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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mike M2 who wrote (63886)	7/2/1999 3:13:00 PM
From: Merritt	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 132070

Mike, thanks. It's a shame that history has to be left to the historians...especially recent history. It gets so discolored by those who "interpret" it. Not that it doesn't get adequate coverage, just that it gets very warped by whatever bias occupies the time it's being written. Very seldom does one read that JFK was in Dallas to try and drum up support for his re-election bid, or that his popularity had shrunk rather dramatically. At the time of his assassination, it would have been considered rude to mention such a thing...now it seems to be almost forgotten. I voted for JFK because I distrusted Nixon, and JFK was a truly charismatic man. I think his being able to mobilize the youth of the country was perhaps his greatest gift. But he was no saint...and not just his womanizing. I attended a rally at my college in the fall of 1960; a rally to gather support for Castro and prevent U.S. intervention in Cuba. The speakers outlined a scenario wherein a group of anti-Castro people would seize a small island (Islas de Los Pinos), set up a provisional government, and then ask for U.S. assistance. It seemed like such an absurd notion, that everyone laughed. Of course they proved to be correct, as The Bay of Pigs fiasco actually took place. I still think Kennedy missed the boat with Cuba. Prior to Castro, Cuba was pretty much an oligarchical country with a quartet of main players composed of Batista, ITT, United Fruit and the Mafia...and to hell with the "common people." Castro, on his assumption of power, was not all that doctrinaire a Communist. Heavily into Socialism, yes...but not doctrinaire, and he could have, IMHO been reasoned with. It was the U.S. interference that pretty much forced him into the Communist fold...a bad, bad decision by JFK - both for us, and the people of Cuba, IMHO. Or at least that's my "interpretation" of events.<g> PS: the group that held the rally was The Fair Play For Cuba Committee, later determined to be a Communist front organization. I signed their petition, and for committing this grievous sin, was later subjected to an FBI investigation (during the Nixon regime).