The atrocities committed in Vietnam were real. The testimony Kerry gave was truthful. He never lied. Even the mention of beheadings was accurate. Read "Everything We Had", one chapter written by a vet who was a SEAL involved in CIA assassination squads. He states clearly they used beheadings on a regular basis to spook the Vietnamese. In fact, it was terrorism.
As for the Winter Soldier meetings, I have read about it. It was a painful event, a catharsis, enormous anger. There was only one vet out of the group who faked anything, simply exaggerating his rank. All the stories were true. So why would the rightwing deny this?
Understand who the rightwing really represents. They rep the war profiteering lobby, the military-industrial complex which Eisenhower warned us about. That basic group of special interests wants the US public to love war, to sugar-coat war, to pretend our country, president, CIA and troops can do no wrong, and therefore to keep the wars coming. That way they make billions. If we have peace, they don't make much money at all. How else do explain the needless wars based on lies and fear-mongering exaggerations? Neither Vietnam nor Iraq were necessary at all, nor was the Contra War effort.
Here are a few examples to remember: My Lai, Abu Graib, Pat Tillman murder, Blackwater massacre, Halliburton gang rape, Phoenix Program assassinations, Agent Orange, Napalm, Hootch burnings, Free-Fire Zone civilian shootings, Haditha, etc.
I believe everything in the Winter Soldier meetings is covered in the list above, or similar events. It was all real. It was all wrong, evil and useless, and it all hurt our country. After Vietnam we reformed our military so they are not supposed to do any of the above, but under Bush-Cheney there is a move backwards into the darkest regions of behavior with the worst of motives.
So did Kerry do anything wrong? Of course not. He merely relayed real stories from real vets who'd actually taken part in atrocities, following orders too, mind you. You should watch the film PLATOON again. It's very realistic. It will teach you a lot about what Vietnam really was. It was not a noble war, though many noble heros fought in it. It was a terrible mistake compounded by lies, greed, corruption, dishonesty and frustration so deep that it resulted in atrocities. And once we are committing atrocities, you know there is a deeper wrong being committed, that the entire war is wrong, that our leaders made a terrible mistake. |
