Too Many Things... Too Little Time!

I am really beginning to enjoy all of my classes. With the exception of physics, there seems to be a remarkable cohesiveness in how all the discussions and readings throughout my classes seem inextricably tied together. That is not to say that they all cover the same topics, just to say that I notice certain things within each class that may pertain to another and hopefully I can use at some point within another class or even during my future life. I know it sounds silly, but that realization gives me a sense of joy and just makes me happy somehow. I love feeling well-rounded and have never felt so much so as now that I am at U.T. It can be exhausting at times, but I am loving it.

There are so many things I could discuss, but to be honest I need to get on with my paper and physics homework. I have P.T. right before your class both days, so if I ever appear a little groggy or incoherent (hopefully not that extreme), please forgive me. Anyway, in response to the opening scene of Patton, I found it a very nice and moving war speech. It proved to be slightly humorous, due to its being taken out of context, but still I found it to be a believable war speech and can understand how somebody high-ranking in the military could have those particular views and the freedom to address a crowd in that manner. The acting seems like it will be incredibly strong, and I cannot wait to view the entire film as soon as I have the time. In the opening, one gets to see all of Patton's regalia - from war medals, to his four stars, all the way to his flashy rings. In this manner he is portrayed as a larger than life figure and yet as the camera shifted more to a distanced perspective, the American flag dwarfed him from every angle. I believe this may be done to show that even the most powerful men have a small place in history. It also goes to show that America and what we stand for, has taken many such men as Patton to form us into the free republic we are today. The U.S.A., therefore, is a collective of many different viewpoints and cultures, and in having "America" drape over Patton as she does, he is shown to have an extremely narrow and limited viewpoint, that despite all his power, really is of very little importance. Do you agree with any of this Mr. P.?

I will discuss FMJ in greater detail during my weekly writing assignment. I will choose my own topic, although I am as yet unsure what that will be exactly. I would like to comment however that I wish we had learned what the female Vietcong sniper had said before she died. I want to know the exact meaning of her prayer, be it Christian hymn or traditional Vietnamese. In response to your question, I would say that despite the numerous benefits of communism in its ideal form, no form of government may ever succeed if it is brought about through military means, enforced by armed forced, and adds oppression to the populous. No matter how great and pure a concept socialism may have been at the time of its initial conception, it was brought about in every place through brutal means and featured little to no consent within many of those under its dominion. We naturally opposed communism, because it represented everything we feared America could become, a country of militant dominion over the people within their own country rather than as a means of defense. Does that mean we had a right to go into other countries to reshape their own governments? I really do not know. Nobody does. The more we study Vietnam, the more it seems like an only slightly less absurd occurrence than the War in Iraq. I am not saying that President Bush is a bad man. I just mean that while the Vietnam Conflict built up and intensified over many years, Iraq just seemed to have popped up over night at one man's fancy. I don't understand why he had and continues to have so much power. In regards to communism, I believe it was due to failure from the beginning because no regime that does not have the peaceful support of those under its dominion can ever hope to be successful in the long run. I know I got off on a bit of a tangent, but I hope that answered your questioned. Have a great night, and I will see you in the morning. Hopefully tomorrow we will not find ourselves in the Amazon once again.