Purple Heart Bandages

Here's an interesting tidbit from the Republican National Convention:

Delegates to the Republican National Convention found a new way to take a jab at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam service record: by sporting adhesive bandages with small purple hearts on them.

Morton Blackwell, a prominent Virginia delegate, has been handing out the heart-covered bandages to delegates, who've worn them on their chins, cheeks, the backs of their hands and other places.

Ah, the noble rhetoric of the Republicans...

Comments

[Fed.No.84]

These people are a disgrace. I have an open challenge on my blog to someone who mocked combat soldiers. I suppose I'll extend it to anyone who would mock the danger my good friends face each day. In short, if these people think they're so cool and so tough, they can prove it. I provide the boxing gloves (16-ounce sparring gloves). My opponent can provide the headgear. We'll then let them suffer some real injuries - all in a supervised and civilized manner, of course.

It's amazing how out-of-touch these knuckleheads are. I oppose the Iraq War mainly because idiots like those referenced in the article (who obviously have no concept of the dangers of combat) are in charge of it.

[Tung Yin]

I oppose the Iraq War mainly because idiots like those referenced in the article (who obviously have no concept of the dangers of combat) are in charge of it.

#84, does that mean that you believe that only combat veterans are entitled to make the decision to commit U.S. troops for any purpose other than direct self-defense? Or is it that you think that the current Administration is especially unqualified to make that decision for other specified reasons?

[Fed.No.84]

Another rant. Their behavior also demonstrates their elitist mentality. When you grow up in a low/working class neighborhood like I did, you have a lot of friends getting shot at, since the Army is the only career opportunity poor people often have. But when you're a wealthy oil or gas baron, the biggest danger your friends face is "political death." I hear them hem and haw because some of their nut-bag buddies aren't on the Court of Appeals. Boo hoo. I have friends who have been killed.

Thus, levity - or gravitas - is not something many of these right-wing nutbags understand.

#84, does that mean that you believe that only combat veterans are entitled to make the decision to commit U.S. troops for any purpose other than direct self-defense?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In a word, No. What I think is that people who do not appreciate the gravity of going to war should not make these decisions. There are a lot of ways to appreciate the dangers of combat, e.g., by talking to people who faced combat; by studing military philosophy and history; or by simply conducting a thought experiment.

When people put on band-aids to mock Kerry for not having severe enough wounds (as if getting shot at isn't scary enough!), then I think they have proven that they do not appreciate the seriouness of war. As such, they should have no policy role in sending soldiers off to war.

[No.84]

Now, in fairness, here's a link to some pretty degenerate Kerry stuff.

http://johnkerrythenewsoldier.blogspot.com/

Mocking the soldiers at Iwo Jima also shows that Kerry did/does lack gravitas.

So, maybe Kerry changed. But maybe Bush did too.

A sad, sad, sad election year when I have to chose between Bush and Kerry.

[Czar Nick]

Yeah, those nasty republicans, wearing band-aids, It is so very different from Kerry, who commited war crimes, called his fellow veterans baby killers, mispronounced Ghengis in an attempt to sound smart, and lied about all his medals, which he did not earn. Nasty Republicans.

[Steve]

I actually have talked to Blackwell - he runs a very good conservative political training school just outside of DC. He's a very smart guy, but I still think this is a bit tacky...

[Fed.No.84]

Yeah, those nasty republicans, wearing band-aids, It is so very different from Kerry, who commited war crimes, called his fellow veterans baby killers, mispronounced Ghengis in an attempt to sound smart, and lied about all his medals, which he did not earn. Nasty Republicans.
>>>>>>>>>>>>

Accepting your premise that Kerry is evil as true; does that excuse the Republicans' conduct?

[Cliff Cloonan]

I spent 30 years in the army. I never met or heard of anyone who received 3 purple hearts, spent no time hospitalized, and spent only 4 months in Vietnam. I'm not commenting on the veracity of Senator Kerry's record. I'm not even saying it's not possible. I just know a fair bit about the military and I've never heard of this before. I have also never heard of a policy in which if you get 3 purple hearts you get to go home early -- everyone else spent at least a year in country. Again, I'm not saying such a policy never existed, I'm just saying in all my years in military I never heard of such a policy and I would be quite surprised if such a policy existed because it would likely lead to a rash of minor self inflicted wounds -- and I'm not saying that this is what happened in Senator Kerry's case. How many people went home early under this policy? Bottom line, I would like to see this policy in writing. And finally, frankly I'm not sure how much of a "Band of Brothers" exists when an officer with 3 wounds that required no hospitalization jumps at the opportunity to leave his brothers behind and goes home. I keep hearing now about soldiers wounded in Iraq who refuse evacuation to stay in combat with their "brothers" and about those who are missing limbs but who try to get back to their units -- THATS's a Band of Brothers.

Cliff