JDN ... first of all, I will be in the Tampa area (one hour north of Tampa) with my daughter and grandson from January 23 pm through January 26 am for a memorial service for my nephew ... I would like to meet you ... I have a lot of respect for you, as well as a feeling of friendship for you ... unfortunately, time is scarce for this brief trip, but I will drive to the Melbourne area on Thursday evening, January 25 to meet with you, and buy dinner and drinks for the two of us ... if I remember correctly, you live near Fort Lauderdale, which would mean that you would have to drive more than half-way ... of all the people I have talked with on Silicon Investor, your would be my first choice of a person I would like to sit down and talk with ... I hope you can do it ... we are very different people, but we share a lot of the same values ...
I do not know about anyone here (including Mephisto) who is encouraging anyone to riot.
In terms of your experience in Vietnam (must have been there considering we are both 55), I certainly am very appreciative of your service and your difficult memories from that period ... I lost friends there, and know many who served as you did ... I was fortunate in that respect as I was married with child a year before I graduated from Penn State in 1966.
In know way was I ever supportive of how veterans were treated when they returned to the U.S. ... it was totally unfair ... tarring those who served because they served was totally unintelligent ...
On the other hand, many of those same protestors led to our leaving Vietnam ... and we really never should have been there ... and, in my opinion, that was a positive thing ... it is not your fault (or anyone who served there) that (1) we lost, or (2) that officers and enlisted personnel who served there were treated like dog shit when they returned ...
I think the same type of argument applies to the upcoming presidency of George W Bush ... he campaigned as one who would unite us and as a person with experience working with both democrats and republicans ... but the fact that he has nominated a person such as John Ashcroft to the position of Attorney General was bound to bring out extensive protesting ... and I do not see anything wrong with that ... although I would say that Ashcroft should not be denied the position because of his extreme religious views ...
... respond publicly as you wish (as I have here), but please e-mail me at wci@mediaone.net ... I very much would like to meet you ...
thanks, JDN
Ken |
