Dirty Little FoKERs
Friends of Kerry (FoKERs) don’t appreciate disloyalty (link):
Gardner, the father of three, now is broke and unemployed. Nonetheless, he says he’d speak against Kerry all over again because “I couldn’t ever see [Kerry] as commander in chief — not after what I saw in Vietnam, not after the lies I heard him tell about what he says he did and what he says others did.”
The Truth sure can be a bitch sometimes.
November 30th, 2004 at 10:46 am
What’s the claim here?
That Gardner was fired because of the intervention of Kerry or someone working for him?
That Gardner was fired because his boss didn’t like his point of view?
What is the evidence that Kerry or anyone related to him had anything to do with it?
Thanks
November 30th, 2004 at 1:03 pm
It’s circumstantial evidence, Russ, but don’t forget that circumstantial evidence can lead to a conclusion. We’ve got a rich guy on death row here in DE due to circumstantial evidence that proved he wacked his girlfriend and dumped her off the Jersey coast.
November 30th, 2004 at 3:54 pm
Scott —
I agree the evidence is circumstantial. I also note that Gardner himself is the only witness cited in the account of his dealings with Hurley and Brinkley. I also note that other accounts state that Gardner was not on the boat on any of the occasions that led to Kerry’s Purple Hearts or other medals.
After I read the piece you link to, I Googled Gardner and found this:
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:xlDgaXVxOV0J:www.heraldonline.com/local/story/4182297p-3963662c.html+steve+gardner+kerry&hl=en
The piece appears to be from a local (to him) paper, and is very sympathetic to Gardner. The piece reports that Gardner claims to have lost two jobs due to his involvement in Swift Boats. It also notes that he “hit the road after Labor Day”, and spent “days” in at least three swing states.
Any chance Mr. Gardner was just missing too many days at the office?
Any chance Mr. Gardner’s involvement in Swift Boats was simply interfering with his job in ways that had nothing to do with his opinions?
Claims of reprisals against private citizens, extending to having them fired, by political campaigns is a pretty serious charge. This story is, of course, making the rounds now, but I was suprised to find it on the Razor because it is, frankly, extremely weak.
Cheers -
December 1st, 2004 at 8:44 am
FreeRepublic noted that Gardner’s boss had donated to a few Democratic campaigns. I visited OpenSecrets.org and the info checks out. Still, the amounts were small in the grand scheme of politics, and I managed Republicans when I was a Democrat so it doesn’t necessarily connect.
The problem with such instances is that proving the cause of your termination is nearly impossible due to the stakes involved. If you can prove it, you can ream them royally. However most managers and HR people know the rules better than you do, and can cover their tracks well.
Now Millennium looks bad, and Gardner plays the martyr.