"Robust debate in a democracy will almost always involve occasional rhetorical excesses and leaps of faith. But there is a big difference between that and a systematic effort to manipulate facts in service to a totalistic ideology felt to be more important than basic honesty." --- Former Vice President Al Gore, address in New York to MoveOn.Org, August 7, 2003 |
Contact:
Stephen Sherman
sherman1@flash.net
713-683-9076
For Immediate Release:
Was Kerry Correct About Vietnam?
Are There Lessons for Iraq?
Conference
of Vietnam Veterans and Scholars
to Reexamine Realities of War and Expose Common Myths
at Bostons Simmons College, 25-29 July
From July 26-29, an unprecedented conference featuring Vietnam veterans who have authored books about the war and other scholars and educators will take place at Boston's Simmons College, just a few short miles from the Democratic National Convention.
As Senator John Kerry is about to be nominated for President, in great part based on his Vietnam service, it is important for the American people to understand what Vietnam was really about and to dispel some of the common misconceptions about why we went to war, what we did, what went wrong, and why it mattered.
As other prominent anti-Vietnam activists have noted, John Kerry was the most effective American war protester. His efforts as spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War helped turn Americans against both the war and returning veterans, and his 1971 Senate testimony contributed to the decision by Congress two years later to enact legislation prohibiting the U.S. military from further combat operations to defend the non-Communist countries of Indochina.
Three decades have passed since the last U.S. combat unit withdrew from Vietnam, and the veterans who have organized this conference believe the Kerry candidacy provides an important opportunity for the American people to reexamine the war as well as the way America treated its Vietnam veterans when they came home.
Collectively the panelists have written nearly a score of books and published numerous articles about the war.
Seventeen sessions will address a wide range of subjects, including:
A full list of participants, description of sessions, and times can be found at www.Viet-Myths.net. A limited number of dormitory rooms for attendees are available through this website.
Further information from Steve Sherman at 713-683-9076 or email at sherman1@flash.net . The conference website is www.Viet-Myths.net
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