Pledge, Counter-pledge -- Continued

After posting "Pledge, Counter-Pledge" I emailed Dean Esmay to make sure he knew about Ironbear's pledge, and that I had signed up to it. That may or may not have been how he learned about Ironbear's pledge. At any rate, his Counter Pledgers post is his response to Ironbear's counter-pledge. I strongly recommend going there and reading what he has to say on the subject, and continuing down the page to read the comments that were left on his post. I'll excerpt part of my comment there here, but I really recommend going there and reading his post and all of the comments.

A portion of the comment I left on Dean's site:

There is nothing in Ironbear's pledge about bad-mouthing our troops or hoping for GWOT setbacks to blame on the president. My hatred of Kerry is a direct result of his anti-G.I./anti-veteran activities after he returned from Vietnam, and I'll never be party to any such thing, regardless of who's in the White House. What I pledged to do is to continue, if Kerry is elected, to point out that the man is a despicable two-faced phony, to publicize the mistakes he will certainly make, and to remind anyone that will listen that he won the election by lying to the American public. I don't see that as un-American in the least. On the contrary, if Kerry is elected this fall I'll consider it my patriotic duty to do my best to see that he loses in 2008, for the good of our country. We might survive 4 years of Kerry's "sensitive" approach to the GWOT, but I doubt that we could survive 8. I have a daughter and a grandson. You have a son and a child on the way. I'll be doing what I think is best for them.

Full disclosure: In 1972 I narrowly avoided death (Picture missing a 9/11 flight due to a flat tire.) at an airbase just outside of Kontum, which is considerably closer to Cambodia than John Kerry has ever been. I realize that may color my reaction to John Kerry's phony claims. I've hated the man with a passion for over 30 years, and I won't be able to suppress that hatred if he's elected this fall. Ironbear may have posted his pledge partly in jest. I posted it on my site and signed up to it in all seriousness.

Update 8/15/04 12:35 AM: The discussion continues in Dean's comment section, with several people having made some good points. Go there if you're interested.

Update 2:32 AM: I just promised in a comment on Dean's site that I'm dropping the "Pledge, Counter-Pledge" issue till after the election. That'll give us both that much more time to work on keeping Kerry out of the White House so the issue becomes moot.

Kerry's Secret Plan

I'd never been to Grouchy Old Cripple before, but after finding this on TigerHawk's site I'll definitely go back:

Also worth reading: Cripple's Redneck Etiquette post.

John Kerry: Unfit for Command -- Update 6

[Continued from Update 5]

Today's Reading: Instapundit, Instapundit, Instapundit, Instapundit, Instapundit, Captain's Quarters, Captains Quarters, Q and O, Donald Sensing, Power Line

As Captain Ed points out, there is now cause to doubt whether David Alston, who has repeatedly told the public how brave Kerry was when they served together, ever actually went into combat on Kerry's boat. The lies continue. Money can't buy happiness, but it's beginning to sound like it can buy great character witnesses.

A-r-r-r-g-g-g-g-h-h-h ! ! !

God damn it to Hell! Why isn't the mainstream news media covering this situation? I've tried to be "civilized" about this, but I can't. I'm getting more pissed off by the day. Every time George Bush trips over his tongue the media is all over it like ugly on an ape John Kerry on a rich widow. They tried to crucify the man over trumped up charges of missing some Air National Guard meetings; Anyone with balls enough to strap on an F-102, even in peacetime -- never mind the fact that he tried to volunteer for 'Nam -- is a damned sight better man than John Kerry ever was or ever will be. John Kerry tried his best to avoid ever seeing combat, lied to get an early trip home from 'Nam, and kept right on lying from the day he got home right up to the present time. Bush may not say exactly what he means to now and then, but at least he means what he tries to say, and he tries to say what he means. John Kerry says whatever he thinks will help him politically, then when he gets caught in a lie he makes up another one to try to explain it away. He came home from Vietnam and lied about what he'd done over there and what others had done over there, then used the lies to launch a political career. Now we're supposed to vote for the S.O.B. because he's a "Vietnam hero." The mainstream news media lets him get away with it because they want him to win the election. I'm beginning to think it's about time to revise the First Amendment. Of course after J. Fabricator Kerry surrenders to the jihadis and they implement sharia law in the U.S. the Bill of Rights isn't going to matter much anyway.

Update: Don't miss Neal Boortz's TownHall column.

John Kerry: Unfit for Command -- Update 5

[Continued from Update 4]

Today's Reading: Washington Times, Instapundit, Instapundit, Black Five, Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Power Line, Power Line, Donald Sensing

The Washington Times article makes an interesting point, that if the 200+ Navy veterans disputing Kerry's version of his activities in Vietnam are provably lying, they are exposing themselves to huge libel suits, knowing John Kerry (or, his wife, actually) can afford a stable full of good lawyers to make their lives miserable. Why would they take that risk? Unless, of course, they aren't lying.

Pledge, Counter-pledge

Dean Esmay wanted everyone to promise that if Kerry's elected, we'll all play nice and not make his life any more difficult than necessary. I read about Dean's proposed pledge on another blog (although I read Dean's every day) and stated in the comments on that blog (I wish I could remember which one) that what I'd pledge to do is contribute whatever I could to limiting Kerry's stay in the White House to four years. Ironbear at Who Tends the Fires has proposed his own pledge, which I heartily endorse.

First, there was The PLEDGE. Then, there were the Ditto Pledges as everyone piled on the Dean Train.

Now, at first here at RFI, we were thoroughly opposed. After all, we mused, given the virulence and virtually criminal unfairness of the Left over the past four years, why should WE pledge to play nice?

We still haven't come up with a satisfactory answer to that, ...

So... having given this much thought... we have finally come around to Dean's way of thinking ..., and Radio Free is prepared to not only meet Dean's World more than halfway, but to go them one better.

So, without further muckadoo, Radio Free Ironbear presents - The Anti-Pledge Pledge:

In the unlikely event that our fellow idiots travelers choose to allow the Media to select Elect John Fucking Kerry, Radio Free stands ready to resist welcome our new Pretender Commander In Chief's usurpation [ascension] to his dubious position as the Betrayer Leader of the formerly Free World.

We pledge to scrutinize his every misstep, poke unrestrained fun at his every foible, remind people at every stretch of his campaign's documented dubious activities during the election, resist vociferously his every effort to legislate away what's left of the Constitution and to relinquish our sovereignty to the UN, plug the Swift Boat Vets for Truth book at every opportunity, publicize his every broken campaign waffling, and highlight the scurrilous activities of Kerry's supporters, cabinet, and the media's complicity in making sure that they're ignored. And to fight the Left to the bloody fucking bitter end on every attempt to Transnationalize our country.

And the truly neat thing is that, unlike our counterparts on the Left, WE won't have to make shit up to do it - John Kerry himself will hand us all the ammo we need, just as Bill Clinton did before him. We won't even have to lie. ...

***

Sa'ang-fori. The gloves are off. No remorse. No quarter. No surrender. No nicey-nice...

***

You guys just thought Clinton got the treatment.

I can delude myself that if I ever got a round tuit I might have said the same thing better, but it didn't happen, so: Ironbear, I pledge to help.

(My apologies for quoting rough language on my blog. I try to refrain from expressing myself so clearly, but I consider Ironbear's pledge worth supporting and I wouldn't feel right about modifying it to quote here. I have cleaned up some obvious typos.)

Wouldn't it be nice to vote FOR Someone?

So, my daughter is going to vote AGAINST George Bush because he isn't rocket-scientist smart and his tangue gets tungled up now and then. I'm going to vote AGAINST John Kerry because he's a pathological liar and would rather let my daughter and grandson die in a terrorist attack than do what needs done without French and German permission. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to vote FOR someone? Maybe, with a lot of luck, if enough people come to their senses about Kerry in time, in 4 years we can be choosing between Condi Rice and Joe Lieberman, and people can decide whom to vote FOR again, like we used to. Maybe we can have an election some day between two smart, honest, decent people, either one of whom would be acceptable to most of the American public. Wouldn't it be nice?

John Kerry: Unfit for Command -- Update 4

[Continued from Update 3]

Today's reading: NY Daily News, Black Five, Q and O, Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Instapundit, Instapundit, Instapundit, Instapundit, Donald Sensing, Power Line, Power Line, Power Line, Power Line, Power Line, Human Events Online

I can quote Democrats too. See?

I really don't get all of my subject matter from the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Just to show I'm open minded, I'll even quote a liberal democrat:

From Jewish World Review:

Most Jews vote Democratic, and they have for a long time.

***

Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York who is as partisan as a Democrat comes, is a Bush man this year.

"I do not agree with President Bush on a single major domestic issue," he says, "but in my view those issues pale in comparison with the threat of international terrorism. The stated goal of al-Qaida and its supporters is to kill or convert every infidel, and that means Jews, Christians, Buddhists and everyone else who will not accept Islam's supremacy."

I'm not an Ed Koch fan, but we see this one the same way. There are a lot of reasons to not be too thrilled with George Bush, but if al-Qaida even comes close to it's stated goals, they aren't going to matter. George Bush understands that a lot better than John Kerry. That's all I need to know.

Update: Ed Koch writing for NewsMax:

Now, for the first time in my life, I am going to vote for a Republican candidate for president, the incumbent, George W. Bush.

**

Why have I endorsed George W. Bush when I don't agree with him on a single domestic issue? Because I believe the issue of international terrorism trumps all other issues. I don't believe the Democratic Party has the stomach and commitment to deliver on this issue.

Buy This Patriotic American's Records

Oh, my, they're mad at Charlie Daniels again. Boo-hoo-hoo.

Step 1: Read the rest of this news article:

Charlie Daniels, the man who wrote and sang "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag," is drawing heat from Arab-Americans ...

Step 2: Sell all those old Linda Ronstadt, Dixie Chicks, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Barbra Streisand CDs you no longer enjoy on eBay.

Step 3: Spend the money you just made on eBay at Charlie's Sale Barn, then sit back and enjoy some good music. While you're listening, learn more about Charlie's feelings on things that matter at Charlie's Soapbox.

"God Bless America, Again"

Update: I originally posted this on the 5th of August. I'll be adding names to my "sell" list as time goes on and bumping this post to the top of the heap.

Added 8-11-2004: Bruce Springsteen. Click here to go to Tigerhawk and learn about my reason.

You can also learn about a lot of other people I'll never give another penny in profits to at BMEWS. I won't plagiarize their list. Just go there and learn.

Update: Charlie Daniels has posted an open letter to Imad Hamad, the gentleman mentioned in the news article, at http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox/04/061.html.

ANOTHER Kerry Lie! (I lost count a long time ago)

From the Rev. Donald Sensing:

Remember poor Mary Ann Knowles? She was the woman about whom John Kerry said,

What does it mean when Mary Ann Knowles, a woman with breast cancer I met in New Hampshire, had to keep working day after day right through her chemotherapy, no matter how sick she felt, because she was terrified of losing her family's health insurance.

Problem is,

Mary Ann Knowles did not have to work through her chemotherapy for fear of losing her health insurance. Employed by Elderhostel, the Boston-based non-profit travel organization for people 55 and older, Mary Ann had 26 weeks of paid disability at her disposal. More was available for a long-term illness. She did not have to work through her chemotherapy. She chose to.

Knowles would have lost some income had she taken the disability leave, said her husband, who is unemployed. But she would not have lost her health insurance, as Kerry has repeatedly misstated.

Hat tip:
Shawn La Shawn Barber

OK, so I have an axe to grind. I've hated John Kerry since his Vietnam Veterans Against The War days. That doesn't change the fact that he's still just as dishonest now as he was then. He's still lying today about his time in Vietnam (Cambodia? Yeah, right.) and about so many other things he can't keep his stories straight any more. As Mark Twain said, "The advantage of telling the truth is that you don't have to remember what you said." I guess Kerry never got around to reading Twain. Let's give this man an Oval Office.

John Kerry: Unfit for Command -- Update 3

[Continued from Update 2]

Well, I can try to keep up with all the new developments, or I can spend my time blogging and not even begin to keep up. I think from now on my blogging on this subject will consist of posting a few links every day or two, without doing much excerpting or commenting.

Robert Novak's latest Town Hall column is well worth reading, and as always Instapundit, Power Line, and Captain's Quarters have some good link-filled commentary on the matter.

The Taste Of Freedom

Allen Hutchison, whose excellent Letters from Exile blog I happened on recently, heard an NPR broadcast that left him with a question and posted the following:

The Taste of Freedom

This morning I heard a story on NPR about the Zippo lighters that soldiers carried in Vietnam. I didn't know that many of the soldiers had sayings engraved on the lighters, but during the story the host read several of these engravings. There was one particular quote that really caught my attention:

For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.

This saying really got me thinking, wondering really, what those who fought for it taste when they consider our freedoms today. ...

I left the following comment to Allen's post:

The Taste Of Freedom - posted by Bill Faith - 8/9/2004 20:13:57

While I was taking a few minutes to decide how to respond to your post, I sat here looking at a 33-year-old Zippo (mine) with a map of Vietnam on one side and those words inscribe[d] on the other. My understanding is that they were first written by an unknown Marine during the siege of Khe Sanh. Since I can’t find any evidence that the writer ever came forward to claim his work, I’ve always assumed he was KIA. I’ve given up on finding words to explain what those words mean to those of us who’ve put in on the line for what we believed in. Explaining them to someone who hasn’t been in that situation is well beyond my humble linguistic abilities. In a current context, they mean I’ve earned the right to quote the V.P. when someone starts preaching the P.C. agenda to me, and to do everything in my power to see that a man I’ve hated with a passion for over 30 years (see my blog for some of the reasons) doesn’t win the election this fall. In a broader sense, I still have to admit that if you’d been there you’d already understand and since you haven’t you never will. I guess there’s some truth to that part about “… the protected will never know.”

Allen read my comment and posted the following:

Comment on The Taste of Freedom

It's rare that a comment on one of my entries merits a whole new post, but I just got a comment on The Taste of Freedom that I wanted to respond to.

First, I want to tell Bill Faith, that I very much appreciate his point of view, and want to thank him for posting a comment of more substance than most. Bill Says:

(an excerpt from my [Bill's] comment from above)

I'm happy to say that no, I've never been in the military, and I haven't been in the situation where I have had to hold a gun and make a decision to kill or be killed. I have a great deal of respect for those who choose to perform this service, but I'm glad that it hasn't been me.

What Bill seems to be saying though, is that because I haven't fought a war for my freedom, I can't truly appreciate it. He implies that because I haven't worn a uniform, I haven't earned the right to have an opinion about the state of affairs in our country today.

Well Bill, I respectfully disagree with you. I wholeheartedly believe in the dialog of our country. I believe that all are equal when it comes to the great debates of our time. Soldier or scholar, programmer or president; this equality is what you fought for. The freedom for me to write this article, and the freedom for me to post it under my real name. The freedom for me to publicly disagree with you.

Bill, I want to thank you for your service to our country. I also want to thank you for your comment, and I hope to see more in the future.

I read that and left another comment for Allen:

I don't think we disagree at all. - posted by Bill Faith - 8/10/2004 14:46:23

I don't think we disagree at all. I have someplace I have to be in a few minutes but I'll be back later to try to clarify what I mean.

So, now I guess I owe Allen a better explanation, but I'm still not sure I know what to say that won't just create more confusion. I'm thinking as I type -- Please bear with me. My brother "avoided Vietnam" by being born 32 months later than I was. Does that mean he isn't entitled to the same freedoms and liberties that I am, or that he shouldn't enjoy them just as much? No. Not just "No" but "Hell no." His son completed an Air Force ROTC program this spring and is now overseas. Do I want him to end up in combat "so he can understand" or "because it's only fair"? Again, "Hell no." I'll continue to hope and pray for his safety, as I do the safety of every American. I'm a middle-aged grandfather with some health issues; I left the Air Force after 4 years to get an education and look for a "good job," and I don't regret that decision. On the other hand, if I was young enough I'd gladly go back into the service today, because I know there's a job that needs to be done so we can all continue to enjoy the freedom and liberty we've become accustomed to. Allen, I never meant to imply that anyone who hasn't served in the military wasn't entitled to an opinion, or shouldn't enjoy all of the freedoms and liberties this great country provides. My "In a current context ..." example wasn't well thought out. Maybe I'm just a little testy these days, worried that too many people haven't been paying attention and that, as a result, someone with some major character flaws stands a dangerously good chance of being elected this fall. I still can't find a way to define the difference between how freedom tastes to me and how I think it tastes to you. Maybe there isn't a difference. I know freedom tastes different to me now than it did when I was 19, but I'm sure anyone my age could say that, and I don't know how it tastes to a middle-aged male with no military experience. I'm sorry I can't answer your question. Maybe what's more relevant in the times we live in is "Enjoy the taste of that freedom while you can, and don't ever give it up without a fight."

About Those 7 Minutes

Well, I had it on my to-do list to post some insightful commentary on those 7 minutes President Bush stayed in that Florida classroom after the plane hit the second tower on 9/11, but my blog-brother Infidel Cowboy got there first, and handled it quite well. The only thing I have to add is that The Washington Dispatch knows how Kerry spent that time:

He sat stunned after the attacks-- in his own words ‘unable to think’ for at least 42 minutes until he was ‘told to evacuate.’

Strong? Decisive? Yeah, right. True leadership at its best.

Update: Power Line posted this picture, which is entirely too good to not pass on:

John Kerry: Unfit for Command -- Update 2

Professor Glenn Reynolds has been doing a great job of linking to what people all over the net have to say about J. Fabricator Kerry's Vietnam record. Click here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

As Infidel Cowboy pointed out here and here, it isn't really Kerry's actions in Vietnam that matter, it's what that whole issue tells us about his character.

"It is about the character of someone who would write themselves up for awards they didn't deserve. It is about the character of someone who would accuse his fellow veterans of committing war crimes." ... "I can ... hold it against a candidate if they make themselves out to be a hero for political gain and it later turns out be untrue." ... "Those things have nothing to do with VietNam and everything to do with the character of those involved."

That doesn't change the fact that a lot of guys my age still hate Kerry with a passion for his activities after he got back from 'Nam. I can't write about John Kerry without the hate showing through. I'm glad there are people like Infidel Cowboy who can explain the situation in the dispassionate terms I can't.

Update: Don't miss this Mudville Gazette post.

Update 2: ... or this at Captain's Quarters

I just changed my comment policy

I just changed my comment settings so anyone who wants to leave a comment will have to register with Blogger first. It's not hard and it doesn't cost anything. Just click the link to leave a comment and, if you aren't already signed in to Blogger, you'll get a sign-in screen, which will also contain a link to allow you to create an account if you don't already have one. Actually, that's how I ended up with a Blogger account to begin with. If you aren't proud enough of what you have to say to sign it, say it somewhere else. I'll put up with you saying things I disagree with as long as you don't get personal or vulgar.

Would whoever left the Cosby joke in my comments explain the punch line to me? I'm not sure if it was meant as an insult to me, to Charlie, or to Ronstadt, Mellencamp, Streisand and their pathetic ilk. Whose side are you on? I've been a Cosby fan ever since the "Noah, how long can you tread water?" days, and I still consider him one of the good guys. I guess I'm just too dense to understand that particular joke in the context of my blog post. Whoever you are, I do appreciate the fact that you stopped by. Some days are sorta lonesome.

Called to Serve Again

John Hinderaker at Power Line has some very worthwhile thoughts on the Swift Boat Vets situation:

... It is not enough to say that the Vets' evidence shows Kerry to be a liar. That is an understatement. In my opinion, they show Kerry to be a sick, deeply delusional man whose tenuous connection to reality could make a Kerry presidency an unacceptable danger to our country.

One of the Swift Boat Vets has said that he and his colleagues--who represent nearly all of the surviving veterans who served with Kerry in Vietnam--feel that they have been called to serve their country a second time. ...

The post also explores another lie Kerry has told repeatedly over the years, that he was in Cambodia on Christmas of 1968 while "President Nixon" was reassuring the folks at home that there were no American troops in Cambodia. As documented in the post, the Swift Boat Vets have offered solid proof that Kerry was at least 50 miles from the Cambodian border on the day in question, and spent no time in Cambodia at any time during his abbreviated Vietnam tour. As also noted, President Nixon's first inauguration took place in January of 1969.

So, not only has John Kerry proven himself dishonest and delusional, apparently he's not even smart enough to tell a plausible lie. Let's all vote for him anyway; I mean, Bush has that silly Texas accent and all that.

[A clarification for the younger crowd: Nixon did send American troops into Cambodia, in 1970. That led to major unrest on nearly every college campus in the country. The "Kent State Massacre" started out as a violent protest against the Cambodian incursion. (No, I am not glad those Guardsmen panicked and opened fire.) That unrest was one of a the two major reasons I enlisted that spring.]

What does John Kerry have to say about Iraq?

What does John Kerry think about the war in Iraq? Let's ask him and see if we learn anything. I've copied the following directly from Blogs for Bush. Please take time to watch the video. It's worth it.

BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE 12 MINUTES AND 19 SECONDS

This documentary needs to be viewed then sent to everyone you know, including your Democrat friends. This is more devastating to John Kerry than even the Swift boat ad as it has John Kerry in his own words, over and over and over again.

"I think every American should see this..." -- Fmr. NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Morton Kondracke, Roll Call: A "Devastating" Video. "In Boston, the Republican National Committee released a devastating video containing TV clips of Kerry sometimes making hawkish statements about the menace of Iraq and at other times - especially under primary pressure from Howard Dean - agreeing that he was 'anti-war

Any respect I had for John Kerry is gone after seeing the Swift boat ad and now seeing this powerful Documentary. How could anyone, anyone at all respect such a man.

The simple answer is - You don't.