If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options
Admiral Jeremiah Denton speaks out on Kerry
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://www.al.com/opinion/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/opinion/107882739575630.xml
Who is Admiral Jeremiah Denton?
Here's an excerpt from his bio:
DENTON'S ENTIRE BIOGRAPHY:
http://www.spiritofamerica.net/l_dendon.htm
Knowing that I served in the U.S. Senate with John Kerry and that, like him, I am a veteran of the Vietnam War, many people have asked me what I think of him, particularly now that he's the apparent presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
When Kerry joined me in the Senate, I already knew about his record of defamatory remarks and behavior criticizing U.S. policy in Vietnam and the conduct of our military personnel there. I had learned in North Vietnamese prisons how much harm such statements caused.
To me, his remarks and behavior amounted to giving aid and comfort to our Vietnamese and Soviet enemies. So I was not surprised when his subsequent overall voting pattern in the Senate was consistently detrimental to our national security.
Considering his demonstrated popularity during the Democratic primaries, I earnestly hope the American people will soberly consider Kerry's qualifications for the presidency in light of his position and record on both our cultural war at home and on national security issues.
To put it bluntly, John Kerry exemplifies the very reasons that I switched to the Repub lican Party. Like the majority in his political party, he has proven by his words and actions that his list of priorities -- his ideas on what most needs to be done to improve this country -- are almost opposite to my own.
Here are two issue areas that I consider top priorities: the war over the soul of America, and national security.
Top priority should be placed on an effort to recover our most fundamental founding belief that our national objectives, policies and laws should reflect obedience to the will of Almighty God. Our Declaration of Independence, our national Constitution and each of the states' constitutions stress that basic American national principle.
For about 200 years, the entire country, both parties and all branches of government understood that principle and tried to follow it, if imperfectly.
For some 50 years, our nation's opinion-makers, our courts and, gradually, our politicians have been abandoning our historical effort to be "one nation under God" in favor of becoming "one nation without God," with glaringly unfavorable results.
I believe our political leaders, educational system, parents and opinion-makers must all return to teaching the truth most emphasized by our Founding Fathers.
George Washington called religious belief indispensable to the prosperity of our democracy. William Penn said, "Men must choose to be governed by God or condemn themselves to be ruled by tyrants." And when asked what caused the Civil War, President Lincoln said, "We have forgotten God."
In these days we have not only forgotten God, we are by our new standards of government and culture rejecting him as the acknowledged creator and as the endower of our rights.
As a result, we are suffering cultural decay and human unhappiness. The decline of the institution of the family is the most obvious result.
Perhaps the current movie, "The Passion of the Christ," will help many to come to realize the cost of the redemption of our sins, and the destructiveness of sin.
Let's remember that over 95 percent of Americans during our founding days were Christians, and though our Founding Fathers stipulated that no one was to be compelled to believe in any religion, and also stipulated that there would be no single Christian denomina tion installed as a national religion, there was no question that our laws were to be firmly based on the Judean Ten Commandments and on Christ's mandate to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
That setup brought us amazing success as a nation, lifting us from our humble beginnings, through crisis after crisis, to become the leading nation of the world.
Now, though, we are throwing away the very source of our strength and greatness. Yet I am not giving up on our country. I am encouraged at the stand and the attitude of our president, and inspired by his courage. There are many more of his stripe in Washington now.
Though Rome and other empires have decayed and fallen, the cultural war in the United States can and should be won by the majority of Americans -- a majority to whom Kerry and the Democrats disdainfully refer to as the "far right." They are people who believe in God and in the original concept of "one nation under God."
As a nation, we are now at the point of no return. The good guys are finally angry enough to join the fray, and I pray we are not too late.
John Kerry is not among the good guys. The Democratic Party isn't, either.
Indeed, on the subject of national security, John Kerry epitomizes a fatal weakness in the Democratic Party.
During the decisive days of the Cold War, after the Democratic Party changed during the mid-1960s, the party was on the wrong side of every strategic debate on policy regarding Vietnam and the USSR, and is now generally on the wrong side in the war on terrorism.
The truth is that the Cold War was barely won by a narrow margin -- a victory and a margin determined by the political choices made by our government regarding suitable steps to deter Soviet attack and finally win the Cold War.
If the U.S. had followed the Democratic Party line, the Cold War would have concluded with the U.S. having to surrender without a fight, or the U.S. would have been defeated in a nuclear war with acceptable losses to the USSR.
It was not Johnson and Carter and the Democrats; it was Nixon, Reagan, George Bush and the Republicans who led us to victory in the Cold War.
And George W. Bush and the Republican majority -- not John Kerry and the Democrats -- can lead us to victory in the war on terrorism.
Jeremiah Denton is a retired Navy admiral who served in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1987. Readers can phone him at 473-1010, send e-mail to transff1@aol.com, or log on to his Web site at http://www.nff.org.
Who is Admiral Jeremiah Denton?
Here's an excerpt from his bio:
He spent the next seven years and seven months as a prisoner of war, suffering severe mistreatment and becoming the first U.S. military captive to be subjected to four years of solitary confinement.
A Commander when he was shot down, Denton was recommended for and promoted to the rank of Captain while a prisoner. He was confined at several prison camps in and around Hanoi, frequently acting as the senior American military officer in the camps.
Denton's name first came to the attention of the American public in 1966, during a television interview arranged by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi. Prior to the interview, torture and threats of more torture were applied to intimidate him to "respond properly and politely. " During the interview, after the journalist's recitation of alleged U.S. "war atrocities," Denton was asked about his support of U.S. policy concerning the war. He replied: "I don't know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are North Vietnamese, but whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live."
Throughout the interview, while responding to questions and feigning sensitivity to harsh lighting, Denton blinked his eyes in Morse Code, repeatedly spelling out a covert message: "T-O-R-T-U-R-E". The interview, which was broadcast on American television on May 17, 1966, was the first confirmation that American POWs in Vietnam were being tortured. Denton was released on February 12, 1973, when he again received international attention as the spokesman for the first group of POWs returning from Hanoi to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Denton was advised that as the senior POW onboard, he might be expected to say something on behalf of the group upon arrival. As he stepped from the plane, Denton turned to the microphones and said: "We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country under difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our Commander-in-Chief and to our nation for this day. God bless America."
DENTON'S ENTIRE BIOGRAPHY:
http://www.spiritofamerica.net/l_dendon.htm
0
Comments
A nice piece of fundamentalist drivel and a major blow to the political credibility of the good Admiral's rant, given that the very phrase "one nation under god" was only added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954 during the height of the McCarthy witchhunt era (and all the betrayal of our very founding principles of freedom and liberty which that era brought with it (which the good Admiral conveniently ignores)).
Funny how easily Globe is impressed with claims made by those with some gung ho service record regardless of how insidiously such claims actually advocate a theocratic state (gee aren't our soldiers out there fighting against religious fundamentalism? hmmm) and how historically revisionistic (read false) they may be.
But then, if Than is to be consistent to his ultra right wing mantra, i suppose he'll have to decry the pledge of allegiance itself now, knowing that it was written by a Socialist!! (eeek).
Wonder what our good Admiral would say about it if he bothered to learn basic history.
noone GIVES A FLYING FUCK.
As far as we're concerned Bush is a dickhead. Anyone, apart from you would be able to do a better job than the mess he has created.
So stop with your rhetoric, please.
Thanatos, delighted as I am when you decide to grace us with your presence I wish you'd try to make a point and debate instead of castigating us with this endless, boring, pointless drivel. This is bordering spamming.
As far as I am concerned anyone is a better alternative to that dangerous, lying, cheating, murdering, sub-human war criminal garbage. Regardless of what people's political leanings might be, there is absolutely no excuse for considering voting for that scumbag again now that anyone knows his record so far. Anyone who actually does must be either as fucking thick as two short planks or an evil, murdering dangerous lunatic just like the President himself.
If you happen to think differently I would be very interested to hear your reasons. Otherwise please stop this c & p torture you're inflicting on us.
Just for clarity...
You ARE speaking of John "The Canard" Kerry, right? Being that he would be the only self-professed war criminal and murderer running for POTUS...
What's wrong with being without a Christian God? What if you're pagan, or Hindu, or atheist or Buddhist?
Besides, Jesus was a communist I reckon so
And? They don't give presents at Christmas either. Ohhh my, knocking Capitalism and all
I once read an interesting quote, but can't remember who wrote it.
If you feed the poor you're a saint. If you ask why the poor have no food, you're a communist"
Anyway, as Whowhere said, anybody's better than that murdering Hick. Hopefully he won't get enough votes this time so he can move in with Mr Blair and start a gay couple, with hours of Sesame street re-runs and pretzels to choke on.
****.
FACT: George W. Bush is a murderer
FACT: George W. Bush is a war criminal
FACT: George W. Bush is a liar
FACT: George W. Bush is a crook and a cheat
FACT: George W. Bush is a danger to the US, to other nations and to the environment of this planet
FACT: In addition to all of the above, George W. Bush and his government are a bunch of useless idiots who have left the US economy in a shambles and curbed its citizens' liberties to fascist banana republic levels
Tell me again how bad Kerry is Thanatos?
No, he's the only one to admit to it.
Bush can't because he got his daddy to give him a cushy airforce job, defending the skies of America from any jets the vietnamese might send his way.
Just SHUT THE FUCK UP about Kerry.
If you must go on about him, then IN YOUR OWN WORDS explain to us why his military record will send your country to rack and ruin.
No more cut and paste because at the moment we can all see that a monkey has more intelligence in a debate than you.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/3/14/230107.shtml
In that Kerry has involvement with those who plotted the assassination of pro Vietnam US Senators, that there has never surfaced a letter of "retirement" from the organization he brought to be, that Kerry never reported the assassination plot to authorities, and now seeks to involve the "usual suspects" in his campaign, would be of concern to those who follow Collaborator's conspiracy theories religiously...
All that comes back from you is attacks upon the messenger, and complete disregard for the message. Now you refuse the message, because you have no viable attack upon the messenger? :rolleyes:
Would fit within you psychosis, however, wouldn't it? Reality too scary for consideration, so just ignore it...
You really must stop getting your news from the wisdom of military.com . Otherwise you might even end up believing Bush won the 2000 election or that he invaded Iraq because he believed it posed a danger to the world and was full of WMDs!
Oh hold on...
And even if the above drivel were true, how does it compare against your beloved President who's sent hundreds of US soldiers to their deaths under false pretenses and for the sole benefit of US oil corporations and geopolitical politics? Not to mention the tens of thousands of dead Iraqis, though I'm not sure you care about those.
Rather more serious than the above don't you think?
This is your own conspiracy theory plain and simple and obviously you follow it religiously!
A much clearer picture of Thanatos emerges from these words unbeknownst to their author. Obviously we are dealing with a profoundly advanced split personality disorder incapable of recognising that he describes his own behaviour to a tee!
Your blackouts are obviously becoming more severe and longer in duration, Than.
I thought there was supposed to be a gap between Church and State in the US anyway?
And surely forcing everyone in the US to be Christians (and a very set version of that) isnt that only a short step from what the US is decrying people for doing in the middle east, trying to enforce and state relgion. It seems quite similar to me.
I'm shooting the messenger because the message is pointless and the same drivel you've been posting here from the beginning.
it is all subjective opinion, none of the stuff you post is factual, or has any bearing on our lives.
I'll ask you again, in bold this time
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT KERRY'S MILITARY RECORD
No one is interested.
Funny... not exactly the view held by those who flew over Vietnam...
http://www.insightmag.com/news/2004/03/30/FairComment/Fair-CommentleftWingers.Attacks.On.Bush.Are.Slap.In.Face.To.Servicemen-632731.shtml
But then... when did reality ever play in your prejudices?
Answer the fucking questions we give you instead of cutting and pasting. Have you never heard of intelligent debate?
Do you want me to start posting articles by veterans against Bush and the war on Iraq? Or do you dismiss them as traitors?
Face it: your 'President' is a corrupt, cheating, unelected, murdering war criminal and a coward to boot who didn't even have the decency or balls to go to the front line and fight like a man and yet he sends US soldiers to their deaths in the name of geopolitical control and oil revenues.
And some of you are still defending the scumbag. How thick can people get???
Dear oh dear…
Do you know what being brave is? Do you know what being a hero is? Here is an example.
Hey, just kidding!
Christ mate, you've set yourself up for one there
he must be busy finding a republican document that fits this unexpected situation.
I mean, who would have thought it, an AMERICAN soldier being able to make a decision for himself.
anyway does it matter what his military record is!? as long as he not from texa called george bush id vote for him if i was a yank