Fonda Defends Kerry's Anti-War Past

Talon News ^ | 2/17/2004 | Jeff Gannon

[Jeff Gannon]

(Talon News) -- One day after the raucous White House press briefing during which her name was mentioned, the actress who became known as "Hanoi Jane" emerged to defend Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). The briefing centered on questions about President Bush's service record with the Air National Guard, but Talon News raised the issue of John Kerry's anti-war activism and his involvement with Fonda.

Likely spurred on in part by the question at the briefing that was broadcast live on cable news networks as well as a photograph circulated widely on the Internet showing her and Kerry at Vietnam antiwar rally, Fonda appeared on CNN on Wednesday. In an interview ostensibly about her role in "The Vagina Monologues," Fonda lashed out at those who have dredged up events of over thirty years ago.

Fonda said, "Any attempts to link Kerry to me and make him look bad with that connection is completely false. We were at a rally for veterans at the same time."

Fonda confirmed they both spoke at the event, but adds, "I don't even think we shook hands."

A spokeswoman for John Kerry said, "John Kerry and Jane Fonda were just acquaintances."

Fonda and Kerry are pictured together at a rally organized by the antiwar group, Vietnam Vets Against the War (VVAW) on Labor Day in 1970. Fonda spoke at the event in Valley Forge, PA and later adopted it as her pet cause. Kerry followed her speech with his own remarks, and later became the leader of VVAW. Two years later Fonda would travel to North Vietnam to pose with troops fighting the U.S. forces, an act that many still consider treasonous.

Kerry's association with Fonda evokes the same kind of reaction. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA), a navy pilot shot down in Vietnam in 1972 said it was "a slap in the face."

Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict said of Kerry's antiwar past, "I think it symbolizes how two-faced he is, talking about his war reputation, which is questionable on the one hand, and then coming out against our veterans who were fighting over there on the other."

Kerry was quoted in the New York Times at a Wall Street protest in 1971, saying, "Guilty as Lieutenant Calley may have been of the actual act of murder, the verdict does not single out the real criminal ... the United States of America."

Several weeks later he appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" where he said, "I committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others...in that I shot in free-fire zones, fired .50-caliber machine bullets, used harass-and-interdiction fire, joined in search-and-destroy missions and burned villages."

Kerry repeated those admissions before Congress as well.

Addressing a controversy that seems to be intertwined with the questions about Bush's service record, Kerry said, "You know, we just move on. You know, we're 30 years beyond that and I think people are interested in the future."

Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Kerry was quoted in the New York Times at a Wall Street protest in 1971, saying, "Guilty as Lieutenant Calley may have been of the actual act of murder, the verdict does not single out the real criminal ... the United States of America."

Not only should this quote scare the crap out of voters, it should appear in as many Bush campaign ads as possible.

[stylin_geek]

Now I understand Kerry's nuanced past. He wants to be able to talk about his medal winning service record without paying a price for his anti-war actions.

[Jeff Gannon]

I'm doing my part to bring it to everyone's attention.

[Dallas59]

If he ever gets into the White House ...*shudder*

[Eric in the Ozarks]

His narcissism is hard to overlook.

[CJ Wolf]

"Fonda confirmed they both spoke at the event, but adds, "I don't even think we shook hands."

But that was the era of Free Love, you didn't have to shake hands then.

[babaloo]

Too bad Jane Fonda does not have a movie or exercise video to promote right now. I'd kind of enjoy seeing her on TV for several weeks during the campaign season.

[biblewonk]

She was a burnt out skank at the golden globes defending her very challenged son's role as a homo in a really stupid movie.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Got some links here:

_______________________________________________________________________

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Anti-Americanism ^
			Posted by ParsifalCA On 02/17/2004 7:44:08 AM PST with 5 comments

[kcvl]

NBC's "Meet the Press" a few weeks after the Wall Street protest.

"I committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others," he told the network, "in that I shot in free-fire zones, fired .50-caliber machine bullets, used harass-and-interdiction fire, joined in search-and-destroy missions and burned villages."

Though NBC has the Kerry interview on tape, it has so far declined to broadcast his revealing comments.

[LuigiBasco]

"Several weeks later he appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" where he said, "I committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others...in that I shot in free-fire zones, fired .50-caliber machine bullets, used harass-and-interdiction fire, joined in search-and-destroy missions and burned villages."

I think the only thing this twerp ever fired was his pecker. Blanks at that.
My 3¢

[JustPlainJoe]

Fonda said, "Any attempts to link Kerry to me and make him look bad with that connection is completely false. We were at a rally for veterans at the same time."

They don't get it, do they? It was their MUTUAL INTERESTS which is why they were at those rallys that has Kerry in trouble these days....

[Plutarch]

What is needed are quotes from Kerry from 1972 commenting on Fonda's visit to Hanoi. He might have been asked at that time. If he defended her, would be quite interesting.

Does Lexis-Nexis go back that far?

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Though NBC has the Kerry interview on tape, it has so far declined to broadcast his revealing comments.

Let's just hope that they can't succeed in covering for their boy. We have almost 9 months to do all we can to keep these facts repeated and to put pressure, FWIW, on the mainstream press.

Thankfully, less and less news-interested people depend on said press for information, but we still have to hope that ABC,CBS, NBC, and CNN are forced into some amount of truth telling.

[Captain Rhino]

Currently, there is an an active Army investigation of an airborne unit's activities in Vietnam over alleged atrocities (shooting civilians, etc.). IIRC, there is no statute of limitations on on either charging or prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity.

If Senator John Kerry personally committed or knows of persons who committed such crimes in Vietnam, he should report the facts to the Department of Justice and ask for an investigation.

D'oh! I forgot. The requirement for complete openness and candor only applies to the other party. Ditto for NBC not broadcasting the interview. Only material unfavorable to the Republicans will be zealously searched out and broadcast.

No wonder the good Senator wants to move on.

P.S.: When are we going to see Senator Kerry's service records??

[thinktwice]

The curse of a haunted past,
can be blessing in disguise.
Early seeing that haunts will last,
is a mark of knowledge in those wise.

[Bean Counter]

The only thing I can surmise is that Kerry and Hanoi Jane figue that enough Vietnam Vets have died off, calmed down, or have otherwise simply stopped caring about what Hanoi Jane did while our men were imprisioned in the Hanoi Hilton.

They could not be more mistaken.

The last thing they want to do in stir up all of the bad feelings that thier ilk earned for themselves. Many Vietnam Vets (such as myself) are still very much in the mainstream of things, and remember all to well what Hanoi Jane did.

John Kerry may not have gone to Hanoi with her, but he very much supported Jane Fonda's treason against this country!!!

Never forget!!!!!!!!

[kcvl]

April 23, 1971

I would like to talk on behalf of all those veterans and say that several months ago in Detroit we had an investigation at which over 150 honorably discharged, and many very highly decorated, veterans testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia. These were not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command. It is impossible to describe to you exactly what did happen in Detroit - the emotions in the room and the feelings of the men who were reliving their experiences in Vietnam. They relived the absolute horror of what this country, in a sense, made them do.

They told stories that at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Ghengis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.

We call this investigation the Winter Soldier Investigation. The term Winter Soldier is a play on words of Thomas Paine's in 1776 when he spoke of the Sunshine Patriots and summertime soldiers who deserted at Valley Forge because the going was rough.

We who have come here to Washington have come here because we feel we have to be winter soldiers now. We could come back to this country, we could be quiet, we could hold our silence, we could not tell what went on in Vietnam, but we feel because of what threatens this country, not the reds, but the crimes which we are committing that threaten it, that we have to speak out....

******

NBC's "Meet the Press" a few weeks after the Wall Street protest.

"I committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others," he told the network, "in that I shot in free-fire zones, fired .50-caliber machine bullets, used harass-and-interdiction fire, joined in search-and-destroy missions and burned villages."

Though NBC has the Kerry interview on tape, it has so far declined to broadcast his revealing comments.

[bobo1]

Hanoi Jane defending Hanoi John is a plus.

Hanoi John E'ing Fonda Mr. Heinz two-faced Kerry.

Shucks I can't keep all these things straight. Somebody's father called in "Sleazeball". That will suffice.

I hope Hanoi Jane continues to support the "Sleazeball". That will help his campaign. Kind'o like Satan himself giving his approval.

Blessings, Bobo