Kennedy Assassination: The 48th Anniversary Of John F. Kennedy's Tragic Death

Tuesday marks the 48th anniversary of one of the most tragic events to take place on American soil -- the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was gunned down while riding his presidential motorcade through downtown Dallas. He suffered a head wound at the hands of a shooter suspected to be Lee Harvey Oswald. But before any conclusion was reached, Oswald was shot and killed while he was being transferred from a city jail to a county jail.

Nearly five decades later, Americans are still learning about a president whose time was viciously cut short. Back in September, a new book was released detailing how Kennedy objected to the idea of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson taking over once his presidency was complete. The interviews were compiled in "Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy" -- a book that features conversations on topics ranging from JFK's reading habits to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In a separate new book, MSNBC talk show host Chris Matthews examines the history behind JFK's powerful rhetoric. His piece -- "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero" -- dissects the origins of the moving 1961 inaugural address that inspired Americans to "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do what your country." Among the surprises -- JFK's exposure to that language came in a private school setting that offered a stark contrast to the lives of 1960s working-class Americans.

President Barack Obama's penchant for strong oratory performances have led to some JFK comparisons. On Sunday, New York Magazine's Frank Rich wrote perhaps the strongest one yet, detailing the hate that ended JFK's run. He argued that the early sixties contained circumstances eerily similar to those currently faced by the Obama administration.

"What defines the Kennedy legacy today is less the fallen president's short, often admirable life than the particular strain of virulent hatred that helped bring him down. After JFK was killed, that hate went into only temporary hiding. It has been a growth industry ever since and has been flourishing in the Obama years. There are plenty of comparisons to be made between the two men, but the most telling is the vitriol that engulfed both their presidencies."

Comments

[rel77]

12:09 PM on 11/30/2011

Regarding Frank Rich's comment on the similarity of political vitriol surrounding Kennedy and Obama, I would add that this is not a hatred born in a vacuum. There is nothing about either of these men that suggests they are someone you should hate. They are both young, optimistic, cheerful and seem to be loving, caring parents (we all now know better about JFK's personal life). So that begs the question "why would anybody hate either of these two men?"

The answer is the same for both. They are hated by the institutions that stand to lose the most from having them in the White House. For Kennedy it was the segregationists, religious fanatics,
anti-communist zealots and the military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about. For Obama, it's the banks and hedge fund oligarchs who want to continue turning this country into a feudal society of robber barons and peasants. And of course, bigots and religious fanatics.

In other words, in both cases you have very powerful, well funded, intensely partisan groups whose agendas fly directly in the face of these two presidents. And like the Kennedy's, or MLK, or Jesus, you fight these powerful institutions at your own risk. Which is why anytime a Democrat lands in the White House, I pray for their safety. We have to be realistic about the fact that this is just barely a civilised country. In many places (like Dallas in 1963) it is a truly scary place to find yourself.

[SHAEN]

11:19 AM on 11/30/2011

JFK GREAT PRESIDENT

[MyTake]

12:34 PM on 11/27/2011

Conspiracy to Commit - is a fundamental law found globally.

Conspiracy Theories - is the principle means used by the Corporate Controlled Media in The U.S. to DISCREDIT anyone holding a valid suspicion of the the powerful men/organizations for which they protect/cover of the crimes of those elites.

Kennedy was confronted with Freemasons in all areas of his Administration departments.

John Foster Dulles, State (33º)
Allen Welsh Dulles, CIA (33º)
J. Edgar Hoover, FBI (33º)
Curtis Lemay, Air Command (33º)
Charles Cabell (2 i/c @ CIA (brother to Dallas Police Chief) (33º)

The Pratt House then handed Kennedy his VP Lyndon Johnson (33º) to further encircle him.

Kennedy threatened abolition of The Federal Reserve and The CIA where were the cornerstone control mechanisms for The Pratt House control over government.

Secret Service were embedded with Masons.

The cover-up.

The House Select Committee on Assassinations was headed by Louis Stokes (33º).

Seven of Eight Warren Commission members were Freemasons. Masonic Law firms were assigned to each Commission member.

Chief Justice Earl Warren (33º)
Gerald Ford (33º)
John J. McLoy (33º)
Allen Welsh Dulles (33º)
Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. (33º)
John Sherman Cooper (33º)

Kennedy fired Allen Dulles and Cabell over the Bay of Pigs fiasco and yet Dulles comes back to control the evidence going before the Commission.

There is Conspiracy to Commit in there.

[dgosha]

11:02 AM on 11/24/2011

I have read some more comments in here and I just want to make a general statement to those who have read a lot of the conspiracy books and are passing along a lot of the dis (not mis-, there is a difference) information contained in them.

The authors of most of those books will make themselves sound like they are THEE authority on the JFK assassination and what they have "uncovered" is the unvarnished truth and that the official investigations are all lies and the official investigators all liars.

It really turns out that it's usually just the opposite.

Most of those conspiracy authors have gigantic egos that are only satisfied by people cowtowing to their every word. That and the quest for money - greed.

They will promulgate false information without hesitation and without regard to the truth of JFK's assassination. Even after their "evidence" has been debunked. They don't care.

Which is really the second tragedy.

So, you need to completely investigate any claims such as. "LBJ was behind it" or, "The CIA did it" or, "Big Oil did it", etc.

Because there is so much BS out there.

It really is shame that most people believe in a history that never happened.

All because of lies.

[gx5000]

03:42 PM on 11/25/2011

Where do you stand on the Greenbacks theory....?
Seems every president that's ever hinted at it has been shot or poisoned..
Some assassins succeeded, some didn't....

[dgosha]

04:41 PM on 11/25/2011

There is no proof re JFK's assassination.

You can't subscribe to a theory for which there is no proof.

[Alexander Captein]

06:31 AM on 11/24/2011

Anyone at this point who still doesn't think there was a conspiracy surrounding the assassination or believes that Oswald was a lone gunman is well, an idiot.

[dgosha]

09:15 AM on 11/24/2011

No.

You are incorrect.

Stop reading conspiracy lies and do some real research.

Stop judging others who know what really happened.

[gx5000]

03:43 PM on 11/25/2011

Unfortunately, the only ones that "know" will never tell.
That's the way the game is played.

[Chikkipop]

08:55 AM on 11/25/2011

There is no evidence anyone else was involved, unless you can provide some that hasn't already been seen and dismissed.

I recently uncovered an old cassette tape I'd made of William Buckley hosting a debate between pro-conspiracy and "lone nut" proponents. I was surprised to hear how much better the reasoning was on the part of those supporting the single gunman view; 30 some years gives one time to gain wisdom.

In fact, "anyone at this point" who still thinks there was a conspiracy has more than likely not looked at the numerous solid refutations of just about every claim.

[dgosha]

09:15 AM on 11/25/2011

Exactly.

All they have done is read the conspiracy books or watched the conspiracy shows on TV and haven't really gone any further than that.

Of course, all of the conspiracy "evidence" can be very compelling because the authors make themselves seem like beacons of truth in a world of lies but it's usually just the opposite.

They twist and turn information and use the absolute least reliable evidence. Or they out-and-out lie.

In a supposed effort to lift the "mystery", they are insulting JFK by continuing with all of their nonsense.

[izlees]

03:15 AM on 11/24/2011

One last point - the rifle used to kill JFK was the exact rifle ordered by Oswalt. It hand his palm prints all over it. Oswalt's wife testified that Lee practiced with the rifle many times prior to the JFK shooting. Also, Galatasaray Oswalt scored 47/50 on his 100 m rifle testing 3 times while in Marine Basic. He was an excellent shot. The 3 JFK shots occurred between 50 and 90 meters. All three cartrigage­s and all three bullets, even the first shot, were accounted for. Again, get your facts straight.

[gremlin1]

03:36 PM on 11/24/2011

Oswald

[Danlar]

12:12 AM on 11/24/2011

JFK Jr. we are glad that you were not trigger happy. We are thankful that the whole southeast is not a nuclear wasteland due to your wisdom during the Cuban Missle Crisis......we are sad that you did not live longer because we believe you would have had the wisdom to DE-escalate Vietnam instead of Escalating it as Pres. Johnson did.
Yes, you were a WWII hero, your brother Joe was killed in the War, and you and poor Robert ..and Edward who had a terrible Drunk Driving accident where a girl was killed tried to live life as best he could despite that terrible tragedy he fought for ordinary people and lived as best he could for many years. Your son JFK Jr. surely would have entered politics and been a fantastic candidate, we miss him too.
You are people that I would feel right at home with having Thanksgiving together. I know my Dad-a WWII vet a long time ago- and Mom and their friends were very sad when you were killed (sadly drinking in a bar in Tiajuana Mexico) but we are still inspired by you I'll keep asking what I can do for my country. God Bless You All

[jimme]

10:02 PM on 11/23/2011

To them, it's Party before Country. They cried when W was in Office about showing respect.
Again, their hypocrisy is undeniable when they show nothing but disresect to President Obama.
It's to the point of disgust with these faux-patriots.

[saint bernard mom]

06:09 PM on 11/23/2011

This is one of my fondest memories. 

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm

[debberae]

04:31 PM on 11/23/2011

Note to those who don't buy into the "conspiracy theory"----The fact that 3 monumentally important leaders were assassinated in the space of less than 5 years time should be enough to set the alarm bells ringing for anyone. JFK, MLK and RFK worked unfailingly for peace and an end to the Vietnam War and civil rights. They were truly inspiring.

[debberae]

04:47 PM on 11/23/2011

Note to self---proof read. Amend to "for civil rights."

[Chikkipop]

09:02 AM on 11/25/2011

The alarm bells did indeed ring, but upon closer examination it appears more likely they were victims of the turbulent times.

Sometimes large events actually have small causes.

[debberae]

10:26 AM on 11/25/2011

I'm not saying there was a conspiracy just that the similarities were great. Security measures for public figures were not what we have today. They were at risk.. However owing to the nature of conspiracy and covert actions I'm not sure that it truly can be ruled out completely.

[gx5000]

03:48 PM on 11/25/2011

"victims of the turbulent times."

I would called that a sane if not"sanitized" assessment.
Cheers !

[wearechangewindsor]

10:51 AM on 11/23/2011

E. Howard Hunt gave a video deathbed confession of 'The Big Even' and even named names. Jackie Kennedy said that she believed L.B.J. and the CIA was responsible for the assassination and even a House Select committee stated:

he United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was established in 1976 to investigate the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the shooting of Governor George Wallace. The Committee investigated until 1978, and in 1979 issued its final report, concluding that President John F. Kennedy was very likely assassinated as a result of a conspiracy. However, the committee noted that it believed that the conspiracy did not include the governments of the Soviet Union or Cuba. It also stated it did not believe the conspiracy was organized by any organized crime group, nor any anti-Castro group, but that it could not rule out individual members of any of those groups acting together.

IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB!

[NorthSide]

04:59 PM on 11/23/2011

Please give a link to this confession, if you can find one.

[dgosha]

06:47 PM on 11/23/2011

You are just spreading more conspiracy nonsense.

[JFKMLKRFKJFKJR]

10:20 AM on 11/23/2011

Oct. 3, 1963 NYTimes article by Arthur Krock titled "The Intra-Administration War in Vietnam" mentions a source inside the White House stating: "The CIA's growth was likened to a malignancy which the very high official was not sure even the White House could control any longer." and "If the United States ever experiences an attempt at a coup to overthrow the Government it will come from the CIA."

JFK tried to eliminate the CIA and a month later his brains were blown out.

[Obi-jonKenobi]

05:20 PM on 11/23/2011

Spot on! As David Morales, a renowned CIA thug and hit man, bragged to a friend in the early '70's, "We got that S0B". Morales was part of the hit on JFK and was on the scene in Guatemala, Chili, and Cuba. He died mysteriously just before the House Select Committee on Assassinations could talk to him - as did a number of other members of the team.

[gx5000]

03:50 PM on 11/25/2011

He also talked about reclaiming the money supply. Greenbacks.
It's funny I never see that mentioned when this topic comes up.

[JFKMLKRFKJFKJR]

10:20 AM on 11/23/2011

“Now I know there are some people who say that this isn’t any business of the President of the United States, who believes that the President of the United States should be the honorary chairman of a great fraternal organization and confine himself to ceremonial functions. That isn't what the Constitution says. And I did not run for President of the United States to fulfill that Office in that way.”
-John F. Kennedy to the United Auto Workers Union May 8, 1962

JFK spoke the truth here with this speech and was murdered for it. All President's since have been total puppets to what Kennedy was talking about here.

[dgosha]

06:50 PM on 11/23/2011

So, you have posted two theories here.

Who do you think killed JFK? The CIA or the unions?

[BlairCase]

09:08 AM on 11/23/2011

Hate didn't kill the Kennedys.The Kennedy assassinations had nothing to do with animosity between supporters of U.S. political parties partiles or the debate between liberals and conservatives. Lee Harvey Oswald was a socialist who printed and distributed pro-Castro flyers while living in New Orleans. He targeted Kennedy because of his policies toward Cuba. Sirhan was a Christian Arab born in Jerusalem who strongly opposed Israel. He said he disapproved of Robert Kennedy because he supported Israel against the Palistinians.

[dgosha]

06:51 PM on 11/23/2011

Correct but Oswald was more than a socialist.

He was an avowed communist.

[jimme]

10:05 PM on 11/23/2011

Democrat, Socialist, Communist, they're all the same to cons. They have no clue as to what each is. Nothing but fear-words to scare the base.

[Djay0252]

09:08 AM on 11/23/2011

I remember the entire weekend like it was yesterday...even coming home Early Sunday afternoon to see Oswald get shot. How far this country has sunk into the pits since then.

[libwithaclue]

01:24 PM on 11/30/2011

That was the beginning of the end of American democracy and our end of innocence. The country has never been the same since Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963.