Anti-Kerry vets
to sue candidate?

An attorney representing 11 swift-boat veterans whose images appear in a Vietnam-era photo with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the candidate threatening legal action if he does not stop using the picture publicly.

Most of the veterans in this 1969 photo don't want John Kerry to use it in his presidential campaign.

As WorldNetDaily reported, last month the 11 veterans signed a letter indicating their opposition to Kerry and their wish not to be pictured with the candidate.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which has declared the Massachusetts senator "unfit to be commander in chief," organized the opposition to the photo.

By using the photo, the veterans argue, Kerry is suggesting all the men pictured with him have endorsed his candidacy.

Of the 20 officers in the photograph, two openly support Kerry, 11 of them oppose his bid for the presidency, four wish to remain uninvolved and two are deceased, the veteran organization said in a statement.

Alvin Horne, the attorney for the veterans, wrote in his letter to Kerry's lawyer: "Lest anyone yawn and be tempted to write this demand off to political hyperbole during the election season, please convey to Sen. Kerry that his blatant and continued corrupt use of this photograph is at least on par with successful claims made by individuals suing commercial advertisers for non-consented use of their images. They sought profit in dollars; he seeks profits in votes."

According to the letter, Kerry sent the photo to Newsweek for publication and has also used it in a television ad.

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