Posted on 08/24/2004 11:49:52 AM PDT by Stultis
OREGON CITY -- The clash between Vietnam veterans over Sen. John Kerry and critics of his war record heated up several degrees Monday as a group of vets called on a Clackamas County deputy prosecutor to resign.
"He's hurt a lot, a lot of people," Don Stewart, one of the organizers of a rally on the Main Street steps of the county courthouse, said of Alfred French. "It opens up a lot of wounds. . . . This is personal."
Stewart of Oregon City and Don Kirsch of Canby drew about 45 people to a rally to criticize French, a senior deputy district attorney who said in an affidavit that Kerry lied about his service record. French later admitted his sworn statements were based on the accounts of others.
French's comments have been used in anti-Kerry ads by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group of Vietnam veterans who have said the Democratic presidential candidate lied about or exaggerated his actions during Swift boat river duty in 1969.
The ad campaign has become a national issue, and French's admission to The Oregonian last week that his signed affidavit was not based on personal observations raised the emotional level of the veterans-versus-veterans debate in Oregon.
Respect for combat veterans
French was wrong "to disrespect fellow combat veterans," said Kirsch, 51, a disabled Marine veteran, who said he still has nightmares of his service.
John Prescott, an Army veteran who lives in the Canby area and attended the protest, criticized the anti-Kerry ads and what he called "a small group rewriting history in such a negative way."
His concerns, he said, have led him to become active in Veterans for Kerry.
Stewart, 58, a Navy veteran, estimated that the courthouse event included about 30 veterans that he and Kirsch had contacted.
During the rally, Stewart read a letter he and Kirsch wrote in which they tell French he should resign because he has lost the trust of county residents.
"We question your fitness to serve as an enforcer of the law after swearing to facts in a legal affidavit that you do not know to be true," they wrote.
They urged others during the rally to join them in signing. Stewart later said about 60 people have done so.
Kirsch said French has a right to criticize Kerry "as a concerned veteran" but should not have signed a sworn statement based on secondhand information. "He's told lies and hearsay evidence," Kirsch said.
French did not return a telephone message asking for comment.
District attorney defends rights
John S. Foote, Clackamas County district attorney, said in a printed statement that he personally disagrees with French's viewpoint, but that "all of our employees have the right to their own opinions" and to express those opinions on their own time.
Foote, who said the office had received numerous angry calls and e-mails -- many demanding that French be fired -- reiterated that French has "earned a reputation as a trusted and respected member of the office."
He added, "Sometimes good people just honestly disagree."
Dan Hortsch: 503-221-8223; danhortsch@news.oregonian.com
How would a liar have "earned a reputation as a trusted and respected member of the office." ?
First I've heard of this, did French actually state this???
If Mr. French said in the affidavit that he personally witnessed events that he did not actually witness, he can be disbarred and probably removed from office.
If Mr. French made clear in the affidavit that he was relaying information from third parties, then there is no reason for anyone to complain.
The fact that they are protesting rather than taking legal action tells me that the latter scenario is factual one.
Also, someone should research the names of these "veterans" and see whether and where they actually served.
The more the dems do this, the more Kerry is toast!
Sent this to Letter to the Oregonian. Doubt they will publish it.
"As a Vietnam Vet who also served with the River Raiders (3/34 Arty 9th Infantry) up and down on the rivers and canals in delta region of South Vietnam during the same time as Sen. Kerry, I too can say, based on my own experience, there is much about Kerry's own account of his actions (let alone the actions of others) which simply does not pass the smell test.
What bothers me the most is his own account of the post-fact filming episode we now see in the news story's and in his political adds. He obviously placed his own men (without authorization) at completely unnecessary risk for his own personal reasons. Anyone who has been in combat knows this sort of behavior was a serious mistake and that if allowed to continue enlisted men had a way of taking care of it on their own initiative. To me it makes perfect sense why Kerry's commanders might want to turn a blind eye to gaming procedure and rule bending over Kerry's purple heart medals (3rd is your ticket home), as a sure way to get him out of their command and out of country....without having to be questioned at the time. "
he is likely diabled for some other reason. I think it must be a mental problem.
diabled=disabled.
Found this on the Swiftee's web site. Very Interesting! What do you think about this?
http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4871
Of course these rat clymers have no problem with their Buddy moi Kerri trashing 1.5 million Nam Vets and calling them killers, baby killers and more in his serial lying at the Fullbright Senate hearing 3 decades ago.
They have no problem with Kerry slandering the 50,000 Vets whose names are on the Viet Nam Wall in DC with his traitor remarks. They have no problem with the pain and torment that Kerri cause the families of those who died in Nam.
For some reason they have no problem with him calling them baby killers and worse. Of course they are rats who hate American and GW.
They represent what is wrong in America, the lunacy of the lunatic left.
We can counter these hate America Lunatics with donations to the Swiftvets to buy more tv ads.
https://www.swiftvets.com/swift/ccdonation.php?op=donate&site=SwiftVets
"...45 people to a rally to criticize French..."
That's an intimate brunch with my best friends.
Can I get that in the news?
As to his discharge, it is posted, and he did get an honorable discharge when he should have, but for some sort of reason that is not clear, it was re-done at a later date.
I have no idea as to why. With Kerry, you never know. He has not expained it and has not released enough of his records to say.
"If he is 51, he never served in Nam."
He could have. He would've been 18 in 1971. But it's unlikely.
KERRY: "Why are all these swift boat guys opposed to me?"
BRANT: "You should know what you said when you came back,
the impact it had on the young sailors
and how it was disrespectful of our guys that were killed over there.
[Brant had two men killed in battle.]
KERRY: "When we dedicated swift boat one in '92,
I said to all the swift guys that I wasn't talking about the swifties,
I was talking about all the rest of the veterans."
ROT IN HELL HANOI KERRY!
The New Soldier by John Kerry and Vietnam Veterans Against the War
FREE Download of The New Soldier by John Kerry
and and Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Print and distibute the book that John Kerry "forgets" to mention!
The one book he refuses to bring up.
"honor" John Kerry
Help America know what a "hero" he was at the Winter Soldier
scam he and Jane Fonda pulled on the USA when he came home.
Make sure Kerry "fans" get their copy!
http://nomayo.mu.nu/archives/New%20Soldier%20Inro.pdf
http://nomayo.mu.nu/archives/New%20Soldier.pdf
http://nomayo.mu.nu/archives/New%20Soldier%20Epilogue.pdf
After he finished training it is possible he could have been deployed.
We were pulling back in 72, and were totally out in 74 IIRC. He may have seen some action.
Your math is wrong. The War ended thirty years ago. That leaves him age 21 at the end of the war. Plenty of time.
That doesn't mean he is what he says he is.
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