I wasn’t very old at the time. In fact, I was in my last year before being officially pronounced a teenager. Three years before, I had seen him in the first presidential debate of my young recollection {black and white, of course} and had little, if any, understanding of the politics being discussed...but there was always something about John Kennedy that even a junior upstart, like me, could understand. You just knew, he was a “good guy” and he made you feel good, too!
Then, he was dead. Killed by a lone assassin, they said...and America had lost it’s innocence, forever. No longer would there be grace and charm in the White House. No longer would there be press conferences filled with wit and humor. No longer would there be any hope for peace in a divided world.
All that was left was the drum beat of the funeral dirge down Pennsylvania Avenue. I still remember the look of devastation on Bobby’s face, that day.
Why would anybody want to murder this man, who had brought the world back from the brink of nuclear destruction? Why would anyone want to kill this man, who had given us and indeed, the whole world, hope? Why would anyone want to kill this man, who was so loved by so many? {I can still remember his plane landing somewhere in Africa, and greeted by thousands... yes, thousands of non English speaking people chanting Ke-ne-dy, Ke-ne-dy}. I just couldn’t understand...but five years later, by the end of 1968, it was becoming all too apparent.
It seemed, most all of America was willing to believe it. The government had investigated thoroughly and, apparently, the country had simply spawned a few “lone nuts” that had, purely by chance, assassinated the three most politically powerful men of the decade...all of them on the left, within five short years. Now, to some folks, that might seem a little fishy. Some might even say it was an inside job but, as we true Americans all know, that can’t happen here.
But then, I guess, there will always be those “loonies” who insist on asking all those silly questions like, “How come NORAD was asleep that day?”
With so many planes drastically diverted, transponders turned off and actually reported hijacked, why was NORAD sitting on their hands. {Did they think this was a drill? A training rehearsal?} And what about that “plane” that hit the Pentagon? Why are some people saying it wasn’t a “plane”, at all? Why was the market betting so heavily against American Airlines {more than four times normal}, on September 10th {not to mention, almost a week earlier,
too}. I’ve even heard, some major military brass canceled their AA 9/11 reservations, opting for private jets...and, if that wasn’t enough to get the blood flowing to your feet, again, some damn lawyer {and old school chum of the “hawks at the top”} pops up and tells us, this plan has been a long time coming and was totally contingent upon a Pearl Harbor style attack on American soil, just to get the ball rolling!
If you were to openly tell this hypotheses to the people of my great state, they’d probably throw your ass in jail...after they took turns {three at a time, I’m sure} kicking it up and down Main Street. If you were so lucky to be unscathed by the local villagers {I can see the torches and pitchforks coming up the hill, now}, you would be immediately labeled “unpatriotic and a “conspiracy nut” for repeating such drivel. Everyone knows no American could do such a
thing!
I once heard of a French officer, who had joined the revolution to overthrow the King in the name of “freedom”...but upon obtaining great military power, declared himself Emperor and systematically attacked the whole of Europe and beyond...IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM...but that was “a long time ago”. And I admit, there was that mad Austrian who took control of Germany by lies and deception {He actually torched his own Reichstag so he could blame his opponents} and once elected, he quickly decided the people had made their choice, and there would be no further need of elections. Of course, he had to obtain FREEDOM for his enslaved genealogical brethren in the surrounding nations so, he systemically attacked the whole of Europe and beyond... but that was “over there”. It can’t happen here!
Now, I’m not suggesting our fearless leader would ever have anything to do with the crimes of 9/11. He certainly looked surprised and dumbfounded to me {more than usual, that is}.
But...I do know the C.I.A. tried to set up Kennedy at the Bay of Pigs, and when he sought a nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviets and ordered all American forces to be withdrawn from Viet Nam {by the end of 1964}, someone {or should I say, some “people”} ordered his assassination. When his brother Bobby ran for the office, in 1968, on an anti-war platform, he was murdered the same day he won the California Primary {“they” couldn’t take the chance of another Kennedy defeating Nixon. Of course, Martin Luther King had already been killed earlier, that year, in Memphis. Every voice for peace had been silenced...and the war went on...and on.....and on.
Forty-one years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, we find ourselves in another state of perpetual war, pushed upon us...no, not by the terrorists...but by the extreme right wing of the nation {not to mention unbridled capitalism}. No matter who ordered the terrible deeds of that day, I would think it should be obvious, even to the most...let’s see...how should I put this...STUPID IDIOTS, that Iraq had NO WMDs and had nothing...let’s go over it, once again, NOTHING to do with 9/11.
Like all American wars of the last fifty years, it seems to be all about money and little else {Even in World War Two, Chase Bank was loaning money to the Nazis}. The mistake our “leaders” have made, this time, is they believe perpetual war will create a perpetual source of wealth for them and their buddies, {while the taxpayer goes broke, paying for it} at the same time, giving birth to “democracy” throughout the Middle East {In short...controlling the greater part of the worlds oil supply}. What they are too blind to see, is that they are creating a hornet’s nest that will very likely eventually escalate into the third...and final, World War! {You know, the one we’ve all been looking forward to, all these years}.
Russia has just announced, they are creating an all new nuclear missile...“TO DEAL WITH the NEW THREAT of TERRORISM. {I assume they’re talking about smaller “low yield” weapons to use on cities or in certain terrain {mountains}. This idea has also been “kicked around” by our “hawks at the top”. Let me remind you that these are the same people who, for years, have been trying to convince Administrations that we could win a nuclear war with the Soviets {Let me tell you, if there’s a “bright side” to thermonuclear war, it’s only that millisecond of light before you go totally blind}. Does anyone reeeally believe, in this day and age, this kind of behavior will not lead us straight to Armageddon?
I would like to tell you, another John Fitzgerald Kennedy is going to appear and save us, again, from total war...but I can’t. {If someone came forward, these days, with that kind of intelligence, humor and charisma...I’d probably think, he was the Anti-Christ!}
On this forty-first anniversary of his death, I can still see him in my mind, I still feel him in my heart...and I still hear him, over my shoulder.
“What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children--not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women--not merely peace in our time but peace for all time...”
We all inhabit this small planet.
We all breathe the same air.
We all cherish our children's
future. And we are all mortal.
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Down The Middle Archives:
"Wanted: Dead Or Alive" and "Will Bush Give Us The Lottery Again?" (Down The Middle and To The Left, May 31, 2004)
Shock and Awe or Shuck and Jibe? (Down the Middle, Jun 17, 2004)
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It's John John (Down the Middle, Jul 21, 2004)
Wanted: An Alternative For Drug Offenders (To The Left, Aug 3, 2004)
WAR IS OVER ...If You Want It (Down The Middle, Aug 23, 2004)
Drug Store Cowboy (Down The Middle, Sep 6, 2004)
"George Bush's 'Other Woman' "and "Count Your Children" (Down The Middle and To The Left, Sep 15, 2004)
John Wayne Died at the Alamo (Down The Middle, Sep 26, 2004)
"The Last Time I had Bush" and "Bush Secrets - Did You Know?" (Down The Middle and To The Left, Oct 3, 2004)
Don't Want to Lose Ya in Fallujah (Down the Middle, Oct 15, 2004)
When Left is Right and Right is Wrong (Down the Middle, Oct 25, 2004)
The Day the Music Died (Down The Middle, Nov 3, 2004)
"Goin’ Up North...Fo’ Freedom" and "Religion or Spirituality?" (Down the Middle and To the Left, Nov 9, 2004)
Scott Peterson Attacks Fallujah (Down The Middle, Nov 14, 2004)
It Can't Happen Here (Down The Middle, Nov 17, 2004)
Natural Born Liberal (Down The Middle, Nov 27, 2004)
Mister, Can You Spare a Dime? (Down The Middle, Dec 2, 2004)
The Monster (Down The Middle, Dec 8, 2004)
And So This is Christmas (Down The Middle, Dec 18, 2004)
"Man of the Year" and "Tribute to a Cowboy - Happy Trails to You" (Down The Middle and To The Left, Dec 26, 2004)
"The Pursuit of Happiness" and "Woman" (Down The Middle, Jan 1, 2005)
"Live Fast, Die Young" and "Social Insecurity" (Down The Middle, Jan 8, 2005)
"George Bush’s Viet Nam" and "The Religious Wrong" (Down The Middle, Jan 15, 2005)
Next Stop, Iran! (Down The Middle, Jan 23, 2005)
"Letter to my Friend, S.K." and "It's the Bomb!" (Down The Middle, Jan 30, 2005)
Strange Days, Indeed! (Down The Middle, Feb 7, 2005)
The Dogs of War (Down the Middle, Feb 20, 2005)
Revolution #9 (Down The Middle, Mar 10, 2005)
With a Little Help From my Friends (Down The Middle, March 19, 2004)
Live and Let Die (Down The Middle, Mar 25, 2005)
Bush's Third Term (Down The Middle, Apr 3, 2005)
The Pope and I (Down The Middle, Apr 12, 2005)
You've Been had....Again! (Down The Middle, Apr 19, 2005)
Hey!!! They're Stealing My Wind! (Down the Middle, May 3, 2005)
Freedom! (Down The Middle, May 28, 2005)
The Big Chill (Down The Middle, Jun 4, 2005)
Support Our....Oops! (Down The Middle, Jun 21, 2005)
The Worm Has Turned (Down The Middle, Jun 25, 2005)
Bushwhacked! (Down The Middle, Jul 3, 2005)
The Coming Wars (Down The Middle, Jul 14, 2005)
Hey, O! Wa S'up? (Down The Middle, Jul 21, 2005)
JFK Assassin Identified! (Down The Middle, Jul 25, 2005)
Say Cheeeese! (Down The Middle, Jul 30, 2005)
The Sun Also Rises (Down The Middle, Aug 9, 2005)
Ten Years After (Down The Middle, Aug 20, 2005)
My Brother's Keeper (Down The Middle, Aug 29, 2005)
Baghdad on the Bayou - The Cavalry's Coming! (Down The Middle, Sep 5, 2005)
Return of the Dragon (Down The Middle, Sep 17, 2005)
OKLAHOMA! Where The Bombs Come Sweeping Down The Plains (Down The Middle, Oct 4, 2005)
U.S.S. MAINE EXPLODES IN THE PERSIAN GULF! WAR IS DECLARED ON IRAN! (Down The Middle, Oct 17, 2005)
In the Eye of the Eagle (Down The Middle, Nov 25, 2005)
Let the Eagle Soar (Down The Middle, Dec 5, 2005)
Dr. Rumsfeld or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Down The Middle, Jan 10, 2006)
Where Eagles Dare (Down The Middle, Jan 21, 2006)
Through the Looking Glass (Down The Middle, Feb 12, 2006)
Beware the Ides of March (Down The Middle, Feb 23, 2006)
The Last Patriot (Down The Middle, Mar 6, 2006)
Beating the Bushes ...and the Clintons (Down The Middle, Mar 16, 2006)
By Dawn's Early Light (Down The Middle, Apr 11, 2006)
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