Jane Fonda

[oldjones]

Actress or not I think you are forgeting the point that her actions
led to the torture of her own countrymen…edit…

I guess I missed that documentary. Feel free to reference it for me.
I'd think the government officials, elected and appointed and the military command who all pursued an unjust and cruel war were a lot more directly "responsible" for what happened to her countrymen than she was as an actress in a foreign country.
I did read earlier in the thread about prisoner abuse during her trip that one could hardly hold her accountable for, any more than the maimed and dead men, women and children of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia could be laid to the account of an individual American bomb aimer.

 

[danmand]

Re: Re: Read the whole article that Sheik linked.

Come on guys, she was a young, naive person who was used by the North and has stated what she did was wrong, over and over again - It's time to stop fighting the Vietnam war.

Yes, and consider the irony of it!!

 

[oldjones]

…edit…
Since when did apologizing absolve you of criminal responsibilty.

Worked for Nixon.
Is the American legal system so inept and flawed that it couldn't actually put together a case against this evil harpy in all this time? Her crimes seem to have been so public, surely those whose hatred is so vocal have been bringing forward the compelling evidence that would convict her. But she was never even charged? How could this be? Could it possibly be that justice and truth and the American way have actually prevailed? Could she be not guilty? Anything but that!
So there she goes, an unconvicted traitor. Except in the minds (sic) of those who believe "my country right or wrong, especially wrong" trumps all. So who's yer pick for Baghdad?

 

[dax]

Actually that's not true - the apologies came out when she was married to Ted Turner and she was no longer active in her acting career.

In 1988 (she married Ted in 1991) Fonda appeared on 20/20 and was interviewed by Barbara Walters. The timing of the interview is interesting. Jane Fonda was making a movie in New England ("Stanley and Iris") and the movie's production schedule was seriously interrupted by demonstrations from angry Vietnam Veterans. She said: "I was trying to help end the killing and the war, but there were times when I was thoughtless and careless about it and I'm . . . very sorry that I hurt them. And I want to apologize to them and their families."

 

[kbluejayk]

Tks guys, for an interesting thread.....some time ago, I received a similar email with a request to pass it on!.....My alarm bells went off and I checked the Urban Legends website....which confirmed that the story was FALSE!! Could this be the reason why no charges were ever laid?? You can see the full story at;-
www.urbanlegends.about.com
I know that she went to Vietnam and did some stupid things but it would appear that the facts have got somewhat distorted with the telling!

 

[Rearviewer]

no wonder urban myths flourish

It's true

http://www.snopes.com/military/fonda.htm

kbluejayk, you are correct.

Too bad nobody really read all of the webpage referenced by Sheik. It confirms that the email is mostly false.

An excerpt:
"The most serious accusations in the piece quoted above -- that Fonda turned over slips of paper furtively given her by American POWS to the North Vietnamese and that several POWs were beaten to death as a result -- are proveably untrue. Those named in the inflammatory e-mail categorically deny the events they supposedly were part of. "

 

[Ranger68]

Uh, no, actually the email is mostly TRUE. There are some patently false charges (or at least specifics) in the email, but the spirit of it, as well as some of the specific incidents, as true.

That's why snopes says "true" not "false".

 

[Rearviewer]

Snopes says this:

"Claim: During a 1972 trip to North Vietnam, Jane Fonda propagandized on behalf of the North Vietnamese government, declared that American POWs were being treated humanely and condemned U.S. soldiers as "war criminals" and later denounced them as liars for claiming they had been tortured.

Status: True. "

The question posed by this thread was about that email. I stand by my previous post that the email is bogus.

I'm out of here, back to the Escort Incalls section.

 

[Ranger68]

Uh, as you yourself say, snopes says "true".

"Whether the war was right or wrong, those who risked (and gave) their lives fighting it deserve respect, and for Fonda to brand men who were held captive and tortured as "liars" and "hypocrites" (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary) in order to defend her political views was and is unpardonable."

Ah, well, there's no arguing with crazy people.

 

[oldjones]

And no one on the other side—that would be the side that, in spite of all evidence, planned to win the war by bombing all of Indo-China, civilian and military alike—made unfounded slanders against her, or peacenicks in general? Certainly there have been none in this thread. [Note to Mods: sarcasm smiley appears broken]

"Unpardonable" is a very big word. Just as an example, I believe the entire religion of Christianity is based on forgiveness of all sin.

Frankly, I'd say her unfounded insults to those men was about the same ill-considered level of hyperbole as "unpardonable". Certainly seemed so at the time.

Get over it. The only thing wrong with her visit? The Secretary of State wasn't traveling with her to start the peace talks. That wouldn't happen for years and deaths to come.

 

[danmand]

Right on Oldjones. At the time her actions seemed ill conceived, but in the light of history, she may have been more right than wrong.
"from the mouth of babes we will hear the truth"

 

[Ranger68]

In what way were the American soldiers fighting in Viet Nam war criminals?
She was more wrong than right.
I'm done with this argument.

 

[oldjones]

Geez Ranger how often must it be posted—several times in this thread clearly is still too few—for you to get it: She admitted she was wrong and apologized about the criminals statement. She was right about the war.

 

[Ranger68]

What was she right about???
She accused American soldiers of being war criminals, and claimed that American POW's were being treated fairly.
?!?!?!
I'm done.
Have a nice day.

 

[gala]

The biggest problem i have with the anti-war movement is that it too quickly becomes a pro-enemy movement. That's what happened to Jane Fonda and it still happens--people can see that their side did something wrong and then somehow flip and think the other side must be all peace and roses.

Yeah sure the US should have got a UN resolution before going into Iraq and they were wrong not to. It's not that Saddam was a nice guy, but setting a precedent of unilateral action, and basing it on information that was either carelessly or knowingly wrong is ungood.

Still, kicking out Saddam was probably a GOOD thing for Iraq no matter how it happened and I have no patience with people who somehow think the American's screwups somehow mean Saddam was a nice guy--he was raping, murdering, torturing, and generally screwing everyone in Iraq until the Americans defeated him.

 

[jwmorrice]

Who's been defending Saddam as a "nice guy"???

jwm

 

[oldjones]

What was she right about???
…edit…

You have heard about the Viet Nam War, haven't you?