We are constantly being told what is true. Plus told that conspiracies are ridiculous. Despite that, many have questioned who really was behind the killing of John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert.
Given the movie Bobby is soon to come out, this was an interesting article to read-- Did the CIA kill Bobby?. There are more online articles about the man they mention in this article for those interested in doing more research.
By coincidence, when he was running for the presidential nomination in 1998, I had seen Robert Kennedy speak. In downtown Portland for a doctor's appointment, I saw a crowd gathering on a street corner and realized the speaker was Kennedy. I moved to the fringe and listened. It was amazing how open he was to the crowd with people coming from anywhere to listen. His sister-in-law, Jacqueline, had asked him not to run, said they would kill him too; but he evidently felt compelled to do what he felt was right for the country, and sadly she turned out to be right.
I didn't vote for Kennedy in that primary but remember vividly the moment I was told he had been shot. It was my Avon lady of all things as I hadn't been listening to TV or radio. After she told me, I put on the television, saw the film clips replaying the event. It didn't sound good and then came word he was dead. Perhaps it sounds melodramatic, but it was devastating to me. I literally slumped to the ground and cried. I painted a painting that day with slashes of reds, blacks and golds, showing a person huddled in the foreground and behind him a city burned. A political assassination is not just a murder. It's a person or a few people who decide to override the democratic process with an act of terrible violence.
My horror at assassination is why I would never consider watching the movie showing Bush being killed-- wish it had never even been made. I won't be seeing Bobby either. It brings back too many upsetting memories.
9 comments:
I will not see this movie; it just cuts too close to the bone. I actually campaigned for George McGovern that year, but I loved Bobby and assumed he would be the Democratic candidate. I'm with you in not wanting to see anyone assassinated, even Dubya.
In the same sick vein, they pulled OJ's programs and his book. I was sick to my stomach when I heard he had "written" a hypothetical account of what might have happened. Aaargh.
People love a conspiracy. I think it is interesting that at the end of the article they say that the world needs a compassionate leader like Bobby. I dont know a lot about Bobby but what I remember about him is that he was not that compassionate. He wanted to kick ass against the mafia and others that he didnt agree with.
Bobby Kennedy was no angel. He did JFK's dirty work when it had to be done. Conspiracy theories are a dime a dozen and about as valid as a good novel - FICTION. :)
I think history reveals plenty of conspiracies (the power of East Indies Company being a good example) but it's always hard when you are living in a particular time to know what really is going on. Remember the Maine... etc etc etc.
As for Bobby, not many make it to the top echelons of power by being saints (do any?). As I said, I didn't vote for him that year, did for McGovern (democrat remember).
So How was he looking in 1998? a bit decayed? ;)
If my memory serves me, Kennedy was running against Eugene McCarthy and Hubert Humphrey in 1968. McGovern didn't run until 1972.
I saw a five minute clip and review of the movie. It's not really a story about Bobby as much as the story of that day in the hotel in LA. Bobby shows up in the last five minutes. There's probably a lot of politics in the film about the ambiance of the times, but it's not a story about the assassination. At least, that's how the reviewer spoke about it.
I was too young to vote in '68, but if I had been old enough I think I would have voted for Kennedy. He had been an imperfect man when he was the Attorney General, that's for sure. But JFK's assassination tore into Bobby's soul and released something that made him a much better man than he had been. I did get to vote for McGovern in 1972.
I had really forgotten but you are right and it was McCarthy I voted for in that primary and Humphrey who ran that time. I didn't like Humphrey as well but you take what you get in politics and it's often the lesser of evils that a person votes for. I did also vote for McGovern when he ran. I didn't like what was happening with Vietnam. I was not an anti-war demonstrator and if we learned one thing from Vietnam (not that Bush did but the rest of us) it should be support the troops as they are doing what they believe is right for our country, putting their lives on the line, and they were not treated well often when they returned back here. I didn't know most of that as those were my baby-making years and I was kind of in a time warp for how much attention I paid to politics beyond the obvious voting.
And Bobby looked good that day, when I saw him; but it was at a distance. He was a strong speaker. He came across like a man on a mission, a man who interacted with theose listening to him, one who believed in what he was saying. He was a good speaker. The days of candidates speaking from street corners was soon to come to an end. For anybody who knows Portland, he was above what later has become known as Pioneer Square, down in the heart of the city.
I would have voted for Bobby and I'm very much looking forward to seeing the movie.
Possibly because I'm from the Boston area...but I've always had a strong connection for the Kennedy's. Despite their flaws...they've done lots of good.
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