This manufactured Kerry 'controversy'...

[Patriot_Spear]

I'm a Dean supporter, but nothing ticks me off more than when a chickenhawk or a Repuke (normally the same thing) has the audacity to question the service record of a veteran, especially a man like John Kerry.

Now the 'usual suspects' on here wanted to drag this around in GD for a while and this bothered me a bit; I have serious reservations about the character of ANYONE who would stoop to this kind of slander without definative, unbiased evidence. But after reflecting, I think we could use this type of ugly accusation to examine how easily it can backfire.

Baseless attacks like this one anger regular Americans, and nothing outrages the People more than an attack on a decorated veteran. If this board is any indicator, attacking Kerry in this manner would result in massive support for Kerry and disgust toward the accuser.

Like I said I'm a Dean supporter, but it's fairly universally accepted that attacking a combat veteran's record is just low. In this regard, I think the DU weathervane has the pulse of the nation.

The bottom line for me is, guys like John Kerry and Max Cleland deserve better than these kind of filthy attacks.

[sangh0]

1. Even more astounding

is how the admin lets their own board be used by these chickenshit liars under the excuse that they can't check the veracity of every statement that's posted.

That excuse is itself a lie! They may not be able to check EVERY statement, but when a DUer posts disruptive lies day after day, it doesn't take all that much effort to deal with that poster.

[Le Taz Hot]

2. I purposely didn't post to those threads

even to condemn them in the hopes they would die a quick death. I wholeheartedly agree with you, PS.

[BurtWorm]

3. There's more about this very subject here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=325615&mesg_id=325615

[Raven]

4. BRAVO!

I have been following these threads too and they have really become awful. What is really bad is that they suck the positive energy out of GD. So many well meaning DU'ers feel that they must respond to some of this crap. Thus, other good discussions don't get going.

Here is what I suggest and it's not my idea...do the "yawn" thing with these folks and then let's start some discussions about what the next democratically elected Democrat should do to get this country back on the right track.

[maxomai_vs_rove]

5. Totally agreed

Although I take a different tactic. I call them liars to their faces, because frankly, that's what a lot of these folks are.

[sandnsea]

6. It's astounding

One guy I know says 'I didn't see any combat, I just flew in airplanes and dropped the lights so everybody else could kill each other.' I forget what those 'lights' are called, he actually called them by name. Another served on a mine sweeper of some sort. They both still consider that they served and I've never heard anybody say anything different until yesterday.

My cousin's son is on the Nimitz in the Gulf, although it may have moved by now.

One uncle was in England in WWII working as a mechanic. The other was in the Pacific and got shot later in Korea. We don't consider the service of one or the other 'more heroic'. They don't either. Truthfully, it's not much discussed at all in our family, we aren't really that big on military service.

The essence of this discussion is the reason Democrats lose elections.