Vietnam War Interview

1. Did you know anyone that had to go to war?
-yes my friend's dad. at that time, a lot of people were being drafted to go to war and you were almost expecting everyday to get a letter saying you had been drafted for war.

2. Did that person change when he came back from war?
-he never did. he didn't make it back. it wasn't only him who didn't make it back, it was very common for letters to be received saying you had lost that loved one. :(

3. Was the war a topic you talked about in school or outside school at that time?
-no. we were all scared because most had relatives at war so we didn't want to be talking about the subject, we were actually trying to forget about it because the topic brought us a lot of anxiety and nervousness, I mean, it was a tough time.

4. Were you taught about the progress of the war at school?
-no, technology at that time was not as advanced, therefore we didn't have access to the latest news so it was rare when they had news about the war for us.

5. What was the hardest part of having someone you knew at war?
-everything but not knowing what they were going through at every moment was horrible. I mean, you didn't know if they were suffering, or if they were alright, or if they were even alive still. it was hard not knowing. probably the hardest things I've been through.

The president has a Twitter!

YourpresidentJFK
OMG! Castro has taken over. So much going on right now.
1/1/1959 at 11:09 a.m.

YourpresidenJFK
Whaaaaaaat!? did Cuba just align themselves with the Soviet Union and their policies?!
12/19/1960 at 2:07 p.m.

YourpresidentJFK
ANNOUNCEMENT: We, the USA, pledge to not intervene militarily to overthrow Castro.
4/12/1961 at 6:34 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
I'm sorry to announce that the group of Cuban exiles that we sent to invade Cuba to try to trigger an anti-Castro rebellion has failed. More than a thousand Cuban rebels have been captured by Castro's forces.
4/17/1961 at 7:56 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
So who does Castro think he is? he just announced that he is taking measures that would make any direct USA attack on Cuba the equivalent of a world war. USSR supposedly is helping him defend his country. This is CRAZY!
6/27/1962 at 4:03 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
We cannot believe what we just found.A U-2 flying over Cuba discovered missiles. Photographs reveal evidence of Soviets have missiles in Cuba. :O
10/16/1962 at 9:34 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
Another U-2 flight. military discoveres nuclear missiles. This is getting worse for sure.
10/17/1962 at 10:35 p.m.

YourpresidentJFK
The United States military will move towards Cuba today.It's all about Krushchev now.
10/24/1962 at 5:00 a.m.

YourpresidentJFK
Thinking about Kruschev request.. hmmmm.. what do you guys think?
10/26/1962 at 8:45 a.m.

YourpresidentJFK
Finally signed and sealed with the deal. We will not interfere with Cuba as long as the Soviet Union takes his missiles out of Cuba. Lets hope this works and doesnt cause more trouble that what has been already caused this past months! finally #relief
10/28/1962 at 7:56 p.m.

Home by Michael Buble

"Another airplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home"

This is "Home" by Michael Buble. Every time I listen to this song, I think about the war that is going on in Iraq and how there is so many people who feel this way. The whole song is about a soldier who misses his lover so much that he just wants to be done with all of this and go home. He expresses how lonely and sad he is and that he has had enough. He says "I've had my run, baby I'm done, I gotta go home". It's a strong song that has inspired millions of soldiers and veterans. IT represents the feelings that war brings and how it can affect someone so deeply.

It's all about the technology!

In today's world, we are provided with a much more advanced technology that we are able to get the latest news in an extremely short time. More people know about the news within seconds of things happening. We are kept very informed about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan giving us very detailed information on what things are going on there. Bach then, when the Vietnam War happened, we didn't have the news or technology we have today. Information that was given by the media was more concise and short, like a general overview of what was going on. The news in Vietnam was not updated on a daily basis. Technology plays a big part in the difference of how The Vietnam War was covered to how the current wars are.

Meritocracy

Meritocracy is basically a group of people that their success is based on ability and talent, not on what school they go, or what teacher they have, or how much money they have. During segregation, people had a bigger opportunity in progress according to their social class and economical status, which was mostly white people. Black people didnt have the same opportunity that the white people had, whether it was at school or at work. I think that you should be able to succeed anywhere, whether you are in the best private school of the country, or the worst public school; whether you have the best teacher ever, or you have a horrible teacher. I believe we all have the same opportunity. However, it may be more difficult for some people than others. Because some people might have more obstacles to overcome like getting that horrible teacher to like you, instead of the other people with the awesome teacher who have less obstacles. But you have to keep in mind that nothing is impossible if you set your mind into it, and even more if its for your own benefit! If you really want something, you will do WHATEVER it takes to get there, no matter the obstacles!

The Jena 6

After I read the article, I thought about the quote "history repeats itself." I honestly didnt really buy into that theory but I am very more convinced of it after reading what happened in Jena. People would think that the African american civil rights movement was something we learn in textbooks that happened in the past and that its over, but clearly, is not. I think that this shows how society has changed because of the roles that were reversed in this incident. With the little rock nine, black students were being attacked by white students. It seems that this has changed because white students were attacked by African american students. However, the white students did something that, in my opinion, speaks more that what the black students did. They hung nooses on the trees and they were not punished for it. The Jena and the Little Rock incidents are similar because they both happened at a high school , they drew public attention and they show how the civil rights issue is still going on.

Love and kindness vs Threat and Fear

Malcolm x and Martin Luther King were very different but at the same time very alike. They were fighting for the same cause, in a way, but they used different methods to approach it. Matin Luther King used non-violent methods and protests to get his point out. In the other hand, Malcolm x says he would use "any means necessary" to achieve his goals. So, which one was more effective? Lets give an example. When someone wants information or money or whatever they want, would you think they would talk you into it in a nice, warm tone or will they just take out a gun and point it at your head ready to shoot? I think the answer is obvious. However, Martin Luther King did accomplish some things by his non-violent method. But people are driven to do crazy things out of fear. And one of the biggest fears is death. So I think that Malcolm x's method was more effective.