Heard from a real "swiftie" on Saturday-----

[tinnyguy1777]

He is Gene Thorson, aged 59, a Vietnam vet from Ames, Iowa. He was the engine man, and a petty office, 2nd class, on John Kerry's second boat, the PCF 94. He spoke at the Democratic headquarters, in Manitowoc, and assured us that John Kerry will be as effective a President, as he was a strong and resourceful leader 35 years ago. Thorson recalled that Kerry was "hell on wheels", and that when it came time to make quick decisions, "he did it'.
It was refreshing to hear the truth, from a real "swiftie", who was actually one of Kerry's crew, instead of the incessant tripe that is being peddled by those other imposters, who weren't in a position to know.

[dogtag]

1. Thanks for the reality check!

I can't ever remember being as outraged as I've been by the Swiftboat cabal and their heinous charges against an honorable man.

I was anti-war back in the day and Kerry was a genuine patriot who was the epitome of bravery. He gave us hope then and he gives us hope now. There would be several more granite blocks filled with names in D.C. if he and the Veterans Against the War hadn't taken it to the people. To say that he betrayed his fellows is such a slander it literally makes me feel ill. I wish those slimeballs could be sued for their outrageous lies. If one of them lived remotely close to me, I would personally make his life a living hell.

[ladybugg33]

2. Thanks for the post.

:hi:

[Warpy]

3. This is why Kerry needs to sue for libel

and do it quickly. His inaction has been seen by a lot of dimwits out in the workdaday world as a tacit admission that the Smear Boat guys are actually telling the truth.

It's not easy to sue for libel if you're a famous person. You need to have the facts on your side, and you need to be able to prove malice on the part of the liars. This is a slam-dunk for Kerry. The least that could happen would be that he'd end up owning Regenery, Free Republic, and the combined assets of everybody in the Bush gang who conspired to put this stuff out.

There is nothing he can do about the poltiical ads, those are exempt. However, he can and should sue over that book, get a team of lawyers with subpoenas all over the Bush election committee, get all those bastards exposed for what they really are. He's lost too much time on this already, and it's cost him dearly.

[RetroLounge]

4. Thanks for this.

At a Kerry Fundraiser I met Jim Wasser from PCF 94. Hearing him speak helped turn me from an ABB to a pro-Kerry supporter.

RL

[dragonlady]

5. Mr. Thorson also spoke in Glendale Sunday

at a rally for North Shore Dems. It was good to hear him say again what we've heard many times about Kerry. They had to rearrange the program so he could leave for the airport to go home and go to work tomorrow. He does have a job, but is glad to go places on the weekends to talk about Kerry and has been doing it for two years, he said.

The rally also included a young man who served a year in Iraq. He said he was especially offended by the F-9/11 scene where Bush is getting ready to give the speech at the start of the Iraq invasion, smirking and acting so unconcerned. Contrast that with his parents, who stuck to the TV for the whole year he was there and worried with every casualty announcement that it might be him. He said he moved from Oklahoma up to Wisconsin to work on the election because he feels it is so important.

(Perhaps 300 people were in attendance. Besides these speakers we heard a high school activist, several teachers, a labor leader, a corporation president, a Vietnam veteran, and our candidates Sheldon Wasserman, Jennifer Morales, and Bryan Kennedy, along with reps from Kerry and Feingold and some fine entertainment. A really good rally organized by local people to show that the North Shore has more Democrats than many may think.)