Through September into November, Mount Mercy University sponsored a study series about the American war in Vietnam.  This one involved a panel discussion of American and Vietnamese veterans. The naval officer in the white uniform related how he and his family (his American-born son on extreme left  is an MMU chemistry professor) endured a harrowing escape on an over-crowded boat and were picked up by Americans in the South China Sea. The gentleman on the right told a fascinating story of how he was forced into a re-education camp by the North Vietnamese after the South's defeat in April 1975. They built barracks a did hard labor. His name is Phong Nguyen and he was held for eight years after his captors told him it would be a few weeks. According to Mr. Nguyen, there was no rhyme or reason as to the lengths of time he and others were held, but one day in his eighth year he was told he could return to his village for two years probation. During that time, he was spied on by his neighbors. He applied for a visa later and was able to leave Vietnam for the United States, of which he is now a US citizen.

Balmy night, big crowd of 2000. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) waxed eloquent for an hour, mostly extemporaneously, on sundry topics, including oligarchy of wealthy few who practice the golden rule: THOSE WHO HAVE THE GOLD MAKE THE RULES. But seriously, he is for unions to protect rights of workers. Bring the jobs back from China,  Mexico, etc. Against propensity of right wingers who like to go to war with other peoples' children. We have more people in prison than any country in the world, yet criminals of Wall Street are not charged, although the US Department of Justice announced a division to monitor under-the-table brokers for possible criminal activity. Also, today, Sanders passed up H. Clinton in the Iowa polls for the first time. Strive!

We must get a handle on gun control. Ninety percent of Americans are in favor of some degree of limitations on the unbridled access to equipment associated with gun violence, such as large-capacity magazines and assault rifles. Without it, many children at Sandy Hook would still be alive after that mentally imbalanced youth committed his heinous act. Speaking of  mental health, that is the stock answer of the National Rifle Association whenever one of these many incidents of gun-toting mass murderers hits the news. They focus on treating mental illness and identifying  violence-prone people before they have a meltdown. They indict American society for failing to do so.. It's a distraction. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Is providing weapons to psychologically troubled people a crazy idea? That's the NRA.

Is this a great country, or what? The Supreme Court has ruled foolishly, as time will prove, that the concept of free speech is the basis for allowing money of corporations and wealthy individuals to corrupt elections. This should be a no-brainer. Corporations by definition are not individuals, the Supreme Court's decision notwithstanding. That law of the land allows management to speak for all of its employees in making political decisions by supporting candidates it chooses to support. Now the McCutcheon case allows deep-pocket individuals the right to influence elections that are not in the their jurisdiction. In other words a Georgia resident can influence elections in Iowa which he or she has no business doing in a true democracy. Strive!

Took a bus from Northern Hotel in Da Nang, the base of my operations, to Qui Nhon near the village of Hoi Nhon, where the Tran family gathered on the day of Tet, Jan. 31, 2014. This bus pick-up spot was only one block from the Northern Hotel, to which I walked with just a back pack of a few things. The accommodations inside the bus were totally different than what I expected, but comfortable. Entering revealed three double-deck tiers of a laid-out contour seat with blanket. The person in the foreground by the bus door is putting his shoes in a provided plastic bag, which everyone had to do before entering the main interior. It was quite comfortable and was able to sleep away part of the eight-hour trip with several stops at modest road-side restaurants.
Flew back to Da Nang when Test was over.

Extended family came from near and far to be together with their grandmother, mother-in-law, or mother. They were so gracious. My tea cup wasn't empty very long. Many school-age cousins played and brothers and sisters talked about many things. We snacked on sunflower seeds while my contact person,Thuy, in the left foreground, translated. Nobody spoke English except her, and I certainly couldn't speak Vietnamese except one sentence: Your village is surrounded...no just kidding. That attempt at humor referred to a long time ago when we were not at peace, but now we are and the Vietnamese people are very happy in their lives that focuses on family. They don't think about their own government much nor America either, for that matter. An old Vietnamese saying is: The emperor's rule ends at the village gates.

The couple on the right are from The Netherlands. They employed a travel agency in Vietnam, the two guys on the left, who met them in Hanoi and are half way down the coast on two motorcycles for an extended vacation that will end in HCMC. They have an itinerary that includes sites of historical significance, such as the battle of Quang Tri in 1972, that the leader is pointing out. He really knows Vietnam's history and was kind enough to let me enjoy some of his discussion. All their stops and hotels were booked in advance, made seamlessly through the internet. and emails.