Two thoughts.

First, about the wedding party and blame. I can remember a "war" where I believed 'em, and was their agent. At the time I thought I had a duty to my country and myself to be a "good citizen". I thought Jane Fonda should be shot (and I'm still not sure she shouldn't have been) and that Mohammed Ali, nee Cassius Clay was a pawn.

Mohammed Ali is my hero, now. As well as many, many other people who believed 'em and who stayed in Southeast Asia, in spirit if not body.

Among the victims of something like the wedding party incident are the people in the Spectre. Those people will go through the tortures of the damned, and I don't think, in the case of some of us, that our good intentions can cover cruel actions. I wish they could. They can't.

As a kid I read a pithy saying - He who means well and doesn't do well is a damned fool. That's true.

Blame for the wedding party? This time I won't be quiet about atrocities. This time I won't try to excuse the inexcusable. This time I won't let them tell me that intentions are good enough, that actions based on good intentions can not be wrong.

I am not proud of being a model citizen in those days, of "doing my duty", of naively following a government I was taught to love. Not country, but government.

If I had to do it again, I would have been snarling at Bull Connor's dogs, I would have been walking through Alabama, I would have possibly buried in an earthen dam in the Deep South.

Am I responsible for that wedding party slaughter? It IS a slaughter if there are 45 dead civilians and NOT ONE combatant on either side is even hurt.

Yes. I'm a citizen of the country which seemingly proudly committed that war crime. The only way I can mitigate my guilt is to protest that and similar actions. If there are marches around here, I'm going. And if they want to arrest me, I could use the rest. Usually in close quarters folks are a bit more afraid of me than I them, and with earplugs I can sleep. My dog and cat are fed largely from a bin, they could go for a month. Neighbors take them for walks, pet them, etc., when I'm gone.

What other reason is there to hang around these boards? To educate anyone, to convince anyone, to win a debate? Won't happen. If there were reason operating, someone besides TB could figure out that Man may have an effect on the climate.

Nope, the reasoning here is emotional. The reason for hanging around is to go on record as not being a part of foolishness, this time. Wish I'd been out there 40 years ago, but then I didn't know how much they lie. They lie a lot. Truth is irrelevant to government, appearances are all that matter.

For instance, anyone who was in Southeast Asia during the '60s and early '70s had to notice that those folks were fighting for their homeland. We weren't. They were willing to absorb any punishment, and keep going. First the fought the Chinese, then the French, then the US. Didn't matter, they were going on.

We were not fighting communism, there was no threat of the Chinese or Russians "taking over" Southeast Asia.

We were there for pride, first, and then because no President could figure out how to get out and get re-elected. Their presidencies were more important than thousands upon thousands of lives.

The second thought is about Iraqi soldiers. US troops massacred them. The bulldozed under thousands who were trying to give up, and the Air Force shot up many columns of unarmed Iraqi civilians and military people. It was disgusting beyond belief, another war crime.

Soldiers who have done that sort of thing cling desperately to whatever excuse might be around. Because they are victims, too, if they are worthy of belonging to the human race.
Gotta go. It's late.

Would've loved the salmon.

Arf