Raised as a leftist, of course I learned that the Vietnam war represented only a US military rape of a distant land. I have not yet completely reversed my original view; it does not appear that any of the US-supported Vietnam leaders were democratic or libertarian. But something certainly is wrong with my original view:
- The commie victors proved themselves to be cruel totalitarians;
- Many Vietnamese (a million?) fled those victors to live successfully and prosperously in the US and nations that supported the US effort there;
- The contrasting outcomes of North Korea (where the US lost) and South Korea (where the US won) which were not apparent the, have become apparent now, and show that at least in the case of South Korea, US military victory on Asian soil leads to the trioka of freedom, democracy, and prosperity.
This essay, about Holliwood war films, includes this claim, which certainly contradicts everything I believed about US troops in Vietnam:
"Vietnam vets -- people who actually served in combat in Vietnam -- are less likely to have psychiatric problems, less likely to have drug problems, less likely to have committed suicide, and have a higher median income than people of comparable socio-economic backgrounds who did not serve in Vietnam."
2 comments:
Awesome article.
Michael Medved has one of the most important shows on radio IMHO. You don't have to agree with him either (I do more often than not, but not always) to get something out of his show. The thing that makes it so good is that he has actual guests on who represent the opposing view on a topic, or issue and has honest debate with them. He lets them speak their peace and doesn't cut them off. He shows his callers the same respect. Even if he doesn't agree with them, he allows them the chance to make their point. It's well worth checking out. He's on from 3-6pm Mon-Fri on 1310am.
He has a whole recorded program on the Vietnam War that he re-broadcasts every year, usually around the Christmas holiday. It's very enlightening.
Sorry, my bad. He's on 1400am. 1310am is Air-head America Radio.
A little Freudian Slip there.
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