STARTING WITH SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS

• Just wondering, but if the Washington Post wants to use the Freedom of Information Act to get copies of someone's military records, why not John Kerry's?
  
• Ted Kennedy showed up on the Homeland Security "no fly" list.  Maybe it's just for flights across open water.
  
• The Swift Boat Veterans are a front for the Bush campaign?  And Moveon.org isn't a front for the Democrats and the Kerry campaign?
  
• I have talked to some of the civilians offering volunteer disaster relief services in the Punta Gorda area of Florida.  They remark that they are greeted by many hurricane survivors with hostility.  What's up with that?
  
• Why won't the John Kerry campaign release all of John Kerry's medical records from his service in Vietnam?
  
• The Republicans have seen a former U.S. Senator, a poster child for bitterness, introduce John Kerry at the Democratic National Convention.  They've seen that bet, and are raising the Democrats one actual sitting U.S. Senator.  Zell Miller will introduce George Bush at the Republican Convention.  I guarantee that Miller's speech will be more memorable than Bush's.
  
• Sorry ... but the Olympics just don't interest me.  It seems that in the modern Olympics it's all about who has the best drugs.
  
• There's an initiative on the ballot in Alaska to completely legalize Marijuana.  The purpose of the ballot initiative is to have marijuana treated the same as alcohol.  Where do I sent a contribution?

THE LARRY THURLOW QUESTION

Larry Thurlow is one of the Swiftees who has questioned John Kerry's version of the events surrounding Kerry's Bronze Star.  Kerry says that his boat was under enemy fire from both banks of the river.  Thurlow says that there was no fire.  Thurlow received a Silver Star for his actions that day, and the language of Thurlow's Silver Star citation says that there was indeed enemy fire from the banks of the river. 

Thurlow was before the media yesterday offering an explanation.  Thurlow offers this explanation:  He says that the recommendation for his Silver Star was written several days after the incident and that he was not asked to offer any details of the operation for that recommendation.  Thurlow believes that the details of the combat operation were derived from a written report of the incident authored by none other than John Kerry.  It has been shown that Kerry was quite anxious to provide written reports of his exploits to his commanding officers, so this story is plausible.  Knowing Kerry as we do now, it could well be that after that mine blew up under Swift Boat 3, and after Kerry pulled Jim Rassman from the water, he rushed back to the base and wrote a glowing epic on the action, complete with tales of enemy fire from both banks that might not have really existed.  The fog of war, and all that. 

Thurlow, however, still has one more question to answer.  He says that the Bronze Star was a complete surprise.  When the award and the accompanying citation arrived, didn't he read it?  Wouldn't you like to read, over and over, a citation citing you for extraordinary bravery?  Well, that citation mentioned enemy fire.  If it wasn't there, why didn't Thurlow step forward and say so at the time?  Why wait till now?  I guess to step forward and correct the record then would have been to say " I really didn't deserve this medal."  Truly, how many soldiers are going to do that?  Maybe it just became important to Thurlow now ... now when the events of that day are forming a crucial part of the debate in a Presidential campaign.  Whowouldathunkit?

Thurlow is standing by his guns.  "To this day," he says, "I can say without a doubt in my mind, along with other accounts from my shipmates, there was no hostile enemy fire directed at my boat or at any of the five boats operating on the river that day."

So .. who to believe.  Remember ... every single officer who was on that river that day says that there was no enemy fire.  Wait ... that's not quite correct.  I want to be as accurate as possible here.  Every single officer on that river except John Kerry says that there was no enemy fire.   Was John Kerry working hard in Vietnam to embellish his record for some future political purpose? 

You decide ... and maybe this next item will be helpful.

JOHN LEHMAN?  WHERE DID HE COME FROM?

Let's move on to another Vietnam mission involving John Kerry.  This one was a February 1969 reconnaissance mission during which Kerry won his Silver Star.  The citation for that Silver Star was signed by the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. John Hyland, and it said of Kerry that "His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."  That is pretty much the standard, rubber stamp, boilerplate citation language from the era. 

But wait!  Some years later, 1986, to be exact, Secretary of the Navy  John Lehman wrote yet another citation for Kerry's Silver Star.  That citation read "By his brave action, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant Kerry reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."  That, my friends, is not the standard boilerplate citation language. 

What were the circumstances that led the Secretary of the Navy to essentially rewrite a rather routine Silver Star citation that from 16 years earlier?  Could it have had anything to do with the fact that the recipient of that Silver Star was serving in his first term in the U.S. Senate?    Was it the Defense Department's standard operating procedure to review the citations of medal winners who find their way into politics, or was a request made for a more glowing citation?  The Kerry campaign says they don't have a clue.  They didn't request the more glowing praise.  Yeah ... that wouldn't be Kerry's style, would it?

Just know this.  People who know say that they have NEVER heard of a situation like this happening in any other case.  Only Kerry's.  Interesting.

TRASHING THE SWIFT VETS

The Kerry campaign is not happy with all of the questions being asked about Kerry's Vietnam record, and full retribution against the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is underway.  Since the Democrats are having a tough time countering the Swiftee's arguments, it's now time to attack them personally.  And boy is the media ready to jump in.

The New York Times has kicked things off by parroting the Kerry campaign's talking points that the Swiftees are just a bunch of disgruntled vets upset about The Poodle's criticism of the Vietnam War.  They're also backed by an evil Texas Republican (they're all evil, of course, didn't you know that?)  John Kerry is also accusing the Bush campaign of being behind the ad, though there is no evidence that this is so.  The media is going along with it all because it serves their goal of defeating Bush.  Never let the facts get in the way of your Bush-bashing, you know.

Kerry has said that the Swift Boat Veterans are a front group for the Bush campaign.  If so, this would amount to illegal campaign activity on the part of George Bush.  Kerry should back up his charges, or he should shut up.

The more the Kerry campaign, it's surrogates and the media keep talking, it becomes obvious that the Swiftees have drawn blood.  They're going the route of just being offended that anyone would dare question sKerry's service in Vietnam, along with his medals.  Sorry...but it doesn't work that way.  The Poodle opened that can of worms when he made his Vietnam service the centerpiece of his campaign.  Didn't he think it would be questioned?  Don't voters have a right to know what exactly happened so they can draw their own conclusions?  Apparently not.

Yet here you have a number of Kerry's fellow soldiers that have nothing to gain by coming forward, except to get their story out.  Their only reason for giving their side of the story is so they can set the record straight.  They got tired of watching Kerry run ads with their picture, misrepresenting what they say really happened in Vietnam. 

Whatever happened to the public's right to know?  Apparently that only applies to Republican candidates....not Democrats.  In the coming days and weeks, expect the media to do everything in their power to destroy the lives and the reputations of anyone who dares to come forward and question John Kerry's service record in Vietnam.  After all, the polls are tightening an the media wants The Poodle in that office come January.

By the way ...  of the Swiftees, John Kerry is saying:  "They're funded by hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Republican contributor out of Texas."  Right, John ... and Moveon.org is funded by millions of dollars from a Democratic contributor out of Hungary.  And your problem here is ......?

THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HINGES ON WHAT?

As Brit Hume said last night, who would have thought that the 2004 presidential election would hinge on some medals earned by one of the candidates 35 years ago.  Why is it so?  The answer isn't elusive.  This election seems to be about Kerry's Vietnam medals because John Kerry is running for president solely on the record of his four months in Vietnam.  There is nothing else.  Twenty years in the Senate ... and nothing to run on.  Lt. Governor of Massachusetts, and nothing to run on.  All he has is four months in Vietnam .. and the story of those four months is unraveling. 

IRAQI SOCCER TEAM: THANKS FOR NOTHING

This is turning into the feel-good story of the Olympics in Athens.  The Iraqi national soccer team, free from the clutches of Saddam Hussein's psychopathic son Uday, has been doing quite well at the games.  As a matter of fact, they are facing Australia in the quarterfinals on Sunday.  This is a huge source of national pride for the newly liberated Iraq.

So you would think that the Iraqi soccer team would be very grateful to President George W. Bush for freeing them from the clutches of tyranny.  After all, if Al Gore or The Poodle had been president, they would still be being tortured in Uday's dungeon for being late to practice.  Unfortunately, no such gratitude seems to be forthcoming. That's too bad.

Iraqi midfielder Salih Sadir complained about President Bush mentioning the Iraqi soccer team in a campaign ad.  "Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign.  He can find another way to advertise himself."  Okay, fine...that doesn't seem so bad.  But what another of the players said is enough to make your blood boil.

Midfielder Ahmed Manajid had this to say about President Bush:  "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes."  Apparently one of Bush's crimes was liberating the Iraqi soccer team so they could compete in the Olympics without being tortured.

The players all say they are glad Uday is gone and no longer in power.....so where's the thanks for the person that made it all happen?  Who are they trying to appease?

IRAN WARNS OF STRIKE AGAINST U.S.

The Iranian defense minister has warned that Iran might launch a preemptive strike against US forces in the region to prevent an attack on its nuclear facilities.  He also threatened Israel with a strike if they try and destroy Iran's nuclear reactor.  Oh really?

How much of this are we going to take from these Islamic terrorists in Tehran?  If they do indeed launch any sort of strike against our forces (or Israel, for that matter,) then we should not waste any time bombing them straight back to the camel corral.  Why on Earth we are standing idly by while these Islamo-fascists are building a nuclear weapons program, I will never know.  Oh..they say their nuclear facilities are for peaceful purposes...riiight.

Unfortunately, what is going to happen is more screwing around at the U.N., more appeasing and more inspections from the International Atomic Energy Agency.  Sound familiar?  It's like Iraq, except these terrorists are more insane and aren't attempting to hide their weapons of mass destruction.

Why are we allowing ourselves to be threatened?  Time to send a strong message.  You don't think that Iran thinks that John Kerry has already been inaugurated, do you?

READING ASSIGNMENTS

In an open letter to a Kerry supporter, your Talkmaster explains that the Democrats have bought themselves a lemon....The Poodle just isn't getting it done.  Oh, and George Bush won Florida in 2000 fair and square.

Either somebody at The Department of Homeland Security was having a little fun, or the ghost of Mary Jo Kopechne works at the FAA.  Teddy Kennedy was inconvenienced a number of times at the airport after his name showed up on a security watch list.

In the Washington Times' third and final excerpt from 'Unfit for Command,' the Swift Vets take a look at the disputed rescue in the river.

Senator Tom Harkin has called Vice President Dick Cheney a coward for not serving in the military, yet he is strangely silent on John Edwards lack of military service.  Eric Fettman explains.

Back when the Democrats were questioning President Bush's service in the National Guard, the mainstream media was all over it.  Strangely, we haven't heard a word from them about the Swift Boat Vets.  The Media Research Center reports.

President Bush's plan to bring home the troops from Europe is not only a good one, but will put an end to a decades-long colossal waste of time.  Charles Krauthammer takes a look at the decision.

Thomas Sowell continues his series about the Senate race in Illinois...Alan Keyes vs. Barack Obama. Both candidates are black, but that is where the similarities start and end.

Everybody loves to bash the Electoral College, particularly when the its results are unfavorable to liberals.  Paul Greenberg tells us what's right with the Electoral College, and why it should be kept around.  The alternative isn't too pretty.

The media not only loves John Kerry, but they've even stopped trying to hide their bias.  Rich Tucker has more.

Given his flip-flopping about  the war in Iraq, David Limbaugh wonders how The Poodle would handle another Islamic terrorism threat - Iran.

Mona Charen talks about the misleading debate over stem cell research, and takes issue with Ron Reagan's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The Poodle wants to pull troops out of Iraq where they are needed and leave troops in Europe where they are not.  Oliver North talks about President Bush's historic decision to bring the troops home from Europe.

The Al-Qaeda shoe bomber, Richard Reid, is suing over prison conditions.  Poor baby...perhaps he'd like to try another of our prisons...at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Al Gore was stopped for speeding, caught going 77 in a 55.  The $141 ticket is now in a lock box.

Bugmenot.com was great while it lasted. Looks like their host pulled the plug. If they find a way to offer their service again, we'll let you know about it.

Pedofile says he's married to the 10-year-old so it's okay.

An 8-year-old girl who suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine.

ASCII Neal?

Somebody at an Indianapolis TV station was playing around with the telestrator...and it wound up on the air.  Watch the video here.  Priceless. [Note: following this link may infect you with spyware. A few listeners alerted us to this and sure enough, when I ran Spybot Search & Destroy, it found Gator installed. --webwench]