Burnt Orange Report
News, Politics, and Fun From Deep in the Heart of Texas
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Burnt Orange ReportNews, Politics, and Fun From Deep in the Heart of Texas |
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November 22, 2003Dallas, America Remembers JFKBy Byron LaMasters  What is it with JFK and Americans? Why is it that he's tied with Abraham Lincoln in the latest Gallup poll as America's greatest president ever? I'd never rank Kennedy as our best President. Personally, I'd rank the top five U.S. Presidents as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Harry Truman (probably in that order). I'd probably place JFK in the top ten (along with Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, maybe James Madison, maybe James Polk (yeah, I'm a multilateralist now, but if I were around in the 19th century, I probably would have been a believer in Manifest Destiny - it was the right policy for the 19th century, while multilateralism and international cooperation is the right policy for the 21st century), maybe Bill Clinton and maybe LBJ). For me, JFK doesn't climb much further up the ladder for me, because his term was cut short after three years. Had he served two terms, he probably would have had the opportunity to become one of our best president's ever. The same goes for RFK. But he didn't have the chance. And maybe that's why Americans hold him in such high regard. Heck, I never had the chance to see or hear Kennedy, but I've heard and watched his speeches. And they inspire me. I've got a poster of Kennedy in my room with his picture and his quote "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". Why? I wasn't around when he said that, and I don't consider him one of our greatest presidents. So why the Kennedy picture / quote? It's inspiring. Every time I hear that speech I get goose bumps. The line from Primary Colors by Henry Burton probably sums it up just as good as any:
Kennedy will always be remembered, less for what he accomplished as President, but for his ability to inspire a generation by speaking about broad ideas and themes without sounding like bullshit. It may have been bullshit, but he made it seem real. It's real to me. When I need some inspiration, I just turn my head left and take a look at JFK on my wall. Posted by Byron LaMasters at November 22, 2003 10:16 PM | TrackBackComments
I went to Dealy Plaza today. By the time I was there, there were not as many people as in the photos you posted. When the national Fox (a/k/a Faux News) anchor was doing a feed, I (standing ca. ten feet away) yelled in my loud baritone, "Boycott Fox, Fair and Balanced my foot! They sued Al Franken and they were laughed out of the courtroom, etc." The news anchor did not expect it at all and it really threw him off. I am not sure whether it was live and whether he did another take - but it was fun. I have to confess I was a little disappointed. It seems as if most people there were more interested about the trajectory of the bullets than about JFK's legacy. Another incident disturbed me. Three girls asked me to take their picture in the enclosed Kennedy Memorial (For those of you who are not familiar - it is about a block away from Dealy Plaza in front of the "old red" courthouse) I thought they were going to stand by the "table like" stone that bears JFK's name, but they stood ON IT!!! I chewed them out and told them they had no respect for the man - they were taken aback. The whole event seemed representative that your average person there was "curious" and not "paying homage." I suppose Dallas still has the JFK assassination albotross around its neck. Posted by: WhoMe? at November 22, 2003 11:34 PMWhen the national Fox (a/k/a Faux News) anchor was doing a feed, I (standing ca. ten feet away) yelled in my loud baritone, "Boycott Fox, Fair and Balanced my foot! They sued Al Franken and they were laughed out of the courtroom, etc." The news anchor did not expect it at all and it really threw him off. I am not sure whether it was live and whether he did another take - but it was fun. I was going to make some comment about how this typifies the behavior of the left these days, but then I read... Three girls asked me to take their picture in the enclosed Kennedy Memorial (For those of you who are not familiar - it is about a block away from Dealy Plaza in front of the "old red" courthouse) I thought they were going to stand by the "table like" stone that bears JFK's name, but they stood ON IT!!! I chewed them out and told them they had no respect for the man - they were taken aback. ... so I'll have to wait until my irony meter is no longer pegged. Posted by: Jonathan at November 23, 2003 01:13 AMNothing ironic about it. The former example (statements about Fox news) was an expression of speech. An attempt to inform prople that Fox news is not fair and balanced as they claim, but a tool of the Right. If telling the truth is "disrespect" then the historic role of political dissent in this country means nothing (maybe this is the Right's aim). The later example (the girls standing on the "tomb") had nothing to do with making a statement. The girls were not expressing an opinion. They were carelessly (not maliciously) disprespecting the deceased. To literally stand on someone's gravestone (whether literal or symbolic) is disrespectful and these young people needed to be reminded of that. In sum, the "Left" is not up to whatever Jonathon implies. But his post urges me to propose a Truce: If Republicans stop telling lies about the Democrats, then Democrats will stop telling the Truth about the Republicans. Posted by: WhoMe? at November 23, 2003 09:39 AMIf Republicans stop telling lies about the Democrats, then Democrats will stop telling the Truth about the Republicans. - WhoMe? Ooooh, not a very good bargain, IMHO! :-) I'm with Harry... don't give 'em hell, just tell the truth and let 'em think it's hell. Byron, I don't know if Kennedy was a great president or not, but I do know he inspired a lot of people of my generation... I'm 55... and for all his screw-ups, we took him at his word for his good intentions for America. For all the allusions to mob connections, for all the hype about affairs with Marilyn, for all the Cuban missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs, etc., etc., we believed, rightly or wrongly, in his good intentions. It was easy to believe: unlike our current commander-in-cheat, Kennedy came across as earnest and devoted to America. Maybe you had to be there to understand your elders' obsession with Kennedy. Great? I don't know. But I do know we would be fortunate beyond belief if we had a president like him right now. Leadership that inspires confidence is leadership indeed. Posted by: Steve Bates at November 23, 2003 02:03 PMCome on, Steve, Bush inspires. I'm surprised you can't see that his budget deficits, ill-conceived war, and donor payoffs have inspired a number of people against him. :) The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius. Posted by: Leo Kristen at December 10, 2003 11:16 AMPost a comment
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