July 7, 2000
I would like to see this film and book and would like to be open to
different, even contradictory ideas, but I admit, this POW/MIA stuff
seems like pure jerk around bullshit to me. Imperialist countries pull
this bullshit down through history: none of our Roman, English,
American (fill in your favorite invading country here) citizens or
soldiers can ever be denigrated in any respect. Even Russia pulls this
in present day Chechnya. Any of our guys die in an imperialistic war
are to be pursued to the ends of the earth, your deaths amount of
NOTHING. So it is in Vietnam. Two million dead from Vietnam. Give me a
F*** ing break. And we're hounding Vietnam for 2,000 war dead, or war
criminals, depending upon your perspective. It's a right wing, cry on
my shoulder movement. Get over it. Your noble boys, who could have been
me, died shooting people in a country where they should never have
been. I got my notice and threat and knock on the door from the FBI
myself. Fuck them. Wake up and don't send your sons, husbands,
brothers, and uncles to imperialist wars. It's a little late to cry
over their deaths. Blame yourself for not warning them.
Best, Don Monkerud.
At 8:00 AM -0400 7/7/00, Virginia Laffey wrote:
> Hi Randy,
>
>I'm sorry if I wasn't clear in my post. I have not read Franklin but
have read Keating's Prisoners of Hope. I found her
argument compelling and agree with her claim that POW/MIA families
have been strung along and mislead for political purposes for many
years. My defense of Daniel's film is because he is not making a
political stand, or using this film about the POW/MIA movement for
some hidden right wing agenda, but rather exploring the development of
the myth through film. Phil Daniels has read Franklin , has
recommended it to me and his work is informed by it. The other point I
want to make is that this first episode traces the origins of the
movement and its growth through the end of the war. Later episodes will
examine the ways the movement has been used politically and the myths
that surround the POW/MIA issue. So no, this episode does not address
Franklin's charges, but from my correspondence with Mr. Daniels I
believe that he fully intense to address them in the later episodes.
What I like so much about the film I saw is that it is similar to the
work I am doing, which is an oral history of the woman who waited
during the Vietnam War. This first episode "Among the Missing" is
wonderful in that it shows the ways that a certain group of women tried
to deal with a situation that was truly nightmarish. Because of the
focus of my work I am partial hearing the story of these often
invisible and overlooked women. So that is where I'm coming from. I
hope I have been more clear this time.
>
>Virginia
>
>Randy Fertel wrote:
>
>on 7/6/00 7:38 AM, Virginia Laffey at vlaffey@edgenet.net wrote:
>
>> Mr. Lauter argues that these women were organized by the Nixon
>> White House and truly they were not. Co-opted, yes, organized no.
The
>> implication I read in Mr. Lauter's post was that Phillip Daniels'
film is yet
>> another instance where the well meaning but naive families of
POW/MIA are
>> being exploited, being "used for very cynical political purposes."
Rest
>> assured, this is not so. Better yet, don't take my word for it,
watch the film
>> and then make a judgment. Just because the topic is a sensitive one
does not
>> mean that a filmmaker/historian/scholar cannot handle it with
fairness and
>> accuracy. Mr. Daniels does this admirably with his first
installment and I
>> look forward to future episodes.
>
>It would be helpful if you addressed Mr. Lauter's suggestion that one
needs
>to read Bruce Franklin on the POW/MIA issue. Have you read Franklin?
Is
>your appreciation of Daniel's documentary despite having read
Franklin? Has
>Daniel read Franklin and does he address his charges? Since I for one
find
>Franklin's argument extremely compelling, it's hard to imagine
handling this
>issue "with fairness and accuracy" without dealing with Franklin's
charges.
>
>I'm sure you are right that we should watch the film and judge for
>ourselves. Still, in the meantime it would be nice to know where you
and
>Daniel are coming from. . .
>
>Thanks,
>
>Randy Fertel
>Tulane University
>419 Walnut St.
>New Orleans LA 70118
>randy@fertel.com
><http://www.fertel.com/
>504-862-0707 (voice)
>504-862-0040 (fax)
>504-450-9178 (cell)
>
>