Kerry has saved lives

He was awarded a medal for saving the life of Jim Rassmann, pulling his ass out of the drink in Vietnam, well it so happens that John "I'm damn quick on my feet" Kerry save the life of a fellow senator. If you haven't seen this before, be sure to send this story to all of your friends. And yes this has been run before in this place. I'm just too lazy to find a link.

Former U.S. Sen. Chic Hecht of Nevada is a staunch Republican, but he thanks his lucky stars for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

On July 12, 1988, Hecht was attending a weekly Republican luncheon when a piece of apple lodged firmly in his throat.

Hecht stumbled out of the room, thinking he might vomit but not wanting to do it in front of his colleagues. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., thumped his back, but Hecht quickly passed out in the hallway.

Just then, Kerry stepped off an elevator, rushed to Hecht's side and gave him the Heimlich maneuver -- four times.

The lifesaving incident made international news, and Dr. Henry Heimlich, who invented the maneuver in 1974, called Hecht to say that had Kerry intervened just 30 seconds later Hecht might have been in a vegetative state for life.

"This man gave me my life," the 75-year-old Hecht said Thursday.

Hecht said he was amazed that Kerry acted so quickly -- some people were assuming that he was having a heart attack.

"He knew exactly what to do," he said. "But a lot of people know what to do. They just don't size up the situation immediately."

Some people may know what to do but freeze up, incapable of action. Kind of like Mr. Bush in that florida classroom on the 11th of September in 2001, frozen in his chair trying to absorb the wisdom contained in a book about a goat.

"We've had a wonderful life, and it would have all been down the tubes," said Hecht, who is about to celebrate his 45th wedding anniversary with his wife.

Every year the Hechts call Kerry's longtime personal secretary, who tracks down Kerry wherever he is.

Then they recount some of their experiences in the last year. Hecht and his wife thank Kerry for thinking so quickly in the Senate halls that day. And Kerry tells them that their phone call is one of his favorites of the year.

"He's so nice and appreciative," Hecht said.

Later in the article Hecht admits that he and the wife have given the max 2000 dollor contributions to the Bush campaign, but says that only he and the lord will know for whom he votes come elections day. My bet is on Kerry, for that vote. By the way this article was published in February, but in my opinion it should get as much play as possible during the run-up to the election. Imagine for a moment how few people have the presence of mind to resond instantaneously to a life or death situation. It is a rare thing, and most of us will never be tested.