A Matter of Character

As it comes down to the final days till the election my choice for president comes down to basic issues of character. Senator Kerry wants me to believe “in him” with his calls not only of his courage but also for the soldiers of our nation that he will deliver much needed guidance. Does he reflect the character of the leader he wishes us to see? With the debates weeks over, Senator Kerry called for us to know his mother inspired the idea of integrity and that his integrity as well as his values were better than the President's.

Senator Kerry has repeatedly reminded us of his own service in Vietnam and I have two issues when it comes to this period. As he has attempted to silence the voices of soldiers with records some of which surpass his own , we are expected to believe the voices of 6 people over that of roughly 254 veterans. My problem is that with experience in the service, I can definitely say that when we had people that weren’t up to par…..we all knew who they were. If I went to a unit and asked how a man was, especially a leader, you can rest assured you would be warned of who had it together and who didn't. A normal response within all logicical boundaries should be that I come across soldiers that despite personal feelings said, “he was ok”, with the few he had dealt possible punishment to or had to get back in line holding the hard feelings and saying disparaging things. Instead we are expected to believe the vitriolic attacks against the integrity of 254 veterans who risked their lives through the entirety of their tours. I can’t do it.

Senator Kerry at his convention drew his record into play by riding a boat to make an unopposed landing in Boston Harbor. His Hollywood friends helped tune up the films from his Vietnam tour with special effects. My problem with the videos is the idea that he reenacted his supposed battles with himself always as the hero. Why? But let’s come back to this a little later.

Senator Kerry has said that he understands the needs of our soldiers and can empathize, since he had SERVED the nation himself. Yet in a display of embarrassment during a photo opportunity, he falls while snowboarding on his own accord. Does he laugh it off and show a little self-deprecation? No. With a Secret Service agent near by…he curses that the S_O_B agent had tripped him?! The fact that the scene was well recorded and could easily be disputed is of no matter …he shows no sense of common courtesy to apologize for his rude and obnoxious outburst.. demonstrating that these aren’t men serving him as faithful officers performing their duty. Instead these agents are servants to be scolded and to take the blame for his own personal gaffes, so much for empathy.

Senator Kerry through his debates and ads has called attention to his integrity, an asset that his mother apparently fostered. Yet, we now see that despite his REPEATED claims, that he has lied over the extent he talked to the Security Council members of the United Nations. He repeatedly during different events stated he had talked to the ENTIRE group of the Security Council. There were possibly only 4 members that he talked to at any point regarding Iraq. All others assigned to the United Nations at that time have verified that they NEVER met with him. The only one that seems to really have mattered anyway was France. This doesn’t come off as normal rhetoric because of one simple fact…it placed himself at the center of actions… This was not a misstatement of numbers but of PERSONAL action. This seems to be the central theme to the Senator's issues.

In another round of his relating his personal experiences, he has spoken many times of his agonized presence at Game 6 of the 1986 World Series: recorded statements include:
“I was 30 yards away from Billy Buckner in that famous Shea Stadium game in ‘86.” (Cite: ESPN ) “Talking baseball on the plane, he reminisced, “I was at Shea Stadium, 30 yards from Bill Buckner,” recalling the error that many consider cost the Sox the 1986 World Series.” (Cite: “Sox Detour for Kerry", New York Daily News, 7/26/2004) “The Bay State senator says he….watched in anguish as the ball rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs in the 1986 Series against the Mets.” (Cite: “Bogus Bosox Fan", New York Post, 9/19/2004) “I was about 30 yards away from Billy Buckner when that ball wiggled away” (Cite: Kerry tries to rejuvenate his campaign, USA Today 11/24/2003)

His own supporters in the Boston Globe confirm that he was at a banquet in Boston and NOT at Shea Stadium.

So in making my decision for President I can’t honestly vote for a man who degrades those that serve him, and consistently has reflected a narcissistic, and almost pathological nature to always be the “hero” even if he has to lie to do it. I instead will have to vote for the self-deprecating nature of his opponent. He may not speak so eloquently to some ears… but he can demonstrate in simple measure by how he treats those around him he “Really” cares. A man who asks his leaders “Do you have everything that you need?”, and can demonstrate consistent, steadying influence before our enemies.

Commandancy of the Alamo

I decided to start The Alamo Dispatches due to all the things happening around the world and those internal to the U.S. I chose the Alamo as a theme due to several running concepts.... (1) I am a Texan and whose else's dispatches are so immortalized as that of William Barret Travis, (2) we are at war with tyrants, (3) under these conditions we are now deciding the future leadership and direction of our nation, (4) to look beyond our elections to analyze the possible repercussions beyond not just the next thirty days but instead maybe years, and (5) as an American, it draws to the spirit and willingness to give of oneself, to sacrifice to a greater cause than that of an immediate satisfaction but instead for other's futures. These sacrifices are shown with the white cement crosses in other lands, the battle streamers upon our Army's flags, the soldiers and civilians who are building schools for both boys and girls to attend in foreign lands, fighting to rid them of terrorists and only in the tiniest measure the words we take time to research and write here to keep ideas alive.

Despite the choice that is made in our election, we shall still have a fight left to finish that must ultimately determine what our national character and our children's future shall be. Like the Texians, we are outnumbered..though ours is by political opinion and not at this time by international armed aggression or invasion. We face instead a new warrior class that tied to a religious ideolgy will not recognize borders nor the right of other beliefs to even coexist. We are ultimately faced with an enemy that as with the Alamo...your only choice is to fight..or surrender at their discretion. They have already demonstrated the ruthlessness of their terms with innocent people.

I can only imagine the sound of the cannon firing Travis's reply. Yet, that cannon shot is the sound that rings in my mind's eye, as my own reply of defiance to such a call for surrender, such a walk into the darkness of opression. Though the line in the sand may have only been a story, no one is really sure... I draw my own line in the sand for those of you who would cross and join in to help sound the call with these dispatches of thought and news.


P.S.

I want to thank those who have always encouraged me to write, to people like Hugh Hewitt who encourage and mentor others on how to be involved, and to other bloggers who demonstrated excellent thought and content to be a shining example of what we can do to change the face of information technology..no longer limiting ourselves or others to ten second sound bites determined by media moguls or inbred news agencies.

Remember the Alamo!!