NYT Decries What 'Swift Boat' Now Means
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT BLOG
From the endlessly despicable New York Times:
Veterans Long to Reclaim the Name 'Swift Boat'
By KATE ZERNIKE
Published: June 30, 2008
Years ago, when William Miller talked about being in the Vietnam War — if he talked about being in the Vietnam War — he would tell people he served on a Swift boat.
At least now they have heard of it. But not in the way he would like.
"I was proud of what I did, and all the guys I was with," Mr. Miller said. "Now somebody says 'Swift boat' and it's a whole different meaning. They don't associate it with the guys we lost. That's a shame."
"Swift boat" has become the synonym for the nastiest of campaign smears, a shadow that hangs over the presidential race as pundits wait to proclaim that the Swiftboating has begun and candidates declare that they will not be Swiftboated.
Swift boat veterans — especially those who had nothing to do with the group that attacked Senator John Kerry's military record in the 2004 election — want their good name back, and the good names of the men not lucky enough to come home alive.
"You would not hear the word 'Swift boat' and think of people that served their country and fought in Vietnam," said Jim Newell, who spent a year as an officer in charge on one of the small Navy vessels in An Thoi and Qui Nhon. "You think about someone who was involved in a political attack on a member of a different party. It just comes across as negative. Everyone who is associated with a Swift boat is involved in political chicanery." …
Sorry, but that is as far as I could read.
And not because this is yet another typically overly wordy and meandering New York Times article.
But it is Olympian grade hypocrisy for The Times to shed crocodile tears over the supposedly negative connotation of the term "Swift boat."
For it is only due to tireless efforts by The Times and the rest of our Democrat owned and operated media that the name has become pejorative — if it has.
After all, what did the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth do? What were their crimes against humanity?
They exercised their God given right to express their political opinions about a Presidential candidate.
Moreover, their opinions were based upon their personal experience and knowledge — none of which has been refuted by Mr. Kerry nor anyone else.
In truth, many if not most of the SBVT were lifelong Democrats, including John O'Neal.
Their personal knowledge was supplemented by research by people like yours truly, who uncovered further damning material about Mr. Kerry, after he returned from his four months in Vietnam.
Such as how Mr. Kerry lied about our soldiers, gave aid and comfort to the North Vietnamese, negotiated with representatives of the enemy, and even was present at a meeting where plans to assassinate pro-war Congressmen were discussed.
This was information a real media concerned about having an informed citizenry media should have been eager to report.
But instead our watchdog media sought to cover-up and even denigrate these facts, and those who dared to bring them to light.
And once again, this is information that has never been refuted.
But as we now know all too well, being "Swift boated" actually means having someone tell inconvenient truths about a Democrat.
Which is of course exactly why this is being trotted out at this time. We are being warned not to "swift boat" Mr. Obama.
That is to say, we are not to bring up any unpleasant facts about him.
The New York Times and their Democrat masters have spoken.
sweetness-light.com |
