We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
The following is the first factual, shall I say fact-checking, review that I've come across about the Ken Burns narrative of the Vietnam war(s). Other reviews are more of the same breast-beating and ignorant narrative that has dominated in the liberal press for the past several decades. This review circulated among various Vietnamese and Americans with an interest in a more realistic contemporary view, rather than retrospective self-justifications for weakness of will and understanding that condemned millions to death and torture.
COMMENTS ON THE VIETNAM WAR DOCUMENTARY FILM
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Sang
I was fortunate to be part of a joint PBS and local library panel to preview the Vietnam War Documentary by filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick who had spent ten years to complete the eighteen-episode series, which the PBS will air on September 17, 2017.
Although being anxious before an audience of more than 200 participants (mostly American-born except for my young assistant, Dr. Gwen Huynh) I decide to continue with the discussion thinking it is an opportunity to express a Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces soldier’s view about the war inspire of my limited language skill.
After the presentation, each of the panelists was asked one question. The Film features a North Vietnamese veteran named Bao Ninh who says that there was no winner during the Vietnam War. The moderator asked me to comment on the interviewee’s statement.
To me, in order to determine who won and who lost the war, one needs to answer three fundamental questions: (1) what was the goals of the involved parties. (2) What price did they have to pay? (3) The overall assessment of the war.
A- Goals of Involved Parties
1. According to the Pentagon Papers (Pentagon Papers is a nearly 4,000-page top-secret Pentagon study of US government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War from 1945 to 1967. An American activist and former United States military analyst, Mr. Daniel Ellsberg, released it through the New York Times in 1971. The document was declassified on May 5, 2011, and has been on display at the Library of President Nixon in California. ), the US got involved in the Vietnam War was to encompass the Communist China, not to help defend South Viet Nam's independence, which was the ruse for the US containment strategy at the time.
2. The North Vietnam’s goal was to "liberate" South Viet Nam by force and to use it as a springboard to spread International Communism throughout Southeast Asia, which was also Ho Chi Minh’s goal since 1932 when he was the leader of the Indochinese Communist Party. Le Duan, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), who was believed to have said, "We fight the Americans for the USSR and China", must have followed this goal to the letter. If so, the statement represented the true mission of the Communist leaders.
3. On the contrary, the goal of the South Vietnamese leaders was to defend the country’s independence and sovereignty. Since the North Vietnamese Communists enjoyed maximum supports from the USSR, China, the Eastern European Communist Block, and even Cuba, South Viet Nam had no other choice but accepted assistances from the United States and other capitalist countries to fight against the Communist invasion.
The Passover Seder, in which we follow a strict order of prayers and foods, is the Jewish way of remembering from whence we came from slavery into freedom. The question has been debated among Judaism's leading scholars whether it is more important to learn the rules of Passover or the lessons of Passover. It is largely a false dichotomy. Following the Seder rules are an act of devotion and discipline to continue the memory of our roots. The memory of our roots, however, are not just about a history but a future. In every generation we are to remember and feel the experience of the Divine liberation, and that since then there have been numerous efforts to eradicate us so it is important to build solidarity and faith for survival.
The narrative is about what the past tells us for our future. The narrative is meant to be a call to discuss and think about freedom, slavery, choice, and destiny. The Exodus is a call to revolutionary hope, rather than acceding to slavery and hardship. Because of retaining the memory of the seemingly impossible liberation, as if we had ourselves experienced it, it provides the hope and belief that the days to come will not necessarily be like today, if we work and fight for a better tomorrow. That's why the Seder ends with the affirmation of next year being in Jerusalem, of the ingathering in peace, safety and justice.
The Passover Seder is a ritual meal that serves our vision of improving our lives and world.
There's a third element that is important in Judaism: enjoying ourselves so that our connectedness is emotionally felt and ongoing via teaching in an enjoyable way. With that, I give you the latest "uptown" Passover narrative:
Here's a new 2017 description of a traditional East European Passover Seder. But, Jews have been scattered all about the Earth. Here's about those delectable foods brought to the Passover table.
The Democrats and their press proxies were all prepared with their talking points against the Donald Trump who sneers in their smug faces. Instead, President Trump was at his presidential best, clear, softly spoken, strategic in his sweep across the policy landscape, offering his hand to his opponents to instead think first of America instead of scoring petty points.
The Democrats in Congress looked bewildered and pantsed, sour looks on their faces in the face of programs that appeal to most Americans, not knowing what to do, their steam looking like hot air, and the media stammered its appreciation with less of but not excluding their sneers.
The American people got to see it all, to the self-created embarrassment of the Democrats.
Steven Hayward at Powerline blog discussed the Finnis Connection of nominated Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch. Judge Gorsuch took time off from his former law practice to earn a PhD at Oxford under John Finnis. Finnis is noted for his book about how natural law is central to jurispridence. This learning by Gorsuch may portend a renewed attention to the 9th Amendment to our Constitition, a key part of our Bill Of Rights all but ignored since the 1930s. The concept of natural rights reserved to the people is the core of this Amendment, and Gorsuch's learning in this concept may resurrect respect for our inalienable rights, as the Declaration of Independence phrased it.
I'm glad to see this potential, as I wrote about the 9th Amendment here in 2012:
President Trump pledged his administration to being of, by and for the people, not for the pelf and comforts of self-anointed elitists or of those abroad who've excessively and selfishly exploited our wealth and generosity. The usual legacy network commentators, surprise, surprise, criticized that President Trump didn't echo their own, Democrat. wishes. Tough noogies!
Twas the night before Inauguration, and up in the tower,
The Donald reflected on his newfound power. The conservative masses had come out in force, And delivered a victory that would chart a new course.
The snowflakes were shell-shocked with tears in their eyes, The media lied to them . . . What a surprise. They had been promised a Hillary win, But the criminal Clinton took one on the chin.
Although almost all use quotations from the Bible to buttress modern day arguments, relatively few have ever read it. Actually, I should say any of them. For there's the Jewish Bible, the Catholic Bible, and various Protestant Bibles, and among these are various translations, inclusions and exclusions.
One of the narratives, that of the Maccabees, is not included in the Jewish Bible. There's several reasons offered: The two Books of Maccabees are in the Alexandrian Greek version, and only those Books in the original Hebrew are included. (Other Books of similar non-Hebrew language or not accepted as divine scripture, like Judith, are as well in the Apocrypha, some in some denominations' Bibles.) The reign of the Maccabees' heirs were not of the sacred line of David and, therefore, unworthy to be treated as kings. Their rule was tarnished by corrupt practices, and contributed toward the internal divisiveness and, then, destruction by the Romans of the Jewish homeland, the wholesale massacres of Jews there and diaspora to alien lands for the remainder. Then, there's the rationale that for a people in exile, subject to survival under and adaptations to inhospitable or suspicious foreign ways, it was not good politics to exalt recent Jews as warriors in the codification of the Jewish Bible.
Today, with the increased ability of Jews to practice openly and participate constructively in Western societies, and with pride in having a homeland to secure safety for all Jews who would return there, the relatively minor holiday of Chanukah is celebrated widely. Providing a celebration for Jewish children at the time of year that others celebrate Christmas has made of Chanukah a major holiday. lt also fits with the recovery of a homeland of refuge in Israel, and is a celebration in which many Christians can choose to share. (Senator Hatch wrote this song for Chanukah, for example. I met him in 1996, and he does always wear a Star of David or a small Mezzuzah around his neck.)
Still, if Chanukah is degraded to just blue-and-white lights in place of red-and-yellow, or icicles, Chanukah is made meaningless.
One must remember there are two Books of Maccabee. The first Book deals with the profanation and oppression in which many Jews went along to survive -- leading to the brave fight by a few for religious freedom that overwhelmed seemingly undefeatable might.
(There's also the side-story of Hannah and her seven sons, who endured the most severe tortures practiced in those times, the descriptions of which would even sicken a surrealist, rather than renounce their faith.)
The second Book deals with the resanctification of the Holy Temple. The custom of the eight day miracle of lights grew from this resanctification, even though there's weak evidence to substantiate it happening that way.
I'll leave the canonical and scholarly debates here for others, in order to draw a lesson. Chanukah and the Maccabees fits within the Jewish Bible's narrative, whether formally or by custom. And, more attention deserves to be given the first Book, to understand the second. Fight, or surrender to comforts and fears and, thus, perish.
The Jewish Bible is a series of opportunities for living the guidance provided by G-d through experience and direction, often failing to do so in successive generations and paying terrible prices to relearn and return to basic truths. In this sense, Jews are fated to be a small self-selecting people, those who adhere to these basic truths, while by basic frail human nature others fall and fail by the wayside, merging into ostensibly safer masses.
The modern state of Israel struggles with these choices, and so far has risen beyond any expectations -- by rejecting the sophistry of self-serving internal weaklings, defectors, and collaborators paid off by Israel's enemies, and by evading false friends in high-places within other governments, who all recommend paths that are well-known to lead to defeatism and doom.
So, depending on the transliteration, to all a Happy Chanukah, or Hannukah. These young people in a flash mob on Ben Yehuda Street are the spirit that bring pride to fighting to endure in basic truth, for the benefit of all. There are onlookers and there are participants. Without modern Maccabees, participants in fighting for life, all would be enslaved.
Carrier leaves 1000 jobs in Indiana, Europe beefs up its defense spending to avoid Trump's ire, Obama admin announces it will not in its last days force its weakening of Israel, Trump is ahead of other incoming admins in naming Cabinet, our Defense Dept will be headed by a wise warrior and not wooses pushing social programs at the cost of battle readiness, and the wins keep coming. President-elect Trump isn't even inaugurated yet and the wins keep coming.
Throughout the campaign, the media was quick to emphasize and denounce Trump et al for everything done by anyone in any way supportive of him, regardless of whether it was true or actually hateful, regardless of whether the Trump campaign had anything to do with it. And, the actually hateful and violent behavior of Trump opponents was passed over or played down, including those actually hired by the Clinton campaign as was revealed by Wikileaks.
This continues today as the same media fails to denounce the unlawful behaviors of anti-Trumpers, the violence and threats of violence and hate language spewed forth by those demonstrating in the streets and blocking access to highways, schools, and places of business. It's all well and good that President Obama and Hillary Clinton have made pleasant soundbites about cooperating with Mr Trump, but where are they now to speak out against the hate they in fact created themselves by speaking and drumming up such hate speech and actions during the campaign.
The Democrats are united under their latest echo-chamber theme: President Trump should be "the President of all Americans." Then they list their litany that they endlessly repeated during the campaign of how Trump's positions are the devil's. Some may quickly say they misjudged the electorate but then return to their rants. By "all Americans" they do not mean all Americans but, instead, the Democrat constituencies of those privileged by their government giveaways and crony deals. The hell with the rest of us.
Unless President Trump manages to stay firm and persuade the runaway Republicans in Congress to cooperate, it will get worse and this will be America's last chance to survive as a pillar among a world of berserkers and thugs, while what will prevail longer term is the demographics of illegal and other immigrants importing socialism or selling our welcome for a bowl of porridge and the leftist indoctrination shamelessly imposed on our students.
The people have spoken, but do not expect the Democrats and their media surrogates to listen any more than they have in the past. Expect more of their derangement and vile hateful attacks and lies. Be prepared to defend and fight back. Do not forget that is they who have been and will continue to be vile, and call them on it.
Last Saturday night a jump up and feel Revival was held at Hilltop Center in Fallsbrook, CA. Actually, that was the theme of a variety music hall fest produced by Ken Rexrode. Ken is an extraordinary music production impresario whose sell-out shows at one of southern California's premier show rooms, Belly Up in Solana Beach, are unique.
The father and leader of one of those wonderful groups of musicians -- Daring Greatly, he and his sons moving here from Canada last year and staying because of the special energy of kindred musicians, adorned the guise of Reverend Dail to start things off. His words are supposed to come from as if a Revival in 1876, but they ring true and needed today. He let me steal his notes from the lectern.
Good evening. What a beautiful congregation, and what an incredible night we will have.
It's 1876 and lots is happening. There's a contentious election, with suspected cheating and corruption. -- I wonder how much better, how far we will have come in the next 140 years.
Its 1876, and the US signed a treaty with American Indians, then soon after, discovers gold on their land, and even with the treaty, the US removes the natives from their land. (Sounds like North Dakota?)
It's 1876, Serbia and Montenegro declare war on Turkey -- multiple others...Race riots in South Carolina heat up....
I wonder.........
I wonder, how will we measure how far we have come over the next 140 years? GDP, technology, average income per family, number of TVs per household...
OR, our ability to love, our levels of compassion, everyone having clean food, water, and air, are we happier, more connected?
I wonder how far we will have come...how much will our lives be better...how much will we have learned...how much happier...
Well...it's up to us now, isn't it!
In my line of work, I meet many people who are lost, sad, lonely, unfulfilled...and they ask me, How do "I" get out of this rut, this funk?...How do "I" feel better?
Do you know what I tell them? Do you know what I say to these people?
I say...you start by not using the word "I" so much. Stop making this whole life and world about you! It starts with you but doesn't mean more selfish, self-centered, misunderstood. It's about happinesss.
We are all one energy..,.in this together...then you realize...every time...pick somebody up...smile, hug...help...give of your time...you are really raising the vibrational energy of the entire planet.
When we bring others down, we bring ourselves down...and it works the other way, too!
If you want to feel better, make someone else feel better. It's amazing, it's addicting...it's perpetual...
So, the next time you feel sad, or lonely, or lost, or disconnected...put your beautiful and unique genius to great use...everyone has one or more of these...EVERYONE...
When we give a little...when we pick someone up...when we make a difference in someone's life...when we inspire someone to do something they were afraid to do...when we are a model or a mentor for someone...if each one of us takes on this universal truth and responsibility...there is NO way...no possible way...a major shift does not happen...it would be impossible for our lives not to get better.
There is some incredible vibrational energy increases that comes from participating in music. From the pounding drums, to the deep bass that rattles your heart, to the complementary sounds of the piano and guitars, to the beautiful melodies and harmonies.
Music is the perfect reminder constantly, that we can always get higher!
Tonight in true Rivival fashion, we have some beautiful people who are going to share their "genius" with you. They will be pouring their hearts out for you...they will be sharing their creations in the most sincere, human, vulnerable way possible with you.
A moment ago I said "participating". Music is not complete until there is an exchange and connection between the artist and the audience. When the artist is vulnerable and so is the audience, that's when MAGIC happens.
When an artist is emotional, vulnerable, sincere, the audience will feel that, and the artist will feel the audience right back.
So, open up your hearts tonight, to the music, to the artists, and to each other, and feel the music and the deep connections that it inspires. Fill your heart with as much love as you can possibly handle.
Let's celebrate together...right here and right now! The best way we know how...through LOVE...and MUSIC.
One of my Vietnam veteran buddies in North Carolina just sent me this email. It's worth sharing, to help recall what is important, and who. The charity which is linked is very well worth your attention, please.
"Once a year the charity for the crippled old ARVN vets still suffering in Viet Nam holds a dinner concert and fundraiser. (www.thevhf.org ) It was scheduled for this past Saturday evening and the MC and singers flew in from California on Friday for it. But then came the hurricane, which was supposed to mostly miss Raleigh..... but that forecast was just a bit off, and we got 9 inches of rain, very high winds, all kinds of flooding, trees down across roads, power outages all over. Including the rental hall for the party. And the official recommendations from the authorities were for people to stay home until it blew over.
"As I got ready to go in the early evening, my wife asked me why I would go, when it should be cancelled and there was no power at the hall. I told her that 1- the organizers had gotten a 10KW generator to run power as needed, and 2- these are people who went to sea in small leaky boats at great risk, or walked across Cambodia to get to camps in Thailand, or survived "re-education", and spent years in refugee camps to get here with nothing to start all over again in a strange new country. There was no way that rain and slick roads would mean anything worth stopping for to them!
"And sure enough, we had 90% attendance, even with people who had to drive long distances to get there. They had bought dozens of candles to light every table, the caterer (also Vietnamese) had brought sterno warming pans for all the hot food, ice for the drinks, etc. The power wasn't level enough in voltage for the sound equipment, but they brought in a piano and someone to play it for music, and the singers worked through all that.
"Starting first, with the star male singer, a superb baritone, singing the Star Spangled Banner a cappella. And there was NO ONE in this crowd sitting down, everyone was standing, hand over heart, and many sang along. In the flickering candlelight of the tables with the wind and rain drumming outside, it was something special. And OK, call me a sentimental, silly, old American.... but my eyes..... my eyes let me down, they spilled water down my cheeks as I tried to sing along through a throat tightened with emotion. And then they sang the old national anthem of South Viet Nam, and the whole crowd sang with strength and clarity. It was all something to experience.
"After which the show went on and everyone had a great, great time. I was very happy and proud to be there."
Was environment one of the myriad causes at the women's march? Apparently not.
