"Kerry inspires Iraq vets to protest" ( like V. V. A. W. )

[MORTARDUDE]

ELECTION 2004
Kerry inspires Iraq vets to protest
New group modeled after candidate's Vietnam organization

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: August 4, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern



? 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON ? If John Kerry is elected president and doesn't immediately pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, he could be faced with an unusual situation ? anti-war protests by a group modeled after the one he led during the Vietnam War.

A new organization, Iraq Veterans Against the War, is just that ? an organization inspired by Kerry's own Vietnam Veterans Against the War legacy.


The group was actually conceived last week during Kerry's nominating convention in New York.

And the horror stories these vets are remarkably similar ? though not as harrowing ? as those told by Kerry in 1971 when he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"I didn't feel like I was a liberator," said Kelly Dougherty. "I felt like I was an oppressor. We burned a flatbed filled with produce in front of Iraqi people who were starving."

Mike Hoffman, who heads the new group, currently about 30 strong, says he's not sure the election of Kerry as president will bring about any change in Iraq war policy.

"My biggest fear is if he gets elected, it's not going to be all that much different," says the 24-year-old Pennsylvanian, who saw combat in Iraq with the 1st Marine Division.

Hoffman said: "I can see myself in Kerry's shoes in 1971."

Kelly Dougherty's father is also joining the fight against the war: "The day George Bush sent my daughter to war was the day I declared war against Bush," said Sean Dougherty, wearing a pin on his shirt with a picture of Bush and the slogan "9/11: Expose the Deception."

Not unlike Kerry's Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the Iraq peace group is being embraced by extremist organizations like the Communist Party USA.

"War veterans and their allies gathered in historic Faneuil Hall on the eve of the Democratic National Convention to demand the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and to call for the defeat of George W. Bush Nov. 2," reads the story in the latest issue of the party's People's Weekly World. "The meeting was sponsored by Veterans for Peace as part of its national convention. Hundreds of veterans of every war since World War II were in the crowd. A cheer went up when a group of Iraq war veterans filed onto the stage and announced they have formed Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), modeled on Vietnam Veterans Against the War that Kerry helped lead and that played a crucial role in forcing the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam."

Kerry may have led that peace movement, but he has showed no indications of calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq if elected president.

Now some Americans are wondering if President Kerry might actually get a taste of his own protest medicine.

[39mto39g]

Mike Hoffman, who heads the new group, currently about 30 strong, whoever he is, why is this some kind of news?

And
Kelly Dougherty joined the Army. Don't join if your not willing to go and do what the Army wants you to do.

WorldNetDaily cow dung.

[Packo]

There were POW'S in WWII that joined the Nazi side while in prison. There are always malcontents and a whole 30 Iraqi veterans have flocked to this cause. I knew alot of VVAW types when I returned from Vietnam and went to college. You can still see them today hanging out at the Wall, wearing fatigues with phoney ribbons, long unwashed hair, and whinning about how they got screwed 30+ years ago. I would also remind Mr. Dougherty that his daughter volunteered and wow, what a surprise she had to pay her dues. Wonder how he felt about the day 3000 innocent people died at the hands of a terrorist, fascist, organizaion, that has ties to most moslem countries, including Iraq. Wonder if little hurt Kelly, after watching a burning vegetable flatbet truck, went to some of the mass graves Iraqi families were weeping at as they dug up over 300,000 of their fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, etc. Did little whinny Kelly notice that places that have never had running water have it now? Did Kelly notice that people have more electricity, the markets and businesses are open now and doing a bang up job? Did she notice that before she participated in the liberation that Kofi Annan and the rest of the UN was starving the people of Iraq by ripping off the food for oil program and filling Sadamn's coffers with billions of dollars meant for the Iraqi people to get food and medicine with? The same UN, France, Germany, and Russia who were also making billions off the starving people of Iraq, passed resolutions against Iraq, stated they would use the military to get rid of Sadamn, then when we get a President with guts to take the war to the Middle East, punked out because they knew what evidence of their trechery we'd find. Kerry helped lead the VVAW and brought lots of "Vietnam Combat Vets" with him to Washington to call me a murderer and a baby killer. Turns out, his brave boys were phonies, like himself. Watch out "IVAW", your stories will be checked out, your "combat" history will be checked out, everything about you will be checked out this time so you'd better be telling the truth. And one more thing for dear little hurt Kelly and her dork of a father, if the big attrocity you saw was a burning vegetable truck......I'd say our beloved troops are doing a helluva job! God bless them.

Packo

[Seascamp]

If imitation is a high form of flattery, then TJ should feel very flattered, indeed. However, at the same time TJ has poisoned that well very thoroughly and it?s not likely we will see another outrage like, ?Winter Soldier?. Nope, that dog don?t hunt no more. What we are more likely to see are very qualified witnesses to very specific instances and a very high hurdle of credibility in place. How?s that old saw go, ?Fool me once???.ta dot ta da?.

I expect to see legitimate Iraq Vets speaking out about legitimate concerns; be they real or perceived, and I?m for that. But where some slick charlatan tries to mold these concerns into a self-serving, running, political agenda, I believe the going will be damn rough and some new Judas Iscariot will find it very difficult to collect the thirty pieces of silver again. Zo, put a ?poison water ? sign on that well.

Scamp

[Andy]

This should come as no surprise. There was ?Town Meeting? regarding the Iraqi War in an adjacent town last Thursday. I was one of about 200 people who attended. Honestly, everyone had an agenda, don?t think anyone?s mind was changed. The meeting was more or less taken over by a young lady who?s brother was in Iraqi. According to her he was home on leave and drinking heavy and told her that ?they? ordered him to murder civilians. He couldn?t take it and committed suicide.

The kid did kill himself, my guess was Jodie had something to do with it but how could you argue with this very active anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-nuke, anti-whatever woman, it was her brother.

She was joined by three vets. All NG?s from the same transport unit. One of them actually said he only joined the Guard to help with college and would never have become a member of the semi-military if he thought he would go overseas.

It was sad, the other two NG?s had no horror stories and no complaints. However, they were sort of apologizing for having been there. I was one of the guys yelling, ?You have nothing to apologize for, you did you job, God bless you!?

I had flash backs of U. of Massachusetts in 1971, it sucked.
Signing off from the land of Kennedy and Kerry,
And stay healthy,
Andy