Row,
Row, Row Your Swiftboat
George Bush and John Kerry, listen up. I am a voter, one of the people
you are supposed to be wooing, swaying and persuading to put faith in you come
November. And I'm warning you now, you'd better start sending chocolates
and flowers because as of this writing all you have both managed to do is
irritate, patronize and piss me off.
And I would wager a guess that I am not in my swiftboat alone.
I abhor election years. They do not bring out the best in candidates,
they bring out the worst, courtesy of their teams of witch doctors who think
they "have their fingers on the pulse". I have news for them,
my "pulse" does not respond kindly to skullduggery, potshots and
muckraking. By the time I get to the voting booth, it will come
down to who I dislike the least.
Let's take the whole Vietnam/National Guard/Swiftboat/Nanny-Nanny-Boo-Boo
affair.
If the horse they are beating is not yet dead, it certainly deserves the Purple
Heart, The Silver Star and a humane bullet through the head to speed the
process.
I DO NOT CARE.
I do not care if Kerry built the damned boat he was on. I do not care if
George pushed paper and phoned in his National Guard service. The fact
that John Kerry served in Vietnam, means nothing to me. The fact that
George Bush did not, means nothing to me. I don't consider a candidate's
military service or lack thereof in my decision making. And I certainly
do not need Kerry's continued trumpeting of the Vietnam War as some backassed
Red Badge of Courage.
Military service is honorable, I respect every single soldier and their
families. I marvel at their sacrifices, their courage, their bravery.
My father was in the Air Force, my brothers were both Marines, but that is not
what I think of every time I see them. They are people first, veterans
second. And quite frankly, they have all moved on in life. Their
medals, awards, stripes and yes, Purple Hearts are nobly tucked away - not
paraded at dinner parties.
The reality is that Bush's and Kerry's service is largely generational.
It was a different time in history. There was a draft. And even
without a draft, over the hundreds of years we have been a free nation,
enlistment has been a young person's best, often only, option. This was
the case with my brothers. That does not negate any of their service, it
puts it in perspective.
There will eventually come an election when neither candidate will have served.
My children will vote in elections where candidates will truly have to run on
the issues, their plans, their ideals. They will elect a man or woman who
will be no less effective as Commander-in-Chief, even though the only badges
they have earned in life came from scouting.
So my advice to John and George? Either get off the swiftboat or join
Paul and Ringo on the yellow submarine, because in my opinion, you are both
sinking fast.

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