Thirster Communication

*DYSTOPIAN POLITICS AND VIETNAM

Dear Thirsters in Residence:

On May 4th, Thirster Robin Henderson will speak about his experiences during Vietnam and in evaluating returned Vietnam veterans.   He will delve into the history of political contention over the Vietnam conflict, when it became very dysfunctional and affected the way the war was handled, including psychological damage to soldiers.  This includes the destruction of LBJ’s presidency, his experiences living in Chicago in the summer of 1968, which was an eye opener for him, and subsequent experiences in New York, especially when he applied for Conscientious Objector status and witnessed how secretly disillusioned many military leaders were.

From 1977 through 1996, Robin Henderson, conducted well over 1,500 detailed psychiatric assessments of Vietnam veterans to scrutinize for PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), including many other veterans from other combat arenas plus POW internments, ranging back to WWII.  He has his own perspective of the kind of damage the Viet Nam conflict wrought.

Please join us on Thursday, October 5th to learn more about the context of the Vietnam war and veterans

UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSION TOPICS:

        October 12th: Combat and the Destruction of the Soul - Robin Henderson

THIRSTER MEETING FORMATS:  Thirsters have several different kinds of meetings:  OPEN DISCUSSIONS - where we discuss whatever cultural topic is on our minds, TOPICAL DISCUSSIONS - where there is a brief introduction to an identified topic for discussion, DATA DISCUSSIONS – involves the presentation of graphs and figures followed by a discussion and interpretation of the data,  PRESENTATIONS - a more formal presentation of a topic for 20-30 minutes (often by visiting out-of-town Thirsters) followed by a discussion with the presenter, and SEMINARS - that ask attendees to read topical material in advance and come prepared to discuss that topic.

THIRSTER MEETING LOCATION:  MCMENAMINS BROADWAY PUB, 1504 NE BROADWAY (AT NE 15TH AVE), PORTLAND, OR 97232.

   - Thirsters meetings start at 7 pm with discussions, ale, wine, and food, and may continue until 11 pm.

   - Presentations or Seminars, if one is scheduled, start at 7:30 pm.

   - Topical, Data, or Open Discussions (when we don't have a presentation) start when Thirsters find themselves compelled, usually around 7 pm or shortly thereafter.

**  NEW RESTROOM CODE:  1504

THIRSTER DISCUSSION LIST:   This is an online discussion listserv where Thirsters can exchange ideas.  Please contact John Dougherty at: jdougherty-thirsters@earthlink.net if you want to join the Thirsters Discussion list.

*INVITING VISITORS TO THIRSTER MEETINGS:   All Thirsters are encouraged to invite colleagues, friends, and students to Thirster meetings.  If you invite someone who has not attended a meeting in the past, please inform them about the Thirster custom for paying for food and drink with cash. 

As always, please suggest the names of speakers and/or discussion topics for future meetings; many Thursdays are available for speakers.  We also encourage Thirsters to come and talk to us about their work or other activities related to culture.

John Dougherty

Co-Coordinator

Semper Sitiens