“It was said that after the war (WW1) when the earth was restored, there was one-third metal and war materials, one-third real earth, and one-third human flesh.” source “Wars are not paid for in war time. The bill comes later.” – Ben Franklin This week, a leftover bomb from the war in Laos detonated in […]
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Laos on Sunday, foreshadowing a visit by President Obama sometime this autumn. It will be the first ever visit by a U.S. President to Laos. There are probably several reasons for the visit, including strengthening ties, checking Chinese power in the region, etc. Most relevant to me is […]
Hillary Clinton was recently asked about the leftover bombs that the U.S. dropped on Laos. The heart of her reply: “This is a humanitarian disaster that we created, and we need to put more money in and work much faster to try to clean it up so we don’t have more deaths and injuries.” Related […]
I was impressed by the conviction shown by Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), when he wrote in today’s Washington Times that “we have a moral obligation to fix this problem” (leftover unexploded ordnance in Laos). He also called for an increase in funds and a sustained commitment to removing leftover cluster bombs dropped by […]
Over a year ago, I wrote an essay: “Red States versus Blue States: Who Would Win a Civil War in the U.S?” It didn’t get many views. This is a small, personal blog. Sometimes things I write here get shared on social media and are read more, but for the most part that doesn’t happen. […]
The HALO Trust organization posted this video showing how much effort it took to destroy a 750 pound bomb found in the village of Ban Nonsômboun, Laos. The bomb was dropped by US planes over forty years ago, but was still active. Altogether, the organization says it took “53 days, 250 people and 200,000 sandbags […]
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the U.S. is seeking $500 million in repayment from Cambodia for a Vietnam War-era loan, primarily in the form of excess maize. According to the SMH: The debt started out as a US$274 million loan mostly for food supplies to the then US-backed Lon Nol government but has almost doubled […]
Good news. Two days ago, Voice of America reported that President Obama would announce more funding to remove bombs that the U.S. dropped on Laos. Some messes are so large that they can seem nearly impossible to clean up. The damage in Laos is so extensive that it will last for several more generations, but […]
Today does not escape easily from yesterday. Several media outlets have published stories in the last few days marking the 40th anniversary of the ‘end’ of the Vietnam War (although it is more accurately known as the Second Indochina War because it also involved the neighboring countries of Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand). Some of […]
[Note (June 2020): I’m seeing an uptick in the number of views on this essay. Is there any reason? Since this site is a labor of love, I’m just curious how it is being used.] “In Houa Phanh and Xieng Khouang provinces, the war (in Laos) has reached into every home and forced every individual, […]
Patrick F. Clarkin, Ph.D. 