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Posted on 09/05/2016 1:51:48 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Never was there a finer example of ideologues seeing what they wanted to see than the era of Cambodian genocide. Only Orwell, prescient as ever, got it right.
Sidney Schanberg, who died in July, was an award winning journalist who covered the Vietnam War and genocides in East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and Cambodia. Perhaps more than any other reporter, Schanberg made western publics aware of the terrible suffering the people of Cambodia endured under the three-and-a-half-year reign of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979). Disregarding the wishes of his editors at the New York Times, Schanberg stayed on after other westerners had left Phnom Penh as the Khmer Rouge approached the city. He was forced out of Cambodia not long after the Khmer Rouge took power, but before departing he witnessed the forced evacuation of the capital and largest city in Cambodia as well as executions by officials of the deposed government.
Dith Pran, Schanberg’s Cambodian assistant, translator, and friend, was forced to remain in the country and endured the reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge government. Dozens of members of his extended family including his four siblings were killed between 1975 and 1979. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
I think freepers are more educated than most people “on the street.” “The Killing Fields” described the Pol.Pot ruled Kampuchea (sp) as ruled by factions.” That is no description at all. Hollywood pushed the Commie ethos and they did not want the Commies to look bad. Why else was that fine movie “The Hanoi Hilton,” not shown in movie theatres, but went straight to video (where I viewed it). And “The Hanoi Hilton” had a plug from President Reagan, too.
I can understand people wanting to save their skins, but it is hardly a noble activity. That should be remembered when anybody writes a hagiography of those so-called antiwar protestors.
I find that a bit difficult to believe.
So do I.
On a quick search; Supports our doubts
You may very well be right.
I only suggest that younger freepers, who have no context except what they read here, take a look at this picture. It is actually very, very good - action packed, horrific with excellent performances. I’ll never forget the scenes in the American embassy when John Malkovich tries to create a passport for Dith Pran. Brilliantly done.
A Brit film, I think. Or Anglo-American.
I have no memory of Reagan supporting the murderous Khymer Rouge!
Mistakes will not be tolerated here, unless I make them.
“As for the bombing in Cambodia, isn’t it interesting that has to be brought up 40 years later, when the reasons for it aren’t germane. Thus a writer can trash the U. S. for the bombing absent any push-back. In other words, the U. S. was evil too, on a par with Pol Pot.”
As I recall, the bombing of Cambodia was limited to the Ho Chi Minh trail where it ran closely along the border with Viet Nam.
I very much doubt that there were “hundreds of thousands” of Cambodians living along the Ho Chi Minh trail, if for no other reason because the Vietnamese would have enslaved the men to carry ammo south, turned the women into sex slaves, and killed the children.
I keep hearing this “hundreds of thousands” claim, but I have never seen a shred of evidence to support it.
“That should be remembered when anybody writes a hagiography of those so-called antiwar protestors.”
A person could review attendance at protests before and after the draft went to the lottery system.
That great war hero John McCain was a prime mover in normalizing relations with Vietnam.
Your link would indicate Reagan DID support the KR, rather than tolerate Viet Nam’s interference, even though it through the murderous regime out. All the political interference is horrifying. If we can’t stop genocide, it would be better not to be involved at all.
Nobody missed anything. The anti war hippie scum were racists who couldn’t care less about Cambodia because they’re just “Gooks”.
This was happening in the 1950s once the French gave up North Vietnam. Hundreds of thousands voted with their feet and went South, yet Ho Chi Minh is somehow a Vietnamese Jefferson because he quoted the Declaration of Independence.
The left simply just didn’t care. Still don’t, and never will.
Hey! That’s the way I feel!
That was part of the Domino Effect that the left poo-pooed at the time.
We were warned that pulling out of Vietnam would cause the other States in the region to fall to the communist murderers. And it happened.
Actually, as a fan of the Cooking Channel, they had an excellent series on Viet Nam hosted by a young fellow who was Vietnamese born but now a citizen of Australia. Fascinating! He ate his way through various types of cooking. Much poverty but the people were extraordinary.
I also know someone who married a Vietnamese girl and is now living there. He loves it. Not my idea of fun but...
Cambodia was one of the dominos which wasn’t supposed to fall because we should have never been in Vietnam to begin with......
People all over the world share principles with flyover country, politicians are another matter. People just yearn to be free.
Ever watch street cooking on YouTube?
No, I waste enough time on food shows.
The people killed were Vietnamese conduction war operations against us.
And no, you’ll never see justification for that figure.
Yes there have been a lot of firearms sales.....but they have full-auto M4’s. And half a dozen full-auto’s will tear up a place, and kill the occupant. Hard to compete with that.
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