President Kennedy is Assassinated

Monday marked the forty-third anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.  He was shot in the head as his motorcade was driving through downtown Dallas, Texas.    Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime and was killed two days later by Jack Ruby as he was being led to jail.  Following the assassination, many have questioned whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or whether it was part of a larger conspiracy.  Regardless, while many will remember the death of John Kennedy, most will remember the way he lived.

Born into a wealthy and famous family, John Kennedy was a privileged youth.  He was well educated at private schools and prestigious universities.  He joined the Navy in 1941 as was sent to the South Pacific during World War II.  He was given command of PT 109 (patrol-torpedo boat).  In 1943 his boat was hit by a Japanese destroyer.  Heroically, he helped many of the marooned crew to safety.  As a result, he was award the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism. (There is a movie about this, PT-109)

After the war, Kennedy had aspirations of being a journalist.  The cries of political life became too strong and in 1946, he ran and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Massachusetts.  He began his term in Congress in 1947 at age 29.  He ran twice more before he changed course and ran for U.S. Senate in 1952.  Early in his term as a Senator he was forced to have back surgery.  During his recovery, he wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning biography “Profiles in Courage”.

He chose to run for President in 1960.  His opponent was a well known and former Vice President Richard Nixon.  Kennedy’s youthful and vibrant charisma was a major issue is deciding the election.  This was particularly evident in the first-ever televise debates.  He was elected by a narrow margin of 120,000 votes and became the youngest man ever elected to the presidency.

In his inaugural address he called on all Americans to join together to end poverty, continue the progress of the United States and fight to win the Cold War against communism.  It is here you hear one of his most famous quotes, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.

He was energetic, decisive, and charismatic.  Although he is one of the most loved presidents of all time, his leadership was at times controversial and he was not liked by groups of Americans and foreign citizens.  Many of the changes he was encouraging were not well received.  It is this controversy which led to many of the conspiracy theories surrounding his death.

Unfortunately, just over 1,000 days into his presidency, he was publicly assassinated. 

What qualities are necessary to be a great and effective president?  How do you think the age of television changed the role of the president and how elections are run?  How do you think the use of television, Internet and instant access to news will continue to shape our world, our leaders, and our ideas?

Harry Potter Release

This week Part I of the seventh and last Harry Potter film is set to release on Friday.  This is the beginning of the end of the tale which has captured the hearts and minds of readers across the world.  The Harry Potter series was written by J.K. Rowling.  The first book was released June 30, 1997.  Since then more than 400 million books in the series have been sold.  The last four books set records for the fastest selling book in history.

Since the first release and their immense popularity, the books, movies and characters have become a part of our culture.  Whether or not you enjoy the story of Harry Potter, it is difficult to deny the impact it has had on our lives.  Many attribute the series with bringing young readers back to books.  It would not be a stretch to state the success of Harry Potter has inspired further young reader book series such as Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight series, Rich Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and the resurgence of C.S. Lewis’ books of Narnia. 

Have you read the Harry Potter books, seen the movies or both?  Do you plan on seeing the Deadly Hallows Part I? What type of books do you enjoy reading and why?  What impact has Harry Potter had on our culture?

The Results

The 2010 mid-term elections are over and done. If you read the paper or looked on the Internet you will read about the GOP's (Grand Old Party, a.k.a. The Republican Party) overwhelming success at the national and local level. The Republicans gained 60 seats in the US House of Representatives, 6 Senate seats and 7 Governorships. While the Republicans did not take control of the Senate, the majority enjoyed by the Democrats is much slimmer now.

It is true that in the last 24 mid-term elections, the President's party has lost seats, but never to this extent. This is the single largest shift in political power since World War II. It is the consensus this was less of a Republican victory and more of a Democratic defeat. Democratic Congressmen, who won 2 years ago with over 60% of the vote, were crushed by Republican newcomers. Many agree, the public is not swinging conservative, but they are willing to try something new in order to get the economy moving again. They are giving the Republicans their chance to get things done. The people are sick and tired of political meandering and are looking for solutions. They are tired of unemployment, layoffs, and foreclosures. They want jobs, security and disposable income.

Even within the Republican ranks, their are new faces. The Tea Party has come to the table with new ideas about the way the government should behave and the actions that should be taken. Their initial focus is gong to be making sure the Bush tax cuts remain intact, government spending is slowed to a responsible level and health care laws are rescinded. The public is watching. They seem to like what they are hearing, but they want action. Without noticeable improvement in the lives of everyday Americans, the Republican controlled House will be short lived. If they can pull off many of the changes and the public feels better, the Democrats may be in for further trouble in two short years.

What do you think about the election results? What do you think will happen in the short term and the long term? Do you think the government will find a way to get things done or will the Republican House and Democratic President create a stalemate of ideas and prevent any real progress? How do you think they should work together?