The Face of My Enemy

[SuperScout]

Although I noted an invitation to your literary ambush, I chose not to participate. Nor will I participate in your ultimatums. If I read or quote certain authors, this does not automatically convey that I espouse and accept verbatim everything that was printed. I could quote you certain passages from the Holy Bible, for example, and I would add the caveat that certain writings are to be taken literally, some allegorically, and some methaphorically. Much of the same caveat could be applied to much of the other printed words of the English language.

Let me state it emphatically: I did not call you a traitor or a liar. I will not let another person speak for me. I will not be responsible or held accountable what another person has said or written. And I repeat: if you have a problem with what Ann Coulter, or anybody else has said, take it up with them.

What if the roles were reversed? For example, should conservatives attempt, even foolishly attempt to hold you personally accountable for the inane rantings of Michael Moore, Al Franken, or any of the other paragons of liberal virtues, and the lies they have told and continue to tell about conservatives or anybody else that disagrees with them? Should I hold you personally accoutable for the lies told and repeated by John Kerry, when he impugned the honor, decency and integrity of American warriors in Vietnam during his run-up to his political campaigns? What a supreme exercise in foolishness and futility that would be!! That borders - no, it exceeds - playground childishness, and is a useless waste of time. I will hold John Kerry, not you, accountable, by working diligently to see him exposed for the fraud he is.

If Anne Coulter said anything about AA, or anything bad about AA, it's news to me, not that I'm on her "A List" of correspondents, confidants or confessors. How can you state so emphatically and categorically (and, it seems, a large chunk of self-righteous indignation), that "...she herself would excoriate every principle of AA with a smile on her face..."? Seems a rather harsh indictment, now doesn't it?

You seem to have assumed the mantel of my sponsor, although I can't for the life of me ever remember asking you to do serve in that capacity. And it certainly would not have been via the public air waves, had I even made that choice, mine indeed to make. That's my rigorous honesty. And I'm sticking to it.

[exlrrp]

I take no answer or a slow answer as a yes. So I got it.
I'm sorry if I hurt you to where you would approve such horrible slander to be said about millions of gooid people. I only pray that God can lighten your heart and that you can learn to view people in a better more spiritual ight. She's talking about me and Tom and Gimpy and my Dad and Mom and everything I hold too be true. And she means it as a mortal insult, can only mean it as a mortal insult
And you admire her views and email her quotes around. Let me gyess Brice: these aren't her stock tips.
I'm really disappointed Brice because I think a person running on AA principles should do better--should be trying to heal rather than hurt. Thats what I got from working the 12 steps. You seem to not be grasping that compcept.
Brice I only visualise you as a 6 year old boy trying to get your way. I just pick you up and hold you on my lap untill you quit fussing. I can't hate a 6 year old, any 6 year old. Trying to get your way but the world won't be like you want it.
I think you are in so much pain Brice--how could a Vietnam veteran NOT carry p[ain and hatred??you have to work on it or it only gets worse. Thats what we say in AA anyway.
I mean you no harm and I forgive you and I want to give you some wondeful advice from someone who id trying to love and understand you.
Did you ever stop and consider that you can make things different RIGHT HERE and RIGHT NOW??? You have built up so much resentment behind you, like these monthlong LiarLiarPantsOnFire pissing contests you get into with Gimpy. Someone who knows how to work the program can turn right around and change that THIS INSTANT to a wonderful place that Vietnam Vetrans can come to share their expericnces, strength and hope. And what you have to do to achieve that is change your self.
Please read the book and do what it says

I'm going to have to drop you from my life, Brice, someone who echoes Anne Coulters sentiments is only going to be working for my downfall. You are the first person I will ever have used the Avoid Like The Plague Button on but as long as you hold her views, we will only hurt each other.
Good Luck!!! I hope to meet you if you ever start trudging the road of happy destiny again. Perhaps we could help each other

James

[MORTARDUDE]

m 2c worth.

The politicians ( both parties ) made it plain, by their actions, that we ( the military ) would never be in a position to "win" anything from 1959 -1975.

The self-same politicians broke all of their promises and treaty obligations, that they were so enamored of when the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed in 1964, by cutting off aid to our allies and causing many to be executed simply because they "believed" us.

The world will never know how many innocent civilians and former allies of ours were murdered in cold blood in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1975 - 1980.

James: It is evident in the very few "less than favorable" things that you have had to say about your trip to Vietnam that you seem to identify with Communism. I contrast that with the information that Tom posted that confirmed that it is far from any sort of "freedom loving paradise."

We couldn't "win or lose" something that couldn't be "won or lost".

All IMHO.

Larry

[MORTARDUDE]

As for Ann Coulter, she can rot in hell as far as I am concerned...

( see below )

http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/...0001a3c9975188b

excerpted..

{........}

Max Cleland is a man who lost a lot in Vietnam. Disembarking from a helicopter, a grenade -- either his or another soldier?s -- exploded, ripping off most of his three limbs. That?s right, three: two legs, and one arm.

I lost one limb in Vietnam, a leg. I can tell you that for years the mental pain was excruciating. Forget the physical pain; mental pain is the real terror. I can?t image how a man can put himself back together after losing three limbs.

That did not stop Ann Coulter from publishing a vicious piece on Max Cleland that is being widely circulated and celebrated on the political Right. Entitled Dropping Political Grenades -- a reference to the dropped grenade that crippled Cleland, she writes, ?But he didn't ?give his limbs for his country,? or leave them ?on the battlefield.? There was no bravery involved in dropping a grenade on himself with no enemy troops in sight. That could have happened in the Texas National Guard -- which Cleland denigrates while demanding his own sanctification.?

First, it did happen on a battlefield, one called Vietnam. Hasn?t Ann Coulter heard of the Vietnam War? Second, Max Cleland did give his limbs for his country, everyone who loses limbs in a war does. And regardless of the war, popular or unpopular, right or wrong, because youth fight wars and lose body parts, if not their lives, it is others who create the wars and profit handsomely from them.

Let?s not forget, unlike liberal antiwar opponents of the Vietnam War who on principle refused to fight in Vietnam, such as Bill Clinton, which I find an honorable position, Ann Coulter's older Right-wing hawks approved of the Vietnam War yet very few of them went to Vietnam. The young George Bush was certainly a strong defender of fighting the war, as long as he didn?t have to do the fighting. That is not being brave, but giving in to one?s weaker impulses. Yet, when Max Cleland showed up in Vietnam, and stepped off that helicopter in the Southeast Asian jungle, that was being brave. Bravery, evidently, is something the Right has problems understanding.

As for Coulter?s statement, ?That could have happened in the Texas National Guard.? Again she is wrong. The Texas National Guard did not carry live grenades; it was removed from the violence by half the planet earth. This is why George Bush was in the Texas National Guard. It is also, maybe, why today George Bush has all his limbs, while Max Cleland and I as well as tens of thousands of other war veterans don?t.

{.......}

[Gimptster]

"DITTO" your remarks about the bitch of all bitches...Ann Coulter!

Anyone who espouses her "brand" of political commentary should take a long hard look in the mirror!!

[phuloi]

DISGUSTING!

[BLUEHAWK]

Patience, kindness, tolerance and love... that's the way to stick with the winners.

I sometimes see, on PF (the only place I go to talk and listen with people I have yet to meet face to face), that maybe if we had the time and opportunity to sit awhile comfortably together, the conversations would be different... maybe sometimes less heated... I dunno, on the other hand blows might be struck. Just a thought, which is why I usually ask questions for clarity...

Ain't I special?

[Arrow]

The thread generated a lot of conversation and got everyone to thinking and that was a good thing. It made me mad as hell but that wasn't all bad either. There have been some threads that have been posted in the last few weeks and some post within those threads that made me go back and re-evaulate my whole life stand concerning Vietnam from the death of my childrens Father to why we were there. I didn't do this lightly. And I took into consideration all that was said.

Everyone has to draw a line in the sand somewhere and take their stand. James has his line and I've got mine.This thread prompted me to look at that line and ask if I should hold it or step back from it. I'm holding the line for a lot of reasons but mostly because I have confidence in the people of this place we call the United States of America.James paints us on this thread as a hateful people. He questioned in one of his post something to the effect if anything good could come out of Texas. My answer to him is, yes, James something good can come out of TX, OK, TN, AL, GA, NYC, WA, CA, MN, WI, and every other state of this union.

That something goodwas represented by the thousands of people that came to our aid when they blew the Murrah Building all to hell in OK City, it wasrepresented again by the thousands of people that came to the aid of New Yorkers when they blew the hell of the Twin Towers. Name a crisis and the spirit of the American people rises to the challenge.

That same spirit has been carried into every war we have ever fought including Vietnam.If someone wants to fault me for trusting the basic character of the American people in times of crisis or the character of the those that are called out of that people to serve their country in time of war that's their right. As it is my right to stand up andhold the line when someone attacks that character.

I have been accused of being sick and someone you all should pity but I don't accept that dx or the judgement. I'm also quite capableof readingwithin "context". I feel more than blessed and very well thank you. And more than confident that the conclusions I have come to will do me very well to the end of my journey.

Arrow>>>>>>

[ArtySgt]

Little Sparrow, young lady, if I may be so bold to call you that ? Thank you for stand up for what you believe. For what I believe and tens of thousands of others believe. We did the best we could and with good intentions, we were honest and cared for those around us as best we could, with our very lives at stake all the time. It's true we burned out Villages and moved people around, the reason for this was these people were actively trying to KILL us.
Damn it, I was there and to say 30 years later we were the bad guys, the only bad guy makes me numb with anger. Hurt ? Yes we hurt them and they replied in kind. My unit donated money to a leper colony every month, we knew there were NVA and VC there but we left them alone and the NVA/VC left the colony in peace.
It's times like this that I wish I were better educated so that I could express myself better but I'm just a dumb old cop who likes to think that I made a difference in Vietnam.

[BLUEHAWK]

Hold on here jus' a moment, I do not believe James meant to go that far, I just do not believe that, or don't wish to.

We're tryin' tpo get at the little tiny silver seed of truth here... and I want to just stand up and ask that folks give James a chance, there's some truth in what he says just like there is is what any of us says, c'mon now... I don't think he'd ... well crap... I'm in real trouble here, so best to just shut up.