You know the sad thing about the latest short boat vet smear...

[LostInAnomie]

... it is that they are intentionally playing on the fact that the American public is too lazy or stupid to figure out the military meaning of "self inflicted wound". They are hoping that they wont check into the facts and learn that Kerry was wounded by shrapnel by throwing a grenade into a rice bin and that is a legitimate reason for a purple heart.

It would be like if two people were walking together and saw a guy with a arm load of fire wood, and one said "Hey, look at that fagit!" and when the other calls him on being a homophobe he says "What do you mean? Don't you know a fagit is a bundle of sticks."

That is the exact same thing they are doing. When O'Neil was called on it last night on The Leher Report he said in effect "Yes he was wounded by his own grenade thrown into a enemy position... Why what did you think I meant?" That is how slimy these people are, they know they are intentionally slandering the Kerry's record but they are hiding behind legalese to keep from being exposed.

[Ducks In A Row]

1. they're sh#theads.

and thanks for the excellent explanation

[goddess40]

2. Rocket launcher

A Viet Nam vet called Wisconsin Public Radio today and said the claims Kerry self-inflicted some of his wounds are ridiculous. One of these "self-inflicted" wounds was caused by a rocket launcher he fired. The vet said there is no way you could self-inflict a wound with such a weapon.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. That caller was a guy named Alan, whom I know well.

I posted here before about him. He's the guy who called me the night after Kerry's acceptance speech, all fired up to work for Kerry. Yup--he did a really solid bit of telephone work there & I called him, got his answering machine, & left a message thanking him. I kept calling WPR couldn't get through during the show. I wanted to bring up the NYT story, which nobody seemed to have been aware of.

[KYDEM]

4. I think the best way to fight this is

To bring up the fact that we have young men and women is harms way now and if and when they are injured and awarded a purple heart the award has been diminished by these creeps.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. That's the exact reason this will backfire in Bush's ugly, ugly mug

They have no clue how bad this will backfire.

[TheRovingGourmet]

6. I don't think most people really know much about what sort of

wound you must receive to get a Purple Heart. I think the image in most people's minds is of a severe wound but it is my understanding that this is not necessarily the case. The way the military handles the paperwork behind the medals and the personnel files of the soldiers is a mystery to many also.