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03/16/2006 13:38:56 EST Georgia Senate Defeats Fonda Resolution
ATLANTA - Jane Fonda's 1972 trip to North Vietnam is haunting her again. The Georgia Senate on Thursday nearly unanimously defeated a resolution that would have honored the actress' charity work in the state.
The Democratic sponsor had tried to withdraw the resolution after a rocky reception from colleagues and a phone call from Fonda's office, but a Republican leader forced a vote, saying members of his caucus wanted to go on record against it.
Fonda, who is out of the country, had asked for the resolution to be withdrawn to avoid the controversy, said the sponsor, Sen. Steen Miles of suburban Atlanta.
The effort was defeated 38-1, with even Miles voting against it.
The resolution cited the Atlanta resident's work as founder of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, donations to universities and charities, and role as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.
But Fonda's political activities protesting the Vietnam War, including a trip to North Vietnam in 1972, have long made her a target of veterans.
"I can think of no living American who is less worthy of this honor," Republican Sen. John Douglas declared. "She is as guilty of treason as Benedict Arnold and Tokyo Rose."
Miles argued that Fonda's good works should outweigh the negatives.
JonR
