Football Gods trump Evangelical God at Wheaton College

Back in early 2016, highly regarded political science professor Larycia Hawkins as given the boot at Wheaton College for touting the value of the Muslim religion, wearing an Ha-bib in solidarity with them, and being spotted at a Gay Pride Parade by the keepers of the Evangelical faith. Shortly thereafter, five stalwarts of the school's Division III ranked football powerhouse brutalized a freshman player in a 'hazing' incident, resulting in three shoulder surgeries and his leaving Wheaton College faster than a kickoff touchdown run. But school officials, keeping this horrific incident publicity free for 18 months, simply required the perpetrators to perform community service and write an essay on the need to treat folks kindly, all the while cheering on their gridiron prowess bringing glory to the citadel of Evangelical learning. Only when the Law stepped up, indicting the five for aggregated battery, mob violence and illegal restraint, did Wheaton put the five in the football penalty box.

One might ponder Wheaton College's priorities: maintaining ideological purity to the cult of the only true religion....or maintaining the cult of football dominance and glory.

Burns 'Vietnam' episode 2 another stunner

"I was from the last generation who believed our government would never lie to us."

That quote from a disillusioned Vietnam vet runs through the entire second episode of Ken Burns' Vietnam saga as lie upon lie, based from fear and ignorance pour from every statement and action of US leaders trying to will victory from the inevitable struggle for Vietnam independence. Episode 2 'Riding the Tiger' (1961-1963) covered just the three years of the Kennedy presidency. While the Viet Cong were driving relentlessly toward victory and independence from the North, the venal Diem regime in the South was self immolating, literally, as Buddhist monks were setting themselves ablaze to protest Catholic Diem's domestic tyranny against the majority religion. JFK and his dim-bulb advisers faced an insolvable dilemma: Diem had to go but there was no one both decent and strong enough to replace him. Through a mixup when JFK was sailing off Cape Cod, a minor state department official gave the US OK to a military coup that JFK thought had been approved by his braintrust, who also were inconveniently vacationing. The result was an unexpected and bloody end to Diem and his even more ruthless brother Nhu that haunted JFK during the last 18 days of his life in assassination month.

Having studied from fascination and horror the Vietnam era as it unfolded six decades ago, I thought I knew a lot. Burns' relentless, fearless truthtelling is showing me how much I missed. If you missed the first two, find a way to catch them on the rebound. When Episode 3 pops on...don't touch that dial.

Ken Burns giving us the rest of the Vietnam War story

Episode 1 covered 1858 to 1961, a century of brutal French colonial rule, their hand off to America, and Vietnamese resistance; the crucial origins of the Vietnam War (1959-1975) that our government and media never gave us. Ho Chi Min, the George Washington of Vietnam, was rebuffed by Wilson after WWI, rebuffed by Truman after WWII, and posthumous victor who unified Vietnam in spite of our squandered billions and 58,000 squandered canon fodder. Watching the unfolding catastrophe reminds me of the unfolding catastrophe we experience today in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and other sorrowful lands we're bombing for no valid reason and no chance of success. The war party believes war is the health of the state, but they're wrong. It's the death of the state.

Walt Zlotow
Glen Ellyn

Ken Burns giving us the rest of the Vietnam War story

Episode 1 covered 1858 to 1961, a century of brutal French colonial rule, their hand off to America, and Vietnamese resistance; the crucial origins of the Vietnam War (1959-1975) that our government and media never gave us. Ho Chi Min, the George Washington of Vietnam, was rebuffed by Wilson after WWI, rebuffed by Truman after WWII, and posthumous victor who unified Vietnam in spite of our squandered billions and 58,000 squandered canon fodder. Watching the unfolding catastrophe reminds me of the unfolding catastrophe we experience today in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and other sorrowful lands we're bombing for no valid reason and no chance of success. The war party believes war is the health of the state, but they're wrong. It's the death of the state.