Sailing To Oblivium

Had a shocking revelation recently. Something happened nearly 50 years ago that still gives me shivers. And I didn’t even know about it at the time.

I’m finishing up Vietnam at War: The History: 1946-1975 by Phillip B. Davidson. Took my time as I tend to have several books going at once. I know. I know. One should not dilute his focus, but most of you have known since you met me that I me weak-minded, or you should have suspected it by now.

The book is well researched, but a bit of a revisionist history, or at least what I like to call a “pretty to think so” version of history. The author was a direct subordinate to General Westmoreland, so one can understand his analytical leanings.

Anyway, turns out that during the siege of the Marine base near the village of Khe Sahn, between 21 January and 9 July 1968, during the Vietnam War, the American leaders actually considered, according to Davidson, the limited use of nuclear weapons against the NVA.

The limited use of nuclear weapons. Let us all pause and reflect on that, as the ushers prepare the collection plates.

Being prey to prejudices as some of us are, unfortunately, there may be cold-hearted cynics who would say, “It would have only involved gooks and Marines. So what?”

I will ignore such base sentiments. I never really had anything against Oriental people, and the Marines tended to get my ass out of jams every once in a while. I would only add that, as this affair at Khe Sahn was going on, I was about 140 miles away, less by air. That’s about the distance from Little Rock, AR to Texarkana.

Geez. Nuclear war? With me only a hop, skip, and jump away?

Actually, some of the same folks had considered that option’s being used by the United States to get the French out of their jam at Dien Bien Phu.

It both cases, cooler heads prevailed.

Cooler heads. Now that begs the question: where are they now?” With each day that passes, it becomes more obvious to anyone who has ever read a book on history, that we have a mentally unstable, mercurial, shallow-thinking president with the ability to goad horrifying forces into an epochal catastrophe through idle postings and silly statements. Anyone who has ever seen a hornets’ nest disturbed will understand. Couple this with what seems to be a nihilistic majority of national and state legislators, and you’ll understand how I would have felt had I known the “Insanity Brigade” had been active in 1968.

Cooler heads. I sense that the “Tea Party” types consider such a title a sign of weakness of character. And there are some religious folks amongst us who would welcome the holocaust a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. And the ultra-rich? Who the hell knows? When those who have it all say that isn’t enough, you know they are not playing with a full deck. Let us beware.

Finally, one reads where America’s prestige is tumbling downward in Europe. This concerns me, but I’m sure it simply feeds the isolationist anger of the nihilists. What will happen? Who knows? I’m making list of things I want to do right away, though, before someone does something really crappy.

And with the destructive power of modern weapons, 140 miles ain’t doodly-squat. So give your loved ones a special hug as you say goodbye to them this morning.