Vietnam Interview

How did it feel hiding in your village?
It was scary.  My mother told us to stay inside all the time because she said outside was not safe.  I didn't like it.  I didn't know where my father was most of the time.  I was always nervous and afraid.  The noises were unlike anything I had ever heard before.

Do you know where your father is now?
In heaven.

Do you remember how he died?
No, but I can remember when.

When did he die?
He died when there was an attack on my village.  Outside of my house it sounded like a nightmare, and the last thing I heard from him was my mother's name.

How did your mother handle your father's death?
She was very depressed, but she knew that because he was gone we weren't as protected, so we left our village and moved to where our family was.

JFK Twitter

ElPresidenteK

Castro is now in power after the Revolution...interesting...

1/1/59 9:24AM

ElPresidenteK

Even better - Cuba and the Soviet Union are now openly allies with the same policies...not the best news to wake up to.

12/20/60 8:34AM

ElPresidenteK
To intervene or not intervene, that is the question.  I think I'll go with the first option.
8/11/62 3:54PM

ElPresidenteK

It's now confirmed from photos taken with our U-2 planes: Cuba now has missile sites.
10/15/62 4:55PM

ElPresidenteK

A second U-2 flight has predicted what I wish would never have to be the case - Cuba has nuclear missiles aimed at us.

10/18/62 11:02AM

ElPresidenteK
Back on the campaign trail, but with so much more than the campaign on my mind.
10/19/62 6:45AM


ElPresidenteK
Cuba is still rapidly building up their so-called "defenses."  This is starting to get very ugly, very quickly.  I need to take care of some business before I can campaign again.
10/21/62 9:30PM


ElPresidenteK
It pained me to address the nation with news of the offensive missiles in Cuba, but this situation is too important to keep quiet.
10/22/62 8:30PM


ElPresidenteK
The United States military's will advance towards Cuba today; now it's up to you Krushchev.
10/23/62 5:30AM


ElPresidenteK
Krushchev's ultimatum is very tempting...but is it the best thing for the nation?
10/26/62 10:45AM


ElPresidenteK
Just made the deal.  We'll stay out of Cuba, if the Soviets remove their missiles from Cuba.  That works...for now.

10/28/62 4:52PM

Songs: from Vietnam to Today

"Where is the Love"

-Black Eyed Peas

"Overseas, yeah, we trying to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here living
In the USA the big CIA
The Bloods and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate 
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all
People killing people dying
Children hurtin’ an’ ya hear them crying 
Can you practice what you preach?
And would you turn the other cheek?
Father, Father, Father help us 
Send some guidance from above 
Cause people got me, got me questioning 

Where is the love?"

This song was written in 2003, when Americans faced many hardships as a nation.  The most prominent of course, being the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  This song not only promotes anti-terrorism, it is also an anthem against the War on Terror and Invasion of Iraq, terrorism, government hypocrisy, racism, gang violence, war, intolerance, and greed.  This song highlights the problems we have here in the USA and globally.

"Where is the Love" is very similar to the songs we listened to in class regarding the Vietnam War.  Back in the Vietnam War era, some songs were anthems for the war, and some were anthems for peace.  Artists with either perspective produced songs that were known and followed by many supporters, and are still well known today.  "Where is the Love" is a similar form of song--popular and listened to by many.  It highlights conflicts the American nation faces and takes a stand on those issues, providing an anthem for those who share the same beliefs.

Topic 12 Study Guide!

Truman Doctrine:

-USA gave money to any country under a communist threat, the help stop its spread

Containment Policy:

- Containment toward the Soviet Union's communism

-We thought that if the Soviet Union stopped expanding, so would their policies and social system

-Marshall Plan - financial aid to European countries after WWII damage

-NATO - proposed "collective security" where a  'if you mess with me, you mess with my family' mindset was in place

U.S. Foreign Policy (Korea & Vietnam)

- Korea: USA afraid of communism spreading - helped out in South Korea when the communist North Korea invaded (3 year war to restore old border) - USA lost 54,000 soldiers with "LIMITED warfare"

-Vietnam: USA gets involved because of communist leader Ho Chi Minh, a friend of Stalin's, after making Vietnam independent of France in 1945 - USA gives $ to France, they fight Minh and lost in 1954, so we send in troops - resulted in Geneva Agreement (Communist North, Free South Vietnam - where we put a president in place)

Intervention

-USA got involved in foreign affairs, trying to halt the spread of communism as much as possible, "helping" countries being affected and putting new government leaders in place where necessary

Cold War Development

-1949: Soviet Union successful atomic bomb test led US gov.'t to believe there were spies in the USA (Rosenburg's)

-1960: Soviet Union gives Cuba $100 million for "sugar" - USA didn't buy it

             -Bay of Pigs Invasion - Goal = No Communism in Western Hemisphere, USA trained anti-communist Cubans in Florida and sent them back to fight, defeated in 3 days

1962: Cuban Missile Crisis: USA caught Cuba with aimed ballistic missiles (there goes that sugar investment...) with surveillance planes

-Negotiation: Kennedy and Kruschev agreed 13 minutes before USA took out Cuban missile bases - Soviet Union would remove missiles from Cuba if USA removes their missiles from Turkey

-Tension then eased: Nuclear Weapons Ban 1963 (but USA didn't stop testing nukes!)

WWII Foreign Policy vs Post WWII Foreign Policy

- Pre WWII: Isolationism

-Post WWII: Intervention

Limited War

-Not using all available resources and means to defeat an enemy (Korean War)

Examples of Containment in Europe

- Berlin Wall: separated East and West Germany, separated communism and free sides of Germany.  The USA would do a LOT to stop communism from spreading into other countries.

Main Points of Division of Germany

- East Germany: communist Soviet rule

-West Germany democracy ruled by France, Great Britain, USA

Douglas MacArthur Dismissal

- MacArthur failed to comply with all of Truman's orders, and went too far in the Korean war, pushing back the border and entering Chinese territory.  Truman worried he had too much power.

Korean War Similarities with Persian Gulf War

-Assisted by USA to prevent a government from gaining power

-Started with an invasion of a country

-Featured a military end run which resulted in a quick victory and ejected the invaders

-Re-established original borders

Nuclear Test Ban

- 1963: including Soviet Union, USA, and Great Britain signed - no more testing nukes

-Most did not stop testing, especially the USA...

Long Term Effects of Vietnam

- Country divided into pro/anti war groups

-Economic costs

-Veterans coming home with psychological scarring, and coming home to an angry America

-Made USA hesitant of sending troops for extended military action abroad

Peace Corps

-Set up by President Kennedy

-Humanitarian aid for developing nations

-To educate people on how "giving and caring the USA really is"

End of Cold War

-Fall of the Berlin Wall, symbolic end of Cold War

Domino Theory

-The idea that if one country becomes communist, surrounding countries will adopt communism and it will spread like falling dominos

Nixon's Détente

-attempt to ease tension between Soviet Union and the USA

Courage

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, were both united in ideology, but differed in methodology.  As ascertained from the quotes, from class discussion and further research, it appears that the methods of MLK appealed more to the oppressed black communities by promoting Christian teachings and non-violent actions.  Malcolm X relied heavily on the theology of the Nation of Islam, which encompassed a much smaller population of black people and they tended to express themselves in a controversial, confrontational manner.
            Each of their ideologies complimented the other persons.  Both were passionate about the advancement of the black population in acquiring their civil rights and freedoms in the United States of America.  In most of their famous quotes, slight differences do emerge.  MLK focused mainly on oppressed blacks and inspiring them to find the courage to seize their rights as citizens.  Malcolm X, on the other hand, centered his ideology on all races, encouraging them to fight for their rights as human beings.
            MLK won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, a clear indication of his commitment to non-violent protest.  He tirelessly traveled the country giving speeches on freedom, igniting courage to change the status quo, and steadfastly following a path of peaceful protest to reach the goals of equality.  He led multitudes of marches and protests, most notably the bus boycott of 1955 which led the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the constitutionality of segregation on buses in 1965.  MLK focused his work in the United States, but realized it had the potential to change the world.
            Martin Luther King’s childhood was dramatically different than Malcolm Xs.  He grew up supported by a close church community, flourished in his educational aspirations, and eventually became a pastor.  He was an exceptional motivational speaker and his Christian roots held him firmly to his goals of accomplishment without violence.  Ironically, it was violence in the form of a bullet, the killed the passionately peaceful person.
            Malcolm X began his life as Malcolm Little in Nebraska.  His father was a Baptist minister who was avidly involved with civil rights activism and Malcolm was exposed to bigotry at a very early age.  He was a brilliant student, but received a clear message that as a Negro, he would not accomplish his educational dreams.  Malcolm wandered and ended up in jail for various crimes.  In jail he took the time to further is education and where he was also exposed to the theology of the Nation of Islam The NOI believed that blacks were actively oppressed by whites and deserved a state of there own, without white interference.  After his release he became a Minister of the Nation of Islam and their leader.  He used the media, to a much greater extent then MLK, to communicate his messages and ideas.  Malcolm X’s comments were often shocking and this quote basically describes his philosophy: “Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression, because power, real power, comes from our conviction which produces action, uncompromising action.”
            With an undertow of violence in his speeches, Malcolm X was followed closely by the F.B.I.  His relationship with the NOI deteriorated after various transgressions by its former leader.  He started his own organization called the Muslim Mosque, Inc. to spread the word of freedom to all races.  It was this split with the NOI that created his worst enemies.  Members of the Nation of Islam succeeded in killing him in 1965.
            Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were courageous individuals.  Their speeches and actions inspired the civil rights movement, and helped a country begin to recognize the bias that was evident in many forms during that time period.  Martin Luther King used popular and well recognized Christian values to promote change that was understood by millions of people.  His methodology allowed everyone to join the revolution.  Malcolm X had the same goal, but his methodology was not as well understood by the general population, and it was also attached to a climate of violence that alienated many people.  His message of human rights for all races was correct, but his methodology was more exclusive and less effective.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.htmlhttp://www.malcolmx.com/about/bio.html

Deja Vu

            "I just feel like every time the white people did something [at the school in Jena]," Ms. Jones said, "they dropped it, and every time the black people did something, they blew it out of proportion." – April Jones, 17, Atlanta, Georgia.
            Not startled, not surprised, unfortunately an everyday occurrence; the Jena incident being just one of many events of racial discrimination that occur in this country on a large scale and on a small scale.
            Dismayed, saddened, and frustrated; problems in society, like racism, are usurped for stories about Charlie Sheen or the Royal Wedding. 
            Absolutely horrified; our country continues to slash spending on education every year. 
            Education is the only solution to creating a civil society.  Education gives us the freedom to understand, to learn, to reason and create.  Education provides solutions, it inspires people to appreciate our racial differences and learn to accept the ideas of all citizens with respect and compassion.  It’s the power of education that generates justice and peace.
            Regarding the two news stories, there were several similarities between the events in Jena, Louisiana, in September of 2007 and those in Little Rock, Arkansas in September, 1957.  Both incidents involved students enrolled in public schools.  Those highlighted in Jena were called the Jena Six, and those in Little Rock were called the Little Rock Nine.  Both groups of students were black.  The L.R. Nine were denied access into school by state National Guard troops because of opposition to the integration of black students into all white schools.  The famous Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the Supreme Court on May 17, 1954 had overturned segregated schools.  The J. Six were arrested because of an incident at school that involved a beating, to unconsciousness, of a white student.  The town of Jena, Louisiana is 85% white, and the judicial system was quick to charge the black students with attempted murder.  It was the actual governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, who sent the armed troops to deny the L.R. Nine access to an all white school, in a predominantly white town.  In both cases, there was a tremendous overreaction, by the white population and the judicial system, to an issue that rested in the hands of racial discrimination.
            Demonstrations took over the towns of both Little Rock and Jena.  White demonstrators lined the streets of Little Rock, taunting and ridiculing the black students.  In Jena, black demonstrators marched to decry the unfair treatment of the J. Six.  They protested the ruling that the boys would be charged with attempted murder instead of the customary assault and battery.  Five of the six were released under civic pressure and charges were reduced.  The sixth boy was charged, put in jail and held without bail even though the charges had been voided by the appeals court.  Both white and black demonstrators were protesting an event that had serious racial overtones, during their own generations.
            President Eisenhower was directly involved in the altercations in Little Rock, sending Federal army troops to reinforce the National Guard who had been federalized by the President.  President George W. Bush expressed his concern over the perceived bias and sent the F.B.I. and the Justice Department to monitor the situation. 

Finally, one of the most distressing facts regarding these stories is that white students were never reprimanded or held accountable for their actions at the schools.  The L.R. Nine were verbally and physically harassed and abused by white students.  One of the Nine actually had acid thrown in her eyes.  The black students were continually accused of starting trouble and suspended from school.  No white students were ever punished.  In Jena, tensions were running high between white and black students.  White students actually hung nooses on “their” tree to express their feelings for the black students.  As one marcher stated, “If you can figure out how to make a school yard fight into an attempted murder charge, I’m sure you can figure out how to make stringing nooses into a hate crime.” – Latese Brown, 40, of Alexandria

            While there were several similarities that defined these two incidents that precipitated action by civil groups, there is one huge difference that made the Jena incident, although, a relatively small action, in a relatively small town, such a gathering point for civil rights protests.   Available technology made it much easier for the Jena, Arkansas episode to become a national news story immediately.  Through targeted radio stations, the internet and text messaging, the Little Rock Six brought racial discrimination back into the forefront of the national conversation on racism.


http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20070924monday.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Nine

Meritocracy?

Meritocracy exists in our society.

It is true that people who are taught from the start that they are from a successful, educated, and high class family (the "superior" kids in the video) are more likely to be motivated than those who are taught they are from a lower class, uneducated family (the "inferior" kids in the video).  It is generally easier to achieve goals and be successful if the right resources are available -- and they are in the case of being in an upper class family.
Being in a lower class family, however, makes it more challenging to get into better schools, and it is discouraging to think that the rest of the family either hasn't been educated or has never been successful.  Despite the lack of resources available to a lower class individual, there are always cases where typical stereotypes are completely reversed.
The case just previously mentioned goes along with meritocracy.  If a lower class individual is willing to work hard enough, they can and will succeed.  Meritocracy is based off of skills and abilities rather than a person's wealth, so if someone from a lower class possesses the necessary skills and abilities to succeed, they will.

SURVEY - College Education

Race      HS Grads      College Grads

W:           22                          19

AA:         4                            0

A:            2                            2

H:          12                           5

NA:        0                            0

PI:          0                            0

O:           0                            0

*I was unable to get results from the Native American, Pacific Islander, or Other racial categories.

100% of those asked in the Asian category said that their parents graduated from both high school and college.  However, I feel as if that data is somewhat unrepresentative because only 2 people were asked.

In contrast, 0% in the African American category graduated from both high school and college.  All African American participants' parents only graduated from high school

The White category and the Hispanic category had the majority of the parents who graduated from both high school and college; although the White category had the most overall.

As we have talked about in class, with my results, and with the article we read with the survey about "White Privilege," there is a trend with regards to educational opportunity.  It is generally known and supported by statistics that the White racial group is and has been the most financially stable of all the races in the United States.  College back during the civil rights era was more common and available for Whites, and this has continued to the present day.  For instance, if your parents are White and went to college during that era, you will be more likely to go to college.  Not only is it a sort of family "tradition," it also has to do with the general financial stability commonly associated with the White race.  Nowadays other races are much more prominent in the college education system than they used to be, which shows the transition from the civil rights era to the equality of present day society, but a sort of "White Dominance" is still lingering because of our history (as shown in the survey above).

She's a Rare Bloom, Sexy Too!

She’s A Rare Bloom!!!!!!

“She’s feminine, sweet and a little bit silly, that secretary of mine.  She will surely adore her new pink typewriter just as much as a lovely bouquet of pink carnations.  What a treat for her, especially since she keeps my business and personal life running seamlessly.  She’s a pleasure to look at and what a cup of coffee she makes!  She smells like a bouquet of flowers, too, and that saucy way she runs in to take a memo….she definitely deserves a raise for that.  But, the best news is that I don’t have to compete with her for my manager’s position, because she could probably do my job in her sleep….hahaha!  She is so organized and smart.  This new typewriter will really make her happy.  Her only place in this business, right now, is where I can watch her walk to the water cooler.”

Sexy, Too!!!!!!!

“As an important executive in this company, it’s imperative that my secretary be smart, capable, and extremely elegant.  I confer with executives from around the world, and what better way to greet them, in my office, than with a glamorous babe, who can impress with her organizational abilities, and also have the conversational skills to enjoy an invitation from the boys for a martini after work at the Beverly Hill Hotel.  I think she really deserves a new Underwood typewriter.  The styling will match her outfits and she will be so thankful.  The newest equipment will let the boys know I take care of my secretary.  It will let her know that I care for her, as well…..”