Mercurochrome and Purple Hearts
Republican conventioneers are apparently engaging in a massive attempt to mock Senator Kerry's medals by wearing bandaids with Purple Hearts printed on them. Just a little lighthearted give and take in the campaign? A spontaneous grassroots expression of opinion? Official collusion to promote the position of the Swift Boat Veteran's for Truth?
Whatever it is, it's sick. It's disgusting. It's disrespectful of all of those who have earned a Purple Heart in service of our country.
Should we now start lobbing bottles of mercurochrome at Bob Dole?
Will some sobsister reporter demand that Kerry disrobe to show his scars?
I am so angry with this whole debacle. The Purple Heart is awarded based on specific criteria: http://www.americal.org/awards/ph.htm. If John Kerry met those criteria and chose to accept the award, then the discussion should be closed. Those who have objections to the award should have voiced them 35 years ago.
If having a wound that only needed mercurochrome got Bob Dole his first Purple Heart (and he accepted it) is enough for him to hold his head up high, where does he get off criticizing Kerry's first Purple Heart? Maybe Dole should give his medal back if the wound was so insignificant.
Or maybe folks should figure out that the law that defines the conditions under which Purple Hearts can be given (even to civilians) is where their problem is. Maybe they need to start lobbying Congress to limit Purple Hearts to injuries that require a minimum of 20 stitches or attendance by two surgeons and an anesthesiologist or an undertaker.
Hell, in Texas you can get a license plate that indicates that you earned a Purple Heart(http://www.dot.state.tx.us/vtr/spplates/specialplate.htm?nbr=59). The applicant only has to show proof that the Purple Heart was awarded. There's no question about the severity of the wound. Should we now get DPS to start stopping all those PH plates and ask: "License, insurance, scars?"
If Purple Hearts have no value, then I suppose it's okay to stick on a silly bandaid and laugh about someone's injuries. But, if they have value, if they reflect our nation's gratitude that someone has served us in time of need and been injured because of it, then those bandaids are not so silly. They're pretty much like someone wearing a button showing a liquor bottle and saying, "Let's have another, George!" How about a bumper sticker that says: "Jesus died. Get over it."
It's said that in the heat of battle, soldiers sometimes do things that they would later be ashamed of. This campaign has become too heated. Shame on the Republican conventioneers.
posted by Carolyn A. Parker @ 10:51 AM
3 Comments:
Tried to comment yesterday but it wouldn't let me. I hadn't heard about this. I agree with you that mocking Kerry this way is totally out of line, but for different reasons.
There are legitimate questions about the validity of his medals, including his purple hearts, most especially the last one. From what I understand, he had a bruise on his arm. The first officer he submitted his peurple heart request refused to sign off on it, so the next day, he submitted it to a second officer who had no direct knowledge how he was wounded (oh, how tempting to put quotation marks around that word). Kerry was awarded the third heart and very soon after, left his men and returned stateside. I think these are issues that go to his character, and they are legitimate issues. Sine Kerry has touted repeatedly his war service as a primary qualification for the Presidency, these nagging questions need to be put to rest, one way or the other.
That being said, however, I think that mocking Kerry in this way is childish and wrong. It is something I would expect from moveon.org or some other left wing outfit. The people doing the band aid thing should be ashamed, and it should stop at once. It's rude, and mean, and hateful, and it's a symptom of everything that is wrong with the political climate today. Where is the old fashioned civility?
Kerry deserves respect for serving his country. Period.
BUT: His purple hearts, his silver star, his bronze star, all awarded under dubious circumstances I won't rehash here, do not entitle him to special staus in my eyes and the eyes of many others who are familiar, admittedly second hand, with his actions.
Just as questioning your country's actions is not unpatriotic, questioning Kerry's medals isn't some big dishonorable act. It's only in the manner that it's done does it become disrespectful and dishonorable.
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Politics (Service Mettle)Here ya go. It's a pretty succinct rehash of the issues if a bit longish because there are so many issues.
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