ForumGarden

The vietnam war ended 31 years ago. It was a very important part of american history, and i do not by any stretch mean to trivialize it. however, if these idiots who are vying to be/stay president don't stop fighting about this, that, and the other that happened more than 31 years ago, i'm going to vote for Nader, for crying out loud.



This has got to stop. kerry's military service is IRRELEVANT to this election. bush's military service is IRRELEVANT to this election. oh yes, we'll of course hear about how it all goes back to character, yada yada yada. I DON'T CARE. I WANT TO HEAR THE CANDIDATES TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT WE ARE FACING HERE, NOW, TODAY. what are they going to do about the economy? crime and violence? pollution? terrorism?



right now, all i hear is crap about vietnam. "bush/kerry did/didn't do XYZ 31+ years ago". what an incredible waste of the public trust.



WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY, GEORGE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY, JOHN?



sigh. that's my rant for this evening.

speaking as an outsider there are some similarities to the time of the vietnam war and what is happening today in that anyone criticising the vietnam war was condemned as unpatriotic and unamerican just as those who oppose the iraq war are pilloried the same way now. real debate was stifled and it was only after much death on both sides that dissenting voices started to be listened to about vietnam. It was almost as if people didn't want to think about it. It looks much the same now those who dissent get shouted down rather than answered. I remember watching kent state on TV and listening to those who reckoned it was justified to shoot demonstrators because they are unamerican. I hope youv'e moved on from those kind of attitudes.