"Kerry lied while good men died" is the rallying cry of Vietnam Veterans for Truth in a call to arms for their own band of brothers to join them this Sunday, September 12, near the Capitol building "to condemn Kerry for his 1971 libel, and for repeating those lies again and again in his political career."
"As they see it, Kerry stole their honor from them in 1971. They want it back -- and they're coming to get it," writes Jed Babbin in National Review Online re the plans of a group calling themselves Vietnam Veterans for Truth:
For the common soldiers of the Vietnam War, anti-war radical Kerry lied about them in his Senate testimony. For that, they will neither forgive him nor sit idly while he pursues the presidency. And Candidate Kerry is about to have a very bad day: A whole bunch of those common soldiers Kerry purported to speak for on that April 1971 day are coming to Washington on September 12. They will rally under a banner that says, "Kerry lied while good men died."
When I spoke to organizer Larry Bailey, he said that about 5,000 men were expected at the rally. More than 500 have contributed to Vietnam Veterans for Truth in amounts as little as $2 and as much as $1000. Money was coming in, but the story needed to get out. As you'd expect, the Vietnam Veterans for Truth aren't getting any coverage in the papers or the network news. They need help spreading the word.
In appearance and tone, VVFT's website feels earnest -- grassroots -- and National Review's endorsement lends credibility. No billionaire George Soroses lurking in the funding shadows as with MoveOn and other anti-Bush "grassroots" organizations. They're asking for contributions and inviting participation by kindred spirits. We feel kindred in our sense that the irresolution of Vietnam's aftermath is a festering sore. As we blogged here recently in a post re a Swiss brain imaging study that shows "punishing people when they behave unfairly activates the same reward circuitry of the brain that is fired up when sniffing cocaine or seeing a beautiful face" and thereby promotes cooperation:
The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth [and the same applies to the Vietnam Veterans for Truth] know that, but now scientists are revealing the evolutionary advantage of the vengeance response . . . Do these findings explain why the irresolution of Vietnam's aftermath left us a nation divided? Kerry may be the catalyst -- or perhaps the self-sacrificial lamb -- but this exactment of revenge by a generation of wronged Vietnam veterans now playing out on the national stage may be a necessary catharsis long overdue, an "altruistic punishment" to restore national cooperation.
In the same vein, the current Democrat/liberal elite media/fellow travelers' trotting out musty charges that George W. Bush went AWOL during his Vietnam Era service in the Texas Air National Guard -- as well as other shopworn mudballs from the former Clinton henchmen's playbook (Hi, James. Give our best to Mary.) -- may be seen as their seeking revenge for the Republicans' having "stolen" the 2000 presidential election.
I participated in the Rally and found it to be a heartening experience. Brought back a flood of memories. I met old friends and new Brothers-in-arms/
The speeches by all were excellent, on the money and to the point. John O'Neill came from a recent kidney transplant operation for is wife - that is true courage!
May God grant us the health to continue this fight against this phoney WANNABE. Kerry should not be elected as a rat catcher!
De Oppresso Liber, Walt CPT, US Army SF (ret)
Posted by: Walt Emerson | October 09, 2004 at 08:33 PM
You guys are the greatest! Keep of the good work. Sister of Vietnam Vet and mother of Navy Seaman.
Posted by: Glenda Cook | October 14, 2004 at 06:35 PM
Hey, Glenda, Thanks for stopping by. God bless you, your brother and your son. You make us safe and do us proud.
Posted by: Sissy Willis | October 14, 2004 at 06:48 PM