Congress to allow normal trade relations with Viet Nam WITHOUT full account of POW/MIA's

USA Today ^

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

ping

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you sooooooooo much for showing me this.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

ping

[Dubya]

GOD BLESS OUR POW AND MIA'S.

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub for the information, the phone numbers etc. I sure will write, phone and Fax. OH man when will this insanity ever STOP !!!!!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY AMERICA!!!!!!! I want .......Flags flying at every home, Patriotism , respect for our military and to treat ALL Veterans as the Heroes they truly are. STOP Trade with VietNam!!!! This is Insane!!!!!!!!! This is a Clinton agenda thing and it is WRONG !!!!!!!!!!! BRING BACK OUR

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[TheOtherOne]

BUMP

Thanks for the heads up!

[jackbob]

thanks for the ping - not that it'll do any good.

american people want to put this thing behind them. no one cares about the missing (present company excluded). and fewer still felt a deep hurt when the country fell in '75. some of us died a little inside. now it only adds insult to an old, never quite healed, festering injury.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

bump

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"now it only adds insult"

See post 51
Those who insult us will pay the price by losing Veterans Votes!

[COB1]

Thanks, Tonkin, for the bump.
THIS   SUCKS !!

[onyx]

Watch for McCain to lead the charge in support of this unconscionable action. This makes me SICK.

[Dubya]

Thanks for great post.

[goldilucky]

"As far as I am concerned, the politicians, bureaucrats and diplomats can fight the next war. I am fed up with our kids being used for cannon fodder with no thought to the consequences. We are no longer defending the Constitution. We are defending a corrupt government that has forfeited the right to govern."

In reality, We are defending the government which has placed themselves above the laws. As far the "right to govern" goes, WE are the government.....THEY (government officials) are the Servants working FOR US. Lest they not forget that.

[bigunreal]

If you're waiting for Sen. McCainiac to do anything about the POW-MIA scandal, forget it. That lunatic has long been the leading congressional coverup artist on this issue, which is ironic in light of his own POW days, which he managed to milk into a lucrative career in politics. During the congressional hearings into the POW-MIA issue, conducted by the despicable John Kerry, McCainiac actually walked out in an angry huff when a group of activists demanding the truth about our missing servicemen was permitted to testify before the committee. McCainiac is not only a certified nut case, he is the last person you'd go to if you're expecting to unravel this vast conspiracy.

[Arthalion]

You also need to remember that the word "Vietnam" means little to an increasing percentage of Americans. To the people of my generation, as well as to all the immigrants who've moved here since '75, Vietnam is just another chapter in our history books. Remember, there were 9 million soldiers in the military during the duration of the Vietnam war, only 2.6 million of which directly served in Vietnam. With a population of more than 275 million people, that means that less than 1 out of every 100 modern Americans were directly involved in the Vietnam war. With percentages like that, it becomes easier to understand why many Americans don't take the war personally.

Besides, I think that most Americans consider the MIA issue moot at this point. The last count that I saw stated that there were only about 2000 true MIA's remaining at this point, and only about 50 of those involve people who were last seen alive. Since nobody reasonably believes that the Vienamese government would still be holding American prisoners after 26 years, that means we're essentially discussing 2000 skeletons. A quick check shows that there are still more than 78,000 MIA's from WWII, and more than 8,000 from the Korean War. Whether you agree with it or not, when most Americans look at those numbers, they are willing to accept the fact that most of those 2,000 will never be found or brought home.

I've gone over all of this to make a point. I, like all of you, oppose the opening of trade with Vietnam. The problem is that when Vietnam vets argue against trade with Vietnam, they invariably sound like a bunch of old nuts harping on about an old war that isn't particularly important to most of us. They tend to sound like a bunch of tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists who just can't accept the fact that their war is over, and move on with their lives. I'm sorry if that's painfully blunt, because I realize that Vietnam was a central event in your lives, but it just won't get you far in an argument today.

If you are going to argue against trading with Vietnam, how about arguing a point that really matters to many Americans? Argue that we shouldn't be trading with them because they are a COMMUNIST NATION. Argue against them because their government subsidizes all labor and manufacturing, and because paid American workers CANNOT COMPETE with people who are essentially slaves. Bring up the point that the LAND OF THE FREE has no business doing business with any nation that arbitrarily executes any citizen who voices a dissenting opinion. Trading with a communist nation will merely allow it to flourish, and if communism flourishes it will drown us all. I don't oppose trade with Vietnam because of a military conflict that ended more than a quarter century ago, I oppose trade with Vietnam because of what they stand for today. So should you, if you want anybody to listen.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"how about arguing a point that really matters to many Americans?"

You better believe that every Viet Nam Veteran and their families care about this!

[Arthalion]

I realize that I'm treading on dangerous ground here, and I'm hoping that you don't misunderstand me. I in no way want to minimize the effort and blood that you vets gave for your country, and I do appreciate it. But look at the NUMBERS. Less than 1 in 100 Americans were directly involved in the war. If we're generous and add in families, we might find that 1 in 4 Americans are related to a Vietnam vet (for the record, my own uncle was wounded there). Even at that point, an anti-trade argument based on the war is only going to be "personal" for 25% of Americans. Considering that most of their family members probably stopped caring about Vietnam the moment their loved one came home, I seriously doubt the interest level would even be that high.

[JudyB1938]

Gotcha. Thanks. I sent the same message via email to President Bush.

[JudyB1938]

You said "it's a clinton thing".

Did you ever see that picture of him with a box of bones - dead Viet Nam Veterans? He was prowling through them like a box of rocks in a souvenir shop. I hate him so much every time I think of that picture.