The Un-winnable War: Vietnam War

"If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost the war." - President Lyndon Johnson

The Vietnam War will always be known as America's first defeat against foreign adversaries who stood in the way of Democracy in Vietnam. The war which had began in the 50s was a war in which the american public viewed as winnable due to the military prowess of the United States. However, over time the general public began to lose faith in the government and this all came to a head with the Tet Offensive of 1968.

Even though the offensive failed militarily for the Viet Cong(VC) it proved to shake the opinion of the American Public by showing them that the US was not in control of the war. Walter Cronkite after hearing what had happen with the Tet Offensive and how the VC had stormed the "impregnable" US Embassy began to become more involved in finding out what was going on in Vietnam and decided to head to there.

Walter Cronkite was the face of the Vietnam War for the US media, the general public viewed him as one of the most trustworthy men on Television and they listened to his every word. Cronkite felt it was his job to report from the Vietnam and footage of him walking through the rubble of warfare with a steel helmet and flak jacket proved to be very influential in the war.

The turning point of the war came when Cronkite said "It is increasingly clear to this reporter (Cronkite) that the only rational way out, will be to negotiate -- not as victors but as an honorable  people who lived up their pledge to defend democracy and did the best they could." These words would serve as the climax and downfall for support in Vietnam with 1 American outta every 5 not supporting the war.  This coupled with the other damaging news reports as well as the image of a South Vietnamese general assassinating a VC officer in Saigon, proved to cripple the US war machine.

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As we come to an end in Iraq, with President Obama pulling out troops,  we are still in Afghanistan fighting a war against terrorism. The toll that Afghanistan has taken has gone from a public who eventually supported the cause to a public which often ask "Why are we still here". America hasn't learned from many of empires who have failed (Soviets) in Afghanistan. We are in a war in which many civilians and troops have died and we sit here and wonder has it even made us safer? The Afghanistan War and The Vietnam War have draw many similarities and just like the latter a winning solution is not in sight.

Defying the Klan

The Ku Klux Klan has infected the South and other regions of American for several decades with its bigotry and ignorance towards all different races and religions. In the early 1920s the KKK saw itself on the come up after the first Great War, with many people disgusted in how the country had took a turn for social upheaval with immigrants pouring in and different religious sects forming.

Video by the History Channel

The early crusade of media outlets such as the New York World, the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Montgomery Advertiser  are just a few of the institutions who waged war against the Klan from the outset. The power of the Fourth Estate helped preserve the First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech in Alabama, by preventing bills which would muzzle the Montgomery Advertiser from posting damaging news articles about the Klan. 

When I think of the Klan, the image that gets burned into my head is of tar and feathering, the stories of African Americans being hanged and the burning of crosses. So why should the story of the Klan affect you? How would like to be taken out of your home in the middle of the night and tied up and dragged down a country road till you die or have your house set on fire? The Ku Klux Klan is an evil party of America that tries to usurp the justice system that we have in place which should never be the case. As long as the media serves to keep groups of people like the Klan in checked and raise awareness then the defiance of the Klan and its oppressive and destructive behavior can be curtailed and limited.