Jane Fonda's Apology: So Far I'm Sorry I Got Caught

It’s no coincidence that Jane Fonda’s new book, My Life So Far, precedes the release of her new movie Monster-in-Law. That’s just good old-fashioned Hollywood promotion; however, something went wrong on the way to Larry King’s forum – she did not apologize for her activities in Vietnam. Yes, her publicity blitz expresses regrets, but there is no heartfelt apology. When the avuncular interviewer actually asked a challenging question about her nefarious goings on it was clear Jane hadn’t rehearsed her lines – here’s her sincere response: “I’m sorry I was photographed sitting on an anti-aircraft gun.” Wow, her arrogance and failure to comprehend, over thirty years later, her reprehensible acts provoked me into adding to the already voluminous criticisms of her. I’d rather not, frankly, but it is she who has flung herself upon our sensibilities. I really don’t care for her new book and would rather a weekend with my “Monster-In-Laws” than to read that psychobabble about how she twisted herself into a pretzel to satisfy the men in her life. Nevertheless, that’s just me, and if her new book and movie do well then congratulations to her. However, having again thrust herself into the public spotlight by desperately seeking our approval she must realize that her activist past opens her up to a review that goes beyond her artistic endeavors.

So, what does Hanoi Jane have to apologize for? Well, there is much more than the enemy gun fiasco. There’s her condemnation of our soldiers; she substituted for “Hanoi Hannah” on radio Hanoi; and, compared President Nixon to Hitler. Now, we have her on newly discovered tapes accusing our troops of genocide. Anti-G.I. Jane: does your newly crafted Christian persona have the heart to apologize for these things? I have no doubt, neither would I presume, about the sincerity of your faith, so it must be the psychics you visit whose counsel outweighs the obvious Christian thing to do – apologize wholeheartedly.

Let’s just focus on the one thing anti-G.I. Jane can’t deny because it was photographed and archived: her frolicsome cavorting with the enemy – if that’s not aiding and abetting then nothing is. She virtually embraced an anti-aircraft gun that may well have shot down some of our heroic pilots. Jane, you fraternized with the enemy in their back yard; you gave them propaganda and emboldened them. I’m no lawyer, but having just re-read our great Constitution I’m convinced you committed treason.

Don’t worry; you’ll not be tried. We don’t want to reopen old wounds but just want you to help heal some with a sincere apology. Unfortunately, well into your “third act,” as you put it, it appears all you can do is regret having been caught. Your strained verbal gymnastics to express regret instead of sorrow shows that the men in your life must have been successful in twisting you into a pretzel. Your efforts are more contorted than the proverbial bank robber who apologized for being caught.

I don’t care about the misguided actors who admire Fidel Castro, or the group who having already acquired their wealth suddenly find it chic to espouse the virtues of socialism. However, when Hanoi Jane practically throws herself at our mercy then our response must go beyond her artistic talents and consider her radical activism. Hopefully, some day our critique of her “militant act” will be able to acknowledge her sincere apology and forgive her for conspiring with the enemy. Get your lines right, Jane, and remember all the scenes, not just the infamous gun embrace.

Well the link didn't work but here is what I wanted to put on here.And Nixon couldn't wind down the war Jane.Because of you and the likes of Kerry.

Transcript of Jane Fonda's radio address which she had broadcast in North Vietnam. This transcription, dated August 22, 1972 was made from her Hotel Especen broadcast in Hanoi at 7:11 p.m.

The following was submitted in the U.S. Congress House Committee on Internal Security, Travel to Hostile Areas. [HR16742, 19-25 September 1972, page 761]

[Broadcast]

This is Jane Fonda. During my two week visit in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, I've had the opportunity to visit a great many places and speak to a large number of people from all walks of life- workers, peasants, students, artists and dancers, historians, journalists, film actresses, soldiers, militia girls, members of the women's union, writers.

I visited the (Dam Xuac) agricultural coop, where the silk worms are also raised and thread is made. I visited a textile factory, a kindergarten in Hanoi. The beautiful Temple of Literature was where I saw traditional dances and heard songs of resistance. I also saw unforgettable ballet about the guerrillas training bees in the south to attack enemy soldiers. The bees were danced by women, and they did their job well.

In the shadow of the Temple of Literature I saw Vietnamese actors and actresses perform the second act of Arthur Miller's play All My Sons, and this was very moving to me- the fact that artists here are translating and performing American plays while US imperialists are bombing their country.

I cherish the memory of the blushing militia girls on the roof of their factory, encouraging one of their sisters as she sang a song praising the blue sky of Vietnam- these women, who are so gentle and poetic, whose voices are so beautiful, but who, when American planes are bombing their city, become such good fighters.

I cherish the way a farmer evacuated from Hanoi, without hesitation, offered me, an American, their best individual bomb shelter while US bombs fell near by. The daughter and I, in fact, shared the shelter wrapped in each others arms, cheek against cheek. It was on the road back from Nam Dinh, where I had witnessed the systematic destruction of civilian targets- schools, hospitals, pagodas, the factories, houses, and the dike system.

As I left the United States two weeks ago, Nixon was again telling the American people that he was winding down the war, but in the rubble- strewn streets of Nam Dinh, his words echoed with sinister (words indistinct) of a true killer. And like the young Vietnamese woman I held in my arms clinging to me tightly- and I pressed my cheek against hers- I thought, this is a war against Vietnam perhaps, but the tragedy is America's.

One thing that I have learned beyond a shadow of a doubt since I've been in this country is that Nixon will never be able to break the spirit of these people; he'll never be able to turn Vietnam, north and south, into a neo- colony of the United States by bombing, by invading, by attacking in any way. One has only to go into the countryside and listen to the peasants describe the lives they led before the revolution to understand why every bomb that is dropped only strengthens their determination to resist. I've spoken to many peasants who talked about the days when their parents had to sell themselves to landlords as virtually slaves, when there were very few schools and much illiteracy, inadequate medical care, when they were not masters of their own lives.

But now, despite the bombs, despite the crimes being created- being committed against them by Richard Nixon, these people own their own land, build their own schools- the children learning, literacy- illiteracy is being wiped out, there is no more prostitution as there was during the time when this was a French colony. In other words, the people have taken power into their own hands, and they are controlling their own lives.

And after 4,000 years of struggling against nature and foreign invaders- and the last 25 years, prior to the revolution, of struggling against French colonialism- I don't think that the people of Vietnam are about to compromise in any way, shape or form about the freedom and independence of their country, and I think Richard Nixon would do well to read Vietnamese history, particularly their poetry, and particularly the poetry written by Ho Chi Minh.

The Failure of Communism in Vietnam

Communist Party and the Socialist Republic have failed Vietnam and the Vietnamese people in a dramatic way

(PRWEB) November 26, 2004 -- It should be clear to any realistic observer of politics in Indochina that the Communist Party and the Socialist Republic have failed Vietnam and the Vietnamese people in a dramatic way. When Ho Chi Minh enticed the peasants to join his guerilla army he promised them a future in which the people would rule, where they would be free, living in uniform happiness in a communal paradise. What he delivered though was a nation ruled by the Party elite, with no freedoms, no civil rights and no personal liberty. Vietnam was robbed of its ancient heritage and forced to accept the culture of communism. Instead of a socialist paradise they have obtained only poverty, hunger and misery. These facts have become so clear and brutal that even many of the Communist Party's most ardent supporters are admitting that they have failed.

Only a short time after conquering the government in South Vietnam the communist regime in Hanoi fought a war against the People's Republic of China. They claimed to be defending Vietnam from Chinese invasion as so often happened in history. However, in recent years the Hanoi regime has given up Vietnamese territory in the north to China, freely handing over the sacred ground for which so many Vietnamese have died over the centuries. It was this outrage which caused the famous writer Nguyen Vu Binh to criticize the socialist government. What should be pointed out is that Nguyen Vu Binh was a former writer for the Communist Party Journal, but at last even he was forced to see the truth that the regime was selling out to China.

There have been many other such examples. In 1990, the leading Communist official Tran Bach Dang told the author Stanley Karnow, "Our belief in a Communist utopia had nothing to do with reality. We tried to build a new society on theories and dreams--on sand. Instead of stimulating production by giving people incentives, we collectivized them. Imagine! We even collectivized barbers. It was preposterous. We were also consumed by vanity. Because we crushed the Americans, we thought we could achieve anything. We should have heeded the old Chinese adage: 'You can conquer a country from horseback, but you cannot govern it from horseback.'" Finally the Communists must look their failure in the face and confess their mistakes.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.