Last Words of the Martyrs of the 1960s

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label “liberal”? …. If by liberal they mean someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people – their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil liberties…. If that is what they mean by a liberal, then I’m proud to say I’m a liberal – John F. Kennedy, accepting the nomination for President from the New York Liberal Party, less than two months before he was elected our 35th President.


The 1960s was a time of great promise in the United States. It was a time when the word “liberal” was not a word that most politicians shunned. It began with the election of a President (John F Kennedy) who made the greatest effort to end to the Cold War of any U.S. President during its forty some year history and who aggressively challenged the military industrial complex as no U.S. President has done before or since. It was characterized by great progress in civil rights, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, spurred by two U.S. Presidents (Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson) and by perhaps the greatest civil rights leader our country has ever known (Martin Luther King). And it featured perhaps the greatest Attorney General in our country’s history (Robert F. Kennedy) – the only U.S. Attorney General to aggressively fight organized crime.

But our three great heroes of that era were all assassinated, and subsequently the great promise of that era died out, to be replaced in the 1980s by almost three decades of right wing reaction that saw levels of income inequality rise to unprecedented levels, our military budget rise to almost equal that of the rest of the world combined, our rate of incarceration rise to the highest in the world, and a so-called “War on Terror” that threatens to become permanent and turn our republic into an empire.

Some may still believe that the assassinations of the three icons of that era who perhaps most symbolized its promise are some sort of accident of history, with no relationship to each other. But the 2008 book, “Legacy of Secrecy – The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination – Robert Kennedy, National Security, the Mafia, and the Assassination of Martin Luther King”, by Lamar Waldron with Thom Hartmann, challenges that belief with 771 pages of detailed explanation supported by a ton of references.

Consideration of the words and actions of these three great men in the last months or days prior to their assassinations can serve to remind us of how things might have turned out for us (and still might turn out some day).


LAST WORDS AND ACTIONS OF THE 1960s MARTYRS

John F Kennedy

JFK on civil rights
In domestic affairs, JFK is best known for his stand on civil rights. On several occasions he employed federal troops to the South to advance the cause of civil rights. In June 1963, after employing federal marshals to Alabama to confront George Wallace’s attempt to block the admission of two African-American students to the University of Alabama, President Kennedy gave one of the greatest civil rights speeches ever, during which he proposed what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964 following his death. Here are some excerpts:


JFK’s quest for peace
In this post I explain how JFK repeatedly stood up against the efforts of his military and CIA to lead him into war. In this post I specifically discuss how he repeatedly resisted the advice of his military or CIA to lead him into war with Cuba.

JFK’s peace speech at American University
Then, a few months before he was assassinated, JFK gave a great and radical speech on behalf of peace that probably seemed terribly threatening to the military industrial complex. This speech was unprecedented in its emphasis on peace by a major U.S. political figure since the onset of the Cold War. Few people knew about the speech before he gave it, and he didn’t discuss it at all with his military because he knew that they would lobby against it. It is inconceivable that this speech was intended to win votes. To the contrary, it posed grave political risks. He talked about how the presence of nuclear weapons meant that that we MUST make peace a priority:


In marked contrast to the prevailing tough anti-Communist rhetoric of the day, Kennedy spoke of the need for Americans to examine their own attitudes:


He even sought to humanize, rather than demonize, our adversary:


He spoke of the need for international cooperation and institutions:


And then he came to the practical matters – the topic that the hawks and arms merchants so hated – detailing numerous concrete steps that he intended to take to put his peace plans into action:


The aftermath of Kennedy’s peace speech
Khrushchev declared Kennedy’s speech the greatest of any American President since Roosevelt. And for the first time he allowed an American Presidential speech to be rebroadcast in the Soviet Union.

Six weeks later, Kennedy announced to the American people the first nuclear test ban treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. With an extensive public campaign and help from his Secretary of Defense and General Maxwell Taylor, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kennedy prevailed upon the Senate to ratify the treaty.

Kennedy then undertook secret negotiations with Fidel Castro in an attempt to come to an accommodation with him.


Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King’s fight against racial discrimination made an indelible mark on the world, for which he will be remembered and loved as long as the human species exists. Yet, while celebrating his life and mourning his death, our corporate media largely neglects the last three years of his life. An article by Jeff Cohen and Norman Solomon explains why. The fundamental problem that our corporate media has with the last three years of King’s life is that he questioned the fundamental priorities of our country – which of course is a forbidden topic for our corporate news media.

King on economic justice


King on the Vietnam War
King also became one of our country’s foremost critics of the Viet Nam War and U.S. foreign policy in general:


King’s last (and perhaps greatest) speech – April 3, 1968 – the day before his assassination
Perhaps King’s greatest speech was given on April 3, 1968, the evening prior to his assassination. Perhaps knowledge of his impending death served as the incitement for this speech. The content of the speech certainly points towards an awareness of his impending death. After talking about his many brushes with death as a civil rights leader, King said “I don’t know what will happen now”, as he appeared to be fighting back tears:



Robert F Kennedy

As was true of all the Kennedy brothers, Bobby led a privileged life from the day he was born, and for a long time he did not much understand the problems of the less privileged. But as Attorney General during his brother’s Presidency he became a fervent supporter of civil rights, as well as perhaps the most aggressive pursuer of organized crime of any Attorney General in U.S. history. He said in a 1962 interview that Civil Rights was his most important task. Concerning the Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision, which outlawed segregation in our schools, he said in a speech in Georgia:


RFK on poverty in America
“Legacy of Secrecy” details Bobby’s conversion from someone who hardly understood that poverty was a major problem in our country to a national leader against poverty:


RFK speech just after the assassination of Martin Luther King – April 4, 1968
Martin Luther King was assassinated while RFK was a U.S. Senator from New York and was campaigning for the presidency. “Legacy of Secrecy” describes the situation in which he found himself following King’s assassination, just about two months prior to his own assassination.


Gasps, screams, and cries arose from the audience. Bobby continued, saying that



Ted Kennedy’s reaction to the deaths of the martyrs

“Legacy of Secrecy” describes the reaction of the youngest of the Kennedy brothers to the early and tragic death of his third brother:


CONCLUSION -- A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF “LEGACY OF SECRECY” AND OUR CURRENT STATUS

I must acknowledge that the great mass of detail in “Legacy of Secrecy” makes it a difficult book to read.

The authors point to the mafia, specifically Carlos Marcello, Santo Trafficante, and Johnny Rosselli as the major culprits. The Kennedy administration was highly adverse to their interests. Intertwined with the culpability of the mafia were CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro.

One of those plots, sanctioned by President Kennedy (while he simultaneously pursued an accommodation with Castro which would have precluded the need for assassination), involved the replacement of Castro with the highly respected Cuban general, Juan Almeida. The Kennedy administration worked with relatively liberal Cuban leaders on this plot, and excluded the mafia from any involvement in it.

But simultaneously, rogue elements in the CIA, including future CIA Director Richard Helms, who was then in charge of CIA covert operations and the second most powerful figure in the CIA, were spinning their own, unauthorized plans for overthrowing Castro. These plans involved radical right wing Cuban elements and numerous mafia figures, and resulted in access of these mafia figures to the Kennedy administration’s authorized plan as well. It was the access to these Castro assassination plots that allowed the mafia figures to turn them around and utilize them to assassinate JFK.

The precise details of how this was done are not clear – though abundant evidence is provided for mafia involvement. It is also not at all clear from the book to what extent the “rogue elements” in the CIA were involved in the JFK assassination. It appears evident that the CIA Director, John McCone, was not involved. But the extent to which others, including Helms, were involved is far from clear and is likely to remain far from clear for a long time to come, due largely to the fact that over a million relevant files remain classified (or destroyed) to this day. The authors summarize the current status of the three assassinations in the final two pages of their book:

K, R, & bookmarked...

One of DU's most valuable players, hits it out of the park again.
I love this place.

I had the opportunity to shake hands with the then Senator John F. Kennedy prior to his nomination. This became my mantra:

"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label “liberal”? …. If by liberal they mean someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people – their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil liberties…. If that is what they mean by a liberal, then I’m proud to say I’m a liberal."

These were 3 of my heroes.

I was in the Park in 1968.

I am still proud to be a liberal and will be until the day I die!

is how the word "liberal" was made into an insult, and our Democratic "leaders" allowed that to happen rather than standing up for the principles for which we thought they stood.

I was in 5th grade in a then SF upper middle class/semi rural now wealthy suburb when JFK was assassinated. We had been experiencing nuke drills at school and many were building bomb shelters later to become wine cellars in their driveways.

We were pulled from class to watch on b&w TV in the cafeteria until our parents came for us or the buses took us home and school was canceled until after the funeral.

These men were true heros and free and clear and moral thinkers and , yes, martyrs and will be so more so over time regardless as whether the World and USA find a better path.

In 1968 I was at an SF area boarding school with a early deceased roommate/friend whose mother was Maya Miller of NV. I met Eugene McCarthy when he campaigned in SF as my roommate's sister was McCarthy's daughter's roommate at Putney in VT and we all stayed in the Clift Hotel.

I have been politicized ever since and first voted for McGovern after being in the streets of SF and Berkeley for anti-war protests, the sense of community and belonging and music were side benefits.

The evil of the 60's establishment and what has occurred in the beautiful USA has far surpassed my worse imagination.

You are a beautiful and true human TFP.

:hi:

The evil that we have seen in this country in the 60s and in the years since then I believe is part of an historical pattern in which republics are transformed into empires, which has been going on for a very long time -- the fall of Rome comes to mind as a good example. Hopefully we can learn enough from history to reverse this pattern, but it will take a great deal of effort, humility, wisdom, and courage.

or rather, lost as a child, this week which was the 40th anniversary of the Greensboro lunch counter sit in.

We need to add Malcolm and young, young Fred Hampton to this company.

Thank you. :hug:

The FBI was infused with racism, eminating from the J Edgar Hoover himself. So were many law enforcement agencies throughout the country (and many still are). So there were many martyrs in that era -- though I do believe the Malcolm was assassinated by a rival black organization.

:hug:

Especially when it came to Civil Rights (http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/progjfk4.htm)

restraint should be taken as evidence that he was "actually not very liberal at all". His words and actions need to be taken in the context of the times. There were great barriers to the passage of civil rights legislation at the time -- not the least of which was that a large portion of Democratic Congresspersons were racist Southerners. Also, he was preoccupied with resisting great pressures from his military and CIA to escalate the Cold War.

Despite all that, JFK gave civil rights more support than any president before him. Nor should the fact that the major civil rights legislation he supported did not get through Congress until after his death be weighed against him. His support for it while he was alive was very helpful towards its eventual passage, and his presidency was not very long given all the obstacles against its passage.

Legitmate JFK historians do not consider him a credible source.

He is anti-JFK. And he is strong protagonist of the "magic bullet theory" which is a complete and total joke.

Seriously, McAdams specializes in disinformation. He is the Bill O'Lielly of the JFK writers.
Anything he produces is suspect.

I am surprised you would choose to post that article on this thread.
I lived through that period, and it does not accurately reflect JFK or his actions.
How could Kennedy be such a revered figure if he even remotely reflected that article.
JFK, MLK, RFK were not perfect. They were great men. They were legends and they deserve that status.

You want to see another person talking about the myth of JFK? Here's one from Noam Chomsky: http://www.chomsky.info/letters/200312--.htm

The fact that so many facts about his assassination were hidden from the public and continue to be hidden from us helped to make him a hero.

Nevertheless, try as they may, the right-wingers can never take from those of us who were young and idealistic the great inspiration we found in the words and examples of the Kennedy brothers.

JFK is partly admired for his brilliant insights and ability to reach out to his listeners, partly for his personal charm, partly for his love of humanity and partly because he was relatively young and energetic and followed Eisenhower and Truman -- two of the least remarkable presidents of the twentieth century.

It was intentional, heinous, and it produced the rotten fruit of present circumstances. There is a shadow power in this country which shrinks at nothing, including assassination, to get its way. I think the shadow is lifting and the agents of death and destruction of our nation are being revealed. Next, we will have to act to apprehend, punish and prevent further cabals.

about a certain family that appears to have been pulling the strings on a lot of what happened to remove Presidents from power by bullet or impeachment. Isn't it odd that the man who moved JFK's autopsy report back wound up six inches to make the magic bullet theory possible became president ten years later after Nixon left office in disgrace from things that he did not start!

The book I'm talking about gives a view on how the Bush family's fingerprints are all over the JFK Hit and the watergate event that did in Nixon.



www.familyofsecrets.com

Available at amazon. Great reading if we could get this on the top selling lists there would be a out cry for a real investigation into the treasonous & murderous acts this family cast upon us!

"I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man."

i was a 20 year old sailor in November 1963. And with some irony, I was in the base library in Beevill Texas reading Ayn Rands book The fountainhead when the Liberian came over and said "they have shot the president in Dallas".
For the next few days the base shut down it's operation and we spent most of our time watching this all unfold on the TV....And I tend to be good at having a sense when people are telling a lie or the truth, and i remember Oswald telling the TV camera "I'm a patsy" and I had the sense that it was true, and then later, when he was killed right in front of our eyes by Jack Ruby on national TV, I knew.

I asked a girl friend of mine once what was her story about that day...she was a student at FSU and she was in an assembly when they announced it over the intercom...the whole assembly stood up and cheered.

The point of these two different experiences is important because it must be understood that although JFK was popular, in the deep south he was hated with much vigor...I remember hearing all kinds of hate speech back then, the same kind we are still hearing now.
And it is important to understand that these people are dangerous and must be exposed for what they are...

But that sociopath element can read a book like 1984 and instead of identifying with Winston Smith will see the tremendous advantage they can gain from using it as a guide in there pursuit of power...and primary to this is the slogan " He who controls the past controls the future, and he that controls the present controls the past"

When he went to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, there was a great deal of hatred aimed towards him, some of it depicted in one of the major Dallas newspapers. It was for that reason that many advised him to utilize much more security than he did on that trip. Also important is the fact that Carlos Marcello had a great deal of influence in that area, including pver law officials in Dallas.

But that was done way above his pay grade, whether he new about it or not is also in question.
But I doubt that he played any part in the conspericie...he really did not need to, nor did any of the politicians of the day...the shadow government took care of all the details.
The Mob of course had the infrastructure to pull it off so they were a willing partner who would profit from it.

I had no idea that happened in the South. I was 11 years old and do remember the rather happy way in which one of my schoolmates told me that the Prez had been killed.

I still remember her name.

THAT is a gross and incorrect generalization.

I was in "The South" when it happened.
Nobody openly cheered at MY school.
A very somber prayer meeting was called in the auditorium,
and all students attended.
There were many tears.

I only know my experiences and I only intended to relate them here.

*

When RFK was killed "They finally killed that niger loving son of a bitch"
And that really is when it hit me that the right wing was based on racism. And despite what they now say, it still is.

the southern states were their own country?

I'd like N. CA to be its own country. Say from Big Sur north to Oregon. Probably wouldn't work. Just thought it might reduce problems and hatred.

And we should never give in to the bullies....that is the worst thing you can do.

is on TV for 6 straight hours and Wrestle Mania gets high viewership ratings, I realize that I've already lost.

Prez Johnson was right when he signed Civil Rights Law, 'This will end the Dem Party in the South.' It did.

I remember as a child going to visit my aunt in the south and I was called a 'yankee.' And it was said in not such a nice way either.

Hell, I've fought off tons of bullies in my life, but now....I'd be happy to just live out in the country with as few people around as possible. This bulliness mixed with massive stupidity being urged on by hateful folks like Limpballs is a whole different ball of wax. 'Ball of wax'....where the hell did that come from????:blush:

I just finished reading 'Empire of Illusion' by Chris Hedges and that has affected my thinking.

They mocked his tears. He was not loved by all in this area.

but not very historically accurate when comparing the agenda of the 1950's/1960's Democratic Party with the agenda of the party today.

and inspired millions of people in this country into public service, not exactly a conservative pursuit.

I lived through the period. Kennedy would stand head and shoulders over any and all Democrats/liberals that followed him into the presidency.

Stop projecting. JFK was a great man, but he was not a saint or a "martyr."

Kennedy did not escalate the war in Vietnam. Escalation of the war officially started on the morning of 31 January 1965. Kennedy was long dead before that.

Johnson's escalation of the Vietnam War ruined much of his credibility as President. Johnson was wary of potential political attacks from the right for losing a portion of the world to communism. Johnson believed that if Vietnam fell to the Communists, his presidency would be considered soft on communism, at the same time undermining his grand domestic agenda. Johnson began bombing North Vietnam in 1965 and it continued for the next 7 years through the Nixon Administration. Over time, Johnson escalated the number of troops and active military involvement in Vietnam. Soldier casualties were mounting and soon chants were heard, "Hey, Hey LBJ, How many kids did you kill today?" By the end of his presidency, Johnson turned into a recluse, rarely leaving the White House.<2>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson



JFK, RFK, and MLK were not saints, but they were martyrs for liberalism, social justice and progress.

Please don't repeat republican talking points.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War#During_John_F._Kennedy.27s_administration.2C_1960.E2.80.931963

Sure, President Kennedy increased the number of Advisors -- volunteers.

The hidden record, only brought out over the past 15 years, is clear: President Kennedy was set against escalation.

Read what Peter Dale Scott, John Newman and James K. Galbraith, John K. Galbraith's son, found: President Kennedy was set against sending U.S. combat troops -- draftees -- to Vietnam.

In 1963, he ordered a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces by the end of 1965. President Kennedy recalled Gen. Douglas MacArthur had told him -- the United States could not win a land war in Asia. JFK told the Joint Chiefs, "If you can convince Gen. MacArthur you might convince me."

JFK searched for a way out, but a large number of those in government who should have helped him didn't agreee. 'Arrogant' CIA Disobeys Orders in Viet Nam. And the Warmongers never gave up.

He repeatedly refused to let his military and CIA lead him into war or escalate the Cold War. He did put about 15 thousand "advisors" in Vietnam, and many of them did participate in combat, but he recognized his mistake and planned to bring them out -- and indeed that was probably part of the reason he was killed:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5757851

JFK set the top rate at 71%, which he considered "Fair".
I would LOVE to have a Democrat do that today.

Thank you for that excellent post.What a different world we would see today if these men had been able to nurture the seeds they planted.

It is one of the single best books written on the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK.

It is stunningly well researched. Beyond theories, it factually answered so many questions. I highly recommend it.

That decade instilled fear into the heart of any liberal who would come after them.

for reasons that are becoming all too clear! Well, they should be clear by now, I've known some VERY STRANGE things that have happened since my activism in the 70's!

THIS COUNTRY IS FALLING APART!! Sorry for ranting this over and over, but maybe we should really start to think that the SKY IS REALLY FALLING!!

We're getting punked in so many different ways and it's getting harder and harder to keep up with!!

In 2006 my wife & I sold everything, moved to The Woods, and planted a BIG veggie garden.
We also keep chickens and HoneyBees.

We live well on a very low "taxable" income.
We buy almost nothing new.
What we can't make ourselves,
we buy or barter 2nd Hand or salvage and make it work,
or do without.

WE aren't "survivalists", but have simply realized that no one in DC represents out Working Class interests. We no longer wish to contribute to the enrichment of Wall Street, or fund the endless WARS.

Our focus has become local Humanitarian issues, and finding new ways to withhold funding for the Corporate Ownership Class and their bought politicians.
LESS is MORE.

Now that may seem strange because it's second hand, but Sarasota County is a RICH County and going to the sales you can find items that cost hundreds of dollars for just about nothing! It's VERY tempting to "buy" because it's so cheap! Even people in "deed restricted communities" who have lost their jobs are having some SUPER sales! Many things have NEVER been opened.

I just shake my head in wonder as to WHY they just "needed" something and never opened it! But I've put my WHOLE family on a very strict budget and we buy NOTHING that's not needed! I sound like "chicken little" to many around me, but I'm simply THAT WORRIED!

When I shop, every piece of change I get goes into a huge water bottle, and I've even begun to save dollar bills when I can. It's completely "back to basics" for us! NO credit card purchases even though I keep my one from our Credit Union!

We want to do the gardening thing and I do grow a lot of ornamentals and shrubbery to sell at my yearly yard sale, but veggies attract all kinds of "pesky" intruders! Not to mention the birds who get my "maters" as soon as they begin to ripen! Still I have a good compost pile going with lots of wiggly earth worms making me some great soil! I don't mind snakes and can pick them up and handle them, but those worms and caterpillars give me the heebie-jeebies! Still gonna make another stab at growing this year, but have plans to enclose the garden with screen or something.

Somehow, it makes me feel better to know that more people are being forced into this type of living because I've been cussing about this "throw away society" for too many years now! The down side is that too many people NEVER comprehended the "simple life!"

:toast:

Executive Order signed by JFK that took us off the Federal Reserve System????

and Executive Order 11110. Maybe this will clear things up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_11110

Executive Order.

In theory, I have a difficult time with wikipedia....too much of the rewriting of history for me. But then I like hardback books.

True wikipedia is not always accurate or complete, but it is fast.

It is not one of my trusted sources, but IF it has the story pretty much correct I will use it.

in an area where there was a huge amount of anti-Kennedy sentiment because he was Catholic, pro-civil rights, and a yankee.

We were in class when the announcement came over the intercom. ONE asshole started clapping and cheering. The rest of us basically were too shaken to say or do anything. We were stunned. My dad was a die-hard conservative Republican who despised Kennedy, but he was mortified that the President had been murdered. As were many of his conservative friends.

Regarding the assassination and who did it, I believe that the Mafia was involved deeply, but that does not explain all of the elements of the crime that had to have been arranged by others who were powerful in government: the route of the parade that required the Presidential limo to slow to a crawl to make the turn onto Elm Street was in direct violation of Secret Service regulations for Presidential motorcades; the stand-down orders to Dallas Police to avoid any active role in securing the President's motorcade and monitoring the bystanders for possible assassins; the conduct of the President's Secret Service unit on the night prior to the motorcade, in violation of SS regulations; the order to have no SS men at their assigned positions on the rear bumper stands of the Presidential limo during the critical period when the limo had to slow to a crawl--another egregious violation of SS policy.

Couple those tidbits with the fact that the mayor of Dallas was the brother of a former Air Force General who had just been fired by President Kennedy from his position as assistant Director of the CIA due to the Bay of Pigs Fiasco. The fact that the United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson had been physically attacked and spat upon during his visit to Dallas only one month before the assassination should have been enough to put the Secret Service and the Dallas Police Department as well as National Guard units on full alert for President Kennedy's visit, yet none of that was done. Dallas was the headquarters of the John Birch Society, an EXTREME right-wing group that hated Kennedy, and was a hotbed of KuKluxKlan activity--even in the Dallas Police Department. As world headquarters of the Oil and Gas Industry, and home to many of its movers and shakers, Dallas was up in arms about President Kennedy's intention to cut the Oil Depletion Allowance, thus costing the Oil and Gas Barons BILLIONS of dollars in profits.

In addition to "Legacy of Secrecy", "JFK and the Unspeakable; Why He Died and Why it Matters" by James Douglass is another in-depth look at Kennedy, his courage, and the reasons he was marked for death by those in power in the U.S. Government.

Another excellent post. Thank you, Time for change.

You are certainly right that there is so much we don't know about this -- and no wonder, given the more than a million withheld or destroyed files, and the numerous witnesses who died soon before they were supposed to testify. But one thing we know for certain is that he was shot from the front, at least once (the fatal head shot), and almost certainly twice:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=125&topic_id=253572

The detail is overwhelming but fascinating.

The authors certainly make the case that members of the Mafia could have been behind the assassination of JFK. They establish links between Oswald, Ferrie and Marcello that are very strong. Of course, the book is just one more attempt to figure out what happened based on the limited available facts.

That the government has never released all of the documents and information about these assassinations after all these years does not prove that somehow some individuals in the government were complicit in the assassinations but makes that complicity very believable.

Those of us who lived through the 1960s will never trust our government to tell us the truth or to disclose all the facts to us.

The nation is still divided by the events of the 1960s. We will never be healed until we are told the truth and have all the facts -- all of them.

Since those four assassinations we have been deceived and kept in the dark by our government over and over. How can we even pretend to be a democracy when people like us are prevented from knowing the truth?

At least once (the fatal shot to the head), and very probably twice:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=125&topic_id=253572

As we become more and more a party of ceo's in luxury boxes at the convention, we need more and more posts like this.