Please Help Me Respond to This!!

[OnionPatch]

My husband has talked his friend out of voting for W. This friend just forwarded the following email to my husband. He got it from someone and wanted my husband's opinion. We can't lose this guy to the forces of evil. Help us debunk this. Please!
PS This guy is not the most intellectual guy around so complicated explanations may not cut it. Here's the e-mail:



Subject: Can You Name This Country??
> 709,000 REGULAR (ACTIVE DUTY) PERSONNEL.
> 293,000 RESERVE TROOPS.
> EIGHT STANDING ARMY DIVISIONS.
> 20 AIR FORCE AND NAVY AIR WINGS WITH 2,000 COMBAT AIRCRAFT.
> 232 STRATEGIC BOMBERS.
> 19 STRATEGIC BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINES WITH
> 3,114 NUCLEAR WARHEADS ON 232 MISSILES.
> 500 ICBMs WITH 1,950 WARHEADS.
> FOUR AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AND 121 SURFACE COMBAT
> SHIPS AND SUBMARINES PLUS ALL THE SUPPORT BASES,
> SHIPYARDS, AND LOGISTICAL ASSETS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN SUCH A NAVAL
>FORCE.
>
> IS THIS COUNTRY:
> RUSSIA? NO
> CHINA? NO
> GREAT BRITAIN? NO
> FRANCE? WRONG AGAIN
> MUST BE USA? STILL WRONG
> GIVE UP?
>
> THESE ARE THE AMERICAN MILITARY FORCES THAT WERE ELIMINATED DURING THE
>ADMINISTRATION OF BILL CLINTON AND AL GORE.
>
> John Kerry on Defense -- "I hadn't seen this list printed before." (It

>would make one heck of a mailer if it were sent to voters.)
>
> Kerry voted to kill the Bradley Fighting Vehicle He voted to kill the
>M-1 Abrams Tank He voted to kill every aircraft carrier laid down from
>1988. He voted to kill the Aegis anti aircraft system He voted to kill the

>F-15 Strike Eagle He voted to kill the Block 60 F-16 He voted to kill the
>P-3 Orion upgrade He voted to kill the B-1 He voted to kill the Patriot
>Anti Missile System He voted to kill the FA-18 He voted to kill the B-2 He

>voted to kill the F117 In short He voted to kill every military
>appropriation for the development and deployment of every weapons systems
>since 1988 to include the battle armor for our troops.
>
> With Kerry as president our Army will be made up of naked men running
>around with sticks and clubs.
>
> Kerry also voted to kill all anti terrorism activities of every agency
>of the U.S. Government and to cut the funding of the FBI by 60%, to cut
the
>funding for the CIA by 80%, and cut the funding for the NSA by 80%.
> But then he voted to increase OUR funding for U.N operations by 800%!!!
>
> Is THIS a President YOU want?
>
> Please pass this on, as many people may not know how bad it is. And
>don't limit your sending to just your Republican friends. EVERYONE needs
to read this

[trotsky]

1. Snopes it.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/weapons.asp

The most important thing to know is that virtually all of the military cuts Kerry supported were put forth by then-Secretary of Defense DICK CHENEY and/or then-President George H.W. Bush.

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. As to (the irrational tie-in) Clinton-Gore remind him

that Republicans took the majority in 94. They put together the details for the appropriations and logistics of the cuts.

[cynatnite]

3. Some of it looks like

Remember some of the treaties that got hammered out during Clinton's time?

Some of this looks like part of the agreements that were reached like the nuclear weapons and ICBM's.


But the thing is and this is what's kind of funny...this is the same force that he's complaining about that got the Taliban out of power. It's also the same one that invaded Iraq, too.


Cyn:)

[merh]

4. Another thing to remind your friend is that

the email has no links to back up its sources. I know when I send emails to my friends regarding the positive characteristics and record of Kerry, I always provide links.

Advise your friend to be skeptical of all bashing emails without links. Provide him the snopes link (this has been debunked or neutrialized) and tell him to have fun, ask for the links that support the contentions.

Easiest way to debunk is to ask for links, they can't provide them.

[OnionPatch]

Thanks so much!

I should have known to go to Snopes. I sent the link and included most of your comments which were very good! I love DU! :loveya: You guys are great!

[critchmj]

5. Everyone has the essence, but put simply

"The Wall" had come down, we no longer had need of all this military strength that had given us the Raygun deficits. In their deficit cutting zeal, Bush 1 started the cuts. And I think that Kerry's response to some of this was that he and Snarl (Cheney) had voted the same on these cuts when he and Snarl were in the Senate together.

During the Clinton/Gore years, the military itself advanced many of the cuts in order to become "lighter, faster, smarter" because we would no longer have major land wars, but "small" wars like Kosovo, Bosnia, etc., all under a Repug congress.

As someone pointed out above this included the standing down of our nuclear forces, both US and Russian, "to make the world a safer place."

[Sparkly]

7. Right, what used to be called "streamlining" or "modernizing" the military

they're now calling "killing."

[sandnsea]

6. Recommended by Bush & Cheney

They always forget that part. Also, ask for the bill to kill anti-terrorism funding, FBI, CIA and NSA. I don't believe it even exists.