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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query vietnam. Sort by date Show all posts

Great TV Show: "The Vietnam War" a Documentary by Ken Burns. American history.


I just saw what happened between 1850 and 1963... The French invaded and made Indo-China a colony.
During WW2 the French left to go home and fight the Germans and the Japanese invaded. When WW2 was over the Japanese left and Vietnam was governed briefly by the
Vietnamese people. Then the French invaded again and Ho Chi Minh fought them until the late 1950s when the French surrendered and left. At that time the USA was
helping the French. The country split into the North [Communist] and the South [Capitalist] in 1954. In many ways Vietnam War was a replay of the Korean
War. However, the USA foreign policy that had worked in Korea failed to work in Vietnam. 
In the early 1960s Vice President Nixon went on TV and explained to the American People "The Domino Principle"... how the Red Chinese were supporting the Viet Minh in
North Vietnam just like they had supported the North Koreans... He explained that if we did not stop the Red Chinese in Vietnam they would continue to make many other
Asian countries Communist. Eventually the whole world would turn Communist and we would be fighting them at our border with Mexico. Watching Nixon on TV his concept
seemed reasonable... The people of the USA were busy raising children and were not very interested in the events half way around the world in Vietnam.
President Eisenhower sent more American troops as advisors to the South Vietnamese army. President Kennedy continued and so did President Johnson...
Eventually, President Nixon ended the war by making the Vietnamese fight their own civil war. It's interesting to see Nixon at the Start and the End. I see that the main
problem in Vietnam was the French. They had a colony there and treated the natives like inferior people. Ho Chi Minh was a great hero to his people and fought for
freedom from Foreign invaders just like Mao Tse Tung did in China. True Freedom Fighters.
During the last years of the French occupation the Commanding General said that French victory was near and that "he could see victory like the light at the end of a
tunnel." A famous quote... Echoed by American Generals.
After we lost the Vietnam War the USA was at Peace with the world for about a decade. Then we invaded Nicaragua and chose sides in another civil war during
the term of President Reagan. He failed to learn the lessons of Vietnam even though as Governor of California he was in an excellent position to observe the Anti-War
movement. Berkley was a center of demonstrations and Governor Reagan did call in National Guard troops to stifle dissent. So he had to have considered the questions
raised by the people protesting. Eventually President Bush invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. The USA spent about 6 trillion dollars and thousands of lives blowing up
those two countries. Sadly, all that effort did not make America safer nor did it improve the quality of life in those countries. Bush also failed to grasp the
concepts learned during the Vietnam War. So here it is: Let those people over there solve their own problems. It's their country and they should run it however
they want... DUH!
While it now seems absurd for anyone to actually believe the War in Vietnam was a good idea, at the time it was popular. During the 1950s and early 1960s the people of
the USA were rather obedient. As My Uncle said: "If the Government said go to war in Korea, you just went." It wasn't until the late 1960s that people started to think
for themselves and question authority. Corporations promoted the War as a way to increase profits. For example: Hughes Aircraft sold a lot of Helicopters.
Dow chemical sold a lot of Agent Orange and Napalm. Corporations sold airplanes, boats, uniforms, medical supplies, meals ready to eat, rifles bullets and coffins.
President Eisenhower warned us about the Military Industrial Complex and he was right. During the 1950s the USA also had a Panic Attack about Communists...
Senator Joe McCarthy had investigations of Commies in the entertainment industry. He felt that Hollywood had great power of persuasion by creating propaganda.
He wanted to make sure that the propaganda promoted Capitalism and The American Way of Life. Many people could still remember the 1930s and the Great Depression
when Capitalism self destructed. We were fighting the Reds world wide... It's funny that later Nixon opened up trade with China, the largest Communist Country.
Another often forgotten part of American History is when President Reagan provided weapons and advisors to the "Freedom Fighters" in Afghanistan. They were
the Mugahaddin and they were fighting the invading army of the Russians. The children of those freedom fighters were called The Taliban and are classified as
"Terrorists" for fighting the invading army of The Americans. Ironic? Yes...  The only difference between a "Freedom Fighter" and a "Terrorist" is who they
are trying to throw out of their country...
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I remember protesting against the war in Vietnam. I'm glad that I did. History has shown that the war was a terrible mistake. The government was lying to the American
people and it took a long time for us to realize that they were lying. Eventually, the American People forced the government to stop killing.
After the war was over we enjoyed peace for about ten years. Then the government invaded Nicaragua and Iraq and Afghanistan and Syria. Each invasion was wrong.
We are still stuck in an endless war in Afghanistan with no possible hope of ending. Those people will defend their country against foreign invaders forever.
Every war has made the USA less safe. When we blow up a country the survivors plan revenge against us. Some times we supply the weapons like we did with ISIS. 

A better plan is for the USA to simply stop invading countries. War Does Not Work.



4th of July Tip: Many Veterans Hate Surprise Firecrackers. They Think That The Enemy is Shooting at Them. SO... If You are at a Party With Veterans... Don't Blow Things UP!

and DOGS Don't Like Firecrackers Either... 

Fireworks Safety - Smart Plan - Don't Burn Down The Freaking Forest - meme

Remembering Veterans:
Vietnam Veterans - The Wall That Heals - a Traveling Wall for People That Can't Travel to Washington DC
Vietnam Veterans - "The Wall That Heals"
a Traveling Wall for People That Can't
Travel to Washington DC

in Loleta, California... at the Bear River Casino...

I heard a flock of Motorcycles Drive by my house on Highway 101, then followed them to the exhibit.

The Bikers were escorting this Traveling Wall That Heals all around the country... 

Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall That Heals Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall That Heals Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall That Heals Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall That Heals Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall That Heals Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall That Heals Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall That Heals Memorial

The Wall That Heals: Mobile Exhibit. On Veterans Day 1996, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) unveiled a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to travel to communities throughout the United States.

RIP: David Harris: Anti-Vietnam War Protest Leader. -also- Joan Baez, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Jane Fonda, Mark Rudd, Country Joe McDonald, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, David Gilbert and Norman Mailer.

David Victor Harris (February 28, 1946 – February 6, 2023) was an American journalist and activist. After becoming an icon in the movement against the Vietnam War, organizing civil disobedience against military conscription and refusing his own orders to report for military duty, for which he was imprisoned for almost two years. Husband of Joan Baez. They Performed together at Many Anti-war Protest Marches. 

There Was Fifteen Years of Peace Following the End of The Vietnam War. WE WOKE UP! Americans Refused to Participate in Bogus Wars for Corporate Profit.

There Was Fifteen Years of Peace Following the End of The Vietnam War. WE WOKE UP! Americans Refused to Participate in Bogus Wars for Corporate Profit.

Since 1945, The US Military Has Never Defended the USA. NOT EVEN ONCE. All of Our Wars have been Marketing to Sell Weapons for the Military Industrial Complex. 

Who REALLY Won the Vietnam War? Dow Chemical and Hughes Aircraft... They Sold Napalm, Agent Orange and Helicopters... 
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A Brief History of the Vietnam War. 58,000 Americans Died for Nothing... Something They Don't Teach in School Now... "Too Controversial" - During the 1950s Americans went into a Mad Panic about Communists taking over the world.
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. CRAZY TALK!

Looking Back it's Obvious that the Vietnam War was an Astonishingly Stupid Idea... BUT... At The Time... Many People Thought It was Wonderful... Remember that The CIA Had Perfected Brainwashing and Over Half of the Country was in a Mind Control Twilight Zone... Robots that would Do What They Were Told To Do Without Question... Thankfully, These Anti-War Protest Leaders Helped Americans WAKE THE F*CK UP and Notice Reality... and as we all found out eventually, Being "Woke" is an Excellent Way to Live... 

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Links:

If you remember any MORE NAMES... Tell me in the Comments Section or Email: gregvan(at)yahoo(dot)com

Joan Baez: American Folk Singer and Wife of David Harris. Sang many Protest Songs at Anti-War Protest Marches.
"Where have all the Flowers Gone?"

"Blowing in the Wind"

Abbie Hoffman: Leader of The YIPPIES! a Sixties Political Party in Favor of Freedom, Revolution and the Building of Woodstock Nation. He Organized the Levitation of the Pentagon at an Anti War Protest in Washington DC. Documented in the Book Armies of the Night by Norman Mailer... and Organized the Chicago 1968 Riots at the Democratic Convention... [CHANT] The Whole World is Watching! [CHANT] 

Jerry Rubin: Partner of Abbie Hoffman... Major force for Revolutionary Street Theater! Like the Dollar Bill Shower at the New York Stock Exchange... a MOCKERY of Corporate Greed!
He Wrote the book DO IT! Scenarios of the Revolution!

Jane Fonda: American Movie Star and Political Activist... STILL WORKING TODAY in 2023! Fire Drill Fridays... Protesting Against Climate Change. 

Jane Fonda in Hanoi, Vietnam
She is Known for Risking her Life during the Vietnam War to go Visit the North Vietnamese Soldiers and Have a Newspaper Photo Taken. To Show that it was Possible to be Friends. VERY Effective Protest as it Makes Pro-War People Angry to this Day! It was entirely possible that they would hold her hostage but... somehow... Everything Worked out Great! THANKS JANE!

She made Many Great Movies Including Barbarella, The China Syndrome and 9 to 5... 
Jane Fonda Workout Video
She invented the Genre of Exercise Videos... 

Mark Rudd: Speaker at Anti-War Protests at Columbia University - Forever Remembered as the Character "Megaphone Mark" in the Doonesbury Comic Strip
He was a Part of The Students for a Democratic Society and The Weatherman... Mostly Known for Bombing Corporations In the USA That Were Profiting from the Vietnam War...  "You Don't Need to be a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows." Lyric by Bob Dylan. 

Country Joe McDonald. Sang "Fixing to Die Rag" at Woodstock.  Performed at Many US Berkeley Anti-War Protest Marches. 


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Interesting book: Autobiography of David Gilbert of SDS and The Weather Underground...

It Documents the anti Vietnam War protests from Columbia University to a nationwide movement. Students for a Democratic Society. "You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" Lyric by Bob Dylan. He also explores what they did after the Vietnam War was over. Basically, they took a year off and got jobs... then continued the revolutionary struggle to liberate the peasants... and the proletariat... they were in love with the philosophy of Marx and Lenin. I never was impressed with Karl and Vladimir but was totally impressed with Groucho and John. ALL HAIL MARX-LENNON!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weatherman_(organization)

After resurfacing above ground and having all charges dropped, Gilbert had a child with Kathy Boudin and they were building a family... Then he decided to team up with the Black Liberation Army and work on the problem of racism. The BLA and Gilbert's Weatherman friends robbed a Brink's truck stealing millions of dollars and Killing Four People. This got Gilbert a very long sentence in NY prison.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brink's_robbery_(1981)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gilbert_(activist)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Boudin


http://www.amazon.com/Love-Struggle-Weather-Underground-Beyond/dp/1604863196

http://notmytribe.com/solidarity/political-prisoners


http://lanternsofliberty.us/themachine/index.cfm?Entry=D6EF3503-123F-7491-A47778C555AAD2D3

In 1963 JFK Ordered the End of Vietnam War. All Troops Out by the End of 1965. But Then He was Assassinated and We Fought the War until 1973.


What I Wonder is Who Benefited from Continuing the Vietnam War? Dow Chemical sold a Lot of Agent Orange and Napalm. Hughes Aircraft Sold a Lot of Helicopters. The CIA Exported Tons of Heroin out of Laos... Financing their Operations Worldwide... This is Something I was Not Taught in School... nor did anyone mention it in all the conversations I've Had about the War and The Assassination... 

Was this the Real Motive for Kennedy's Assassination? To Keep the Vietnam War Going.

Huey Helicopter

On October 2, 1963, Kennedy received the report of a mission to Saigon by McNamara and Maxwell Taylor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The main recommendations, which appear in Section I(B) of the McNamara-Taylor report, were that a phased withdrawal be completed by the end of 1965 and that the “Defense Department should announce in the very near future presently prepared plans to withdraw 1,000 out of 17,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Vietnam by the end of 1963.” At Kennedy’s instruction, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger made a public announcement that evening of McNamara’s recommended timetable for withdrawal.

National Security Action Memorandum Number 263 (NSAM-263) was a national security directive approved on 11 October 1963 by United States President John F. Kennedy. The NSAM approved recommendations by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor. McNamara and Taylor's recommendations included an appraisal that "great progress" was being made in the Vietnam War against Viet Cong insurgents, that 1,000 military personnel could be withdrawn from South Vietnam by the end of 1963, and that a "major part of the U.S. military task can be completed by the end of 1965." 

White House taped conversations and other documents reveal a president who recognized the inherent dangers of military intervention in Vietnam and who had devised an exit strategy. Had it not been for his assassination, the withdrawal plan might have prevented the deaths of more than 58,000 Americans and countless numbers of Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians.

Casualties of American Soldiers reduced dramatically during my lifetime. War is simply not fashionable anymore.

When the US Government tells you to go fight pointless wars, Decline. Be Disobedient, It Might Save Your Life.
US War Casualties
click on the picture to see it bigger.
Revolution=25,000
Civil War=750,000,
WW1=116,000,
WW2=405,000,
Korea=36,000,
Vietnam 58,000

about 7,000 total in all the recent wars:
Panama, Nicaragua, Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not Shown is the Unknown Quantity of Soldier Suicides.

Since 1975 war has changed... many wars, few Americans Die...
Now with DRONES... we can commit genocide from an office in the USA.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war

Here is a Revelation told to me by a Vietnam Veteran friend. It was not his fault that his men died in combat. It was JFK and LBJ that put them in harm's way. If we had not gone halfway around the world to fight someone else's civil war, those men would be alive. This understanding helped with my friend's PTSD.

One thing I learned from the book "Will" by Gordon Liddy. He states that we could have won the Vietnam War if we had simply ATTEMPTED to win. Gordon was shy about stating exactly what it would mean to Attempted to win but... I believe what he was hinting at was... an Atomic Bomb on Hanoi... we had the technology and we knew exactly what worked... Hiroshima and Nagasaki... but we did not actually try to win. Many believe that the Vietnam War was really the USA vs China... and the Vietnamese may not have surrendered after Nuking Hanoi... so If we REALLY wanted to win we would have also had to Nuke Beijing. However, the Mission was to sell a lot of weapons to the pentagon. Corporate Profit. Monsanto and Dow Chemical sold a lot of Agent Orange... and Hughes Aircraft sold Helicopters... as he sang... "There's plenty good money to be made, supplying the Army with the Tools of the Trade" - Country Joe McDonald.

I'm Reading a sequel to 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card. This book is Great! 'Ender in Exile' ... Two (2) predictions of his that came true already.
1. We would Fight War by Remote Control... like a Video Game... like DRONES... 2. Ender's brother and sister publish thoughtful essays on the 'net' as 'Locke' and 'Demosthenes' and influence public opinion and therefore political policy... kinda like Huffington Post, anonymous, online Cannabis Activists or Cop Block... self appointed sages online... Me too...


"Never has so much Military, Economic and Diplomatic Power been Used so ineffectively as in Vietnam. If after all of this time and all of this sacrifice and all of this support there is still no end in sight, then I say the time has come for the American People to turn to new leadership, not tied to the policies and mistakes of the past. I pledge to you we will have an honorable end to the War in Vietnam." - Richard Nixon Television Advertisement

We have to thank President Nixon for ending the Vietnam War. He Campaigned on Ending the war and KEPT HIS PROMISE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9D950B20FD5725CC&v=W3KoYveOmiQ

Nixon's Idea was Vietnamization of the War. Simply put, Let those people over there fight their own civil war... It's really none of our business.

Our DNA is evolving every generation... Not Just Physically but also Spiritually... By studying the mistakes my parents and grandparents made, I can recognise them and not repeat them... And this is not just me... 
Everyone Worldwide is Moving Forward to a Bright Future... 

Think Back to The Dark Days of the Past...
My Uncle, A Korean War Veteran Said: "In My Day, When the Government Told You to Go to War, You Just Went." Well, those Days are Gone. Since Vietnam, No One is Told to Go Fight Wars Anywhere... It's All Volunteers... 

Once Upon a time, "The Numbers Games" were Illegal Gambling... 
And The Mafia ran it...
Now we have the Lottery, Run by the State 
and the Crime of Illegal Gambling Magically Vanished.
Zero Tax Dollars are Spent on Enforcing 
The Laws Prohibiting The Illegal "Numbers Games".

Once Upon a Time, Homosexuality Was Illegal.
And there was a Lot of Tax Dollars Spent
Enforcing The Laws... Police would
send undercover agents to hang around
men's bathrooms to catch Gay Men...  
Really! They were called the Vice Squad. 

***** (~);-} *****

A Hobby of Mine... Distributing Truth on Facebook...

Fact: JFK and LBJ have the blood of Vietnam on their hands... It was Nixon that ended the war. His policy of "Vietnamization" makes so much sense... Those people over there ought to fight their own civil war... It's none of our Business.

VK: OK, who hacked into Greg's FB and is writing like a revisionist Republican? Are you saying my first teenage vote to re-elect Nixon was the historically correct action? NROTC boy done good?

Greg Vanderlaan: I read a lot of history books, VK and while Richard Nixon campaigned against the war in Vietnam in 1968 he didn't actually end it until 1973... so he had 5 years of blood on his hands too... When we got to vote in 1972, both candidates were against the war... An insightful book is 'Will' by G. Gordon Liddy... and ALL of Bob Woodward's Books.

end war
The Wall that Heals. A traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial

In 1973 We Won The Vietnam War. Millions of Patriots Protested in the Streets and the US Government Eventually Surrendered. Nixon Decided that Murdering Random People for No Reason Was Not That Brilliant an Idea... and so he stopped...

 and NOW... The History of the Vietnam War is Not Taught in School Because... It's "Too Controversial" - HOWEVER... Students may use the Internet to Learn American History... 

In Fact! a Great Idea would be to write a Term Paper on the Subject and Not Only LEARN HISTORY  but also TEACH HISTORY... That way we will not Make the Same Mistake Again!


In 1973 the US Military Stopped Drafting People to Fight Pointless Wars... I Graduated from High School in 1972 and I was Forced to Register for the Draft But WAS NOT CALLED TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY... and Since Then Americans Have Never Been Drafted... an Idiotic Idea That Failed... NOW They Depend on Horrible Economic Conditions to get People to VOLUNTEER  as the Military is the Employer of Last Resort... 

A Brief History of the Vietnam War. 58,000 Americans Died for Nothing... 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 that one by one those countries over there would turn Commie and soon they would take over Mexico and threaten the American Way of Life. President Eisenhower and Kennedy sent advisors to help the South Vietnamese soldiers fight the North Vietnamese soldiers. 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, The Students for a Democratic Society and The Weatherman staged immense protest marches expressing the desire of the American People to end the war. Eventually the US government got the message. 
READ MORE: 

AMERICA'S BOGUS WARS - Since 1945, The US Military Has Never Defended The Country, Not Even Once. Ever since Victory in Japan, All of Our Wars have been Marketing to Sell Weapons for the Military Industrial Complex.

One time there was a Need to Defend the Country and The Military Failed Completely. Civilians took down the Airplane in Pennsylvania on 9/11/2001. 


Read a Book - My Favorites MEME - a part of the gvan42 FREE COLORING BOOK - Print this art and Color using Felt Pens - Gregory Vanderlaan
Read a Book - My Favorites


Often The USA chooses sides in Someone Else's Civil War, Gets Real Excited about Fighting Communism (or whatEVER) and then We Get Bored, Retreat, Lose and the Total Effect is ZERO. For Example: Vietnam. After 10 years of fighting, we lost and then The Surrounding Countries DID NOT Fall like Dominos... Believe it or not, There was a "Domino Theory" proposed by Vice President Richard Nixon that Stated that, If we lost in Vietnam, the neighboring Countries would become Communist and then the Entire World would GO Commie and we will have Reds Ruling Mexico! And Attacking the USA! I'm not making this up... There were people that really believed this theory... and were willing to send other people's children to die because they were Fighting Communism. Danger Danger! If we don't beat the Reds in Vietnam they will come right up to our border... ABSURD! For those of you that have never heard of Dominos, it's a game with numbered tiles that you could stack in rows so that if you pushed one over, it would hit the next and that one would hit the next... and on and on and on... and they would all fall down. This was popular before Video Games. 

However, Hughes Aircraft, Dow Chemical and other Defense Contractors MADE A FORTUNE... People that sell Bandages, need Bleeding Soldiers to use them up... and then they make a Sale Restocking the Military. Helicopters, Agent Orange, Napalm, Boots, Boats and Food were all wonderful businesses to be in... Soldier Have to Eat... We can sell more MRE if there is an active war than during peacetime... To Quote Country Joe McDonald: "Come on Wall Street Don't Move Slow, Why Man this War's a Go-Go. There is Plenty Good Money to be Made, Supplying the Army with the Tools of the Trade! Just hope and Pray when they Drop the Bomb, They drop it on the Viet Cong..." Defense Contractors kept the war going for a long as possible. Nixon's Campaign Promise was to End the War but he kept it going an extra FOUR Years. If you think about it, We could have Won that War in ONE DAY. A Hydrogen Bomb on Hanoi would have Ended The War. Totally. We knew HOW to WIN since we we Dropped Atomic Bombs on Japan. BUT, we selected to Lose. 

One real effect of that war was: we got a LOT of immigrants. Vietnamese Boat People and Hmong... They came here by the Thousands... and then the Country of Vietnam became a Capitalist Manufacturing Country... Go Figure! They did not like being Commie after all. In general, the refugees were nice people and no one can imagine WHY we would go to war with them... 

READ MORE:

Berkeley History Mural on Amoeba Music Store Telegraph Ave - People's Park, Free Speech Movement, Anti-War Riots - PLUS! Everything I Remember about Visiting Berkeley... Gregory Vanderlaan


Berkeley History Mural on Amoeba Music Store Telegraph Ave 
Berkeley History Mural on Amoeba Music Store Telegraph Ave

Amoeba Music was a famous record store... Used Records, Obscure Bands, Licorice Pizzas that you just couldn't find anywhere... Also on Telegraph Ave is Rasputin Music...



Amoeba Music, Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA - gvan42 - Gregory Vanderlaan

Amoeba Music Window, Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA - gvan42 - Gregory Vanderlaan

I remember Going to Anti Vietnam War Protest Marches... Including a Candle Light Parade Down Main Street Los Gatos With My Parents... I'm Glad that They Raised Me to Be in Favor of Good and Opposed to Evil... READ MORE:


I Protested Against the War in Vietnam... If MORE People had Protested Earlier, Many American Soldiers Would be Alive Today... LEARN FROM HISTORY

and I protested against Johnson, Nixon and BOTH of the Bushes... Trump did not Killed Masses of Americans IN WAR... Just Destroyed the Environment... Wrecked the Economy... and Appointed an Evil Supreme Court Justice... those things kill slowly over decades. [Rereading this post a couple of years later we have had 402,000 Dead Americans from Trump's Coronavirus - SO FAR - 1/21/2021]

In response to a Facebook Post That Said:
"I was taught to support the president of the U.S. no matter what. I’ve been stuck with some crappy ones and some good ones but I would never protest them or spew hatred."

I Said: "Actually, Protesting Ended the Vietnam War, Ended the Draft and Caused Peace for 15 Years... So, March in the Streets! IT WORKS!" READ MORE:

The Reason I Teach American History on the Internet Is... I hope to AWAKEN People. For Decades I Have expressed My Opinion in Public and the Majority of People Said "You're Wrong, Greg!" and then Ten Years Later the Majority CHANGED THEIR MINDS and They Say "You're Right, Greg!" I Hope to Speed Up the Process of Global Awakening... READ MORE:


Remember: REFUSE TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE US MILITARY. Why Die For Corporate Profit? I Interviewed Hundreds of Veterans and They ALL Said It Was A Mistake...

I worked at the Welfare Office in Humboldt County, California and Talked to Thousands of Homeless People applying for Food Stamps, Medi-Cal and General Relief...

I Met Many HOMELESS VETERANS...
It Was Really Eye Opening To Hear Their Tragic Stories...
However... They All Agreed that The US Military Was a Bad Career Choice... PTSD is Very Real and Very Difficult to Help...
For One Thing, Many PTSD Soldiers Refuse any Help
FROM THE MILITARY... Too Many Lies Have Made Veterans Very Suspicious of Anything Told to Them By The Military Industrial Complex... Totally Justified Paranoia... 

READ MORE:

It Seems Unbelievable Now BUT... There Were People That Thought The Vietnam War was a Great Idea. 

REALLY... I'm Not Making This UP!

They Were Like, TOTALLY AFRAID of COMMIES! It seems Ridiculous Now but... In Fact... The CIA's MKULTRA Brainwashing Experiments Were Successful... Millions of Americans "Drank The Kool Aid" and DID WHAT THEY WERE TOLD TO DO!


Chart of US Military Deaths DOD Source - WE WOKE UP AND STOPPED DYING FOR CORPORATE PROFIT - MEME - gvan42
Chart of US Military Deaths - Source: DOD -
WE WOKE UP AND STOPPED DYING
FOR CORPORATE PROFIT 

READ MORE:
https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/06/it-seems-unbelievable-now-but-there.html

Reflection of a Boat
Change Your Frame of Reference... 

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~
and Now, on a Different Subject... 
~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

Link to a Google Image Search
for all my artwork!

Find More FREE COLORING BOOK ART! 
at Google Image Search
using the Keywords: gvan42 free coloring book 
or click on this link!

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YOU MAY READ MORE BLOG POSTS ON SIMILAR SUBJECTS BY USING THE HANDY LABELS BELOW... 
Click and Enjoy the Bliss!

Since there are NO ACTUAL JOBS Designing or Building Nuclear Power Plants, Most Physics Graduates Write Newspaper and Magazine Articles About HOW GREAT ATOMIC ENERGY IS and How We Really Ought to Build Some Power Plants... Sometimes they Make Youtube Videos!

Remember: Every Year There are Fewer and Fewer Nuclear Power Plants Because the ACTUAL Professionals That Work at ACTUAL Power Companies All Say NO NUKES! Solar and Wind is Cheaper Per Kilowatt and Hey, This is a Business and We Have a Duty to Make a Profit! 

NO NUKES! All of them Create Radioactive Waste That is Impossible to Dispose of... Here in Sacramento, CA We Pay $5,000,000 a Year to Store SMUD's Waste From a Plant that Closed in the 1970s... Remember: The Engineers at PG&E, SoCal Edison and SMUD all REJECT NUCLEAR POWER because it's Too Expensive... $9.2 Billion Dollars to Clean up San Onofre and Diablo Canyon and... CUSTOMERS PAY THAT BILL! https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/551130-we-cant-let-nuclear-die

CUTE NO NUKES Cartoon: Remember Solar and Wind are Simple, Cheap and Safe...


600 wide NO NUKES - atomic power symbol - coloring book art  by greg vanderlaan
NO NUKES - atomic power symbol -
Free coloring book art by gvan42


On a Different Subject...

I Like Voting. I Believe That Democracy is Better Than Monarchy. Republicans Keep On Promoting Minority Rule... "Father Knows Best" - Just Let Rich White Men Rule... https://www.salon.com/2021/04/30/florida-and-texas-join-the-republican-war-on-voting/

Stop Believing Lies! Joe Rogan (Not a Doctor) Spreads Anti-Vaccine Misinformation... Dr. Anthony Fauci called the podcast host's recent comments about young people and COVID-19 vaccines "incorrect." https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rogan-dont-need-to-worry-vaccine/

Domino Theory Cartoon - a Now Discredited cold war policy
Long Ago People Played a Board Game Called Dominos... 
Clever People Stood the Tiles Up on End and It
was Possible to Cause Many Tiles to Fall Down by
Pushing on ONE... at the Beginning of the Series...

History Proved that Ike's DOMINO THEORY was Wrong... In Fact, It Was a Government Lie Designed to FOOL Conservatives...  

TOTALLY BOGUS! The domino theory was a Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a perfectly aligned row of dominos. THE USA LOST THE VIETNAM WAR AND NOTHING BAD HAPPENED! https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/domino-theory

Why are Conservatives SO EASILY FOOLED? Well, Many Wish That a Father Figure Would Make All The Tough Decisions in Life... That Way, If Something Goes Wrong... They Can Say, I Was Just Following Orders and It's Not My Fault... That Excuse Works Almost Every Time... EXCEPT for Nazi Soldiers at the Nuremberg Trials Where... Murdering 6 Million Jews in Concentration Camps Turned Out To ACTUALLY BE Their Fault... 

In Southeast Asia, the U.S. government used the now-discredited domino theory to justify its involvement in the Vietnam War and its support for a non-communist dictator in South Vietnam...  

This is a short video exploring Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon all using the Domino Theory as the steering point for continued conflict in Vietnam. 

https://youtu.be/QP9QDRDLw6c


The Red Scare played a huge role in the Vietnam War and the lesser known Secret War, waged concurrently in neighboring Laos. President Dwight D. Eisenhower feared that if Laos fell to Communism, the entire Eastern Hemisphere would become a threat to democracy. To secure the Vietnamese border, the CIA recruited Hmong people to fight as surrogate soldiers of the U.S. armed forces.

This clip is from "America's Secret War," a documentary produced as part of the Minnesota Remembers Vietnam initiative. To learn more, visit www.MNVietnam.org. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaxFY2QVWJw


By the middle of the 1950s American fears of the global spread of communism were being realized. In China the Communist Party had taken control, while the Korean War had ended with an armistice that split the country in two and with a communist in the government in the north. In Indochina, better known as Vietnam, France had struggled to regain colonial control in the aftermath of the Second World War. By 1954 they were facing imminent defeat against the Vietnamese nationalists under communist Ho Chi Minh, something that the American government feared would provide communism with a springboard into Southeast Asia. 

America had already adopted the Truman Doctrine, in which it committed to support anti-communist groups, and at a news conference on 7 April 1954 Eisenhower laid the groundwork for US involvement in Vietnam. He began by explaining how the country held economic importance for America, and how there was the threat of a dictatorial takeover. He concluded his argument by explaining what he called the ‘falling domino principle’ in which he likened the spread of communism in Southeast Asia to a row of dominoes quickly collapsing after the first one falls.

Within a month of the news conference French forces had lost the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and, at the subsequent Geneva Conference, they agreed to leave Vietnam and divide the country at the 17th parallel. Although Eisenhower’s speech consequently had little immediate effect, it laid the foundations for America’s later involvement in Vietnam as both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson used the domino theory to justify their intervention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-QyOLHbXiI


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