Hanoi Jane and Freedom of Speech

I recently received an email rant from a very right-wing friend of mine the other day in which he held forth against Jane Fonda being named one of the 100 Women of the Century. Upon doing a little research, it would appear that the subject of his email was actually a retread about the Barbara Walters special on the 100 most influential women of the 20th century that aired way back in April 1999 (I don't think my friend was aware that this was old news—oops).

Turns out that the story about Hanoi Jane asking the POWs, "Are you sorry you bombed babies?" and, "Are you grateful for the humane treatment from your benevolent captors?" and turning over the POWs' secret messages written to their loved ones to their North Vietnamese captors is patently false. Granted, she was a moron to go over there and make such a spectacle, but isn't it amazing how some stories get blown out of proportion? C'mon people, let's try to get over the Vietnam War.

Speaking of getting over it, while some were outraged by Maggie Gyllenhaal's remarks about our country's culpability in the 9/11 attacks, she has every right to speak her mind about America's foreign policy. It's her unalienable, American right. Of course, I suppose it would follow that it's also everyone else's unalienable right to eviscerate her for her "radical" point of view.