Vietnam War Blog #4

Donald Trump

Rudy Guiliani

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trump May Appoint Rudy Giuliani To Head Muslim Ban is an article written by Robert Fowler on the online news site Opposing Views, a site that covers controversial news at home and worldwide. This article covers Trump’s plan for Guiliani to lead a commission that temporarily banned Muslims from entering the United States. “While he has endorsed Trump for the presidency, he has previously deemed the business mogul’s proposed Muslim ban unconstitutional.” This is similar to how many politicians who opposed the war felt. They knew that what was going on in Vietnam was a mistake, and could violate the Constitution. 

“If you do a ban on all Muslims, I have no question that you violate the first amendment.”

 

 

 

 

Vietnam War Blog #3

“My childhood was lost, but you know, we still have hope in the future.

 

 

I chose this first video because I believe it shows the horrible effects of napalm and how people are having to deal with it today. This woman was extremely young when she first was burnt by napalm. Now, she has been living with horrible scars for almost fifty years. The new treatment described in the video will not help her forget the past, but it will let her have hope for the future. 

I chose this video because it shows how thousands have been and will be affected by the spraying of Agent Orange in Vietnam in the sixties. Many of those people who were first affected have children with severe birth defects, even though they themselves have had no indication of being affected. The mistake the US government made by choosing to use Agent Orange is still causing problems for thousands, and many have no hope for the future. 

Vietnam War Blog #2

 

 

Ngo Dien Diem

 

“Follow me if I advance! Kill me if I retreat! Revenge me if I die!”

 

Ngo Dien Diem, otherwise known as Ngo Đinh Diem (3 January 1901 – 2 November 1963) was a former mandarin of the Nguyễn dynasty, a Prime Minister of State of Vietnam led by Bao Dai since 1954. In October 1955, he established the first Republic of Vietnam (RVN) in South Vietnam under United Staes administration. The regime’s relations with the United States worsened during 1963, as discontent among South Vietnam’s Buddhist majority was heightened due to Diem’s harsh policies and much brutality.  In November 1963, after constant religious protests and non-violent resistances, Diem was assassinated, along with his brother, Ngo Đinh Nhu. The assassination led to the end of the US-Diem alliance and the collapse of his regime as well as the first Republic of Vietnam.

 

 

A Buddhist monk burns himself to death in resistance to Diem’s brutal policies.

Vietnam War Blog #1

     

 

 

First Indochina War

The First Indochina War began in French Indochina on December 1st, 1946. However, fighting between French forces and the Viet Minh dated back to September 1945. The war lasted until August 1st, 1954. The first few years of the war involved a rural insurgency against the French authority in Vietnam. The Chinese accepted the Vietnamese government under Ho Chi Minh, created by resistance forces of the Viet Minh. Ho Chi Minh created the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) but it was soon overthrown by French forces.  However, after the Chinese communists reached the northern border of Vietnam in 1949, the conflict turned into a conventional war between two armies equipped with modern weapons, which were supplied by the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States increased their involvement in the war by sending supplies and other aid to the French and South Vietnamese. The U.S. did not want to see Communism take over Vietnam.

 

 

 

 

Operation Starlite

Operation Starlite was launched on August 18, 1965, involving 5,500 US Marines and 1,500 Viet Cong soldiers. A deserter from the First Vietcong Regiment had revealed that an attack was imminent against the U.S. base at Chu Lai. The operation was conducted as a combined arms assault involving ground, air and naval units.  It was a plan to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Viet Cong  to  exterminate the threat on the vital Chu Lai Air Base and Base Area. To the Americans, the battle was considered a great success for U.S. forces. Operation Starlite was the first major offensive action conducted by a purely U.S. military unit during the Vietnam War.

 

 

Your Story Isn’t Over: The Meaning Behind the Name

Hey guys! I wanted to let people know that I AM SELLING T-SHIRTS and it would be wonderful if some of you guys bought some. This is initially for a school innovation project, but I wanted to extend it into something that I continued to make and enjoy, and maybe even do different designs and stuff, like having my own clothing line kinda. I made the logo in art last year, but I chose it for my project because I want to raise awareness for suicide and mental illnesses.

Super Mario Smash Brothers BRAWL: A Reflection

Hey guys,

This is a reflection on what I learned doing a BRAWL in my English class.

What I learned:

That you can start off debating about war and end up debating about capitalism and arrogant rich dudes, which oddly enough are actually closely related.

That Mr. Orm is a sassy pants with loads of grey hair and Harry Potter glasses..

That school is more awesome (a.k.a. FREE) almost everywhere else but the U.S.

That once someone else buzzes in, half the class has to participate, even Mr. T.

That you can freely debate topics without having any notes. This came from my group just discussing the entire period and not writing anything down. This, however, was very beneficial, because we had discussed the topics so thoroughly that we knew what to say. We made lots of personal connections, as if we were just talking as friends about life and not about the BRAWL questions. I also thought that the teams who had whole paragraphs written down and were reading them did not seem as knowledgeable about the subject, and also did not seem as ready to counter the other groups arguments.

What I did:

As a group we collaborated on each question together. In the first BRAWL, I was chosen as the first speaker. Although I was nervous to try to counter the other group’s arguments, I feel that I did a good job. I did not debate in the second BRAWL, but I did buzz in and added some commentary on facing your fears.

This is a picture of our first brawl, on whether it is better to be feared or loved as an authority:

How it connects:

One of the questions asked if it was acceptable to put your needs before someone else’s life. In some cases, I would say no. However, in junior guards, we were taught that the answer is always yes. When saving someone, you don’t want to do anything to endanger your own life, because that would mean two people need saving instead of just one. You can’t help anyone if you are hurt yourself, and it just creates an even bigger mess. One example was if you were in the water trying to save someone, and they were pulling you under, to kick them off and let them drown for a minute. Well, I’m just kidding about the minute part, but you would wait a few seconds, then tell them to grab onto the buoy and to calm down. This would be better than that person drowning you both.

I felt that almost all the questions connected to the outside world and the global conversation, but this example was one of the ones that related the most to me. I had lots of fun doing the BRAWL, and it is something I would definitely do again.

Reflection: My Blogging Experience

     

I was a little hesitant about the blogging experience in the beginning. To put your personal thoughts and opinions in a forum where so many people could view them was a little intimidating. I am not unfamiliar with social media sights. I often read other peoples writings and comment on them. But to have a blog where actual people who knew me could see my writing was different. What I learned is that there were many people who were actually interested in what I had to say. I found it exciting that people from other countries were actually viewing my posts. For the most part, the response was positive.  I also realized that not everyone needs to love or appreciate everything I have to say. I let the experience allow me to expand my own opinions. I think it started to give me confidence in what I had to say, and not worry so much about what others might think. I also learned that I needed to be responsible in the message I was sending, because many different people end up looking at these blogs and I wanted my message to affect them in a positive way. Blogging is a great way to reach out to others. It not only can be very therapeutic, but I know there are people who make a living off of blogging. Also, as I searched for information to include in my blogs, I gained a lot of knowledge about many different subjects. The thing that I found worked best for me was actually writing about something I cared about and had some knowledge of.  One example is this post. That being said, there were a few subjects that I had to research because I had little experience with them.  The thing I would probably try to do a little differently is to try not to take everything so seriously.  I would try to just accept that my writing is just my opinion and everyone has there own way of expressing their thoughts. My main advice for next year’s bloggers is don’t be afraid to express how you really feel and think. It is very freeing. Be open to many opinions – it helps you to see things more clearly and form your own opinion.

To Mr Theriault,

What I would like for you to do differently is possibly grade the blogs a little sooner. I realize that you have so many students, and this type of work is not easy to evaluate, but I could use the feedback to improve future blogs. Overall, I really enjoyed being in your class.  It’s fun to look back at the blog and see the things I found important. Thank you for encouraging me to stay. I will continue blogging in the future.

Home is Where the Heart Is Free || Pt 1

What is home? According to dictionary.com, home is “1. a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household  2. the place in which one’s domestic affections are centered 3. an institution for the homeless, sick, etc.: a nursing home 4. the dwelling place or retreat of an animal 5. the place or region where something is native or most common 6. any place of residence or refuge: a heavenly home 7. a person’s native place or own country 8. (in a game) the destination or goal.” However, many of us may have some very different definitions of what home is.

Contradictions

To be alive:

To have a life or to survive.

They are vastly different but inherently the same.

A beautiful life.

A beautiful lie.

Nothing to believe in but we are all fools.

I refuse to believe.

I choose to believe.

I believe there is something more than they are telling us.

Aliens exist.

No they don’t.

We all become aliens at one point in our lives.

I am losing myself.

I am finding myself.

I don’t know who I am anymore.

Everyone lives behind fake smiles and false pretenses so that they can build a better future for themselves.

I will remember every moment forever.

I don’t remember falling in love with you.

You don’t know what you do to me.

You make me happy.

You make me cry.

“It felt like heaven when you kissed me so I ignored all the times you put me through hell.”

There is no heaven.

There is no hell.

So where do we go from here?

How to Say Goodbye

This is How to Say

Goodbye to something you can’t let go.

This is how to cope, how to build a

bomb shelter for your soul.

This is 14 lines from love letters or suicide notes

and you can’t tell the difference

because they are one and the same.

There is no difference between heartbreak and murder.

Because it kills you. Because

you are a different person after, with gaping

chunks ripped out of your body. You are still alive

but you are bleeding

and bleeding and no one sees the red stains it makes.

This is crying at public parties and during

class. You are reading The Count of Monte Cristo,

but you are not Dantes

and you cannot take revenge on everything

that did or didn’t happen to you. Trying

will only lead to your own self

destruction.

This is destroying yourself

over and

over

and over again even though it doesn’t work

and it doesn’t change

the fact that it still happened.

This is crying months later

years later

because it is still happening.

Just because one day someone is

gone

doesn’t erase the fact that every

day you will relive every detail

of how they left.

How the world came to be

and then gave up,

came crashing down

in a hurricane of sound

and bloody hands and

crushed limbs and

re-opened scars and bleeding out.

This is living in spite of yourself.

This is a beautiful lie that you keep telling yourself

every day

because being alive is one more day you are not

rotting in the ground with dirt and flowers

above your head.