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Posted on 04/20/2005 7:16:10 AM PDT by OXENinFLA
KANSAS CITY, Mo. --
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Fonda, 67, spoke at Unity Temple, in The Plaza shopping district, about her new book, "My Life So Far" and her new movie with Jennifer Lopez called "Monster-In-Law."
At about 9 p.m., police said a man who had been waiting in line for about 90 minutes, passed a book to Fonda and then spit a large amount of tobacco juice into her face.
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Fonda declined to prosecute the man for allegedly spitting in her face.
Michael A. Smith, 54, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, which is a city charge.
Thanks for the ping!
Yeah, you're right, betraying their secret requests to her during her visit to their POW camp about torture, and then getting tortured more because she turned over their names to the enemy is SO much worse than-- gasp-- SPITTING on someone!
..didn't her dad, Henry Fonda, serve in the USN during WWII?
Welcome to Missouri,,,,,,,,,Hanoi Jane
how do you know who's " side " he is on ????...maybe it was personal.
It is late for me and I wanted to respond in more detail, but time does not permit. But, I think both you and another poster are confusing issues. In no way is my condemnation of this man's actions to be construed as support of Jane Fonda.
I will leave at that for now.
Dear Jane:
Mo. Man Spits Tobacco Juice on Jane FondaApr 20, 7:49 PM (ET)
TIM CURRANKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man spit tobacco juice into the face of Jane Fonda after waiting in line to have her sign her new memoir. Capt. Rich Lockhart of the Kansas City Police Department said Michael A. Smith, 54, was arrested Tuesday night on a municipal charge of disorderly conduct.
He was released on bond and is due to appear in court on May 27.
Fonda covers a wide range of topics in "My Life So Far," including her 1972 visit to Hanoi to protest the Vietnam War, during which she was photographed on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. She has apologized for the photo, but not for opposing the war.
Smith, a Vietnam veteran, told The Kansas City Star Wednesday that Fonda was a "traitor" and that her protests against the Vietnam War were unforgivable. He said he doesn't chew tobacco but did so Tuesday solely to spit juice on the actress.
"I consider it a debt of honor," he told The Star for a story on its Web site. "She spit in our faces for 37 years. It was absolutely worth it. There are a lot of veterans who would love to do what I did."
Fonda, who flew to Minneapolis Wednesday for another appearance on her book tour, issued a statement through Jynne Martin of Random House.
"In spite of the incident, my experience in Kansas City was wonderful and I thank all the warm and supportive people, including so many veterans, who came to welcome me last night," she said.
Fonda drew a crowd of about 900 at Unity Temple, said Vivian Jennings, whose Rainy Day Books of suburban Fairway, Kan., sponsored the event.
Jennings said the 67-year-old actress never got up from her seat and continued autographing books after the tobacco juice was wiped off.
"The important thing is that she was so calm and so gracious about it," Jennings said. "She was wonderful."
Force may be justified to prevent a criminal act. A women sitting at a table signing books is not engaged in a criminal act. I'm amazed at all the rationalizing going on here, as if this "man's" cowardly act could be justified.
long overdue and well-deserved...we may have to freep the DA to drop the charges.
follow up:
Fonda fine, but vet still angry
By JOHN MARK EBERHART and CHRISTINE VENDEL The Kansas City Star
A day after a spitting incident at Jane Fonda's book signing here, the actress was in a forgiving mood. Her antagonist was not.
Michael Dean Smith of Gladstone waited in line Tuesday night at Unity Temple on the Plaza and then spat tobacco juice at the actress as she was signing his copy of her memoir, My Life So Far.
Smith said Wednesday he was expressing his anger at Fonda for her actions in opposing the Vietnam War in the 1970s.
“She is a traitor. She is responsible for a lot of my friends, a lot of my buddies, a lot of my brothers being listed on the wall,” Smith said, referring to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Smith said he served as a Marine in Vietnam in 1970, and provided The Star with what appeared to be a document he received showing he was transferred to reserve status in 1972.
Fonda declined to press assault charges against Smith, 54, but Kansas City police arrested him for disorderly conduct. Smith, who was jailed briefly Tuesday night, said he would plead guilty.
“Might as well. I did it,” he said.
Fonda was busy with radio interviews Wednesday in Minneapolis, but in a statement to The Star through her publisher, Random House, she said: “It was a minor incident at a really wonderful evening, and I think the authorities have better things to do than press charges against this man.
“In spite of the incident, my experience in Kansas City was wonderful and I thank all the warm and supportive people, including so many veterans, who came out to welcome me last night.”
Veterans groups in Kansas City said that, while they recognize many do not like Fonda, Smith's actions were unacceptable.
Smith was one of 900 people at the event, the biggest so far on Fonda's book tour, which began April 5. Audiences have been averaging 300 to 400. Fonda has been greeted with protesters — “a handful, six to 10 people,” at appearances in Dallas and Albuquerque, N.M., said Random House publicist Jynne Dilling Martin.
Smith was required to purchase a copy of Fonda's book to gain entrance to the Rainy Day Books event.
He stood in line about 90 minutes and presented her the copy. She signed it, and Smith spat tobacco juice at her, which spattered the right side of her face, neck and blouse, said Rainy Day Books founder Vivien Jennings.
At signings, Rainy Day has patrons write their names on sticky notes to give to the authors, which facilitates the process.
“On his note, he had ‘Jodi,' a woman's name,” Jennings said. “(Fonda) looked up and smiled and said, ‘Are you Jodi?' — making a little tease. He was not looking directly at her till she looked up.”
Smith then faced Fonda, spat at her, jumped off the stage and ran up the aisle. Police caught him on the sidewalk outside Unity.
Smith said the Jodi reference was an “inside joke.”
“Military guys know who ‘Jodi' is. He's the guy back home who's dating your girlfriend while you're in the military,” he said.
He said he doesn't usually chew tobacco.
“I didn't want to spend all that time and effort, get up there and have dry mouth. I consider it a debt of honor. She spit in our faces for 37 years. … It was absolutely worth it. There are a lot of veterans who would love to do what I did.”
Fonda went to Hanoi in the 1970s to protest the war. Among other things, she was photographed sitting at an anti-aircraft gun. In My Life So Far, she defends her opposition to the war, especially the Nixon administration's prosecution of it, but apologizes for some of her actions.
Smith said he would never forgive Fonda. He said he suffers nerve damage from Agent Orange exposure, has post-traumatic stress disorder and receives counseling at Kansas City's Veterans Affairs hospital.
“A big part of war is psychological. If you can break the will of your enemy, you have a better chance to win. And that's exactly what she tried to do; she helped to break the will of her enemy — her enemy being the veterans, the guys who were there to fight.”
Other veterans said Wednesday they disagreed with the way Smith chose to express himself.
Mike Shanin, news anchor at KMBZ radio, discussed the issue on the air Wednesday. In an interview with The Star afterward, Shanin repeated his on-air assertion that Smith was out of line.
“I don't like those kinds of incidents,” said Shanin, a Vietnam veteran, “whether they happen to Ann Coulter or Pat Buchanan, where they throw pies. … If you want to hurt Jane Fonda, don't watch her movies, don't buy her book, don't watch her on TV.”
Smith phoned into Shanin's show to defend himself.
“He was unrelenting in his position. He was very polite — he wasn't rude to me at all — but he was certainly rancorous in his comments about Ms. Fonda,” Shanin said.
Bob Hanson of Olathe, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who flew F-4s in Vietnam, said: “I know how he feels. But it's probably in bad taste. I don't like Jane at all, but a public demonstration like that reflects on everybody.”
Spokesmen for the Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars said many veterans disapproved of Fonda, but that Smith's action was uncalled for.
“Most Vietnam veterans disagree with what she did during Vietnam,” said Jerry Newberry, director of communications for the VFW in Kansas City. “But most veterans would handle it in a civilized and straightforward manner — let her know how they feel in plain English and walk away. The organization does not want anyone else's rights to be violated. We don't want laws broken.
“That's not what we fought for.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/11446349.htm
Such actions from MEN would be extremely rare. Now the Mentally Ill are another matter.
Since my time here predates DU by years your snide little comment is contemptible and since your are cheering a DU tactic a little suspect. Did you show up at FR to make it look like a haven for the crude, rude and foolish?
Smith made an ass of himself. Fonda, while contemptible, is a much bigger person than he is since she is going to just walk away from this.
Apparently your lack of awareness includes the fact that Jane apologized for her actions and has admitted she was wrong about her beliefs. That is generally the kind of repentence which Christians accept.
I want to say that that man is NOT Mr. Ditter! tee hee
Hey even the Natives get their fair share of abuse from The Society for the Promotion of Crudity chapter here. It wouldn't want a furrener to feel neglected.
LoL and he is a government Leech too. Just great.
You need to keep up though it is difficult given your perverse sexual fantasies. She apologized for her actions.
Adopting the tactics of those you despise is not smart nor effective.
Can you imagine our Founding Fathers defending spitting on a grandmother? Such an action would likely draw a challenge to a duel from those who would in no way support Jane's actions.
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