Hot Air TV: Sen. John Kerry confronted about Winter Soldier II
Cross-posted at Hot Air…scroll down for updates…
Grab the popcorn. We’ve got another joint YAF/Hot Air TV production for you, just in time for the anti-war confab known as “Winter Soldier II” that kicks off in Washington, D.C. tomorrow and runs through Sunday. YAF’s Jason Mattera, our intrepid special correspondent who cornered Jack Murtha in September, is back in the halls of Congress.
This week, Jason caught up with the original Winter Soldier, Sen. John Kerry, and confronted him about his unsubstantiated, troop-smearing testimony. Jason also tried to get him to autograph this picture. Watch:
***
Here’s the transcript:
Opening slate: On January 31, 1971, John Kerry organized the Winter Soldier Investigations, a media event that falsely accused American soldiers of routinely raping, torturing, and murdering innocent Vietnamese civilians.
Second slate: From March 13-16, 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War has coordinated a second Winter Soldier Investigations in an effort to assail the U.S. Military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Third slate: On March 11, 2008, Jason Mattera of Young America’s Foundation confronted Senator Kerry (D-MA) about Winter Soldier II and the Senator’s shady past.
MATTERA: Hey, Sen. Kerry! Jason Mattera with Young America’s Foundation. How are you?
KERRY: Jason. How are you?
MATTERA: I was wondering: Do you have any advice for the new group of activists who are organizing Winter Soldier II?
KERRY: I haven’t [unintelligble] what they’re doing or where they’re at. I just don’t…
MATTERA: Do you think this crop of anti-war activists, do you there’ll be any frauds like Al Hubbard?
KERRY: I have no idea. I hope not.
MATTERA: Do you think that they will make slanderous accusations–accusing the troops of raping women, pillaging villaging, just like you did to the Fulbright committee?
KERRY: Uh, I didn’t make those.
MATTERA: You didn’t?
Audio clip, John Kerry, 4/22/71: [They told the stories at times] they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.
Kerry claims Winter Soldier Investigations were substantiated by further investigation.
MATTERA: Did you ever verify those –
KERRY (crosstalk): I’ve been misquoted about that hundreds of times.
MATTERA: So you never substantiated those charges before you–
KERRY: I proposed–I gave them to the committee because I felt that they ought to be investigated and that’s exactly what I said. These are the–many of those charges, incidentally, were subsequently verified by different entities.
Slate: No criminal charges were filed as a result of any of the [Army’s Criminal Investigative Division] investigations into Winter Soldier.
FrontPageMag.com, February 25, 2008
Slate: Much of the testimony that will be heard during the three days could not be corroborated by the Free Press in the ten days it had to run down each account.
Detroit Free Press, January 31, 1971
MATTERA: Could you sign the picture of the dedication the North Vietnamese created in helping–claiming you helped them win the war?
KERRY: No. No.
MATTERA: Do you have any thoughts?
KERRY (puts hand on Jason’s shoulder): Who do you represent?
MATTERA: Young America’s Foundation.
KERRY: Ohhh.
MATTERA: Does it bother you that the North Vietnamese created a memorial dedicated to you?
KERRY: It’s not dedicated to me.
Slate: At the Communists War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, John Kerry’s picture hangs in a section dedicated to the anti-war activists who helped the Vietnamese Communists win the Vietnam War.
End slate:
Reputations ruined.
Lives torn apart.
Servicemen maligned.
We can’t let lies like Kerry’s go unchallenged again.
***
The Winter Soldier II hearings kick off tonight. They will be broadcast here.
The schedule:
Winter Soldier Schedule
All times below are Eastern Time. Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, March 13 Streaming video only
7:00PM-9:00PM Winter Soldier and the legacy of GI ResistanceFriday, March 14 Satellite TV, internet video, internet audio, radio
9:00AM – 10:45AM Rules of Engagement: Part One
11:00AM – 12:30PM The Crisis in Veterans’ Heathcare
2:00PM – 3:30PM Corporate Pillaging and Military Contractors
4:00PM – 6:00PM Rules of Engagement: Part Two
7:00PM – 8:30PM Aims of the Global War on Terror: the Political, Legal, and Economic Context of Iraq and AfghanistanSaturday, March 15 Satellite TV, internet video, internet audio, radio
9:00AM – 10:30AM Divide To Conquer: Gender and Sexuality in the Military
11:00AM – 1:00PM Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part One
2:00PM – 3:30PM Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part Two
4:00PM – 6PM Civilian Testimony: The Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan
7:00PM – 8:30PM The Cost of the War at HomeSunday, March 16 Internet video, internet audio, radio
10:00AM – 1:00PM The Breakdown of the Military
2:00PM – 3:15PM The Future of GI Resistance
The invaluable Reporter’s Guide to WSII from Denis Keohane–providing needed balance to IVAW-sympathizing stenography is here. More on the WSII/IVAW hype and advertising here.
Melanie Morgan’s on her way.
Many pro-military bloggers will be attending and will be liveblogging. Track back if you’re one of them–and thank you for your service past, present, and future.
***
Kyle-Anne Shiver at The American Thinker has an important piece on Winter Soldiers past and present:
Our Congress has already shown a willingness to be taken in by the kind of allegations these Winter Soldiers may be making. In 1971, the VVAW members were taken at their words, only to be found out much later after grievous harm had been done to our Nation and to the reputations of 2 ½ million American soldiers.
In my opinion, uncorroborated statements, not even rendered under oath, ought not be given much weight. According to the U.S. Constitution, every accused has the right to face his accuser and the right to view the evidence against him.
I have a real hunch that these vets calling themselves “Winter Soldiers” are just ole’ fashioned summer soldiers up to the same tomfoolery as their namesakes.
One can only hope that we are too wise to be fooled twice.
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Trackbacks
- Hot Air » Blog Archive » Hot Air TV: Sen. John Kerry confronted about Winter Soldier II
- Democracy Project
- A NEWT ONE
- Theodore's World
- Winter Soldier II: Hold their feet to the fire. » Pursuing Holiness
- silent E speaks - Conservatively Speaking from Western Waukesha County » The John Mattera Smack Down…. Again.
- Neocon News
- 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America
- Kerry stumped during confrontation about Winter Soldier « Crush Liberalism
- The Jawa Report
- Americas North Shore Journal
- Sympathy for Semanticleo [Dan Collins]
- Media Mythbusters Blog » Blog Archive » Salon’s Preview of Winter Soldier II Propaganda
- Michelle Malkin » Winter Soldier II: The curtain opens; Plus: More on the anti-recruiter war
- IVAW Circus Hits Town « The Foxhole
- Idkal » Blog Archive » YAF’s Jason Mattera confronts JFKerry(D)
- Michelle Malkin » Er, um, well, uh, oh, hell, no
- Michelle Malkin » Tax cheat Rangel caught on tape: “Why don’t you mind your goddamned business?”
- Oh Boy! Ol’ Senator John Heinz Wannabe Is Fall Down Funny, Isn’t He? « Ztower
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Categories: John Kerry, They don't support the troops
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wow, that was so brutal. What does it feel like when the truth just rears up and slaps you in the face like that?
Asking for that autograph was the best idea ever.
Thanks!
BTW, the issue will surface again – feel free to save and use at will.
I have a nasty feeling we’ll soon be wishing we had thought it worth fighting for 50 years ago, when we had more people who prolly knew better how to, but were fooled into thinking they should just play it cool – now all the groundwork is not so much in our favor, as it used to be.
Samuel Adams – The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.
Patrick Henry – Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined…. O sir, we should have fine times, indeed, if to punish tyrants, it were only sufficient to assemble the people!
There ya are!
- Rose, from Texas
On March 13th, 2008 at 12:46 pm, Dimsdale said:
Unfortunately, this reminds me of the times McCain says Hillary is an “honorable person” etc. Sometimes, the compliment is just misplaced or wasted.
I feel the same way whenever anyone wastes the term “honorable person”, etc on McCain, Hanoi John’s best bud and top defender (mutually, of course), as well.
Yeah, lipstick on a pig – the Bible talks about a pig with a gold ring in its snout, too.
Whatever twinkles yer toes.
As for me, I recommend a course of action in the very tracks of our Founding Fathers, who who were wise enough to have led us straight into the American Revolution over the Stamp Act.
You have obviously chosen the course of your own founding fathers as delineated in the Congressional Record on January 10, 1963.
Enjoy.
Samuel Adams – If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.
Samuel Adams – The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.
Sometimes it ain’t a bit of fun in the world!
But it remains preferable to take that slap NOW and deal honestly with it, NOW – than it does to postpone that confrontation til the Day of Judgement, when remedies that are comfortable – by comparison – are eminently more preferable than an eternity of regret.
Those who are teachable and have a healthy fear of worst case penalties will always learn to deal with issues sooner rather than later, when they have an option.
Proverbs 17:13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
AMEN!
MEGA DITTOS, Ma’am!
At least, if he isn’t going to be punished on earth, he keeps on stoking those fires. He ain’t gonna like it down there. That is all I gotta say about THAT!
Well, for the moment, anyway
hehehehe
He seems apologetic. “Seems”
Hi,
I apologized for my actions five years ago, haven’t repeated them, and have moved on with my life:
http://www.micahwright.com/ranger.htm
Thanks for writing!
-Micah
leperous@mac.com
On Mar 12, 2008, at 13:41, AUSTINM1@nationwide.com wrote:
Still playing make believe soldier?
Ombre Rose,
Please explain what the heck you mean with post #92. Your point isn’t extractable.