Commentary by H.G. Listiak

Monday 2/23/2004

Welcome to My World, where brace yourself, I have a few random thoughts, which in this case, are shared by others. A caller wonders how the Bush bashers can continue to hammer away at the jobless rate when unemployment claims dropped sharply last week. It's all timing my friend. I think you are referring to the Kerry speech which was probably scripted before the new figures came out. On the subject of Democratic front runner John Kerry, I'm hearing from Vietnam veterans who are absolutely amazed by his war record. Kerry skippered a C.T.F. 115 riverboat which patrolled the outer edges of the Bassac and Mekong river deltas, hazardous duty, but not the hottest river zones. Kerry was in Vietnam for less than four months before riding his medals home to start his political career eitht months before his tour of duty would have ended. In that short period of time, he collected a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts, and today shows no signs of any kind of a disability. At the rate he was going, if he would have done a full tour, he would have been one of the most highly decorated sailors in the history of your United States Navy, which many of the Vietnam veterans regard as suspicious and certainly not good material to be used as a campaign issue. And on the subject of the campaign, I'm reminded of the old schoolyard taunt "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Well, that's not quite true in an election year. Words can and do hurt, especially when you've got a biased media waiting to sway public opinion with headlines. The President of the United States, our Commander in Chief, has been called liar, traitor, fraud, draft dodger, dumb and drunk, all under the shadow of political rhetoric. My question is, when does this innuendo, name calling, and mud slinging, actually become sedition and slander? My dictionary says the line has been crossed, but I need help with that one, as I see it ... I'm H.G. Listiak.