An interesting discussion this morning...

[StoryTeller]

At my book club, I arrived late, and it seemed that two of the three ladies there were more interested in talking politics than about the book. Okay by me. I settled in, and joined the conversation.

They both go to my church, and I would say they are probably both still Republicans, but moderate ones, and that they even are willing to swing vote--as they did for the Democratic candidate for congress that I was volunteering for.

My one friend especially was feeling the need to talk, I guess. She used to be very politically involved (on the R side) and got disillusioned by the corruption and politics and how nothing every seemed to improve, no matter who was in charge. She's very cynical now, and seems to be against political parties in general, and is distrustful of any politician that has held office for any length of time. She has been quite influenced by the media's portrayal of politics, more than she realizes, but has a hard time trusting what is written or said by supporters of any candidates--because they're "obviously biased for that person." Yet, she still thinks Bush is probably a really nice guy who has just made some mistakes, that going to Iraq was probably the best thing to do, that there probably was WMDs, and that Rudy Guilianni (sp?) would make a great president. She said she hates Ted Kennedy (something about the whole family being fixated on feminine beauty and having connections to the mafia????) and that she doesn't like John Kerry either. She gets "weird vibes" from him.

SOOOOO......I told her I needed to introduce her to the John Kerry I have discovered. At first she rolled her eyes and implied that I'd just been influenced by more of those biased supporters. But I emphasized that I started researching him during 2004, and told her about the speeches and his own writings and his decisions--that those were the things about him that impressed me and convinced me of his personal integrity and character.

We talked about a lot of other things, too, but she was really interested in what I had to say about Kerry, and she asked me to send her whatever info I had about him that I felt was trustworthy. So I'm going to send her links to the Pepperdine speech and the Livestrong speech.

What else should I send? Are there any books about him that I could point to as being the least biased?

Also, what about other resources relating to some of her other gripes about incumbents, about political parties, etc.? I don't want to overwhelm her, so I'll probably dole it out to her over the next several months. But she's open to hearing about it, and she's one of these people that can be very persuasive when she's won over. So I'd like to do some winning here, on behalf of JK. :)

[Democrafty]

1. I would lend her a copy of The New War.

Mainly because he doesn't really write it from the perspective of a Democrat or a Democratic Senator, but as someone who is an expert in terrorism and international crime.

Granted, it's about 10 years old, so it's not a great prescription for how to deal with, say, Al Qaida, but I think your friend might be impressed with the tone, and with JK's ability to understand things outside of a political context.

[Island Blue]

2. I thought Douglas Brinkley's book "Tour of Duty" was great.

I not only understood JK better after reading that book, but I also better understood my uncle who also served in Vietnam. As an alternative, George Butler's documentary "Going Up River" was also excellent. These two deal mainly with JK's Vietnam experience (and the aftermath there of), but I think these things are important for people to understand, especially R-type people.

Btw, in my book club we have a litmus test. If you don't lean to the left we advise you not to join because we ALWAYS spend at least half the time talking politics. Let's just say there's a whole lot of bush* bashing goin' on!

[cadmium]

3. Great work reaching out dispelling false images -- If she is

concerned about terrorism, show her how John Kerry with little fanfare defied insiders in both parties to cripple the favorite bank of terrorists and drug lords--BCCI

http://faculty.msb.edu/murphydd/CRIC/Newsclips/Kerry-BCCI.htm

[karynnj]

4. Tour of Duty - stressing it was written by a respected historian

who had no preconceived bias - but came away extremely impressed.

One of the other more compelling books is to suggest reading the chater in McCain's book, Worth the Fighting For: The Education of an American Maverick, and the Heroes Who Inspired Him. That chapter shows how Kerry laeads and how he works with others. This was a committee of prima donnas - McCain, Bob Smith (very RW - but he endorsed Kerry in 2004!), Bob Kerrey etc. Kerry was incredibly methodical, organized and kept everyone els calm. He also kept McCain from emotional meltdowns. It shows intelligence, diplomnacy and leadership skills and a truely kind person.

A third book would be Butler's book of photos. From Kerry organizing kids - including his - in making "boats" out of debris on a beach - as a fun way to clean it to a photo of a laughing Kerry totally drenched after friends threw him in on pond on his Wedding day to a very pensive picture of Kerry after losing the race for congress, the pictures show an engaging person.

A video of the distance learning event would be great to - it shows a very real, soft spoken Kerry answering questions for students - I would send you a copy of my copy - if you want. It has a gap of about 10 minues when my cable was out (they were testing in the area), but he gives an absolutely wonderful answer on why he mightrun again - all related to service.

[SouthernBelle82]

7. Oh and you can also

tell the story of how one time Kerry saved another senator's life. This guy was 100% on the other side of the isle with him politically and he was returning from a luncheon and Kerry saw him choking getting off the elevator and saved his life. I think I read this guy died earlier this year but I'm not for certain. Does anybody else remember?

[karynnj]

12. He did die earlier this year and Kerry went out to either the funeral or memorial

It was Senator Hecht of Nevada. During 2004, this story was written. The fact that the Senator and his wife stayed in contact with Kerry is sweet. (That Kerry has many people who do shows that the weird social loner lines were never true.)

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-gov/2004/feb/06/516309920.html

[ginnyinWI]

15. I loved Tour of Duty

I also learned a lot about Vietnam from the troops' perspective. And of course a wealth of info on what made JK who he is today. It's fairly unbiased I think--Doug Brinkley is no hack.

Speaking of, I saw Doug Brinkley on TV yesterday, and he was introduced as a presidential historian. True in the case of this book as well! ;)

[StoryTeller]

5. Thanks, everyone!

I want to read some of those books, too! I hope they're at the library.

I'll let you know what sort of response I get from her. I sent her some speech links this evening.

:)

[SouthernBelle82]

8. One of the best speeches

he has done this year is "Dissent." I hope you let her see that one but all of Kerry's recent stuff is at his website.

[SouthernBelle82]

6. The Long War of John Kerry

A great way to introduce Kerry to her and than try to find the book Kerry wrote called "The New War" (going on my Christmas list). I would also tell her about BCCI, Iran/Contra and the 80's CIA drug smuggling that Kerry has done. I would also just get her to watch some of his older campaigning you can see at http://www.c-span.org My favorite, if it's still up there, is of him in Littleton, New Hampshire in August of 2003 (either the twenty-third or twenty-eighth). I suggest that one because you really get to see and know Kerry and how he is as a person. The "Long War of John Kerry" is a documentary about him that came out in 2004 about him and the Vietnam days. I also suggest "Winter Soldier" because I've seen parts of that film and Kerry is in it too.

[SouthernBelle82]

9. I also forgot to tell

that Kerry got into the 80's drug smuggling ordeal because of a reporter named Gary Webb who has passed on now. He tried so hard to get people to believe him about it but everyone called him a nut case...everyone but John Kerry. Kerry believed him and got involved and it turned out true. I just thought that said a lot about his character. Kerry also mentioned at an event not long ago that he worked to fight against the mafia as well. This is why, I think, Kerry knows a lot about terrorism and how things work. He and Harry Reid (who has also fought the mafia in Vegas) would be an awesome team on that issue I think.

[TayTay]

10. I would recommend this program from PBS: Frontline

The Choice in 2004. The video is all up and free online and the online interviews are superb. they discuss, in detail, the Iraq War vote, and why Sen. Kerry voted the way he did. They also discuss his life and give some genuine insight into what makes the good Senator tick. I particularly recommned the interview with Jonathan Winer. He knows Sen. Kerry about as well as anyone on the planet.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/

Winer: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/interviews/winer.html


Frontine: What kind of a man is he (John Kerry) when he's attacked?

Winer: Methodical. I mean, first instinct is to defend. Second instinct is to figure out what to do about it. The instinct to defend is not the right instinct, because then you're on the territory the other side wants you to be on. … What you do instead is, you figure out thematically where you want to go. You respond to the attack, maybe with a counterattack, maybe with a finesse. It just depends on the issue. But you need to go back to your territory, not to what they're trying to do to you.

Or the Jack Blum interview:

Frontline: Perhaps you can put him in historical context. I mean, you don't often get investigators of his type in Congress...

Jack Blum: Well, there are very few people who come to the Senate with a beginning as prosecutors who are also war veterans, who have a burning interest in foreign policy because they've come out of a war that was fought on dubious grounds for dubious reasons. And are motivated to try to make an issue of that. To try to follow their own instincts.

This guy had a certain set of skills and a capacity to do things that very few members of the Senate have. Most people who come to the Senate get there by a kind of chair-sitting which is in the state legislature or they come up through the ranks -- maybe they've been a governor of a state. But they haven't been the prosecutor or the investigator, the person who picks the case apart. And he did have that background. …

[ginnyinWI]

16. you can probably get The New War used at Amazon.

I did--for cheap. And I mean cheap--for pennies plus the shipping. It is ten years old after all. The most pertinent chapter is the one on global terrorism, and the rest is about economics, international banking and stuff. Oh yes and the mafia and international crime--all the stuff we were more concerned about as a nation before 9/11.

[StoryTeller]

11. Oh WHY do I do these things to myself???

I read the link someone posted upthread about BCCI--fascinating stuff, by the way. I didn't know anything about it, and it's a great overview article. And I thought, "Gee, yet another reason why we need this man to be president!" And then I got depressed thinking about it because if the other Dems are unhappy with him, and of course the Repubs hate him, and the media loves to take potshots at him, then how is it possible for him to run, even with dedicated supporters and strong grassroots? And THEN I made the mistake of googling his name, and it seems like about 97% of what's out there is nasty and hateful, about 2% is strictly biographical, and only about 1% is positive.

So now I'm glum. Somebody please help me regain my perspective. :(

[WildEyedLiberal]

13. I think it would help to turn to your faith.

I was reading a book a Barnes and Noble today called "Religion Gone Bad" by Mel someone - Mel White? Anyway, he used to be very prominent in the evangelical movement, but he was gay, and reached a point where he could no longer life a self-loathing life in the closet, so he came out to immediate condemnation from his former "friends." He is still an evangelical Christian, but his book is about the fascism and hatred of the modern Dobson/Falwell/Robertson fundamentalist movement, and how its hatred of gays and lesbians is a danger to all of us.

He printed an excerpt from a poem, in which a man is standing alone in a desert next to the crucified Christ, and, when he is asked why he has not suffered alongside the crucified man, replies "I haven't made anyone angry enough to kill me." The world would be a better place if more people were willing to take unpopular stands and face the wrath of the world in order to do what is right.

So just remember - John Kerry is hated for a reason. He is hated for the same reason truthtellers throughout history have been hated and reviled - because he is a man of steadfast, unwavering conviction. He cannot be bought, bribed, frightened, or intimidated from telling the truth and following his conscience. The powers that be know this - they know he cannot be silenced - and they fear him and hate him because he poses the single greatest threat to their power structure and they know it.

But you know, the truth wins out in the end. What you are doing is SO important - just bring real people to the light, one at a time. Get them to open their eyes and see who John Kerry really is. Little by little, we each make a huge difference.

[StoryTeller]

14. Hugs to WEL!!!!!

You're absolutely right, and I appreciate the encouragement incredibly. I'll have to find that book, too. Part of my angst is, no doubt, also because of all that flap about Ted Haggard. I'm so angry, not just with him, but with the entire evangelical community at the moment because of their perpetuating a culture that sets people up for public and personal betrayal of this magnitude, and the hypocrisy, and the double standards, and the two-faced existence, and... *sigh* I'll spare you the rest of my rant.

But thank you, WEL, from the bottom of my heart for reminding me that truth does indeed win out in the end. And for encouraging me to keep my faith, and keep on.

I so appreciate you. :) :hug:

[ginnyinWI]

17. I had to laugh at James Dobson.

First he's all supportive of his "friend" Haggard, and then whoops, he suddenly finds he just doesn't have the time to counsel him! Hypocrite--he just doesn't want his name linked with Haggard in the media anymore.

Anyway, any counsellor worth their salt will tell you that you should never try to counsel a personal friend! It just can't be done objectively.

[StoryTeller]

18. Yeah...him. (ugh.)

Oh yes...he's so very busy. It reminded me very much of the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. Haggard's the beat-up, naked guy in the ditch, and Dobson is the religious leader crossing to the other side of the road to avoid him.

So I wonder who the Good Samaritan would be...maybe someone from the homosexual community? Wouldn't that be great? :)

But you're right about not counseling personal friends. Works out very badly. If Dobson had given that as an explanation, I maybe could have bought it, but not that "no time" crap. Good grief.