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Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (19149)	10/15/2004 6:05:32 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

Military members, families trust Bush more than Kerry to command nation Associated Press Oct. 15, 2004 10:30 AM WASHINGTON - When asked who they would trust as commander in chief, people in military service and their families chose President Bush over Sen. John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, by almost a 3-to-1 margin. Bush, who served in the Texas Air National Guard, was more trusted by 69 percent while 24 percent said they trusted Kerry more, according to the National Annenberg Election Survey released Friday. Among all Americans, Bush has a more narrow advantage on trust to be commander in chief, 50-41. advertisement The military sample was far more likely to be Republican than Democratic, which could help explain the more favorable view of the president. Four in 10, 43 percent, of the military sample said they were Republicans, while 19 percent said Democrats and 27 percent independents. Those in the military and their families have a more favorable view of Bush than Americans generally, and they take a more optimistic view about Iraq, the economy and the nation's direction. A majority in the military sample, 64 percent, said the country is on the right track. Among Americans generally, 55 percent said the country is headed in the wrong direction. The National Annenberg Election Survey found that seven in 10, 69 percent, had a favorable view of Bush. Only three in 10, 29 percent, had a favorable view of Kerry. The Annenberg poll, which does not report head-to-head preferences, did not ask the military respondents who they support for president. The report cited a 1948 law that prohibits polling members of the military about their voting intent. The poll of 655 in the active military and their families was taken Sept. 22-Oct. 5 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Their answers were compared to those of 2,436 adults surveyed between Sept. 7-Oct. 3 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. azcentral.com Thanks Brian for finding this.

To: American Spirit who wrote (19149)	10/15/2004 6:34:46 PM
From: PROLIFE	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

A SECOND OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR JOHN KERRY I'd list Mike's email address, etc. but decided against it. Dear Senator Kerry: On February 14, 2004 I wrote a letter to you dealing my family’s proud military history and expressing my concern about your qualifications to lead my sons who are currently serving. You and your campaign chose to respond to my letter by sending me a form e-mail asking me for a campaign contribution. The letter to you was also sent by e-mail to some friends who ultimately passed it on. I have no idea how many people have read it, but I have received several thousand replies. Since you chose not to respond to the letter I thought I would share with you the thoughts of those who have responded. Of course, I didn’t hear from the Hollywood elite, those entertainers who you praised as representing the values of America after they had launched vicious and obscene attacks against President Bush during a fund raiser for you in New York. I heard from the real America and Senator you are totally out of touch with it. I received e-mails and phone calls from hundreds of veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and everything in between. It’s ironic that some of them list the medals they earned in combat. Some have the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver and Bronze Stars and multiple Purple Hearts, yet they refuse to call themselves heroes. Yet, they will tell me that all of the men in their squad, platoon, or company were heroes. On the other hand, you have based your campaign for the Presidency on your supposed heroics in Vietnam. Yet, you continue to be proud of the fact that you called your fellow soldiers and sailors rapists and murderers. Is it any wonder that I’m having a tough time finding veterans who support you. I've spoken or heard from many of your fellow Vietnam veterans and in some cases their widows and families. Their comments have touched me deeply. Some have called me in tears, their voices breaking as they thank me for coming forward to defend them against the vicious attacks you made on their character and sacrifices. They don’t owe me any thanks, the American people owe them gratitude, but you and your cohorts like Jane Fonda attempted to deny it to them. However Senator the most heart wrenching responses have come from the men and women currently serving in the war on terror, and their families. There was the phone call from the young Army infantryman about to leave with his unit for Iraq. He called to thank me for my letter and I’m the one who got choked up. Why should an American soldier going into harm’s way be thanking me? Then there was the call from a retired Air Force Master Sergeant who had recently been to a military hospital in San Antonio. He had met with some of the wounded coming back from Iraq and was amazed at their courage. He mentioned one young soldier in particular whose hands had been severely burned when some ordinance he was working on had exploded. He couldn’t understand why the army was going to give him a Purple Heart since he hadn’t actually been under enemy fire at the time. He didn’t believe he deserved such an honor. Can you possibly relate to that Senator, after your three scratches and three Purple Hearts? Then there are the letters from the parents or spouses who have a loved one in the war. They can’t believe that you are willing yet again to undermine the efforts of our military for your own personal political gain. Of course some of what I have received has been eloquent in its simplicity. The Marines say “Semper Fi” , the soldiers Hoorah or Airborne, and some just say thanks. Maybe that’s why none of the brave American warriors I heard from are supporting you. None. In fact Senator, they fear being led by you. Maybe you don’t mind that, but I do. We need a Commander in Chief our troops can believe in, not one who they believe will ultimately lead them, and the country they are fighting to defend, to disaster. Now to be fair Senator, I did hear from some of your supporters, in fact about five percent of the e-mails and phone calls came from people loyal to you, although none were active military. They were interesting, to say the least. Not one attempted to directly refute anything I said in the letter. They would bring up President Bush’s service record or try to tell me that you didn’t really mean what you had said about your fellow soldiers in 1971. However, many were just vicious attacks on me and my family. The favorite trick was to call me between midnight and 6:00 a.m. and scream obscenities at me. They would use the same phrases in e-mails, but obviously many thought it would be more fun to wake me and my wife up. After all, they surely know that when you have children in harm’s way serving their country you’ll answer the phone no matter when it rings. One recent caller knew that for sure. He informed me that he was an ardent supporter of yours and hoped that if George Bush were re-elected President, all of my sons would be killed in the war. So there you have it Senator Kerry: an informal and totally unscientific poll generated by a single e-mail sent by a someone of no significance to you. In fact, I guess that’s why I never got a reply from you. After all, I’m just a nobody, but unfortunately for you the people I heard from are not as insignificant. They are the average American citizens and they come from every segment of the population. They are the veterans who have protected our freedom in the past and the men and women who are laying their lives on the ground to protect it now. They are the best of the best and I suggest that you don’t even know who they are. However, I think you’ll hear from them soon, because based on what I’ve heard, their response to your candidacy on election day is going to be not just no, but Hell No! Sincerely, Michael Connelly October 1, 2004 TO READ THE FIRST LETTER AND SEE A VIDEO BASED ON IT CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK: pointsandviews.com