Deja Vu from the 1979 Movie
Occasionally, we hear people compare the Iraq War to the Vietnam war that ripped this country apart in the 1960's and 70's. Others immediately charge that this comparison is "ridiculous" and "politically motivated." So I steer clear of making such comparisons, until now.
One of my favorite movies was American Graffiti. The 1972 groundbreaking George Lucas work shows a night in the life of several teenagers in the early 1960's, just as America was "losing it's innocence." At the end of the movie, the viewers get a single line follow up about what happened to each of the main charachters in the following years.
Seven years later, Lucas broke more ground by offering a sequel. the 2nd movie, titled "More American Graffiti" showed just how each of the people we left behind in the orig. story met the fates described in the postscript of the 1st movie. The sequel wasn't the greatest, but it was good. At times, it's hard to keep track which year the story is in, as the story is not told chronologically. In that movie, which shows the disconnect betwen the pro vietnam people and the anti war activists at the time, Cindy Williams plays the wife of Ron Howard, an insurance salesman. Both are what most would consider to be conservatives, or at least traditionalists. whatever you consider them, Williams charachter in particular is decidedly pro vietnam. And the lines she spews at times are chilling considering the current backdrop.
In one scene, Williams argues with her brother, an anti war activist that "we are fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here." In another scene, she pleads to her husband that we can't withdraw from vietnam, as that would just cause them to follow us back here to attack.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....sound familiar?
This movie wasn't made "post 9/11." It contains no political agenda concerning Iraq and is only looking to show the viewpoints held by both pro and anti war people as of 1967. Saddam Hussein wasn't even in power when this movie was being made.
Wow, was it true? are we repeating a history we don't remember?
I went out and dug up some of Johnson's old speeches. There's a lot of em, so I decided to start with his "State of the Union' speeches. And reading sections of these speeches was downright scary....here's some excerpts:
from state of the union 1967...
President Johnson: "we are in Vietnam beause...(they are threatening)...the independence of all the small nations of southeast aisa, and threatens the peace of the entire region and perhaps the world."
President Johnson: " we are there because the Congress has pledged by solemn vote to take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression."
President Johnson: We have chosen to fight a limited war in Vietnam in an attempt to prevent a larger war--a war almost certain to follow, i believe, if the communists succeed in overrunning and taking over south Vietnam by aggression and by force. I believe, and i an supported by some authority, that if they are not checked now the world can expect to pay a greater price to check them later."
More comparisons are apparent when Johnson speaks of how they are kicking he enemy's ass, but we aren't leaving any time soon....
President Johnson: 'Our men in that area--there are nearly 500,000 now--have bourne well "the burden and heat of the day." Their efforts have deprived the communist enemy of the victory that he sought and expected a year ago. We have steadily frustrated his main forces. general Westmoreland reports that the enemy can no longer succeed on the battlefield."(kinda sounding like the "last throws of an insurgency")
President Johnson: "I think I reveal no secret when i tell you that we are dealing with astubborn adversary who is committed to the use of force and terror to settle political questions.
I wish i could report to you that the conflict is almost over. This I cannot do. We face more cost, more loss, and more agony. for the end is not yet. I cannot promise you that it will come this year--or come next year. Our adversary still believes...That he can go on fighting longer than we can, and longer than we and our allies will be prepared to stand up and resist."(scary, isn't it?)
Wow. The more i read, the more I saw the same lines, at least paraphrased, sometimes almost a direct quote, when Johnson was talking about Vietnam before the escalation, in January of 1967.
Some still contend that the comparisons are ridiculous. I'm not so sure anymore.
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