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However, most accounts of spitting emerged in the mid-1980s only after a newspaper columnist asked his readers who were Vietnam vets if they had been spit upon after the war (an odd and leading question to ask a decade after the war's end). The framing of the question seemed to beg for an affirmative answer.

I haven't sent an email yet, but here's the one I'm thinking of:

Well sir, I have never been certified as anything by a Federal jury, but I have written enough articles for publication (and edited them) to know when someone is covering up for lack of research by talking in generalities. I happen to know who wrote the article. He was a fairly well-known columnist. The mention of his name, and the date of publication of his column, along with some kind of at least argumentative analysis showing the dates of publication of these accounts might lead me to believe you did some research on it. As it is, all you do is quote another individual. Further, your "research" which any 11th grade English teacher would reject out of hand, consists of reading a book written by someone else and regurgitating his claims. Where did you get your doctorate, Bill and Ted's Excellent Graduate School?

Does that work?

ROFLOL!!!! Works just fine for me.

I expect this attempt at writing an op-ed will generate a LOT of e-mail to the local liberal rag in the next few days. I will post them to the thread as I find them.

MKM

The author bases his column on a book written by Jerry Lembcke. I don't know if this has been pointed out but, although Lembecke was a Viet Nam veteran he also was a member of VVAW. I suspect his book ("The Spitting Image:)and research are biased towards that relationship, and quite possibly written to cover up the real atrocities of the war...the stigmatization of the veterans which certain members of the VVAW promoted.

I was too young to serve in your war, but not to young to understand the price it exacted from my uncle and my friends brothers and this nation.

You have all my deepest respect.