JFK 46 Years Later

[The Line]

So, Friday, November 22nd, 1963 was the day we lost JFK. My mom still remembers where she was when she heard(like many people).

I know this was before most of our times, but hey, figured a thread might be neat.

Obviously, keep politics out.

[Mattification]

He aged 10 years in the time it took from me clicking the thread to it opening up. Have I raced raced through time?

[The Line]

naw. that's just what I get for trying to do math first thing after waking up

[Mr. Backlund]

JFK is a unique study in public perception and the presidency. For all intents and purposes, he had a tumultuous-at-best (disastrous at worse) time in the Oval Office, yet he will always be judged by the rhetoric he espoused and campaign promises he made. Who knows what he could have achieved, but his legacy has been cemented on "What could have been" and the overall Kennedy mythology more than anything else.

[Ben Wyatt]

Many see him as the last truly great president.

As far as his Assassination? Oswald did not do it.

[The Line]

Sometime this week(may have already happened) History channel is having a couple specials on JFK

[Citizen Snips]

Nov 22, 2009 12:43:17 GMT -5 Ben Wyatt said:

Many see him as the last truly great president.

As far as his Assassination? Oswald did not do it.

As stated above, it's strange that people still rate him as great when in reality he did next to nothing in his short time in office. Probably his greatest contribution was making sure there was always an open line of communication with the Soviet Union, and it nearly took a nuclear war occurring before that happened.

I'm saying this completely apolitically, but he's probably the most mythologized President. Ask most people what he actually did in office, and they'll usually draw a blank.

[JDviant]

Nov 22, 2009 12:51:34 GMT -5 Citizen Snips said:

Ask most people what he actually did in office...

?

[The Line]

Nov 22, 2009 12:55:48 GMT -5 JDviant said:

Nov 22, 2009 12:51:34 GMT -5 Citizen Snips said:

Ask most people what he actually did in office...

?

I had a conversation with a friend about a month or so back asking why would you cheat, even if it was with Monroe, if you had Jackie O waiting for you back at Camelot.

[JDviant]

Nov 22, 2009 12:57:50 GMT -5 The Line said:

I had a conversation with a friend about a month or so back asking why would you cheat, even if it was with Monroe, if you had Jackie O waiting for you back at Camelot.

I do not encourage or endorse infidelity (wanna screw around don't get married; very easy) but I'm guessing the answer was "It's Monroe AND I have Jackie O waiting for me!"

[Mr. Backlund]

Nov 22, 2009 12:51:34 GMT -5 Citizen Snips said:

Nov 22, 2009 12:43:17 GMT -5 Ben Wyatt said:

Many see him as the last truly great president.

As far as his Assassination? Oswald did not do it.

As stated above, it's strange that people still rate him as great when in reality he did next to nothing in his short time in office. Probably his greatest contribution was making sure there was always an open line of communication with the Soviet Union, and it nearly took a nuclear war occurring before that happened.

I'm saying this completely apolitically, but he's probably the most mythologized President. Ask most people what he actually did in office, and they'll usually draw a blank.

He actually did quite a bit in his short presidency, but not much of it could be construed as good. The Bay of Pigs was a complete and total disaster and, in fact, likely strengthened the revolutionary forces in Cuba and further cemented Castro as a leading figured. The Cuban Missile Crisis was about as "hot" as the Cold War ever got and ended only when the US gave up strategic positions in Europe to prevent it from escalating any further. Vietnam escalated to where it was previously. There was also an operation in Iraq to destroy any Communist presence, which lead to the Ba'ath Party taking power (which lead to the rise of Sadam Hussein) and the killings of doctors, educators, etc. In addition, munitions and weaponry were sent to Iraq to allow the party to maintain power, which were later found to have been used in the near-genocide of the Kurdish people.

Its not all bad, as he did lay the ground work for NASA's exploration of space and many social programs (the so-called "New Frontier"), but obviously none of those came to fruition while he was still alive.

[Wolfpack Bitch]

I grew up listening to records of his speeches and documentaries of his life. The romance of the era made him larger than life. He was a good looking, charismatic man with a lovely wife and beautiful family. The all American family.

The mysteries that surround him with Monroe, his brothers and his murder only add to his legacy.

Had he finished out his term, he would probably have had a second one.

Had the paparazzi been as prominent then as they are now.. the scandals would have been above and beyond any of the dirt they dug up on Hilary's hubby.

Lady Bird Johnson is the one who had him killed.

[Young Game]

Nov 22, 2009 12:59:54 GMT -5 JDviant said:

Nov 22, 2009 12:57:50 GMT -5 The Line said:

I had a conversation with a friend about a month or so back asking why would you cheat, even if it was with Monroe, if you had Jackie O waiting for you back at Camelot.

I do not encourage or endorse infidelity (wanna screw around don't get married; very easy) but I'm guessing the answer was "It's Monroe AND I have Jackie O waiting for me!"

[bob]

[mattperiolat]

Well, I won't lie, Kennedy has always been a personal favorite of mine as far as Presidents go, mostly because we lost him so early with so much unfulfilled promise. True, the man, like any, had personal failings, but when you was consider how many drugs he was on and he basically kept the military in check long enough for cooler heads to prevail over the missiles in Cuba, it's a remarkable achievement.

And like someone said, at least according to a History Channel special last night, two weeks before he died, he got a 58% approval rating. Two weeks after the assassination, he was in the top 5 of ALL US Presidents.

I'm not afraid to say every year I mourn for him and his brother, even if they were far before our time, just because the what-ifs always make you wonder where our country would be right now if only...

I do wonder how difficult it is for members of the Kennedy family this year, especially Jean Kennedy Smith, given all her immediate brothers and sisters are now gone.

Off topic, is it me or has 2009 just been a horrible year?

[Hulk With A Mustache]

I really liked that JFK assassination episode of Mad Men from a few weeks. Probably the closest I'll ever come to experiencing what it was like when he was shot.

[The Line]

Nov 22, 2009 17:53:28 GMT -5 mattperiolat said:

Well, I won't lie, Kennedy has always been a personal favorite of mine as far as Presidents go, mostly because we lost him so early with so much unfulfilled promise. True, the man, like any, had personal failings, but when you was consider how many drugs he was on and he basically kept the military in check long enough for cooler heads to prevail over the missiles in Cuba, it's a remarkable achievement.

And like someone said, at least according to a History Channel special last night, two weeks before he died, he got a 58% approval rating. Two weeks after the assassination, he was in the top 5 of ALL US Presidents.

I'm not afraid to say every year I mourn for him and his brother, even if they were far before our time, just because the what-ifs always make you wonder where our country would be right now if only...

I do wonder how difficult it is for members of the Kennedy family this year, especially Jean Kennedy Smith, given all her immediate brothers and sisters are now gone.

Off topic, is it me or has 2009 just been a horrible year?

Just think about how much the last week or so of November sucks for the Kennedy's. the 22nd, Jack was killed, and the 25th is Jack Jr.'s Birthday

[ani]

He's one of the mostly overtly romanticized people in Western civilization but it's not his fault as he only was in office so shortly.

[mattperiolat]

Nov 22, 2009 18:30:53 GMT -5 The Line said:

Nov 22, 2009 17:53:28 GMT -5 mattperiolat said:

Well, I won't lie, Kennedy has always been a personal favorite of mine as far as Presidents go, mostly because we lost him so early with so much unfulfilled promise. True, the man, like any, had personal failings, but when you was consider how many drugs he was on and he basically kept the military in check long enough for cooler heads to prevail over the missiles in Cuba, it's a remarkable achievement.

And like someone said, at least according to a History Channel special last night, two weeks before he died, he got a 58% approval rating. Two weeks after the assassination, he was in the top 5 of ALL US Presidents.

I'm not afraid to say every year I mourn for him and his brother, even if they were far before our time, just because the what-ifs always make you wonder where our country would be right now if only...

I do wonder how difficult it is for members of the Kennedy family this year, especially Jean Kennedy Smith, given all her immediate brothers and sisters are now gone.

Off topic, is it me or has 2009 just been a horrible year?

Just think about how much the last week or so of November sucks for the Kennedy's. the 22nd, Jack was killed, and the 25th is Jack Jr.'s Birthday

Plus the fact that John Jr.'s birthday is also the day they buried his father.

I swear, I will never for the life of me ever understand why this family has inherited so much tragedy. From Joe Jr. dying over England toward the end of WWII to losing the last Kennedy brother to brain cancer, it's just... no one really could blame any member of they just wanted to hide somewhere until the end of time and yet, they persevere. I suppose there is something admirable about that.

[The Line]

Nov 22, 2009 20:46:46 GMT -5 mattperiolat said:

Nov 22, 2009 18:30:53 GMT -5 The Line said:

Just think about how much the last week or so of November sucks for the Kennedy's. the 22nd, Jack was killed, and the 25th is Jack Jr.'s Birthday

Plus the fact that John Jr.'s birthday is also the day they buried his father.

I swear, I will never for the life of me ever understand why this family has inherited so much tragedy. From Joe Jr. dying over England toward the end of WWII to losing the last Kennedy brother to brain cancer, it's just... no one really could blame any member of they just wanted to hide somewhere until the end of time and yet, they persevere. I suppose there is something admirable about that.

Its the closest thing to a real-life modern Shakespeare Tragedy we'll get.