You must have been away for a few days, Tom already posted a link to this a few days ago. :)
And as far as the discussions of the past go, consider that the difference is that Shrub's people didn't have a leg to stand on when they made their charges, while Kerry's people did. Also please consider one other important detail...the present Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was AWOL for over a year. Anyone else who would have done that would be serving hard time in Leavenworth...or worse.
Oh, well, I'm a day late and a few ducats short, as usual.
I agree with you completely about Shrub's behavior. I'm ex-Army, and actually had to -send- a couple of young men to Leavenworth 30 years ago, sitting on the Court Martial. The problem is, allowing this particular issue to take point in the discussion is like throwing a bunch of 'chaff' in front of an enemy fighter so he won't know what to shoot. I agree with you, too, about the attacks on Senator Kerry -- I'm part of a "Veterans for Kerry" group. The man served honorably, and was sent home under the rules of the time, which, as I recall, required that someone wounded three times who was still alive be sent home. I guess they didn't want his luck to run out, as it did for so many others.
Kerry was not my first choice among the Democrats, but I'll back him any day against Dubya's Corporate Coalition. It is just unfortunate that the time spent wrangling about this issue could've been used skewering the Bush camp for things done somewhat more recently.
More like being shot...there is such a thing as desertion in a time of war, y'know. However, Shrub, "serving" in the Guard, might have sidestepped that fate.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-24 12:33 pm (UTC)And as far as the discussions of the past go, consider that the difference is that Shrub's people didn't have a leg to stand on when they made their charges, while Kerry's people did. Also please consider one other important detail...the present Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was AWOL for over a year. Anyone else who would have done that would be serving hard time in Leavenworth...or worse.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-24 01:28 pm (UTC)I agree with you completely about Shrub's behavior. I'm ex-Army, and actually had to -send- a couple of young men to Leavenworth 30 years ago, sitting on the Court Martial. The problem is, allowing this particular issue to take point in the discussion is like throwing a bunch of 'chaff' in front of an enemy fighter so he won't know what to shoot. I agree with you, too, about the attacks on Senator Kerry -- I'm part of a "Veterans for Kerry" group. The man served honorably, and was sent home under the rules of the time, which, as I recall, required that someone wounded three times who was still alive be sent home. I guess they didn't want his luck to run out, as it did for so many others.
Kerry was not my first choice among the Democrats, but I'll back him any day against Dubya's Corporate Coalition. It is just unfortunate that the time spent wrangling about this issue could've been used skewering the Bush camp for things done somewhat more recently.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-24 02:27 pm (UTC)They'd be serving 'leven times in Hardworth?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-24 02:39 pm (UTC)