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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (53251)	8/12/2004 8:31:22 AM
From: JakeStraw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Kerry of Mayberry Barney Fife Goes to War mensnewsdaily.com August 12, 2003 by Jim Manion Amidst the partisan rancor generated by the publication of "Unfit For Command", a curious thought passed through my mind upon reviewing the book's version of the basis for Kerry's Purple Hearts. First, it is important to understand that a Purple Heart is the military's way of recognizing a wound suffered in combat. It has nothing to do with heroism. While one could argue that those receiving purple hearts are heroes simply by virtue of being in harms way and suffering the consequences, there are numerous other awards that recognize selfless actions that save lives or turn the tide of battle. Second, any individual earning one Purple Heart every 45 days would be viewed by his comrades as somewhat of a lightning rod. I for one would not want to be close to someone that attracted enemy fire like a magnet. The goal in combat is to inflict enemy casualties, not to become one. Since Kerry refused to release all of his medical records regarding his Vietnam experience, we are forced to rely on other sources regarding the nature of his wounds and the circumstances surrounding their infliction. If the version published in "Unfit For Command" is even only half true, we are left with a vision of a young officer who can't shoot straight and does not have the common sense to know hand grenades are meant to be thrown well away from one's body. As the story goes, Kerry's first Purple Heart was really the result of poor marksmanship. Kerry discharges grenade launcher, the round is low, strikes some rocks at the shoreline, and blows a thorn sized piece of shrapnel back toward Kerry. Still another Purple Heart was really the result of a rice wound. Yes, I said rice. It seems our intrepid hero tossed a grenade into a pile of rice, but did not have the sense that God gave even Forrest Gump to know he was obviously too close. One can surmise that at some point prior to the explosion, Kerry did realize his mistake, since the deadly grains of rice were embedded in his hind quarters. A visual worthy of a Wyle E. Coyote cartoon. These two incidents were the result of stupidity, recklessness, or a combination of the two. And most of those I have served with in the past, had this happened to them, would have bee too mortified to even discuss this let alone trumpet it by putting one's self in for an award. In the absence of war, natural selection slowly and methodically takes care of those whose genetic code is wired for stupidity. In war, however, stupidity kills quickly, and endangers all of those in close proximity to the the carrier. Did Kerry rotate out because of the unwritten "Three Purple Heart" rule, or was he run out by those that served with him, as the Book alleges? Since Kerry thus far has refused to address the allegations directly, we can only speculate. In the old "Andy Griffith Show", Sheriff Taylor's skittish deputy, Barney Fife, was allowed only one bullet which he was required to keep in his shirt pocket. Barney was no threat to the bad guys with a loaded weapon, but was a real threat to himself and those around him. There seems to be a a connection here. It is not that I am unsympathetic with the wounds suffered by John Kerry. In fact, I have no doubt that to this day his ass tingles every time he passes a Chinese restaurant. Let's hope that we don't have to worry about Candidate Fife being close to the nuclear button.