DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad

[freeandfun1]

DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad

 

[Annie]

DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad

Now that's what one might call stifleing of dissent or censorship attempt.

What's up with that letter? They still using an Underwood Typewriter?

 

[HGROKIT]

What's up with that letter? They still using an Underwood Typewriter?

I had the same thought!

Did anyone else wactch the ad? I did and do not recall hearing the guy say he was a Dr. I did hear him say he treated the "wound".

 

[JIHADTHIS]

Isn't Ashcroft the "Great Censor"?

 

[Annie]

CNN Transcript and Woodruff of all people, hits hard! It's long, there was alot of 'breaking news' but scroll and scim to you get to the meat!

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0408/05/ip.01.html

 

[krisy]

Uh,yeah-that was a little hard to read. What a crapy attempt of censorship.I don't see these guys lying and putting their lives on the line. I suppose the issue is more about how bad it makes Kerry look. I wonder what kind of letters the men themselves in these commercials got.

 

[Avatar4321]

I cant figure out how anyone can think a grass roots campaign to stop Michael Moores movie from being shown nearby is censorship while the DNC cracking down war veterans who are talking about their experience with Senator Kerry is perfectly acceptible.

 

[Annie]

Interesting take on the letter. Put this together with the CNN transcript and you can see WHY they are panicking. Glenn Reynolds, a law professor, http://www.instapundit.com comments on this:

Well, if Bush had threatened legal action to block Michael Moore's film from showing, I know what people would say. As to the underlying facts -- I feel sure that we'll know the truth by the time of the election, regardless. Reader Rick Vogel isn't impressed with the letter, either:
If you take a look at the letter the Kerry campaign sent, they complain

"Not a single one of them served on either of Senator Kerry's two Swift Boats. Further more the doctor was not a crewmate of Senator Kerry"

"The statements of the phony "crewmates" and "doctor" in the advertisement are totally, demostratably, unequivocally false, and libelous"

Well, I saw the ad and it did not say they were crewmates. It said they served with him and the picture on their site makes it clear that they were "brother" officers. Creating such an easily dispelled strawman as part of your defense does not bode well for the rest of Kerry's case.


I'm pretty sure that the Kerry Campaign wouldn't want to go to trial on this, with sworn testimony and discovery on all sides, before the election. But hey, I could be wrong. Reader David Brenna thinks this is a mistake on Kerry's part: "Kerry does appear desperate, but I think he'll just cause a media feeding frenzy. The DNC is blowing it!"

After the bogus "dirty tricks" claim regarding the bunny-suit photo, I'm inclined to agree. But we'll find out.

http://www.nationalreview.com/kerry/kerry200408051713.asp

KERRY THREATENS TV STATIONS OVER SWIFT BOAT AD

Human Events reports that the DNC and the Kerry campaign are writing to television stations, stating that the Swift Boat ads is is "false" and "libelous" and that "your station may not responsibly air this advertisement."

At least one of their points in the letter is an obvious lie: "The advertisement contains statements by men who purport to have served on Senator John Kerry's SWIFT [sic] boat in Vietnam and one statement by a man pretending to be the doctor who treated Senator Kerry for one of his injuries."

Horsepucky.

Every vet in the ad says, "I served with John Kerry," but not one of them claims to have been in his boat. Most of the men are other swiftboat captains. They've been open and clear in their statements that they served in other swift boats operating within 50 yards on Kerry's side, and their statements are their observations on serving alongside him, not under him.

NR's own Byron York had the scoop on Louis Letson, the doctor, months ago. The Kerry letter insists that Letson is a "phony" because he didn't sign Kerry's sick call sheet.

The Los Angeles Times looked at the who-signed-the-form controversy back in May:

"Meehan questioned Letson's role, saying a J.C. Carreon signed Kerry's medical report of the wound. "This gentleman is not the man who is on the report," he said.
Letson said that Carreon, a lower-ranked "hospitalman," was "present at the time and he, in fact, made the entry into Lt. Kerry's medical record."


Bad move, Team Kerry. The letter from the lawyers turns this into a bigger story, and the argument that these men are "phony" doesn't seem all that strong.

[Posted 08/05 05:13 PM]

 

[nakedemperor]

Apparently none of the people in the ad ever served on either of the two boats with Kerry, and several had previously payed them. They're backing was largely GOP oriented. This article kind of says it all. Even the Bush campaign is distancing itself from the ad. Check it out:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/05/kerry.veterans/index.html

 

[nakedemperor]

payed = praised

i can't type

 

[tim_duncan2000]

I see how it is. When veterans are not for Kerry and make these claims, their opinions don't count, it's just a partisan attack, they are questioning his patriotism, etc. But if they support Kerry, their opinions matter.

I also think it's odd how liberals say Bush is stifling dissent when the DNC tries to do shit like this.

 

[Annie]

I see how it is. When veterans are not for Kerry and make these claims, their opinions don't count, it's just a partisan attack, they are questioning his patriotism, etc. But if they support Kerry, their opinions matter.

I also think it's odd how liberals say Bush is stifling dissent when the DNC tries to do shit like this.

Hey Tim Duncan, were you able to read what was posted in #8? Just wondering if I had the words down right? I woundn't think that it hadn't come out clear:

Well, I saw the ad and it did not say they were crewmates. It said they served with him and the picture on their site makes it clear that they were "brother" officers. Creating such an easily dispelled strawman as part of your defense does not bode well for the rest of Kerry's case.

 

[Merlin1047]

When the mine disabled one of the five boats, kerry hauled butt out of there. Now he may have done that because he thought the other boats would also try to leave the kill zone of an ambush, or he may have done that for far less noble reasons.

The sailor who went overboard and for whom kerry eventually returned states that there were rounds hitting the water every time he surfaced. Sounds to me that the most likely source of those bullets would be the three boats which remained to cover the boat disabled by the mine.

So three boats stay to assist wounded comrades, while kerry orders his boat to run like hell. Kerry finally returns to rescue the sailor in the water. That rescue isn't heroism, it is simply the minimum that soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen expected of one another. We did it routinely without giving it a second thought and we never thought of it as heroism. A handshake and a "thanks, pal" from a rescued comrade was valued more than the Medal of Honor.

We feared many things in that war, but the thing we feared the most was to disgrace ourselves in front of our brothers in arms. After reading the account of this action, I'm not at all sure if kerry shared that same fear.

 

[popefumanchu]

Apparently none of the people in the ad ever served on either of the two boats with Kerry, and several had previously payed them. They're backing was largely GOP oriented. This article kind of says it all. Even the Bush campaign is distancing itself from the ad. Check it out:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/05/kerry.veterans/index.html

This has been an active non-partisan group for years. Some of the people who head it up have been battling Kerry since he began slandering the military after his service.

The "Band of Brothers" who follow Kerry were guys he pulled out of Vietnam with him when he left. Who is being bought?

The book Unfit For Command will be out soon. Then will come the slander lawsuits.

 

[Bonnie]

Interesting take on the letter. Put this together with the CNN transcript and you can see WHY they are panicking. Glenn Reynolds, a law professor, http://www.instapundit.com comments on this:






http://www.nationalreview.com/kerry/kerry200408051713.asp

What's really ironic about this is if the DNC had not called so much attention to it, it probably would have blown over in a few days, but now it has taken on a life of it's own...........Not too bright there

 

[Annie]

What's really ironic about this is if the DNC had not called so much attention to it, it probably would have blown over in a few days, but now it has taken on a life of it's own...........Not too bright there

They did the same with the sperm suit/bunny suit from NASA. Way over the top reaction. Threated NASA with the Hatch Act for God's sake!

 

[Avatar4321]

What's really ironic about this is if the DNC had not called so much attention to it, it probably would have blown over in a few days, but now it has taken on a life of it's own...........Not too bright there

Yeah, and why are they so angry if its not true? You dont see Bush threatening to sue people over the AWOL accusation. You also have to question how smart Kerry is for threatening NEWS organizations. I mean come on you think this isnt going to go bad for you?

 

[Bonnie]

Yeah, and why are they so angry if its not true? You dont see Bush threatening to sue people over the AWOL accusation. You also have to question how smart Kerry is for threatening NEWS organizations. I mean come on you think this isnt going to go bad for you?

This just smacks of desperation, if it isn't it sure gives the appearance of it.

 

[Avatar4321]

Apparently none of the people in the ad ever served on either of the two boats with Kerry, and several had previously payed them. They're backing was largely GOP oriented. This article kind of says it all. Even the Bush campaign is distancing itself from the ad. Check it out:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/05/kerry.veterans/index.html

Actually if Bush id distancing himself from it, which i wouldnt be surprised if he did. It has nothing to do with whether he thinks its true or not. Its about his campaign tactics. He is focusing on the issues and how he wants to lead the country.

With all that said however, the American people have a right to the truth. And i have to wonder why Kerry is so upset if they are only lies.

 

[Bonnie]

Give it one more day and they will be dredging up Bush's dui evergreen again