Okay - I am now officially afraid of this Nazi-type swift-boat operation

[seventhson]

They are run by thisguy, among others:

William Edward Franke

William Edward Franke is a member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, established May 4, 2004, in opposition to John Forbes Kerry's candidacy for U.S. presidential election, 2004.

William Edward Franke, ENS, Officer in Charge of PCF 56 served in Vietnam 2/69-9/69 at Cat Lo/An Thoi. Weymouth (Wey) Symmes served under Franke at that time. <1>



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On May 14, 2004, Joe Conason writes in Salon:

"Franke is well known in Missouri as a longtime Republican Party activist and financier. In 1976, he managed John Danforth's victorious Senate campaign; two years later, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress. He also failed in an attempt to resuscitate the defunct St. Louis Globe-Democrat (which was, despite its name, a staunchly Republican newspaper) in 1986. Before the Globe-Democrat finally went under in 1987, Franke had obtained a commitment from the state industrial development authority -- all of whose members were appointed by then Gov. John Ashcroft -- to raise $9 million in tax-exempt revenue bonds to keep the paper afloat.

"Last June, Franke gave the maximum $2,000 to the Bush-Cheney '04 Inc. campaign, and he has since donated an additional $2,000 to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, and $2,000 more to Keep Our Majority, the PAC operated by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert."


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William E. Franke is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Gannon International. <2>

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The Gannon Technologies Group "provides hardware configurations, software, and services to digitize massive databases for both internal information management and presentation across the Internet. If the Internet is the super highway, The Gannon Technologies Group produces the products carried along that highway.

"The Gannon Technologies Group has provided the software support and services for several United States federal and state agencies, including an extensive staffing commitment to the Anti-Trust Division of the United States Department of Justice.

"The Gannon Technologies Group created the electronic databases for citizenship records for two Central American countries.

"The Gannon Technologies Group has provided critical technical support and created electronic databases for several high profile matters, including the Office of Special Counsel for the Branch Davidian (Waco, Texas) Investigation and the Federal Election Commission's investigation of political fundraising practices." <4>



More info at this thread (go to disinfopedia link in my first post on this thread):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x596773

[blm]

1. I'm glad you see that they are Kerry's ENEMIES and not his benefactors.

These people have been targeting Kerry for over 30 years, seventhson. We have to expose THEM in every way we can. I don't believe for a second the American people will like what they see.

[ibegurpard]

2. And yet we have people advocating for "taking the high road"

and letting the American people see the "truth," by refusing to respond to these kind of allegations. Several victims of that kind of strategy: Max Cleland, Al Gore, and Jimmy Carter. Feel free to expand that list.

[DaveinMD]

4. we should respond no doubt

but that doesn't mean we should go nuclear on Bush's war record. We should attack the record of the administration.

[ibegurpard]

7. We don't have to even bring up his record.

But all the information needed to discredit the people behind this ad is easily available and it's not being used.

[Zuni]

11. Good point

It is time to roll up our sleeves and get REALLY DIRTY.

Gore and Cleland would still be in office if they played the same game as the GOP

[sallyseven]

3. They have been exposed

One of the members disowned his own words. He is very sorry.

[ladjf]

5. But he is now recanting his recant. Hmm.

[pocket]

6. he denies recanting

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x596931

[seventhson]

8. This will come out: I just sent it to Drudge. But we need toi decide on a

Talking Point>

I think the Talking Point is: Anti-Kerry Swift Boat Vets are Long-Time Republican Operatives!

We need to have everyuone in America say this fifty times and replay the info technology corporate ties of this dude to Ashcroft, Dictators abroad and Danforth on the hour.

Say it loud:

Anti-Kerry Swift Boat Vets are Long-Time Republican Operatives!

Say it again!

BLM is right!

[ibegurpard]

9. Of course they are!

The history of the people behind this ad was easily discovered by people right here on DU and yet the official response seems to be let John McCain ride to the rescue.

[blm]

10. Exactly...LONGTIME GOP OPERATIVES sicced on Kerry by the NIXON White House

and who have tried to bring Kerry down for over 30 years.

They hated him for opposing Nixon. They hated him for investigating and exposing BCCI and IranContra. They hated him for shining a light on their illegal wars in Central America.

They hate him now because he stands in the way of an Imperial America led by King George.