Tomorrow
I will be beginning the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT
CALENDAR. This year I'll be doing it a little
differently. Don't worry though...I'll
still have lots of Christmas fun. It's
just that with the lack of time I have and the fact that over five years, I've
blogged about almost everything Christmas, I'm going to make this more
personal.
Here's the tentative schedule for the next 25 days.
SUNDAYS - Christmas Carol Sunday MONDAYS - Christmas at School TUESDAYS - Tuesday Timeline WEDNESDAYS - Wednesday Wishes THURSDAYS - SCROOGED! FRIDAYS - Jem Reviewed! SATURDAYS - Holiday Programming
To
explain a couple of them - Christmas at School deals with various art projects,
Christmas activities, and all the stuff we did when we were kids. Wednesday Wishes are about some of things
that I wanted for Christmas, as well as traditions associated with the
holidays. Thursdays are going to be a
fun day as I point out that not everything about the holidays is enjoyable, and
I select some items that I would be happy if they got rid of permanently. And Saturdays, I'll talk about Christmas
specials and Christmas movies.
The Tuesday and Friday entries won't change much. And I'm actually kind of relieved that I can attempt to put a
Christmas spin on three of the Jem Reviewed entries. When we get to December 23, I'm going to have a LOT of issues,
but I'll try to figure something out.
So, that's the schedule. And then once
Christmas is over, I'll be doing a week long review on the Good and the Bad of
2016...or, in this case...maybe just the bad...
This
is the last Tuesday Timeline for November...and I
realize that November hasn't been that busy of a month here in this blog. I promise that I will rectify that when
December arrives - and I'll give you a heads up on what to expect in tomorrow's
blog entry. I think it's something that
a lot of you will like. At least, I
hope so.
For
now, let's see what happened on November 29 through the history pages.
1612 - The Battle of Swally takes place
1776 - The Battle of Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia
concludes
1777 - The city of San Jose, California is founded by
Jose Joaquin Moraga
1781 - A disturbing crime takes place when the crew of
the Zong - a British slave ship - murders 133 African slaves by dumping them
into the sea in order to claim insurance
1830 - An armed rebellion against Russia's rule in
Poland begins, setting forth the November Uprising
1832 - Poet/novelist Louisa May Alcott (d. 1888) is born
in Germantown, Pennsylvania
1847 - The Whitman Massacre takes place, which serves as
the catalyst for the Cayuse War
1877 - Thomas Edison demonstrates his newest invention -
the phonograph
1929 - Richard E. Byrd - an American admiral - leads the
expedition to fly over the South Pole for the first time
1940 - Singer/songwriter Denny Doherty (d. 2007) is born
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
1944 - The first human surgery to correct blue baby
syndrome is performed by Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas
1949 - Comedian/actor Garry Shandling (d. 2016) is born
in Chicago, Illinois
1950 - The United Nations forces are left with no choice
but to retreat from North Korea after being forced to leave by North Korean and
Chinese soldiers during the Korean War
1961 - Enos, a chimpanzee - is launched into space
1963 - The Warren Commission is established by Lyndon B.
Johnson to investigate the assassination of John F. Kennedy one week earlier
1965 - Alouette 2 is launched by the Canadian Space
Agency
1975 - The Silver Connection single "Fly, Robin,
Fly" reaches #1 on the Billboard charts
1981 - Actress Natalie Wood drowns under mysterious
circumstances at the age of 43
1986 - Actor Cary Grant passes away, aged 82
1991 - Actor Ralph Bellamy dies at the age of 87
2001 - George Harrison, singer, songwriter, musician,
and Beatle, passes away at the age of 58
2004 - Actor John Drew Barrymore passes away at the age
of 72
2005 - Actress Wendie Jo Sperber loses her battle with
breast cancer, aged 47 years of age
2009 - Four police officers are gunned down inside of a
coffee shop in Lakewood, Washington - the shooter was shot and killed two days
later
And
for celebrity birthdays, let me send out some birthday greetings to the
following people; Vin Scully, Diane Ladd, Meco,
Suzy Chaffee, Jeff Fahey, Joel Coen, Howie Mandel, Hinton Battle, Cathy Moriarty, Kim Delaney, Tom Sizemore, Andrew McCarthy, Don Cheadle, Cork Graham, Ellen Cleghorne, Jonathan Knight, Larry Joe Campbell, Brian Baumgartner, Sarah Jones, Anna Faris, Lauren German, Simon Amstell, The Game, Lucas Black, and Imogen Thomas.
So,
quite a lot has happened on this date.
I definitely had no shortage of topics to choose from. But since Christmas is coming soon, I
thought that I would make today's Tuesday Timeline subject toy related. Why not, right?
That's
the reason behind why I chose the date of November 29, 1972 as today's
destination. Because it was on this
date 44 years ago today that kicked off what could be considered a multimillion
dollar industry. And it forever changed
the way you looked at a specific game.
The industry, of course, is video games.
Ever since 1972, video games have been through a lot. We saw 8-bit graphics turn into 3D
graphics. We saw Mario change his look
about a couple of dozen times. And we
even survived the video game crash of 1983 which very nearly crippled the
industry beyond repair.
And
I can imagine that quite a few of you that might be reading this entry have
probably asked for at least one video game related item for Christmas this
year.
Trust
me. I know. This Christmas, I want the Classic Mini NES that has thirty games
preloaded onto it. I also know that I
am NOT going to be getting it because you cannot find it in stores and people
have the gall to charge up to fifteen hundred dollars for it on eBay.
Yeah,
like I really want to pay $1,500 for a video game system that only costs $90
here in Canada. Capitalism can be a
good thing for economic stimulation, but I'd classify that to be electronic
extortion!
Not
even the video game system that featured today's Tuesday Timeline subject - The
Magnavox Odyssey - cost that much!
Adjusting for inflation, it only cost $560 in 2016 bucks to buy it (It
was worth $99 in 1972 - the year it was released).
And
yes...believe it or not, they did have video games back in 1972.
Okay,
so the video game "Pong" was extremely basic in presentation
and gameplay. It was more or less a
crude way to play electronic tennis.
But would you believe that it was 44 years ago today that
"Pong" made its appearance in video arcades all over the United
States? And that it is easily
considered the video game that started the entire gaming industry?
Now,
as I mentioned before, the game appeared as part of the Magnavox Odyssey
console (though it wasn't called Pong).
But the actual arcade game was developed by Atari (which once served as
the most successful company in gaming consoles before Nintendo dethroned them
in the mid-1980s). And, it was largely
inspired by the table tennis game that was included with the Magnavox Odyssey -
which would spark a lawsuit between Magnavox and Atari a few years later.
But,
I'm getting ahead of myself.
We
can thank Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell and Allan Alcorn for the creation of
Pong. Although Alcorn had zero
experience with creating electronic simulation games, Bushnell believed in his
abilities enough to assign him a special project of sorts - a project meant to
be a warm-up exercise for the finished project. What Alcorn ended up creating was the video game
"Pong". Though the story of
how Pong came to be varies depending on who you talk with. If you believe Bushnell's story, the game
idea was based on a game he played on a PDP-1 computer all the way back in
1964. However, Alcorn maintains that
Bushnell only got the idea after playing the tennis game on the Magnavox Odyssey,
and assigned the project to Alcorn in the hopes of creating a better looking
product.
It
wasn't long after Atari released "Pong" that Magnavox filed the
lawsuit against them, citing infringement against the patents that Ralph Baer
(the creator of the Magnavox Odyssey) had in his possession. Bushnell ended up settling with Magnavox out
of court - largely due to the fact that the legal fees to keep the court case
going would have likely bankrupted Atari.
Magnavox offered Atari an agreement to become a licensee for the price
tag of $700,000, and other companies that would produce Pong (Colecovision,
Intellivision, etc) would have to pay royalties. Magnavox would also obtain the rights to any and all products
that Atari developed within a year after the case was settled - a clause that
Atari successfully managed to avoid by postponing all major releases until
after the year deadline expired.
All
that trouble for what could be considered the simplest video game every played.
Seriously, it's tennis. You move the
white bars around to bounce a moving ball across the court. If you end up missing the ball, your
opponent scores a point. It's really
simple - and I'm fairly sure that if you allowed a millennial to play the game,
they'd probably get bored after thirty seconds.
But
back in '72, it was the game to own...and we wouldn't have modern day video
games without Pong!
All
right...it's a new week of Jem Reviewed. And considering that last week's edition was so bad that I sort
of gave up at the end, I'm hoping that Episode 36:
Music is Magic
is a lot better. After all, the show's
title is named after one of the Jem songs I liked during season one. And, I'm going to wager dollars to donuts
that the song will be making a reappearance at some point.
For
now, let's watch as The Great Kimberini makes a huge fool of herself in front
of all the Starlight Girls. Apparently,
Kimber has a side hobby of practicing magic tricks, and she's decided to
practice on the girls. So, if you
happen to see Deirdre, Krissie, and Lela dead on the floor, you'll know Kimber
tried to saw them in half. But I don't
think Jerrica would even let Kimber do that.
Besides,
it doesn't look like Kimber is even that skilled with trying basic tricks such
as getting out of a locked chest. Ba
Nee has to rescue her with the skeleton key that Kimber had her hold. Some magician you turned out to be!
Well,
maybe Kimber can learn some things from the actual magicians that will be
appearing at the place the band will be performing. It's a place called Magic Island (how original), and they will be
performing alongside real magicians and illusionists for a primetime
"Music and Magic" television special. Sounds like a really cool idea, and I'm sure it's going to be a
big hit.
Well, okay...it looks like someone wants to sabotage the event because we see
them tearing apart the poster. My
money's on Eric, but we'll see.
By
the way...have you noticed that the animation for this episode isn't all that
great? It's very different from the 35
episodes that we previously watched.
Well, in this week's Jem Trivia, I can tell you why. Of the 65 episodes that were made, 59 of
them were animated in Japan. The other
six were animated in South Korea - whose animation budget clearly wasn't as
high as Japan's. But it did save them
some money overall. One way you can
tell that it's a Korean production (aside from the bad animation) is the fact
that in these episodes, Raya has been made Caucasian. Whitewashing at its lamest.
For future reference, the episodes made in South Korea are 36, 43, 46, 48,
56, and 58.
It's
time for the Holograms to meet up with the rest of the illusionists. First, they are greeted by magician Devon Silverstone. I'm guessing that they
couldn't legally use the name David Copperfield because of the fact that he
didn't give them permission - or they couldn't use it because of the character
from the Charles Dickens novel. Either
way, Copperfield might have been too busy chasing Claudia Schiffer to really
care. Silverstone's eyes seem to be
focused entirely on Jem, and he magically makes flowers appear.
But then we're introduced to Marla "Get Your Hands Off My
Man, Bitch" Martell, who clearly is disgusted by the attraction
between Devon and Jem - mainly because she makes it painfully obvious that she
wants to be in control of his...magic wand, so to speak.
And
to prove it, she makes a snake appear in the flowers that Devon just gave
Jem. My, Marla must be really fun at
parties.
Fortunately,
another pair of magicians come along to lend a hand by taking care of the snake. Yeah, I suppose having Jem
hospitalized for getting bit by a poisonous snake would be considered bad for
ratings. The man who made the snake
disappear is named Frick, and his homely looking
sidekick is Frack, his assistant.
But before you think that Jem has found an ally, think again. Frick is not happy with Jem and the Holograms
being there because he doesn't like sharing the stage with non-magicians. Sorry, Kimber. I guess you have to go home.
And Frick also complains about the other band that is set to perform
alongside them. Uh oh...do I even want
to know who this other band is?
Oh
look...when the moon hits your eye like a huge Misfit pie, that's anything BUT
amore.
But
you want to know what IS amore? The
song "Abracadabra". This
ain't the Steve Miller version either.
It's a brand new Misfits song, and it is absolutely phenomenal. The visuals, the music, the lyrics. I was worried that the Misfits had used up
all their great song stylings, but this one is a keeper. Easily a contender for favourite Misfits
Season 2 song.
Oh,
and of course, the Misfits are trying to make THEMSELVES the main performers so
that they can force Jem and the Holograms out.
Of course they are. That's their
whole purpose of existing!
Fortunately,
Devon interrupts the action to ask Jem to marry him. No, wait. He just wants
her to be his guinea pig for a new magic trick. Either way, Jem agrees to the trick, provided that it doesn't
take too much time. I'm guessing just
based on the giant box on stage, it's one of those classic disappearing rock
star tricks where Jem escapes from the box and reappears behind a curtain on
stage.
At
least, that's what is SUPPOSED to happen.
As soon as Jem enters the box and Devon starts doing his magic spiel,
the box explodes in a gigantic fireball and Jem is nowhere to be found!
OH MY GOD! DEVON KILLED JEM! YOU BASTARD!
The
strange thing is that there is no body present, so I'm thinking that the trick
worked like a charm. I'm also thinking
that the trick was actually sabotaged on purpose and that the perpetrator has
Jem locked up in a different location.
The
number of suspects is quite high, and my first instinct is that for someone to
get away with it, they would have to know magic themselves. So, Kimber's out as a suspect. And I'm thinking Devon is out as well, since
he genuinely looked shocked at Jem's disappearing act - unless he's a really
great actor. If I were the Holograms,
I'd suspect Marla or the Frick/Frack combo, as both expressed dislike for her.
But no, the Holograms have suspected the Misfits because they seem to be all on
stupid pills. Though, it does lead in
nicely to the Jem and the Holograms song "It Could Be You" - which
again is a fantastic song. Say what you
will about the animation of this episode - the music is incredible this time
around.
The
Misfits, of course, deny the accusations, and it is decided that the three
groups (magicians, Holograms, Misfits) split up so they can cover more ground
in locating Jem. Seems reasonable.
Group #1 contains Pizzazz, Marla, and Kimber, who seem to be on a side stage
away from the main stage. The stage is
loaded with dozens of magic props as well as musical instruments. And almost immediately, Kimber and Pizzazz
are frightened by the suddenly appearing image of a frightening monster.
Marla
is quick to point out that the image is nothing more than a hologram being
projected via a machine. See,
Kimber...you of all people should recognize a hologram when you see one! See?
Stupid pills. Of
course, most Holograms don't shoot laser beams at random women, and poor Kimber
gets locked in a giant sarcophagus as laser beams seemingly make Marla
disintegrate!
And to make matters worse, the creepy orange monster grabs a hold of a
shrieking Pizzazz and both of them disappear in a cloud of smoke! It's official. Someone DEFINITELY doesn't want the show to go on.
Luckily
for Kimber, Aja's group arrives in time to help her out of the
sarcophagus. But because Kimber didn't
see the moment in which Pizzazz and Marla disappeared, she's unable to know
where they could have gone. The groups
decide that splitting up is not the way to go, and they regroup.
They
soon find themselves in a basement of the theatre, where thanks to some quick
thinking by Devon, they have enough light to see. And Raya thinks that she sees Jem locked up in a cage in the corner. Oh, that's just too obvious. You know there has to be a catch.
Sure
enough, when Raya enters the cage, she finds that "Jem" is really a
cardboard cutout. And when Raya tries
to leave the cage, it locks behind her and spins her around in a cloud of thick
smoke. It seems that Raya is our next
person to pull a disappearing act...
...or
she turns into a tiger that is set on making Stormer her next meal. Funny...I would think that if the tiger
really was Raya, she'd want to bite off Jetta's face before attacking
Stormer. Either way, more quick
thinking from Devon blinds the tiger long enough for them to get away, and for
Devon to lock the tiger back into the cage it came from. So, I'm officially crossing Devon off the
suspect list too, meaning that Frick and Frack are looking mighty guilty to me
- well, unless Marla staged her own disappearing act.
But
before the group can approach them, Frick decides to pull out a tarp to hold
them off, loses his grip on the tarp, and somehow finds a way to make Devon,
Roxy, and Aja disappear! Oh,
sure...that's a great way to prove your innocence!
For the remaining people left - Kimber, Stormer, Shana, and Jetta, it's all the
proof that they need to suspect that Frick is the one who masterminded the
whole plan and kidnapped all of their friends.
They immediately chase after them, and plan to make them reveal where
their friends are.
But just as the girls have the magicians cornered, they're ambushed by a
gigantic cannon that shoots balloons and confetti all over them!
It
shoots them with such force that all of them end up sliding down a hidden
trapdoor where they all land in individual cages that are sealed up tight!
Kimber looks around and sees Jem, Aja, Raya, and the others have all suffered
the same fate as them. Well, okay,
Pizzazz is locked in a coffin and Roxy is dangling upside down in a
straitjacket. But with everybody locked
away in the catacombs of the theatre, it seems as though none of them could be
guilty.
That
is, until Frack opens up his door and announces his evil scheme. It seems as though Frack was getting a
little tired of being Frick's second banana, and he decided that he would use
his own magic skills to take over the whole Music and Magic show! Oh, and he locked up the Holograms and the
Misfits as well, because he refuses to share the stage with anyone. So this whole plot was to make him a star,
was it? Well, Jem is determined to stop
him. Of course, it's pretty hard for
Jem to do anything locked up.
But as soon as Frack leaves to start the show, Kimber remembers that she still
has her skeleton key on her. You know,
the key that can open up any lock?
Kimber tries the key on the lock of her cage and successfully gets
out! Thinking she's onto something, she
runs over to Jem's cage and frees her!
Kimber saves the day yet again!
As
Kimber runs around the area unlocking Holograms, Misfits, and magicians, Marla
approaches Jem and apologizes for treating her so badly at the start, which Jem
accepts. I think Frick also apologizes
for having a psycho assistant, but I can't remember that part.
Unfortunately for Pizzazz, she's the last one to be rescued, and Kimber's
skeleton key breaks in the lock. Since
they have no time to waste, the Holograms and the magicians go on ahead to try
and stop Frack from destroying the show...leaving Roxy and Stormer to try and
get Pizzazz out with a handsaw! Oh, why
do I get the feeling that this isn't going to end well? Though kudos to Paul Dini for including so
many sight gags!
On
stage, Frack is definitely enjoying the limelight of being the sole performer
of the show, and he truly believes that he has gotten away with the perfect
crime. Well, that is until the curtain opens up behind him, and Jem and the Holograms
are standing there along with Frick, Marla, and Devon.
Stunned,
but surprisingly prepared, Frack uses his powers of magic to make the magicians
fall on stage thanks to a game of 52 Pick-Up!
But what Frack doesn't know is that Jem has her own book of tricks - or
rather, an earring of tricks.
With help from Synergy, Jem clones all the members of her band six or seven
times to really confuse Frack. Then
when Frack uses his magic wand to attack one of the groups, he turns Jem into
an ugly green monster that makes him retreat!
He
backs up so much that it allows the Misfits who are backstage to kidnap him and
tie him up in a straitjacket! You know,
when the Holograms and the Misfits work together, they actually become
stronger. I just wish their silly feud
didn't get in the way all the time.
With Frack now tied up, the show can go on.
But Devon approaches Jem and is blown away by how she made those
illusions appear! He tries to get her
to reveal her secrets, but Jem doesn't take the bait. Instead, she and the Holograms perform a song.
And that song is - of course - "Music is Magic". It was originally performed in Episode 5,
and I named it one of my favourite songs from Season 1. I'm really glad they reused it for this
show, and I'm really glad that it received a better music video than the one
used in Episode 5. All in all, this
episode - in spite of its flawed animation - is one of the better ones of
Season 2. Actually, on the whole, the
first part of season 2 (with a couple of exceptions) has started off really
strong. I like it!
But as the show ends and the Holograms prepare
to go home, they wonder whatever happened to the Misfits.
Uh-oh...looks like Frack escaped and took his revenge by tying the Misfits up
and making them miss the whole show!
But again, kudos to Paul Dini for creating great sight gags - as well as
a fantastic episode!
The next episode of Jem Reviewed helps kick off our POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT
CALENDAR! And in that episode, Jem
tries to perform a Christmas miracle by bringing the members of a 1940s jazz
band back together for one more record!
Today
on the Tuesday Timeline entry, we're going to visit
an event that some of you might remember experiencing...and others probably
have read in a 20th century history textbook.
But whether you were alive to hear about it or not, we're going to talk
about it - as well as offer up some thoughts on some current events.
So
sit back, help yourself to a cup of tea (with or without sugar), and let's have
a look at the events of November 22 that did not make the cut for the main
subject today.
1718 - Edward Teach (a.k.a. Blackbeard) is killed
in battle off the coast of North Carolina
1812 - Seventeen Indiana Rangers are killed at
the Battle of Wild Cat Creek during the War of 1812
1837 - William Lyon Mackenzie calls for a
rebellion against the United Kingdom when his essay "To The People of
Upper Canada" is published
1908 - The Albanian alphabet is established
1921 - Actor/comedian Rodney Dangerfield (d.
2004) is born in Deer Park, New York
1924 - Actress Geraldine Page (d. 1987) is born
in Kirksville, Missouri
1928 - Ravel's "Bolero" hosts its
premiere performance in Paris, France
1932 - Actor Robert Vaughn (d. 2016) is born in
New York City
1941 - Country singer Terry Stafford (d. 1996) is
born in Hollis, Oklahoma
1943 - The Cairo Conference is held
1954 - The Humane Society of the United States is
established
1955 - "Three Stooges" star Shemp
Howard dies at the age of 60
1963 - Novelist Aldous Huxley passes away at the
age of 69
1968 - The Beatles release "The White
Album"
1975 - Juan Carlos becomes the King of Spain
1977 - British Airways begin offering a flight
between London and New York City aboard the semisonic Concorde Jet
1980 - Actress Mae West passes away at the age of
87
1986 - Mike Tyson becomes the youngest
heavyweight champion in boxing history winning the title at just twenty years
of age
1987 - A pirate dressed up as Max Headroom
hijacks two television stations in the Chicago area
1995 - "Toy Story" - the first animated
feature to be made entirely in CGI - is released
1997 - INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence is
found dead inside of a Sydney hotel room, aged 37
2001 - Mary Kay Cosmetics founder Mary Kay Ash
dies at the age of 83
2002 - Over one hundred people lose their lives
in an attack in Nigeria - the initial targets were people involved with the
Miss World beauty pageant
2005 - Angela Merkel becomes the first woman to
serve as Chancellor of Germany
And
for celebrity birthdays, I want to wish the following famous faces a great day
today; Terry Gilliam, Tom Conti, Billie Jean King, Steven Van Zandt, Tina Weymouth, Kent Nagano, Lawrence Gowan, Richard Kind, Donny Deutsch, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lenore Zann, Mariel Hemingway, Winsor Harmon, Brian Robbins, Kristin Minter, Mads Mikkelsen, Boris Becker, Mark Ruffalo, David Pelletier, Fiona Glascott, Tyler Hilton, Scarlett Johansson, Austin Brown, Candice Glover, Katherine McNamara, and Madison Davenport.
Okay,
so today's Tuesday Timeline date is one that will live in infamy - in
particular if you lived in the United States at the time - or more
specifically, Dallas, Texas.
For it was on this date in Dallas - November
22, 1963 - that
shocked the whole world. By the
conclusion, the entire way we looked at the world was forever changed.
In
fact, I have some photographic evidence of the importance of this day. Last Christmas, I received a gift of a pop
culture desk calendar where each entry talks about something that happened in
either the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. It's
been a lot of fun to reminisce about these things, and I've even posted each
page on my Facebook page to get discussions going.
This
was the entry for today.
Now,
while I definitely was not around to witness the assassination of John F.
Kennedy (come to think of it, I was still in the womb when the 1981 attempt on
Ronald Reagan took place), my parents remember it vividly. In fact, my mother was watching "As The
World Turns" on television when the show was interrupted to report the
news of Kennedy's death.
The
story of Kennedy's death is one that almost everybody knows by now. At the time of his death, Kennedy was
visiting the city of Dallas, Texas with his wife, Jacqueline. He was in town to try and smooth other
tension that erupted within the Democratic Party. And because Kennedy's arrival had already been broadcast to the
people of Dallas-Fort Worth, at least 150,000 to 200,000 people lined the
streets of the city, just to get a glimpse of him. The President and First Lady boarded the Presidential limousine
that would take them to their destination, and up until they reached Dealey
Plaza, everything went according to plan.
But when the limousine turned onto Elm Street, that's when things took a dark
turn. Three shots were fired towards
the limo, and within a matter of seconds, President Kennedy was dead - the cause
of death being a gunshot wound to the head.
Also injured in the shooting was Texas Governor Jogn Connally and
spectator James Tague.
The
perpetrator of the assassination was Lee Harvey Oswald - a former U.S. Marine
who had recently returned to the United States following a three year stint in
Russia. Though he was initially
arrested for the unrelated murder of a police officer when he was apprehended,
it didn't take long for the truth to come out, and Lee Harvey Oswald was
formally charged in the sniper attack on President Kennedy.
Of
course, we also know that no trial ever took place for the assassination on
Kennedy. Just two days after Kennedy
was killed, Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby as he was
being transferred to the county jail.
The shooting was broadcast on air, and a famous photograph taken by
Robert H. Jackson was printed in nearly every newspaper in the country. Oswald died just under two hours after being
shot by Ruby.
With
Kennedy dead, Lyndon B. Johnson stepped in as President, and at the funeral
services of President Kennedy, I think nearly everyone's hearts broke when they
saw John F. Kennedy Jr. give his father one final salute.
It
seems hard to believe that fifty-three years has passed since that fateful day
in Dallas. As a result of the shooting,
security on all future Presidents has been increased permanently, and aside
from the 1981 attempt on Ronald Reagan, there has not been any attempts on the
life of an American President - at least no attempt that has been widely
reported, anyway.
I
guess that's why I don't find it a laughing matter when people joke about
wanting to kill a President, or a Prime Minister, or anybody within the
government structure. We don't have to
like them or agree with what they say, but we do have to respect them enough to
not want any harm to come to them.
I
know that many people are very upset about Donald Trump becoming the 45th
President of the United States - and to be honest with you, I'm right there
with you. You see, when I think about
the qualities I equate with being a President - compassion, dignity, eloquence,
leadership - I can't say that I would use those adjectives to describe Trump, a
man who some might say wouldn't even know the meaning of the word diplomatic. But, he was elected by the majority of the
American people who voted, and barring some fluke, he is going to take control
of the United States of America when he is formally inaugurated in January.
Now, while I definitely don't agree with him being President, I also don't
agree with people who wish to see him assassinated, or even joke about it. I'm sure that the last surviving member of
the family - Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg - would be the first to tell you how devastating
the effects of an assassination can have on a family. And to be honest with you, while I still think he needs to take
some lessons on being a decent human being and not being so much of a
xenophobic, homophobic, racist and sexist - he may just surprise us all and
make decisions that really might "make America great again". I really don't believe this will happen, but
at this point, there's nothing that can be done. I definitely don't think it warrants threats against his
life. For that matter, I don't think
Barack Obama should have had to deal with people wanting him dead, nor did
George W. Bush before him, and so on and so on.
I think instead of threatening with weapons, we
should use our words and keep the dialog open.
Like the actor from the Broadway show "Hamilton" did when Mike
Pence was in the audience. While I
don't know if calling him out on stage was the way to go, I do applaud the
actor for having the courage to keep the dialog going.
Ultimately, I think all Americans need to do this. Keep the dialog open and try to come up with solutions that unite
- not do things that continue the divide.
Though, I do understand...easier said than done. Still. Isn't it worth
trying?
