On Thu, Mar 10, 2005 at 03:18:00PM -0500, Poor, Edmund W wrote:
Oops, I meant
"Coulter's mistake was in not knowing (or saying) that Canadians served as soldiers in Vietnam but WERE NOT sent by its GOVERMENT."
However, Coulter's claim was offered in the context of an assertion that the nation of Canada was once a supportive ally of the United States but no longer is. International alliances are relationships between or among states, that is, governments. In this context, the claim only really makes sense as an assertion about government actions, since the actions of private individuals cannot constitute (or break) an alliance. Moreover, this context also associates the presence of Canadians in the Vietnam conflict with ideological support by the Canadian government for the United States government's position in that conflict.
I agree, by the way, with the interpretation that she likely made this claim from memory (remembering that some Canadians fought in Vietnam), without intent to deliberately deceive, but without checking the facts. It appears further that when exposed to the facts she expressed disdain for those who considered the distinction worth making. For the morality of making rhetoric in this fashion -- which is hardly unique to Ms. Coulter -- I suggest reference to the recent work of Prof. Harry Frankfurt of Princeton University.