Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Page 7
AFFAIRS OF STATE (Column)
Fabian Nunez Should Apologize to War Hero or Resign
By DAVID KLINE
Every year, the state Assembly holds a major celebration of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his civil rights achievements, complete with singing and a reading of “I Have a Dream.”
Lawmakers also stop what they're doing to honor foreign dignitaries, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and, earlier this year, to participate in a demonstration of martial arts.
But lawmakers don't do anything to celebrate this country's most precious holiday, Independence Day.
This year was to be different. On June 28 there was to be patriotic singing and a speech or two in honor of the founders' work in creating this great, independent nation. The keynote speaker was to be Admiral Jeremiah Denton Jr., best known for refusing to speak against his country even when faced with torture by the North Vietnamese.
Denton was a highly regarded officer in the U.S. Navy who was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese in 1965. He spent seven years and seven months as a prisoner of war, including four years in solitary confinement.
In 1966, Denton's captors used him for a television interview in Hanoi. He was instructed to behave “properly” or face more torture than he already knew. During the interview, he feigned sensitivity to TV lights and blinked his eyes repeatedly. He was blinking Morse code, spelling out “torture.”
When the interviewer asked whether he supported U.S. policies and alleged “war atrocities,” Denton responded: “I don't know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are North Vietnamese, but whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live.”
His story was made into the 1979 TV movie, “When Hell Was in Session,” starring Hal Holbrook.
So Denton knows a thing or two about the importance of freedom, liberty and independence, and is a perfect choice for a Fourth of July speaker.
But Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, doused the celebration. On June 23, Nunez aide Diane Pugh sent a memo to lawmakers saying, “Problems have arisen both with regards to the spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to the ceremony.”
Pugh wrote, “It has now turned into a ceremony more in line with Veterans Day and with ideological overtones that were not presented or agreed to. We are hoping these issues can be resolved -- if not I doubt the Speaker will ok the proceedings.”
What was the problem? It certainly wasn't a lack of time. The Assembly Daily Journal notes that on the day Denton was to speak, the body took time to honor Carl Ingram, a Los Angeles Times reporter who is retiring. Ingram was given the opportunity to address the Assembly.
Why was Denton denied that same opportunity? Nunez's aide didn't specify, but there are a couple things about Denton that the ultraliberal Democrats probably don't like. For one, he was a Democrat who long ago became a Republican because he views the Democrats as weak on national security.
Denton, a former U.S. senator, also has spoken out against Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry over Kerry's national security policies and past votes.
Perhaps most troubling to Nunez and his party, Denton is a proponent of a more religious society. A petition promoted by the admiral says, “This nation must be restored to its original, valid self-identification as ONE NATION UNDER GOD.”
It's doubtful that Denton would have used his speech to campaign against Kerry or proselytize, but he surely would have included references to God. If this is what scared the Democrats, one wonders why they allowed the Assembly chaplain to open the June 28 session with the prayer, “Lord, we ask that You grant us awareness of Your guidance and Your judgment.”
And lest we forget, the Declaration of Independence isn't exactly a secular document. Remember that part about people being “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”?
Nunez should apologize to Denton or leave the Assembly with his head bowed in shame. And Democrats who did nothing to support Denton should be equally ashamed of themselves.
It should be noted that Denton did deliver a speech in the Capitol on June 28—Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a conference room available.
— Capitol News Service
Copyright 2004, Metropolitan News Company