USVI: Supporting Kerry by sliming others

The Vietnam War was a real test of character. It was a moment of truth in which people revealed who they really were. Hard choices were made. Resisters to the draft faced jail time or a self-imposed exile in Canada. Those who fought found themselves engaged in a brutal, frustrating and unwinnable war. Crimes were committed that have never been fully acknowledged. Almost 60,000 Americans died, in addition to millions of Vietnamese. Many veterans returned home both physically and psychologically damaged.

There were easier ways out that those of lesser conscience or character could take. National Guard or Reserve duty was one. Another was securing student deferments (as did our current vice-president, Dick Cheney). They could avoid the hard choices made by both those who served and those who resisted.

We as a nation have still not acknowledged the fact that the War in Vietnam was a disgrace to American ideals. The full responsibility rests on those leaders who initiated it and continued it even after they knew it could not be won, who placed men like John Kerry in a moral and political quagmire.

Those who spoke out against the war should be honored. Those who used - and continue to use - the flag and patriotism to discredit them should be ashamed of themselves.

The editorialist, Paul Leary, is professor emeritus in political science at the Univ. of the Virgin Islands. It seems that that the good professor has forgotten how to do research. If he had done his research, he'd have known better than to repeat tired old lies and tired old mantras; he'd have known better than to repeat the collopswaddle written in John Effin Kerry's book. What is interesting about Leary's editorial is how it turns the world upside down. Draft dodgers and war protesters have more character and integrity than those who served in the National Guard or secured a deferment. How one speaks about Viet Nam is as revelatory of character as what one did during that era.