Tag: Pentagon Papers

Ole friends as mirrors

We finally met, at Starbucks. 3 classmates. 39 years and a huge ocean in between.

We could have just waited. Starbucks is opening up in Vietnam soon.

But there we were: the skinny, the fat and the ugly (me).

Past, present, past. Time interlacing.

No preset agenda. No chronological order, or Robert’s rules of order.

Not a multi-level recruiting session. Just a Jr-high get-together after 4 decades apart.

My daughter works at State. My son got eye problem etc..

Me? I am fine. Just can’t help observing, taking it in and connecting the dots. For instance, I don’t think the richest 1% read latest non-fiction about their own exploitation in “the Age of Greed” etc..They are too busy living it.

Or, the failure of “strategic hamlets” during the war (as revealed in the now-declassified Pentagon Papers) has unintended consequences in the rise of Vietnamese women in the manicuring industry (if you zoom out 40 years).

Lately, the only tree I see growing, is Dollar Tree.

In fact, America needs to grow money on tree.

Back to seeing ole friends. They kept looking at me, I them.

We served as mirrors to one another.

No, I don’t touch the guitar any more.

Nothing to scream about,not at this age, not at this time.

I am not Rod Stewart or Barry Manilow.

Those guys got good mileage.

Every one got their 15 minutes.

On YouTube or otherwise.

(picture of a couple kissing during the Vancouver riot went viral).

Make love, not war.

Google it, tweet it, “like it”, +1 it.

Electronic communication in abundance, yet we lost touch, almost 40 years until a high-tech friend started our Yahoo group to mend bridges.

So, via group-mail, attachment (photo), google map, 3-G mobile phone, finally, we meet over coffee and where else but Chinese buffet.

I told you, it’s the age of electronics and globalization.

We could have waited for Starbucks to come to Vietnam.

We could have just stay put.

Hold it. Build it. They will come. As they have always.

Columbus dispelled the myth that the Earth was square.

But once proven his point, he set out to claim the Earth his spoil.

Gun and steel, plus a lot of germs.

Or, the opposite, agent Orange, to defoliate and deform everyone in its path.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110617/ap_on_sc/as_vietnam_us_agent_orange

I am glad my friends are all right.

The one who was a bit on the wild side, got a daughter who did him proud.

The one who was on the quiet side, can’t wait for me to come and visit again.

I wonder how many social web I have missed out, due to war and its hidden costs.

Yes, we are alright, but the 4 decades in between have just been a big hole. So big that it could hold a 7,000-page Pentagon Papers , or a life-time of loss.

Bumpy boat ride

Stories of tourist boats that capsized, ship builder that went default on loan payment, and fishing boats got intimidated by a gigantic neighbor, kept coming out of Vietnam recently.

When you live along a coast that spans from San Diego to North of Vancouver, sea-related incidents are bound to happen. The latest dispute centered in the South China Seas is serious enough for Vietnam to start brushing up on its draft policy

and asking the US, its former enemy, to help resolve this marina tension.

One war document (the Pentagon Papers) barely got declassified, another is just about to be written. 40-year cycle.

Thomas Friedman came up with a globalization theory: any two nations who have McDonald stores open in their countries, are least likely to be involved in war (based on a classic theory of those who trade try to avoid war).

In this context, Vietnam should be asking not the US, but the McDonald corporation to start supplying burgers and fries.

I just read an AP story on rising food price in Vietnam (causing moms to go to bed hungry – since mothers put their children’s education and well-being before themselves).

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/14/v-fullstory/2265650/skyrocketing-food-prices-leave.html

Now, the country has the familiar scent of war. The scent that has barely dissipated for a new digital generation.

Then again, if you lived down those cyclical conflicts, with a desirable coast line, and a restless and hungry demographic (against a backdrop of huge neighbor full of young men- due to one-child policy, euphemism for one-male-child policy) it doesn’t take brain to see potential eruptions.

The boat ride will continue to be bumpy, at least, until McDonald starts its D-day with “you want fries with that?” .

Hungry moms can always stop by on her way to collect metal scraps (principal subject on Ms Mason’s story filed for AP). I am sure she will want to save some take-out for her hungry children at home. Any sacrifice for a better tomorrow, no matter how bumpy the ride or whose boats it is bumping against.

Conversant program

If it weren’t for people like Shawn, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

You see, Shawn was a shy Penn State student of  the Horticulture department who wanted to volunteer his time.

It turned out that the Foreign Student Conversant Program matched us together in our first year of college.

That year as it turned out was my best year: how to pronounce “hor”, like in “whore-house”? onto going to frat parties where Shawn finally joined.

There are aspects of English which come across to learners as incomprehensible (what’s that silent “P”  doing there in front of “psychology”) to euphemisms we invented as we go along like “enhanced interrogation” , “assisted suicide” and Leanning-in/Leanning-out.

What Shawn did was :

– he showed me that he cared (by listening more than talking)

– he was trying to cope with the new situation on campus himself

– he was way ahead of the curve on environmental awareness and his calling in that direction.

We lost touch even during college, but I will always remember Shawn for his kindness and friendship.

The last time I saw him was at a frat party, in a crowded Greek-alphabet house off-campus.

We did not talk much that night besides acknowledging each other across the dance floor. So much for being “conversant”.

The fact that we were there in the same room, him rushing the fraternity and me rushing for life in America, said it all.

It was an unusual pairing: he from rural Pennsylvania, I big city. Shawn had not seen nor heard any noise except for Fourth of July fireworks, and I, witnessed practically every Cold War arsenal exhibited in the hot theater of war.

We found each other through the International Student affairs program. We often got “sexiled” (again using Tom Wolfe‘s term) and both felt proud that “WE ARE”  “PENN STATE”.

In our age of globalization, where a small dispute in the South China Seas could trigger a major war (Tonkin Resolution whose Pentagon Papers will be declassified Monday, and now China vs Vietnam with territorial disputes), we can use a bunch of “Shawn” for soft-power influence.

I did not tell Shawn much about my failed attempt at the US embassy in Saigon, or about my subsequent floating in the salty seas.

That fact was understood as subtext over rootbeer and fries. Shawn with a beard, and me hardly had to shave at all.

I wonder what he made of me. I just know that out of the 30,000 students on campus, Shawn was my friend, the very first one.

And the only one I have ever known to pick that particular major. I learned a new vocabulary out of him, if not a whole new appreciation for volunteerism. I learned another concept later in life: “paying forward”. To me, Shawn triggered a chain of events which last way past his freshmen year. He, in today’s social media parlance, essentially “friending” me, conversing instead of chatting. I miss those face2face days over rootbeer.

Moving wall

Vietnam Wall that is. Coming to the square near you.

They did not reconstruct the WWII concentration camps on wheel. But they did it with Vietnam.

And on June 13th, the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda will release the full version of the Pentagon Papers, originally commissioned by then DoD Secretary McNamara. Portion of the “white papers” was leaked to the press, so the Plumbers were formed to stop the leaks (today’s equivalence of Wiki-Plumbing). Later, their side job was to break in the Watergate (of course, where ever there is water, there is leak). I must give it to them. It was the only time in history when we saw such a  well-dressed group of Plumbers. Instead of parading the miniature version of the Watergate building, they chose the Wall instead.

I hope it bring healing to those “deer hunters”, and wipe away tears from Meryl Streep’s types, who must be in their 60’s by now.

Forever scarred and defined by that conflict, which was more internal than external: from school busing to the Great Society and “I Have A Dream” speech. After waving goodbye from Air Force One helicopter, Nixon held up a peace sign (V). Even President Johnson, in his retirement, grew long hair in his Austin ranch. Vietnam brought out the worst in us, in our leaders (a lot of swearing, from “the bitch of the war” (LBJ), to “bastards”(Ford) – after Congress had refused funding for the Vietnam evacuation, per Rumsfeld bio – to the White House wiretaping the Nixon’s campaign promising the Thieu’s government a better deal if elected.

Vietnam still teaches us lessons: Kerry and Cain on the opposing sides of the aisle, Powell’s doctrine (of overwhelming force, entry and exit, or not at all, battle-tested in the first Iraq war), and Senator Jim Webb with his Vietnam’s best writing. Journalists like Woodward and filmmakers like Oliver Stone, all got their baptism by fire.

So the moving wall is coming to town, but don’t expect it to stir up as much as the subject of Vietnam did 40 years ago.

Hell No, we won’t go. Now, living in Canada, these grown men can’t come back.

Ironically, if they decide to backpack to Vietnam from Canada, they can now tour the Cu Chi Tunnel, where their GI counterparts (tunnel rats) barely got out alive.

Vietnam Moving Wall. Haven’t we moved on, from that place of anxiety over Red Scare, to the fear of being overtaken by global competition. It’s a new era defined by creative mind, and entrepreneur, logistic and competitive advantage. It’s soft power and software. Brain over brawn, capital over labor.

It’s so iconic that Michael Jackson’s father came to Vietnam to inaugurate  Happy Land construction. He said, “my son had always wanted people to be happy”. So he pitched in, invested, and stood by it. “I’ll be there”.

During construction, perhaps they will enlist help from a few plumbers.

This time, they are asked to stay within their job description: install and up-keep the flow of water for recreational use. No wiki-plumbing or break-in please. It’s Happy Land, where adults can once again have fun, like children, with flowers in their hair.

Recession consolidation

As soon as I got a copy of Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report from Amazon, I put it away, for closure. We got similar “reports” such as the Pentagon Papers, the 9/11 Commission Report etc…just for record keeping

There have been many levels of coping with this financial tsunami: million-dollar homes selling for half-price, giant tech companies acquired each other and personal debt consolidation (the sub-prime mortgage market and the securitized market tailspin  the middle class into the abyss).

When US non-essential personnel were pulled out of Egypt a few months back, we realized there were so many.

Has anyone ever heard of the 80/20 rule? or “tip of the iceberg” theory (90% perspiration, 10% inspiration).

Recession forces a lot families to “double up”.

Houses in St Louis, Columbus and Houston suddenly got a second look.

Rural broadband arrives just in time to accommodate “the rise of the creative class”, who can afford to choose where they would like to live (where there is a wi-fi connection and a latte).

Social researchers can easily take the nation’s pulse by seeing data from U-Haul and Penske. I venture to guess, the numbers will spotlight emerging clusters  where living is more affordable and jobs can be found (cloud computing and most energy-efficient data centers .)

Even companies are now relocated (incidentally, China rolled out this policy a few years back, allowing provinces to incentivize and attract capital and companies to settle inland), not just offshoring, but to secondary cities.

Newly relocated companies are perfect candidates to try private and public cloud. Another infrastructure accommodation due to the Recession (and while at it, get rid all the encyclopedia set and book shelves.) A school district in N Carolina bought lap tops for all school children from grade 4 and up. Less heavy text books.

Humanities shed some pounds. Thanks to the like of Countrywide CEO’s, Fannie this, Fannie that, who brought on unintended consequences : in trying to meet housing quota and feeding insatiable Wall Street sharks, they inadvertently reduced the size of America’s emerging middle class, the chunk of tax base which funded Fannie this, Fannie that in the first place.

The Commission Report purportedly sheds some lights on what happened, not to make arrests. So, like me, everyone can order a copy of hundreds of incriminating documents for pleasure reading.

But on many levels, things are still unraveled. Lives shattered and scattered. Unlike previous commission reports, such as the Pentagon Papers or 9/11, this Financial Crisis lingers on, taking its toll on everyone, everywhere. Just ask your day laborer . He hasn’t sent much cash to his family back home (I made a note that the financial services section at Wal-Mart hardly got any customer).

I am an optimist. My parents migrated to South Vietnam and I, Southern California. I got survival instincts. I know I will rise again, stronger and leaner. I wish for my coworkers, resellers and customers a better tomorrow.

If it’s too good to be true, maybe it is. How can people buy houses and swap spouses as if they were music albums and CD‘s. Those times still baffled me,

even after I got the Inquiry Report. It must not be the push, but pull factors that narcotized the late 2000’s era. Maybe there weren’t any specific culprit to nail.

Maybe we have taken a look at the enemy, and the enemy is us.

Being Here-Being There

“Being There” was first released years ago.

Peter Sellers portrayed an illiterate gardener who had been walled in all his adult life.

His only window to the world was through the TV screen. Hence his speech and demeanor replicated sound bites and screen gestures (awaiting for a “cut” to commercials).

Shirley McClain played a society lady who picked him up and “My Fair Lady-ed” him.

His gardening analogies propelled him into being a Washington insider (political pundit).

I thought of this movie when I read about a homeless man turned business man yesterday. Ted Williams from Cleveland streets with a voice-over talent got discovered and given a hair cut for a second chance in life.

I wonder how long that baritone voice last without a script.

We are living in a complex and over crowding world. The audience is fragmented, and their ability to cross check is up to the minute.

It’s nothing like in the days when newspaper men had to stand at the dock side waiting for the shipping news.

Yet speed aside, we expect in-depth analysis, and historical framework to place news in context (for instance, Tea Party, is it a new Moral Majority? Iran new American hostage, a return to Carter-era crisis? Wiki Leaks, another Pentagon Papers? Gaga, Madonna reincarnated? Ted Williams, the American answer to Susan Boyle?)

Twitter and Tumblr, fact checking and spell checking.

It’s the age of “being here” not “being there”.

It will take more than a pretty face, and a Bloomingdale power suit to make a man or a woman, gardening analogy or hunting analogy. I hear the floor director yell “cut”.

Nothing is new under the sun. Only once in a blue moon, we got an eclipse (merger). As of this edit, Yahoo is making bold moves.

Take a step back historically and contextually, you’ll see that it’s just a new spin on an old script. This time, even sound bites might not capture digital natives’ attention. You gotta to have video bites, sort of Being Here. Peter Sellers and his butler’s hat is now old school.

He needs a mobile strategy. Where ads appear simultaneously for a multi-tasking generation.

Human ingenuity

When you see population growth which doesn’t equate with starvation, it’s a testimony to our human ingenuity.

The US has less than 2 percent of its labor force in agriculture, yet no one is without a hamburger (even when it’s thrown out by McDonald).

From Malthus to Moore, we have moved up the value chain.

The race to dominate mobile application is driving companies and start-ups to faster deploying wireless devices and software application.

No more excuses, such as  “let me get back to the office”, since office is now mobile (computer and car cultures converged).

Tablets used to be carried around by UPS men.

Then car rental companies used wireless receipt printers in their return parking lot.

And now, I Pad for everyone, everywhere.

Bio tech century ushers in longer life expectancy (hint, longer customer lifetime value).

Clever marketers would think like a customer, visualize not just today, but tomorrow as well.

Engineering has made its mark. The next century belongs to international marketers who can trade without borders.

Not just Multi -National Companies (MNC), but localized product and market development for domestic consumption (BRIC and CIVETS).

(AIG spins off its Japan branch, or Macy in Atlanta has more hat selections).

We learn more about each other, strength and weakness (Kissinger said, ” we did it to ourselves” in retrospect about the war in Vietnam).

So we learn our lessons and move on. Human ingenuity is not without pain. In fact, pain is a prerequisite.

As long as we learn from our mistakes, and factor them into future plan. The sub – prime experience for instance. It should have been limited  to a lesser share of the pie (but loan pushers wouldn’t settle for those otherwise suffice non-sub prime packages. Up-sell til we melt).

Or as President Carter kept saying, ” I should have factored in one more helicopter” – when referring to the debacle of hostage rescue attempt during his last year in office.

We made mistakes. But great men admit them, learn from them, and work them into the equation. In sales, we call it the funnel. We anticipated the many NO’s coming our way. This, we did it unto ourselves i.e. rejection and objection. Part of the job. Part of growing pain. Part of tapping into the well of human ingenuity.

As of this edit, David Brook of the NYT has a piece on “the Humanist Vocation”. Huffington Post has a piece about the anniversary of the Pentagon Papers. All learned lessons. Work that into future Syria strategy. Work that into the next app. Stop not learning and growing.