Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Trump's policies discredit ideals my family cherished

[Paz Marverde]

http://www.euronews.com/2018/05/23/my-family-believed-ideals-american-democracy-donald-trump-s-policies-ncna875406

 

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Trump's policies discredit ideals my family cherished

By Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

America today is, as it always has been, an enduring struggle between two visions of what our country should be. One vision is that we should be an idealistic nation that serves as an example to the rest of the world of the success of this American experiment with self-government, equality, justice and democracy. The other sees us as another refuge for the rich, where people with money can dominate and subjugate large populations and commoditize the public commons.

There's an outrage in this country today among people who believe in the first, idealistic vision of America and who then look at President Trump and believe that he has brought disrepute to the United States and discredited the entire American experiment in self-governance. President Trump's policies have been not to actively encourage democracy abroad, but to reach out to some of the most tyrannical governments in the world and to give them sustenance and encouragement. That's a discredit to democracy.

And for other nations of the world that are considering democracy, Trump isn't helping the cause. Think about China, for example: Their system rewards intelligence and so, when you meet with Chinese political leaders — which I've done — you are, generally speaking, meeting with some of the smartest people in a given province. So if you're Chinese and looking at what's happening in the United States today, why in the world would you ever choose a political system that could produce a national leader who is utterly incurious, superficial and ultimately a buffoon? And I'm sure other nations are having the same second thoughts.

It might be easy to be cynical about politics and politicians now, but for my family, the ability to participate in politics was important. The Irish coming to America when my ancestors did took to politics like a starving man takes to food, because they had been forbidden from participating in the political destiny of their own nation for 800 years. The British, as a colonial power in Ireland, forbade the Irish from holding political office, from practicing law, from voting and from serving on juries in their own country.

And when the Irish arrived in America, they were not only hungry for politics, but they had an idealistic view of the American political system, because they had been fighting against unfairness and injustice by an entrenched elite in the country they left. Those broader impulses merged with my family's Catholic faith in a kind of seamless zeitgeist, leaving us with a deep sense, to this day, that people should spend their lives at worthwhile endeavors — to help a broader community or serve larger principles.

My grandmother, Rose Kennedy, whose father was the first ghetto Irish mayor of Boston, and my grandfather, Joseph Kennedy, whose father was a political boss in Boston and a member of the state legislature, both felt that public service was a noble profession. They thought it was the highest calling, and those values were passed down within the family.

Maybe now there's an idea that these serious things are divorced from fun, but I hope my new book dispels that a little. My childhood was a very special time in American history, and our home was really a centerpiece of what was happening not only in governance but in the broader culture. It was filled with civil rights leaders, with students from Indonesia and from African countries that were then, for the first time, able to self-govern. But I could also wake up and come down to breakfast and find the Smothers Brothers, Alan King and Buddy Hackett in their pajamas around the dining room table. Our participation in the world was important, but it wasn't always so serious.

As told to THINK editor Megan Carpentier, edited and condensed for clarity.

_Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is an American environmental attorney, author, activist, clean technology entrepreneur and radio host. He has written 10 books, the most recent of which is "American Values: Lessons I Learned from My Family" (HarperCollins, 2018)._

This article was originally published on NBC News' Think. Opinions expressed in View articles are not those of euronews

Edited May 23, 2018 by Paz Marverde

[Ron Ecker]

I'd rather hear less of what he thinks about Trump and more about who he thinks killed his dad. But I can understand it's not safe. For him as for the whole MSM Trump is a safe and easy target for everyone except FoxNews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ron Bulman]

Buddy Hackett at the breakfast table in his pajamas, that could have been funny.  The article almost sounds like a lead, the title too.

[Paul Brancato]

41 minutes ago, Ron Ecker said:

I'd rather hear less of what he thinks about Trump and more about who he thinks killed his dad. But I can understand it's not safe. For him as for the whole MSM Trump is a safe and easy target for everyone except FoxNews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few years ago RFK Jr. was recommending JFK and the Unspeakable.

[James DiEugenio]

Ron, you have not read the book.  He does address that issue.

[Ron Ecker]

3 minutes ago, James DiEugenio said:

Ron, you have not read the book.  He does address that issue.

Excellent. I'll get a copy.

 

[James DiEugenio]

Paul, funny you should bring up the Douglass book.

That is how he actually really got interested.  He was doing a speech in New York at a college.  Before he went on, the host gave him the Douglass book.  He said, "You should really read this."  So he did.  One day a few weeks later, Jim Douglass got a phone call.  The caller said, "Bobby Kennedy Jr. What can I do for you?"  They ended up co writing an article for Rolling Stone. I think that was in 2013.

As per the RFK case, from what I understand, he got interested in that through Paul Schrade.  He went to a meeting of RFK researchers just our of courtesy to Paul, who had helped his father in the California primary.  Once he got there and listened, he realized they were correct.

BTW, that anecdote parallels what happened to the late Allard Lowenstein.  He was one of the people who wanted RFK to enter the 1968 primary.  After he was killed and after the Sirhan trial, someone he knew invited him to a meeting.  Again, he only went out of politeness.  But once he listened he realized, hey something is wrong with this picture.  And that is how he got involved with it. And he did a lot of good things.  So many that the LAPD ended up hating him.

[Joe Bauer]

Was the RFK interview with Charlie Rose video buried?

Was it even shown on Rose's national TV show?

If the interview was dumped, who was the decision power maker behind this?

"They" STILL felt that the things RFK Jr. had to say in that interview was still a threat to their control?

[Rob Couteau]

18 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

the Douglass book

How interesting that RFK read the Douglass book - which is such a fine piece of work. Does he say anything about whether other Kennedy family members are versed in the assassination literature? (And Paz, thanks for this great find - just reposted it to my Facebook.)

[Rob Couteau]

 

Jim, This must be the piece that you mentioned:

John F. Kennedy's Vision of Peace
On the 50th anniversary of JFK's death, his nephew recalls the fallen president's attempts to halt the war machine

By Robert F. Kennedy Jr. November 20, 2013
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/john-f-kennedys-vision-of-peace-20131120

"As James W. Douglass argues in his book JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, JFK's presidency would be a continuous struggle with his own military and intelligence agencies, which engaged in incessant schemes to trap him into escalating the Cold War into a hot one. His first major confrontation with the Pentagon, the Bay of Pigs catastrophe, came only three months into his presidency and would set the course for the next 1,000 days."