Im of a mixed mind about the great John F. Kennedy on this 50th anniversary of his death. I believe him to have been a great man, yes, but I also believe him to have been far more flawed than most seem willing to admit even though we have had 50 years with which to assess his life. And so while its possible things would have been better today had he not been assassinated 50 years ago this day, its also possible things would be exactly the same, or even worse. We can never really know what might have been. But there is one thing John F. Kennedy did that, along with the unprecedented scientific accomplishments brought about by WWII, changed the face of the world for the better in ways that no one at the time could have possibly imagined. The ripple effects of this one action of JFKs are still being felt today, and may be felt for all time. In fact, that one action is directly responsible for your even being able to read my drivel from time to time (so, of course, there is one bad thing you can blame on JFK). And it also must be noted that had he lived and served two terms, it is entirely possible that this greatest act of mankind never happens. Without the enormous pressure people of all stripes felt to live up to the legacy of the man shot down that day in Dallas, ordinary politics and difficulties may have caused this nation to back down from doing this great thing, this signature accomplishment of mankind, because it was so hard (and so expensive) to do. And so when I think of John Kennedy, my thoughts inevitably turn to this moment:
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 19:25:08 +0000
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