2005-02-02

Jack Dalton

No Matter How Much Things Change,
They Seem to Remain the Same

The article in the link below is from September of 1967. The event: the election in South Vietnam. Why bring this up? Read the article and the reason will jump out at you:  

http://www.tompaine.com/archives/the_dreyfuss_report.php

The similarities between the language of war in Vietnam and now Iraq are just too close to ignore; as is the rhetoric. Iraq is Vietnam all over again. The cons, manipulations, the lies and even some of the same players (Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz were in the Johnson and Nixon administrations singing the same 'song' they sing now--the New World Order).

Remember (President—ouch) Johnson in June of 1966 telling the country, "...if we don't stop them (the Viet Cong) there, we'll be fighting them in San Diego and San Francisco" I was in Vietnam at that time, had been almost a year, and read Johnson's statement in the Stars and Stripes paper (that’s a newspaper by and for people in the military); laughed my butt off; I didn't think anyone in this country could believe that. I could just picture a group of Vietnamese in a boat, rowing across the ocean to attack San Francisco—amazing.

Was I ever wrong in terms of thinking the folks “back home” had more smarts than to fall for a line like that! When I got back to the states in late spring 1967, it took a very short time to realize that people actually believed the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong had the capability to cross the ocean and launch an attack on the U.S.

At any rate, have we not heard essentially the very same thing from the Bush Brigade? “Better to fight them over there than over here” is still being hyped by the BushCo pundits.  

This is why people like me keep comparing Bush and Iraq to Vietnam. The only difference between now and then is simply a few word changes; other than that, the meanings, the policies, lies, deceptions, hidden purposes and agendas are exactly the same: lied and deceived into war for reasons other than what was articulated.  

It would appear that the wrong people learned, and never forgot, the lessons of the American War in Vietnam and they have now applied those lessons to what they are doing with, to and in Iraq.  

The "they" being: the American Enterprise Institute; Project for a New American Century; Carlyle Group; William Krystal of the Weekly Standard. There are other groups, as well as individuals like Richard Perle, Michael Leeden, John Bolton along with Rumsfeld and his cohorts, Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz in the Pentagon also come to mind--easily and quickly. This is no way is all of those who could be mentioned by name or organization, these are just a few of my ‘favorites’ to throw barbs at.

So, when you hear a Vietnam vet make comparison's between the invasion/occupation of Iraq and the American War in Vietnam, take a look at why we make the comparison before you try and tell us to let go of that war; that this is now and then was then.

Got news for you--then is now and now was then. Welcome to Vietnam, 2005--only with bigger with more destructive ways of committing mass murder and mayhem.  

One more big comparison between Iraq and Vietnam: Almost none of those that started these wars ever fought a war. In fact when looking at those today, Bush and company, none of them have. What’s more, none in their immediate families are being asked to severe or to fight this current war of choice. We common, regular, every day folks are the ones always ordered to go fight their wars; which always produce windfalls of money and profits for the people and company’s that make the guns, bullets and bombs.

Like I said, welcome to Vietnam, 2005—elevated to a new height. And the veterans this war of choice is, and will continue to produce will fare no better than did we, who were sent to Vietnam, when we came back—it is already happening; new vets for homeless shelters while Bush and company talk about the new “ownership” society out of one side of the mouth, and honoring this nations ‘heroes’ serving in Iraq who are “defending” America and “spreading freedom” out of the other side.

One more time—Welcome to Vietnam, 2005 and no matter how much things change they always seem to remain the same. If Iraq becomes as “free and democratic” after it’s election as did Vietnam in 1967, Iraq and it’s people are in for a world of hurt as are those Americans in uniform being sent over there to kill and be killed.  

There is however a solution which is simple Bring Them Home Now! And sooner rather than later!