PLANET CALIFORNIA

I'm frustrated that so few young folks know about Vietnam, other than what was taught in the re-education camps, aka public school classrooms, run by left-leaning teacher unions for the past forty years.

Why? Because twenty and thirty-somethings have been told that war is bad, peace is good, no matter what. It's time they knew there's more at stake than the war in Iraq and killing terrorists.

United for Peace and Freedom

"Who are those people?" asks a curious ten-year-old as she watches the TV image of marchers in the streets at last summer's Republican convention. "Why are they so rude and angry?"

"Because, Sweetheart, they're not getting their way again," answers her grandmother.

"Start with the name. First clue is the word, 'unite,' instructed Granny. "Now, anytime you see that word, it usually means a lot of people are getting together to protect something very important to them."

Our ten-year-old looks up at Grammy, eager to know more.

"Peace. Sounds benign. Pax. Doves. You know, the Coke song," Grandma continues.

So far so good, thinks Grandma.

The little girl, looks quizzically at her teacher. "The Coke song?"

"Nevermind. You're too young." She goes on. "Justice. Ahhh. There's your tip off. Anytime the word justice is included in politics, you gotta know it probably comes from the mouth of a person left of center.

The UNPF is a group of leftist orgs from the Communist Party USA, RANT, Historians Against War, whose sophisticated protest march machine lies about who they are an what they want."

Grandma laments, "Damn 'em."

The little girl, her head resting on her grandma's lap, about to nod off, yawns, then asks, "Grammy, what's communism?"

The Results of Re-Education

Now that our kids don't know squat about history, let alone civics and language, we have to do some of our own re-education. If we don't, we'll have this continuous cycle of the hard left's coalescing with our enemies in pushing civilization into a fight. The fall of the and new western democracies have pushed the left back across the line--for a while. But, like a snake under a rock, just a tad bit of heat, and out they come.

Since most of the dogma of the left and far left has replaced their prior faith commitment, if any, there's a tendency for these groups to have hangers-on from decade to decade. Once involved in the religion of socialism, it's probably as hard to get out of as a victim of Jim Jones, thus you got a bunch of old guys trying to be hip. Most of the protestors there were organized from within the city and its environs during the Republican convention; it's hardly a national march.

It's important our children know that their fathers and grandfathers were not baby killers. They should know that lots of people didn't support the war, but most would have, if the military had been given permission to win the damned thing. But, no. The antiwar people, given way too much voice in proportion to their actual size (CBS, NBC, ABC decided this was the issue of the decade--they hated another Texan then, as I recall.)

Bring it On

John Kerry hasn't really done penance for his generation's immature hyperbole and poor judgment. He still refuses to take responsibility for the time his voice and that of Jane Fonda was played over the public address system at the Hanoi Hilton. His not acknowledging that his actions hurt millions of people is telling. He refuses to apologize specifically.

John Kerry represents the people who caused other people great pain. I hope this election does something more than selecting a president. I want this vote to come as a repudiation of all that the left stood for then and still stands for today.

We've solved the original thesis in support of the U.S. action in Vietnam: If the U.S. does not help Indochinese nations become free of French protectionism and Communist revolutionary efforts in the North, not only will the south fall, so will Cambodia and Laos. And that is exactly what happened. The antiwar people were wrong then, and they're wrong now.

What a great lesson to our kids. There are things you have to pay for. Just look at that poor Mr. Kerry. Because of his irresponsible actions, he may not get to do what he wanted most in the world--to become president.

Thanks for the read.