WHAT A DIFFERENCE 5 SECONDS MAKES

I'm not a conspiracy theorist which is why I won't whole heartedly commit to the ideas that aliens are out there. Having said that, I have been watching various documentaries about the Kennedy assassination and I keep thinking about how five seconds within that scope is an eternity. Let's take out the conspiracy theories for a second and look at the whole 5 second period.

In five seconds this is what happened:

1. One bullet goes through President Kennedy's neck and strikes Governor John Connally.
2. A bullet misses 
3. A third bullet kills the President. 

During those five seconds everyone in Dallas, in the parade route, went into pandemonium. The US as a whole froze and the direction the world seemed to be going in took a drastic turn. For nearly 50 years there have been theories of all sorts and the mystery remains. Still the idea of such a tiny spectre of time meaning so much is simply astonishing.

THE MYSTERY OF NICK BEEF

The long lingering mystery of Nick Beef has finally been solved. The mysterious dead man is actually some jackass that decided to buy the burial plot next to Lee Harvey Oswald's because it meant something to his history. I think it's ridiculous to do something like that in order to observe personal history. If I were Nick I would have purchased a paper or some sort of commemorative coin. This guy bought the grave next to Oswald's for a total of $167.50, in 1975, and put his stage name on there. Mr. Beef doesn't have any plans of being buried next to Oswald.

I think this is some morbid way to get attention, I don't care that he witnessed Kennedy's assassination in 1963. To me the sad thing is that he seems to identify with Oswald in some way, even if he won't admit it. If this "performer" attached importance to the actual event he would likely just write about it or talk about his early memory of that day. I think this is something of a tasteless way to get attention for yourself.

Can you imagine going to a party and meeting this guy? Hi I'm Nick Beef, alive in New York, dead in Texas, terrible lover to al my exes. To me this is ridiculous but we do live in a free country so to each their own.

IF HE HAD DONE IT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE TURMOIL

It's safe to say that the greatest hinderance to LBJ's presidential career and more than likely to his health both mental and physical was Vietnam. The most intense periods of conflict spanned the majority of LBJ's presidency starting in late 1965. LBJ was incredibly confident that he would be able to take care of this situation but unfortunately for him it was not to be. There is something absolutely hilarious about hindsight and life in general. LBJ announced in 1968 that he would not seek nor accept the democratic nomination for the presidency. With Johnson's announcement came Hubert Humphrey's nomination and subsequent run against Nixon.

Hubert Humphrey won the nomination because RFK was shot in June of that year and subsequently Humphrey was the go to guy since Ted Kennedy did not come out to take his brother's place. It was recently revealed that LBJ had a plan to come back into the race in 1968 during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. LBJ's plan was to arrive on board Marine One and declare his intentions while simultaneously undermining Humphrey and striking a major blow to Nixon's not so dominant lead.

The underlying subject of Vietnam was going to be Johnson's big blow to Nixon as he had proof that Nixon was the reason for the extension of the Paris Peace Talks since he was basically serving a stop to the progress by saying that he could provide Vietnam a better result than Johnson should he win the election. LBJ accused Nixon of treason and while Nixon used cunning and deception to extend the war  Johnson was using it to extend his legacy. If Johnson would have gone back in the chances are that the turmoil experienced by the country would have been just as great in some different level. Johnson was growing weaker physically and his presidency was riddled with opposition from the anti war movement  and young angry voters deceived with the fact that Camelot came to a quick and bitter end yielding the way for a Texas war monger.

I think Johnson would have faced more challenges than Nixon with Vietnam and likely would have probably died in office. More than likely Johnson's exit would have yielded the way for either a McGovern presidency or an unlikely Nixon comeback on the basis of Johnson's inability to effectively craft a strong war policy to deal with Vietnam. Nixon would have probably served until 1981 and more than likely would have had a far better legacy being that his presidency would have dealt with inflation, the Panama Canal, and little to no overseas conflict. Perhaps a 20 year republican lead would have been beneficial seeing as how Nixon, Reagan, and Bush were almost liberal by today's republican standards.

The fact is that nothing like that happened but it's interesting to wonder if it had, maybe this blog would have been talking about a whole different set of possibilities.

YOU MAY NOT LIKE HIM BUT HE HAD THE RIGHT IDEA

Richard Nixon was certainly not someone that invited joy and love from other people but he had some major merits to his credit. Nixon was likely the most effective VP in the history of the US especially when you consider the level of authority he had on issues of foreign policy and national security. Nixon had a great deal of experience which allowed him the opportunity of handling the Vietnam conflict with more success than LBJ. While Nixon's personality was incredibly off putting there is one thing about him that most people have to appreciate.

Richard Nixon was not really a guy to pander to anyone if he did not feel it was necessary. A prime example was the NRA. The NRA was, during the Nixon presidency much like now, an extremely powerful lobby. It's come out that Nixon would not cater to them and not only that but that he was willing to take them on by banning weapons altogether. Nixon did not believe anyone should own a gun. Even during periods when Nixon was facing enormous heat he was not willing to be a whore for the gun loving idiots in the NRA.

Nixon was devious, and in many areas someone that you just did not want to deal with. I will say one thing about him, the man had some serious gallons to be willing to take on the NRA. While no gun laws were passed by Nixon it was not really because he did not want to sign anything but because congress, his aides, and too many powers that be were staunchly against it given the power of the NRA.

Thanks for the college try Mr. Nixon!

1963 AND ALL THIS COUNTRY COULD BE

In this generation of Social Media and true homogenization or making every trend truly uniform in nature and condensing the fat content of distance and disconnect it seems history has also gone away.
On a sunny November day in Dallas exactly 49 years ago John F. Kennedy was gunned down and seemingly so was the hope and innocence of ideals that America clung to so tightly. I am not declaring political allegiance of any sort so if you are a zealous republican or ardent democrat please take the politics somewhere else.

From 1961 to 1963 for nearly three years the JFK administration was a beacon for this country. Every major leader was fascinated by the youth, good taste, and lively nature of the Kennedy administration. It was not always easy for JFK as he faced obstacle after obstacle with the growing conflict in Vietnam, the Bay of Pigs invasion and mounting tensions with Russia. Kennedy was also a maverick of sorts as he challenged the CIA almost directly, made it clear he wanted an audit of the FED and on top of that would not play ball with controlling figures such as J. Edgar Hoover. Kennedy was the man that wanted progress and at the same time a democracy where secrets were not on tab for the people he served.

Kennedy was a throwback to the days when leaders would openly address the people they served. With his multiple imperfections and serious flaws Kennedy was someone that gave this country a breath of fresh air. Kennedy was not stiff like Richard Nixon or old like the venerated Eisenhower. There was something special about seeing the Kennedy children run to greet their father as he exited Marine One. The Kennedy administration made this country something vital. With youthful figures like Robert McNamara, Pierre Salinger, and Robert Kennedy there was something special.

The only older figure in that administration was LBJ and he represented the stability and the experience of over 26 years in Washington. The US was ready to put a man in the moon and everything seemed on track, the US had hope. A bullet  on that sunny November day took that hope away and opened up a wound that this country has yet to heal from.

The US Presidency is more a form of business than a symbol of real power and change. Special interests plagues this country and basically secrets are what's behind every major decision that spurs any change negative or positive. There are no longer convertible Cadillacs or Lincolns and there is no longer that feel that our leader is someone we can approach. Truthfully November the 22nd 1963 was not the day Kennedy died but the day hope seemed to die.

It's fair to wonder how this country would be today if Kennedy had not been shot. Kennedy would have been re-elected in a fairly close election in 1964 and likely would have stopped sending troops to Vietnam and looked for a way to settle that conflict early. Kennedy would have marveled at the success of the Space Program and would have backed Martin Luther King with great fervor en route to great success in achieving equal rights for all Americans. There would have been turmoil but maybe less depletion of resources as a result of an easier out from Vietnam. Now in retrospect this is all a speculative matter but still that glimmer of hope that has faded is a great reflection of a wonderful time that was far too short.

And so for I hope I close with:

It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear.
The climate must be perfect all the year.

A law was made a distant moon ago here:
July and August cannot be too hot.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
In Camelot.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
In Camelot.
Camelot! Camelot!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But in Camelot, Camelot
That's how conditions are.
The rain may never fall till after sundown.
By eight, the morning fog must disappear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot!
I know it gives a person pause,
But in Camelot, Camelot
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.