A Polar Bear Sleeping in a Tree Top

On this very day in 1954 President Eisenhower authorized an additional $385 million for military aid to the French forces fighting in Vietnam.

Three months later, after getting their asses kicked at Dien Bien Phu, the French gave up. They would leave Indokina and Vietnam would be temporarily divided until general elections could be held two years later. The US couldn’t allow this because ”the wrong side” under Ho Chi Minh was certain to win by a landslide. No elections were held and the US kept sending more and more ”advisors”.

The hostilities grew constantly and Kennedy tried to stop the escalation into a full-scale war. They stopped Kennedy. Ten years, 3 million Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans later the US experienced the limitations of their extensive military power when confronted by a united and determined people.

What has all this to do with a polar bear sleeping in a tree? Nothing. Just like the 58,000 Americans who were sent to die while killing 3,000,000 Vietnamese.

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“Some people have trouble sleeping.
Most people have trouble waking up.”
Dartwill Aquila

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