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=**Book 3 Lesson Activity for Sam DeBrule**= How to battle psychological torture -Think of the good times before you were tortured and use it as hope - Use people you love as motivation to stay alive - Don't forget about how you are being tortured to believe in something you do not stand for

[|Book 3 Lesson Plan]

[|Book 2 Lesson Plan]

[|Link for video] ([|youtube.com link for Mr. Saxon])

[|Book 1 Lesson Plan]

Period 1 Smith: We Must ‘Stand Up for What We Believe In’ Karen Smith, the single most compassi onate individual in the lives of many who know her, has devoted her life to being a proponent of one main idea: [|peace]. Although she advocates the idea more than any human being I have come across, she has never forced her beliefs upon anybody; she simply presents her case, and lets the individual choose what he or she wants to believe. Because of this, she has an interesting perspective on the Vietnam War, which has greatly shaped her opinions on war, America, and even life in general.

Karen sat smiling, elated simply to have been chosen for an interview. When asked about her views of the Vietnam War, she replied with absolute sincerity, “I was young but I always was for peace.” She remembers being "fascinated by the [|peace demonstrators]," whom she would frequently side with. "I remember thinking that if I were ever drafted, I would move to Canada so I would not have to go to war...I thought [the [|draft dodgers]] were brave because they stood up for what they believed in.” Simply disgusted with the idea of war in general, she is adamant about spreading peace through the world and keeping it that way.

Though her beliefs were common with youths her age, not everybody agreed with her - even her own family. “[My mother] was very patriotic and always stood up for our soldiers. I don’t even think she knew why our country was in Vietnam, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t question anything. Not many people did, which is very sad.” Though Karen obviously supported our troops, she just did not support our presence in such a seemingly unnecessary battle. "The most difficult thing about the war for me was seeing that some American boys had no choice and had to go to war if their [|draft number] was picked. I didn’t understand how we could be in a free country and be forced to do something we opposed so much.” Something has to change.   Little by little, Karen believes we can make progress as a world so that war will not be an option anymore, even though things haven't changed much from the Vietnam War. “Times were not really different back then. We are [|again in a war] that we shouldn’t be in, and no one seems to question it. The vast majority of American people seem to just go along with whatever the president says, without questioning the value of lives being lost – both on our side and the other side.” She thinks world conflicts can be resolved in other non-violent methods, such as diplomacy. An end to war, though seemingly impossible, will be a lengthy - but worthwhile - process, Karen believes. The human race will peak when “reason and diplomacy” replace the brutality of war.  Being a child of the Vietnam War has considerably impacted Karen's life and opinions. Influenced greatly by the protesters and draft-dodgers, she has taken her own beliefs out of this tragic time period and has applied them to most everyday situations. Karen has flipped America - the land of the free - on its back, and pointed out its clandestine dark side. The war has allowed her to see that “the government doesn’t always do everything in the interest of the American people … All we need to do is [|vote], stand up for what we believe in (no matter what the popular opinion is), and never sit back and wait for someone else to do it. If the government told me I needed to do something I didn’t believe in, I would move so quickly to a different country. It’s as simple as that."

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 * **Videos**

http://oncourse.iu.edu/podcasts/site/SP07-BL-HIST-A380-26113
 * **Podcast**