Who do you R-E-S-P-E-C-T More? McCain or Aretha?

Both funerals are happening at the same time. So who deserves more respect, John McCain or Aretha Franklin?

 

I found several things to respect McCain for, withstanding torture, and being true to his word and standing up to Trump of course.
He worked across the aisle and served well in the Senate (except for being a puppet of Military Industrial complex), esp. near the end (saving Obamacare was his greatest action, imo).

But dropping bombs (how many dozen missions did he pilot?) on people he never met, for no good reason other than having to follow daddy's footsteps.
Many protested the Vietnam War and many fled to Canada rather than fight for a vaguely defined cause for OIL COMPANIES.
So no, I can't say I respect his wartime service, esp. serving the Military Industrial Complex.

But on a one-to-one level, he seemed to be a good man.

Now Aretha didn't just inspire hundreds of women artists, she infused soul in every word she sang, that you could feel in places few can reach.
She broke the rules of the day, and became the voice of a generation that eventually nurtured the "Me Too" movement.

I think they both devoted themselves to their careers and succeeded due to their personal talents.
We could all learn something from them.
Like to succeed you really have to have give it everything you've got...

And NEVER EVER forget the horrors inflicted by the US on Vietnam (and every other country since - Iraq, Syria, soon Iran or DPRK).

I almost agree with Trump that they're overdoing the McCain thing. It's akin to all the Flag Waving that went on for years after 9/11.

Let's remember to separate the individuals caught up in a war and those who work for the Military Industrial Complex and profit off the sale of weapons.

Your taxpayer dollars (mostly pork) end up killing thousands of innocents for oil and profit.

 

McCain participated in Operation Rolling Thunder in Vietnam.
Rolling Thunder targeted arms depots, factories, and bridges. Not civilians per se.
He was almost killed aboard the U.S.S. Forrestal when a rocket from an F4 misfired and hit his aircraft as it was staged on deck. His plane caught fire and McCain escaped by climbing over the nose and jumping to the deck with his flight suit on fire. He was then helping another pilot out of a plane when a dislodged bomb from his own plane exploded blowing him backward ten feet and wounding him in the chest and legs. He got up and helped throw unexploded bombs over the side of the ship.
The fire killed 134 sailors, destroyed 20 aircraft, and took 24 hours to bring under control.

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This episode greatly affected him:

He then volunteered for duty on the U.S.S Oriskany and joined The Saints squadron. The Saints had had one third of their personal killed or captured due to their highly aggressive, dangerous missions. All of their original A-4s had been destroyed.
McCain immediately volunteered for the most dangerous missions.
He was awarded:

The next day while attacking a power plant in Hanoi his plane was acquired by fire control radar, but he refused to abort his run until his bombs were released. On pull up his left wing was blown off, he ejected breaking his right arm in three places and his right leg. He hit the water while unconscious and nearly drowned due to the weight of his equipment.
He was pulled from the water by the NV who stripped him crushed his left shoulder and bayoneted him in the foot and groin. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for this action.

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He was refused medical treatment because he would not talk. Near death he was admitted to the hospital where the doctors gave him up for dead.
While in the hospital he was beat, lost 50 pounds, and his hair turned white. His arm was never set.

He was in solitary confinement for 2 years and refused a prisoner exchange unless all those captured before him were also released, resulting in increased torture.
He was bound and beat every two hours while suffering from dysentery.
His right arm was re broken, his leg re injured, teeth were broken off at the gum line, and his ribs were cracked. He was left to lie in his own excrement.
He attempted suicide but was stopped.
After four days he signed an:

Two weeks later he was asked to sign a second confession but refused resulting in 3 beatings a week for a year.

Other POWs report that they often heard him voicing loud obscenities toward his guards.

In 1968 he was presented on Christmas Eve to television cameras and defied his captors:

Solitary confinement ended in 1970 and he was released in 1973 after spending 5 1/2 years in captivity.
He was awarded a Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, another Navy Commendation Medal, and a Purple Heart.