Monday, February 05, 2007
Oliver Stone's "Spitoon"
I started a real s***storm with the spitting on veterans post, with things spilling over onto Ace of Spades and Volokh Conspiracy, thanks to the InstaLanche (thank you, O Great One!
Thank you all for the firsthand accounts, and for the entertainingly obnoxious dissents.
Here's someone who was unconvinced - at least, as of last week:
Remember, there is ZERO evidence that these spitting incidents ever occurred. None. Not a single arrest, police report or newspaper/media account contemporary with the event.
If you can find one (and not some bogus after-the-fact reminiscence), send it to me and I will eat my words.
Well, here's yet another bilous, foul-mouthed and angry lefty who'd rather call his fellow veterans liars - including Joshua Sparling by name - than grant even the smallest rhetorical victory.
Unfortunately, not only do we have veterans and eyewitnesses coming forward to discredit Farnsworth's position in the comments to this blog and others - we also have someone now on record having confessed to being among those doing the spitting.
Oh, waiter! The snarling, angry fool in the corner would like one order of crow!
Thank you all for the firsthand accounts, and for the entertainingly obnoxious dissents.
Here's someone who was unconvinced - at least, as of last week:
Remember, there is ZERO evidence that these spitting incidents ever occurred. None. Not a single arrest, police report or newspaper/media account contemporary with the event.
If you can find one (and not some bogus after-the-fact reminiscence), send it to me and I will eat my words.
Well, here's yet another bilous, foul-mouthed and angry lefty who'd rather call his fellow veterans liars - including Joshua Sparling by name - than grant even the smallest rhetorical victory.
Unfortunately, not only do we have veterans and eyewitnesses coming forward to discredit Farnsworth's position in the comments to this blog and others - we also have someone now on record having confessed to being among those doing the spitting.
Oh, waiter! The snarling, angry fool in the corner would like one order of crow!
Comments:
Jason,
Enjoy your blog very much.
This entry struck a deep responsive chord with me. It was September 1973. I was a a 1Lt in the USAF. I was running late to pick up my wife at school; and because I was late I ignored the "suggestive orders" of the base commander...I wore my uniform off-base. As I was approaching the school library I heard a muffled voice off my 5 O'clock say "How many babies you burn today flypig." I gave them a glare; none of the immediate hairy mulitude gave me a clue as to who made the comment but then almost immediately one of the babes (I use the term loosely) became aggressive and began a obscenity laden tirade; same tired crap, the military, the Nixon administration, US imperialism, etc., etc., etc. One of the males must have been emboldened and let loose with a spit rocket which landed on my left chest just above the pocket. I was severely outnumbered and discretion being the better part of valor at that moment (I visualized the photo image of a uniformed AF officer in a fight with a group of college students) I summoned a campus cop and reported to him what happened. He took the time to take some notes; the hippies were uncooperative and refused to identify themselves. The cop professed to be sympathetic but didn't appear to me to be particularly interested in dealing with this matter.
Since I believed there was a potential for law-enforcement feedback I reported this matter to my Wing Commander the next morning. He told me "Son, you've got wings and your in uniform. You're a target. Leave the uniform at home."
Beyond being spit upon without retaliating was humiliating but there were two other elements which affected me even more than being spit upon.
First, this incident occurred at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Little Rock, Arkansas. This was middle-America. This was the US heartland.
Second, I was advised not to wear the uniform of my own country's Air Force ... while in my own country.
FSH,
Jack Else
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Enjoy your blog very much.
This entry struck a deep responsive chord with me. It was September 1973. I was a a 1Lt in the USAF. I was running late to pick up my wife at school; and because I was late I ignored the "suggestive orders" of the base commander...I wore my uniform off-base. As I was approaching the school library I heard a muffled voice off my 5 O'clock say "How many babies you burn today flypig." I gave them a glare; none of the immediate hairy mulitude gave me a clue as to who made the comment but then almost immediately one of the babes (I use the term loosely) became aggressive and began a obscenity laden tirade; same tired crap, the military, the Nixon administration, US imperialism, etc., etc., etc. One of the males must have been emboldened and let loose with a spit rocket which landed on my left chest just above the pocket. I was severely outnumbered and discretion being the better part of valor at that moment (I visualized the photo image of a uniformed AF officer in a fight with a group of college students) I summoned a campus cop and reported to him what happened. He took the time to take some notes; the hippies were uncooperative and refused to identify themselves. The cop professed to be sympathetic but didn't appear to me to be particularly interested in dealing with this matter.
Since I believed there was a potential for law-enforcement feedback I reported this matter to my Wing Commander the next morning. He told me "Son, you've got wings and your in uniform. You're a target. Leave the uniform at home."
Beyond being spit upon without retaliating was humiliating but there were two other elements which affected me even more than being spit upon.
First, this incident occurred at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Little Rock, Arkansas. This was middle-America. This was the US heartland.
Second, I was advised not to wear the uniform of my own country's Air Force ... while in my own country.
FSH,
Jack Else
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
# posted by 
: 1:17 PM
: 1:17 PM
For any who think there was no media evidence of spitting claims prior to 1980, a poster at Swift vets researched media archives and has stored 12 jpg copies of articles mentioning spitting on returning Vets dating back to 1967.
Articles may be viewed at Spitting on Vets a Myth? Page 2
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Articles may be viewed at Spitting on Vets a Myth? Page 2
