Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Kerry demands equal time on Sinclair broadcast

sjwalter · 10-20-2004, 07:57 PM

And there has been as many statements from veterans supporting Kerry's statements. What you have to understand is that there are some very bitter Viet Nam veterans out there that lash out at anyone who dare speak against the effort in Viet Nam. When I lived in Florida I worked with and became very good friends with a Vietnamese gentleman who was a tunnel rat for the Americans during the war. He told me stories than made me lose my appetite. This was from a very peaceful man who had no axe to grind with anyone and loved America. He (correctly) reasoned that it was war and you have to do terrible things during war. I agree with that sentiment and believe that things which happen during the war should die with the war. Once the mourning period ends the war should be buried along with the dead. Those that keep bringing it up, Kerry included, are wrong IMO. You never allow a wound to heal if you keep picking the scab off.
I am guilty of being one sided in this arguement, but i have to learn. I totally absolutely agree with what you say about a war. Everything should have been buried where it died, and Kerry shouldn't have said what he did. This may be another reason people are protesting against him. Vietnam was a bad time for everyone, and for this reason i should be remembered for everyone in the back of their mind but it should also be not talked about and always referenced for.

There were plenty of people who supported the claim that attrocities were taking place. Thousands of vets came back and joined the protests. And I'm not talking about embittered vets with an axe to grind, but guys who went, fought and realized the war was unjust. This is a highly respected group that was at the protest gig long before John Kerry came along.

Vietnam Vets Against War

I know you like to watch movies to get your sense of history, so try "Born on the 4th of July".

Lanny my point is, that there are only claims. And i wish we would all stop calling them atrocities, me included because IMO they weren't. It was part of the war, people should have left it at them. And if the vets thought the war was unjust they didn't have to accuse their fellows of these crimes. Thats been my whole point throughout my posts. Vietnam wasn't right, probably wasn't the right war to fight, but it was a war, and the media should have let the troops fight it. Thats exactly what is happening in Iraq right now.

I think that its already been shown that Kerry was not the only one supporting this view.
Again i've been guilty of thinking too one sided here, but i believe only Kerry was before the Senate giving a confession, correct?

WWII was a war to stop agression. It was not a battle of ideologies (not initially). People disagreed with the Nazi ideal, but the war was not launched to change the belief of those in power. That is the difference between WWII and the other engagements you discuss. Ideology and regime change has been the primary motivator of the engagements in Vietnam and Iraq.
It wasn't a war of belief, but a war to clean up an evil empire. Saddam was in sense doing the same thing as Hitler, same as in the crimes against humanity. The war was fought on different terms as well, but if World War 2 wouldn't have been finished properly, people would think of it as Vietnam and the 400,000 Americans would died in World War 2 would have died without a cause, just like the 57,000 who died in Vietnam to most people died without a cause. I'm linking the evil empires not the war of beliefs.

You have very screwed up views in regards to Kerry's protest of the war. Are you saying that everyone who protested the war was supporting communism? You need to understand how the Vietnam war affected the nation and ripped it up. It was not a good time for the country.

No not really. Kerry was linked to communist leaders, the other protesters for the most part weren't. Thats the only reason i got communism and Kerry brought together. Its all mostly IMO.

I also think you do not really have a good grasp on the Vietnam war, and that's because of your age. America did not know how to fight a war in this type of terrain and their tactics we not effective. They had to learn how to fight in this theatre all over again, and took serious casualties because of it. The protest did nothing to hurt the war from a military perspective. The flow of bodies continued and the flow of weapons continued. The thing that really hurt the war effort was the fact that it was run from an office in Washington rather than by a General on the ground. This is the same reason why Iraq has been a failure as well. The military are being directed from an office rather than from a command center.

You're right, the Vietnam war was before my time so most of the information i get comes for sources or articles, and as i'm sure you know its mostly conservative sources. Also i agree with the reasons the war was pretty much negative and played so much of a downside to the American people. And i will take your advice and try to watch the movie, and read some more books.

Thanks for the reply.

10-20-2004, 07:57 PM	#138
sjwalter Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Aug 2004 Exp:	And there has been as many statements from veterans supporting Kerry's statements. What you have to understand is that there are some very bitter Viet Nam veterans out there that lash out at anyone who dare speak against the effort in Viet Nam. When I lived in Florida I worked with and became very good friends with a Vietnamese gentleman who was a tunnel rat for the Americans during the war. He told me stories than made me lose my appetite. This was from a very peaceful man who had no axe to grind with anyone and loved America. He (correctly) reasoned that it was war and you have to do terrible things during war. I agree with that sentiment and believe that things which happen during the war should die with the war. Once the mourning period ends the war should be buried along with the dead. Those that keep bringing it up, Kerry included, are wrong IMO. You never allow a wound to heal if you keep picking the scab off. I am guilty of being one sided in this arguement, but i have to learn. I totally absolutely agree with what you say about a war. Everything should have been buried where it died, and Kerry shouldn't have said what he did. This may be another reason people are protesting against him. Vietnam was a bad time for everyone, and for this reason i should be remembered for everyone in the back of their mind but it should also be not talked about and always referenced for. There were plenty of people who supported the claim that attrocities were taking place. Thousands of vets came back and joined the protests. And I'm not talking about embittered vets with an axe to grind, but guys who went, fought and realized the war was unjust. This is a highly respected group that was at the protest gig long before John Kerry came along. Vietnam Vets Against War I know you like to watch movies to get your sense of history, so try "Born on the 4th of July". Lanny my point is, that there are only claims. And i wish we would all stop calling them atrocities, me included because IMO they weren't. It was part of the war, people should have left it at them. And if the vets thought the war was unjust they didn't have to accuse their fellows of these crimes. Thats been my whole point throughout my posts. Vietnam wasn't right, probably wasn't the right war to fight, but it was a war, and the media should have let the troops fight it. Thats exactly what is happening in Iraq right now. I think that its already been shown that Kerry was not the only one supporting this view. Again i've been guilty of thinking too one sided here, but i believe only Kerry was before the Senate giving a confession, correct? WWII was a war to stop agression. It was not a battle of ideologies (not initially). People disagreed with the Nazi ideal, but the war was not launched to change the belief of those in power. That is the difference between WWII and the other engagements you discuss. Ideology and regime change has been the primary motivator of the engagements in Vietnam and Iraq. It wasn't a war of belief, but a war to clean up an evil empire. Saddam was in sense doing the same thing as Hitler, same as in the crimes against humanity. The war was fought on different terms as well, but if World War 2 wouldn't have been finished properly, people would think of it as Vietnam and the 400,000 Americans would died in World War 2 would have died without a cause, just like the 57,000 who died in Vietnam to most people died without a cause. I'm linking the evil empires not the war of beliefs. You have very screwed up views in regards to Kerry's protest of the war. Are you saying that everyone who protested the war was supporting communism? You need to understand how the Vietnam war affected the nation and ripped it up. It was not a good time for the country. No not really. Kerry was linked to communist leaders, the other protesters for the most part weren't. Thats the only reason i got communism and Kerry brought together. Its all mostly IMO. I also think you do not really have a good grasp on the Vietnam war, and that's because of your age. America did not know how to fight a war in this type of terrain and their tactics we not effective. They had to learn how to fight in this theatre all over again, and took serious casualties because of it. The protest did nothing to hurt the war from a military perspective. The flow of bodies continued and the flow of weapons continued. The thing that really hurt the war effort was the fact that it was run from an office in Washington rather than by a General on the ground. This is the same reason why Iraq has been a failure as well. The military are being directed from an office rather than from a command center. You're right, the Vietnam war was before my time so most of the information i get comes for sources or articles, and as i'm sure you know its mostly conservative sources. Also i agree with the reasons the war was pretty much negative and played so much of a downside to the American people. And i will take your advice and try to watch the movie, and read some more books. Thanks for the reply.