Jeffery Dahmer Essay - 1478 Words

Jeffery Dahmer is arguably the most notorious serial killer -cannibal in history. Targeting men and boys, Dahmer‘s life of crime began with drinking and sex offending. His murders were exceptionally gruesome, often involving rape, torture, necrophilia, dismemberment, and cannibalism. The media often commented on how â€Å"normal† Dahmer appeared. Jeffrey Dahmer made everyone question how one develops into such a monster. By the time of his apprehension, Dahmer had sodomized, murdered, and cannibalized at least seventeen men, mostly black, Hispanic or Asian, in the Milwaukee area between the years of 1978 until his arrest in 1991 (Williams pg.1). Jeffrey Dahmer was born in Milwaukee on May 21, 1960, to Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. Despite†¦show more content†¦His classmates considered him a loner and an alcoholic, who brought liquor into the classroom (Bardsley Ch.14). At 15, Dahmer would scour the neighborhood, collecting the remains of animals for his own pri vate cemetery. A fascination with dead creatures was evident from a young age (Bardsley Ch. 14). Also as a teen, Dahmer’s parents ended their relationship by divorce. In the fall of 1978, Dahmer entered Ohio State University, where he remained intoxicated for the majority of the semester and inevitably flunked out. After ignoring an ultimatum from his father, Dahmer refused to look for a job. His father then drove him to the recruiting office to join the Armed Forces in January of 1979. Although he seemed to enjoy life in the Army, he was discharged early for habitual drunkenness (Bardsley Ch.15). Not long after his dishonorable discharge, Dahmer was sent to live with his grandmother where he got a job, but before long was arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Soon, the offenses worsened as his alcoholism and emotional issues intensified, including but not limited to indecent exposure, child molestation, and culminating with his arrest for multiple murders in July of 1991. At the 1989 sentencing of Dahmer for child molestation, his father, Lionel Dahmer stated, â€Å"There was something missing in Jeff.... We call it a conscience... that had either died or had neverShow MoreRelatedjeffery dahmer1609 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Jeffery Dahmer is hands down one of the most notorious serial killers. Dahmer murdered and raped 17 victims over the course of sixteen years. He raised the bar for the most gruesome deaths in history. Jeffrey Dahmer began his life as a normal suburban kid who played with similar children in his neighborhood; His fascination with death and dark, gruesome subjects started at a very young age and grew into a strong part of his personality as a juvenile. Jeffery was born on May 21Read MoreEssay on Jeffery Dahmer1707 Words   |  7 Pages The serial killer that I chose to profile is Jeffery Dahmer. Dahmer brings both horrifying, yet amazing qualities to the table in the respect that he terrorized people, not only those that were his victims, but also people that lived both near and those around the country. Section I: Overview - Jeffery Dahmer - Born on May 21, 1960, at Evangelical Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Jeffery Dahmer was found beaten by fellow inmates on the morning of November 28, 1994, as was pronounced deadRead MoreJeffery Dahmer : Serial Killer And Sex Offender1409 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract This paper is a biography about Jeffery Dahmer, a notorious serial killer and sex offender. Mr. Dahmer was born on May 21st, 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jeffery murdered a total of 17 men, while molesting some of these victims. His first murder victim was Steven Hicks back in 1978. His killing spree went from 1978 up until 1991. When he was seized, he was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life terms. But on November 28, 1994 Jeffery Dahmer was murdered by a fellow prison inmate by the nameRead MoreSerial Killers Case Study1526 Words   |  7 Pagesserial killer’s biological development and environmental factors. There is very little information focusing on the killer’s child hood which may have played a part in the individuals violent killings later in life. This case study will focus on Jeffery Dahmer, while tracing his psychological dysfunction back to his childhood. Though comparing him to other case studies What defines a â€Å"Serial† killer? In the book â€Å"mind hunters† by John Douglass (1998) he explains Serial killer is a term describing aRead MoreCompare And Contrast Jeffrey Dahmer And Ted Bundy759 Words   |  4 Pagesare Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy. These two murderers share many similarities such as their backgrounds, Crimes, and Motives. Both Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy are serial killers who’ve killed over a dozen people each. They’ve committed crimes including rape, murder, and kidnapping. In this research paper I will be comparing and contrasting the two serial killers. The two serial killers shared similar childhood traits. They both experience abnormal things in their early life. Jeffery was born intoRead MoreThe Monster Within By Jeffrey Dahmer852 Words   |  4 Pageskiller, Jeffrey Dahmer. The documentary follows the life of Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer told from his father’s, Lionel Herbert Dahmer, side of things. Jeffrey Dahmer killed seventeen men, had sex with their corpses, and ate them. It focuses on Dahmer’s sexuality, his reason of doing these things, and the timeline of his life and murders. There were many interesting facts used in the documentary that really keeps the viewers mind focused, and surprised with every detail stated. Jeffrey Dahmer stated that theRead More Jeffrey Dahmer Essay example1398 Words   |  6 PagesBiography On: Jeffrey Dahmer Section I: Introduction: Jeffrey Dahmer was one of the most well known serial killers ever. Dahmer was no ordinary serial killer. He was a killer, necropheliac, and a cannibal. The purpose of this report is to learn more about this serial killer. Section II: Overview †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"Jeffrey Dahmer was born May 21, 1960, at Evangelical Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin† (Blakey). †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"Jeffrey Dahmer was found beaten by fellowRead MoreSerial Killers And The United States1743 Words   |  7 Pagesexplained. Some serial killers can have a mixture of each typology’s characteristic. Serial killers that will be discussed and used as examples to represent the content of this research paper will be, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Robert Berdella, Jeffery Dahmer, and lastly the most prolific serial killer in American history, Gary Ridgeway. Problems with studying serial killing, are that because of rarity and access. Most of what we think we know about serial killers is speculative for those reasons aloneRead MoreAbnormal Psychology Research Paper2087 Words   |  9 PagesStephanie Quinn April 2, 2012 Abnormal Psychology Dr. Azar Dickens Diagnostic Evaluation Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer Born on May 21, 1960 Date of evaluation: 1992 sometime before the trial Background Information: Jeffrey Dahmer was a sex offender and serial killer mainly between the years 1978 and 1991. He is well known for his severely atypical behaviors. Among his outward manners that are recognized as abnormal are paraphilia-specifically necrophilia and sexual sadismRead MoreBlood Loss, The Decline Of The Serial Killer886 Words   |  4 Pagesfamous serial killers from the 70 s and 80 s, such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffery Dahmer. He describes what each of these killers did to get them labled as serial killer. He uses statistics such as how many each person killed. For example, he states that Ted Bundy would try to get sympathy from women before killing them and he includes that Bundy killed roughly about 30 women. Also, how Jeffery Dahmer kept body parts in his closet and freezer and had about 17 victims. Beam goes into detail

The Code Of Hammurabi And The Egyptian Book Of The Dead

Ancient societies’ life practices such as Mesopotamia and Egypt are depicted in The Code of Hammurabi translated by Theophile J. Meek and in The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead translated by R. Faulkner. The King of Babylon, Hammurabi himself in 1700 BCE, wrote The Code of Hammurabi containing severe two hundred and eighty two law codes that the whole society was to follow. Similarly to law codes, The Egyptian Book of the Dead was used in the New Kingdom that is around 1550 BCE to around 50 BCE, it also served as a platform way of life emphasizing on the afterlife rather than the present as in The Code of Hammurabi. Both The Code of Hammurabi and The Egyptian Book of the Dead display the consequences of living a just or unjust life in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Although, while in The Code of Hammurabi punishments varied concurring to your social status, unlike in Egypt, where the granting of an afterlife was attainable for all. Ultimately, in both civilizations consequen ces would arise accordingly on how the masses lived their daily lives, but both The Code of Hammurabi and The Egyptian Book of the Dead provides us with insight on how a each respective society was kept in order. The Code of Hammurabi was a strict, harsh, and unequal way of punishment that focused on current attainable penalties for Mesopotamian society. The society wasn’t religious, they did not have any affiliations with spiritual beings, which is why punishments were needed for the specific momentShow MoreRelatedAncient Civilizations And The Egyptian Civilization1403 Words   |  6 PagesMesopotamia frequented attacks from barbarians because of the lay of the land. They also had trouble controlling war between centers of industry due to the inevitable struggle with the course of the river. On the Egyptian side, the high levels of land surrounding the Nile, outside of where the Egyptian civilization laid its ground, made it very difficult for barbarians to invade. Egypt al so adopted the Sumerian influences and made it their own which brought rapid improvement to society. In this aspect, IRead More The History of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt Essay1323 Words   |  6 Pagesfirst ruler to establish law codes and spell out regulations and penalties. Another great ruler was King Hammurabi of Babylon. He set up the Code of Hammurabi, which includes 300 sections of carefully organized codes that ruled the Babylonians. Hammurabi was the first example of a lawgiver. He provided one of the greatest written documents of his time: a stone column with a long series of legal judgments published with his name. Hammurabi even designed codes for the family life. He tookRead MoreNarrative Art : An Definition Of Human Creative Skill And Imagination1594 Words   |  7 Pagesare the Stele of Hammurabi, the Judgment of Hunefer before Osiris, and the Column of Trajan. The Stele of Hammurabi also known as the Code of Hammurabi was found in Sipper what is now present day Iran and is from around 1792-1750 BCE. The whole stele is made out of basalt, a fine-grained volcanic rock, and stands at approximately 7’4†. This piece is quite large standing taller than almost all of the people who would have been alive during this time period. The Stele of Hammurabi shows two narrativesRead MoreCharacteristics Of Ancient Civilizations1752 Words   |  8 Pagesarose in Mesopotamia. In 539 B.C., Babylon fell to the Persian armies of Cyrus the Great. Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar are two notable rulers of Babylon. Around 1790 B.C., during Hammurabis reign, he codified or set down in writing, a set of laws known as the Hammurabi Code. Hammurabi wanted to ensure that everyone in his empire knew the legal principles his government would follow. Addressed in Hammurabis Code was civil and criminal law. The branch of civil law dealt with private rights and mattersRead More Seeds of Trees Essay1172 Words   |  5 Pages Mesopotamia was open to invasions by peoples such as the Hittites. Egypt had natural protection from all sides: the Nile River to the east and south, the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the desert to the west; invasions were less frequent. â€Å"Egyptians felt a sense of security that was rare in Mesopotamia† (civilization, 29). China, like Mesopotamia, was open to invasions, for instance barbarian tribes. India’s location facilitated trade between West Asia, Africa and Europe. It was also protectedRead MoreAp History Compare and Contrast Essay: Egypt and Mesopotamia1296 Words   |  6 Pagessubdued the temples, Mesopotamian kings did not have divine power. Political changes occurred in Mesopotamia because of the succession of people that followed the politically dominant Sumerian civilization. By 1750 B. C. E., the written law code of King Hammurabi (the first ruler of the Old Babylonian state) , wa s used to maintain political authority and continuity. In contrast to Mesopotamia, Egypt spent most of its history as a unified monarchy, whereas Mesopotamia seems to have begun asRead MoreEgypt, Mesopotamia, And Israel1418 Words   |  6 Pagesdevours all the land, Egyptians called this land the â€Å"Red Land†. It allowed for Egyptians to have a natural defense against their enemies the Hyksos and many other unwanted visitors. Without a strong threat, Egyptians focused on furthering their understanding of the afterlife and improving their technology. If enemies did try and conquer Egypt and got past the Red Land, they were faced with cruel consequences, like shown on Narmer’s palette, of beheading them. Unlike Egyptians, Sumeria handled theirRead More3. Paleolithic Age Or Older Stone Age Was Marked By Hominids,1819 Words   |  8 Pagesintelligence. Finally, Homo sapiens, who was characterized by memory and foresight, separated from other kinds by using verbal communication and multiple motor skills. There are cl ues that they believed in life after death, because they painted their dead with red dust, sprinkled them certain types of flowers, and sometimes buried along with the ritual object. This means that they respected or feared the death or life after the death. Neolithic era or new Stone Age was the age of civilization. SmoothingRead MoreThe First Civilizations : The Rise Of Civilization1876 Words   |  8 Pagesthat became the cities and states that formed these first civilizations. The rise of civilization led to the introduction of common language and writing and feats of engineering that had never been accomplished before. Pyramids were built in the Egyptian society; distinct cultures were created by groups of people settling in one area who all had to live together and understand each other. These first civilizations laid the groundwork for the massive, powerful empires that became the second wave civilizationsRead MoreEarly Civilizations Matrix Essay examples2440 Words   |   10 Pagesjustice he controlled the religion rituals with priests. In the society the monarch is the one and only he dominates all the peoples decisions and lives, Religion was part of rituals which they adored they had People, royalty and a laws code Called the laws of Hammurabi. The religion was based on nature as Gods and it is being said they adored them with figurines. They evolved in these areas as into knowing astronomy, medicine and surgery. It is also a remarkable fact that in the Mesopotamian era they

History of Human Resource Management Essay - 1398 Words

The History of Human Resource Management Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets - the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business. The terms human resource management and human resources (HR) have largely replaced the term personnel management as a description of the processes involved in managing people in organizations. Human Resource management is evolving rapidly. Human resource management is both an academic theory and a business practice that addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a workforce. (1) Human resource management has it roots in the†¦show more content†¦Some industries experienced difficulty recruiting and retaining employees because of the poor working conditions workers were exposed to. As the means of production continued to shift from farmlands and guilds to city factories, concerns grew about wages, safety, and child labor and 12-hour workdays. Workers began to band together in unions to protect their interests and improve living standards. Government stepped in to provide basic rights and protections for workers. (3) The growth of organized labor soon followed. The first union the Knights of Labor formed in 1869. This union pushed for 8 hour work days (which we all enjoy today), the prohibition of child labor, and equal pay for men and women. Unions supported boycotts Ââ€" not purchasing products from a producer it they were not participating in what the union wanted. The Knights of Labor switched their stance to striking when in the 1880s unemplo yment and wage cuts were widespread. This proved less effective the larger the union became because they could not control the members from unauthorized strikes and sabotaging the factories. The employers resorted to using strikebreakers, non union members willing to replace striking employees. Violence became more prevalent in the late 1900s during strikes. The Molly Maguires became infamous for beatings and murders of employers. The turn of the century did nothing to curtail such violence. TheShow MoreRelatedThe History of Human Resource Management1460 Words   |  6 PagesThe History of Human Resource Management Human resource management  (HRM, or simply  HR) is the  management  of an  organizations  workforce, or  human resources. It is responsible for the  attraction,  selection,  training,  assessment, and  rewarding  of employees, while also overseeing organizational leadership  and  culture, and ensuring compliance with  employment and labor laws. In circumstances where employees desire and are legally authorized to hold a  collective bargaining agreement, HR will also serveRead MoreHistory of Human Resource Management2055 Words   |  9 PagesHistory of Human Resource Management Overview of Human Resource Management By definition, Human Resource Management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of organizations most valued assets; specifically the people working there whom individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of objectives of the business. Simply it is the process of employing people, developing their capacities, utilizing, maintaining and compensating their services in tune with theRead MoreHuman Resource Management And Its History Essay1864 Words   |  8 PagesHuman Resource Management and its history To begin evaluating strategic human resource management approaches, one must first understand the concept of human resource management and how it came to be. Human resource management stemmed from what use to be called personnel management in the early 1940’s. The term human resource management (HRM) was first used in the United States and it suggests to some that â€Å"employees were an asset or resource-like machines, but at the same time HR also appearedRead MoreHistory of Human Resource Management1806 Words   |  8 PagesPeople Management In this assignment I will be looking at the role played by the Personnel Management to Human Resource Management (HRM) for Sainsbury s and there historic developments. I will also be looking at how the existing HR function for Sainsbury s could be developed to work more effectively with the rest of the organisation. Human Resource Management (HRM) is fundamentally another name for personnel management. It is the process of making sure the employees are as creative as theyRead MoreThe Importance of History in Human Resource Management (Philippines Setting)2029 Words   |  9 Pagesimportance of History in Human Resource Management History is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Current English as â€Å"a continuous record of events.† As such, a country’s history encapsulates all that has happened in the country, and between it and other countries. A country, at a particular point in time, is thus the result of its history. Understanding a country’s history is fundamental to understanding the country and its people. In addition to shaping cultural values, history also shapesRead MoreInformative Speech : The Society Of Human Resource Management966 Words   |  4 PagesINFORMATIVE SPEECH FULL-SENTENCE OUTLINE GUIDE FULL-SENTENCE OUTLINE GUIDE Introduction I. Attention Getter: The Society of Human Resource Management quoted John Green, a Vice President of Human Resources in an article they released called The Look and Feel of Strategic Human Resource Management: Conversations with Senior HR Executive saying â€Å"In the past, when I started the business, the people would look for security and plan to be there the rest of their life. They had more of an attitude ofRead MoreHistory Of Union And Human Resources1205 Words   |  5 Pagescompany gets profit, labor can get their reasonable benefit back. The trend of an organization is management in the twenty-first century. A company thinks an employee is part of assets in the organization. Therefore, the Human Resource Management is more valuable than the union to manage the employee. History of Union and Human Resources The history is a track shows the development of unions and Human Resources. In the past, the original labor unions happened in the nineteenth century which was the IndustryRead MoreCareer Choices For A Career1539 Words   |  7 Pagescareer is dealing with Human Resources. One field that one might look into as a profession would be Human Resource within recreation. With HR being a growing field in recreation, it is important to become equipped in the building blocks to be successful in the career as well as knowing the careers available. Thus following up on what was stated before; the job market is forever growing, meaning, so are new directions a person might take on in the field of Human Resource recreation. RecreationRead MoreHuman Resource Planning : An Important Area Of The Organisation1241 Words   |  5 Pages Strategic human resource management Assignment 2 Name: Muhammad Zakaullah khan Completed: 30/08/15 Student id number: 144014 Lecturer’s name: DAVID Greenshields Human resource planning is an important area of the organisation which deals with all primary activities and its identifies the current and future needs of organisation. It includes hiring, firing, managing, training, developing and rewarding people within the organisation. 2.1: Analyse the business factorsRead MoreHow Strategic Management Plan And The Human Resource Planning Process1410 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract: For this assignment we will examine how strategic management plans are established and redefine to keep the organizations moving forward in growth. Management promotes and brings about a change in the structure to keep it active and efficient in the approaches to achieving its goals and objective. The strategy behind the approaches correlation is what leads to actually implementing and providing data to analyze on an ongoing basis to enhance the strategic plan of the organization. The

Vietnam War free essay sample

The Vietnam War is often interpreted by historians as a ‘Television war’ in which the unqualified access to uncensored war footage and inaccuracies with media reports caused public disillusionment. Historians such as Peter Braestrup and Mark Woodruff have argued that the T? t Offensive was undermined by a media fallacy by causing the demise of public support for the Vietnam War. The media fallacy was the misinterpretation of available evidence on the behalf of western journalists. This view is supported by the inconsistencies between media reports and the genuine outcome of this conflict. These inconsistencies are illustrated in the public perception of the South Vietnamese, the misinterpreted attack on the US embassy, the city of Hu? and the belief in a North Vietnamese victory. Revisionist historians have dissembled this argument and demonstrated how factors such as poor leadership, self censorship and the degeneracy of moral forces during the T? t Offensive have substantially shaped the perceptions of the public. In an attempt to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam by Communist North Vietnam, the United States joined forces with Britain, France, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines, New Zealand, and Australia to for the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) on September 8, 1954. However, this had very limited success. Unfortunately for the Americans, situations became messy when the Led by Ho Chi Minh, the Northern Communist Party formed the National Liberation Front (NFL) on December 20, 1960, in hopes of reuniting the divided nation. The American-backed corrupt Diem government was vulnerable to the communists. Following the 1947 Truman Doctrine, the United States felt obligated to impose the â€Å"containment policy† by halting the â€Å"spread of communism. † Therefore, in the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy and his administration, devoted to defend the Southern Democratic government, began to American boys into the perilous jungles of Vietnam. The â€Å"modernization theory† also helped support the United States’ reason for entering a foreign war. The theory stated that the â€Å"traditional societies of Asia†¦could develop into modern industrial and democratic nations by following the West’s own path† (The American Pageant 913). In other words, if developed Western nations, such as the United States, assisted developing countries in other parts of the world, namely Asia, both economically and industrially, then those countries will, in turn, transform into nations with democratic governments hereby eliminating communism. Clearly referenced to in Walt Whitman Rostow’s book, The Stages of Economic Growth, the modernization theory significantly supported the United States’ decision to enter the Vietnam War. However, on November 22, 1963, President Kennedy’s tragic death gave his Vice President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the presidency. At this time, American morale in the Vietnam War was still high. In the Cold War, tensions with the communistic Soviets were even colder than ever before, especially since they threw their support toward the communist NFL in the North against the United States-supported Diem government in the South. American citizens learned to scorn and sneer at the Soviets, and began to enlist in the army to directly defeat the communists in Vietnam and to indirectly humiliate Soviet Russia. In August of 1964, President Johnson claimed that Northern Vietnamese had fired at American ships in the Tonkin Gulf while attacking Southern Vietnam. Using this as the perfect excuse, President Johnson persuaded both houses of Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, virtually giving him a â€Å"blank check† for the Vietnam War. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution states for â€Å"the United States†¦to take all the necessary steps, including armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom† (The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Archives). Although the Vietnam War had noble intentions, the number of â€Å"doves,† those who opposed the war, back home was increasing. In response, the Johnson Administration decided to advocate for a policy of gradual escalation on December 1, 1964. This policy eventually led to the meaningless loss of over 50,000 American soldier lives in the Vietnam jungles. As a result, popularity for President Lyndon B. Johnson began to plummet considerably. In February of 1965, Viet Cong guerrillas attacked Pleiku, South Vietnam, an American air base. In retaliation, President Johnson ordered for â€Å"Operation Rolling Thunder† to take place. This operation was a full-scale bombing raid against North Vietnam during the middle of March 1965. Before the end of 1965, more than 184,000 U. S. soldiers, under General William C. Westmoreland, were â€Å"slogging through the jungles and rice paddies of South Vietnam searching for guerillas† (The American Pageant 927). Following the policy of gradual escalation, President Johnson sent more and more young men to the Vietnamese frontier: 385,000 in 1966, 485,000 in 1967, and 538,000 in 1968. During the fighting, the South Vietnamese watched the war on the sidelines as it became increasingly Americanized. Numerous corrupt and weak governments were put in place in Saigon, only to be overthrown shortly after. However, American officials still remained faithful to defend the democratic government. However in January of 1968, situations in South Vietnam became even tenser. The North Vietnamese conducted an attack on South Vietnam, nearly capturing the American embassy in Saigon. Although this proved to be a significant turning point in the war, President Johnson underestimated the Northern Vietnamese by informing his people that the United States was winning the war. However, the nearly successful and sophisticatedly planned Tet Offensive showed American military experts that perhaps the Northern Vietnamese were not as â€Å"underdeveloped† as previously believed. Although in 1965 the number of Americans that favored withdrawal from Vietnam was only 15%, four years later, 69% of Americans claimed that â€Å"the war was a mistake† (The American Pageant 928). With almost 60,000 American casualties by the end of the war, it is no surprise that the majority of American citizens opposed the war. Upon learning the increasing casualties nd unnecessary violence in Vietnam, the number of student protests skyrocketed, causing civil unrest back home in the United States. In the spring 1967, more than 500,000 protested in New York City’s Central Park by burning their draft cards. However, protests began to sprout from within the American army as well. From 1960 to 1973, around 500,000 soldiers abandoned the U. S. army. In addition, more than 30,000 fled to Canada to escape from the conscription. Impenitent critics and protestors of the war taunted at President Johnson, â€Å"Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today? † (Los Angeles Times 1997). Numerous citizens questioned the morality of the Vietnam War. When the My Lai Massacre occurred in 1968, the American public was both appalled and outraged by the actions of the American soldiers. At the My Lai Massacre, U. S. soldiers had allegedly abused, tortured, and murdered up to 400 innocent Vietnamese civilians that were too frail to fight. The horrors of the Vietnam War became even worse when a U. S. soldier, Keith Franklin, was killed tragically in battle. However, his death was significant in the letter that he wrote to his parents, which revealed the true horrors of this bloody war. He wrote: â€Å"The war that has taken my life†¦is immoral, unlawful, and an atrocity. So as I lie dead†¦help me inform the American people†¦that their silence is permitting this atrocity to go on and that my death will not be in vain if by prompting them to act†¦in some way†¦to bring an end to the war that has brought an end to my life† (The Vietnam War 56). Was this war avoidable? In President Johnson’s point of view, the answer is negative. He claims that the United States had to defend its â€Å"vital interests in Vietnam† (Los Angeles Times 1997) and thus, the war was unavoidable when the NFL attacked the Democratic government of South Vietnam. Although America was not directly affected by the Vietnam War, President Johnson and his administration knew that they were obligated to stop the spread of communism, as stated by the containment policy. In other words, the â€Å"vital interests in Vietnam† were simply the Democratic Diem government in South Vietnam. However, for the majority of Americans at the time, they claimed the war was clearly preventable and unnecessary. Many believed the United States was not directly affected by the Vietnam issue and should stay out of the war, especially since the disastrous Korean War ad just ended. The horrifying violence and hostility of the war only helped strengthen their beliefs against the opinion American government. Although President Johnson used the Truman Doctrine to defend his actions in Vietnam, it was not a good enough excuse for the 69% of Americans in 1969 who declared the war was both pointless and immoral. Along with the rising number of student protests and the i ncreasing frustration brought by numerous failed military tactics, American politicians argued whether the United States should engage in a full-scale attack against the communists. If the United States was able to defeat and conquer Northern Vietnam and reinstate a Democratic government, both China and USSR would continue to supply communist Vietnamese rebels and encourage them to overthrow the Democratic government. This possibility frightened many American politicians and citizens, which certainly had a significant impact on the Vietnamese foreign affairs from 1968 to 1975. President Nixon, elected in 1968, took those possibilities into consideration and started a process called â€Å"Vietnamization. † He began to withdraw troops, but the war continued until 1975 when Saigon eventually fell to the North Vietnamese Army. In the end, the American soldiers finally came home, but the American public still pointed fingers at who was at fault for this embarrassing loss. Although it is true that neither President Johnson nor Defense Secretary McNamara had faith that America could win the war, it is also high probable that they could have with more troops, fewer restrictions, and better military tactics. However, if this was executed, it is also very likely that bigger consequences would have resulted: potential bloody and violent conflicts with communistic China and USSR. Whether the United States should have won the Vietnam War refers to the moral implications of the war. When Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara eventually admitted that â€Å"he and Johnson’s other aides knew that their Vietnam strategy had little chance of success†¦[but] pressed ahead with it†¦sending young Americans to their deaths†¦because they had no other plan† (Los Angeles Times 1995), it only proved to the American people that the Americans should not, and did not, win the war. Along with the My Lai Massacre, the Vietnam War only demonstrated how incapable the United States was to prevent the spread of communism. Despite whether the war could or should have been won, it is possible that the United States avoided the Vietnam War all together. Engaging in the war was completely unnecessary, as many American citizens had voiced. Despite the Truman Doctrine, the United States should not have mingled in another foreign country’s affairs and violating that country’s sovereignty. However, the Vietnam War began at a time when McCarthyism was weakening and ending. Nevertheless, the Red Scare that Joseph McCarthy had brought frightened the American public. As a result, the Vietnam War was at first encouraged by 85% of the nation when the fighting seriously began in 1965. Perhaps without McCarthyism and the Red Scare, it is possible that the Vietnam War would have been avoided if the American public had not pushed for it so urgently in the mid 1960s. As one of the most discussed issues, the Vietnam War left a â€Å"controversial footprint in American history. Many historians questioned the actions of President Lyndon B. Johnson during the war. The war is often tied together with the symbolic mass student protests back home and the immoral, bloody violence in Vietnam. With more than 55,000 young American lives lost, was it possible that the conflict could have been avoided? Was it possible that the war could have been won or was it moral that the war should have been won? Although these questions have been debated frequently, the answers can only be found within the opinions of the American public itself.