Cutting to the Chase

My wife and I have undertaken the task of having our basement renovated.
It's been feeling like a new construction project, but we're finally at the home stretch.
And of course, now that we have new space, we need to put things in that space.

Some of the items we've acquired for the space require assembly, which mostly becomes my job.

And while I was having a funky good time working through the counter-intuitive instructions and
parts that I had trouble identifying, I noticed something that I found interesting.

The address on the box for the company that produces my piece of furniture

is in Illinois.  However, it also says in big bold letters that the items were manufactured in
Vietnam.  This same company also has a very similar piece of furniture which is manufactured in
China (we have both pieces actually).

Now, you're probably thinking: "It's not interesting that things are made in China and Vietnam."

And I agree - heck, we sure don't make much here anymore, which of course is difficult when you outsource a majority of your manufacturing capability. And while I do find the whole "outsourcing of manufacturing - we don't make much in the USA anymore" problematic, that's not what I found interesting.

The interesting thing to me was that "made in Vietnam" label.

Once upon a time Viet Nam was considered our arch nemesis.  It was deemed vital to our "National

Security" that we stop the spread of Communism, and according to the "Domino Theory" if we didn't
stop Communism in Vietnam - it would spread everywhere.

This led the United States government to invade, massively bomb, and kill millions of Vietnamese

people.  This was accompanied by the usual demonizing of our opponent, so as to keep support for
the war effort as fanatical as possible.  We were the good guys, and they the bad.

U.S. Military involvement in Viet Nam went on from 1959 - 1975. And for a couple of decades

afterwards, we had poor relations.  There were unresolved issues about POW's and the bitter
feelings and lack of trust that linger after a war.

But then, somewhere along the road, someone, or a group of someones decided that it was OK to

engage with Vietnam.  It was decided that we could do business with Vietnam.  It was decided
that they were no longer the bad guys.  I'm sure that there were very good and pragmatic reasons
for this turn in relations, but it certainly makes me shake my head to think of all the misery,
death and destruction that took place beforehand.

Which brings me to our saber rattling at Iran.  This is another country that's been demonized since

their revolution in 1978-1979.  The same style arguments used against Iraq are being trotted out again. 

Weapons of Mass Destruction, Al-Qaeda, Ahmadinejad's a bad guy, repression of the people, humanitarian crisis.  They are the bad guys, we are the good guys...end of story.

But if our history with Vietnam is any indication, perhaps we could skip all of the misery, death and

destruction and jump right to the "Okay to do business part" with Iran.

So, how about it, all of you Elite "someones" out there?  I know that it might be hard to forego

all of the War profits to be made, but there's got to be commensurate opportunities in doing
business "peacefully", right?

Be sure to visit my website http://www.leemanuel05.com