Quote from cdbern:
Waggie everyone has the right to oppose a war. HOW they go about opposing it is the determining factor.
Hanoi Jane was a big movie star. If that didn't give her credibility, it certainly gave her notoriety. John Kerry was a "war hero" which gave him credibility. Together they fueled the flames until it became an inferno. Demonstrations nation wide. I was at the Kent State University for a training seminar 2 weeks after that deadly demonstration. Their purpose wasn't just to oppose the war, their objective was to incite the public. Of course the North Vietnamese loved this. It strengthened their will and their cause. With renewed determination they attacked our boys. POW's, already suffering in inhumane conditions, received harsher treatment. Is it any wonder the mention of John Kerry's name raises the hackles of Viet Nam vets. Yes I know you can find some that support him, but you'll find many many more that don't. Ask the THOUSANDS who live in the hills today how they feel about John Kerry. That is if you can find them. They want nothing to do with America. They feel betrayed. Go into the hills. You won't see them, but they see you. Twice a year the Veterans Administration holds week long rendezvous in the hills, trying to get our boys to come in for free clothes, medical checkups, counseling, and all the food they can pack off. Some come in cautiously, most don't come at all.
With the public in an uproar and testimony that our boys had committed horrible crimes against civilians, returning vets were spat on, called names and beaten. They weren't in Nam because they wanted to be, yet instead of receiving some degree of honor for at least serving at the bequest of their country, they became war criminals. For years afterward, these guys refused to admit they were Nam vets. Why? Were they ashamed? No, its because they didn't want to relive the scorn leveled against them when they returned the first time. Were they "war criminals", no. Very very few ever committed the kind of crimes Kerry led everyone to assume were common place.
If you knew enough about that era. what went on and what was said, you'd understand why I call him a traitor. The turmoil he created is almost beyond description. Opposition to the war in Iraq is a cake walk compared to the opposition we experienced then.
And to add insult to injury, Kerry was a family friend of the Kennedy's. He used then and uses now his military experience for personal gain. When he had a chance to help get unaccounted for POW's or MIA's back onto American soil, the hearings came to an abrupt halt and the findings were that none had been left behind. That was BS and EVERYONE knew it. Could they pin any inappropriate conduct on him? They certainly could have had his ole buddy Ted Kennedy not come to his rescue.
I'll second AAA's remarks. Kerry has done everything he could to undermine this country. Hand him the reins to our future? You've got to be kidding.
