February 24, 2014, - 3:00 pm

Harold Ramis, Z”L: One of My Fave Politically Incorrect Comedian/Actor/Writer/Directors

By Debbie Schlussel

Sad to hear of the passing of Harold Ramis [Zichrono LiVrachah – Of Blessed Memory, which we Jews say about other Jews instead of Rest In Peace]. Ramis was one of my favorite comedians and a tremendous talent in acting, writing, and directing comedy. I liked him mostly because on top of his talent, he was very politically incorrect–mocking and making fun of all kinds of social taboos, especially those of the left. My late father and I used to love watching him on late night reruns of the ’70s and ’80s “SCTV (Second City Television).”

haroldramisghostbusters2

If you look at his body of work, it includes many of the funniest contemporary movies, including “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” “Caddyshack,” “Stripes,” “Analyze This,” “Back to School,” “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” He wrote all of these and directed and acted in many of them. Below are a few of his SCTV sketches, which he wrote (as SCTV head writer) and in which he acted. (Some SCTV stuff, especially with the laugh track imposed on it, doesn’t stand the test of time, but it was revolutionary and fresh in the ’70s.)

Regardless of his talent and the mucho entertainment he brought us, I must note with disdain and disgust that Ramis was a Vietnam War draft-dodger. He took methamphetamines to fail his physical, while many others went and many of those who went were killed. That’s unforgivable. And he, himself, also said his politics were to the left.






But I will remember his unique talent for comedy and watch his old material because despite his politics, he wasn’t afraid to ruffle all feathers.




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63 Responses

I am saddened and shocked by the news of Harold Ramis’ death. He was a genuine comedy genius–at writing, acting, and directing. I first discovered him through wonderful Canadian SCTV series (which I own on DVDs, along with several of Harold’s feature films), and quickly learned that he was formerly with the famed Second City Comedy team, which, of course, has produced many outstanding comic talents.

Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Although Harold Ramis’ writing and acting comedic talents are obvious, this clip of “bloopers” from “Analyze This” (1999) also demonstrate his directorial comedy skills.

    Now, blooper reels typically involve mistakes or miscues of an actor in which the actor or actors may or may not break out laughing. A first-rate director ordinarily does NOT want those kind of mistakes to happen on the set, and it’s often a sign of a lack of discipline.

    But directing comic scenes requires a different touch. Although comedy is really hard work and requires much thought and preparation, when it comes time to the performance, the comic director has to keep the atmosphere light and let the actors enjoy themselves. In short, the work has to seem like fun to them for it to be funny to you.

    This clip shows Billy Crystal, Robert De Nero, and every other actor in the cast having a good time on the set. It’s all part of Ramis’ masterly comedic beats and pacing.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqvjtglrkmo

    Ramis would follow-up this movie with a sequel “Analyze That” (2002) and would accomplish the very rare event of sequel as good or even better than the original.

    Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    With all due respect Debbie, these so called ethnic humor jokes against Gypsies, Poles and Latvians by Mr Ramis I’m sure would offend you if they were against your Jewish heritage.

    All of us Americans no matter our ethnic heritage should denounce ethnic humor that degrades any ethnic group. Jews have been the target of “ethnic humor” by Nazi Germans and we all know how that turned out

    🙁

    George on February 26, 2014 at 5:46 am

      George, you totally missed the fact that the Ethnic skit was mocking NAZIS. Notice the little mustache. It was a parody of anti-Ethnic policies which the NAZIS and other Eugenicist types try to justify by “science.” I guess you never watched Mel Brooks or maybe you just never understood him either. It can be very cathartic to parody your enemies.

      Meira on February 26, 2014 at 9:11 am

Yes, anything that’s not 100% PC is dated. A word that critics really like to use.

Movies 80 years old are ‘dated’ unless one of the star pinkos acted in them. What are movies that age supposed to be?

It could be said that all great literary works of a certain age are ‘dated’. There has been a tremendous emphasis in all branches of the ‘fine arts’ to focus on the present and near-present. I’ll stick with the dated material.

Little Al on February 24, 2014 at 3:32 pm

SCTV is the only program that leaves me, literally, writhing on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Some of the best sketch comedy ever produced. And the cast was loaded with future mega stars. Ramis will be sorely missed.

JeffT on February 24, 2014 at 3:50 pm

Considering most of our politicians dodged the draft, considering chicken hawks like Pat “Pussy Boy” Buchanan promoted the war but avoided the draft, and considering every athlete, children of wealthy people, children of politicians, children of defense contractors etc. evaded the draft, and considering most Vietnamese 18 year olds were busy pimping their sisters instead of fighting for their country, his evading the draft is not on my radar of things to be disturbed about.

Jonathan E. Grant on February 24, 2014 at 4:06 pm

I forgot to add that “Stripes” was on one of the movie channels last night. Such a funny movie!!!!

Jonathan E. Grant on February 24, 2014 at 4:22 pm

Remember the scene in ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ where the family drives into a ghetto in Saint Louis and the locals have their way with their hub caps? On the DVD Audio commentary of the film, Ramis said he was embarrassed by the scene and would not have included it if he had made the film later in life. Funny how standards change over a relatively short period of time

Vivian on February 24, 2014 at 4:29 pm

Lowering standards does not make the lower standards right. Not everything is relative. There are absolute indices of right and wrong.

Little Al on February 24, 2014 at 4:30 pm

Hi Debbie!
It saddens me that you extol virtue on Harold Ramis just because he identified as Jewish. Most of his comedic movies extolled the use of illegal narcotics (Marijuana). … Caddyshack, Ghost Busters etc. Just because ones parents are jewish and you check a box next to a census form does not make one a saint. Don’t fall into to the temptation to sactify someone just because he falls into your demographic. Harold Ramis portrayed drug use in comedies like Caddy Shack and Ghost Busters.

K: Huh? Where on earth did I extol “virtue” on him or say I liked him b/c he was Jewish? His religion is of no concern to me (other than embarrassment b/c he was a draft dodger). Jews have been the object of my attack for wrongdoing on this site with some frequency (especially left-wing Jews like him), and I don’t put them above the law or the moral code of what’s right. He was, BTW, Jewish in name only, anyway. Not that I care either way. I merely liked his comedy work, especially on SCTV, which I would have liked regardless of his nominal or actual religion. Stop trying to put words in my mouth that simply ain’t there. DS

Karen on February 24, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    Karen, I think you’re going a bit overboard here.

    First of all, if you learn that a comedian or comic writer has died, the odds are pretty good that the person was of Jewish heritage. It just goes with the territory because so many of the great comics were and are Jewish. (Though interestingly, the anti-Semites who love to assert that Jews control banking, the media, and Hollywood, don’t assert that the Jews control comedy and music, even though there’s more truth to the latter two. I guess if they did, they’d have to argue that the Jews are forcing people to laugh at their performances and listen to their music.)

    Second, I don’t think any of Harold Ramis’ movies have promoted drug use or even influenced anyone to take them. Yes, there may be incidental reference or scenes involving drugs, but that is because drugs are part of the cultural landscape. At the end of the day, Harold was concerned with what worked comedically.

    Bottom line verdict: Harold Ramis has made the world a better place.

    As the character John L. Sullivan (played by Joel McCrea) in Preston Sturges classic movie “Sullivan’s Travels” (1941) says: ”

    There’s a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that’s all some people have? It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan.”

    Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 5:08 pm

    Karen, that wasn’t “pot” it was “medical marijuana.”

    [think she’ll get it, peeps?]

    Meira on February 25, 2014 at 1:50 am

The sort of characters in Caddyshack etc would be pot smokers.

Vivian on February 24, 2014 at 4:37 pm

I never liked him on “SCTV” and never thought his movies were funny beyond maybe one or two scenes at most.

DS_ROCKS! on February 24, 2014 at 4:49 pm

I never knew he was a draft dodger. He was still brilliant in STRIPES.

Tommy Thomas on February 24, 2014 at 5:27 pm

In Harold Ramis’ case, he should be forgiven for draft dodging. His accomplishments have far outweighed that decision. At least there is no hypocracy about that decision in his case. I could make you quite a list of other draft dodgers that could be called “Chicken Hawks” because they found ways to avoid or evade service.

Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 5:50 pm

Draft dodging is OK because everybody (or at least everybody with artistic or intellectual ‘merit’) does it?

This is an illustration of the process by which our standards as a society have been lowered to the abysmal state they are at now. Pot smoking is OK because everyone does it? One after another, the standards of civilized society have been debased, and it is disheartening that regular contributors to this site see nothing wrong with it.

Generalizing, this is the problem of the Republican Party as a whole. As society moves to the left, they more and more abandon the positions that one would expect a conservative to take: opposition to illegal immigration, opposition to gay marriage, opposition to affirmative action, opposition to supporting tyrannical Islamic movements, and opposition to wasteful spending.

The standards keep going down and down, but I must acknowledge that I never thought I would see regular contributors justify draft-dodging.

Little Al on February 24, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    Ah, I get it. I guess draft-dodging is a terrible thing, unless you happen to be a “Chicken Hawk” right-wing anti-communist conservative. Then, of course, all is forgiven, even if that person contributed nothing of value to society, like giving the gift of comedy.

    Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 6:57 pm

      Ralph, I expected you to read my comment more carefully. I say nothing to excuse conservative or ‘chicken-hawk’ draft dodging. I spoke about draft dodging and its effect on conservatism. It has that effect no matter who the draft dodger is.

      And what about the value to society of someone who died because a spoiled brat dodged the draft? Or doesn’t it count if they are not artistic or scholarly?

      And Edward, ad hominem comments are devoid of substance. I will not answer that question. I argue only based on substance. You do not know my age, gender, or draft status (if applicable). I will make the comment that I broke no laws and did nothing that would risk imprisonment, and leave it at that.

      Unfortunately not enough people volunteered and the end of the draft came at a point where the US had already given up, and succumbed to the anarchistic philosophy, mouthed by you, that people should fight only when they want to. Edward, you remind me of all the spoiled brats on campus during that time who justified their treasonable activities by saying the war was a ‘mistake’ or ‘imperialist’ action.

      There is a thin line between libertarians and anarchists.

      Little Al on February 24, 2014 at 7:09 pm

        The “spoiled brats” who protested the war are still alive. Meanwhile, 50,000 men are dead for nothing. I’ll repeat, because it’s important. They died for no cause. Apparently you think that’s a good thing and something to be proud of. The difference between the USA and Israel is this: Israel fights wars only when it has to, and the wars are efficient and quickly over. The US fights unneeded wars that drag on and cause billions and lots of blood. People like you are the problem.

        Edward on February 25, 2014 at 10:41 am

          Edward, it wasn’t just men who died. While women were not yet in combat, many did die as support personnel.
          http://www.virtualwall.org/women.htm

          Meira on February 25, 2014 at 3:43 pm

    In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

    Karen on February 24, 2014 at 7:18 pm

      What’s your point, Karen? Despite all that Hashem did not forsake us and we’re still here and not going anywhere.

      Meira on February 25, 2014 at 5:26 am

Being a “Draft Dodger” is not only ok, it should not even be a minor controversy. The Vietnam War was a mistake. Would you agree Debbie? 50,000 American males died for “Capitalism”. Was that ok that they died? What did we accomplish? North Vietnam had a different government system than we did. So we should invade and fight? The domino theory was a failing theory. Can you disagree with anything I said?

Did you ever serve? If not, you have no right to criticize a person who did not want to fight. Would you really want someone in a population of 300 million to go fight a war that doesn’t want to, when we had plenty of people willing to volunteer? We are not Israel, we are a huge country. A draft is not needed, and it was a horrible thing to have in the past.

Edward on February 24, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    No, dodging is not ok. If you have a moral objection then request Consciencious Objector status. I dated a guy who did that and went to Nam as a medic. He was more scarred than some of the fighters by what he saw. My husband applied and got it because his mother was a Holocaust Survivor as was her little brother. The brother joined the US Army after the war and was killed in a barracks “accident” when someone’s side arm “accidentally” went off. She couldn’t bear for her first born to go and it was late in the game already so he applied and got. But at age 39, he served in the IDF during the Gulf War. He didn’t try to weasel out as most older American olim did.

    Meira on February 26, 2014 at 9:18 am

Edward, re: “Did you ever serve? If not, you have no right to criticize a person who did not want to fight.”

Good point. Reminds me of the famous quotation from Samuel Johnson (no relation to LBJ who profitted from the Vietnam War and made his sponsors, Brown & Root, incredibly wealthy from the war with loads of sweetheart contracts): “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 7:19 pm

I will make no more comments.

I am not going to prolong a discussion with those who justify draft dodging any more than I waste time in discussions with liberals who, based on emotion, and little else, support Obama, or his mentors, many of whom were artistic and liberal draft dodgers.

Ironically Pat Buchanan is one of the key people popularizing the disdain of ‘chicken-hawks’. I see that the pressures of our declining society have extended to regular contributors, but since these pressures are based on emotion, not on reason, there is little else I can say.

And Ralph, work on your garbled phrasing.

Little Al on February 24, 2014 at 7:27 pm

Deb –

…my respect for your work here is undiminished.

I do not see, however, how letting the ancient DC minor gods send random american males into the Viet Nam buzzsaw at their ‘whim’ helped the USA.

The results were death, sadness, PTSD, John F. Kerry, Colin Powell, and John McCain….

Nick Fury on February 24, 2014 at 7:39 pm

Al, did you serve in the armed forces and have you ever been involved in combat? If not, have you every volunteered to serve in the armed forces? If not, why not.

Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 8:30 pm

And Al, where do you get the notion that anyone who disagrees with you is using “emotion” rather than cold, hard facts and logic? Or is that just your way of deflecting discussion about the realities of Vietnam; inventing an “emotional” strawman to dismiss?

Did you ever consider the possibility that you are the emotional person in the discussion? Have you ever considered the possibility that you have been manipulated into believing that the Vietnam war was about fighting communism, based on your anti-communist emotional levers that have been pulled for you? Have you ever really studied Vietnam, who wanted the war, and who benefitted from it? Or are those cold, hard realities just too “emotional” for you?

Ralph Adamo on February 24, 2014 at 9:37 pm

    Ralph you were born into a free country but you don’t deserve to live in one even though you can’t really imagine anything else.

    Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 2:45 am

      frankz–your opinion is unsupported and irrelevant. But I will ask you some relevant questions: Did you serve in the armed forces and have you ever been involved in combat? If not, have you every volunteered to serve in the armed forces? If not, why not?

      Ralph Adamo on February 25, 2014 at 12:46 pm

        Wouldn’t be likely to be a draft dodger if I was serving or had served you nincompoop.

        Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 3:48 pm

The second and third videos were just too funny.

Meira on February 25, 2014 at 1:48 am

So, Debbie, Second City TV, huh? We have another thing in common, I see. I remember first hearing about it in the early 80’s. Used to love the opening, where TV’s used to go flying out the window, crashing to the sidewalk below. My only regret was not watching it enough. Lots of funny stuff, lots of very talented people.

Alfredo from Puerto Rico on February 25, 2014 at 11:27 am

So sad to hear about the passing of Harold Ramis. The guy starred, wrote and directed some of the funniest movies ever. Just last night I watched Caddy Shack and to this day I still bust a gut from laughing so hard. The late Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray are just hilarious. Anyway it pained me to find out that Ramis was a draft-dodger only because the more radical war skipping vermin spat on my father and called him a baby killer when he came back from ‘Nam. Those people will always have a “special” place in my heart. Especially dillweeds like Bill Clinton and Sean Vannity’s buddy Patrick J Buchanan. I guess the J stands for jackass. Oh well like I said I’m sorry that he died because I like his movies and he himself was very funny.

Ken b on February 25, 2014 at 12:22 pm

Sorry, but like so many “hip” “funney men” of his generation, he had a smug Leftist air to him,and would say so. I will always remember him smugly mocking the Black Conservative radio host,Ken Hamblin, when the two happened to be on “Politically Incorrect”, well over 10 years ago.

CharlesMartel on February 25, 2014 at 12:50 pm

Ken b, if I was going to say I had other thoughts in my head about the whole thing, including the comedians you named, you have expressed some, if not all of those thoughts, better than I could have.

I have the utmost respect for those who went to Nam. I really would like to see this thread stay mostly on topic of some of the greatest times of my life in TV watching, and some great comics and movies, but Debbie brought it up, and it’s worth exploring a bit.

I was the age of a younger brother or sister, when it comes to the Baby Boomers, hippie or conservative, who shaped the 60’s. My mom was very liberal, and we lived in NYC. She hung out with intellectuals, and we went to Greenwich Village a lot.

I was afraid of Nam, and afraid of going in to the military. I always knew I wasn’t military material. And even the tough guys in a lot of Noo Yawk neighborhoods in the 60’s and early 70’s when I was growing up, were afraid of going. Then I started knowing people who didn’t come back, or came back messed up or disabled. I just never liked violence, either. I hate to hear people screaming and yelling at each other, and of course, war. Why do people have to fight at all? But people need to be ready, willing and able to protect themselves, home, family and business.

Was Nam a just war? I am not educated enough to know that. It’s above my pay grade, to use a figure of speech. When I was 12, maybe on May Day in 1969, mentioned this before, a friend next door had a father who was a former top guy in the Progressive Labor Party. Marched twice with them, once in a labor march, once in an anti-war march. I didn’t know much, I went along and there was great food, and lots of it, in this hall. So, I’ve talked about that before, and how I became an indoctrinated little dumb ass kid, but eventually recovered, LOL!!!

Did America have the resolve to prosecute the war the way America was used to? No, that is a truth of the history of the changing times, the Cultural Pancake Flip I’ve mentioned before. But spitting on returning vets, or denigrating them in any way, was never okay with me.

There was fear at one time when I turned 18 in 1974, that the war might re-escalate, even though it was winding down. I had to get a draft card. It was a fearful time, and I kept that card until this very day. Through the years, I have taken it out a few times, to remind myself of the times, the turmoil, racial and other forms, the poverty, the fear, and to always respect the military, and all who have served honorably.

I probably marched with people in that protest who spit on returning vets. I was a dumb little kid, under indoctrination at school, older kids in the neighborhood, camp counselors, at home, friends of my mom’s, it was all around me. Inside I always had gut feelings about certain things. It wasn’t until I hit my late twenties, 15 years after those protests, that I knew anyone in NY thought like people used to, when I was a kid.

We must never forget certain things, in our reviews of history. But I don’t think we can paint someone with too broad a brush these decades later. Like passing by a table with many pamphlets for the taking. Take what it looks like might interest or benefit you, leave the rest. Take his comedy, the contribution to the realm, and whatever we might know that was good about him in his personal life. And whatever wasn’t, can’t do anything about that, and before he gets in to The Kingdom, he has to pass his “bar exam.” Kind of like a Bar Mitzvah, passing a certain point in your existence.

Now that Mr. Ramis is dead, let The One who he will have to get his Bar Exam from, discuss the draft dodger thingy with him. Draft dodging wasn’t for me, either. If I had to go, I would have gone, cringing in fear, but trying to pass basic training, and make the best of it. Glad I didn’t have to. Still know people who went to Nam. It was a messed up situation there. Anyone who went has my sincere and utmost respect.

I don’t know if that draft card was among the things destroyed in my storage space by three feet of water from Sandy. If not, some day I’ll find it in the boxes in my friend’s garage. Almost all my important papers, including my most important, were salvaged intact. That draft card was an important memory for me of that era. Some of our old folks, friends of mine in some cases, have those reminders in their bodies and minds. They should have been treated with as much respect as any of our veterans.

Me, I was a dumb ass kid, but certain values and ideals never left me. To somewhat paraphrase the immortal words of John Denver, Thank GOD I’m a Country Boy Conservative.

Alfredo from Puerto Rico on February 25, 2014 at 1:02 pm

Lots of bullsheis here about Vietnam from the unlearned. Vietnam vets being spit on? Find me one news story about that…… Go ahead. I’ll wait…….. Having trouble? That’s not a surprise. http://www.cracked.com/article_20461_5-lies-about-vietnam-war-you-probably-believe.html

Ralph Adamo on February 25, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    Ralph, my ex-husband wasn’t spit on but when he went for a job interview after returning to the State from a tour overseas, not Nam, but in that period of time, and he had an MBA, a guy from the Port of NY Authority, as it was called then, told him flat out that he would never hire anyone who had served during Viet Nam, even if he hadn’t been there. It was the best job my ex interviewed for and he wound up working for the Fed for considerably less money, doing something he didn’t really believe in because it was the only job he could get with those 2 years plus 4 of ROTC on his resume. He really believed it was his patriotic duty to serve and he could barely support his family. We wound up living with my mother, not a great choice because we couldn’t afford to live in a decent place in NY Metro. I suspect that while other interviewers, in 1970, were not so outspoken, that was some of his problem finding a position. 2 years earlier he had taken practice interviews in Grad school and had it not been for that little ROTC commitment, he could have walked into a nice low teens salary and good career track. So while he didn’t experience physical spit, he was figuratively spat on.

    Meira on February 25, 2014 at 3:40 pm

      As for Vietnam vets being figuratively spit on by some, that is true–but, and this is a critical “but,” the US Government itself has shown disrespect towards its veterans. The “tone at the top” of any organization tells all. The US Government did NOT help Vietnam veterans and they certainly haven’t honored them until much later. THAT was and is a big part of the problem.

      As for my personal views on military service, although there was no draft after I graduated from college, I believed then (and do now as well) that military service is an honor and should be an important part of a person’s upbringing. Accordingly, after graduating from college, I applied to serve in the US Navy, and I went through a battery of tests. Unfortunately, they declined to accept me. I then turned to the US Army, but by that time had received a good civilian job offer, which I accepted. My civilian boss was a Vietnam vet who did combat duty, and sometime later I told him about how I tried to join the Navy and then later the Army. He told me that that was the military’s loss, and that I am the kind of person he’d want to serve with.

      Ralph Adamo on February 25, 2014 at 5:38 pm

        @Ralph

        “He told me that that was the military’s loss, and that I am the kind of person he’d want to serve with.”

        Impressive story Ralph except I already know you probably lied to Skzion when you said one of your comments was posted by a “trouble maker”.
        The “trouble maker” being almost certainly – big surprise – you dumbass.

        As for your Vietnam vets never spat on expose. Vietnam vets were most certainly called baby killers.
        How bad would you feel spitting on a baby killer?

        Here we have a red herring that proves absolutely zero except to idiots like you who go onto sites like cracked.com and then call everybody else misinformed.

        Since you’re going to post random articles from the internet as gospel here’s one for you too.

        http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:K8uO-TwGy9gJ:www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/160444095.html+&cd=24&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

        “But Lembcke is refuted by many other sources, including Jim Lindgren, a Northwestern University law professor who cited news accounts that documented many spitting incidents. One example: A 1967 Bucks County Courier Times article reporting that two sailors were spat on outside a high school football game by a gang of about 10 young men. One of the sailors was stabbed.”

        “I am not aware of many Vietnam vets who were not subjected to some disrespect, either personal or from the culture that called us “baby killers.” We were shamed and embarrassed. My car (with a military base sticker) was “egged.”

        To sum up. cracked.com makes use of some movie dialogue in Rambo.
        The dialogue turns out to appear to be unsubstantiated by newspaper accounts and we all know how bogus Hollywood movie accounts are anyway.

        Idiots like you conflate the two pieces information to give give the impression that disrespect for Vietnam vets was a bit of an overblown myth.
        Which is what you always wanted to believe anyway.

        I don’t know why people seem to be so impressed by you Ralph. To me you’ve always been the stereotypical libtard and not even an especially trustworthy or interesting one.

        Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 10:53 pm

          Yo, Frankz!!! Ralph says that his boss, an ex military man says he would have liked to serve with Ralph. I know plenty of ex military men. What do you think they think about draft dodgers? What do they think of those who defend draft dodgers?

          Mr. Chain on February 25, 2014 at 10:59 pm

        @Mr. Chain
        Ralph’s revelation has about as much credibility as a radio Hanoi public service broadcast.

        http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/160444095.html

        Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 11:17 pm

    Sorry to keep you “waiting” Ralph but in the instance I mentioned some leftwing long haired hippie West Virginian freak did spit on my father and called him names. This was back in the late 70s. The freak was with his girlfriend/wife whatever and she was a freak also. The only thing that saved the jackoff from being knocked into the next county was my Dad’s friend. You just don’t piss off a Marine, especially one who at that time was over 6′ and 240. To sum it up my father was is and always will be a man of honor as are all of the men who went over to Vietnam. They deserve our respect and if nothing else that’s what they will get from me.

    Ken b on February 25, 2014 at 7:16 pm

It’s always very interesting and educational reading your stuff, Mr. Adamo. I certainly heard plenty about it on the news. I do know one thing, however, there was certainly plenty enough venom being spewed about them around me.

If no one actually spit on a Vietnam vet, I heard plenty of negative stuff about them. I heard enough around me to say now that if stories to that extreme aren’t true, I heard some pretty lousy things being spit out of people’s mouths ABOUT Vietnam vets.

That WASN’T an urban legend.

Alfredo from Puerto Rico on February 25, 2014 at 2:10 pm

Ralph, perhaps Vietnam vets might not have been spit on, but they were treated like crap by a lot of Americans, including the draft dodgers. Even later in the 80’s, people still brought up Vietnam and treated active duty military and veterans like 3rd class citizens. This stuff did happen, so don’t try to sugar coat it.

Go ahead, ask me your repeated question “Did you serve?” My response to you is YES, and I volunteered.

Now it’s your turn, Ralph. Did your serve? If not, why not?

Jarhead on February 25, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    jarhead, see my last post above.

    Ralph Adamo on February 25, 2014 at 5:41 pm

      He was just saying that to make you feel better Ralph. Hanoi Jane would have had you at hello.

      Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 11:05 pm

      Too bad we lost skzion and instead got your useless pontificating ass.

      Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 11:07 pm

        Huh?!!!?? What do you mean? What happened to skzion?

        Alfredo from Puerto Rico on February 26, 2014 at 12:48 am

I volunteered for the military, was too young to serve, but I had a relative killed over there. Having said that, I don’t see why Americans had to fight for South Vietnam while Vietnamese teens were running around pimping their sisters.

I don’t see why the Average American boy had to serve while celebrities and politicians and politician’s kids and athletes all got out of the draft. The chicken hawks did not serve.

I am tired of America wasting lives fighting for Muslims who don’t give a damn about themselves, or freedom, and who hate us. I am tired of Americans fighting for people who don’t want to fight for themselves.

At the time of the war, I hated draft dodgers. By the end of the war, having seen the Vietnamese evade the draft, I couldn’t care less.

And if someone who beat up people for a living, Mohammed Ali, got out of serving, why should anyone else have to serve in his place?

Jonathan E. Grant on February 25, 2014 at 3:47 pm

I should have noted that I volunteered for the Navy (but was not selected for medical reasons), but before that, during the war, I was too young to have served.

Jonathan E. Grant on February 25, 2014 at 7:52 pm

Just glancing at this crack(h)e(a)d.com article which I didn’t even pay attention to until people starting deferring to Ralph’s inane assertions.

“For instance, there were more than 20 times as many (70,000 plus) after World War II, but nobody assumed the Germans or Japanese had them stashed away somewhere. They’re just presumed dead, and their families do their best to move on.”

Move on, nothing more to see here. Stop foot dragging over those vets says crackhead.com

(BTW the Germans and the Japanese were unilaterally defeated and occupied in WWII that’s why nobody had to ask too many what they might be up to).

Ralph you’re an idiot.

Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 11:42 pm

*too many questions about what they might be up to*

Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 11:44 pm

*started* deferring

Frankz on February 25, 2014 at 11:47 pm

frankz, your emotional ad hominem attacks say nothing about me, but explain a great deal about you.

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”-Albert Einstein.

Ralph Adamo on February 25, 2014 at 11:50 pm

    Look at who’s complaining about ad hominem attacks. Mr. Ad Hominem himself.

    And now he’s comparing himself to Einstein! Well, they do have political viewpoint in common.

    Little Al on February 26, 2014 at 1:31 am

    “ad hominem attacks” – Polly wants a skzion cracker squawk!

    “Great spirits… mediocre minds” – Albert E. squawk!

    “Lots of bullsheis here about Vietnam from …unlearned. Vietnam vets being spit on? Find me… news story” – squawk!! Polly wants a crackhead.com cracker squawk!!!

    How did I not see your comedic brilliance until now Ralph?

    Frankz on February 26, 2014 at 1:57 pm

And were Vietnam Vets spit on? Of course. The fact that it is difficult to find evidence of it online says more about the left-wing reporters than it does about the “peace” movement. They just don’t report that stuff when they see it. Just like they don’t report about black rioters.

Little Al on February 26, 2014 at 3:16 am

Alright kids, calm down.

Since when did this post turn into a “pro-draft/anti-draft” debate? Since when was it an argument about who served or did not serve?

This is about some guy, Harold Ramis (z”l) who made us laugh our damn a$$es off with “Caddyshack”, “Analyze This” and “Ghostbusters”.

But he will always be that dude from “SCTV” to me.

(Oh, and for your info, I did serve in the Naval Reserve for 25 years. You’re welcome.)

So everyone, put down your drinks and chill. Please. And thank you.

The Reverend Jacques on February 26, 2014 at 8:21 am

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