Michael Moore is at it again.
Amid the Hollywood director's diatribes against Republican President Donald Trump, Moore found time over the weekend to share his hope that Trump doesn't succeed in the face of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's threats — as well as to suggest a national "holiday" for the date "we lost the Vietnam War."
We lost the Vietnam War 42yrs ago today. Should be a nat'l holiday, a commitment to never make same mistake again. https://t.co/rqUGMMCLkf— Michael Moore (@Michael Moore) 1493589332.0
Saigon fell on April 30, 1975 — and the anniversary doesn't quite possess a "holiday" glow for many. In San Jose, California, for example, about 150 Vietnamese Americans gathered for what they call "Black April" and the "Day of Shame," the Mercury News reported.
And for U.S. veteran Paul Palazzolo — who hails from Moore's home state and is president of Vietnam Veterans of America, Detroit Chapter 9 — the creator of "Fahrenheit 911" is way off base.
Palazzolo, who served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969 as an Army staff sergeant, told TheBlaze he actually likes Moore's work.
"He makes you think, which is good," Palazzolo said.
But he noted that Moore's suggestion for a national "holiday," as well as Moore's declaration that America "lost" the war, is just "wrong."
"The people in Washington didn't want us to win it," Palazzolo told TheBlaze, noting that "when you start a war, you finish a war."
John Spencer — another Army veteran from Michigan who served in Vietnam — echoed Palazzolo's sentiments.
"Moore seems to make a living focusing on negative issues," Spencer told TheBlaze. "He should be ashamed to continue to castigate those who served."
Spencer said that "we — the young men who served in Vietnam — deserve better. We won the ground war. North Vietnam focused on stirring the anti-war movement in the U.S. and turned public sentiment against it. The U.S. government failed to live up to the agreements to continue support of South Vietnam, causing the deaths of many in South Vietnam."
Others were equally strident in their disdain for Moore's tweet:
@MMFlint this is just in bad taste. Stop putting politics before ppl. 10s of 1000s of Americans died. Honor their memory, first & foremost.— Marc Hofstatter (@Marc Hofstatter) 1493589520.0
@MMFlint A slap in the face to Vietnamese Americans everywhere— GT (@GT) 1493595236.0
@MMFlint Take today to thank our Vietnam Vets still alive and honor those who died. Thank all veterans everyday for… https://t.co/qrixAI6Rry— Kelli H (@Kelli H) 1493595347.0
@MMFlint This man (Army 1Lt Carl L. Radtke, 1942-1969) died for your right to blaspheme him. Remember that. https://t.co/hEPPgXN4Gb— 🇺🇸Marie!!!🇺🇸 (@🇺🇸Marie!!!🇺🇸) 1493603288.0
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro had this to say to Moore:
Ask the Vietnamese boat people or Cambodians under Pol Pot if they agree, you POS https://t.co/jg0MPUGSFj— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1493594133.0
(H/T: The Daily Wire)