Imagine there’s no countries; It isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for; And no religion too. Imagine all the people, living life in peace.
Those words are part of the late John Lennon’s anti-war song from his “Imagine” album, which Phil Spector produced and released in 1971, during the heat of the Vietnam War. Lennon himself called the lyrics the perfect communist manifesto. John “Lenin” was right. Phil Spector seems to have a bit of a problem with that “living life in peace” part.
The words to that song shoot up my blood pressure higher than Nancy Pelosi’s eyebrows. We all want to live in peace, but no country? No religion?
Lennon and his hippie buddies were so stoned during the ’60s they didn’t recognize the hate they inspired in the anti-war goons that marched on Washington by the hundreds of thousands. These so-called peaceniks spit on our soldiers and called them “baby killers” and other hateful names.
The “chic” peace crowd left a far more disturbing legacy for future generations. They hardened the hearts of two more generations against military honor, service and sacrifice, while the likes of Tom Hayden and others became appallingly rich and respectable with their anti-American rhetoric.
Leading the pack was John Kerry, who lied about the brave men who fought alongside him in Vietnam. He claimed they killed and raped innocents.
All lies.
The worst thing about these lies is that they still hurt thousands of Vietnam veterans. Many of them (but not most) turned to alcoholism and drug abuse not just because they fought in a brutal war, but because the John Kerrys and Jane Fondas of the world denigrated their service.
America’s mistreatment of our Vietnam veterans and our failure to remember those who protected us during the Korean War are stains on our nation. This is why I work so hard with my organization, Move America Forward, to ensure it never happens again.
We just started a cross-country tour called “Honoring our Heroes for the Holidays” that will take us to New York City at the World Trade Center site. We are collecting more than 100,000 cards of love and support that we did not show our veterans of more recent wars, which I will take to our soldiers in Iraq.
Our first stop on Monday was in Santa Nella, Calif., at The Remembrance Memorial for California Korean War Veterans. The names of 2,495 California veterans are engraved there. Our people were overwhelmed with the service of these veterans who gave their lives for us.
We want to send a message to our veterans and the world: We will NEVER forget you. We will never stand by and allow traitors such as Jane Fonda to go unanswered. This is our mission, and we will not falter.
I cannot count the times Vietnam veterans have worked to protect our current troops from the shame they felt when they came home from war. Some couldn’t wear uniforms because they might face retribution from thankless Americans. Now these veterans show up on their Harleys, protect families at funerals for fallen soldiers and pray for America.
Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson (retired) is vice chairman of Move America Forward. The rabid behavior of Code Pink, Cindy Sheehan, International A.N.S.W.E.R. and the rest of the leftist loons galls him. When he speaks, he thanks all veterans.
“And to the Korean and Vietnam War veterans, welcome home,” he says.
Those simple words that these veterans didn’t hear from our country bring tears to our retired warriors’ eyes.
At my own Thanksgiving dinner this year, we had two Vietnam War era veterans. My husband, Jack, and our friend “Chopper” Bob McDonald.
“Chopper” Bob flew hundreds of missions into the jungles of Vietnam, risking his life over and over again for the troops on the ground, and when he came home, he flew for over 20 years delivering firefighters into hellish conditions to save the lives of others for the U.S. Forest Service.
When I thanked my husband and our friend during our prayer of Thanksgiving, I included a “welcome home” thought. Our big, tough Army veteran looked stunned. Just guessing from his expression, he had never heard those words.
The unwashed souls of the Vietnam era who sang John Lennon’s tune and chanted for a communist society caused this pain. They are the ignorant who don’t deserve to stand on American soil that our troops have protected since the Revolutionary War.
But we live in a republic in which their rights to speak stupidly and act with malice is still protected by the soldiers they disdain.
I have rewritten their anthem:
Imagine no hippies; it isn’t hard to do. Nobody to slander our troops, and no kook goons. Imagine all the people, living life in peace.
