Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

By the time we got to the Vietnam war in school it was always three days before summer vacation. My knowledge about the war is spotty at best, despite that my father's generation either fought in this war or figured out ways to avoid fighting in it. I am a Kerry supporter, but after seeing this film my opinion has changed from viewing him as merely an alternative to Bush to believing that this is a man with an intimate knowledge of the military and the convictions and experience to lead the country. I did not love Fahrenheit 9/11 (although "Bowling for Columbine" is great) because I felt that the vitriol was so obvious the film became ultimately unbelievable---so partisan I did not believe it could be entirely accurate. But when I was watching "Going Upriver" I continually found myself wondering what George Bush was doing during the time when John Kerry was fighting and then protesting. These questions have prompted me to find out more about George Bush. This film is not an "angry" film like F9/11. But I was shocked to see that while John Kerry was taken very seriously as a war hero in the 1970s by both the government and the media, it has been so easy for the Republicans to denigrate that image today. Not only is that wrong, but it seems sad that the American people care so little about truth and accept information so blindly.

"Going Upriver" shows John Kerry to be an insightful, caring, and decisive

leader. I was born in 1969 and there is so much footage of the Vietnam War

and the accompanying protests that I still have not seen, until this film. I recommend it as a film to be shown in middle and high school history students. John Kerry is the leader this country needs right now. A similar documentary showing the accomplishments of George W. Bush could not be made unless a

huge spin was put on it. No spin at all was necessary to highlight Kerry's

achievements and leadership skills in the face of life and death hardship. The footage and story speaks for itself. Anyone who attempts to put a tarnish on Kerry's military and activists record should be ashamed.

It is 2:30 in the morning, and I have several hours of work ahead of me. The last thing I was expecting to do today was watch a movie. I did, and I do not regret it - worth the loss of sleep.

I have made up my mind to vote against Bush a while back. My line has been, "I know that Kerry is just another politician. I know that he is a demagogue who promises everything. But, he is not evil, and Cheney and Rumsfeld aside, I can't see who would be worse than Bush."

Now that I have watched the film, I realize how little I knew about Kerry. I've suddenly realized that not only will he be better than Bush, but he is one of the very few people in this country that are perfect for leading the US out of the Iraq quagmire.

"Going Upriver" is well worth a watch: if for nothing else, to provide a reality check about the horrors of war. The movie provides further documentation on reality of Kerry's (and other Veterans') experience on the swiftboats and other arenas of Vietnam. Kerry's clear and consistent rationale for protesting, his solidarity with the soldiers and Vets, and the stakes of his decision to march against the war (many considered it political suicide for a man who was thought to be destined for a political career) were crystal-clear from the speech clips and interviews in the film.

On the other hand, the similarity of language describing Vietnam and Iraq, from recorded clips from the early part of the Vietnam War, was disturbing. "Bringing democracy to Vietnam" and "working with the people" so quickly became a war against the civilians, even in the South. The movie's transcription from Nixon tapes (Nixon ran a smear campaign against Kerry because of his popularity after the Vet protests) also showed that the attacks against Kerry haven't really changed much at all over the years. It's time we put Bush where he truly deserves to be - in the halls of impeachment with "tricky Dick".

This film was somewhat pedestrian at first, but as it got into the heart and passion of the Vietnam era it really caught fire.

During that time I was a naive teenager/college kid, with these events going around on the periphery. This movie helped to crystallize the past, as well as to connect it to the present. The statement John Kerry made, about asking someone, or someone's son (now include "daughter") to die for a lie holds so true today. Although Kerry has mellowed a lot in 34 years, if even a fraction the spark, the integrity and the bravery it took to volunteer for battle and then to see the truth and to fight for a just cause are still in him, I can be proud of my vote on Nov. 2nd.

It would be oh so illuminating to contrast the current president's past life and times during those same years with that of this impressively articulate and thoughtful man.