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The Weblog at The View from the Core - Friday, August 06, 2004
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Mainstream Media's War Against the Swiftees It's started already. A reader writes: Last night on Hannity, a man called from one of the major Milwaukee stations saying that he had received the fax from the Dem lawyers warning them about the "libelous" ad, etc. When asked if that would cause the station to not play the ad, the man answered that he intended to play it! Yippee! I think the ad is less effective than if two or three people had just spoken of their personal experience of Kerry's acts. The mixing of various clips sounds too much like a bunch of actors reading a script. The specifics of Kerry's behavior are what are damning. It stretches credulity that Kerry would attempt to fashion his persona around his war hero status and then object when the sordid details of his service and medals are made known by those who observed his actions. As with you, I am aghast at his supporters who seem not to care what sort of man is in office as long as he is a Leftist and not Bush. Neal Boortz, on his website, has a piece entitled "The Democrats' Secret Plans for the Socialist State." http:// boortz . com / more / demsecrets . html. No wonder they want Bush out they have great plans for our earnings and savings! As to the day's news, first, in today's Boston Globe, a "story" by Michael Kranish: A week after Senator John F. Kerry heralded his wartime experience by surrounding himself at the Democratic convention with his Vietnam ''Band of Brothers," a separate group of veterans has launched a television ad campaign and a book that questions the basis for some of Kerry's combat medals. But yesterday, a key figure in the anti-Kerry campaign, Kerry's former commanding officer, backed off one of the key contentions. Lieutenant Commander George Elliott said in an interview that he had made a ''terrible mistake" in signing an affidavit that suggests Kerry did not deserve the Silver Star one of the main allegations in the book. The affidavit was given to The Boston Globe by the anti-Kerry group to justify assertions in their ad and book.... The Swiftees replied immediately: Captain George Elliott describes an article appearing in today’s edition of the Boston Globe by Mike Kranish as extremely inaccurate and highly misstating his actual views. He reaffirms his statement in the current advertisement paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Captain Elliott reaffirms his affidavit in support of that advertisement, and he reaffirms his request that the ad be played. Additional documentation will follow. The article by Mr. Kranish is particularly surprising given page 102 of Mr. Kranish’s own book quoting John Kerry as acknowledging that he killed a single, wounded, fleeing Viet Cong soldier whom he was afraid would turn around. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has more than 250 supporters who are revealing first hand, eyewitness accounts of numerous incidents concerning John Kerry’s military service record. The organization will continue to discuss much of what John Kerry has reported as fact concerning his four-month tour of duty in Vietnam. And Drudge reports the real kicker: BOSTON GLOBE journalist Mike Kranish has been commissioned to write the foreword of the Kerry-Edwards campaign book just as he is covering the campaign in an official capacity as a journalist for the BOSTON GLOBE! Kranish made waves on Friday by reporting in the GLOBE how a key figure in the anti-Kerry vet ad campaign, Kerry's former commanding officer, "backed off one of the key contentions." But Captain George Elliott claims the Kranish article is "extremely inaccurate" and highly misstated his actual views. A reporter covering the Kedwards campaign was commissioned to write the forward for a Kedwards campaign book. The words "conflict of interest" do not come close to describing this situation: "miscegenational collusion" gets much closer, don't you think? But, hey, it's nothing new. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 09:13:58 PM |
Didn't Kerry Enlist in the Navy to Avoid Getting Drafted Into the Army? That's what it looks like to me. "'I didn't really want to get involved in the war,' Kerry said in a little-noticed contribution to a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986." John Forbes Kerry was born on Dec. 11, 1943. So, he would have turned 18 on Dec. 11, 1961. Thus, had he been status 1-A, he would have been eligible to be drafted, when he turned 18, under the provisions of the Universal Military Training and Service Act of 1951 that were renewed every four years thereafter until the draft lottery was instituted in 1969. Was Kerry's status 1-A without a deferment? I don't know. But I do know this: "When he approached his draft board for permission to study for a year in Paris, the draft board refused and Kerry decided to enlist in the Navy." IOW, he wanted another year's deferment, after the deferment(s) for his undergraduate studies, but he couldn't get it. He signed a Navy-enlistment contract, and an officer-candidate contract, Feb. 18, 1966. Why would Kerry need a deferment, though, if he weren't 1-A without it? That is, if he weren't eligible to be drafted? I deduce, therefore, that Kerry enlisted in the Navy before he got drafted into the Army, and because he knew he was going to be drafted into the Army, or calculated that it was highly likely. At the time, drafting "oldest first" was the rule, so the longer one's induction was deferred, the more likely it would become that one would be drafted. Would there be an incentive to prefer the Navy over the Army? Well, Spinsanity has brought to light a little-known fact about Kerry's original view of swift-boat service: .... Kerry initially hoped to continue his service at a relatively safe distance from most fighting, securing an assignment as "swift boat" skipper. While the 50-foot swift boats cruised the Vietnamese coast a little closer to the action than the Gridley [a frigate on which Kerry had served in the Gulf of Tonkin, Dec. 1967 to June 1968] had come, they were still considered relatively safe. "I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in a little-noticed contribution to a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing." But two weeks after he arrived in Vietnam, the swift boat mission changed and Kerry went from having one of the safest assignments in the escalating conflict to one of the most dangerous. Under the newly launched Operation SEALORD, swift boats were charged with patrolling the narrow waterways of the Mekong Delta to draw fire and smoke out the enemy. Cruising inlets and coves and canals, swift boats were especially vulnerable targets.... Oops. But that would explain Kerry's enlistment in the Navy, and even his request to serve on swift boats, no? It was one of what's come to be called "draft-motivated" enlistments, to try to get an assignment that would probably involve less risk. Pace Bill Clinton, that hardly constitutes Kerry having said, "Send me". It's more like his having said, "I'll be required to go, but I'll go the way I want while I can and in what looks like will be the safest way thank you very much." After all, that sounds a lot more like the way John Forbes Kerry talks. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 07:56:31 PM |
Big Bounce I'm saying it now. I've read here and there that, after his national convention, the presidential incumbent usually gets about two-thirds the bounce that the challenger gets after his national convention. And two-thirds of zero is zero, right? So, Bush-Cheney will get no bounce after the Republican National Convention. That's what they're saying out there. Well, the math is right, but I think the forecast is wrong. I think Bush-Cheney will get a noticeable bounce during polling after the RNC. Double digits? I don't think so. But a bounce so big, so undeniable, that it can't be explained away by taking refuge in the margin of error or the vagaries of polling methodologies. A corollary prediction: the New York Times, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, CBS, and/or CNN will eventually come out with poll(s) showing no RNC bounce and they will do it by oversampling Democrats or some other similar trick. Concomittantly, the alleged no-bounce poll will get much more play in mainstream media than the big-bounce polls had gotten. See also At Least Five, and At Least Two-Thirds. P.S. I still don't put much stock in polls, myself. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 07:07:33 PM |
"The Zero Hero" Russ Vaughn writes again to The Blog from the Core. The Zero Hero
I can't help but think when some liberal Twink
Russ Vaughn Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 05:52:36 PM |
SoxBlog "If someone wants to write an essay on why Kerry is bright, I'll post it." Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 05:28:55 PM |
"Worthy to Receive the Lamb" A pastoral directive from an archbishop and two bishops: .... A manifest lack of proper disposition for Holy Communion is found to be present in those who consistently support pro-abortion legislation. Because support for pro-abortion legislation is gravely sinful, such persons should not be admitted to Holy Communion. We also take this opportunity to address all Catholics whose beliefs and conduct do not correspond to the Gospel and to Church teaching. To receive the great gift of God the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ we must approach Holy Communion free from mortal sin. Those who are conscious of being in a state of grave sin should avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Holy Communion. To partake of the Eucharist is to partake of Christ Himself, and to enter into sacramental communion with our Lord we must all be properly disposed. Because of the influence that Catholics in public life have on the conduct of our daily lives and on the formation of our nation's future, we declare that Catholics serving in public life espousing positions contrary to the teaching of the Church on the sanctity and inviolability of human life, especially those running for or elected to public office are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in any Catholic church within our jurisdictions: the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Dioceses of Charleston and Charlotte. Only after reconciliation with the Church has occurred, with the knowledge and consent of the local bishop, and public disavowal of former support for procured abortion, will the individual be permitted to approach the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We undertake this action to safeguard the sacred dignity of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, to reassure the faithful, and to save sinners. Most Reverend John F. Donoghue Most Reverend Robert J. Baker Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Interestingly, an earlier draft lists Most Reverend J. Kevin Boland, Bishop of Savannah, among the signatories. (Thanks, Mark.) Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 07:41:17 AM |
Lawyers Winning Friends Democrats in Self-Destruct Mode CCCL As I see it, here are Democratic National Committee lawyers committing libel while accusing other people of committing libel. If this doesn't cause some investigative reporting about the truth of Kerry's Vietnam stint, the news media is BTW, I see that some folks think it's a mistake for the Swiftees to be attacking Kerry's war record: they think that, at best, it won't make a difference and, at worst, it might backfire. I disagree. True, die-hard liberals don't care whether Kerry is telling the truth about his Vietnam service and doesn't that say a lot about them? but I think lots & lots & lots of people do. Kedwards has made, not just leadership, but credibility an issue in the campaign: voters will want to know if John Kerry has any business impugning anybody else's credibility. At the very least, Kedwards will know that their claims won't go unchallenged anymore. And, this thinly-disguised lawsuit-threat might very well backfire on the Democrats. Besides, wouldn't you just love to see a trial over this? Of course, it would never go to trial: this is just another case of people & their lawyers using the legal system as a weapon. See also Kerry Threatens TV Stations Over Swift Boat Ad, John Kerry Channels Oscar Wilde, and Way Too Late. (Thanks, Glenn.) [Follow-up: "Legal Terrorism".] Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 06:52:03 AM |
Catholic League Torpedoes Democrats' Religion-Outreach Director Democrats in Self-Destruct Mode CCCXLIX + + + + + Rev. Peterson told Religion News Service that ‘it was no longer possible for me to do my job effectively.’ The Washington Post added today that her decision was made ‘after the New York-based Catholic League issued three blistering news releases attacking her positions.’ The only question now is whether John Kerry and the DNC have finally got the message. When we exposed Mara Vanderslice as a Left-wing activist who cavorts with anti-Catholics, the Kerry camp silenced her as its Religious Outreach Director. When we exposed Rev. Peterson as a Left-wing activist who went into the U.S. Supreme Court on the side of atheist Michael Newdow to censor the words ‘under God’ in the Pledge, she was forced to quit her role with the DNC. The first hire may have been a mistake, but it is not credible to maintain that the DNC erred in hiring Rev. Peterson: they knew what they were getting and they knew what happened to Vanderslice, and yet they persisted anyway. Why are Kerry and the DNC imploding on religion? Because too many of the elites running the show are devout secularists who put a premium on freedom from religion. Their idea of religious liberty is banning nativity scenes on public property. Their idea of diversity is censoring ‘under God’ from the Pledge. Their idea of tolerance is forbidding a moment of silence in the schools. Their idea of a good Catholic is Frances Kissling of Catholics for a Free Choice. Their idea of compassion is hiking taxes. Their idea of helping the poor is giving them directions to a soup kitchen. And their idea of choice is abortion, not school vouchers. Kerry and the DNC now have two strikes against them in their religious outreach efforts. Whether they strike out is up to them. We’re certainly not dropping out of the game, and we’re certainly monitoring Bush and the RNC on this subject just as closely. + + + + + Here are the League's other press releases on Peterson. First, Wednesday (ellipsis in original). + + + + + We know that Rev. Peterson wants ‘under God’ thrown out of the Pledge, and that she believes ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ means paying taxes. Now we will show the positions of the Clergy Leadership Network (CLN), the organization she recently left as its executive director. In the CLN’s ‘Debate’ section of its website, it says a lot about separation of church and state, but virtually nothing about religious liberty (e.g., it is against faith-based initiatives). Regarding tax policies, it would be an understatement to say it likes taxes: ‘Taxes provide a way to look out for our neighbors.... Slashing taxes denies that!’ It then says that slashing taxes is ‘inevitably an appeal to our greed, not to our generosity or compassion.’ In other words, the greedy want to keep the money they’ve earned; those who want to take it from us are the altruists. No wonder Rev. Peterson says, ‘The federal budget is a moral document.’ Under the ‘Current Issues’ section, there are three issues listed: stem cell research, global security and the federal marriage amendment. It has something to say about the first two issues, but, inexplicably, the third issue cannot be accessed. This is deceitful. Consider that the CLN’s CEO, Albert Pennybacker, is on record favoring gay marriage. And another senior official, William Sloane Coffin, has said that most of the other CLN officials ‘view marriage as a human right, not a reward for being heterosexual.’ The ‘Focus Statement’ of the CLN website even says that ‘gay, lesbian, bisexual [and] transsexual people are being attacked through legislation and even constitutional amendments.’ It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what Rev. Peterson believes. The website even provides a link to an anti-Catholic site, Chuck Currie (see his piece, ‘When Catholic Girls Go Wild’). To top it off, there is a link to MoveOn.org, a smear site that has nothing to do with religion. Remember, Rev. Peterson presided over it all, and for this she was rewarded by the DNC as its number-one liaison to religious groups. + + + + + And, Tuesday. + + + + + Last November, a small group of mostly Protestant clergy members on the Left started a group called the Clergy Leadership Network (CLN) to counter the efforts of the so-called Religious Right. Its first executive director, Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson, explained that ‘Our sole mission is to get a national leadership change.’ The CLN seems more at home with politics than religion. For example, when Rev. Peterson was asked whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God, she breezily answered, ‘I would rather you not quote my theology.’ She is similarly uneasy talking about abortion. That is why she said her clergy group takes no position on abortion, saying only that it would interfere with the CLN’s ‘reason for existence.’ Which means getting rid of Bush. When Rev. Peterson was tapped to become the DNC’s Senior Advisor for Religious Outreach, the Democratic activists knew exactly what they were getting: all she had to do was walk across the street from her CLN office to join the DNC. And what they got is a person who believes that ‘paying taxes is a way of loving your neighbor.’ Maybe she’ll persuade Teresa Heinz Kerry to tell us how much she pays in taxes so we can get a handle on just how much the billionaire loves her neighbor. So this is the kind of person the DNC wants practicing Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims to embrace. If Peterson were a plant by the Bush camp, we’d understand it. What we don’t understand is political suicide. + + + + + Apparently, Bill, the Democrats do not understand political suicide, either. See also Democrats' New Religion-Outreach Director is Anti-"God" Female Minister and John Kerry's Obscenity. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Fri. 08/06/04 06:35:06 AM |
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