
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 25, 1991                   TAG: 9102260386
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

NEWS MANIPULATED, ALLOWED REDS TO WIN

PAXTON DAVIS' Feb. 1 plea for tolerance of anti-war opinion ignored the hypocrisy of the '60s and'70s "peace" activists who manipulated the news and public sentiment to achieve a communist victory in Vietnam, as an article Jan. 31 explained. In fact, the omission of Vietnam from Davis' discussion of tolerant behavior seemed a too-obvious attempt to dismiss the essence of what he sees as intolerant today, and that essence is America's refusal to be duped into serving the hidden anti-American agenda that tore this country apart before.

During Vietnam, anti-American slogans were the core of the protests. Jane Fonda did slap American prisoners of war as she berated American "killing" machines while playing on communist killing machines (tanks) and laughing like a little girl at recess. Those who denounced violence of any kind did, somehow, justify the bombing of military recruiting centers, et al., in the name of peace.

Military personnel who were never in 'Nam were attacked by angry mobs of intolerant protesters, and we failed to recover even half of our POWs because we were embarrassed into deserting them. However patriotic the protesters may claim to be today, suspicion of their motives is honest, and warranted - especially in view of the several Vietnam-era personalities who have come out of the woodwork to lead the new demonstrations (Philip Berrigan, Daniel Ellsberg, etc.).

The primary civic responsibility inncumbent upon Americans is to stand up for what one believes, and more than 80 percent of the country stands in favor of Desert Storm. It seems to me that we have learned our lessons well, both civics and history. Now, if we can teach those lessons to the news media, we may get our POWs back this time.

Jerome C. Watkins

Salem

by CNB