New "swift vets" avenue of attack: "Alston Never Served Under Kerry"

[janx]

Get ready for this one. It's coming.

Freeps are discussing it here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1191488/posts

Original blog article is here:

http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/002251.php

The woman who allegedly "discovered" the matter is someone by the name of Lori Byrd from Texas. Ten to one she's a Republican op.

Does anyone know?

[Jackpine Radical]

1. I'm not going to FReeperville

and I don't feel like hunting blindly around on that blog site, so I have no idea what you're going on about.
Would you mind posting a few paras?

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jackpine Radical]

8. Thank you.

And welcome to DU.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sparkly]

19. No evidence Alston was only injured once,

no links to official documents, no documentation for attributions for most of the "information."

[Sparkly]

13. I don't find a single document

to support this charge. Do you?

[janx]

24. It's the next lie that they're trying to push to the media.

It has gotten so out of hand that some Swift Vet supporters are declaring that any photos of Alston with Kerry are photoshopped.

I'm not kidding. The hysteria has actually gone that far.

[MidwestTransplant]

17. There are pictures of Alston with Kerry

together in Vietnam so obviously they were together. These people have so much hate it blinds them to the obvious.

Some are even saying the photo was staged or photoshopped. HILARIOUS.

1. why would Kerry state a photo in 1969 and

2. why would they photoshop a picture and risk getting caught. His case for combat merit was just as strong with Alston as it would have been without.

[henslee]

29. in trying to discredit JK/Alston, they post awesome color Nam pix of them!

pix, I've never saw before, pix of young men serving honorably, thousands of miles from home in a tiny boat, in hostile territory.

[Democat]

2. They are only going to attack more and more until Kerry does something

Ignoring them and press releases are not going to stop these guys.

They are raising more money and preparing more ads.

They will dominate the entire campaign until the election if Kerry doesn't do something.

The only person in America who can call them off is Bush. Bush will not do that unless Kerry and the Democrats make the Swift Boat Liars a liability to the Republicans running for office.

Kerry had 30 years to prepare for these attacks and he didn't have a counter-attack ready? That is hard to believe.

[molly]

23. What would you like him to do?

they are like bullies on a playground. If you fight them, you give them even more incentive and power. Ignoring them sends the message that you have nothing to defend.

[Catt03]

3. So sick of hearing about this

[Democat]

4. They are going to launch more ads, it's going to get bigger

If you are sick of hearing about it, then Kerry needs to do something to stop it.

Imagine three more months of Swift Boats in the media every single day.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

9. Awesome. Polls indicate it helps us.

Check out the polls since they launched this attack:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/pastpolls.html

[Democat]

Only 65% of Democrats think Kerry definitely earned his Silver Star

John Kerry received a Silver Star during the Vietnam war. Do you think he did or did not deserve this award?

Question: Democrats - Republicans
Did deserve it: 65% - 15%
Did not: 4% - 42%
Don’t know: 31% - 44%

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x619343

That is not good news. 31% of Democrats say they don't know if Kerry deserved his medal. Why is that? It might have something to do with the Swift Boat ads, don't you think?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. I am more concerned with the electoral vote

than questions like that.

W.Va. veterans to begin phone campaign for Kerry


West Virginia Veterans are kicking off a campaign of phone calls and door-to-door visits for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Woody Williams is chairman of West Virginia Veterans for Kerry. He says state veterans appreciate Kerry's history of supporting veterans' health care and supporting increased funding for them.

The campaign will begin tomorrow afternoon in Charleston, Beckley, Huntington, Parkersburg and Wheeling. Earlier this week, veterans gathered at the state Capitol in Charleston to speak out against a television spot from a group that opposes Kerry's campaign.
http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/wv/news4.shtml

[bigtree]

16. 31% of Democrats POLLED

We don't know how the question was couched by the pollster. The pollster should have then asked how they compare Kerry's service to AWOL's absense from duty.

[Sparkly]

20. How can anybody believe this crap?!!

What a slap in the face of EVERY Navy vet.

[janx]

26. Damned if I know. Once these rumors get rolling though,

they pick up momentum of their own. And you're right--it's a terrible thing to do to the Navy.

[Skittles]

60. it's a slap in the face of ALL VETERANS

nt

[bigtree]

11. This diverts from Bush's 'turning the corner' message on the economy,

the issue that concerns voters most.

Negative attacks eventually serve to drive up the attacker's candidate's disapproval rating and alienate more voters than they would appeal to.

Everything about the ad and the attack by these republican funded swiftliars discredits their argument against Kerry.

That strategy cedes the high ground, a focus on issues which most concern Americans, to Kerry.

[Democat]

12. Negative attacks work. Ask McCain!

Ask Gore how effective it is to not go on the offensive.

Ask many of the Democrats who ran in the 2002 elections.

[bigtree]

18. Gore won. McCain was trounced by republican primary voters

Core republicans. Some bellweather!

[Democat]

21. Gore is not in the White House - the attacks continued after the election

Republicans knew they could bully Gore because he didn't fight back. They bullied him right out of the White House.

Republicans had no fear of Al Gore. They saw him as a pushover. When push came to shove, even though he got more votes, he fell right over.

We need a tough leader willing to fight with the right wing, not someone willing to accept defeat even when he wins.

Gore did not "win" because Bush is in the White House.

Gore got more votes, Gore won the election, Bush won the war.

[bigtree]

31. This is not the Bush-Gore election

Bush is now known to be a failure. Don't have to make anything up to determine that.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

6. Calling Reverend Alston a liar should really energize the black Repub vote

:eyes:

[Cerridwen]

7. Some links to Lorie Byrd's writings

At crushkerry.com
http://crushkerry.com/article211.html

At PoliPundit - posting already this morning
http://www.polipundit.com/

At Right Wing News
http://www.rightwingnews.com/comments.php?id=2255

oh yeah, she's hooked to the radical right, alright.

[janx]

28. Surprise!

;-)

Thanks for checking it out.

[Cerridwen]

35. You're welcome.

I wish I could have found some more concrete connections with the rr.

[qanda]

10. They are very sick!

I actually hope they keep this up because they are making themselves look crazy!

[Walt Starr]

22. This indicates extreme panic and desperation

on the part of the Smear Boat Liars from Bush.

Attacking a clergyman will win them a lot of votes!

[AngryAmish]

25. When will those shit-eaters stop?

The sub-human filth that makes up the so-called swift boat vet for truth do not deserve a place in public discourse. Those proven criminals and perjurers should be shunned. Any media that gives them a second of coverage are also committing a crime.

[Zen Democrat]

27. Nothing's coming. Because there's a lot of PICTURES

If they are making a statement that Alston didn't serve on the boat with Kerry, then they are going to have to photoshop him out of this photograph:

http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/service.html

I HOPE they try to make an issue of this one. Ha Ha.

[Walt Starr]

30. They're claiming that photo was faked

They claim shadows are going in oppostie directions on Kerry and Alston.

[MidwestTransplant]

44. The shadow is from the sun being directly overhead.

[MidwestTransplant]

33. Thanks for posting the picture...I referenced it above but couldn't find

The best part is that some morons are claiming it was photoshopped or staged (in 1969 presumably?).

What freaks.

[Chili]

32. bullshit

I HATE THESE PEOPLE!

Here is an article that states Kerry knew Alston well enough to invite him him to his (first) wedding in 1970.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:LTlqxgcsYp8J:www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/politics/9251042.htm%3F1c+david+alston+navy&hl=en

Also, numberous articles mention that Alston's wounds were not critical, which means he must've returned to his unit, because he and Kerry were discharged at the same time, 5 months later.

[Sparkly]

34. OK, I did some research

and I *think* I know where this is coming from.

In April, Kerry's campaign put his military records on his website. They inadvertently put ALL PCF94 documents up for January 1969, but Kerry took over near the end of that month; he was on PCF44 before that. It was an error. I'll check to see if it was corrected.

Meanwhile, people made a stink about it (I frankly don't remember this).

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/04/23/discrepancies_noted_in_kerrys_record/

But on that page, you'll see a quote from the record that says Alston's wounds in January were NOT serious.

One member of Kerry's crew -- Forward Gunner David Alston - suffered shrapnel wounds in his head. His injuries were not considered serious and he was sent to the 29th Evac Hospital at Binh Thuy.

You can search those words and find it quoted numerous times from official documents.

This all goes back to the error that Kerry was on that boat on that day. It does NOT mean that Alston wasn't with him on PCF94 in subsequent months, and it does NOT say that Alston was seriously wounded that day as this person is trying to assert.

[janx]

36. So this person made the convenient assumption that Alston

was wounded so badly that he didn't return?

[Sparkly]

37. Exactly.

Where she's getting that he was out through February, who knows?

[janx]

42. You were fast on your feet with that bit of research, Sparkly.

Very impressive!

[Sparkly]

46. Why thank you!

:)

[Walt Starr]

38. BINGO!!

That's why it will never make it to manstream media. The basic premise of the charge is patently false on its face.

[OSheaman]

39. Just because it's false

doesn't mean it won't make it to the media.

You should know that. ;-)

[janx]

40. Since when has that stopped the media?

In a way, I hope they run with this. It's so out of control that it might finally prompt people to *think*.

[Raya]

41. So many miss the point: to CAST DOUBT REGARDING KERRY'S HONOR

These liars don't care about proving or disproving the accuracy of claims. As long a the sear has the intended effect.

The only way to defeat this is:

To destroy the credibility of the rats while laying the blame with Bush.

To use the opening to use Kerry's valor even more prominently in
a massive counter-offensive (with supporters lik McCain, Clark etc.)

[Sparkly]

43. And, apparently they have to believe Alston's MOTHER is lying

http://www.heraldonline.com/election/story/3710870p-3317616c.html

[janx]

52. I hope the Kerry campaign is aware of this. If this whopper

makes it to the media, the campaign could stop this whole, ridiculous "swift vets" related garbage once and for all.

[Chili]

45. meanwhile...

...here's the photo (that many of you mentioned already) showing Kerry WITH HIS CREW.

...and I got this photo from that FR site... how stupid can you get?

[OKNancy]

47. Would the fact that Kerry commanded TWO DIFFERENT

swift boats make a difference.

PCF-94 was the second of two Kerry commanded.

------

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-28-kerry-crewmates_x.htm

For the Rev. David Alston, 57 — then a gunner's mate aboard PCF-94, the second of two swift boats Kerry skippered in Vietnam, and now a Baptist minister from Columbia, S.C. — his devotion to the candidate led to an invitation to address the convention by himself Monday night. It was something that terrified him at first.

But Alston pulled it off. "When the shooting stopped, he was always there, too, with a caring hand on my shoulder asking, 'Gunner, are you OK?' I was only 21, running on fear and adrenaline.

"It's not hard, when somebody has put their life on the line, to help him," he says. "It's not hard at all."

[Sparkly]

48. That's acknowledged

What they're claiming is that Alston was seriously injured in the event late in January '69 that, apparently, led to Kerry's taking over PCF94.

They're saying he was out for so long due to that injury that he never made it back to the boat to be a member of Kerry's crew.

That's NOT TRUE! Official records quoted all over the place say he was not seriously injured that day.

Just desperate smears. :mad:

[OKNancy]

49. Got it

I read your post after I posted. Should have read the whole thread.
I had premature post-ulation.

[janx]

50. So what are we going to do about it?

This isn't coming from the Swift Vets themselves; it's coming from some out of control supporters. They'll try to push it into the news, nevertheless.

I've contacted MediaMatters. What else to do?

[mzmolly]

51. I have a list of media contacts I can provide here. It might be nice to

pin a thread so that some of us can stop the bleeding before it gets out of hand?

http://www.fair.org/media-contact-list.html

[janx]

53. If the media know ahead of time how ridiculous this is,

it might do some good, yes. But I don't know how to pin a thread...

[mzmolly]

54. I asked Skinner if we could pin a media contact thread in activism.

I'll let you know what I find out. :hi:

[janx]

56. tnx! n/t

[annxburns]

55. I am sending these links to the national media ...

... to show how they are trying to smear Kerry.

I hope this gets pushed by them to Drudge. So far we have Drudge pushing the fake intern story, then the medals lie. Hopefully this can be used to discredit the Free Republic and the other right wing websites like polipundit. I know for a fact that Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) links to polipundit all the time - so maybe this can be used to discredit him ....

I'm going to start out my email with something like:

Jesus now they are not content just to smear Kerry, not they are going after Kerry's crew! Including a man of the cloth!
Will Bush supporters stop at nothing? They have no shame. They would smear and lie about good men who served thier country honorably ...

(Heh, heh)

[janx]

57. Let us know where you send it--and when!

.

[annxburns]

59. Going to start with the Washington Post ...

... Terry O'Neal and Howie Kurtz and the ombudsman (sp?) then I am going to move to CNN ...

[Ducks In A Row]

58. so she's called a man of god a liar?

she's so going to hell.

[jhml]

61. They blew it...sorta

See this article in todays online Nat. Review apparently based on contacting Short and Alston about when he was on board with Kerry.

http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200408160842.asp

Alston did serve with Kerry, but apparently only for a week. He was wounded along with the skipper Kerry replaced, and only returned shortly before Kerry left Vietnam.

They are dead wrong about Alston not having served under Kerry. On the other hand some of the things that Alston said about Kerry (and Kerry about Alston) were apparently based on what others had told them rather than personal observation of each other.