At one point the Ford Presidential Library in Michigan announced that they were going to establish a Center for the Study of Political Assassinations.

But after some initial project proposals they decided that they didn't want to study political assassinations after all.

More governments change hands, historically and today, by assassination and coup d'etat than by democracy.

Yet, we have hundreds of orgs that study and promote democracy, yet none to study assassination, the most frequently used method of changing governments.

Such a center should be located in Washington, and it should be a true research center, something like the Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC) as it was in the 80s and 90s, except better funded and with live-in dorm quarters for researchers from out of town.

There is proposal for the establishment of such a center, but its proposed budget, like that of the Miller Center, DUmbarton Oaks and other similar research centers, would cost millions of dollars.

BK

[quote name='William Kelly' date='Dec 27 2006, 05:53 PM' post='86538']
At one point the Ford Presidential Library in Michigan announced that they were going to establish a Center for the Study of Political Assassinations.

But after some initial project proposals they decided that they didn't want to study political assassinations after all.

More governments change hands, historically and today, by assassination and coup d'etat than by democracy.

Yet, we have hundreds of orgs that study and promote democracy, yet none to study assassination, the most frequently used method of changing governments.

Such a center should be located in Washington, and it should be a true research center, something like the Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC) as it was in the 80s and 90s, except better funded and with live-in dorm quarters for researchers from out of town.

There is proposal for the establishment of such a center, but its proposed budget, like that of the Miller Center, DUmbarton Oaks and other similar research centers, would cost millions of dollars.

BK
[/quote]

What a great idea. Glad it won't come under cover-up artist Ford's name though. That would be a travesty.

Dawn

Agreeing to fund such a center would probably be a good way to get assassinated. (Heart attack, or shot in the face in a hunting accident, etc.)

At first we set us the Committee for an Open Archives (COA) to lobby for the release of the HSCA records. Then, after an ASK conference in Dallas, it was questioned why we would pay a commercial for-profit conference company to keep taking our money in exchange for us making presentations at their conferences, and decided to form our own non-profit org which became COPA - the Coalition on Political Assassinations.

While there were a few heavy weights who bankrolled COPA, most of the operating expenses - newsletter, mailings, phone bills, conference expenses came from $25 a year dues and small donations.

John Judge posted the envelope of one small donation on the bulletin board addressed to the Committee for Open Assassinations.

The original offices of the AARC, as founded by Bud Fensterwald, were around 14th st., around the corner from Fords Theater and the FBI HQ. It was on the 6th floor of an old building with a small, creaky elevator that had an elevator operator in the early years. The books and the files were all there for researchers to read over, and sometimes Jim Lesar, who took over from Bud, let out the key and people would stay there all night long working.

Then when they tore that building down a few years ago Lesar put most of the books and records in storage but keeps some at his offices over near Chinatown.

What is needed is a Document storefront near Ford's Theater/FBI/Spy Muse to get the school bus trafic, and with an Assassin's Museum in back and Assassination Research Center upsairs, with a dormer for visiting scholars.

Estimated cost: $2 million seed, $4 million over five years.

The best of all possible worlds would be to donate a large mansion within a 10 mile radius of DC, which could be used as a research center, while a downtown DC Assassination Museum and Document Store would lead bus tours of DC Assassination sites, of which there are many.

The actual plans for such a project were much futher developed a few years ago, though the numbers eventually depressed all interested parties. At the same time we were working on developing this project, the same people who put together the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland opened the Spy Museum in DC, which turned out having the same proposals and financial figures we had for the Assassination Museum and Research Center. Except they had the money to do it.

BK

I think the Gerald Ford Center for the Study of Assassinations should be located adjacent to the Richard M. Nixon Center for the Encouragement of Governmental Ethics and the William J. Clinton Center for the Promotion of Marital Fidelity.

Actually, I am very disappointed no one has suggested the George H.W. Bush Center for Intelligence Agency Oversight, or The Dick Cheney Center for Accountability in Media

Or, How about the following.......

Things that Will NOT Happen in 2007.

10 President Bush will insist that the fiscal budget will provide for essential economic aid for low income families
09 Congress investigates reports of electronic manipulation of balloting in the 2000/2004 elections.
08 The US Government gives its tacit approval to the Kyoto Protocol.
07 The Supreme Court admits that it intentionally ensured the election of George Bush in the 2000 Presidential
election
06 Rupert Murdoch admits in a Primetime Live interview that he has funded far right wing organizations in an
attempt to destroy liberal and centrist politicians in the US and elsewhere for over 10 years
05 The US Media reveals the existence of a conservative conspiracy to defame the Democratic Party in
an alliance with major corporate media outlets since the early 1990's
04 Pres. Bush adds a independent overseer to be elected by the American public to ensure
that safeguards are in place to ensure that there are no repeats of the abuses which took place under the
COINTELPRO program in the 1970's
03 The Supreme Court rules in a historical precedent that U.S. State and city resolutions calling for the
implementation of impeachment proceedings against President Bush "must be acted upon by Congress."
02 The Justice Dept takes monies confiscated from corporations engaged in deceptive practices which targeted
American consumers and refunds the money to its victims.
Drum Roll please.......

01 The Justice Dept. announces that it will conduct televised hearings to investigate Intelligence Agencies links to
extreme right wing and fascist individuals and organizations.

Gary Trudeau in Doonsbury comic strip of Dec. 31, has his chief lobbiest Duke reviewing a client's proposal:

"So that's our dream - to build the nation's first museum of concealable weapons!"

I'm sure if some conservative Republicans wanted to build a Weapons Of Mass Destruction museum, I'm sure it would easy to raise a few million.

BK

Bill, who'd be able to find it?

They're covering it all right. At least they're getting on topic. - BK


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