Just when you thought that the Christo-Fascist Wingnuttery could go no lower, a "delegate" to the Repulican Humpfest has been passing out Purple Heart band-aids. Talk about a disgrace. There are men and women today awarded that medal, some probably actually TODAY for the misadventure in Mesopotamia, and some chickenhawk ass has the gall to use that award, one no soldier wants to get to try and criticize John Kerry.
A GOP delegate handed out bandages with purple hearts on them Monday night at the Republican National Convention in a swipe at Democratic nominee John Kerry's war record, but national GOP officials have asked him to stop.
...
Blackwell, who gave out almost 250 of the bandages, said Vietnam veterans have every right to be angry about anti-war comments Kerry made after returning to this country.
It's interesting that the person who looks most foolish here is Mr. Morton Blackwell. So, was Morton Blackwell among those veterans he speaks of?
Morton Blackwell’s Background:
In youth politics, Mr. Blackwell was a College Republican state chairman and a Young Republican state chairman in Louisiana.
He served on the Young Republican National Committee for more than a dozen years, rising to the position of Young Republican National Federation national vice chairman at large.
Off and on for five years, 1965-1970, he worked as executive director of the College Republican National Committee under four consecutive College Republican national chairmen.
He served on the Louisiana Republican state central committee for eight years.
He’s now in his 28th year on the Arlington County (Virginia) Republican Committee, his 15th year as a member of the Virginia Republican state central committee and his 14th year as Virginia’s Republican National Committeeman
Having worked actively in politics for more than forty years, he has probably trained more political activists than any other conservative. Starting in the 1960’s, he has trained thousands of people who have served on staff for Republican candidates in every state.
Mr. Blackwell was Barry Goldwater’s youngest elected delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco.
He was a national convention Alternate Delegate for Ronald Reagan in 1968 and 1976, and a Ronald Reagan Delegate at the 1980 national convention.
In 1980, he organized and oversaw the national youth effort for Ronald Reagan.
He served as Special Assistant to the President on President Reagan’s White House Staff 1981-1984.
Mr. Blackwell is something of a specialist in matters relating to the rules of the Republican Party.
He served on rules committees of the state Republican parties in Louisiana and in Virginia. He serves now on the RNC’s Standing Committee on Rules and has attended every meeting of the Republican National Conventions’ Rules Committees since 1972. .
Funny, I see no mention of Military Service there...anyone? chirp chirp.
Why do allegedly patriotic, "Love or Shove it, My Amurka" republicans hate the military so?
posted by Jo Fish on 08.31.04 at 11:38 PM
Comments:
I'm not a veteran but ... are veterans angry about the way Bush sent people to Iraq without a good plan, then signed memos authorizing torture, then dumped all the blame on the soldiers who carried out the dirty work?
I don't think those guys at Abu Ghraib were "bad apples." I think they were just trying to make the best of a bad situation.
This is pretty much what Kerry was talking about in 1971.
posted by: Tony Goins on 09.01.04 at 10:41 AM [permalink]
I can't speak for any others, but this veteran is damned angry about it.
I just wish I had a bunch of those purple-heart bandaids....
So I could send some to Bob Dole. Maybe to John McCain too. And sign the letter "Love, W"
I wonder what the guys and gals currently in Walter Reed think about those bandaids? Someone should interview them.
posted by: Satan luvvs Repubs on 09.01.04 at 01:15 PM [permalink]
I'm seething. These SOB's are below contempt. Every veteran in America should be violently angry at the contempt the GOP bastards have for our service.
I violently agree with LCDR Otter above. It is outrageous that the Rs get away with this stuff re: veterans
J.L. Taylor ETCS(SS) (ret)
posted by: Redcane on 09.01.04 at 05:12 PM [permalink]
In 20 years when a veteran of Bush's War is running against George P. Bush, you know his service will be questioned, and disparaged. These people have no fucking shame.
posted by: merl on 09.01.04 at 05:54 PM [permalink]
My complete diatribe on this has spanned from the day that I saw an ad for these on the Colier County, Florida Bush/Cheney site, on August 21, to this very date. Reproduced for my catharsis:
Bland-Aid Purple Heart?
Wow! That's amazingly, amazingly offensive.
I doubt that whoever made that piece of shit would have made it if he had experienced a piece of hot shrapnel tearing through his leg.
The new Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ad says that Kerry "betrayed" and "dishonored" veterans. These people who mock the medals that our soldiers receive are the real ones who are betraying and dishonoring our soldiers. Every time that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth allege that Kerry didn't deserve those medals (one of which they haven't even made any allegations about, AFAIK), they call every single soldier or veteran who has ever earned a Purple Heart (including my dead grandfather--though thankfully he didn't die from that wound) a liar.
You call my dead grandfather a fucking liar, and I get pissed.
The US Navy ought to sue the person who made that Bland-Aid...thing...for defamation. I don't know if it's an ad (Hey, kids! Buy this and mock a soldier today!) or a parody (Enemy soldiers are trying to kill our boys! Hyuk, hyuk!) or what, but it's patently offensive, and should be denounced by Bush.
That's what I said about the original item from Florida. This new calumny is far worse--it asks people to wear their attacks on their bare skin, and deserves a more deliberate rebuttal.
Until this moment, sir, I think I never really gauged your cruelty, or your recklessness.
Little did I dream that you could be so reckless and so cruel as to add injury to injury to our noble veterans. It is, I regret to say, equally true that I fear that all of our veterans, wounded in war, shall bear a scar needlessly inflicted by you. If it were in my power to forgive you for your reckless cruelty, I would do so. I like to think I'm a gentle man, but your forgiveness will have to from a million men who have given their lives in the service of this country.
You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?
"Duty, Honor, and Country" have no meaning for these cretins. They mock those who served in the military, while lacking the courage to serve themselves.
If the institute the draft, I'll volunteer for the board to be sure the "right" people get to experience the joys of basic training, the taste of MREs, and the music of things exploding and rounds whizzing by. These people want to show how "manly" they are, have I got a plastic bodied Humvee for you.
Chickenhawks!!
posted by: Bryan on 09.01.04 at 10:01 PM [permalink]
I think it is really sad for the Country when the parties can do nothing but nick pick over personal shortcomings. Don't they know the American Voter is sick of that? As far as the Band aids that is no lower than one of the Democrat's wiping his feet on a doormat with our President's picture on it-if you don't respect the man respect the position. Think how we look to the countries that love to make the most of our short comings. I think all the members who hold any political office should grow up quit fighting and work together for the good of our Country. And for heavens sake stand by our Men and Women who are in the armed services whether you like the war or not at least support them.
posted by: Linda Skipworth on 09.02.04 at 04:25 PM [permalink]
I think its only fair to point out that the Chairman of the Republican Party, WhatHisName, stopped it as soon as he found out about it.
If you could blame the candidate for the extremes of their supporters, we wouldn't be able to elect anybody.
posted by: Mr.Murder on 09.06.04 at 03:32 AM [permalink]
I'm a 100% Disabled Vet who was on a Kerry
picket line when W was in Cincinnatt OH. I was
wearing my Purple Heart when this jackass
called me a Draft Dodger. Another one called me
a traitor. V F W members cringe that these bums
call themselves Americans.
posted by: Harry Mulloy on 09.10.04 at 02:03 AM [permalink]
