This is a rant. If you are a die-hard Democrat or Republican with more loyalty to your political party than to the country, you do not want to read this. It will get your blood pressure up.
Each time I write one of these posts, I open the cage where the demon raptors live. I write about what happened in Vietnam—the anger, the experiences, the flashbacks or someone else’s experiences, and I hope one of those raptors will use its flaming wings to take flight and never come back.
After forty years, I’ve learned there is no guarantee those raptors will stay away.
Starting last week, I have been angry with LBJ, the Democrat, and GWB, the Republican—AGAIN!
I’m also disappointed in the people that voted for them. President Lincoln said, “You can fool some of the people most of the time and most of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” If so, there are many fools out there and some of them will call me worse for writing this.
I don’t know about LBJ, but there are millions that still believe what GWB did in Iraq was right. Those people are probably the ditto heads that listen to idiots like Rush Limbaugh.
LBJ and GWB have a lot in common. Both started wars with lies and deceit. The facts say that both Vietnam and Iraq were unnecessary, and many that served with courage in those wars now live with roadside bombs inside their heads and never know when one might go off.
It’s been documented many times that GWB wanted to start a war in Iraq well before 9/11. “He was thinking about invading Iraq in 1999,” said author and journalist Mickey Herskowitz. “It was on his mind. He said to me: ‘One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief.’ And he said, ‘My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it.’ He said, ‘If I have a chance to invade Iraq, if I had that much capital, I’m not going to waste it—”
But enough about GWB. It’s LBJ’s turn to burn, who, it seems, started the Vietnam War with lies.
Before he was assassinated, President Kennedy talked about getting out of Vietnam. Listen to what Tip O’Neill, former speaker of the house, says.
The next blow to America was the CIA’s alleged involvement bringing drugs into the United States, possibly creating today’s drug problems that are eating the country like a malignant cancer.
What is it that sets America apart from most of the World? The Bill of Rights, right?
The reason for The Bill of Rights was to protect American citizens from the corruption of government. Sad to say, the evidence shows that The Bill of Rights has become a rusty, leaky bucket.
_______________________
Lloyd Lofthouse, a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam Veteran, is the award winning author of The Concubine Saga.
His latest novel is Running with the Enemy. Blamed for a crime he did not commit while serving in Vietnam, his country considers him a traitor. Ethan Card is a loyal U.S. Marine desperate to prove his innocence or he will never go home again.
And the woman he loves and wants to save was trained to hate and kill Americans.
To follow this Blog via E-mail see upper right-hand column and click on “Sign me up!”
The Soulful Veteran's Blog 
I’m reading your blog now.
So you say Kennedy got shot because he wanted America to get out of Viet Nam ? It’s all about money isn’t it ?
“What is it that sets America apart from most of the World?”
Too many capitalists over there I think. Lack of true spirituality makes people make money of anything, literally no matter the cost. witch also is the end of it. And now they fear for the communists to take over !? I thought communism where dead as ideology. They will both fail. Don’t ask me what comes next.
The best economic system may be a balance between socialism and capitalism with government as the police for both sides to make sure they follow the rules so we don’t have economic collapsed. When I isay socialism, I do not mean free money to lay around and do nothing. People would still work but if they didn’t earn enough to pay rent or a house payment, the socialist system could provide some sort of housing allowance or minimum housing like a small place with room to sleep, eat and use the bathroom. The safety net would not be for luxuries like TV, computers, etc.
What I mean is socialized medicine and a program like America’s Social Security that has rules so the government can’t spend the money.
The Social Secruity program in the US would be financially healthy but the federal government spent the money that people and businesses paid into that program. If the last President Bush had his way any money left in Social Security would have gone into buying stocks before the economic crash and then there would have been no Social Security or Medicare.
“The best economic system may be a balance between socialism and capitalism with government as the police for both sides to make sure they follow the rules so we don’t have economic collapsed.”
I agree.
We use to have or still do have a good balance concerning that in Sweden, but since 9/11 and when the moderate party won the election 2006 our society start to fall apart. The moderates force people on the sick list to work. They can in worse cases get economical support from social insurance. But that money won’t last for ever so the elders have to pay higher taxes for the sick and unemployeds account.
In the last two years with the moderate party Sweden has bombed us with American culture and thinking, more than ever. Swedes has allways been American wannabes more or less (not me). We call Sweden the The little USA sometimes.
They send more and more American speaking radio and tv programs, talk about our “soldiers” in Afghanistan and try to get our young men to be interested. When four of them died in an accident? it was on the front page on every newspaper and me just laughs out loud. What did they expect ? People do die in war, gee.
But why do Swedes have to go there and do some others business. Pleas, do I have to grieve some folks who wanna be special some how ? Give me a break. Sweden has not been in war for over 200 years and they just “forgot” about their neighbors in Finland and what they HAD TO face in WW2. Stupidity is spreading all over the world now.
So I don’t know what’s coming next if people don’t wake up!
I live in America and was born here but do not fit in today’s culture. My parents were teens during the Great Depression and they did not trust the government or vote or live in debt. They lived a life by paying their way as they lived and did not go into debt for toys. I inherited there distrust of the government and the government keeps supporting that distrust with their actions.
Due to the choices I have made for my lifestyle, I don’t live like most in America. I don’t eat like them. I’ve seen the American family vanish. There are few real famlies left in America. People get married and become strangers then they have kids who they don’t raise (other children, the Internet and TV raise most children in America) and those children become strangers. I wouldn’t wish the lifestyle of the majority of Americans on anyone else in the world and feel it is sad to see that it is spreading like a cancer.
We “might” be better off without the Internet, cell phones and iPods. When I was a kid growing up, we didn’t have those things and we knew who are neighbors were. I was maybe five or six when my parents bought their first black and white TV then we stopped talking as a family because the TV was always on.
I’m rambling. Sorry.
Don’t get me wrong. There are still families where parents take a part in raising their kids and talk to their children and do things as a family like my family did as I was growing up but most don’t. Studies show that the average American parent talks to their children less than five minutes a day. Mostly they grunt if the kid asks them a question and they hear nothing since their eyes are glued on a TV or computer screen.
Most school environments in America also contribute to this alienation between parents and children due to the “have fun” meantality “and use credit cards to buy it” that has taken over most of the culture in America. Recently, there was a block party where we live and one father was telling me about his daughter sending thousands of text messages to her friends monthly and running his phone bill up to $1,600.00.
No, It’s good to read what you have to tell. Yes, you are born in the 40’s I guess and also have the generation thing against you. People tend to forget about the history when they should not. I understand you tho, even if I’m born in the 70’s. I’m interested of history, especially the history of war. This only because of the war Finland had with the Russians and Germany in the 40’s.
I understand the family problems, it’s like that over here too more or less, it’s more usual today than before. Todays parents are irresponsible and let their children’s problems on the society and the village to take care. Amazing how we are taking course to “the little USA” here. I’m worried, but no longer that bothered, I understand what’s coming over us.
Let’s hope that the next generation find something more useful to do in their life.
From what I’ve learned about the Great Depression generation, that hardship made them better people who were willing to work hard for low pay and not complain about it. For the next generation to improve, they may have to go through that type of hardship and suffering for a few years or longer.
Right now, many are very spoiled–even many of America’s poor drive cars, have computers linked to the Interent and have TVs and many luxuries that those who live in poverty in countires like India, Africa, etc. will probably never have.
It’s true that we are still quite grounded people with lots of common sense compared with our Swedish neighbors for example. We have it in our culture to love our nature and country. But the western lifestyle is among us too. We have had accidents with school shootings twice here. But this not that strange, almost every fifth house has weapons in Finland and with our history young men can get quite confused, because they are not getting help in time. No, it’s the same all over… But Asia has a different style. Your wife was Chinese wasn’t she ?
I feel like I’m occupying your blog. I try to close this subject.
You are a brave man and nice talking to.
I missed your point here earlier. I wasn’t informed enough of the veterans situation concerning the VA over there. You where talking about homeless veterans and so on. Sorry.
Many homeless veterans are so damaged by PTSD that they can not function in normal society. Living inside between walls makes them feel not as safe as sleeping under a bush or in a dumpster where no one can see them. They also drink most of their money away instead of using it to pay rent for a place to stay. The veteran I met in the alley had been a prisoner of war and couldn’t function yet the VA gave him about $1200 a month, which a local priest/pastor held for him so he would have enough to eat each month.
“They also drink most of their money away instead of using it to pay rent for a place to stay.”
Yes, I somehow wanted to mention that but you did it before me.
“The veteran I met in the alley had been a prisoner of war and couldn’t function yet the VA gave him about $1200 a month, which a local priest/pastor held for him so he would have enough to eat each month.”
No, for some it’s too late. PTSD has to be taken care of directly after the first signs of it. Pity that people as family and other relatives knows too little about it, but they might at least know that the sufferer don’t see it coming them selves. And relatives should not be afraid of dealing with it.
There was a woman over here who told on her blog that she discussed the subject in her family, that the father in the family was going to Afghanistan. She told that they toke the decision together, among them a 19 year old girl (who knows a shit about war). I told her to think over it once more, she can not decide it for him in the first place and a 19 year old girl should not ever take part of such an subject. That father might come home messed up and what will that girl feel about it. Then she bragged about all the money they would get, already living in a big house and all that… She got so mad at me saying something against it, she was so convinced that she will be able to handle it yet she was so worried about that so HARD decision. OK, she’s nuts, a typical US wannabe that can go fuck her self. I hate the mental violence against that girl in the family to start with. And I will gladly spit on the mothers face and laugh if the father comes home not as he was before it. He will get support and all that, but what about those who really needs the help before and instead of that fuckhead who willingly get him self trouble.
If he goes into combat he will not come back the same. If he is in a supply position away from the combat, he will still be exposed to those who were in combat and may even see the body bags and that will also affect him.
You are correct that the trauma must be cared for soon. Research shows that PTSD vicitms have had damage to a section of the brain. I think I wrote about that somewhere here. Over time, that damage becomes a permanent scar.
One thing I’ve learned is that you cannot talk reason to anyone who is not ready for it regardless of the evidence you have to support your opinions. Individuals will only change when they are ready. Sad!
“And I will gladly spit on the mothers face and laugh if the father comes home not as he was before it.”
It is very difficult not to say “I told you so”. I battle with that desire all the time when I am right and others are wrong and when I say something, it doesn’t make things better. They get angry at me and the relationship grows worse.
It makes them worse so I’m struggling to keep my mouth shut as much as possible when it turns out I am right.
Many people will make mistakes and ignore them as if they didn’t happen.
Yes, a PTSD sufferer has to be ready for the real pain that will be exposed, but it’s important to get the sufferer to know of his behavior changes so he will have a chance at all to decide to deal with it or not. But one must understand how to do it not causing more damage.
It was more my thought because of her attitude, bragging about the money and at the same time try to convince her self that he’s going there to help and that it’s worth it. She also put candle images and asked everyone to pity the men that died over there, it made it too disgusting so I could not avoid that thought. But I won’t tell her anything, I understand that that family is pretty fucked up already so… If Sweden was in war and they fought to our real survival I would have commented the dead UN soldiers, but this is different. She just wanted to be special you know. I got mad of her way to humiliate the Afghans and others who has experienced real war before there wannabes today.
You are right, it’s not helping to talk them down. They will see for them selves.
You are right.
I finished writing a ten-part post that will start appearing on iLookChina about Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War on 8/18/10 at 16:00 (US Pacific Time in California). I have never read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War before and as I researched and wrote the posts, I saw that what America did in Iraq and what the UN/Nato coalition is doing in Afghanistan has a slim chance of winning.
Then after I thought about it for a few days, I wrote an 11th part conclusion which will appear on 8/25/10 at 08:00 (California time). Reading Sun Tzi opened my eyes to the folly of war. Sun Tzu said the best war was the one where armies never fight.
“I saw that what America did in Iraq and what the UN/Nato coalition is doing in Afghanistan has a slim chance of winning.”
Yep, they only make it worse. They are only there for the money, they will be hated for it.
“Sun Tzu said the best war was the one where armies never fight.”
Yes, the heart of the people does the real victory, do doubt about it.
I’ve read pieces in the American media about the corruption in Afghanistan’s government but the same pieces never mention that corruption of that type is common in that part of the world. Pakstistan has similar examples of government corruption but the America media doesn’t balance the piece. I wonder if government corruption is common in India too. A photo journalist friend recently traveled in India shooting photos for his next book–India: Portrait of a People and he said it was more difficult to get permisson to travel in India than China. His first book was China: Portrait of a People. He spent two years on foot and walked tens of thousands of kilometers taking something like 60,000 photos. He visited very province in China, had trouble with the police, was stopped on the wrong side of the border with China and North Korea and almost froze in a blizzard walking to Tibet.
Sorry, I’m getting off topic. I was just writing a post about Traveling to Tibet for my China Blog so my mind is stuck in China right now.
I believe the problem is world wide. It’s up to all human kind to act some how, and we are doing it every day. Changes will take time. Ok, good night for now Lloyd.