When are we going to 'fess up that the whole POW-MIA thing was a big steaming kettle of rightwing bullshit? It has been nearly 40 years. Enough. We lost that war. Get over it.

We know that almost all the JFK conspiracy theories, and almost all those "POW's still in Vietnam" are fantasies and con jobs.

But they are still clung to, since they make a lot of people rich, and people like to cling to conspiracy theories because they are scared and angry that the universe is as random as it is.

That is a huge difference.

conspiracy theory obsession is both indicative of a mental disorder/illness, and the one surrounding the non-existent conspiracy to kill JFK - Oswald was indeed the sole assassin, as has been proven repeatedly - has morphed into a religious movement, complete with all the usual frenzies/hatreds associated with newborn religions still in the cult status stage.

Further, JFK conspiracy theory nonsense is a billion dollar a year business, complete with new books and video "documentaries" being churned out every year, magazines, websites, conventions/conferences, even it's own radio station in Canada (BlackOP Radio). It is BIG BUSINESS, full of hucksters just like the televangelist hucksters who bilk gullible folks out of their life savings by promising "miracles" from heaven - the JFK conspiracy hucksters bilk the delusional out of hundreds of millions of dollars a year promising to unlock the "mysteries" of the JFK assassination with every new book or video they peddle.

The latest theory made up out of nothing is that LBJ had Kennedy killed so he could become President.

There's a hell of a lot of money and rep to be made in the JFK assassination industry.

If you take the time to read the article you will find that it not about bringing home POWs. Its about searching for remains of MIAs to be identified and brought home to the families so that they may have closure.

"Thirty-seven years after the Vietnam War ended in a communist victory, the top U.S. defense official returned to the old hub of American military activity seeking greater naval access to the port that greeted most of the more than 2.5 million Americans who served in Vietnam."

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-03/panetta-seeks-u-dot-s-dot-return-to-port-of-cam-ranh-bay

True, but the search for and recovery of the remains of fallen American and allied soldiers in Vietnam has been going on for many years. That is more important to many Vietnam Vets than access to Cam Ranh Bay.

For some of us better relations with Vietnam is a positive secondary development.

We had thousands more missing from WWII, many missing from Korea, but no stupid rightwing jingoist nonsense flag with a prison-camp emblem:


That flag serves no purpose other than the promotion of fascism in this country.

I fought that war in the streets of this country. So yes I am.

I only asked that question trying to understand why you had such strong feelings about this topic.

Much of our attitudes are formed in large part by our experiences. You and I seem to be of differing opinions about something that happened many years ago. Let’s agree to disagree.

I see no reason for discourse with someone who’s stance is set in cement.

Read this thread for the prevailing attitude on Vets at DU!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014129992


I can go anywhere and be insulted, and often do.




“Every man is entitled to his own opinion, no man is entitled to his own facts.” ….Mark Twain

I wasn't talking to you - I was speaking to Warren.....

Welcome to DU!!

or went to jail
or were beaten
or sacrificed anything.

yeah jesus fucking christ.

keep that stupid flag flying and pretend you weren't used and abused.

Bad language is an indication of vocabulary deficiency.

I'm sure there are Vietnam Vets on this site who have also protested on the streets of America. I'm pretty sure they would all tell you those experiences were quite different.

flags. I don't think he thinks it's a promoter of fascism in this country, and I know he's not taking it down.

Myself, I've never thought much about it, honestly. I'm not sure how you think it promotes right-wing memes or fascism - help me out here.

POW's did not ask for their fate. We should support them.

I can't imagine what the families of POWs go through.

Welcome to DU.

My uncle has a friend that is still a Vietnam POW/MIA. He keeps the flag on the back of his truck.

The flag and the whole idiotic POWMIA movement was bullshit from day one, invented to create an alternative narrative to deflect away from the fact that 50000 of our people were wasted in a bullshit war, along with the 1000000 or so Vietnamese we killed., a war we lost. Don't be angry at the government that did this, be angry instead about mythical POWs held for inexplicable reasons by a Vietnamese government that was trying to get us out of their country, not keep us there.

11B40. Infantry.

I agree with your stance completely.

We would hear a different tune.

The war was an unnecessary tragedy, but we shouldn't forget the MIAs. They were Americans.

Welcome to DU, Motorcycle Rider.

From that war.

I'm not of a generation that was alive during the Vietnam era. But I did always think the idea that 'there are POWs still alive over there' was pretty silly.

Years back there was a story on the POW issue in either Time or Newsweek, in which they interviewed a North Vietnamese POW camp warden. When asked about this issue he said:

'Of course we never kept POWs after the war. We would have had to feed them.'

He then went on to describe an incident in which a Western reporter had been taken captive and had scarfed down rations that the warden had intended to distribute to several prisoners.

That being said, I don't think the flag is RW, nor does it 'promote fascism.' It's an expression of solidarity with the fallen and those who were captured. Loyalty and camaraderie are big deals to combat vets. I don't think that's something that many of the rest of us can fully understand.

in WW2. We used that little POW symbol in his obituary, along with US flag. It's a symbol, to designate POW's and I never considered it fascist. (?)

Regardless of which flag it is.

Cheer up!
[img][/img]

and then the politicians will rewrite history to glaze over the failed war that destroyed two Nations while one nation exploits the other for cheap labor.


pain