Kerry Lied Rally

KERRY LIED RALLY REPORT

Ralliers! We did it, and without a single Purple Heart--just a lot of lost sleep! "It" = the “Kerry Lied…While Good Men Died” Rally on Capitol Hill. Thousands of Vietnam vets and their supporters gathered in the Upper Senate Park on 9/12/04 and vented their outrage at John Kerry for his 1971 lies. They also heard emotional messages from representatives of the different constituencies affected by Kerry's lies. Dexter Lehtinen, Miami attorney and wounded Vietnam vet, made a stirring keynote presentation of why John Kerry has forfeited the right to be commander-in-chief by outlining how Kerry has made "our war" into "his war." Countering Kerry's charges that Americans in Vietnam were savages was Army nurse Donna Rowe, who told of how it really was in 'Nam. She told the story of Baby Kathleen, a Vietnamese infant rescued by American fighting men, treated by Donna and her Army medical associates, evacuated to the States, and adopted by an American couple. Also speaking were two women who lost their fathers in Vietnam, Laura Armstrong and Carol Crowley; each gave poignant testimony about how John Kerry so unjustly dishonored her father’s memory. Felix Rodriguez, Bay of Pigs veteran and CIA officer, dramatically recounted his personal encounters with Kerry in Senate Intelligence Committee hearings. John O'Neill, co-author of "Unfit for Command," and B. G. (Jug) Burkett, author of "Stolen Valor," brought the crowd alive with their factual accounts of Kerry's duplicity and explanations of why he doesn’t deserve to be President of the United States. Claude Newby, a chaplain in Vietnam, led Rally participants in an invocation and a remembrance of their comrades who did not return home from Vietnam. Jim Warner, a Marine aviator who spent over five years as a POW, told of how he was directly and very personally affected when John Kerry's words were thrown in his face by his North Vietnamese torturers in the "Hanoi Hilton." Our Master of Ceremonies was Moby Carney, Atlanta radio personality, who also sang the national anthem and a pro-America song of his own composition. What a magnificent job he did, too! A last-minute addition to the program was Steve Pitkin, who was coerced by John Kerry and his crowd into providing false testimony at the so-called "Winter Soldier Hearings" in 1971. Steve made a heartfelt plea for forgiveness to the thousands listening to him, and the crowd gave full-throated absolution to him. Now THAT was a touching moment... I can’t begin to acknowledge the efforts of scores of volunteers who gave so much time to make the Rally the success it was. Those folks know who they are, and I won’t risk offending some of them by mentioning others. I’ll just say, “Thank you, and God bless you!” to them all. What a wonderful group! They put together the “welcome aboard” reception; they unloaded trucks; they provided security; they assembled flags and posters; they made photographs; they policed up the park after the Rally; and they generally made the Rally possible. One Rallier deserves a particular vote of thanks—Terry Garlock of Atlanta, whose idea the Rally was back in the beginning. Terry put his time where his mouth was, and the great assembly of speakers was entirely his doing. Thank you, Terry, for contributing so much and for continuing to contribute in your bookkeeper’s rôle! I’d like to add my personal “thank-you” to all who attended and to all who contributed financially. You made it possible for all of us, after thirty-three years, to hold John Kerry responsible for the lies he told about us in 1971. Well Done!

Now let me bring you up to date about the program started by Swift Boat veteran Tony Snesko—Operation Street Corner. This effort is catching fire across the nation; if you don’t believe me, just click on the “Operation Street Corner” link on the website (www.kerrylied.com) and see what fellow Ralliers are doing around the country! Just yesterday the Florida OSC’ers set up an impromptu, but effective, display at a Kerry campaign appearance in Jacksonville. It’s reported on the OSC pages, as are other Florida efforts and events in Ohio, Texas, New Hampshire, California, and Tennessee. If you really want to do something that will have an effect on this election, sign up for OSC and hit the streets! Dozens of Vietnam vets and their friends and families have proved how effective it is, and we want to have hundreds of OSC volunteers setting up their do-it-yourself displays all across the nation. We provide everything you need except for the start-up kit, which we provide at our cost—twenty bucks. Or you can download our flyers from the website and do it for nothing! To join this election-turning effort, contact Steve Clarke, OSC's National Coordinator, at osc_steve@yahoo.com. He will set you on the right track right away, and you will be put in contact with others in your area who will help you get started. Okay—first the Rally: DONE! Next, “Operation Street Corner”—UNDERWAY! Only 41 days until Election Day, and there’s so much to do. Let’s get it done, folks, and send John Kerry and his lies packing and make sure that our men and women returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, and future conflicts don’t get the welcome our Vietnam returnees got from John Kerry and his ilk. And make no mistake about it—“his ilk” are still alive and well and waiting to dishonor the American military. Let’s not let them get away with it! Finally, thanks to all of you for making this “ordinary American” effort possible; I am totally humbled at what you have accomplished. Larry Bailey