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Hanoi War Crimes Museum

Posted by Rick · August 21st, 2004 · 3 Comments

Oh for the days when reporters reported the news with integrity.

ABC News Online reports the comments of a veteran recently:

Evans, a Marine reconnaissance pilot and forward air controller in Vietnam, still believes Kerry’s statements about American atrocities and war policy were treasonous.

“His photo hangs in a Hanoi museum in a war crimes room,” Evans says, “and he’s listed as a foreign hero.” Mike Cerre, “Mixed Feelings,” ABC News Online (August 15, 2004).

As has been detailed elsewhere, the story isn’t true.

In the old days, reporters writing a story like this would have followed the quote with statements pointing out that there is no “war crimes room,” that the picture was taken when Kerry was part of a delegation of veterans’ groups visiting Vietnam partly to find out what happened to soldiers still listed as “missing in action,” that other officials whom not even Evans would accuse of being treasonous are pictured alongside Kerry in that museum and readers would not be tricked into thinking that taking part in the attempt to bring home the remains of MIA/KIA soldiers shows a lack of integrity.

On the other hand, how smart is Evans, anyway?

“The issue of character and trustworthiness are so vitally important for somebody who is a commander-in-chief,” Evans adds, reflecting on how he’ll vote. “I’m not even going to address the domestic issues or other political things.”

Makes perfect sense to me. A nation that theoretically values peace doesn’t care about the quality of life at home “or other political things.” All that matters is that we elect a man who would lie to the entire country in order to get us into a war that is bankrupting us, in order to open new markets for Halliburton and funnel off American dollars and American jobs.

“Character” and “trustworthiness.” Here’s character for you: The President of the United States says, “There ought to be limits to freedom” because someone poked fun at him on a website. Here’s trustworthiness for you: The President of the United States, who never flip-flops:

BUSH WANTS OSAMA DEAD OR ALIVE . . . “I want justice. And there’s an old poster out West, I recall, that says, ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive.'” [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]

…BUSH DOESN’T CARE ABOUT OSAMA “I don’t know where he is. You know, I just don’t spend that much time on him . . . I truly am not that concerned about him.” [President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]

And, of course, there are the still missing Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Much more of Bush’s character and integrity and we won’t have a United States for which to elect a President.

Special thanks to Mark King for documenting Bush’s stand on Osama bin Forgotten.
 
UPDATE: See my more recent article exposing Republican attempts to mislead people about the placement and consequent meaning of the Kerry photo posted in the Hanoi War Remnants Museum — complete with diagrams.

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3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Bob // Sep 4, 2004 at 8:49 am

    I think you missed the point. Yes, the photo was taken in ’93 when Kerry was there to look into the MIA issues. The point is that the Communists hung the photo in the “War Crimes Remnants Room” as a tribute to thhen Lt. Kerry’s speeches about American war crimes.

  • 2 Rick // Sep 4, 2004 at 2:04 pm

    Welcome, He-Who-Cannot-Read. 😉

    Kerry’s photo isn’t the only one hanging in the museum; his photo hangs alongside that of other representatives of that same delegation, none of whom anyone has considered accusing of being supportive of, or honored by, the North Vietnamese.

    For more detail, see my response to your comment in my latest blog entry: Kerry “Honored” by Hanoi War Crimes Prison.

    By virtue of the fact that you’ve presented this statement without any indication that you’re trying to be ironic, funny, or otherwise cognizant of its falsehood, though, I suspect you either will fail to read the article (or the supporting documents cited in it), or be unable to comprehend it (or them).

  • 3 Ian // Sep 15, 2004 at 10:03 pm

    Having recently visited the War Crimes Museum, I am amazed at how many people have not got the point of the exhibition. It is not to state that he was of assistance to the Hanoi Govt, it is actually accusing him of war crimes against the people of Vietnam. Maybe it has changed from when it was first reported, but as of a couple of weeks ago, that was the true intention of the display.

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