Fact: KERRY is the deserter!

Michael Kranish, John F. Kerry: Candidate in the Making, Part II, The Boston Globe, June 16, 2003. ^ | 2-3-04 | Jonathan M. Stein

[jmstein7]

John Kerry ought to adhere to the maxim

[Your Nightmare]

Who’s grasping at straws now?

What are you talking about? I just said if the accusation were true it would be desertion.

[Michael81Dus]

HELP! I´m a "deserter" myself. I was on active duty and then chose to serve in the Reserve occasionally. To avoid being called a "deserter", I should have stayed in the military. ROFL!

[Ancesthntr]

Bush needs to fight Kerry with the truth...which, in Kerry's case, hurts a LOT. Here are the FACTS:

On Kerry's war record:

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry.com/

On Kerry's record on defense matters (REALLY lousy):

http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20040127-084854-4468r

[jmstein7]

That's just it... in reality, neither Bush nor Kerry is a deserter.

However, if Kerry chooses to call Bush AWOL or a "deserter," then turnabout is fair game.

For that reason, Kerry should "drop it."

[Your Nightmare]

It's not your thread. If you want your own threads, get your own web site.

[Williams]

Now wait a minute! Everybody wants to be a legal genius. I strongly doubt that if W had missed a physical or not shown up one day for guard duty, that he would have been a "deserter."
So why are you so quick to say that what W was accused of would be "desertion?" First of all, W didn't desert, he wasn't AWOL, and there is zero evidence he did anything but serve honorably. Second, it is relevant if Kerry opted out of combat duty and got himself a desk job because he ABSOLUTELY has been campaigning on his WAR record. In fact, he can barely exhale without saying the words "I" and "Vietnam." IMHO he is an incredible scumbag because he is using his service in a war after returning home and calling his comrades war criminals. They were not, anymore than W was a "deserter."

[opbuzz]

Kerry requested out after three "wounds" in three months, none requiring hospitalization. In and out of Nam in four months, and completely out of the navy a few months later.

Sailing with JFK didn't hurt his family pull either.

By the way, does anyone know what his Bronze and Silver Stars were awarded for?

[CalKat]

Don't you think the Kerry campaign would counter your "he didn't have to leave, but he did" with something like "Kerry didn't have to go to VietNam, but he did -- rather than joining the National Guard and staying home, he went and fought"? You have a very weak argument here.

[Michael81Dus]

Yep. In reality, neither Bush nor Kerry is a deserter. I´ll leave it to that.

[Enterprise]

That is something that has had me shaking my head for years. Assuming a reservist is performing all his drills and fulfilling his contract, how in all holy hell can ANYONE call someone serving in the Reserves a deserter!???

[jmstein7]

Calling Bush AWOL is equally weak, but the media is eating it up.

[Williams]

He was only in Nam 4 months??? What was the average tour of duty?

[jmstein7]

Thank you :)

[CalKat]

I don't hear the media eating this up. I hear it discussed and debunked by the media.

[Michael81Dus]

It´s just foolish to claim that. As long there is Reserve, Reservists will be considered a kind-of "half-deserters" for having left active duty for some reason. Must be suspicious for others to have a "double life".

[TankerKC]

Maybe I misunderstood. I thought your reference to "two vastly different accusations" was a reference to two situation: 1 Bush's, and 2 Kerry's. Then you said one was illegal. I assumed that you were trying to say the either Bush or Kerry had done something illegal.

What did I miss? <knocking my thick head>

[opbuzz]

Thirteen months was normal.

[JamesA]

Deserter,,I'm not sure bout that. I suppose you'd just have to been in country for a while to understand. None of us wanted to be there and we all waited for our ticket home, to the world. I agree his injuries may seem minute but you have to blame his superiors for that, they were all medal hungry. What grabs my craw most about Mr. Kerry is the fact he claims he and others threw their combat awards over the fence in Washington. To me that meant he didn't want them. Now he struts around as a war hero??? with a chest full of ribbons. How frigging phony is that. I just wish one day we could get a candidate run for office that is honest and speak the truth.

[Your Nightmare]

I strongly doubt that if W had missed a physical or not shown up one day for guard duty, that he would have been a "deserter."

That's not what he was accused of. He was accused of not showing up for ~1 year. I'm not saying it's true, I'm say if it was it would be desertion.

Under US Code desertion, for sake of this discussion, is "Any member of the armed forces who without authority goes or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to remain away therefrom permanently;"

If there are any questions, this is what desertion is.

[Polybius]

I have pointed out how Kerry cut his combat tour in Vietnam by six months in several threads for the last two weeks including Post 161 on this one.

What he did is nothing to brag about and smacks of special treatment but it was legal. Throwing out the accusation of "desertion" simply gives opponents an easy strawman to knock down.