Let's not forget they blamed the "liberal media" for failure in Vietnam..

[kentuck]

also...And now, they are blaming Newsweek for everything that is going wrong in Afghanistan and Iraq. I don't think so. The desecration of the Koran may be one of a hundred reasons Muslims are angry at us but it is not the only reason.

[Hobarticus]

1. Killing the messenger = problem solved! Fascist math is fun! n/t

[cruadin]

2. The "liberal media" has been a convenient whipping boy...

for failed government policies, at home and abroad, for a very long time. They're not going to bother coming up with a new excuse at this point.

[pnorman]

3. Big Brother "leaned" on Newsweek, as it did with CBS last year.

But as with that so-called "Rathergate", all that stuff had been leaking out from several other sources. Here's a good article from antiwar.com: http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=5959

The article is by an anonymous person; something to be handled with extreme caution. But there's enough sourced information there to validate the story. Here's that NYT article mentioned there. NYT won't give the complete article for free, but here's an alternate source: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100010243&docId=l:276940107&start=43

pnorman

[dbeach]

4. I think that the failures in VN were and are still blamed on the VN Vetera

This is obvious bias on my part cuz I was there.

Govt looks to scapegoat and demonize whomever as they cover their sinister agendas..

Most VN Veterans blame the corrupt pols for the perceived VN failure.

I would add that the media demonized and stereotyped the VN Veteran as a loser,druggie,baby killer..ect..while todays media is glorifying the Iraq war .

"War is a racket.Always has been! " Mag. Gen. Smedley Darlinton Butler
VN remains the most expensive,longest ,
and most controversial war in US history and
it still divides this US of A...

I would like to see this important topic posted at Veterans issues forum to see what other VN Veterans say..

[Sparkman]

5. TRUTH in bright light, AND Vietnam Vet's own war tales quenched WAR

The public, eventially most of us at the time, watched and judged and decided Empire Uber Allus was not worth the horrendous slaughter of millions of people in the region. Who was right, the military industrial advocates or the Peace Movement...well Vietnam tells us the truth today. Vietnam has a productive economy DESPITE the reign of the communists, for decades. Vietnam gets along with it's neighbors better than the U.S. gets along with the world community forced to tolerate hundreds of U.S. military bases in foreign countries.
Vietnam has not killed 100's of thousands via sanctions and invasion and embargoes. Or clear cut millions of acres of rain forest in foreign countries for it's frivolous materialism. Maybe being free of Empirical dominence is conducive to sane governance?

[dbeach]

6. VN is still loaded with corruption...

I know some Vets who got business started then robbed there..also know other Vets who are hassled for bringing humanitarian relief to the Montanyards .

I returned there myself and found the soviet style hassles especially if traveling...Govt had restrictions on TV viewing and allowed TV only a few hrs per day..They also limited education and had selective school system..

NOW my visit was in '88 ..things change But many VN Vets are still directly involved there.

On a humerous note..I visited this family and received a call from the local police chief..now I was a litttle concerned until he asked me to help mmmail some letters to the USA for him to his relatives and asked for my help at the US Embassy...{I did mail the letters}
freedom from empire begins at home


"Maybe being free of Empirical dominence is conducive to sane governance?"

AMEN to this and may FreEdom from Empire begin at home.

[Toots]

7. What if we had won Vietnam?

Would it be like Korea. Continuous worry over new attacks from the north or Nuclear weapons. I think we actually did win Vietnam because now we are on friendly terms and the country is whole and not divided. They actually like us there. can you believe that? If we had not pulled out we would still be fighting but then we probably would not have had to attack Iraq. The Defense Industry would be getting plenty of the National Treasury so wouldn't need new wars.