It was more than "hippies" who opposed the Vietnam war

[WI_DEM]

I don't know enough about vetwife to make any judgements on her fate and whether she should have stayed at DU or not. She has defenders who are passionate and detractors who are equally so. In reading these posts the one thing that I want to comment on is that vetwife seems to have it in for "hippies."

Perhaps her husband had a bad experience with "long-hairs", I don't know, but most "hippies" I know or knew--were passionate people who loved their fellow man and that included our troops in Vietnam and our troops in Iraq (yes, there are still a few hippies around). There passionate opposition to these tragic wars helped change America and ultimately saved lives--including many of our service personnel.

But, opposition to Vietnam, like Iraq, was more than "long-hairs" opposing American policy, but people from all walks of lives. The first large scale protests were on American campuses in early 1965--not many stereotypical "hippies" at those protests, but clean cut kids and professors.

p.s.
It has also been demonstrated that the FBI under Hoover with Nixon's full knowledge infiltrated some peace organizations by having agents pose as "hippies" and that some of the incidents of anti-war demonstraters disrespecting returning troops were infact these infiltrators trying to turn public opinion against the peace movement by generating negative publicity.

As the war raged on and more bodies came home the anti-war effort included many mothers--one such influential group was "Mothers Against the War" and one of its national chairwomen epitomized American motherhood and apple pie--Donna Reed, who prior to this was a registered Republican who voted for Nixon in 1960. She represented many similar women--who didn't want any more kids coming home in boxes or maimed for life either physically or mentally--or both.

People of all walks of life--mothers,fathers, vets, students, professionals, blue collar, farmers opposed that war and the current war. They, along with "hippies" changed America for the better by standing up to the establishment and sticking up for our men and women in uniform by doing so.

[pdurod1]

1. They called it "main stream America"

lots of bitterness still exists today

[maveric]

2. I was a "Long Hair" during Viet nam and attended many protests...

and NEVER witnessed anything but pride, thanks, sympathy and welcome to homecoming war vets. There may have been a handfull of isolated incidents regarding spitting on vets but not a movement.

Its just another RW smear-job of the peace movement.

If Vetwife beleives that there was a movement then she has drunk the Kool Aid and gone over to the deluded dark side.

What Bullshit!

[MichaelHarris]

3. she did

exactly the same thing she accused DU of, condemn an entire group of people based on their beliefs and hair length. Wonder what her thoughts on Martin Luther King are he opposed the war, did she like Bobby Kennedy at all? Those guys were really just clean cut hippies. Maybe it's OK for her to condemn everyone that has a belief opposing hers as long as everyone supports her "troops".

[MnFats]

4. thank you. i agree completely. Any of us who leaned toward...

....being 'hippies' have been vilified, it seems, more with each passing year.
....it was about rejecting materialism, racism and prejudice, respecting others, opposing violence and war....
....and i guess you gotta throw in some sex and drug use too, but they were not the main point.
....I once wrote for my college paper a profile of a guy running for mayor,with only the backing of some students and campus hangers-on...I asked him to sum up his outlook and he replied, "I am a hippie. I believe in peace, love and freedom."

what's so wrong about that?

by the way, the guy got more than 20 percent of the vote, which shocked the hell out of everyone....

[MichaelHarris]

5. being a hippie of old

I'm proud we were able to stop an unjust war and save thousands of young Americans from marching to their deaths and killing hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese. If being a hippie means that then bring me out of retirement coach.

[Ken Burch]

9. Right on, Michael

(BTW, I noticed your "Killer Whale Clan" formline drawing. Are you in or from Southeast Alaska?)

[MichaelHarris]

11. Washington St

unfortunately the red side of the state.

[Ken Burch]

12. Should we call that part "Temporarily Washington State?"

[ElectroPrincess]

6. No, we've lost her ... as IMHO she's done a 180 degree turn ...

and has for the duration collapsed into a "I love Big Brother after all" stance ... in her new dark, dank and hate-filled home away from home.

IMO she's lost forever. :shrug:

[punpirate]

8. I don't know how to gauge this...

... as some significant event, or a tempest in a teapot. But, from the posts I've read, of hers and of others, I think she has much of her life invested in her husband, a disabled Vietnam vet. I suspect, for that reason, her opinions have changed as her husband's opinions have changed. Combine that with a kind of worship of her husband that makes her life meaningful and you have, also, an understanding of military life and war and of soldiers which is both romantic and misinformed.

That may well lead to some confusion on her part about the opinions of others here about war and the military as expressed in more political or philosophical terms, as well as some confusion on their part about what she is (was) saying.

Just my best guess, based on what I read.

[ElectroPrincess]

10. Excellent point ...

I'm a wife of a retired Marine and an Army Veteran. I can only add that I have it on good authority that she has relocated on the Net and is posting elsewhere.

Therefore, I'd only add that her new found acquaintances may be also influencing her opinions. As I recall she can be as feisty as myself so I should be the last person to judge her harshly.

I regret that she has chosen such a path but we all must be true to ourselves.

Personally, albeit mine is a proud Military Service family back to the Civil War (We fought for The North), I have always held political beliefs "left of center" and do not plan to change in the future. :hippie:

[DemBones DemBones]

7. I don't have any particular opinion about vetwife except that

she is wrong about DU being anti-military. As I've said in other threads, I'm a military brat and I don't take kindly to people bashing the military. I would notice if it were a problem at DU.

My father retired in 1966 and turned against the Viet Nam War, by the way.

People make many false assertions about any era -- no era is as simple as it seems in a movie or (often) one person's recollection. I knew a lot of peace activists, never knew any who hated soldiers or would have spit on them, and never heard the claims that soldiers were spit on until years later. It may have happened to a few people but there was no organized movement dedicated to harassing returning vets.

P.S. Another Mother for Peace was another big group, not really a hippie group. I was a member. Our slogan was and is (AMP has been revived!) "War is not healthy for children and other living things."