KENNEDY’S SECRET SOCIETY SPEECH – This is a portion of the speech that President John F. Kennedy gave at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on April 27, 1961. “The President and the Press” before the American Newspaper Publishers Association.
KENNEDY ASSASSINATION
– I Saw How That One Moment
Changed America, Timely Secret Society Speech
Time magazine’s cover story is titled “The Moment That Changed America,” and it features some newly discovered color pictures of the Kennedys riding through Dallas before the fatal shots rang out. Reporter David Von Drehle writes the piece, calling the tragedy on Nov. 22, 1963 “shocking beyond almost anything else in American history.” I would say that the moment’s resulting aftermath was even worse – how it dramatically changed, or contributed heavily, to the largely rudderless, schizophrenic society that followed in it’s wake.
I remember as a 10-year-old kid in 1962 my mother taking me to see President Kennedy at University of California, Berkeley, for the charter day address. I didn’t really appreciate at the time what the President was talking about or the magnitude of his presence there. All I know is that there were 50,000 presidential admirers packing the UC Stadium , taking time off on a week day to be there for the President of United States. Can you imagine 50,000 people showing up today for our current president or any other modern president since Kennedy, for that matter?
It was rather eerie but interesting – thanks TO modern technology – to be able to listen to this Kennedy Charter Day Address 50 years later, from March 23, 1962 , and really understand it for the first time. Here’s to you Mom, for bringing me to this historic date. If I think having seen President Kennedy made it even worse and harder for this boy to fathom when we lost President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Presidents weren’t supposed to die. Yes, I remember not being able to finish my school lunch of macaroni and cheese when the news came down . It was a major blow that would have a significant impact on the rest of my life. Yes, my life — perhaps all of our lives- changed on that day. I felt life wasn’t the same as it was. They call it the end of innocence. I guess you could say that. The optimistic, happier times were over as society moved into an era of contention and even violence.
One cannot say whether the angrier tone in society that followed would have existed had Kennedy lived. Pres. Kennedy brought with him an optimism carried over from the postwar era that we haven’t seen since. they say the music died in 1959 when the plane with Buddy Holly, pop icon, went down. One might say that everything else went down on November 22, 1963 when Kennedy died. Since then, despite major efforts , legislation and millions of dollars to try to correct social iniquities and other problems in society, things have only gotten worse. Time does not always heal and, sadly, we have not healed since the death of our beloved President Kennedy.
One can Note the changes in society reflected in our media, music, movies and so forth which have taken on a significantly edgier tone since Kennedy. The crime rate has more than doubled. Today we are a less educated and more violent society then when Kennedy lived. One would think that 50 years time would be time enough to correct those underlying problems in society that were simmering when Kennedy lived but things have only gotten worse rather than better with no foreseeable hope on the horizon. Throw all the taxpayer money you want at problems today it’s not going to bring us back to the hopeful and optimistic days they called Camelot of the early 60s when people left their doors open for their neighbors, children played in the street and life was much simpler and happier.
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Interestingly, outside of the south, even the races seemed to get along better in the early 60s than they do today despite all the newfound understanding and social programs developed in the past 50 years. Bussing, welfare, food stamps… Nothing seems to help, if anything, they make things worse. We’ve seen flashes of a return to the Kennedy during the presidencies of Clinton and Reagan but those times were fleeting and without the real Kennedy impact. all of our technological, medical and so-called educational advances have not helped to right the ship. No, Kennedy was not perfect by any means, but he instilled those Christian values, if you will -basic core values not seen in 50 years that brought us together during the postwar era.
Despite what many considered a handicap in being Catholic, Kennedy was still able to unite all religions and races unlike any leader since his time. Can simply having the right president in office right all society’s wrongs? Of course not, but it can go a long way. Without opening up Fort Knox, Kenndy remained a friend to all races, colors and creeds. Even without major social legislation at the time, Kennedy was able to instill in minorities a sense of hope and success. During his presidency unemployment was lower than it is today and without the ‘benefit’ of millions of dollars in aid. Outside of the South, ask minorities who lived during the Kennedy era how they felt race relations were then as compared to now and They’ll tell you that things were better then.
WILDWOOD DAYS, sung by Bobby Rydell , is said to have been ‘the song’ that ushered out the Kennedy Era. (Dr Demento and others ) Rydell’s Cameo Parkway label spawned and capitalized on the dance craze of Kennedy era America It was a big hit at the time with upbeat lyrics and music reflecting the feel-good Kennedy Years. Celebrating the fabled amusement park in New Jersey, as WILDWOOD DAYS began fading from the music charts,so came the disintegration of Camelot – the JFK era of hope and optimism.
President Kennedy was a man who did make a real difference. Yes, one man can shape a nation and Kennedy did that better than anyone since. Politics didn’t matter- what a change from today, both democrats as well as republicans admired Kennedy. The likes of a man of the stature of Kennedy have been sorely missed ever since we lost him on that fateful day , November, 22, 1963. I remember it well. One man’s memories and thoughts.
by BK
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KENNEDY ASSASSINATION – I Saw How That One Moment Changed America
