Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. As we reflect on this day with the remorse of a corrupted hero we should remember the symbolism a young charismatic rich boy from Boston was able to bring to the world. Regardless of our belief systems, politics or opinions let us take solace and pride in the fact that this nation was able to harbor the dreams of a man who truly believed there was no other nation more important than ours. Yes, Jack was a womanizer. Yes, Jack had near crippling injuries that caused him to abuse pain killers. Yes, we WOULD have gone to Vietnam in some capacity. And yes Jack was slow to embrace the civil rights movement. All flaws in the eyes of an American people just as corrupt with power and greed as the office tends to promote even in its most decent form. The take away, if there is one, is for all of us as one people to remember the struggle of all people simultaneously around the world along with the quarrels of those who came before us and the mountainous issues we face going into the future. You do not have to like or admire the late John Fitzgerald Kennedy nor embrace the importance of his young and progressive presence to grasp the magnanimous undertaking he and Bobby were fighting to achieve. In an era perpetuated solely by Communist aggression and the emergence of equality we see the reality of those issues and the people that fought for them. These things so foreign to the average American working stiff that to contemplate the reality of which one would see a Russian people trying to cope with the death of 20 million of its citizens and working to strive for a peaceful world where their ideology is as accepted as free market capitalism. And the rise of radical ideas in the civil rights movement translating into a call to action for decision makers to ensure that the rights of black children are just as important as white children. We take for granted the golden years of the American way of life. The Great Society and the New Deal. We no longer wage just wars on poverty, ignorance and brinksmanship, but on each other… My only hope is that in the next 50 years, as we continue to reflect on the events of that infamous day, we work to embody a sense of morality and empathy within each other. We remember brave men and women who fought on all fronts to promote the health and well being of others. We remember strong and more uncorrupted leaders such as Henry Wallace, Francis Perkins, Jane Addams, Malcolm X and Bobby Kennedy. I leave this long winded and grammatically erred post with a quote uttered by President Kennedy in a proclamation written on November 5th to be issued Thanksgiving Day 1963: Today we give our thanks, most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers--for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and which we must seek every day to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them. (President John F. Kennedy Nov. 5th 1963)
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 02:49:52 +0000
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