I can feel the end of this primary season. I can feel the breakthrough in the dam that has held up progressivism for 40 solid years. You wanna know what we’ve got coming for John McCain? Here’s what.
That’s RFK campaigning in California. He’s got Deacon Jones and Rosie Greer in his ride. How cool is that? But we all know that even all that protection couldn’t keep him safe. They were facing what Richard Nixon called very terrible forces:
The right-wing columnist Westbrook Pegler, who had also been a ferocious critic of F.D.R. and the New Deal, welcomed the possibility that, as he put it, “some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his [Kennedy’s] spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies,” and J. Edgar Hoover’s deputy Clyde Tolson remarked offhandedly, “I hope that someone shoots and kills the son of a bitch.”
Hopefully, our country doesn’t have the same violent streak it clearly suffered from in the 1960’s. We shall see. When the Deputy Director of the FBI openly hopes for the assassination of a Democratic candidate for office, a mere five years after his brother was gunned down, you know you’ve got some serious problems with political violence in the country. I am not detecting that level of hate this time around. I’m thinking that, this time, we’re gonna make it to the promised land.
that’s a great picture..wonder if that Chrysler has a Hemi
I love that picture.
Me too! Great find.
He’ll probably win the nomination if somebody doesn’t kill him first.
He might even win the election, but I don’t know if he’ll live long enough to take office.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard variations on that theme in the last few months. Sometimes with a wistful tone, sometimes with resignation, more than once with a hint of suppressed anger. I’m not so sure that violent streak has gone anywhere.
Boo, you may not recall but my all time number one hero as a kids was Deacon Jones.
Kind of odd for a short pudgy white northern suburban kid to idolize a nearly illiterate (at the time) black man from SC who’s grandmother was killed when she was hit by a watermelon thrown by some white kids in a passing pick up truck.
Anyway, a few years after RFK was killed I read (as a sixth grader) Deacon Jones’ autobiography, Life in the Pit.
He devoted considerable time to his regrets and remorse about not being able to keep RFK safe. The most violent man in the NFL had huge hopes for the harmony that RFK might bring to a nation in which his grandmother was so hatefully and thoughtlessly killed.
I saw an interview with him years later and he was still driven to tears in his guilt and thoughts of what might have been had he been able to protect him.
He also felt stupid and inadequate in that here he was a huge bad ass, but not trained to provide proper security and he really had no business thinking he could.
In total, he had a pretty big impression on me.
I thought of you the first time I laid eyes on that picture. You taught me all about Deacon Jones and I never forgot that stuff.
From your fingertips to FSM’s eyestalks.
There’s a very famous Doonesbury cartoon from somewhere around August 9, 1974. Many Tribbers weren’t even born then, let alone remember it, so let me describe it. After a year or two of showing the White House as a walled edifice under a cloudy sky, the strip that day merely showed three or four panels of the clouds parting and the wall coming down, and ended up with a picture of the White House under a sunny sky.
That is how I’m going to feel on January 20, 2009. With a cherry on top, surrounded by unicorns and rainbows.
I wasn’t alive for the original publication, but among my most treasured books is a collection of the very first Doonesburies that my father gave me. (I have the CD collection they released in 2000, but it’s tough to find a computer that will run it these days!) While his modern strips are better-executed technically, the originals have a sense of heart and whimsy that’s mostly vanished now. That one, in particular, is one of my favorites.
Speaking of RFK – check out Pete Hamill’s amazingly insightful letter to RFK telling him why he had to run, from Hamill’s article in the New Yorker. RFK had said he WOULDN’T run in 1968. Hamill wrote this (go to the link for the whole thing) and Bobby carried it around until he decided to run after all:
Re picking up after a forty year bump – I wrote something similar about this a little while back (not here).
Off topic – you must see Speed Racer. It’s the fastest vacation you’ll ever get, with a little nice umph for activists. Parry posted my write-up on his site today (www.consortiumnews.com).
Where have we heard this lately?
Thank $DEITY-DU-JOUR we are on the verge of climbing out of that hole.
I am not detecting that level of hate this time around.
I hope you’re right. Larry Johnson at No Quarter just had to warn his commentariat about making death threats against Obama — noting that the Secret Service is already investigating two of them.
Ewww! I clicked on that link and I feel very ill now. Very bitter and hateful comments.
I warned him about the people he was attracting before I was banned.
He didn’t listen and now he’s warning people? LOL!!
I blame him as well if something happens.
Of the hundreds of things I loved about RFK, his newfie always makes me smile
George Seldes had a whole chapter on Westbrook Pegler in his book, FACTS AND FASCISM called “Poison Pen Pegler.” Just saying.
Hopefully, our country doesn’t have the same violent streak it clearly suffered from in the 1960’s.
Where you came up with that I don’t know. You have just finished killing up to 1000000+ people in Iraq. Sounds like the same Yanks that I used to know.
It wasn’t our country’s violent streak. It was our ruling class’ violent streak.
It is ours.
Deal with it.
Ask the Native Americans.
Ask the enslaved Africans.
The events that were covered in the magnificent book In Cold Blood could not have happened anywhere else in the world.
No other country that has enough to eat and a secure place to sleep for most of its citizens has EVER suffered the kind of endemic internal violence that we have suffered.
War? That’s just business. THAT’S the ruling class, always and everywhere.
What we are about?
That’s world-class dark.
Bet on it.
At the absolute depths of the Nazi regime, an unarmed man would have been safer walking the streets of Germany than has been the case in the U..S. for my entire lifetime.
Is it guilt over the theft of the land?
Guilt over slavery?
Simply the fact that we were primarily settled by people who were losers in the countries from which they were forced to flee?
Damned if I know.
But that violent streak?
No, baby.
This image could only be from one culture in the world, and looking away that fact only perpetuates the problem.
Sorry.
I really am sorry.
Later…
AG
It would be a beautiful thing.
A cabinet with Valerie Plame, an Australian-type national apology to Native Americans and to African Americans, a committee of elementary school students as advisors, and a dog in every lap what wants one.
I was so safe as a child; as an adult, I would like to be sure.
You hope “our country” doesn’t still have its violent streak?
As if the assassinations of the 1960s were not carried out by elements of our government??
Good god.
Please tell me you don’t think the Kennedys and King were killed by lone nut gunmen. Have you read the transcript of the civil MLK trial in Memphis, TN that ended in 1999 with a verdict in favor of the King family, that found the Memphis Police Department and “certain government agencies” carried out the assassination?
Have you heard the recent audio from the pantry of the Ambassador that reports 17 distinct shots from Sirhan’s 8-shot pistol, and the autopsy report about powder burns behind RFK’s ear–Sirhan never got within six feet of Kennedy IN FRONT OF HIM.
The magic bullet?
Do you not honestly believe that Republicans made a successful effort to steal the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections and probably cost the Democrats 25 Congressional seats (according to Mark Crispin Miller) in the 2006 election?
And are going to do the same in 2008?
I apologize for sounding a little hysterical here, but unless liberals and progressive break out of the denial and see that this criminal regime does not play by the rule, are not American, have never been elected, and will do anything to keep power, the denial is going to end the hard way.
Now it’s your turn.
wow.
I generally steer fairly clear of conspiracy theories as far as posting on the front-page. I don’t mind people doing diaries about them as long as they don’t use terrible sources.
I am on the record, however, that I don’t believe the official story on JFK. We’ve had plenty of discussion on this board about the oddities in the RFK assassination. MLK we haven’t discussed much, but I am aware of the outcome of that trial.
I think I just posted a picture of RFK and said that I hope we are not living in the same country where the Dep. Dir. of the FBI openly calls for the murder of our nominee. Does that sound like I am a proponent of the lone-nut theory?
Again, I don’t want to get into a debate about 1960’s assassination theories. This blog is about the current issues facing our country politically. But I am fully aware of the reactionary forces in this country, both now and forty years ago, and I know what they are capable of.
Titled No, Bob.
You said:
Be hopeful, yes.
But…hey, Booman…get real, too.
A couple of weeks ago there was a fight between a couple of guys in Newark.
With UZIS!!!
A police murder in Brooklyn was recently whitewashed by out lovely “centrist” mayor and possible Vice-Presidential candidate (for BOTH parties) , Hang ‘Em High Bloomberg.
60 shots were fired!!! By several policemen against a group of unarmed black men.
If that ain’t evidence of a violent streak?
Yeah, yeah, I know the cops were scared. Why were they scared? Because of said violent streak in the American psyche, of course.
Duh.
Looking away won’t do it, Booman.
Nope.
Sorry.
AG
P.S. Deep down, now…why did you move out of Philly recently?
Nuthin’ about violence or fear, right?
Riiiiiight…
Have a nice time touring Italy.
The guns will be waiting for you when you return.
Bet on it.
yeah, I didn’t move out of Philly to live with my girlfriend, I was fleeing the sniper fire. Nice, Arthur. Leave my personal life out of our debates, please.
You posted the information, Booman, in one of our colloquies regarding the Pennsylvania primary. I do not want to bring your “personal life” into our discussions. Frankly, I do not GIVE much of a damn about your personal life except that I wish you well in it.
I asked you to look deep.
You answered shallow.
You have made a point in the past of establishing your creds as an urban pioneer. (If gentrification can justly be called that, of course.)
Now I suddenly discover that you have moved to the burbs.
While almost simultaneously I encounter the name “Murderdelphia” for the first time on the web.
Hmmmm…
I was there one rainy night not too long ago. In the nabes. In and around Fishtown, to be precise. I am a connoisseur of changing urban neighborhoods, Booman, and I smelled failure there.
Too funky by far. Tried to be Brooklyn, ended up more like Hunts Point.
So it goes.
Have fun in the burbs.
I wish you no harm.
Apparently, neither do you.
AG
P.S. How did your collection attempt go regarding that Italian vacation? In my opinion, that was your absolute nadir as a blogger.
So far.
Just thought I would let you know.
you’re acting like an asshole.
To paraphrase Muhammad Ali’s response to Howard Cosell when Cosell called him “truculent”:
“Asshole”, eh?
If that’s what you call someone who is only telling the truth of the matter, then…yup. I’m that.
Thanks much.
AG
fuck you, arthur.
SHAME on you, Booman!!!
Such language!!!
Are you allowed to ban yourself?
I guess I cut a little too close to the bone.
Sorry.
Back to nattering about Ms. Clinton, eh?
Peace.
It’s what’s for dinner.
AG
you don’t know anything about my personal life, so don’t comment on it. You think I moved away from Philly because I was scared? You think I’m mad because you were accurate in that assumption? It’s none of your business why I moved but I moved to be with my girlfriend. So take all your wise-ass speculation and shove it.
I appreciate the reply and understand better now what you meant in your original post.
One last point, if I may: you still seem to be using only a single, pejorative definition of “conspiracy theory”–something fringy, illegitimate, tin-foily, etc. There have been very real and documented government conspiracies the Gulf of Tolkin incident, Operation Northwoods, Iran-Contra, and many more.
The danger of letting “conspiracy theory” stand only for worthless conjecture from fringe elements is the closing of the mind to very real and very dangerous conspiracies taking place: the degradation of election integrity, for example.
Despite eight years’ worth of massive, unimpeachable data accumulated by first-rate investigators, researchers and writers, the concept of “election theft” in America remains relegated to the pejorative “conspiracy theory” outhouse. It’s hard to think of a more dangerous threat to our democracy, other than the unwillingness of people to open their minds to the fact that it is happening.
The Nation, MotherJones, and other liberal/progressive gatekeepers still consider Republican election theft off limits because of the taint of “conspiracy theory.” And by doing so they increase the danger to our republic.
The Bush Regime has never been elected, according to the data, is profoundly criminal and anti-American. After torture, extraordinary rendition, outing of an entire CIA covert network, warrantless wiretapping, and the rest, you really have to ask if there is anything they would not do.
Last year’s NSPD-51 gave Bush the ability to declare martial law and exert control over every branch of government in the event of an “emergency” as determined by Bush.
KBR has recent completed construction “detention centers” all around the rural U.S.
Bush has the ability to declare anyone an “enemy combatant” or “terrorist” and revoke that person’s habeaus corpus.
All that is conspiracy theory. Total tin-foil territory.
Until it happens.
And just like the stolen elections in 2000 and 2004, because Americans didn’t believe in conspiracy theories, they were caught flat footed and just rolled over. The Rethugs stuck a fork in those elections and they were done.
The halcyon days of “If we leave the government alone (to run drugs, steal elections, conduct political coups across the globe), then they will leave us alone”–are quickly coming to an end.
“See ya in Gitmo.” — Keith Olbermann to Jonathan Turley
Yup.
This one will be the crux election.
If it happens again…other means will be necessary.
If we do not heal ourselves, the rest of the world will do it for us.
Let us pray.
AG
Great photo. I have to say that when you have people who lie and incite the lunatics, we need to be a bit worried.
An example from a blog we won’t name.
Obama’s Campaign of Threats to Superdelegates
Specter of Violence Raised to Drive Lemmings
منتديات–شات–دردشة–دردشه–شات
كتابي–دردشة كتابية–شات
صوتي–دردشة صوتية–شات
سعودي–دردشة سعودية–شات
الغلا–منتديات الغلا–تحميل
العاب–برامج كمبيوتر–كتب
مجانية–برامج جوال–مقاطع
بلوتوث–مسجات–نغمات–ثيمات–العاب
جوال موبايل–تصاميم–هكر–صور–صور
انمي–اخبار الفن–صور
فنانين–افلام–افلام
اجنبية–اناشيد–صور
سيارات–كاس امم اوروبا–تحميل
اهداف–محمد–سياحة
وسفر–منتدى النقاش–منتديات
عامة–منتديات اسلامية–صور
كاريكاتير–منتدى تعارف–نكت–الغاز–خواطر–قصائد–شعر–قصص–اساطير–روايات–حكم
وامثال–ازياء–منتديات
عروس–المطبخ–اطفال–طب–علم
النفس–منال العالم–مركز
تحميل–دليل مواقع–1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–برق–19–p1–p2–p3–p4–78–71–20–21–59–60–58–61–67–53–56–9–a9–a1–a8–a12—a15–a16–a18–ماسنجر–صور
بنات–51–26–a–b–c–d–e–e–f–g–h–j–l–29–43–47–13–6–dd–p18–f8–12–62–65–49l–f11–f86–مسجات
حب–مسجات عتاب–مسجات
شوق–مسجات مقالب–مسجات
نكت–مسجات حلوة–صور
حب–صور بنات–شات
بنات–دردشة بنات–شات
الحب–دردشة الحب–دردشة
كويت 25–اغاني هيفاء وهبي–دردشة
بنت السعودية–عمرو خالد–ناصر
الفراعنة–صور نانسي عجرم–ياسر
القحطاني–شات بنات عوانس–نغمات
نوكيا–قصص–هشام
الراشد–تامر حسني–العاب–