Talking about black and white… I’ve been mulling over something for a year or so now.

Is it a coincidence that there seems to be a inverse correlation between the worsening financial news and the increase of black financial reporters? I don’t remember ever seeing one until things started getting ugly.

How about the fact that America seems to be going into something worse than the ‘Great Depression’, and more akin to ‘The Panic of 1873’, and we elect a black man to run the country?

If I was a black person, I’d be thinking that the white folks didn’t want to be associated with abject failure of the financial markets, or of America in general, and were trying to set up black folks to take the responsibility.

Here I am a Vietnam Veteran 40 years after the fact and now have shirts hanging in my closet made in Vietnam.

The older I get the more I think Rodney King got it right..”can’t we all just get along”.

You can’t walk by “THE WALL” and not get choked up when you see all the names. Makes me wonder about just how big a threat Vietnam was to America and the free world back in the day.

In watching what is passed off as “news” and “reporters” of such, I am starting to understand why such people may need to be censored.
Here I am, a good patriotic American tired of hearing things which cause so many people to be upset, not informed, just upset.
We live in a wonderful world. We have so much, even if we do not own our homes or have whatever we think we “should” have. There is no pleasing the gaping unsatisfied hunger of the over stimulated wants which bombard us from the tv sets, those who tell us what we “need”, what we are missing out on, how if we don’t have this and this and this then we are less than nothing – we are big losers.
Where did our joy go? Where is our happiness and satisfaction from having food to eat, a place to eat and family? Oh – well, the cost of living may be higher here than in Nam… at least according to my gas, electric and tax bills. oh – don’t forget the need for wifi : o in my home.
nonetheless, i understand what you are saying Fraz. we all need to remember to put things into perspective.

Mr. Guardian,

I seriously would like to know…

Does Vietnam have freedom of religion?

Does Vietnam have freedom of the press and free speech? Could you do there what you do here – object to gov’t officials – and still live to tell about it?

Besides being a factory that makes things with cheap labor, what does Vietnam contribute to the world when it comes to technology, art, music, etc?

I have lived under the assumption that “free” countries created an atmosphere the contributed far more to humanity than those countries that had socialist governments. Is that assumption wrong?

It makes me nervous to see people so willing to welcome socialism and communism.

EDITOR NOTE– Religion seems to be quite “free” with temples, pagodas, cathedrals abounding. Not many believers in Jesus in that part of the world. Press is indeed limited under the communists. In fact, I heard radio Hanoi being broadcast over speakers on utility posts in the countryside…sort of like getting all your news from the government propaganda people that work for Ada County, Boise City, and State of Idaho! Also, the GUARDIAN wouldn’t be able to operate in Vietnam and if local government had its way in Idaho we wouldn’t be allowed here either!

You won’t find a stronger defender of America, free press, or freedom of religion than the GUARDIAN. Roberto, Vietnam is different–not necessarily better or worse. However I also realize that with a history dating back 1100 B.C. it will take more space than I can devote to detail the contributions to mankind coming from what today is Vietnam. You probably will hear from others on your comments.

Finally, there is a certain irony that Vietnam is more at peace (and probably freer) today than it has been in the past 100 years. Also ironic that both commies and capitalists are pumping money into their respective economies.

Roberto, what Viet Nam has, or doesn’t have, is of no importance to either of us. If the people of Viet Nam don’t like their system enough, they will change it. Someone asked us to change it 40 years ago and look where that got us. I am amazed at just how many people in this country want us to be like someone else, while wanting someone else to be like us.
At what point did we start to believe that our’s was the only way to exist, when we are but a pimple on the history of the world’s rear end!

Note to lib redneck..

The Boomers had nothing to do with getting the USA involved in Vietnam. It was largely a war fought with blue collar kids not in college. If you weren’t in college or rated 4-F you got your “greetings from the president” letter. The choices were, enlist in a branch of the armed services and serve 4 years active, get drafted and serve two and take your chances where you ended up or bust a move to Canada and be a draft dodger. I may have missed one or two more options but the bottom line is if you got a call up from the Selective Service you went and that was pretty much that. College, Married males with kids and sole surviving male got some consideration until the draft went to a lottery system.

The glitterati and high society boomers were able to dodge any duty in Vietnam via their connections.

Mr. lib redneck, please understand Blue Collar boomers were pawns in the war machine of the day during that troubling period in our history and more than 57,000 of us had their lives taken from them for this effort and hundreds of thousands more wear the scars both mental and physical from this war.

Cyclops: Your reservoir runeth over… Is there a point to your ranting?

Hiding the truth about ‘Peak Oil’ will only lead to the wholesale destruction of our city as it goes over an energy cliff. Is that what you want?

Why are you so anxious about someone who wants people to know the truth about our energy situation? Business owners cannot plan with oil prices fluctuating unpredictably. Do you want an economic collapse?

I hate to tell you this, but since the Boise City Government and the local media are such pathetic cowards about facing the ‘Peak Oil’ issue, there is a group of seriously capable professionals that is going to deal with the problem head on.

We will run this city in a manner that will make it viable and successful in a low energy environment and all our useless officials have to do is try their best to keep the electricity and gas on, the water flowing, and stay out of our way.

You and your ilk can cling to the old economy as long as you want, but that ship is on its way to the bottom of the ocean.

As far as my imperical observations about the increase in black folks coinciding with our economic turmoil, it was just a thought. Calm down and try some deep breathing. Hatred can make you old and sick before your time.

Lib.Redneck,
Stop whining, you probably exist because some boomers had 15 min. of naked fun during the sexual revolution. Boomers had to live with the so called “Greatest Generation” political deciders willing to nuke the world because it was better being dead than red. Do you remember mutual mass destruction? Boomers also brought you “Give a hoot, don’t pollute”, and a massive anti littering campaign that changed hearts and minds about tossing garbage out the car window. What makes your generation so hot?