Verging on Pertinence

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Barks & Bites

Remember going to school past that house with the beat up low-slung chain link fence? Some four-legged beast of disputable heritage ran a Moebius strip by the street-side of the fence, Barking and growling and nastily drooling. Scared the hell out of you each morning, while you were half-asleep as you sauntered by. Bugged the hell out of you when you slinked by the beast on the way back home.
Then, one day, you had it. Something at school didn't go well, somebody looked at you crosseyed, your p'butter-jelly sandwich was smushed, your locker was pennied shut. So, on the way back home, that damn dog starts with the fence prowling and throat growling. You lean over the fence and start barking back. Your friends back away; you're about to get your face ripped off. Instead, the dog hightails it back under the dilapidated porch, shivering.
Another life lesson.
The louder the bark, the more non-existent the bite.

So, when the "Pubs start ranting and barking against Kerry's service record, pull out the following list (provided by a friend of mine, no reference attached) and see who's got the bark and who actually has the teeth.

This could be the last election where military service in Vietnam has any political significance, but just for the record it's worth noting who really served from each of the major political parties:

DEMOCRATS:
Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
David Bonior: Staff Sgt. Air Force, 1968-72.
Tom Daschle: 1st Lieut., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
Al Gore: enlisted 1969, sent to Vietnam Jan.'71 as army journalist-
20th
Engnr. Brig.
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. US Navy, 1966-69, Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47, Medal of Honor, WWII.
John Kerry: Lieut., US Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with
Combat Purple Hearts.
John Edwards: did not serve.
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt. US Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
Max Cleland: Captain, US Army 1965-68: Silver Star & Bronze Star,
Vietnam.
Ted Kennedy: US Army, 1951-53.
Tom Harkin: Lieut. US Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-79; Captain, Army Reserve, 1979-91.
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII, Bronze Star & 7 campaign
ribbons.
Leonard Boswell: Lieut. Col., Army 1956-76: Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Star
Pete Peterson: Capt. USAF, POW, Purple Heart, Silver Star & Legion of
Merit.
Mike Thompson: Staff Sgt., 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
Bill McBride:( Candidate for Fla. governor), USMC Bronze Star-
Vietnam.
Gray Davis: Captain, US Army; Bronze Star - Vietnam.
Pete Stark: USAF, 1955-57.
Chuck Robb: USMC- Vietnam.
Howell Heflin: Silver Star.
George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC - WWII.
Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments - Entered draft &
rec'd
#311.
Jimmy Carter: Lieutenant US Navy ; seven years of service including
WWII.
Walter Mondale: US Army, 1951-53. Korea.
John Glenn: US Navy WWII & Korea, six DFCs and Air Medal with 18
clusters.
Tom Lantos: served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul
Wallenberg
Wesley Clark: US Army 1966-2000, West Point, Vietnam, Purple Heart,
Silver Star, retired Four Star General.
John Dingell: WWII.
John Conyers: US Army, 1950-57- Korea.

REPUBLICANS
Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
Tom Delay: did not serve.
House Whip Roy Blunt: did not serve.
Bill Frist: did not serve.
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
George Pataki: did not serve.
Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
Rick Santorum: did not serve.
Trent Lott: did not serve.
Dick Cheney: did not serve - several deferments due to "other
priorities"
John Ashcroft: did not serve. 7 deferments to teach business.
Jeb Bush: did not serve.
Karl Rove: did not serve.
Saxy Chambliss: did not serve due to a "bad knee". This is the man who
attacked the patriotism of Max Cleland who lost three limbs in combat
in Vietnam.
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
Vin Weber: did not serve.
Douglas Feith: did not serve.
Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
Richard Shelby: did not serve.
Jon Kyl: did not serve.
Tim Hutchinson: did not serve.
Christopher Cox: did not serve.
Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
Don Rumsfeld: US Navy flight instructor 1954-57.
Geo. W. Bush: six year Nat'l Guard commitment (incomplete).
Ronald Reagan: poor eyesight, made movies and canteen visits in WWII.
Gerald Ford: US Navy WWII.
Phil Gramm: did not serve.
John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, DFC.
Bob Dole: US Army WWII, wounded in action.
Chuck Hagel: Purple Heart & Bronze Star - Vietnam.
Jeff Sessions: Army Reserve 1973-86.
J.C. Watts: did not serve.
Lindsey Graham: attorney for National Guard.
G.H.W. Bush: US Navy pilot-WWII, shot down by Japanese.
Tom Ridge: Bronze Star - Vietnam.
Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
Clarence Thomas: did not serve.

PUNDITS
Sean Hannity: did not serve.
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a "pilonidal cyst").
Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
Michael Savage: did not serve.
George Will: did not serve.
Chris Matthews: did not serve.
Paul Gigot: did not serve.
Bill Bennett: did not serve.
Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
Bill Kristol: did not serve.
Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
Michael Medved: did not serve

// posted by DarkoV @ Tuesday, October 19, 2004