FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2011
Contact: Scott Camil 352-375-2563
Veterans to QVC: Re-Schedule Jane Fonda Interview
Don’t blame peace activists for Vietnam War debacle
A national veterans organization says it is “appalled” at the television shopping network QVC’s recent decision to cancel its scheduled interview with Jane Fonda. Veterans For Peace is calling upon QVC to re-schedule an interview with the acclaimed actress and peace activist. Ms. Fonda reported recently that QVC had scheduled an interview with her about her new book, Prime Time, a “self-help memoir” on aging gracefully. But, according to Fonda, QVC cancelled her interview after a telephone campaign by conservative groups who, 40 years later, continue to attack her for her activism against the Vietnam War.
In an open letter to Mike George, the Chief Executive Officer of QVC, Inc., Veterans For Peace wrote:
“Jane Fonda makes an easy scapegoat for those who refuse to learn the lessons of the U.S. defeat in Vietnam. Right wing journalists have seized upon this QVC episode to recycle vitriolic old lies. As Fonda herself explains in an extraordinary letter, she was only one of many U.S. peace activists who visited Vietnam in the latter years of the war. If our government was refusing to make peace, then citizen diplomacy was necessary.
“Vietnam veterans were among those who visited Vietnam at that time. We also led huge marches and rallies calling for a U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. We knew Jane Fonda and we worked with her. To this day, we are grateful for Jane Fonda’s extraordinary love and support for ALL the troops — those who were facing the hardships of war and those who were organizing to bring it to an end.
“President Nixon withdrew U.S. ground forces from Vietnam in 1972-73, because clear majorities of the American people were demanding an end to that illegal, unnecessary and unwinnable war. Over two million Vietnamese had been killed, along with 58,000 American GIs, many of them draftees. “Many Vietnam veterans continue to make their voices heard today — against U.S. military adventures in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and for justice for those of us who still suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the disabling and often fatal diseases caused by Agent Orange poisoning.
“If the American people refuse to come to terms with the tragic reality of the Vietnam War, then we are doomed to repeat that history endlessly. If the mass media in the United States refuses to pass the microphone to those who are known for promoting peaceful solutions, then we are doomed to hear only from those who goad us into war. QVC’s cancellation of the Jane Fonda interview is an affront to all peace-loving Americans.
“Therefore, it is with a sense of patriotism and love for our country that we call upon you to re-schedule QVC’s interview with Jane Fonda. We hope you will take our message in the right spirit, as an opportunity to reconsider your mistake and to correct it. We will continue to spread this message far and wide until we see Jane Fonda on QVC.
“We will post this letter on our website and distribute it far and wide, asking members and supporters to sign it. We will continue to promote this letter and will periodically tell you and the news media how many have signed, until you reschedule QVC’s interview with Ms. Fonda.”
Sincerely,
Elliott Adams, President
Mike Ferner, Interim Director
Join your VFP leaders and sign the letter to QVC CEO.