SYNCHRONICITY

A series of essays.....

THE VIETNAM WAR: A FILM BY
KEN BURNS AND LYNN NOVICK

Credit: parademagazine.com


.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

At the very least, I would like to be sitting here listening to The Pogues, my favorite Irish punk band formed in 1982, and, at the most, dutifully performing my daily exercise regime to their lyrically unique sound. Pogue Mahone, by the way, is the anglicization of their name which, in Irish, is póg mo thóin or literally translated as 'kiss my arse.' Seemingly, quite apropos these days....the feeling of disregard, that is.

Many of us have been experiencing a 'more than usual' rash of 'kiss my ass' experiences this past year and with good reason. With the constant fear of losing health insurance, not to mention nuclear war hanging over our heads on a daily basis like the "Sword of Damocles," an illusion to the imminent and ever-present peril we face as a nation....among so many other crises I could add to this list.    

THE POGUES

My latest 'póg mo thóin' revelation came a few days ago. Having been working on my latest venture which takes place in Orlando, Florida and Vietnam, past and present time, I'd been looking forward to watching the latest documentary showing on PBS (Public Broadcasting System) entitled The Vietnam War: A film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick. Due to time constraints, we have been taping this series with the intention of watching episodes whenever we can. 

Sitting down this past Sunday evening, it was exciting to push the appropriate buttons on the hand-held remote that would take us to 'Deja Vu,' the aptly titled first episode in a total of ten for this series.

Being a seasoned aficionado of following many amazing shows offered on PBS throughout the years (one does not raise two children without memorizing most of the jingles and jangles comprising 'Sesame Street' and 'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood'), I know enough not to scroll through the equally important names of donors who have financially supported them, including this latest endeavor by Mr. Burns and Ms. Novick. However, I was taken aback by what I'd read on the screen and immediately questioned their intent.

"Major support for the Vietnam War was provided by: Members of The Better Angels Society including Mr. & Mrs. Lavine, The Montrone Family." and so forth. "Major funding was also provided by David H. Koch, The National Endowment for Humanities, Bank of America, and Viewers Like You....," among many others, of course. Both Koch and Bank of America were sandwiched in there like ham and cheese between two toasted slices of stale bread! 

DAVID H. KOCH

Credit: The New Yorker Magazine

Yes, I Googled his name. He most definitely is one of the Koch brothers. Not a cousin of or a complete stranger to the Koch brothers having the same last name but, one of the two brothers. In an article written for The New Yorker by Jane Mayer in the August 30, 2010 issue called Covert Operations, Ms. Mayer explains how David H. Koch and his brother Charles, at that time, quietly had given more than a hundred million dollars to right-wing causes and had openly waged a war against President Barack Obama.

 I'm all about admiring the idea behind philanthropic acts and have even written several stories about major philanthropists of our time including Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, and Michael Bloomberg. Vowing that if I should ever be fortunate enough to win a grand Lottery payout, part of the proceeds would go to one or more charitable organizations of my choice, as many of us might do under similar circumstances.

Lest we forget the involvement of Bank of America and the still fresh wounds of the middle-class when the bank purchased the Countrywide Mortgage Company back in 2008, a company who had grown by offering sub-prime mortgages to aspirant homebuyers. John Taylor of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition said, "By the time Bank of America came along, it was too late. Regardless of how much they knew about Countrywide's shoddy lending at the time of purchase, Bank of America inherited a mess of mortgages that went sour fast." This contributed to many home foreclosures and the placing of families out onto the street among their furniture and personal belongings.

U.S. SOLDIERS MARCHING IN DANANG, VIETNAM,
IN 1965 WITH AN AVERAGE
AGE OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS OLD!

Credit: The Associated Press

When I think back to Sunday evening and my revelation of recognizing the names of Koch and Bank of America as financial supporters of the Burns and Novick documentary, I cringe just a little bit and wonder, especially in the case of David H. Koch, as to the reasons his foundation might want to back this particular project. Unfortunately, if this world has taught me anything lately it is to question everything and trust in only a few people, especially when copious amounts of money are concerned.

I will be the first person to say that this Vietnam War film is fast-paced and emotionally charged. Having lived through this time as a young high school and college student myself, the content hits home...and straight through my heart. Like a small child afraid of the dark, I sit back in silence and allow the beat of the music, the black and white video and still shots, and reemergence of its sorrow and pain fill me with enough sadness that I want to go hide under my bed and keep out the bogeyman forever. Even so, perhaps because of this feeling, I highly recommend taking the time to see this film.

A Facebook friend of mine, Mr. Neal Golden, had reposted a story this morning written by Thomas A. Bass and published in the Peace Journal on August 7 of this year.  Mr. Bass is the author of Vietnamerica, The Spy Who Loved Us, and the Censorship in Vietnam: Brave New World. His story takes us even deeper into the Vietnam War era than Burns and Novick do pointing out the individual editing styles of each and how much their film has left out or forgotten about. 

U.S. TROOPS WADING THROUGH A MEKONG DELTA
MARSH, SOUTHERN VIETNAM IN 1967
~THE VIETNAM WAR: 1954 -1975~

Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica

Some American journalists like Stanley Karnow, author of the book VIETNAM, A History, and Drew Pearson, American columnist and radio host, have grappled for years with presenting this war on television stating that the French, Canadians, and other Europeans have already made good documentaries about the Vietnam War. "But the tenacity with which the US has forgotten the lessons of Vietnam, burying them under misplaced patriotism and willful disregard for history, bump it out of contention for making a great movie about this war," Mr. Pearson once retorted on his NBC Radio program titled Drew Pearson Comments.   

The divisiveness felt today under the Trump Administration was definitely recognizable throughout the Vietnam War, with the war and this presidency dividing personal beliefs, families, policies, Presidents, our government, as well as many foreign governments alike. I do see these two conflicts sharing the same tendency and direction with parallel motives and aims.

My friend, Neal, also caught up in the negativity and questionable theories behind the Bank of America/Koch funding of the Burns & Novick version, made me wonder if the two of us were the only ones who valued the synchronicity of this scenario. 

Could this be a coincidence of events that appear meaningfully related but do not seem to be causally connected? How much deeper should I be probing into this story? Would it, ultimately, make a difference? Is that strange, niggling feeling in my gut only hunger pains or something else?

Thanking Neal for his input, I thought about my current writing project and how this information might make a difference regarding the redirection and expansion of my research. I am studying the Vietnam War through the eyes of a young woman, a Vietnamese citizen, who lived and breathed it while falling in love with her American soldier and the Vietnam War raged on around them. I am both fascinated and traumatized by my interviews with this beautiful lady, now in her mid-sixties, whom I've known for over a year. But, anticipating the Burns/Novich documentary (especially for my research) and seeing that both Bank of America and Koch are involved with it.....I am disheartened. 

Had Ken Burns, one of my heroes, actually sold his soul to the devil? Maybe. Money, especially copious sums, makes for strange bedfellows...

FOLLOWING THE MONEY

I will have to decide how much their presence goes against my personal principles or whether it will make a difference at all. At any rate, for now, I will chalk it up to my most recent 'kiss my arse' experience, sit back, put my feet up on the ottoman and slip in my favorite 'póg mo thóin' CD. Ireland dreaming, even with a punk flair, always seems to calm my soul. Thank goodness!

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

STAYING CALM: NOTES ON HARVEY, IRMA, JOSE, MARIA, AND SO MUCH MORE

A series of essays.....

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public, threatened with widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities. Evocative of the British 'stiff upper lip' and unemotional sounding self-discipline, the message, I believe, was thought provoking and served its purpose to the British people in its own, quiet way.

In the year 2017, we recognize this poster, albeit in its many new and innovative forms, as a soothing, informative, and self-supporting meme, typically humorous in nature, that has spread rapidly to multitudes of people via social media networks.

Courtesy: PC Wall Art

Various parodies of the original poster include: STAY ALIVE AND AVOID ZOMBIES (Author: Mark Baker); Keep Calm And Let the Dutch Girl Handle It (Recently posted on Facebook by my brilliant Dutch friend, Wilhelmina.); I'M FRENCH, WE DON'T KEEP CALM (Had to throw that one in there!) and, one of my favorite parodies that will get us through the year with understanding and peace is this calendar made-up of topical monthly reminders:

 

Courtesy: From the Heart

Keeping calm these days has become a literal 'Cone of Uncertainty' in and of itself and a minute shift from the left to the right could make a huge difference in which path our lives will follow. How is it even possible to remain calm, cool, and collected while living in an age of massive chaos, both in its natural form and man-made varieties? Are these forms interchangeable given the fact that man's ignorance of and/or total disregard for the maintenance of nature has served to ramp-up the grand furies offered to us by Mother Nature herself within this past year alone?

Having recently survived Hurricane Irma as she 'slapped' those of us in Central Florida as compared to her 'heavy fist pounding' of the Caribbean Islands and the Florida Keys, I can tell you that with each of her tiny wobbles and shifting itineraries, my heart would skip a beat. Having survived Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne, who crisscrossed their merry way through Central Florida in 2004, we knew that Irma was in a category all her own. She was stronger, meaner, tougher, and guaranteed to blow you away as she covered the entire state with her cloak of disaster. Never did my childhood memories of the hurricane scene in The Wizard of Oz hit so close to home as with Irma on our heels!

Harvey swallowed-up a portion of Texas only a short while before Irma and left the people there feeling hopeless and lost while the high waters and sheer pain of loss gnawed away at their future well-being. My heart aches for all who have suffered such devastating loss and must work so diligently to create a brighter tomorrow for themselves and their families...

The scores of wildfires plaguing our Western States had been the focal point of pain and loss prior to the advent of this season's hurricanes. Looking at this informational map of the United States sets the entire picture for the suffering currently being inflicted upon her citizens in the form of wildfires and hurricanes today.

Two hurricanes I have yet to mention are depicted on this map in burgundy along the East Coast. Jose continues to ramble along his crazy, circular path up near the coastline in the Northeast. It's as if he's waiting for his date, Maria, to catch-up with him so that they can dance together to the wild rhythm of power and glory before, finally, leaving us alone.

Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm as I type this story. Not since 1932 has such a powerful storm touched the landmass of Puerto Rico with her potent wind gusts of over one hundred and fifty miles per hour. I can feel that sinking feeling in my gut as I watch the pictures coming out from this island. If you have never experienced the lead up of a possible hit or the direct punches of a powerful hurricane, I hope you are kind enough to understand why we choose to 'hunker down' in our homes and ride out the storm. And, we do know that you mean well and truly do care, however......

A mandatory evacuation is another story. This means that the likelihood of being caught in the direct path of the worst part of the storm, weather it be from wind, rain, or storm surge....is in your future and you must get out of harm's way because your life is so much more important than anything else you may own. It's exceedingly difficult to remain calm when someone is telling you that the probability of death is imminent if you remain where you currently are.

Mother Nature has unleashed her fury in the form of fire, wind, water.....and, within the past several days, she is adding earthquakes to her repertoire with two major quakes rocking Central Mexico and an underwater quake striking to the south of New Zealand, near the Auckland Islands, provoking the fear of those on the other side of the world, as well. A few moments ago, I heard of a magnitude 6.1 earthquake hitting off the coast of Japan sending tremors along the East Coast of that island.

The human spirit coupled with the possibility of survival combine to ultimately calculate the aftermath of these disasters. It may be raising your fist for silence as another victim is pulled from a pancaked apartment building in Mexico City, a human chain formed to pull a victim from rapidly flowing flood waters in Texas, or offering shelter and food to someone who has lost his home due to high winds in Florida. The essential nature of human kind is to help our fellow man after troubling times.

What about beforehand? Does the 'essential nature' of mankind extend to helping to thwart (man-made) disasters, also?

On the same day that hurricanes, fires, and earthquakes blast our world with their red-hot fury, and remaining calm can be the furthest thing from our thoughts, we are confronted by the illogical mind games presented by the appointed leader of our great nation as he stands before the United Nations General Assembly and spits out the words, "....we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. 'Rocket Man' (His nickname for Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea) is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime."

I'll speak for myself when I say that I've always been told that blatant provocation is utilized by fools and the uninformed in order to stoke tensions that can lead them down roads they do not truly wish to travel. Let's face it, a provoked nuclear conflict would certainly be leading us down one of these sinister pathways!!!

Gambling on the welfare and mental stability of everyone here in the United States, as well as the lives of over twenty-five million people in North Korea, and the men, women, and children that comprise the fifty million people living in South Korea, is NOT an option here! Not to mention the people of Japan and Guam placed into the mix.

Headlines after his juvenile U.N. speech include:

NPR: "After Trump's U.N. Speech, Some Senators Look To Reinforce War Powers."

Baltimore Sun Editorial Board: "Who's the madman, Kim or Trump?"

Vanity Fair: "In Maniacal U.N. Soliloquy, Trump Threatens Annihilation."

Why would we even think that having a President threaten annihilation is a smart, practical tact toward obtaining world peace and the general welfare of mankind? Call me crazy for believing otherwise but, fighting fear with the use of fear can only create more fear and more hate and ultimate instability among these two leaders who do not seem to be the most stable people in the first place. Since diplomacy has been abandoned during the making of this unnerving scenario anyway, I say we place Don and Kim in the same padded room, lock the door and allow them as much time as needed to work on this child's game they have going between them.

Like any good Mother under similar circumstances might tell you, given sufficient time, they will work something out. They will have to. And, no humans, animals, or irreplaceable antiquities will be harmed in the meantime. A feeling of peace and calmness will prevail.

Immaturity and mean spiritedness should not be allowed to triumph, especially when so many lives are currently being disrupted by Mother Nature's wrath. Her extreme punishment will continue to pose a threat to life and limb as long as we continue to ignore the necessary role of mankind to Keep Calm and Save The Planet; Keep Calm and Save The Earth. 

It is our duty as Earth's temporary lodgers to be kind and to protect our surroundings to the best of our ability. Whether we are protecting the land from irresponsible human beings who disbelieve in global warming, or protecting the planet and all who reside here from annihilation by nuclear warfare, we know that our main intent is to keep our temporary home safe for the generations of people who will have the opportunity to correct our wrongs and make better lives for their children's children to come.

I have an unequivocal feeling that Mother Nature is telling all of us to change our bad habits now and that, finally, enough is enough!

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

BITS AND PIECES FROM FORTY-FOUR YEARS WITH MY BEST FRIEND

A series of essays.....

ON OUR WAY TO FRANCE LAST YEAR IN SEPTEMBER
A BEAUTIFUL TIME TO TRAVEL

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

After being together for over forty-four years, some partners will say that it's often the little things about their relationship that are remembered most fondly. An unforgettable kiss. The familiar  'cuddle time' before saying good night. A surprise present...just because. A heartfelt hug when you're feeling blue. The warmth of a hand reaching out for yours as you walk side-by-side. 

Several times a year, we pull-out the prized vinyl LP's and randomly place them on the turntable and sing every syllable of each song as if we'd written the lyrics ourselves. The rhythm floats through our bodies and we dance with wild abandon as though our small 'tribe of two' will part the heavens above and bring peace to the entire land! Never underestimate the power of togetherness...or, the power of music, for that matter. A good song will always take you back home.

By celebrating and holding close to our hearts what are perceived to be the little things that transpire day-by-day, we are summoning the glue, the stability that holds a relationship together for the long haul. When times become difficult and impossible to cope with, our subconscious can and will become focused on the journey rather than a fleeting moment of discontent....even though it may not seem like it at the time. We can and will survive.

Marriage is like a tossed garden salad contained within an opaque glass bowl, Impenetrable by light, neither transparent nor translucent, keeping it fresh yet open to all possibilities from above. The dressing on the side, please! As the years progress, you decide together what ingredients go into the bowl. You may begin with iceberg lettuce and add wild mixed greens as time goes by. Including onions may be negotiated with a compromise of scallions reached. One may choose to spice it up with peppercorns while the other tames it down a notch by adding cool cucumbers. Remembering that this mix was created by a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding will be the ticket to a successful dish. And the dressing, well, that's your individual choice. Some decisions are considered sacrosanct!

Just like the hurricanes that have blown their mighty winds along our particular path, sometimes changing direction with a wobble here and a easterly wind there, we must learn to adjust afterward. If there is damage, we pick-up the pieces. Starting over can be a good thing. Beginning a new chapter in one's life, whether it be a move to another part of the world, or adjusting to retirement life, it is important to remember all of the previous chapters that helped to bring us to where we are today. They can be the solid foundation that makes the future feel safe and secure no matter how hard the wind blows.

THE RED GARDEN BENCH WE LOVE

THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COMPRISE A LIFETIME TOGETHER

They sashay to the rhythm of the world that surrounds them

Embracing cattails secured from the edges of a marshy pond

Now cut and jammed into an acid bottle the size of a 

Volkswagen Beetle.....

The ochre-tinged boulder highlights the manufactured landscape

Providing soap-box appeal to flamboyant young voices

And Raggedy Ann sings Christmas carols between hospital

Visits guaranteed to whiten the hair on their heads.....

Kings must have resided here, they think, walking down the oak staircase

While children perform plays along the landing in the grand foyer knowing

Dreams were built here in forms of playhouses and mighty celebrations and

Dreams were dashed here, for better or for worse.....

Like ripping pages from an old Floridian vacation brochure,

Memories of their Sanibel Island escapades flutter in the steamy breezes

With footsteps large and small impressed into the seashell tossed

Sand on walks that span and ripple throughout the decades.....

With hearts beating to multiple drums on game day while

Bleeding green for all of eternity and wafts of chili and beer

Penetrate their nostrils with the familiar smells of autumn, 

The children are primed and ready to carry-on familiar traditions.

Pea-stone beneath their feet breaking the silence with crunching 

Sounds as they proceed to their destination near the back of the garden.

The bright red bench punctuates the afternoon shadows that gesticulate 

Like two French women overtly animated over a sale at Tuesday's open market!

White ball gowns trimmed in petite pastel flowers and swirls of black floral,

Punctuate their lives with love and joy as life proceeds in a natural order.

Happiness is knowing that your daughters are doing well and that their lives

Are meaningful with no regrets and a myriad of possibilities to look forward to.

Hope exists within them like sugar plum wishes as the padding of 

Little feet across the wooden floors happily extend the ritualistic reading of 'The Night Before Christmas' for years to come on one of the most hallowed evenings of the

Year that is certain to bring a morning of oohs and aahs and youthful smiles.

The charm of September takes their breath away remembering a

Special Day so long ago in a land mostly forgotten; out of mind.

Land of parents and school friends and remembering rites of passage

While always knowing that time and ambition would take them away....

While warm breezes still sweep across their memories and the crispness of 

Autumn lingers around the corner, they celebrate a long and prosperous life

Together since, what seems like, time out of mind, passing their memories

Down to the Little Ones who still clamour for attention and knowledge.*

*To Be Continued....

Happy Anniversary to my Best Friend, Dan: September 15, 2017.

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

MENTALLY PROCESSING IRMA: AN EMOTIONAL NIGHTMARE

A series of essays.....

BLESSED WITH EARLY MORNING SUNSHINE AND
SERENADED BY THE CALL OF BIRDS AND SQUIRRELS

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

I am not saying that most Americans don't have much on their plates right now; far, far from it. However, when the certainty of a one hundred and eighty-five mile an hour wind and rainstorm lies on your doorstep, mental status could be rife for a modicum of pure panic, if not a full-blown anxiety attack of major proportions. 

The uncertainty of the path that Irma will take as she manhandles her way across Florida will determine my state of mind as time progresses. Best scenario is if she stays well off to the east of the state. Then there's always the chance that Irma will show her disdain for our beautiful west coast and cut Tampa off at the knees. However, for those of us living in the central areas, as well as both coastlines, the worse case scenario would be having Irma set her eye (sights) right up the middle of Florida as she rides the wave of a category four storm. Each journey is completely different. Each one brings its own set of rules and outcomes.

I have to remember that Irma is currently gnawing her way through the Caribbean as a catastrophic number five storm and has nearly annihilated each land mass she has set her eye upon with the loss of life already in her wake. And, she's still hungry for more! Chewing up, stomping, and blowing away everything in her path, Irma is on a rampage of mass destruction.

Yet, we are staying put and riding this 'thing' out as we hunker down here in Orlando.

I've had a friend from up north in Michigan ask me why. If the tables were turned, he would have left the area long before now. In my case, it boils down to respecting the obligations one has made to others. My husband has been working on hurricane proofing (if that's even possible) two large apartment complexes being built in the Orlando area. As project manager, he is responsible for the well being of everyone involved at each project and lives may depend on whether or not all is done properly and with safety always in mind.

Even though my blood pressure rises a bit with each passing moment of uncertainty, I respect the fact that with responsibility comes commitment, strength, and leadership.

All of this seems so impossible to believe as I sit here looking out at a stunning morning bathed in sunlight and being gleefully serenaded by the call of birds and the friendly chatter of playful squirrels while sipping my morning coffee. Is this the so called 'calm before the storm?' 

Charley: 150 mph. Frances: 105 mph. Ivan: 130 mph. Jeanne: 120 mph. It came to be known as the 'Year of Four Hurricanes' when, for six weeks in 2004, Florida reeled under their monstrous assault. I was a hurricane 'newbie' at this point. My utter respect for these horrific storms grew to enormous proportions that year and I can never forget the emotional ramifications presented  personally to me by each one.

Irma is different so far. She is in a category all by herself, at least in terms of fear and emotional torment released upon the reasonable human beings she has teased so incrementally throughout the duration of this past week. She is powerful. She is hungry. She is unpredictable. Ultimately, she is relentless and, it is because of this, coupled with the very recent memory of the victims of Harvey striking the Texas coastline, Irma is the ultimate 'Emotional Nightmare.' 

Most importantly, these storms will always command our utmost respect. 

Tonight we begin major preparations for hunkering down with Irma knocking at our doorstep on Saturday. Important papers and small items will be placed in plastic tubs with lids securely fastened afterward. All patio furniture, potted plants, and anything standing alone in the back and front of the house will be compacted into the back of the lanai. Framed paintings, and personal photos and photo albums, will be removed from walls and shelves and placed in our vehicles in the garage while pressing their back bumpers against the closed garage door for added security from the high winds. 

Ziploc bags filled with ice to be placed in refrigerator freezer with containers of filtered water filling up the refrigerator itself. These can be placed in a cooler and brought into our 'safe spot' in the house when needed along with flashlights and prayers. Our master bedroom closet has served us well in the past.

By late Friday, we must make the decision to board up the windows of our home. Heavy slabs of plywood used during the onslaught of 2004 are already pre-cut and ready to go. When that is accomplished, we will be living in a dark, threatening world and praying that the electricity stays on for as long as possible while hoping that all of this preparedness serves us well.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. This is the next phase of this ominous game taking place between man and Mother Nature. This is the phase that introduces pure panic and anxiety attacks. Having already served its purpose of thinking and doing, the mind is now left open to wander creating infinite possibilities of what the near future may hold.

Born and raised in northern Indiana, I have ingrained respect for the sheer force of a tornado with powerful winds being its fierce component. What mainly disturbed me after each onslaught of the 'Year of Four Hurricanes' was the possibility of each spawning tornadoes. And, they did, with one claiming a large swath of land and homes only two blocks from our own neighborhood. 

So, tonight we plan, pack, and pray....not, necessarily, in that order. We'll get through this. We have to. May God blow Irma's sails to the mighty East and out to the open sea. May all life be spared. I will be talking with all of you on the other side of this storm because Dan and I are looking forward to celebrating our forty-fourth wedding anniversary a week from this Friday!

Right now it's time to say, "No way, José! You will not be knocking on my back doorstep anytime soon. Siga adelante. There will be no 'Hola' extended to you. Our plate is full!"

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved