Okay, I'll chime in...

KEVIN G. Okay, so you've got all the words.  You still never answered my question, Reg.  C'mon big guy with all the answers.  Given the choice would you rather pose for lude pictures as the Iraqi prisoners were made to do or would you rather watch as your home and village was burned and then continue to watch as your family was gunned down?  I'm just asking for a simple answer oh man of many words. 

BAERWALD: Well, that assumes that those being piled naked upon one another, raped, beaten to death, crippled, attacked by dogs, probably electrocuted, and etc... havent already watched their home and village burned and watched as their families died. Remember these people live in a city that's regularly attacked from the air, sometimes with an AC-130 gunship. Have you ever seen what one of those things does? This is not a subtle weapon. So I imagine that its not unlikely that some of the people who were detained at Abu Ghraib have witnessed one devastation or another. Just a guess, though. Anyway, what the hell are you talking about?

KEVIN G: Remember, you support Kerry and aren't you also proud of how he served in Vietnam?  Or are you maybe not so proud of his record?  Are you proud of his record?  Let's see; he was in Vietnam for all of a couple months before he resorted to shooting up mothers and kids.  But I'm sure he voted for not doing it before he voted for doing it.

BAERWALD: You know, I've wondered about the blitheness with which you talk about Kerry's war crimes, until it finally occurred to me that youve got him mixed up with Bob Kerrey--who was guilty of war crimes, was exposed, and gave up his Senate seat as a result. John Kerry has never been accused of war crimes.

KEVIN G. This whole issue in the press with the photos is meant to try and get as much mud to stick to the current administration as possible and you know it.  So my problem with all of this is that it pales in comparison to what Kerry has admitted to doing but nobody is talking about that and they should be.  It doesn't matter that it was 30 years ago because this goes to the core of who he is.  The next time you hear Kerry talking about changing the hearts and minds of others please remember that in the past he used a 50 caliber machine gun to do it and man did it change their hearts and minds. 

BAERWALD: Oh please. A: Abu Ghraib is international news--you'd have to be insane to think a news story like this would just go away., no matter who was in the White House. B: Are you telling me that you know of photos of Kerry behaving like those guards? Or any indication whatsoever that he ever did anything of the kind? Because if you do, I think you owe it to the public to release the information. Or are you saying that any soldier in combat is automatically engaged in a war crime? As you probably know, squads often have what is known as a BAR man, usually a big fellow who can handle the extra weight of the gun. A BAR is a 50 caliber machine gun. Are all those guys inherently war criminals? I mean, that's pretty radical, I never took you for a hippy.

KEVIN G. I'd really like an answer, Reg. 

BAERWALD: I honestly don't think you do, Kevin. I think you've gone past the point of rational discourse. I don't think there's anything that anyone could show you or say to you or present to you that could penetrate your particular reality tunnel. Then again, Reg is pretty eloquent, so maybe he'll prove me wrong. I'm sorry, Kev, I've gotta say that to my ears you sound like a raving lunatic. You scatter half-truths and outright falsehoods and emotionalism around like confetti, and then wonder why people aren't stricken with your overwhelming logic. Then you get upset when people rightly tease you. Why shouldnt people tease you? These are ridiculous statements you keep on making. And trying to tag Kerry with Kerrey's war record is just too much. Anyway, I know I'm just howling in a windstorm here, but there you have it...