VIETNAM VETERANS FOR ACADEMIC REFORM
The University of Kansas Student Auxiliary
V.V.A.R.: Leading the student revolt on campus against speech codes, political correctness, multiculturalism, gender feminism, dormitory re-education, lying about Vietnam, and other instruments of academic oppression.
Leonard Magruder - Founder/President
Former professor of psychology - Suffolk College, N.Y.
Member: National Association of Scholars
CONTACT: Magruder44@aol.com - Phone: 785-312-9303
PRESS RELEASE: May 9, 2004
STORY OF VIETNAM VETERAN OPPOSITION TO KERRY BREAKS THROUGH MASSIVE MEDIA BETRAYAL OF PUBLIC TRUST AND ASSAULT ON ELECTORAL PROCESS.
Leonard Magruder, president of Vietnam Veterans for Academic Reform, the student auxiliary at the University of Kansas, said today that a poll he has been putting together from vet groups all over the country, showing strong opposition by Vietnam veterans to Kerry, had received national attention in Insight Magazine and on Geoff Metcalf national radio even as the rest of the media engaged in a massive cover-up of this and additional evidence.
Although the samples in the Magruder poll are fairly small, collectively the trend is very clear and dramatic. It now appears that at least 75% of all Vietnam vets are opposed to Kerry. Failure to report on this opinion, coming from those best in a position to help the public judge Kerry’s fitness to be Commander-in-Chief, constitutes an extreme attack by the media on the electoral process.
The Magruder finding was strongly reinforced Tuesday night when a group of veterans representing 200 who had served with Kerry in Vietnam gathered from all over the U.S., under the leadership of Admiral Roy Hoffman (ret.) for a press conference in Washington, D.C. and denounced Kerry as “unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.” NBC, ABC, and the Associated Press all refused to tell the American people about the conference. Dan Rather of CBS Evening News did mention the event briefly but lied about it, calling it a “Republican plot,” and saying that its spokesman, John O’Neill, who exposed Kerry’s lies in a debate in 1971 on the Dick Cavett Show, had been handpicked on that occasion “by Richard Nixon.” This was in keeping with a long history of CBS lies about Vietnam, most notably its lies about the Tet Offensive in 1968 and its lies about General Westmoreland in its film, The Uncounted Enemy.
In an article that appeared on April 28, 2004, in Insight Magazine, “Not All Veterans are Kerry’s Brothers,” and excerpted here, Marie Horrigan, deputy Americas editor for United Press International wrote:
“Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has come under fire as opponents scan his trumpeted military-service record for weaknesses…Kerry’s ‘Band of Brothers’ feature prominently at many campaign events, but some veterans and veterans groups say they wouldn’t want Kerry as their commander in chief. Leonard Magruder, a former professor of psychology at Suffolk College in New York and founder of Vietnam Veterans for Academic Reform, has contacted veterans and conducted a poll of sentiment toward Kerry…from which he extrapolates that two-thirds of U.S. veterans are against the Democrat winning the presidency [note: that has since been revised upwards to 75%].
“Retired Army Capt. Tony Newcomb, state outreach coordinator for the Illinois Veterans Leadership Program [who contributed to the poll], has dealt with more than 240 veterans in the last four months. He reported similar findings, estimating that 85% of the veterans he dealt with are against Kerry winning the presidency...
“…Many of us are just very angry about what Kerry did, primarily after the war,” said Alan Hopewell, a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who served seven years of active duty as a clinical psychologist in the Army during the war. [note: Magruder and Hopewell just issued a joint statement, “Two Psychologists on Kerry: Dangerous on National Security,” which can be seen at www.v-v-a-r.org or www.wintersoldier.com].
“…Both Magruder and Hopewell say they are concerned not only about Kerry’s actions, but about the psychology behind them. Kerry ‘has a pattern of trying to negotiate and a pattern of trying appeasement ... that is just outdated,’ Magruder said.
“Hopewell said that while normally he would not worry about actions by a candidate more than 30 years earlier, ‘that kind of pattern just really can’t be forgotten the way that most other things can be forgotten’ …One major point of contention is Kerry’s testimony in April 1971 before the Senate.
“…Magruder is circulating a documentary titled, How the Campus Lied About Vietnam, which he says gives veterans ‘a chance to talk about how Kerry’s actions in 1971 hurt them when they came home.’”
Additional national coverage for the Magruder poll occured during a half-hour interview last month on the Geoff Metcalf national radio show which reaches not only the United States but Europe and Australia. Recent guests have included Pat Buchanan, Bernard Goldberg, David Horowitz, Bill O’Reilly, and John Stossel. Mr. Magruder, whose new web site, v-v-a-r.org, has received thousands of hits per day, and whose articles are being reproduced on sites such as NewsMax.com, WinterSoldier.com, and a number of veteran sites, told Metcaff that “the media is hiding from the American people the fact that there is a huge controversy going on in which Vietnam vets are voting overwhelmingly that they don’t want Kerry as Commander-in-Chief. They are the ones who would be expected to know most about national defense and their evaluation would be of great interest to the rest of America. Wintersoldier.com is running 96% against Kerry, Wall Street Journal letters are running 66% against, a San Diego editor reports 100 to 1 against, a major Texas veteran leader reports 99% against in his area, another, 250 to 1 in his area, and a major talk show host reports ‘the vast majority of those calling in are against Kerry.’ Our own poll, with veteran groups reporting from all over the country, shows about 75% are against Kerry.”
This election may well hinge on whether the media informs the public about how veterans feel about Kerry, or are they again, like they did in the case of the Tet Offensive, going to rob the American people of the ability to make critical judgments about their most vital security interests in a time of war?
GROUPS WITH DATA (ongoing poll - please send data to Magruder44@aol.com)
§ 6 Vietnam vets this weekend at HS reunion, all oppose Kerry. Dan Haney - 602nd Air Commando Sq. A1 pilot ’67
§ Out of 45 Vietnam veterans... all say pooh on JFK...100%. powmiavets
§ Our heli-vets pol shows 160 against and 6 for Kerry. Ron Leonard, 25th Aviation Battalion
§ I know about 650 Vietnam vets and their attitude toward about Kerry is 100% negative. Dan Decker, TSgt. USAF (ret.)
§ I know thousands of vets .I would say the opinion is about 98% against Kerry. Tony Cartlidge-Vietnam Combat Marine, 1968
§ Of 27 Vietnam Veterans I know, including myself, not one is willing to vote for John Kerry. Charles Banto, USMC 1958-1974, 2 tours in Vietnam
§ Out of 25 guys,85%-95% against Kerry. Mike- mleonardos
§ 240 vets, mostly Vietnam, 85% against Kerry. Tony Newcomb, Cpt.U.S.Army (ret.)
§ Of the more than 2500 veterans of all ranks who responded, 59 took umbrage with what I had to say (against Kerry). Mark A. Smith, former POW, Vietnam, Holder, Distinguished Service Cross
§ An ongoing poll, with names and comments at 11thcavnam.com is running 16 for Bush, 4 for Kerry (80% for Bush.)
§ 12 Vietnam vets, all of whom are against John Kerry. Vietnam vet, Tom Taylor
§ A summary of individual votes sent in to V.V.A.R. is running 12 for Bush, 3 for Kerry.
GROUPS WITH NO DATA
§ Our group is virtually united in distrust/dislike of Kerry. Philip Topps, Cpt. Inf.(ret), 1st Inf. Div., ’69-’70
§ Every vet we know is opposed to Kerry. Chuck and Mary Schantag, P.O.W. Network
§ Can't say I know a vet who is for him. Storrs Warinner, F-4 pilot, Ubon, ’67-’68
§ Rangers are 100% against Kerry. NOATLMUS44 - President
§ I am anti-Kerry, as are most of my friends who are Vietnam veterans. Stud 369
§ I share the distrust I hear from my veteran colleagues. Peter McHugh, CW4 USA, ’67-’68, ’71-’72
§ I would say 90% of the military here (power plant) are against Kerry. P.Rein
(Note: Wintersoldier.com also has an ongoing poll, with around 25,000 responding and running 95% against Kerry.)
For our recent articles on Kerry go to: www.v-v-a-r.org.
This article may be reproduced in any form.
Founder/President, V.V.A.R.
Phone: 785-312-9303
Website design and management courtesy of Annette R. Hall. Hosted by www.i-served.com.