🚀 go-pugleaf

In <gregor.1165610860B@ra.nrl.navy.mil> gregor@nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil (box
of rocks) writes: 
>
>In Article <473ood$q98@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>, mjhines@ix.netcom.com
>(Mark Hines) wrote:
>
>>I suspect that the "spat upon" example is more rhetoric than fact.
>>How many Vietnam veterans do you think were actually spat upon? In
>>reality, probably very few were.  I personally never "spat" on
>>anybody, much less a veteran. Also once a soldier returns home, he
>>can restart his life as he chooses, if he doesn't have psychological
>>problems. After returning home, he is not obliged to tell anyone that
>>he was in Vietnam (except possibly an employer, but they tend to be
>>supportive), nor is he required to wear his dog tags or uniform. Who
>>would know that he was in Vietnam? 
>
>    Far too many. Wrong. Wrong. And just about everybody with average
>interpersonal skills. Just because _you_ imagine things to be a
certain way
>doesn't 'make it so' in the real world. 
>
>        -- Joe
>

Wrong, wrong about what, Joe? You didn't articulate what you mean. Did
your "for too many" comment refer to the number of Vietnam veterans who
were spat upon after returning home or to the number of people a
veteran with average interpersonal skills would confide in that he was
a veteran? If you were disagreeing with my  saying that veterans' being
"spat upon" is more rhetoric than fact, then you are mistaken.  I
suspect that a poll taken of Vietnam veterans will show that a
statistically small number were actually spat upon.  Writing that
veterans were spat upon makes good rhetoric in newspaper copy, but one
must understand the nature of rhetoric. The sole purpose of rhetoric is
to convince weak-minded people of something. If people are convinced in
significant numbers, then the rhetoric has done its job. Rhetoric has
absolutely nothing to do with the truth. For example, during the
Vietnam conflict one often heard the Domino Theory used to justify
escalating the war. A lot of, shall we say, less than intellectual
people fell for this line. As you may recall, the Domino Theory held
that if Southeast Asia fell to Communism other surrounding countries
would fall as well like dominos. Of course, this turned out to be a
lie, although a large number of gullible people swallowed this
rhetoric. The Communists did win that war, but there was no domino
effect. 

If the latter is what you meant, certainly many Vietnam veterans are
messed up people who feel the need to deal with their psychological
problems and unbearable guilt. This need may express itself in the form
of engaging veterans and other people in conversations about Vietnam.
Many of these people are too selfish and immature to recognize that one
of the best ways to relieve their tormented souls is to help those whom
they harmed. For example, raising money for artificial limbs would be a
constructive course of action. 

Mark Hines