Before our trip to Dallas this past weekend, I had only spent one day here before. It was many years ago, and I went there with my ex-wife. We were only passing though, on our way to Kansas to visit her parents. The only thing I remember doing in Dallas at that time was visiting the John F. Kennedy assassination site and going to the "Sixth Floor Museum." We couldn't find the site right away, and I remember being in a restaurant and my ex-wife asked the waitress,
"Where's the place that they killed Kennedy?"
Not very subtle, but kind of funny and sad. Dallas, unfortunately, will always be linked to November 22, 1963. Dallas will always be "the place that they killed Kennedy." (To add even more negative publicity to Dallas, it's also the city where George W. Bush is settling down in.)
I guess that Dallas sees the assassination as both a blessing and a curse. Tourists will continue to flock to Dallas to see the site of the murder. The "Sixth Floor Museum" still seems to be doing very well. We were there early Saturday morning and the place was packed with visitors. The gift shop was also bustling. People were buying up all kinds of stuff with the image of JFK. The exploitation of his death will never end.
When we visited the Alamo, it didn't really bother me that people sold souvenirs. The Alamo was a very historic battle, and those who fought there are now considered heroes. It's something that Americans can look back on and feel proud. Something you could tell your children about. Remember the Alamo!
The JFK site, though, is a shameful embarrassment to this country. It's certainly not a good legacy for Dallas. Dallas, in 1963, was a hostile city towards John F. Kennedy. Certainly, he had his supporters there, but the city was also full of nutjobs who hated Kennedy because of his policies towards civil rights, and they thought he was soft on communism. Kennedy just shouldn't have gone to Texas.
As far as my beliefs regarding the assassination, I believe in the "conspiracy" theory. I believe there were numerous assassins, all firing from different locations in Dealey Plaza, with the fatal head shot being fired from behind the picket fence next to the "grassy knoll." If you've never seen the Oliver Stone film "JFK", you should rent it. I find the information in this film to be far more believable than what the Warren Commission has presented. There's a great scene in that movie where Donald Sutherland, portraying a character named "General X" explains the most likely reasons that Kennedy was killed, who benefited the most from it, and who has the power to cover it up. It's a very gripping scene.
Hopefully in my lifetime we'll know the truth of what really happened. I'm sure by now most of the people involved are dead, and it's not as though the reputation of the US government can be damaged any more than it already is. I think it's time...open the files on JFK.
(Pictures: 1. The Texas Book Depository building. 2. The view from the window of the Book Depository building, where a rife was found that supposedly belonged to Lee Harvey Oswald. 3. The location at the corner of Houston and Elm where the assassination occurred. 4. Behind the picket fence where the fatal head shot was probably fired. 5. Christy and Sara walking along the "grassy knoll.")
"Where's the place that they killed Kennedy?"
Not very subtle, but kind of funny and sad. Dallas, unfortunately, will always be linked to November 22, 1963. Dallas will always be "the place that they killed Kennedy." (To add even more negative publicity to Dallas, it's also the city where George W. Bush is settling down in.)
I guess that Dallas sees the assassination as both a blessing and a curse. Tourists will continue to flock to Dallas to see the site of the murder. The "Sixth Floor Museum" still seems to be doing very well. We were there early Saturday morning and the place was packed with visitors. The gift shop was also bustling. People were buying up all kinds of stuff with the image of JFK. The exploitation of his death will never end.
When we visited the Alamo, it didn't really bother me that people sold souvenirs. The Alamo was a very historic battle, and those who fought there are now considered heroes. It's something that Americans can look back on and feel proud. Something you could tell your children about. Remember the Alamo!
The JFK site, though, is a shameful embarrassment to this country. It's certainly not a good legacy for Dallas. Dallas, in 1963, was a hostile city towards John F. Kennedy. Certainly, he had his supporters there, but the city was also full of nutjobs who hated Kennedy because of his policies towards civil rights, and they thought he was soft on communism. Kennedy just shouldn't have gone to Texas.
As far as my beliefs regarding the assassination, I believe in the "conspiracy" theory. I believe there were numerous assassins, all firing from different locations in Dealey Plaza, with the fatal head shot being fired from behind the picket fence next to the "grassy knoll." If you've never seen the Oliver Stone film "JFK", you should rent it. I find the information in this film to be far more believable than what the Warren Commission has presented. There's a great scene in that movie where Donald Sutherland, portraying a character named "General X" explains the most likely reasons that Kennedy was killed, who benefited the most from it, and who has the power to cover it up. It's a very gripping scene.
Hopefully in my lifetime we'll know the truth of what really happened. I'm sure by now most of the people involved are dead, and it's not as though the reputation of the US government can be damaged any more than it already is. I think it's time...open the files on JFK.
(Pictures: 1. The Texas Book Depository building. 2. The view from the window of the Book Depository building, where a rife was found that supposedly belonged to Lee Harvey Oswald. 3. The location at the corner of Houston and Elm where the assassination occurred. 4. Behind the picket fence where the fatal head shot was probably fired. 5. Christy and Sara walking along the "grassy knoll.")
No comments:
Post a Comment