National Defense Service Medal for "Honorable active-duty service" as in Kerry's service on the U.S.S. Gridley, a guided-missile frigate, from 1967 to 1968

Vietnam Service Medal for "Six months service in the Vietnam conflict" as in Kerry's tour on the Gridley, which supported an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross which was awarded by South Vietnam to U.S. units for valorous combat achievements, in Kerry's case, for service on the swift boats

Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions which was awarded by South Vietnam to U.S. units for meritorious civil-action service, which in Kerry's case was for service on the swift boats

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal which was awarded for six-months service in Vietnam - namely, the tour of duty aboard the Gridley.

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I wonder if our media will provide a hint of truth over the next few months as to this Swift Boat smear. Or will they let it live - the way they let the lies about Gore live - because our media is not controlled by the right wing GOP - they just act like they are.