Primus Intra Pares's definitions
(VIETNAMESE HISTORY) Army of the "Republic of Vietnam"; organization created, funded, armed, by the US government; mostly conscripts with no motivation to kill patriotic countrymen in the countryside (which is what the "Viet Cong" really were). Extremely poor fighting force; however, fairly self-confident at staging the occasional coup d'etat.
Collapsed completely in early months of 1975. Mostly behaved as one would expect a group of brutally terrorized conscripts serving a regime they despised to behave.
Collapsed completely in early months of 1975. Mostly behaved as one would expect a group of brutally terrorized conscripts serving a regime they despised to behave.
The other definition of ARVN includes a quote from the Stanley Kubrick movie, "Full Metal Jacket." It is used as a taunt of Vietnamese "cowardice" by young US soldiers. Of course, no sane conscript would risk his life to fight for occupiers, against an "enemy" consisting of patriotic citizens of his own country. So the taunt fell flat.
by Primus Intra Pares July 25, 2010
Get the ARVN mug.(ECONOMICS) an alternative metric of poverty; used instead of the poverty level by some researchers.
Developed as a superior alternative to the federal poverty level to estimate the income required for families to pay for their basic needs. Computed at the county level, the SSS takes into account the costs of food, housing, health insurance, childcare, transportation, taxes, and other basic expenses, with component values varying across more than 70 different family types. SSS wages have been calculated to date for all counties in 35 states and the District of Columbia.
Developed as a superior alternative to the federal poverty level to estimate the income required for families to pay for their basic needs. Computed at the county level, the SSS takes into account the costs of food, housing, health insurance, childcare, transportation, taxes, and other basic expenses, with component values varying across more than 70 different family types. SSS wages have been calculated to date for all counties in 35 states and the District of Columbia.
Usually people are not concerned by reports of the large numbers of people living below the poverty level, because they assume it just means poor people have to tighten their belts.
The self-sufficiency standard (SSS), if explained, should change this. If a person's wages are below the SSS, then she is not only not making enough to meet her current needs, she's not making enough to preserve her ability to earn what little she has.
The self-sufficiency standard (SSS), if explained, should change this. If a person's wages are below the SSS, then she is not only not making enough to meet her current needs, she's not making enough to preserve her ability to earn what little she has.
by Primus Intra Pares July 17, 2010
Get the self-sufficiency standard mug.(U.S. GOVERNMENT) successor to the investigations and processing arm of the former Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) of the USA. In 2003, the INS was dissolved and its enforcement arm transferred to the new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The INS had formerly been part of the Justice Department; the CIS is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The CIS is responsible for incarcerating hundreds of thousands of people each year, mostly for petty paperwork filing errors or traffic stops.
The CIS is responsible for incarcerating hundreds of thousands of people each year, mostly for petty paperwork filing errors or traffic stops.
She spent months struggling with the wretched, burned-out bureaucracy of the Citizenship and Immigration Services, wondering how anyone could enter the country legally without violating the laws of physics.
by Primus Intra Pares September 4, 2010
Get the Citizenship and Immigration Services mug.(MULTILATERAL GOVERNMENT) International court based in the Hague, the Netherlands; founded in 1889; oldest multilateral court. In some respects, a precursor to the International Court of Justice (also in the Hague--in the same building, the Peace Palace).
The PCA differs from the ICJ in that only national governments may be respondents in the ICJ (which operates like a civil court). The PCA settles disputes that may arise between a private party (such as RCA, in RCA vs. China-1935) and a national government, or between national governments. Parties submit to the PCA when the dispute is a nuisance to both, but relevant laws are uncertain.
The PCA differs from the ICJ in that only national governments may be respondents in the ICJ (which operates like a civil court). The PCA settles disputes that may arise between a private party (such as RCA, in RCA vs. China-1935) and a national government, or between national governments. Parties submit to the PCA when the dispute is a nuisance to both, but relevant laws are uncertain.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration has a three-part organizational structure consisting of an Administrative Council that oversees its policies and budgets, a panel of independent potential arbitrators known as the Members of the Court, and its Secretariat, known as the International Bureau, headed by the Secretary-General.
by Primus Intra Pares July 19, 2010
Get the Permanent Court of Arbitration mug.(VIETNAM HISTORY) term coined by the authorities in South Vietnam to refer to the patriotic insurgency against the Saigon regime. The term has been traced to the head of Ngo Dinh Diem's secret police, although at this time (1960) the insurgents were not always Communist. The correct term is "National Liberation Front" (NLF).
"Cong" is used to mimic the term "Com," for "Communist." The Vietnamese language does not really allow speakers to pronounce "Com."
The National Liberation Front was originally an association of many organizations, including religious organizations. The leader, Hua Tho, was not a Marxist at all. However, the Diem administration organized the physical extermination of all opposition, including peaceful opposition, so the result was that only underground guerrilla movements could actually engage in politics. Naturally, the survival of the NLF depended on its ability to fight the Saigon regime, which meant rural insurgency, which meant gradual integration into the PAVN command structure.
The NLF grew quite strong; by 1968, it was able to carry out crucial operations in the Tet Offensive. Unfortunately, it was almost eradicated by the US military in the offensive, and had to be recreated.
"Cong" is used to mimic the term "Com," for "Communist." The Vietnamese language does not really allow speakers to pronounce "Com."
The National Liberation Front was originally an association of many organizations, including religious organizations. The leader, Hua Tho, was not a Marxist at all. However, the Diem administration organized the physical extermination of all opposition, including peaceful opposition, so the result was that only underground guerrilla movements could actually engage in politics. Naturally, the survival of the NLF depended on its ability to fight the Saigon regime, which meant rural insurgency, which meant gradual integration into the PAVN command structure.
The NLF grew quite strong; by 1968, it was able to carry out crucial operations in the Tet Offensive. Unfortunately, it was almost eradicated by the US military in the offensive, and had to be recreated.
The most popular aspect of the National Liberation Front program was the promise to take the land from the rich and to distribute it to the peasants.
After Diem had gained power in South Vietnam, he reversed Viet Minh land reforms, causing his regime to be bitterly hated by most peasants. So they joined the Viet Cong.
After Diem had gained power in South Vietnam, he reversed Viet Minh land reforms, causing his regime to be bitterly hated by most peasants. So they joined the Viet Cong.
by Primus Intra Pares July 24, 2010
Get the Viet Cong mug.Action taken for public relations (PR); usually contrived to create a false impression of good will or concern.
Most people in positions of great power are basically sociopaths who don't care about the suffering their greed- and ego-driven rampages cause. But if it were generally known that they think general suffering is hilarious, they'd be less effective at causing more.
For this reason, the truly powerful have frontmen, like political functionaries, who pretend to have power, and pretend to care about doing good stuff. They can do stuff like fly to the Gulf of Mexico and make speeches about how they're going to help people affected by the Deepwater Horizon blowout, and while it fools very few people, it's at least moderately inoffensive.
PR moves are used by the powerful to make themselves look benign, indispensable, hardworking, smart, badass, serious, compassionate, respectful of the law, concerned about the rise of evil shit, blue-collar, in touch with the people, talented, far-sighted, thoughtful, devout, patriotic, global, or cool.
Most people in positions of great power are basically sociopaths who don't care about the suffering their greed- and ego-driven rampages cause. But if it were generally known that they think general suffering is hilarious, they'd be less effective at causing more.
For this reason, the truly powerful have frontmen, like political functionaries, who pretend to have power, and pretend to care about doing good stuff. They can do stuff like fly to the Gulf of Mexico and make speeches about how they're going to help people affected by the Deepwater Horizon blowout, and while it fools very few people, it's at least moderately inoffensive.
PR moves are used by the powerful to make themselves look benign, indispensable, hardworking, smart, badass, serious, compassionate, respectful of the law, concerned about the rise of evil shit, blue-collar, in touch with the people, talented, far-sighted, thoughtful, devout, patriotic, global, or cool.
One of the more successful PR moves of the oil industry was Chevron's "People Do" campaign. In this campaign, a series of television commercials and magazine ads showed a beautiful landscape with sea otters or giant turtles, and voice over talking about some thing Chevron did to help them out. Except the things Chevron said it was doing to help the environment, were (a) cheap, relative to the cost of blabbing about it, (b) usually mandated by law or consent decree, and (c) required to mitigate some larger environmental catastrophe caused by Chevron.
by Primus Intra Pares July 15, 2010
Get the PR move mug.(HISTORY-VIETNAM, LAOS, CAMBODIA, USA) War between Communist forces native to the region and anti-Communists from several countries. Waged 1955 to 1975; ended in complete Communist victory. Probably 2.5 to 3.5 million people were killed, mostly in Vietnam, but also in Cambodia (1968-1975) and Laos (1953-1965).
US forces sent to prop up totally artificial "republic" in the south of Vietnam; helped Ngo Dinh Diem fake elections and suppress the population until he tried to cram Catholicism down throats of the Buddhist majority. Killed during coup d'etat 3 weeks before Kennedy assassinated. Military junta ran South Vietnam until it was defeated by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). The US military referred to the PAVN as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), and resistence in South Vietnam itself as "Viet Cong."
In Cambodia, war crept across the border as a result of Ho Chi Minh Trail; ruler, Norodim Sihanouk, tried to contain it through negotiation but in 1970 overthrown by a CIA coup; military junta totally useless and Khmer Communist Party formed an alliance with supporters of the monarchy (GRUNK). Named "Khmer Rouge" by Sihanouk before 1970.
In Laos, pitted Pathet Lao (Communist) against Royal Lao Army. RLA extremely poor, and Western assistance was much less than that of Communist Vietnam. Heavy US bombing there & in Cambodia.
The collapse of South Vietnam in early '75 allowed a total rout of the anti-Communist forces in Indochina.
US forces sent to prop up totally artificial "republic" in the south of Vietnam; helped Ngo Dinh Diem fake elections and suppress the population until he tried to cram Catholicism down throats of the Buddhist majority. Killed during coup d'etat 3 weeks before Kennedy assassinated. Military junta ran South Vietnam until it was defeated by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). The US military referred to the PAVN as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), and resistence in South Vietnam itself as "Viet Cong."
In Cambodia, war crept across the border as a result of Ho Chi Minh Trail; ruler, Norodim Sihanouk, tried to contain it through negotiation but in 1970 overthrown by a CIA coup; military junta totally useless and Khmer Communist Party formed an alliance with supporters of the monarchy (GRUNK). Named "Khmer Rouge" by Sihanouk before 1970.
In Laos, pitted Pathet Lao (Communist) against Royal Lao Army. RLA extremely poor, and Western assistance was much less than that of Communist Vietnam. Heavy US bombing there & in Cambodia.
The collapse of South Vietnam in early '75 allowed a total rout of the anti-Communist forces in Indochina.
At the time, journalists tended to speak of the Second Indochina War as three different civil wars, but in reality it was three local movements fighting a foreign occupation (and local collaborators). After the war, a third conflict erupted between Cambodia and Vietnam; the rulers of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge, murdered an unknown but enormous number of their own people, then were crushed when they went to war with Vietnam.
Laos, tragically, remains horribly affected by huge numbers of unexploded mines.
Laos, tragically, remains horribly affected by huge numbers of unexploded mines.
by Primus Intra Pares July 21, 2010
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