I honestly believe that a lot of Republicans are genuinely upset over this. John McCain springs to mind.
Whether it was intentional or not, those bandaids are a slap in the face to every veteran who takes pride in their Purple Heart. It belittles the award and makes it out to be nothing but a get-out-of-war card. I’m appalled that the same people who are sporting those things are also the same people wearing those yellow “Support Our Troops” ribbons. So I guess the message is that they “support our troops” just as long as a person’s military service doesn’t give them a political advantage over Their Favorite Candidate (Who Made Sure to Stay As Far Away From War As Possible Without Moving to Canada). Then it’s okay to tear them to pieces and mock the accolades of innocent bystanders in the process.
How many people wearing those goddamn things have even put themselves in the position to earn a Purple Heart? This would be like me, a non-athelete who can barely run a mile without giving up, saying that a Olympic marathon winner didn’t deserve their gold medal–not because they didn’t finish first–but because “they didn’t run all that fast”.
But it keeps happening, going back to the 1996 attacks on Bob Kerrey, the attacks on McCain in 2000 and Cleland in the last election cycle. As Larry Mudd points out, the guy who did this is wired into the party. Finally, I suspect someone had to prod Bob Dole to question Kerry’s valor. Add all this to the Texas financial connection to the swift boat vets and it looks like there is an ongoing effort to malign veterans by the republican party.
Um, cards? elucidator is pretty solidly on your side. He just demonstrates it in fashion that is a bit unorthodox.
judging from the poll numbers, I’d disagree. If what you said were true, we’d see a couple of reactions: 1. Bush dropping dramatically in the polls.
2. Bush coming out strongly against these ads specifically. Neither has happened.
I would disagree only with the suggestion that the intent is to “malign veterans”. Used to be, back in the day, that veterans could be depended upon to solidly align with the party that most emphasized order and authority. And while not necessarily opposing change, certainly not in a pell-mell rush to effect change.
This makes veterans a natural constituency for the “conservative”. Conversely, in place where Marxism is the past and liberal democracy is the future, the military tends to be more reliably “leftist”. Order and authority are more important than the political basis of that authority.
Still, “maligning veterans” is political suicide, ain’t gonna happen. But the Rightards are perfectly happy to suggest that some veterans are more loyal, more correct, than others. If they can find a way to slur that sort of veterans who were active in the V.V.A.W., betcher ass they’ll do it, while blubbering praise for veterans in general, and most especially for “our troops”. A Chinese Communist Party incumbent is just as fervently “pro-veteran” as the most “conservative” Republican.
Gee, thats kinda long round about way to say they want to malign Kerry and men like him, but would rather stuff a rattlesnake down thier pants than be caught maligning the military.
I’m hard of hearing…whooosh on my part. The post above this one illuminates a smart point by elucidator, e.g., let’s use symbols to support our point of view. I think that’s what he saying. I’m a little slow.
As I talked with a friend about my anger, he challenged me on the Bob Kerrey, John McCain, etc., allegations about attacks by the republican party operatives, saying there are no credible news sources supporting the view that mainstream republicans have any links to this activity. I know what I remember, but memory is often foggy.
I’m going to research news literature for past campaigns, but anyone that can point to articles about Kerrey, McCain, Cleland, et. al., and attacks on their service records would help in the rational debate I am now engaging in with my passionate friends.
Should this be in the pit or GD? I didn’t say fuck once.
~&%, *#@ + > ?
( ^ @ < !
Best laugh I’ve had all day. Kids these days have some sort of short hand for this don’t they, like OLO, OOL, LLO, LLL, right? Am I hep cat for knowing this? Kool. 
Please don’t tell my kid’s about this post. $500? Small bills? Which trash can in the park?
If you all want to know the high esteem the Republicans and their NeoCons (same thing at this point) really have for the military, do a google search for the writings of retired Colonel Kwiatowski. I am not exactly sure of the spelling, but it is a pretty grim personal view of what took place in the Pentagon after the political hacks moved in.
Now see here, Doc Cathode! That kind of language is entirely inappropriate when there might be children, ladies and/or puppies reading.
I mean really now!
You sure you got your Symbol Translation Vectors correctly calibrated? I got “Hurt me, beat me, make me write bad checks!”
Wading too far into the slime pit is a bit much for my poor soul to take, but I can point you to this site by Ted Sampley:
John McCain: The Manchurian Candidate, which includes such gems as…
McCain Is No Hero - He seriously violated the Military Code of Conduct
Pictorial History of John McCain’s Collaboration With The Vietnamese Reds
and one that may explain McCain’s “dishonest and dishonerable” quote,
Navy Awarded McCain Medals For Valor Without Required Eyewitnesses (page title is "John McCain’s Hero Medals: Are They Valid?)
There’s more, but excuse me, I must go throw up now.
(Oh yeah, that same Swift Boat Liar guy, Sampley, had a problem with pappy Bush too: George Bush Parachutes Again to Exorcise Demons of Past Betrayal. Talk about Shrub/Rove sleeping with the enemy! Anything for a Republican win, eh?)
So sorry. It was a Mac to PC translation issue. A thousand pardons I beg. . .
There’s some nice pictures of the bandaids here. There look to have been three or four different designs in use.
A Mac? A Mac? You’re talking about the Big hamburger, right?
Um. . .yes?
Well, all right then. I should be more careful about that sort of thing in the future, were I you. Might as well admit to preferring Oreo cookies to Hyrdox, or thinking Pauly Shore funny.