Thank you so much for the back story of why President Kennedy was in Dallas that day. Back then, people who wanted equal rights weren’t “woke”, they were “communists”. The one thing in common is the attacks on those who would advocate for the marginalized.
And yet here we are once again…. Sadly tfg and his cronies have convinced half the country they are the marginalized and that they have been marginalized by the “lefties”. Except this time tfg and company have deliberately created this riff and will not seek to heal anything much less have any desire to do so. The division, the derision is their desire.
The road ahead looks to be a rough one. Likely much more difficult than the one we’ve been on
Sadly George, it isn't even close to 1/2 of the country. 1/3 of the registered voters didn't vote. And then there are the illiterates, about 11% of the population. And those that don't speak English and live in states where they don't offer Spanish or other translated ballots. And others that are disenfranchised for some other reason.
Trump didn't receive one half of those that actually voted and millions of them voted because they believe the lies they read on social media or heard on Fox News or Newsmax.
Roberts and the Supremes knew exactly what the were doing in 2010 when they allowed corporate money to influence elections.
What were the results of the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections been without the hundreds of millions of dollars of corporate money?
The money in politics is killing us. Consider how profitable it is for media that benefit from election spending. Not to mention the benefit that those largest donors get when their team wins. There is an indirect correlation between money in politics and the level of democracy we experience.
It’s hard to believe they now control all three branches of government. They won this election by exploiting lies, fear, and hatred—and they’ve openly vowed to seek revenge. Their newly appointed Attorney General has expressed intentions to prosecute prosecutors, among others they despise. More than half the country didn’t vote for this group of unqualified, angry gang whose focus seems to be on destruction rather than fixing. They show no interest in solving real problems but instead seem intent on dismantling our institutions, targeting vulnerable groups like immigrants, and undoing our liberal democracy.
I remember well. I was sitting in a Catholic school 4th grade class when a nun knocked on our classroom door and a nun announced the JFK had been shot. We were asked to stand and pray. I recall a lonely walk home from school that New England day. Then rushing upstairs into my parents bedroom with my sister watching Walter Cronkite announce to the world as he looked up at the clock. We cried. My mother tried to say something amusing to diminish our cry’s but that didn’t help.
I kinda view 1963 the year my innocence died. Along with Kennedy, the Beatles became the new music. The Buddy Holly period ended. The doo wop music sank into memory. My golden era of pop music was from about 1958 to 1963. Today as a part time songwriter, I’m at times drawn to those silly little love songs from that era as a sweet remembrance of my brief days of innocence.
I guess that the true meaning or intent and interpretation of those words and “wokeness” depends upon one’s perspective and their skin color or racial identity?!?!
I was in 6th grade at the time and never knew until reading this just now about the civil rights events leading up to the assassination. Whenever anyone mentions Kennedy’s assassination, they always seem to be focused on everything else so thank you for writing this. I learned something new today about events that happened in my lifetime.
Oswald was shot and it is hard to figure how he fit into it all. That has been grist for conspiracy theories, Hate speech seems to encourage violent people to act out their impulses, as we've been seeing recently. And for what?
It's not nut country. The mindset of the Confederacy, of one person as superior to another due to skin color and chance of birth, is a cancer. And because the patient refused to have the cancer removed it behaved like any other cancer. It metastasized, spread throughout the body politic, and now stands to kill the patient.
As to how it "now stands to kill the patient," we're talking the U.S., a till-now 248-year-old republic, and ever-aspiring democracy.
Poisons have festered in the black soul of this country since Puritans lynched witches -- same black soul as in the Clarence court justices who license states to kill women's freedoms, same justices who rule a most vulgar convicted criminal above the law.
This country, America, has had the greatest music, the greatest novels, greatest films, greatest memoirs, histories, and other arts (mural, photography, poem, stage plays, more) -- but all that got evicted from the schools so that the commercial classes could more lethally roam as predators, so that the standardized testing behemoths could more totally push their dehumanizing conceits, further too that the social media billionaires can more thoroughly profit by their algorithms for hate.
Should such a country die, as black logic perhaps portends?
Trouble is, having elected that convicted criminal, we've no longer the luxury of inquiring as to but one country's imminent death. Its alliances with other democracies may be doomed. Its progress in stemming climate change worldwide may be doomed.
Its connivance with all the world's worst, and all their killings and hatreds may be assured.
I do not think democracy will be so easy to kill. As you said, we have a 248 year old tradition of it in this country - imperfect as it may be. Democracy will not die, it will be relegated to school boards, town meetings, local offices, and in a few places, state governments. It will be saved from the bottom up, not the top down.
"Fuck the patriarchy." Emma Watson (and myriad others).
Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana all want to force their public school teachers to teach from the Bible, while the churches preach, "Hate thy neighbor."
Many of the Bible myths and lessons are slowly disappearing from our cultural literacy as are other lessons we learn from mythology, fables and other world religions.
So much of what we hear and read everyday requires basic knowledge of literature and various religions.
Phil, as you and others here have said, bring back the humanities.
I was only born 10 years later. I think Heather should write a follow up letter regarding how LBJ was committed to civil rights after taking over as President. I would love to learn more about that! And it is relevant for what is happening today, taking rights away and even destroying US democracy itself!
Caro isn't without flaws but it's worth reading. I've always been suspicious of his idolization of Coke Stevenson without mentioning that Stevenson was a bitter racist.
Neither will any of us who experienced that day & the absolute grief & mourning—of the entire country! Families huddled together glued to the television coverage of the assassination for an entire week. Our parents were so despondent we grieved for them as well….we were all in total shock & disbelief—TRAUMATIZED!!
We have never recovered, or healed from this and the murders of MLK Jr. (after his “I have a dream…” speech in Washington D.C.) and Bobby Kennedy’s murder (the night he won the Presidential Primary)!
This haunts us to this day, and it was over 60 year’s ago!! We MUST NOT allow this to ever happen again, and trump’s supposed “election” has brought back horrific memories and many of us simply cannot handle enduring any more Greedism winning in the end….
I hope you are right, but I’m confident that, whatever happens politically, the 75 million white supremacists who voted for Trump are not going to have a change of heart. Their ilk has been at it for 400 years in this part of the world.
They are, by nature, cowards. They listen to the straw man's song and dance, they are aware their own inadequacies and they are afraid. So they hide behind the grifter, the malignant clown, the imposter. But left on their own? They are weak and without a moral compass. I don't believe there are 75 million of them. Some are already realizing they were duped. The rest? They are the underbelly of every society.
I'm not sure how to eliminate racism but there has to be a way to convince people that racism is less important than taking care of their own economic interests, and that those interests can best be addressed without oppressing anyone else.
I too support that it cannot be long and among us already feel a resurgence of belief, and actions to take us on a better path. Like many who are remembering, I was in high school history class when our teacher was called out then returned to tell us. It was the first time I witnessed a grown man crying. I love that Heather has recounted this traumatic event from the perspective of the women because I fear we women have the most to lose if we don't overcome tfg and company now.
One thing that I see: DT and his team are neophytes with too much hubris to see that fact. Never in the history of the world has a bunch of hacks been able to effectively run anything, let alone an enterprise as large and complex as the US government. They will not be able to deliver on their economic promises especially, since they have no real sense of how economies actually work. 2% inflation seems to have killed the Harris/Walz ticket, what will 10% inflation do to Donvict & company? Not to mention the presence of massive concentration camps in many boarder states.
Rex but not one of the many that I’ve learned nothing from this election. You continue to use the isms, such as racism and sexism and xenophobia and bigotry and misogyny you will lose every election hence. Have you actually noticed the Trump appointed two women to the top post of his cabinet? Have you seen the diversity in his cabinet without even having trying be diverse. I hate to say this to you, but I know it’s like offer you a disease, but 73% of cable news now is controlled by Fox. They are now the third rate is primetime network on TV and their digital footprint. Every other major networks, including all the ABC, NBC, etc.. The post news decline of the CNN and MSNBC was about 40% of their viewership and another 15% for Mika and Joe on top of that. In the meantime Fox went up 21%. I have suggested this to a lot of this group before go watch Fox News for a week starting from let’s say Brett bear on till Gutfeld is over for a week and see the difference between the news you’re getting there and the news you’re getting from the legacy media and then make up your own mind. Feel free to dismiss everything you see on Fox, but at least you’ll understand why America is choosing them over the lives of the seat of the two other networks, which of one is actually being spun off due to its failure
So all the sexual predators and Russian assets and outright loons in that cabinet lineup, not to mention the sexual predator, Russian asset and rapidly dementing lunatic in chief just don't bother you at all?
Sexual predators, and Russian assets. Are you reading from Aesop‘s fables?
Do you not realize that your media legacy media lied to you and they’re being destroyed in the ratings because people no longer want to listen to their lies.
We had to listen to 3 1/2 years of Hillary and Adam Schiff and the Russia hoax and Robert Mueller and it was all bullshit so please spare me your condescending and incorrect post. The sexual predator was not replaced with a woman who’s done her job for the last eight years for the third largest most popular state in the country. What I love about that particular selection is one of your most liberal networks called her position at Nightmare because “she knows how to do her job“. Omg.
And you also love to see things from only one side of the aisle. You forget about Bill Clinton‘s 10 year affair with Gennifer Flowers while he was married you forget about his $850,000 payoff to keep another woman quiet you forget about Monica Lewinsky and him lying on the road and she was his employee.
And yes, even the great John Kennedy was a prolific sexual predator according to many sources and many women.
You also dismissed 76 million voters like Hillary did placing them in a porta deplorable basket when you should’ve learned from that. And he’s back in the White House for only one reason. The current administration misread the public. I drove this country into a ditch. Made daily expenses on affordable, and open the border to a torrential amount of criminals and unvetted illegals.
You also frightened me, calling him rapidly dementing. Joe Biden was already a semi cadaver when they allowed him to run a second term. And while they discussed the 25th amendment all the time with Trump, they refuse to use it on Biden, not only knowing he was losing it, but hiding the fact. If he if they had use the 25th amendment originally like 2 1/2 years ago, you would have a democrat president in the house probably if they would affirm the country around
So stop the fake fear, mongering and watch this country regain its shen. again
The Russian hoax didn’t work well the first time and it’s only gonna get worse if you keep it up. Portland is scared shitless of Trump but I guess you don’t know wife if you wanna know just ask me and I’ll tell you
Putin is scared shitless of Trump Biden on the other hand was a push over and not only that he is escalating a war that we should’ve never been involved in in the first place $200 billion of money we could’ve use on our homeless and our poor. Instead he’s re-creating another Vietnam the only difference is that it’s 60,000 Ukrainians have already died versus 60,000 Americans and a few of my friends died during Vietnam. And now Russia is lowering their threshold for nuclear weapons, because Biden allowed Zelenskyy to escalate using American weapons. Biden should be tried for treason at this point
I watched faux snooze for six weeks straight and my brain started oozing out.
Guess you missed the fact they payed almost a billion dollars for lying to their viewers about the 2020 election.
Good ole tucker boy love to call the donvicts followers cousin f*uckers and hated the donvict.
Maybe you should do some research into that.
As for the russia hoax, maybe read the republican report on that too and learn something.
What I've learned from people who voted for the donvict is that character no longer matters especially when that person can give a hand and mouth job to a microphone stand and everyone cheers for him.
My grandson will grow up knowing that the donvict is a crass, vile, whiny man baby who should be pittied and never look at as someone to emulate.
Well I posted a long comment here but it apparently got waylaid somehow so I’ll start all over.
Yes, Fox News was sued and do you know that many other of your favorite networks have been sued as well. Do you think your networks have not lied? Let’s try a few of these. THE BORDER IS SECURE. BIDENOMICS IS WORKING.
CRIME IS DOWN INFLATION IS TRANSITORY. AND MY FAVORITE JOE BIDEN HAS NEVER BEEN SHARPER THAN EVER. You talk about lies. They knew about it for 2 1/2 or three years and not only lied but then covered it up only to find out it was too late.
The Russia hoax was just that the Russia hoax you could try to spin it every way you want the two years of Hillary bit bleaching destroying her emails and her phone Adam Schiff lying about the hoax Russian info about the 51 people who said Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian and then the Robert Mueller investigation that found nothing. All to preempt Donald Trump from completing his promises, which he will no doubt do on this tour.
Oh, and I have some more bad news for you to your chagrin. He is not a convict. Uh oh
And why do you think the media is scared about revenge because they lied about him called him Hitler, a fascist, a misogynist, a racist, a xenophobic, a bigot you name it all lies. Although Biden did invite Hitler into the White House and Joe and Mika went to visit Hitler in his home and had a very nice conversation with Hitler himself.
Take a look at his cabinet he just posted two women to the top posts most important and powerful post in this cabinet and his cabinet looks like the most diverse of cabinet ever and not because he tried to make a diverse because it happened by itself
If your grandson is lucky enough, he’ll judge for himself without hearing your poison and your hate as far as the performance that Donald Trump completes during his next term
And let’s hope he doesn’t emulate the shifts and the madhouse and the Mayorkas and the Garlands where they are now trying to flea before they can be forced to testify and disclose information that they’ve been hiding. Mayorkas especially the liar in chief. As opined in the media.
The worst thing for you is that you haven’t caught on what just occurred 76 million people voted for this man and 49 of 50 states went redder.
And if you wanna talk about crass we can look at both side sides of the aisle where you refuse to do so and talk a little bit about people like Bill Clinton who I voted for twice and his affair with Jennifer flowers or the 850 grand he paid as an NDA and nothing happened to him not to mention that little blue dress that he had sex in the White House while president while married and lied about it under oath. Oooops. So let’s look at both sides shall we there are no innocent people here. We could even look at JFK who is a fabulous president, maybe one of the best ever and his sex life.
The best quote and description ever I can give you of Donald Trump is one by by a very famous individual who said this : I do not like Donald Trump. I like every single one of his policies that helped all Americans and helped this country. Stay safe keep prices low keep crime, low and prevent wars all over the world.
And since you’re not gonna respond to me, which is absolutely fine I hope your grandson doesn’t grow up with the hate that you have in your body caused by nothing other than Trump arrangements syndrome. Trump is going to go down as one of the best presidents of your lifetime and the best one of the best presidents in American history. Sorry. And I don’t know how old you are, but if he does a great job this next presidency, he may indeed fulfill Nancy’s suggestion only a bit different. He might indeed end up on Mount Rushmore
Yes the famous Russian bought defense. You know here’s what I’m gonna tell you the more you use things like that is fantasies in your head. The worst the future elections are going to be for you. I voice text everything and I don’t go back and check it because I believe people here are intelligent enough to figure things out. Liberal seem to like form over content. I don’t buy it. I demand that you understand content before you look at form. That’s just me the old Russian bot lol you poor guy.
I was a Sophomore in high school in Dallas on that dreadful day. I was at Love Field with a few thousand admirers. I watched JFK and Jackie arrive and descend from Air Force One. They came to the fence and I shook JFK’s hand. I was thrilled and held my hand in awe. As I watched JFK proceed, I felt someone grab my hand. To my shock it was LBJ who had my hand between his and was greeting me. Over 200,000 people greeted JFK that day and were happy and proud and enthusiastic. The city sank into a terrible and sad state of horror that lasted for a long time. The vast majority of citizens were appalled and ashamed.
No, only if we let them. No, too many of us will not let that happen. There will always be the ugliness; we are a nation of people who came here, not because we wanted to, but because we had to. We won't let those who are abusing our creating a nation for all who seek refuge to turn it into a thug's paradise. We just won't.
The only way it will overtake us is if we want it to and/or let it…do not be like many of the conservative politicians - the staunch examples set by some of their males - spineless and weasel-like!
Another one who has lost her way. You probably didn’t hear from Bill Clinton the other day either that said, the first woman president is around the corner and it will probably be a republican woman. If you’re an honest person, go look at trumps cabinet. The two top posts in his cabinet are women and he has one of the most diverse cabinets in America history without trying to be diverse
That would be pretty easy for your miselle. But that’s called denial. Just get in front of a mirror and focus on your conscience and your realize even if I was which I’m not the truth is still the truth
Not at all, I’m actually thrilled walking with my feet off the ground with a prospect of America being revered again America being , feared again, America, winning again, lifting all boats as Trump did during his first term.
And for people like you, Danny, I will used an Axiom I often use To people who are negative in advance, and only want to see one side of the argument when 76 million Americans saw a different side than you
Minds are like parachutes they work better if they’re open.
We have made a lot of progress in many ways the past 75 years as a country.
Our fight should be against the theocrats and the oligarchs. Elon Musk is a foreign agent and an enemy of America. And there are dozens of others just like him with money and influence. Trump is just a pawn compared to Musk and the oligarchs.
We need to demonize them and hit them where it hurts, in their greedy little pocket books.
Would you like some milk and cookies with that? Stop the histrionics nothing is gonna happen. Fuck, you should listen to Stephanie Ruhle’s advice from CNN she said we should stop the histrionics because we know from history 80% of what we think is gonna happen never happens
This thread is about our lived experience of the assassination of JFK and the aftermath. It's not histrionics to talk about personal trauma. Also, just FYI: Stephanie Ruhle is on MSNBC, not CNN.
Jack Kennedy was—still is—the only President I’ve ever accepted in my eight decades.
After my turn in the barrel—Vietnam 1967-68–it was my greatest privilege to serve in the crew that put in commissioned service my nation’s newest aircraft carrier—USS John F. Kennedy (CVA 67)—in September 1968.
Now I’m in my eighth decade. I do not know the names of those who murdered President Kennedy, but I know the title of both them and their progeny: Coward.
Well, there’s two things I would say to you first of all my bad as far as naming the wrong network, but I am a firm believer in Content over form so there’s that
It’s histrionics to talk about what happened on November 5 as if it’s the end of your life As many of the people on the substack post to do. And obviously you missed the essence of my post of what Stephanie Ruhle suggested saying 80%
Of histrionics never happens. I would venture to guess it more than 90% and even then it’s not as bad.
But now since you brought up and Msnbc I have some tongue in cheek for you regarding MSNBC. New acronyms and nicknames for that stationS Call letters are coming in by the hundreds. Here’s a couple for your listening pleasure. MSRIP. MSNBC= Must sell now before Christmas But my personal favorite is We’re History channel using the history channel logo.
The day, John Kennedy was shot was probably the worst day of my life at that time. He was a true leader, and so be loved by everyone. What is most if not all the people on this particular paper trail on Liberal? I wish to make the point that John Benedict was not an enabler. He was not a handout person. He was a handout person and would be a middle of the road republican today compared to how far left the Democrat party has gone.
Did you happen to live United States during trumps first term? Even the liberal hater suggested if not for Covid Trump would still be sitting in the White House today why? Low prices groceries, gas, and Mortgages, Safe Streets The border wall would’ve been completed we would’ve not had to pay 110, billion up from now for illegal immigrants instead of 10 billion for the wall. No wars around the world.
At this time, it’s even gonna be better than that if Biden doesn’t screw it up before he leaves office by escalating to almost the world war by allowing more illegal criminals in this country to remove
Sorry Steve I need a little bit more information because I see a lot of histrionics in a lot of posts here after the results of the November 5 election so I’m not sure what part or what post you’re referring to of mine
One of the things I suggested to a lot of people who are going through these histrionics is what Stephanie rule of MSNBC I guess is the right network
Stop all the histrionics because we all know that 80% of what we think is gonna happen never happens. I actually believe it’s closer to 90. I’ll be more than happy to respond to your question above if I had better context, feel free to fill in the blank there thanks.
I read her letter, and I realized what this was about and I even responded to it but many of the post here and another link posts alluded to the nightmare. That was the election of Donald Trump. I didn’t mean to conflate the two I was just responding to the post that I’ve seen here. Didn’t by any means attempt to diminish the tragic loss of John F Kennedy. My apologies if I did
I wasn’t giving you milk and cookies to make you feel better about the death of John F. Kennedy or the other two heroes that died that same year. There were a few people on the post that were mentioning about their histrionics about this November 5 election that just happened and I was responding to that. Sorry if you misunderstood the meaning or the direction of my post. I revered John Fitzgerald Kennedy, one of the best presidents ever but you should know this if John Kennedy we’re alive today he’d be a middle of the road republican based upon his political philosophy, and not the wackos the Democrat party that took the party too far left
PS I did not use a curse. Word as a voice text that apparently was a auto correct and I don’t usually go back and check my things because I have a lot of posts to attend to on this and other sources.sorry
Ricardo, you might not have read my post above but if JFK were alive today he’d be a middle of the road Republican compared to how far left the Democrat party has gone
Well, I would suggest you find them in the 76 million people that voted for him this time. And if you realize that 4950 states went redder than before. Where do you think they came from? They came from independence who tend to be middle of the road and they came from dispossessed Democrats that were fed up with the promises that never came from the Democrat party.
He got more Hispanic vote than ever. He got more black vote than ever.
And I hate even discussing that because I look at everyone despite their skin color versus because of their skin color, which is sickening to me
By the way, I hope you heard Bill Clinton’s message the other day a lot of people here are talking about. They’ll never be a woman president, blah, blah, blah blah, and especially a black woman president blah blah blah.
I think perhaps if Condoleezza Rice had run for president she probably could’ve won
But I’m more referring to Bill Clinton’s comments that said that it will be soon that a woman is going to be president and that remarkably that woman president will come from the Republican Party, which defies everything that liberals have been saying for years.
I have been posting recently that if either party puts up a viable competent centric woman candidate that she will get elected in a landslide despite any skin, color, ethnicity, etc. Bill Clinton thinks it will be a republican woman which even takes that to a higher level. Have a good night.
I too was 16 years old. I was in a journalism class when a classmate came into the room and said that Kennedy had been shot. Like you, I didn't believe him as he was a bit of a class clown. Then the principal made an announcement over the school PA system. I was devastated. I had started to recover when 5 years later I was in Memphis when MLKJr was assassinated. Then a mere two month after that RFK was murdered. Now, 61 years later, the grief rises up yet again.
Like several others here, I too was a 16-year-old high school student when the news that the President had been shot was broadcast over the PA system. It was a Catholic high school, and many of us went to the school chapel to pray for the President's recovery. Not long after, we learned that he was dead. For many of us, from the perspective of 61 years, it seems like the decline of America, now verging on the precipitous, began on that day. We just didn't know it then.
I too was 16. About 50 of us were sitting in choir. The announcement had come in over the classroom loudspeaker, but we didn't know yet if the President was still alive. Everyone was stunned into silence as we waited to hear more, unable to do anything else. Our choir teacher was Catholic too, like the President, and went to her car to get her Rosary which she brought back into the classroom with her. She was crying and we were all frightened and terrified the worst would happen, which it did. My father (who passed away before 9/11), and who had voted for Kennedy, was in class at that same high school teaching civics down the hall to the seniors. It was a required class back in those days. Thank you Heather for the background leading up to this, I had actually forgotten about that. Yet it is SO important. And look where we are today. Good grief, when will it all end?
Same here in NC where responses were mixed but school closed early and didn't reopen for a day or two so we saw the murderer murdered live on black and white TV. Gun violence just never stops. It's all so sad.
My brother was stationed at Carswell AFB and was in a group of officers that met the plane. When they brought the news of the President’s death, he said, “I just shook his hand!” We were nearby in Northwest Louisiana. I was a child, but I clearly remember it. My parents and their friends were all devastated. There were so many conspiracy theories. They said they would release more details in twenty years but I don’t remember that happening. I’m not sure we will ever know the whole truth.
I have been waiting for your reflection on the JFK anniversary, Heather. I knew it would be solemn and poignant. I was nine years old, in fourth grade at the time. I’d never seen my mother cry that much, and I think it was the first time in my life I felt like the world was not a safe place. Fewer and fewer of us are alive who remember that day. It was a generational dividing line, the way 9/11 was for Gen X and Millennials.
My grandparents were vacationing in Dallas that day but were not on the parade route. I often wonder how our country might have been different had JFK, MLK, and RFK lived.
Or, Devon, tho’ not gut wrenchingly tragic as these assassinations, what if Carter had won a 2nd term (and the solar panels stayed put on the WH)or that SCOTUS would have let the count go forward in Florida, hanging chads & all, and Gore became POTUS…where might we be as a country today? Perhaps in some alternate universe the answer is known. 🌌
I have pondered the same thoughts over the years. I don't think that this country has ever really healed from the loss of JFK, RFK, and MLK, three powerful & inspirational visionaries, who wanted to lead this country to a much better direction. With the loss of their influence, it has always felt to me that the country never has quite regained its footing, in trying to reach its most aspirational goals
I think for sure it would have been different, although maybe not as different as I like to think, or maybe more so. What if we had just banned slavery and discrimination from the get-go? Seems like it would have saved a lot of heartache for most everybody. What (and this is possible) we learned from history and corrected our mistakes?
Thank you so much for the back story of why President Kennedy was in Dallas that day. Back then, people who wanted equal rights weren’t “woke”, they were “communists”. The one thing in common is the attacks on those who would advocate for the marginalized.
And yet here we are once again…. Sadly tfg and his cronies have convinced half the country they are the marginalized and that they have been marginalized by the “lefties”. Except this time tfg and company have deliberately created this riff and will not seek to heal anything much less have any desire to do so. The division, the derision is their desire.
The road ahead looks to be a rough one. Likely much more difficult than the one we’ve been on
Sadly George, it isn't even close to 1/2 of the country. 1/3 of the registered voters didn't vote. And then there are the illiterates, about 11% of the population. And those that don't speak English and live in states where they don't offer Spanish or other translated ballots. And others that are disenfranchised for some other reason.
Trump didn't receive one half of those that actually voted and millions of them voted because they believe the lies they read on social media or heard on Fox News or Newsmax.
Roberts and the Supremes knew exactly what the were doing in 2010 when they allowed corporate money to influence elections.
What were the results of the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections been without the hundreds of millions of dollars of corporate money?
The money in politics is killing us. Consider how profitable it is for media that benefit from election spending. Not to mention the benefit that those largest donors get when their team wins. There is an indirect correlation between money in politics and the level of democracy we experience.
It’s hard to believe they now control all three branches of government. They won this election by exploiting lies, fear, and hatred—and they’ve openly vowed to seek revenge. Their newly appointed Attorney General has expressed intentions to prosecute prosecutors, among others they despise. More than half the country didn’t vote for this group of unqualified, angry gang whose focus seems to be on destruction rather than fixing. They show no interest in solving real problems but instead seem intent on dismantling our institutions, targeting vulnerable groups like immigrants, and undoing our liberal democracy.
I remember well. I was sitting in a Catholic school 4th grade class when a nun knocked on our classroom door and a nun announced the JFK had been shot. We were asked to stand and pray. I recall a lonely walk home from school that New England day. Then rushing upstairs into my parents bedroom with my sister watching Walter Cronkite announce to the world as he looked up at the clock. We cried. My mother tried to say something amusing to diminish our cry’s but that didn’t help.
I kinda view 1963 the year my innocence died. Along with Kennedy, the Beatles became the new music. The Buddy Holly period ended. The doo wop music sank into memory. My golden era of pop music was from about 1958 to 1963. Today as a part time songwriter, I’m at times drawn to those silly little love songs from that era as a sweet remembrance of my brief days of innocence.
I guess that the true meaning or intent and interpretation of those words and “wokeness” depends upon one’s perspective and their skin color or racial identity?!?!
Is there a single “the true meaning” of that now hijacked term, “woke”? I don’t think so.
Thanks for reminding us of the First Lady’s comment, “I want them to see what they’ve done to Jack.” Powerful.
I was in 6th grade at the time and never knew until reading this just now about the civil rights events leading up to the assassination. Whenever anyone mentions Kennedy’s assassination, they always seem to be focused on everything else so thank you for writing this. I learned something new today about events that happened in my lifetime.
Me three! I was thinking about how it’s another example of the whitewashed history that we learned.
Me too! I learned something new and I’ll read it again n the morning!
Oswald was shot and it is hard to figure how he fit into it all. That has been grist for conspiracy theories, Hate speech seems to encourage violent people to act out their impulses, as we've been seeing recently. And for what?
In the context of the Civil rights movement and the accusations of "communism," Oswald's position is far more plausible.
I was in 8th grade - and I also didn't realize the connection to civil rights.
It’s still nut country.
And it's getting bigger..
It's not nut country. The mindset of the Confederacy, of one person as superior to another due to skin color and chance of birth, is a cancer. And because the patient refused to have the cancer removed it behaved like any other cancer. It metastasized, spread throughout the body politic, and now stands to kill the patient.
Worse, Steve, the world.
As to how it "now stands to kill the patient," we're talking the U.S., a till-now 248-year-old republic, and ever-aspiring democracy.
Poisons have festered in the black soul of this country since Puritans lynched witches -- same black soul as in the Clarence court justices who license states to kill women's freedoms, same justices who rule a most vulgar convicted criminal above the law.
This country, America, has had the greatest music, the greatest novels, greatest films, greatest memoirs, histories, and other arts (mural, photography, poem, stage plays, more) -- but all that got evicted from the schools so that the commercial classes could more lethally roam as predators, so that the standardized testing behemoths could more totally push their dehumanizing conceits, further too that the social media billionaires can more thoroughly profit by their algorithms for hate.
Should such a country die, as black logic perhaps portends?
Trouble is, having elected that convicted criminal, we've no longer the luxury of inquiring as to but one country's imminent death. Its alliances with other democracies may be doomed. Its progress in stemming climate change worldwide may be doomed.
Its connivance with all the world's worst, and all their killings and hatreds may be assured.
I do not think democracy will be so easy to kill. As you said, we have a 248 year old tradition of it in this country - imperfect as it may be. Democracy will not die, it will be relegated to school boards, town meetings, local offices, and in a few places, state governments. It will be saved from the bottom up, not the top down.
"Fuck the patriarchy." Emma Watson (and myriad others).
Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana all want to force their public school teachers to teach from the Bible, while the churches preach, "Hate thy neighbor."
Many of the Bible myths and lessons are slowly disappearing from our cultural literacy as are other lessons we learn from mythology, fables and other world religions.
So much of what we hear and read everyday requires basic knowledge of literature and various religions.
Phil, as you and others here have said, bring back the humanities.
Refusing to remove the cancer … is nuts
I’ll never forget that day. 💔
I was only born 10 years later. I think Heather should write a follow up letter regarding how LBJ was committed to civil rights after taking over as President. I would love to learn more about that! And it is relevant for what is happening today, taking rights away and even destroying US democracy itself!
You could read Robert Caro’s superb four volume (a fifth is anticipated) biography of LBJ.
Caro isn't without flaws but it's worth reading. I've always been suspicious of his idolization of Coke Stevenson without mentioning that Stevenson was a bitter racist.
Thanks. I'll look for it.
Me, too.
Neither will any of us who experienced that day & the absolute grief & mourning—of the entire country! Families huddled together glued to the television coverage of the assassination for an entire week. Our parents were so despondent we grieved for them as well….we were all in total shock & disbelief—TRAUMATIZED!!
We have never recovered, or healed from this and the murders of MLK Jr. (after his “I have a dream…” speech in Washington D.C.) and Bobby Kennedy’s murder (the night he won the Presidential Primary)!
This haunts us to this day, and it was over 60 year’s ago!! We MUST NOT allow this to ever happen again, and trump’s supposed “election” has brought back horrific memories and many of us simply cannot handle enduring any more Greedism winning in the end….
Now, the white supremacists control 28 states instead of 13, and they control all three branches of government.
Not for long. I believe that.
I hope you are right, but I’m confident that, whatever happens politically, the 75 million white supremacists who voted for Trump are not going to have a change of heart. Their ilk has been at it for 400 years in this part of the world.
They are, by nature, cowards. They listen to the straw man's song and dance, they are aware their own inadequacies and they are afraid. So they hide behind the grifter, the malignant clown, the imposter. But left on their own? They are weak and without a moral compass. I don't believe there are 75 million of them. Some are already realizing they were duped. The rest? They are the underbelly of every society.
This is what I think.
It's hard for us to believe, when we pay attention, but many people just don't. I hope some of them figure out why we do.
I'm guessing at least half of them have no clue about what the white supremacist MAGAs and evangelicals believe.
I've seen various estimates over the years, but about 1/3 of people living in the US have never traveled outside the state where they were born.
Just imagine, removing all of your life experiences that you have had outside of the confines of your own community.
I'm not sure how to eliminate racism but there has to be a way to convince people that racism is less important than taking care of their own economic interests, and that those interests can best be addressed without oppressing anyone else.
B
I too support that it cannot be long and among us already feel a resurgence of belief, and actions to take us on a better path. Like many who are remembering, I was in high school history class when our teacher was called out then returned to tell us. It was the first time I witnessed a grown man crying. I love that Heather has recounted this traumatic event from the perspective of the women because I fear we women have the most to lose if we don't overcome tfg and company now.
One thing that I see: DT and his team are neophytes with too much hubris to see that fact. Never in the history of the world has a bunch of hacks been able to effectively run anything, let alone an enterprise as large and complex as the US government. They will not be able to deliver on their economic promises especially, since they have no real sense of how economies actually work. 2% inflation seems to have killed the Harris/Walz ticket, what will 10% inflation do to Donvict & company? Not to mention the presence of massive concentration camps in many boarder states.
Rex but not one of the many that I’ve learned nothing from this election. You continue to use the isms, such as racism and sexism and xenophobia and bigotry and misogyny you will lose every election hence. Have you actually noticed the Trump appointed two women to the top post of his cabinet? Have you seen the diversity in his cabinet without even having trying be diverse. I hate to say this to you, but I know it’s like offer you a disease, but 73% of cable news now is controlled by Fox. They are now the third rate is primetime network on TV and their digital footprint. Every other major networks, including all the ABC, NBC, etc.. The post news decline of the CNN and MSNBC was about 40% of their viewership and another 15% for Mika and Joe on top of that. In the meantime Fox went up 21%. I have suggested this to a lot of this group before go watch Fox News for a week starting from let’s say Brett bear on till Gutfeld is over for a week and see the difference between the news you’re getting there and the news you’re getting from the legacy media and then make up your own mind. Feel free to dismiss everything you see on Fox, but at least you’ll understand why America is choosing them over the lives of the seat of the two other networks, which of one is actually being spun off due to its failure
So all the sexual predators and Russian assets and outright loons in that cabinet lineup, not to mention the sexual predator, Russian asset and rapidly dementing lunatic in chief just don't bother you at all?
He's a troll. Please dont feed him
Miselle, I know - not going to waste any time on it.
Sexual predators, and Russian assets. Are you reading from Aesop‘s fables?
Do you not realize that your media legacy media lied to you and they’re being destroyed in the ratings because people no longer want to listen to their lies.
We had to listen to 3 1/2 years of Hillary and Adam Schiff and the Russia hoax and Robert Mueller and it was all bullshit so please spare me your condescending and incorrect post. The sexual predator was not replaced with a woman who’s done her job for the last eight years for the third largest most popular state in the country. What I love about that particular selection is one of your most liberal networks called her position at Nightmare because “she knows how to do her job“. Omg.
And you also love to see things from only one side of the aisle. You forget about Bill Clinton‘s 10 year affair with Gennifer Flowers while he was married you forget about his $850,000 payoff to keep another woman quiet you forget about Monica Lewinsky and him lying on the road and she was his employee.
And yes, even the great John Kennedy was a prolific sexual predator according to many sources and many women.
You also dismissed 76 million voters like Hillary did placing them in a porta deplorable basket when you should’ve learned from that. And he’s back in the White House for only one reason. The current administration misread the public. I drove this country into a ditch. Made daily expenses on affordable, and open the border to a torrential amount of criminals and unvetted illegals.
You also frightened me, calling him rapidly dementing. Joe Biden was already a semi cadaver when they allowed him to run a second term. And while they discussed the 25th amendment all the time with Trump, they refuse to use it on Biden, not only knowing he was losing it, but hiding the fact. If he if they had use the 25th amendment originally like 2 1/2 years ago, you would have a democrat president in the house probably if they would affirm the country around
So stop the fake fear, mongering and watch this country regain its shen. again
The Russian hoax didn’t work well the first time and it’s only gonna get worse if you keep it up. Portland is scared shitless of Trump but I guess you don’t know wife if you wanna know just ask me and I’ll tell you
Tell me about you family.
Putin is scared shitless of Trump Biden on the other hand was a push over and not only that he is escalating a war that we should’ve never been involved in in the first place $200 billion of money we could’ve use on our homeless and our poor. Instead he’s re-creating another Vietnam the only difference is that it’s 60,000 Ukrainians have already died versus 60,000 Americans and a few of my friends died during Vietnam. And now Russia is lowering their threshold for nuclear weapons, because Biden allowed Zelenskyy to escalate using American weapons. Biden should be tried for treason at this point
how did you apply for this job?
Excuse me, the sexual predator was now replaced. I’m voice texting and it was an auto correct. Sorry
Dumb bozo.
I watched faux snooze for six weeks straight and my brain started oozing out.
Guess you missed the fact they payed almost a billion dollars for lying to their viewers about the 2020 election.
Good ole tucker boy love to call the donvicts followers cousin f*uckers and hated the donvict.
Maybe you should do some research into that.
As for the russia hoax, maybe read the republican report on that too and learn something.
What I've learned from people who voted for the donvict is that character no longer matters especially when that person can give a hand and mouth job to a microphone stand and everyone cheers for him.
My grandson will grow up knowing that the donvict is a crass, vile, whiny man baby who should be pittied and never look at as someone to emulate.
I only respond to trolls once.
Well I posted a long comment here but it apparently got waylaid somehow so I’ll start all over.
Yes, Fox News was sued and do you know that many other of your favorite networks have been sued as well. Do you think your networks have not lied? Let’s try a few of these. THE BORDER IS SECURE. BIDENOMICS IS WORKING.
CRIME IS DOWN INFLATION IS TRANSITORY. AND MY FAVORITE JOE BIDEN HAS NEVER BEEN SHARPER THAN EVER. You talk about lies. They knew about it for 2 1/2 or three years and not only lied but then covered it up only to find out it was too late.
The Russia hoax was just that the Russia hoax you could try to spin it every way you want the two years of Hillary bit bleaching destroying her emails and her phone Adam Schiff lying about the hoax Russian info about the 51 people who said Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian and then the Robert Mueller investigation that found nothing. All to preempt Donald Trump from completing his promises, which he will no doubt do on this tour.
Oh, and I have some more bad news for you to your chagrin. He is not a convict. Uh oh
And why do you think the media is scared about revenge because they lied about him called him Hitler, a fascist, a misogynist, a racist, a xenophobic, a bigot you name it all lies. Although Biden did invite Hitler into the White House and Joe and Mika went to visit Hitler in his home and had a very nice conversation with Hitler himself.
Take a look at his cabinet he just posted two women to the top posts most important and powerful post in this cabinet and his cabinet looks like the most diverse of cabinet ever and not because he tried to make a diverse because it happened by itself
If your grandson is lucky enough, he’ll judge for himself without hearing your poison and your hate as far as the performance that Donald Trump completes during his next term
And let’s hope he doesn’t emulate the shifts and the madhouse and the Mayorkas and the Garlands where they are now trying to flea before they can be forced to testify and disclose information that they’ve been hiding. Mayorkas especially the liar in chief. As opined in the media.
The worst thing for you is that you haven’t caught on what just occurred 76 million people voted for this man and 49 of 50 states went redder.
And if you wanna talk about crass we can look at both side sides of the aisle where you refuse to do so and talk a little bit about people like Bill Clinton who I voted for twice and his affair with Jennifer flowers or the 850 grand he paid as an NDA and nothing happened to him not to mention that little blue dress that he had sex in the White House while president while married and lied about it under oath. Oooops. So let’s look at both sides shall we there are no innocent people here. We could even look at JFK who is a fabulous president, maybe one of the best ever and his sex life.
The best quote and description ever I can give you of Donald Trump is one by by a very famous individual who said this : I do not like Donald Trump. I like every single one of his policies that helped all Americans and helped this country. Stay safe keep prices low keep crime, low and prevent wars all over the world.
And since you’re not gonna respond to me, which is absolutely fine I hope your grandson doesn’t grow up with the hate that you have in your body caused by nothing other than Trump arrangements syndrome. Trump is going to go down as one of the best presidents of your lifetime and the best one of the best presidents in American history. Sorry. And I don’t know how old you are, but if he does a great job this next presidency, he may indeed fulfill Nancy’s suggestion only a bit different. He might indeed end up on Mount Rushmore
"choosing them over the lives of the seat of other networks" please clarify. I know you can, because you are a Russian bot.
Yes the famous Russian bought defense. You know here’s what I’m gonna tell you the more you use things like that is fantasies in your head. The worst the future elections are going to be for you. I voice text everything and I don’t go back and check it because I believe people here are intelligent enough to figure things out. Liberal seem to like form over content. I don’t buy it. I demand that you understand content before you look at form. That’s just me the old Russian bot lol you poor guy.
The part of winning elections you have valid points on but essentially you are a nut job. Probably a very lonely one indeed.
Dumb bozo.
What a fine intellectual and erudite comment there Bill. Well done !
It’s one of my better comments and right on.
Well, you certainly have a low bar bill, but if that suits you, it’s good with me.
I was a Sophomore in high school in Dallas on that dreadful day. I was at Love Field with a few thousand admirers. I watched JFK and Jackie arrive and descend from Air Force One. They came to the fence and I shook JFK’s hand. I was thrilled and held my hand in awe. As I watched JFK proceed, I felt someone grab my hand. To my shock it was LBJ who had my hand between his and was greeting me. Over 200,000 people greeted JFK that day and were happy and proud and enthusiastic. The city sank into a terrible and sad state of horror that lasted for a long time. The vast majority of citizens were appalled and ashamed.
‘
Back in the day when shame was still a thing.
That’s a wonderful and personal story.
At 77 years old, I thought racism was falling behind us, but its ugly footprints have been shadowing us and now overtaking us.
No, only if we let them. No, too many of us will not let that happen. There will always be the ugliness; we are a nation of people who came here, not because we wanted to, but because we had to. We won't let those who are abusing our creating a nation for all who seek refuge to turn it into a thug's paradise. We just won't.
Thank you Carol-Ann, for your words of encouragement. We must resist and persist.
Thank you as I weep. Thanks for giving me the strength I need to fight.
The only way it will overtake us is if we want it to and/or let it…do not be like many of the conservative politicians - the staunch examples set by some of their males - spineless and weasel-like!
Another one who has lost her way. You probably didn’t hear from Bill Clinton the other day either that said, the first woman president is around the corner and it will probably be a republican woman. If you’re an honest person, go look at trumps cabinet. The two top posts in his cabinet are women and he has one of the most diverse cabinets in America history without trying to be diverse
You’re just sad
He's a troll. Ignore him please.
That would be pretty easy for your miselle. But that’s called denial. Just get in front of a mirror and focus on your conscience and your realize even if I was which I’m not the truth is still the truth
Not at all, I’m actually thrilled walking with my feet off the ground with a prospect of America being revered again America being , feared again, America, winning again, lifting all boats as Trump did during his first term.
And for people like you, Danny, I will used an Axiom I often use To people who are negative in advance, and only want to see one side of the argument when 76 million Americans saw a different side than you
Minds are like parachutes they work better if they’re open.
"thrilled with my feet off the ground' please clarify.
We have made a lot of progress in many ways the past 75 years as a country.
Our fight should be against the theocrats and the oligarchs. Elon Musk is a foreign agent and an enemy of America. And there are dozens of others just like him with money and influence. Trump is just a pawn compared to Musk and the oligarchs.
We need to demonize them and hit them where it hurts, in their greedy little pocket books.
That day and the four days that followed are deeply imprinted on my soul.
Me too! We went into the side room off our kitchen and watched the black and white TV.
Ditto MisT
Would you like some milk and cookies with that? Stop the histrionics nothing is gonna happen. Fuck, you should listen to Stephanie Ruhle’s advice from CNN she said we should stop the histrionics because we know from history 80% of what we think is gonna happen never happens
This thread is about our lived experience of the assassination of JFK and the aftermath. It's not histrionics to talk about personal trauma. Also, just FYI: Stephanie Ruhle is on MSNBC, not CNN.
Jack Kennedy was—still is—the only President I’ve ever accepted in my eight decades.
After my turn in the barrel—Vietnam 1967-68–it was my greatest privilege to serve in the crew that put in commissioned service my nation’s newest aircraft carrier—USS John F. Kennedy (CVA 67)—in September 1968.
Now I’m in my eighth decade. I do not know the names of those who murdered President Kennedy, but I know the title of both them and their progeny: Coward.
Rest in Peace, John F. Kennedy.
PLEASE he's a troll. Ignore him.
Well, there’s two things I would say to you first of all my bad as far as naming the wrong network, but I am a firm believer in Content over form so there’s that
It’s histrionics to talk about what happened on November 5 as if it’s the end of your life As many of the people on the substack post to do. And obviously you missed the essence of my post of what Stephanie Ruhle suggested saying 80%
Of histrionics never happens. I would venture to guess it more than 90% and even then it’s not as bad.
But now since you brought up and Msnbc I have some tongue in cheek for you regarding MSNBC. New acronyms and nicknames for that stationS Call letters are coming in by the hundreds. Here’s a couple for your listening pleasure. MSRIP. MSNBC= Must sell now before Christmas But my personal favorite is We’re History channel using the history channel logo.
The day, John Kennedy was shot was probably the worst day of my life at that time. He was a true leader, and so be loved by everyone. What is most if not all the people on this particular paper trail on Liberal? I wish to make the point that John Benedict was not an enabler. He was not a handout person. He was a handout person and would be a middle of the road republican today compared to how far left the Democrat party has gone.
Said one dinosaur to another as they watched a large asteroid descending upon them:
“maybe this won’t be so bad.”
PLEASE don't answer him. He's a troll.
Oh stop with the troll business. Rick Sender is just a lonely old man who feels empowered with his mini diatribes.
Did you happen to live United States during trumps first term? Even the liberal hater suggested if not for Covid Trump would still be sitting in the White House today why? Low prices groceries, gas, and Mortgages, Safe Streets The border wall would’ve been completed we would’ve not had to pay 110, billion up from now for illegal immigrants instead of 10 billion for the wall. No wars around the world.
At this time, it’s even gonna be better than that if Biden doesn’t screw it up before he leaves office by escalating to almost the world war by allowing more illegal criminals in this country to remove
"of histrionics never happens" please clarify.
Sorry Steve I need a little bit more information because I see a lot of histrionics in a lot of posts here after the results of the November 5 election so I’m not sure what part or what post you’re referring to of mine
One of the things I suggested to a lot of people who are going through these histrionics is what Stephanie rule of MSNBC I guess is the right network
Stop all the histrionics because we all know that 80% of what we think is gonna happen never happens. I actually believe it’s closer to 90. I’ll be more than happy to respond to your question above if I had better context, feel free to fill in the blank there thanks.
I read her letter, and I realized what this was about and I even responded to it but many of the post here and another link posts alluded to the nightmare. That was the election of Donald Trump. I didn’t mean to conflate the two I was just responding to the post that I’ve seen here. Didn’t by any means attempt to diminish the tragic loss of John F Kennedy. My apologies if I did
It can be hard to follow conversations on Substack.
A great man was killed. You call our reaction histrionics. How will offering milk and cookies make us feel better. How do you feel?
I wasn’t giving you milk and cookies to make you feel better about the death of John F. Kennedy or the other two heroes that died that same year. There were a few people on the post that were mentioning about their histrionics about this November 5 election that just happened and I was responding to that. Sorry if you misunderstood the meaning or the direction of my post. I revered John Fitzgerald Kennedy, one of the best presidents ever but you should know this if John Kennedy we’re alive today he’d be a middle of the road republican based upon his political philosophy, and not the wackos the Democrat party that took the party too far left
PS I did not use a curse. Word as a voice text that apparently was a auto correct and I don’t usually go back and check my things because I have a lot of posts to attend to on this and other sources.sorry
As a young teenager, at that time living in Argentina, I become a Democrat in that instant 30 years before becoming a US citizen .
Ricardo, you might not have read my post above but if JFK were alive today he’d be a middle of the road Republican compared to how far left the Democrat party has gone
I couldn't agreed more!!!
You are correct but he would not be in the same place today as he was then. Where can I find even a few middle of the road republicans today?
Well, I would suggest you find them in the 76 million people that voted for him this time. And if you realize that 4950 states went redder than before. Where do you think they came from? They came from independence who tend to be middle of the road and they came from dispossessed Democrats that were fed up with the promises that never came from the Democrat party.
He got more Hispanic vote than ever. He got more black vote than ever.
And I hate even discussing that because I look at everyone despite their skin color versus because of their skin color, which is sickening to me
By the way, I hope you heard Bill Clinton’s message the other day a lot of people here are talking about. They’ll never be a woman president, blah, blah, blah blah, and especially a black woman president blah blah blah.
I think perhaps if Condoleezza Rice had run for president she probably could’ve won
But I’m more referring to Bill Clinton’s comments that said that it will be soon that a woman is going to be president and that remarkably that woman president will come from the Republican Party, which defies everything that liberals have been saying for years.
I have been posting recently that if either party puts up a viable competent centric woman candidate that she will get elected in a landslide despite any skin, color, ethnicity, etc. Bill Clinton thinks it will be a republican woman which even takes that to a higher level. Have a good night.
I was 16 years old, sitting in some sophomore high school class.
A friend of mine was walking down the hall, and through the open door next to my desk, he told me.
Of course I couldn't believe it. But this friend would never pass on anything like this unless it were so crazily true as it turned out to be.
Never recovered.
I too was 16 years old. I was in a journalism class when a classmate came into the room and said that Kennedy had been shot. Like you, I didn't believe him as he was a bit of a class clown. Then the principal made an announcement over the school PA system. I was devastated. I had started to recover when 5 years later I was in Memphis when MLKJr was assassinated. Then a mere two month after that RFK was murdered. Now, 61 years later, the grief rises up yet again.
Like several others here, I too was a 16-year-old high school student when the news that the President had been shot was broadcast over the PA system. It was a Catholic high school, and many of us went to the school chapel to pray for the President's recovery. Not long after, we learned that he was dead. For many of us, from the perspective of 61 years, it seems like the decline of America, now verging on the precipitous, began on that day. We just didn't know it then.
I too was 16. About 50 of us were sitting in choir. The announcement had come in over the classroom loudspeaker, but we didn't know yet if the President was still alive. Everyone was stunned into silence as we waited to hear more, unable to do anything else. Our choir teacher was Catholic too, like the President, and went to her car to get her Rosary which she brought back into the classroom with her. She was crying and we were all frightened and terrified the worst would happen, which it did. My father (who passed away before 9/11), and who had voted for Kennedy, was in class at that same high school teaching civics down the hall to the seniors. It was a required class back in those days. Thank you Heather for the background leading up to this, I had actually forgotten about that. Yet it is SO important. And look where we are today. Good grief, when will it all end?
Same here in NC where responses were mixed but school closed early and didn't reopen for a day or two so we saw the murderer murdered live on black and white TV. Gun violence just never stops. It's all so sad.
you are not alone, Phil
I'm an older man and not often brought to tears.
My brother was stationed at Carswell AFB and was in a group of officers that met the plane. When they brought the news of the President’s death, he said, “I just shook his hand!” We were nearby in Northwest Louisiana. I was a child, but I clearly remember it. My parents and their friends were all devastated. There were so many conspiracy theories. They said they would release more details in twenty years but I don’t remember that happening. I’m not sure we will ever know the whole truth.
It seems quite certain that none of us alive at that time will ever know
I have been waiting for your reflection on the JFK anniversary, Heather. I knew it would be solemn and poignant. I was nine years old, in fourth grade at the time. I’d never seen my mother cry that much, and I think it was the first time in my life I felt like the world was not a safe place. Fewer and fewer of us are alive who remember that day. It was a generational dividing line, the way 9/11 was for Gen X and Millennials.
I was an infant at the time. You’ve made the horror of that day very real to me. And the rift has shifted but it has not healed.
My grandparents were vacationing in Dallas that day but were not on the parade route. I often wonder how our country might have been different had JFK, MLK, and RFK lived.
Or, Devon, tho’ not gut wrenchingly tragic as these assassinations, what if Carter had won a 2nd term (and the solar panels stayed put on the WH)or that SCOTUS would have let the count go forward in Florida, hanging chads & all, and Gore became POTUS…where might we be as a country today? Perhaps in some alternate universe the answer is known. 🌌
I have pondered the same thoughts over the years. I don't think that this country has ever really healed from the loss of JFK, RFK, and MLK, three powerful & inspirational visionaries, who wanted to lead this country to a much better direction. With the loss of their influence, it has always felt to me that the country never has quite regained its footing, in trying to reach its most aspirational goals
I think for sure it would have been different, although maybe not as different as I like to think, or maybe more so. What if we had just banned slavery and discrimination from the get-go? Seems like it would have saved a lot of heartache for most everybody. What (and this is possible) we learned from history and corrected our mistakes?