Ted Rall for August 21, 2019

There are still MIA in Vietnam though. And I am no militaristic MAGAt.

Passing a law to mandate the POW/MIA flag be flown over federal buildings is tantamount to “thoughts and prayers” – it feels good, it doesn’t cost a damn thing, and it gives the appearance of actual heartfelt Congressional concern to the unwashed masses for the forthcoming (and seemingly unending) election campaigns.

On the other hand, if ANYthing bipartisan gets through either the House or the Senate, well, it’s a surprise. More’s the pity.

(sigh)

Bones. There are MIA in France too.

The myth is always believed, the truth, rarely.

To me the flag still seems appropriate, not only as a way to keep faith with those who still have no closure, but also as a reminder that war is a tragedy for everyone except the owner class.

There’s a difference between POW’s and MIA’s. There are still MIA’s from Vietnam and other conflicts. POW’s? I don’t believe so.

Maybe they’ll amend that bill to erect a Prison Camp of the Unknown POW. In Gitmo, no doubt.

Are they still looking for Glenn Miller?

Flying a flag is but mere symbolism.. those MIA’s are remembered only by those that have memories of them. Governments.. not so much

Perhaps some baby killer Americans were spat on, why not?

It was an illegal and immoral war.

The MIA flag flies over my post office, I think the manager is a vet.

One of my great-uncles is MIA somewhere on Guadalcanal. How’s your mom?

No evidence of protesters calling returning soldiers “baby killers” and spitting, and much worse? How about eye witness accounts. I came home in 1971 and flew into O’Hare Airport. There were no restrictions back then. Anyone could walk right up to the gate to meet you. My family and my girlfriend met me. Protesters greeted me with calls of “baby killer” and worse, and spitting at me.

The protesters were very stupid people in that most who served were drafted, had little choice. And the military then, as now and as since this Nation’s birth, does not make policy but instead carries out the policies made by the civilian elected government. But Rall only carries out the policies of his Russian employers.

1500 missing in action still today. DOES EXIST.

I did a college paper on this subject in 1997. There was no shred of evidence to support the claim that prisoners were still being held then or now. It’s a construct for the flag wavers.

How about honoring living veterans by fully funding the VA and respecting current military by not sending them to far away places to protect the rich man’s overseas investments by killing brown people who talk funny and worship the wrong imaginary father figure in the sky?

Uh, I lived through the Vietnam war era, and am fairly certain that war protesters" did heap abuse on “baby killers.” Even songs on the radio said “He’s the universal soldier and he really is to blame…”This idea came out of the Nuremburg war criminal trials’ ruling that following orders is not an excuse criminal behavior during war.I was not part of this blame game, and am not saying it was widely supported. But I am a pacifist to this day.

MIA also refers to bodies of soldiers that have never been recovered, so are still “missing in action.” The Vietnam war imho was ugly beyond comprehension.

In my mind, the POW/MIA also applies to the combat remains that have yet to return home for proper burial. And if a Vietnam veteran tells me he was treated like crap by some Americans that were anti-war, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. So the political origin of the flag may be just as questionable as the origin of holidays like Columbus Day where the intent may not have been as patriotic as US history class tries to spin it.

I’m confused, aren’t these accounts trustworthy?? "In October 1967, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter James Reston’s front page article in the New York Times described his eyewitness account of protest behavior so vulgar that spitting was the least of the transgressions.” And.. “Other spitting incidents were reported by Pulitzer Prize winners Max Frankel in the New York Times (November 1969) and Carl Bernstein in the Washington Post (May 1970).”

MIA flag only, and only on Veteran’s and Memorial Day, more than that is gesture politics, all the more offensive considering the way the US treats its living veterans. If I was American I’d now have another reason not to support Sen. Warren.

When were you born Mr. Rall? I’m old enough to have come close to being drafted in 1973, and I’ve heard protesters calling vets ‘baby killers’, even years after the ‎My Lai Massacre.

I have no idea whether any POWs are still in Vietnam, I doubt it (MIAs are another issue). However, the statement that there is no evidence that vets were spit on and called “baby killers” is false. I had it happen to me once while I was in college after serving in Vietnam. The ironic thing is not only did I not kill any babies, I never killed anyone in 12 months in Vietnam. During the entire 12 months I only fired my M-16 once to see if it would work if I needed to use the weapon. The other side tried to kill me over half of the days I was in Vietnam by firing rockets at our base camp. I came home with a Purple Heart because I did get injured in one of the attacks. Mr. Rall, please don’t make statements you cannot back up.