Vietnam

[Alison Murie]

On May 20, 2010, at 2:30 PM, ronbutters wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ronbutters <ronbutters at AOL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Vietnam
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>
> Well, no, it seems pretty clear that Blumenthal was not and is not
> "tradin=
> g on the sacrifices of others."=A0Obviously, there are people who
> set out=
> to do so, for a wide variety of reasons. There are also politicians
> and=
> ideologues and journalists who want to make a name for themselves in
> "inv=
> estigative" reporting who have agendas that allow them to profit by
> creati=
> ng images of ducks out of finger shadows. They are the real
> charlatans who=
> are trading on the sacrifices of others" by using really phony
> charges to=
> create outrage in those who did the sacrificing, their loved ones,
> and an=
> yone with a sense of the injustice that was done in this country to
> Viet=
> Nam veterans.
>
> If nothing else, does it not really make sense to ask oneself, "Why
> would=
> a politician set out to deliberately deceive the public about
> something=
> that was so obviously easily discoverable--especially since he
> himself ha=
> d made it clear in unequivocal public pronouncements that he was not
> a war=
> hero?" And "Why would someone who had served honorably in the
> Marines wis=
> h to discredit his fellow Marines by claiming that he had taken the
> same=
> risks that they had taken?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two points here:  Blumenthal must have trained as a lawyer, since he
is the AG of CT.  It makes the carelessness defense rather doubtful,
IMO.  As to why would a politician indulge in an easily disprovable
lie: for the same reasons that animate most of their public life, for
gain.  Look at our vice president who told such an elaborate lie about
his own background when running for (was it president?) some years
ago, that it is astounding that his career survived at all.  I think
getting into office goes to the head of many, & they begin to think
they can get away with just about anything.
AM

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