During the 1950s Americans went into a Mad Panic about Communists taking over the world. We built thousands of Nuclear Missiles and Fallout Shelters. The US Congress had witch hunts (Joe McCarthy-HUAC) to expose "Commies" who worked in The Hollywood Movie business and blacklisted folksingers that were leading our young people astray with Labor Union Organizing songs.
During the height of this hysteria Vice President Richard Nixon went on Television and explained "The Domino Principle" while pointing to a map of Asia. His theory was... if we did not prevent Vietnam from becoming Communist, one by one those countries over there would turn Commie and soon Commies would take over the Entire World and We Would be fighting them at Our Border With Mexico... Communism Would threaten the American Way of Life Right Here at Home!
Dominos was a Family Game popular before the invention of Computers and Video Games... Since "Everyone" Knew what they were... the US Government Named our Foreign Policy for that Game... Because It Made the Policy Easy to Understand...
President Eisenhower and Kennedy sent advisors to help the South Vietnamese soldiers fight the North Vietnamese soldiers.
VIDEOS: Domino Theory: Cold War Misconception About Communism's Spread...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo_qCGNd2tE
I participated in a Candlelight March down Main Street in Los Gatos with my parents. I also collected signatures on an Anti-War petition from passers-by in front of the Post Office in Los Gatos. One man who was in favor of the war gave my father a book for me. "You can Trust the Communists" was the title and it's contents explained the justification for the war.
The Movie "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" documents in a humorous way the PANIC Attack of the USA about Global Communism and the threat to our way of life. ALSO, "Doctor Strangelove" ridiculed the Pro War people... Both movies are worth watching. "Team America: World Police" is a more recent mockery.
Ironically, during the 1960s most Americans were in favor of the war because they believed in obedience. The concept was that if the government told them to do something that people should simply do what they are told. During the late 1960s there was a global awakening and people started
to think for themselves and question authority.
I protested against the war in Vietnam not only because it was pure evil but also to save my own life. I turned 18 in 1972 and registered for the draft but was NOT asked to go to war. I missed the war by exactly ONE year. Thanks to Jane Fonda, Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, John Lennon and the millions of other people who protested the war. "All We are Saying, is Give Peace a Chance" ...
.jpg "Do The Math - Peace Saves Money - meme pie chart")
In 1963 JFK Ordered the End of Vietnam War. All Troops Out by the End of 1965 per National Security Action Memorandum Number 263. But Then He was Assassinated and We Fought the War until 1973. Makes me Question the MOTIVE for his Assassination... Who Profited from the Vietnam War? Dow, Hughes and Everyone Else in the Military Industrial Complex. Did they Have Him Killed to Prevent the Ending of the War?
Then President Johnson sent even More American Soldiers to fight the Viet Cong. Then President Nixon continued the War for another 5 years before eventually he decided to allow the South Vietnamese to fight their own war and we left. Quickly the South lost and thousands of Boat People fled South Vietnam because they thought they would be killed. As it turned out, The Domino Principle was false. Communism did not take over the world. The entire war was a waste of lives and money.
The main reason we ended the Vietnam War was the huge protest movement against the war. Lead by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin of the Yippies and The Students for a Democratic Society staged immense protest marches expressing the desire of the American People to end the war. Eventually the US government got the message... If they didn't End the War, the Majority of American Voters Would Throw them OUT of Office.
Ho Chi Minh was the heroic leader of North Vietnam. He successfully threw out the French Colonialists and The Americans. He reunited his country and Vietnamese people ruled Vietnam.
The Vietnam War inspired many anti-war protest songs. Country Joe and the Fish's "Fixing to Die Rag", Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant, The Door's "Unknown Soldier and "Where Have all the Flowers Gone" and "Big Muddy" by Pete Seeger...
Then the Draft (forcing people to go fight in wars) ended and we were at Peace for Ten Years... To This Day we Still Have an All Volunteer Army.
Many corporations profited from the War in Vietnam including Dow Chemical, Monsanto and Hughes Aircraft. The Government bought a lot of Napalm, Agent Orange and Helicopters.
President Lyndon Johnson was the main promoter of the Vietnam War. He is the one that changed from sending advisors to sending combat troops. Even after it became obvious that we could not win he continued to send more combat troops because he did not want to be the first President to lose a war. Robert McNamara was the Secretary of Defense at the beginning of the war and then he quit because all his experts said that we could not win.
The main reason we ended the Vietnam War was the huge protest movement against the war. Lead by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin of the Yippies and The Students for a Democratic Society staged immense protest marches expressing the desire of the American People to end the war. Eventually the US government got the message... If they didn't End the War, the Majority of American Voters Would Throw them OUT of Office.
Ho Chi Minh was the heroic leader of North Vietnam. He successfully threw out the French Colonialists and The Americans. He reunited his country and Vietnamese people ruled Vietnam.
The Vietnam War inspired many anti-war protest songs. Country Joe and the Fish's "Fixing to Die Rag", Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant, The Door's "Unknown Soldier and "Where Have all the Flowers Gone" and "Big Muddy" by Pete Seeger...
Then the Draft (forcing people to go fight in wars) ended and we were at Peace for Ten Years... To This Day we Still Have an All Volunteer Army.
Many corporations profited from the War in Vietnam including Dow Chemical, Monsanto and Hughes Aircraft. The Government bought a lot of Napalm, Agent Orange and Helicopters.
President Lyndon Johnson was the main promoter of the Vietnam War. He is the one that changed from sending advisors to sending combat troops. Even after it became obvious that we could not win he continued to send more combat troops because he did not want to be the first President to lose a war. Robert McNamara was the Secretary of Defense at the beginning of the war and then he quit because all his experts said that we could not win.
At one point, Barry Goldwater (The Republican Candidate for President) recommended dropping Atomic Bombs on Hanoi but he lost the Election to LBJ and we never dropped any.
We did drop an astonishing amount of traditional bombs, Napalm (jellied gasoline) and Agent Orange (a defoliant). That killed about two million Vietnamese people. Since they were fighting in defense of their own country they were able to outlast the Americans because they were Very interested in winning. The American public became opposed to the war in such numbers that eventually Richard Nixon ended the war. At one point, Nixon was so afraid of the protesters that he encircled the White House with Buses parked end to end so that people could not jump over the fence and attack. One protest march walked from the Lincoln Memorial in DC to the Pentagon in Virginia and encircled it. The plan was to hold hands, sing and chant until the Pentagon levitated into the air vibrated and collapsed into a pile of rubble. This march was documented in the Norman Mailer book "Armies of the Night".
Many thanks to all who protested the war as we saved countless lives. Including my own.
At Kent State University in Ohio 4 Students were murdered by the National Guard during an anti-war demonstration. This caused widespread outrage among the people of the USA. After all, when a species starts killing it's children extinction is not far away. Why these 4 deaths caused more of a backlash than the thousands of soldiers dying in Vietnam is a mystery. Maybe it's because of the Freedom of Speech guarantee of the First Amendment to the Constitution. The Night before the murder students burned down the ROTC building. (Reserve Officers Training Corps) That arson was used as the excuse for the National Guard to arm it's men with real bullets. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young wrote a great song documenting the murder called "Ohio."
At UC Santa Barbara students burned down the Bank of America building. That building was selected because the BofA was making a profit off the war.
The revolutionary organization "The Weathermen" blew up over 100 buildings in an attempt to "Bring the War Home". The Idea was that if the horrors of war were happening in the USA, the public would quickly grow tired of the war and ask our leaders to end it. Eventually, that is exactly what happened. "The Weathermen" selected organizations that were enabling the war for bombing targets. No people were ever hurt by the bombings only buildings. Including the US Capitol building in Washington DC.
Muhammed Ali refused to go to war and was arrested and convicted of draft dodging. At the time he was the most famous man in the world. He was a boxer. He said: "No Vietnamese ever called me nigger". Martin Luther King also opposed the war. So did Dr Benjamin Spock the author of the book "Baby and Child Care" which was the most popular book about how to raise children among the parents of the Baby Boom generation. Jane Fonda went to North Vietnam to visit the Army there and took many famous photographs that were printed in the newspapers worldwide. She was protesting Against the war and using her Fame as a Hollywood Movie Star to get attention to her views. Those photographs enraged people in favor of the war.
The draft had a tendency to select people who were poor. Anyone who was attending college got a student deferment. That meant that people who were too poor to afford going to college were drafted while students were excused from the war. Practically speaking, soldiers had a tendency to be Black, Hispanic or Native American. Rich people could also get a doctor to write a letter stating that their patient had medical reasons that made serving in the military impossible. For Example: Donald Trump was excused from service due to "Bone Spurs"... a medical condition that made it impossible for him to march... It's very likely that this medical condition was totally phony and was just an excuse... A friend of mine got a deferment for having surf bumps on his feet. He couldn't wear Army Boots...
William F Buckley was TOTALLY WRONG about the Vietnam War. He had a popular TV talk show where he would debate liberals. He was supposed to be a brilliant conservative thinker however, he was actually clueless about the war. At the time his show was on TV there were only 3 TV networks and his show was watched by millions of Americans. His opinions influenced the thinking of many "Right-Wing" Republicans. He was sort of like Rush Limbaugh or Fox TV News. A voice of the government. He believed that people should simply do what they are told. He was a skilled debater and could make seemingly believable arguments. Then these concepts were
repeated by millions of Americans... He put words in the mouth of parents that were worried that their children were running away to live in Hippie Communes and smoking Marijuana... Could it be that William F Buckley was a paid stooge of corporations that were making a profit on the war?
Walter Cronkite spoke up against the war. He was a TV News Anchorman and one of the most beloved people in America. He was regarded as a trustworthy father figure. When he came out against the war it was a sign that the people of the USA had had enough. He influenced public opinion greatly.
The "Gulf of Tonkin Incident" was fake. It was used as a reason for our involvement in Vietnam's Civil War. It was an event that did not happen.
The Chicago Riots at the Democratic Convention: Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin of the YIPPIES! (Youth International Party) asked for a million protesters to assemble in a park in Chicago during the Convention. The Police attacked the protesters with billy clubs and the riot was televised. Chanting "The Whole World is Watching" protesters fought with police. Later there was a trial of "The Chicago 7" and they were all convicted of inciting a riot. Later on appeal they were all found
innocent and the Judge (Julius Hoffmann) of the first trial was convicted of obstruction of justice. One of the people of trial (Bobby Seal) was bound and gagged so he would not talk during the trial. A Great song (Chicago) by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young documents these events. It was also covered in Abbie Hoffman's Books "Woodstock Nation" and "Revolution for the Hell of It". Another great book of his was called "Steal This Book" a guide to how to live as a revolutionary in America by getting everything for free so a person did not have to work at a job for money.
The Anti-War movement caused President Lyndon Johnson to decide to Not run for re-election. He was discouraged by constantly being blamed for the USA losing the war. Often protesters encircled the White House and chanted "Hey, Hey, LBJ. How Many Kids Did You Kill Today?" this constant noise disrupted his sleep and he decided to go home to Texas instead of running for a Second Term. When he go home he drank himself to death. It took years but he eventually died.
University of California at Berkeley was an early start of the anti-war protest movement. Mario Savio and Mark Rudd spoke at free speech rallies on campus and organized blockades of the nearby Oakland Army Recruiting facility. The rock band Country Joe and the Fish got their start playing at rallies. Joe McDonald's parents were pro-communist sympathizers and named him after "Country" Joe Stalin. "The Fish" was a referral to the Mao Tse Tung quote: "A revolutionary swims
thru the people like a fish swims thru the sea." They are most famous for the "Fixing to Die Rag" song shown in the movie "Woodstock."
The invention of Television helped end the Vietnam War. For the first time people saw the horrors of war every day in their own homes. Reporters on location showed pictures of the war and the human suffering caused by bombing, napalm and agent orange. Pictures of burning civilians made even
the most Brainwashed of Conservatives Question Authority. TV revealed the lies of the government about how we were supposedly "winning" the war and that there was a "light at the end of the tunnel" and how it would all be over soon. Johnson and Nixon had a more and more difficult job of selling the War to Americans whose children were dying. Awakening Was Happening Nationwide.
I participated in "The Moratorium" anti-Vietnam War protest march in San Francisco. We had protest marches that day in every city in the USA. At my high school we chartered a bus and many students rode from Los Gatos, California to San Francisco. The march ended at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park.There was a vast sea of people and The Beatles song "Come Together" was playing on the public address system when I walked over the hill leading to the field. I felt a feeling of "Oneness" with the crowd. It's emotionally valid to be in favor of good and opposed to evil. The Vietnam War was pure evil. We cut school to participate in this protest march but the principal of our High School did not assign any punishment for our missing class. He told us to figure out for ourselves the meaning of not getting assigned detention. (he was proud of us for risking punishment in support of
our beliefs.)
Many thanks to all who protested the war as we saved countless lives. Including my own.
At Kent State University in Ohio 4 Students were murdered by the National Guard during an anti-war demonstration. This caused widespread outrage among the people of the USA. After all, when a species starts killing it's children extinction is not far away. Why these 4 deaths caused more of a backlash than the thousands of soldiers dying in Vietnam is a mystery. Maybe it's because of the Freedom of Speech guarantee of the First Amendment to the Constitution. The Night before the murder students burned down the ROTC building. (Reserve Officers Training Corps) That arson was used as the excuse for the National Guard to arm it's men with real bullets. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young wrote a great song documenting the murder called "Ohio."
At UC Santa Barbara students burned down the Bank of America building. That building was selected because the BofA was making a profit off the war.
The revolutionary organization "The Weathermen" blew up over 100 buildings in an attempt to "Bring the War Home". The Idea was that if the horrors of war were happening in the USA, the public would quickly grow tired of the war and ask our leaders to end it. Eventually, that is exactly what happened. "The Weathermen" selected organizations that were enabling the war for bombing targets. No people were ever hurt by the bombings only buildings. Including the US Capitol building in Washington DC.
Muhammed Ali refused to go to war and was arrested and convicted of draft dodging. At the time he was the most famous man in the world. He was a boxer. He said: "No Vietnamese ever called me nigger". Martin Luther King also opposed the war. So did Dr Benjamin Spock the author of the book "Baby and Child Care" which was the most popular book about how to raise children among the parents of the Baby Boom generation. Jane Fonda went to North Vietnam to visit the Army there and took many famous photographs that were printed in the newspapers worldwide. She was protesting Against the war and using her Fame as a Hollywood Movie Star to get attention to her views. Those photographs enraged people in favor of the war.
The draft had a tendency to select people who were poor. Anyone who was attending college got a student deferment. That meant that people who were too poor to afford going to college were drafted while students were excused from the war. Practically speaking, soldiers had a tendency to be Black, Hispanic or Native American. Rich people could also get a doctor to write a letter stating that their patient had medical reasons that made serving in the military impossible. For Example: Donald Trump was excused from service due to "Bone Spurs"... a medical condition that made it impossible for him to march... It's very likely that this medical condition was totally phony and was just an excuse... A friend of mine got a deferment for having surf bumps on his feet. He couldn't wear Army Boots...
William F Buckley was TOTALLY WRONG about the Vietnam War. He had a popular TV talk show where he would debate liberals. He was supposed to be a brilliant conservative thinker however, he was actually clueless about the war. At the time his show was on TV there were only 3 TV networks and his show was watched by millions of Americans. His opinions influenced the thinking of many "Right-Wing" Republicans. He was sort of like Rush Limbaugh or Fox TV News. A voice of the government. He believed that people should simply do what they are told. He was a skilled debater and could make seemingly believable arguments. Then these concepts were
repeated by millions of Americans... He put words in the mouth of parents that were worried that their children were running away to live in Hippie Communes and smoking Marijuana... Could it be that William F Buckley was a paid stooge of corporations that were making a profit on the war?
Walter Cronkite spoke up against the war. He was a TV News Anchorman and one of the most beloved people in America. He was regarded as a trustworthy father figure. When he came out against the war it was a sign that the people of the USA had had enough. He influenced public opinion greatly.
The "Gulf of Tonkin Incident" was fake. It was used as a reason for our involvement in Vietnam's Civil War. It was an event that did not happen.
The Chicago Riots at the Democratic Convention: Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin of the YIPPIES! (Youth International Party) asked for a million protesters to assemble in a park in Chicago during the Convention. The Police attacked the protesters with billy clubs and the riot was televised. Chanting "The Whole World is Watching" protesters fought with police. Later there was a trial of "The Chicago 7" and they were all convicted of inciting a riot. Later on appeal they were all found
innocent and the Judge (Julius Hoffmann) of the first trial was convicted of obstruction of justice. One of the people of trial (Bobby Seal) was bound and gagged so he would not talk during the trial. A Great song (Chicago) by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young documents these events. It was also covered in Abbie Hoffman's Books "Woodstock Nation" and "Revolution for the Hell of It". Another great book of his was called "Steal This Book" a guide to how to live as a revolutionary in America by getting everything for free so a person did not have to work at a job for money.
The Anti-War movement caused President Lyndon Johnson to decide to Not run for re-election. He was discouraged by constantly being blamed for the USA losing the war. Often protesters encircled the White House and chanted "Hey, Hey, LBJ. How Many Kids Did You Kill Today?" this constant noise disrupted his sleep and he decided to go home to Texas instead of running for a Second Term. When he go home he drank himself to death. It took years but he eventually died.
University of California at Berkeley was an early start of the anti-war protest movement. Mario Savio and Mark Rudd spoke at free speech rallies on campus and organized blockades of the nearby Oakland Army Recruiting facility. The rock band Country Joe and the Fish got their start playing at rallies. Joe McDonald's parents were pro-communist sympathizers and named him after "Country" Joe Stalin. "The Fish" was a referral to the Mao Tse Tung quote: "A revolutionary swims
thru the people like a fish swims thru the sea." They are most famous for the "Fixing to Die Rag" song shown in the movie "Woodstock."
The invention of Television helped end the Vietnam War. For the first time people saw the horrors of war every day in their own homes. Reporters on location showed pictures of the war and the human suffering caused by bombing, napalm and agent orange. Pictures of burning civilians made even
the most Brainwashed of Conservatives Question Authority. TV revealed the lies of the government about how we were supposedly "winning" the war and that there was a "light at the end of the tunnel" and how it would all be over soon. Johnson and Nixon had a more and more difficult job of selling the War to Americans whose children were dying. Awakening Was Happening Nationwide.
I participated in "The Moratorium" anti-Vietnam War protest march in San Francisco. We had protest marches that day in every city in the USA. At my high school we chartered a bus and many students rode from Los Gatos, California to San Francisco. The march ended at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park.There was a vast sea of people and The Beatles song "Come Together" was playing on the public address system when I walked over the hill leading to the field. I felt a feeling of "Oneness" with the crowd. It's emotionally valid to be in favor of good and opposed to evil. The Vietnam War was pure evil. We cut school to participate in this protest march but the principal of our High School did not assign any punishment for our missing class. He told us to figure out for ourselves the meaning of not getting assigned detention. (he was proud of us for risking punishment in support of
our beliefs.)
I participated in a Candlelight March down Main Street in Los Gatos with my parents. I also collected signatures on an Anti-War petition from passers-by in front of the Post Office in Los Gatos. One man who was in favor of the war gave my father a book for me. "You can Trust the Communists" was the title and it's contents explained the justification for the war.
The Movie "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" documents in a humorous way the PANIC Attack of the USA about Global Communism and the threat to our way of life. ALSO, "Doctor Strangelove" ridiculed the Pro War people... Both movies are worth watching. "Team America: World Police" is a more recent mockery.
Ironically, during the 1960s most Americans were in favor of the war because they believed in obedience. The concept was that if the government told them to do something that people should simply do what they are told. During the late 1960s there was a global awakening and people started
to think for themselves and question authority.
I protested against the war in Vietnam not only because it was pure evil but also to save my own life. I turned 18 in 1972 and registered for the draft but was NOT asked to go to war. I missed the war by exactly ONE year. Thanks to Jane Fonda, Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, John Lennon and the millions of other people who protested the war. "All We are Saying, is Give Peace a Chance" ...
.jpg "Do The Math - Peace Saves Money - meme pie chart")
