The next president of the United States is a...cyclist

Pete wrote:

However, not everyone who went there, at evey level of command,
was guilty of My Lai level crimes, as Kerry has said.

Kerry claimed that *everyone* who served in Vietnam was guilty? Come
now, that seems so outrageous that it demands a backup quotation. I
couldn't find anything even close to that in his 1971 testimony:

VIETNAM WAR VETERAN JOHN KERRY'S TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEE, APRIL 22, 1971

http://www.richmond.edu/~ebolt/histo...Testimony.html

That's the first time I've read it, and it's an impressive and
articulate statement from such a young man.

If I can find it, I would like to read his position paper on rim
anodizing.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

"Kevan Smith" wrote


Except Kerry didn't saY that. Who would? I mean, if even _I_ can see how
bad an
overgeneralization it is -- and you know how I love overgeneralizations --
then
why would Kerry make such a ridiculous claim?

Are you talking about his Congressional testimony or what?

Yes. To the Senate CFR
" These were not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day
basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command."

"...we are more guilty than any other body of violations of those Geneva
Conventions; in the use of free fire zones, harassment interdiction fire,
search and destroy missions, the bombings, the torture of prisoners, all
accepted policy by many units in South Vietnam. "

Notwithstanding the fact that some of these "winter soldiers" were not
soldiers at all, but just ringers.

Did those things happen? Yes! War is a nasty, ugly business. And sometimes
people get out of control. Dehumanize a shadowy enemy. Accidentally or on
purpose.

But you know as well as I do that soldiers/airmen/squids are usually just
regular people. In a war, regular people trying to survive.

How many in your old unit would perform acts like that? Not many. At a
platoon level, how many would try to stop it if one of their platoon members
were to go off? I know I would. And you would have as well.

As I said before, this happened a long time ago. Times change, people
change. I still don't like the guy...

Pete

"Kevan Smith" wrote

You're trying to justify war crimes. Just so you know.


No, not justifying it. Realizing that, as humans, some of us are not above
doing that sort of thing. We have not evolved beyond that. Yet.

And it's not right when *anyone* does it.

Pete

What kind of bikes do you imagine the Secret Service riding?

Trek MTBs. That's what they ride now, the uniformed division at
least.

When they're not looking at their feet.

But I imagine a bicycling President, especially a roadie, would get
the same motorcade level protection as if he/she travelled by car.

More likely the USSS wouldn't let it happen.

They'd have to ride a cruiser inside the WH like Clinton did.

It's all on the Web.

If some future President chose to ride it wouldn't be in DC, IMHO.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

And it's not right when *anyone* does it.

Agree with that. I've got problems, you've got problems, Kerry has
problems.

But if I can't have Clark, I'll take Kerry.

W has BIG problems.

Isn't Kerry married to the catsup heiress? And catsup is big business
in America. What would you rather have, catsup or oil?

Peace or war?

Honorable service or drinks and politics at the O club?

It's a couple of patricians squaring off, Pete, you and I are just
humble albeit conservative cyclists.

You'll notice Halliburton is running "we're the bipartisan good
guys" commercials lately, that's a clear endorsement of the war that
no thinking non-investor in Halliburton wanted.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

In article ,
"Eric S. Sande" writes:

But if I can't have Clark, I'll take Kerry.

I think Americans could go far with a President who's like
Eleanor Roosevelt. She was cool.

I've heard it said that the best leaders are the ones that
have to be dragged kicking & screaming to office. Maybe
a system where those elected don't even know they were
nominated is called for.


cheers,
Tom

--
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Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

But if I can't have Clark, I'll take Kerry.

I think Americans could go far with a President who's like
Eleanor Roosevelt. She was cool.

Well, she wasn't as weird as Nancy Reagan.

I've heard it said that the best leaders are the ones that
have to be dragged kicking & screaming to office. Maybe
a system where those elected don't even know they were
nominated is called for.

Sooner or later we'll elect a President that is a paragon of
virtue. In the mean time we'll have to settle for politicians.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

(Hunrobe) wrote:

Every combatant in every war ever fought was wrong, period.

Not bad, Bob, you're making very good progress. At this rate, one day
we'll be able to call you humane without being facetious!

Chalo Colina

"Eric S. Sande"

wrote:

Sooner or later we'll elect a President that is a paragon of
virtue. In the mean time we'll have to settle for politicians.

We've tried that at least once in my lifetime- Jimmy Carter. A good and
virtuous man. A miserable President. Given the choice between two candidates- a
paragon and a pragmatist- neither of whom are that far right or left of center,
I'll take the pragmatist every time. Paragons don't compromise and compromise
is necessary sometimes.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

On 18 Feb 2004 18:10:58 GMT in rec.bicycles.misc,
(Hunrobe) wrote:

It's always so nice to find simple answers to complex questions.

i know a lot of quakers who do find it simple. they simplify a
lot of the rest of their lives, too.

and if anyone earned the right to protest the vietnam war, it's
someone who fought in it first.

but hey, this is OFF TOPIC for this thread. PLONK.