W. Niederhut

Understood, Jim. And, as I said, it's an excellent essay about JFK and Nasser. I was simply commenting on the fact that the history of the Neocons, PNAC, 9/11, and the Bush/Cheney "War on Terror" remains a "third rail" in American political discourse. How many articles has anyone ever seen in our mainstream media about the Neocon Project for a New American Century? It's one of the best kept secrets in 21st century America-- even among historians. Many people still don't even know what it was.

Excellent essay, Jim, but I noticed that you leap-frogged from the formative Scoop Jackson years of the Neocons to the Obama era overthrow of Ghaddafi and Operation Timber Sycamore-- omitting the most important Neocon chapter in world history-- that of the Project for a New American Century, 9/11 and the Bush/Cheney/Wolfowitz "War on Terror." Why does no one ever want to study or discuss the crucial history of Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, and the PNAC Neocons who staffed the Bush/Cheney administration, and orchestrated the post-9/11 "War on Terror?" It's what Joseph McBride called the "ultimate third rail" in American political discourse. Wolfowitz and Feith, like most leaders of Israel's Likud Party, (Ben Gurion, Begin, Sharon, Netanyahu, et.al.) are Israeli citizens with relatives who died in the Holocaust. Their chief concern has been the survival of the state of Israel in a hostile Arab milieu. And Wolfowitz and Feith wrote policy proposals for the Israeli government in the 1990s-- along the lines of the earlier Oded Yinon Plan-- suggesting that Israel needed to use American military power to protect Israel from hostile Muslim neighbors. PNAC issued their broad policy proposals for U.S. military interventions in the Middle East in the late 1990s-- before George W. Bush was even nominated as the Republican Presidential candidate, in 2000. The Wolfowitz Doctrine called for U.S. military intervention to depose Saddam Hussein, and to establish U.S. military hegemony in the Persian Gulf and Central Asia. And PNAC's brain trust also stated, in September of 2000, that the U.S. needed a "New Pearl Harbor" type event to mobilize public support for their Project for a New American Century-- something that would shock the American public into supporting the PNAC military agenda. The rest is largely "untold history." Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice were all members of PNAC, in addition to multiple other key members of the George W. Bush administration-- Wolfowitz, Feith, et.al. Wolfowitz and Feith were the #2 and #3 men in the Bush/Rumsfeld Pentagon. Dov Zakheim and Alvin Krongard were appointed to the CIA. Michael Cherthoff, to the DOJ. It was a PNAC/Neocon administration. And, as we all know, General Wesley Clark was briefed in the Pentagon in September of 2001, shortly after 9/11, about the Bush administration's military plans for the Middle East. Voila! It was the Project for a New American Century-- prompted by a newly identified, somewhat mysterious group of Muslim boogeymen who had previously been trained by the CIA and U.S. military for ops against the Soviets in Afghanistan... The pieces of the PNAC 9/11 jigsaw puzzle are all out there, but no one ever wants to assemble or talk about the puzzle. And those who have are promptly denounced as kooky conspiracy theorists-- somewhat like the experiences of JIm Garrison, Mark Lane, and the original critics of the Warren Commission Report.

Apologies for the non-sequitur, fellas, but I wanted to post a follow up to the Bing Crosby/Sinatra discussion (above.) As it turns out Cole Porter was paid $250,000 to compose a score for the 1956 film, High Society. When Porter learned that Louis Armstrong and his band were going to perform in the film, he composed the terrific song, Now You Has Jazz, especially for Satchmo and his band. Bing Crosby, Satchmo, and the band performed a version of the song for the ages in High Society, marred only by the fact that Crosby got mixed up about the identities of the band members. He referred to pianist, Billy Kyle, as the bass player, and referred to jazz trombonist, Trummy Young, as the clarinet player. Nevertheless, this classic is worth listening to, especially for those who haven't heard it. (Louis Armstrong later performed this song on the Ed Sullivan Show, without Bing, but that ESS performance was not as great as this film original.)

Roger, Your argument is a variation on the false premise that there are no substantive differences between the two major parties-- something which simply isn't true, at least when it comes to tax policy, Social Security, healthcare, pollution control, climate change mitigation, voting rights, reproductive rights, and LGBT rights. I agree with your point in matters relating to our imperial military-industrial complex. Although Republican Presidents launched the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq Wars, Democrats have also been enmeshed with the MIC. It's a major reason why I have supported Bernie Sanders in recent years. But I don't think JFK and RFK would agree with RFK, Jr. undermining the Democratic Party, especially given the rising tide of anti-democratic proto-fascism in the U.S. today--e.g., J6, GOP voter suppression, and the stacking of the courts with right wing ideologues. When Ted Kennedy ran against President Carter in 1980, he remained loyal to the Democratic Party.

Paul, I would have more confidence in RFK,Jr.'s commitment to the progressive liberal agenda of his father and uncles if he ran for office as a Democrat, like our true progressives-- Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, et.al. By going on a third party ego trip, RFK,Jr. is jeopardizing the political legacy of his great family. Does he realize that 21st Republicans have already passed two House budget bills, since 2011, that would have essentially abolished Ted Kennedy's Medicare program?

Paul, You raise a valid point. I should have left RFK, Jr. out of this RoJo discussion. But aren't Fox News and right wing plutocrats promoting RFK, Jr.'s Libertarian Party candidacy, to sabotage the Democratic Party in 2024? I wonder what JFK and RFK would think about their nephew and son being a torch bearer for misanthropic "libertarianism"-- a political movement predicated on getting "big" government out of the role of regulating corporate greed, pollution, and exploitation of the working class.

This reference is from Rupert Murdoch's MAGA rag, the NY Post, but it is, nevertheless, mind-boggling. I have made no secret of my disagreement with Biden's Gaza policy, but his low approval ratings are, frankly, bizarre. The U.S. economy is doing fairly well, and Biden should get an "A" for his management of domestic policy issues. Why the historically low approval ratings? I attribute them to the deluge of anti-Biden MAGA propaganda in the media. Biden ends 2023 with lower approval than past 7 presidents: poll (nypost.com)

Forum administrator, Sandy Larsen, has invited me to start a separate thread on the subject of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson's recent public interest in the JFKA. I want to begin by mentioning that this forum has had an understandable, singular focus on an event that happened 60 years ago. Forum researchers have occasionally started threads about contemporary political figures-- especially RFK, Jr. -- but, when anyone tries to discuss these politicians in the broader context of 21st century history and contemporary politics, some forum members cry, "Foul!" and the thread is promptly shunted off to the Water Cooler or Political Discussion board. So, most informed discussions about recent history and current events are consigned to the "Water Cooler"-- a term that, IMO, tends to trivialize important contemporary issues. Interestingly, Joseph McBride's old 56 Years thread was a rare example of a thread on the JFKA board that allowed discussions about the broader context of American history during the past 60 years, and current events, and the thread was quite popular on the forum before it eventually devolved into a repository for redundant MAGA spam-- e.g., repetitious posts denying that Donald Trump had attempted to overturn the 2020 U.S. election, etc. RFK, Jr. has inspired multiple redundant threads on the forum in 2023, based on his historic public commentaries about the CIA and the JFKA. But the people who have started these threads are always adamant about prohibiting any discussions about RFK, Jr. in the broader context of 21st century American political history and current events. The same thing has happened this week in relation to Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson's public comments about the CIA and the JFKA. Any contextual discussions about RoJo's political career are, apparently, off limits. We're supposed to drive this vehicle looking only in the rearview mirror, without trying to understand why people like RoJo, Tucker Carlson, and RFK, Jr. are the sole public advocates of JFKA truth in 2023. Certainly, JFKA Truth needs all the public advocacy it can get. But why Tucker Carlson? Why RoJo? Are these promoters of the 21st century Koch Tea Party, trickle-down tax policies, climate change denial, and Trump's MAGA movement mainly interested in undermining public confidence in a regulatory, utilitarian U.S. government? One thing that these two men have in common is their 21st century involvement with climate change denial and the Koch-funded GOP Tea Party after 2010-- a plutocratic, astro-turf movement organized in opposition to the Obama Presidency. They have both also been closely aligned since 2016 with Trump-ism and Trump's multi-faceted efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. election. People who are unfamiliar with RoJo's history should take a few minutes to read his Wiki biography. In addition to his climate change denial, RoJo opposed Obama's Keynesian Stimulus Recovery Act of 2009, and supported the 2017 Trump tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. He has also called for the abolition of Obamacare. Like Trump, Tucker Carlson, and RFK, Jr., RoJo also promoted disinformation about COVID during the pandemic. Ron Johnson - Wikipedia A staunch ally of President Donald Trump, Johnson voted for Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, supported Trump's decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), launched investigations into his political opponents and promoted false claims of fraud in relation to Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election. He has rejected the scientific consensus on climate change. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson voted for the CARES Act, resisted stay at home orders, used his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee to invite witnesses who promoted fringe theories about COVID-19 and spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations. Environment, climate change and energy Johnson rejects the scientific consensus on climate change,[7] describing it in 2021 as "bullshit."[34] In a 2010 interview, he called attributing global warming to manmade causes "crazy," saying the theory is "lunacy," and attributed climate change to causes other than human activity.[35] Johnson also suggested carbon dioxide was good for the environment, as it "helps the trees grow."[7] In dismissing the effects of climate change, Johnson falsely claimed that Greenland was green when it was discovered and had become white and snow-clad over time as a result of cooling temperatures.[7] In August 2015, Johnson baselessly claimed that "the climate hasn't warmed in quite a few years. That is proven scientifically," although record world temperatures were reached that year and in 2014.[36] Johnson co-sponsored the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which would block the EPA from imposing new rules on carbon emissions.[37] In an October 7, 2022, Senate campaign debate, Johnson said, "The climate has always changed and always will change, so I don’t deny climate change",[38] repeating a similar statement he made in February 2016.[39] Health care Johnson opposes the Affordable Care Act (ACA or "Obamacare") and has voted to repeal it.[65] In 2013, Johnson declined to support efforts to tie funding the federal government to defunding ACA, noting that such efforts were highly unlikely to succeed given Obama's opposition.[66] In 2014, he criticized Congress's ability to continue using pretax employer contributions to help pay for their medical care and filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block ACA exemptions to members of Congress and their staff.[67] The suit was dismissed for lack of standing, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the dismissal on appeal.[68][69] In an August 2017 interview, Johnson said of Senator John McCain's "thumbs-down" vote that killed the Republican bill to repeal the ACA, "He has a brain tumor right now. The vote occurred at 1:30 in the morning. So some of that might have factored in."[70] A McCain spokesman called the statements "bizarre and deeply unfortunate." Johnson later said he was "disappointed I didn't more eloquently express my sympathy for what Sen. McCain is going through."[71] In 2022, Johnson said that Republicans should repeal the ACA if they take control after the 2022 elections.[72]

Jim, Yes, speculation. I asked a question-- Why RoJo?--and mentioned a hypothesis about Trump and the MAGA movement's history (since 2017) of attacking the "Deep State," and depicting Trump as an erstwhile victim of the Deep State. The unspoken implication is, "The Deep State destroyed JFK, and they're trying to destroy Trump, too." My hypothesis may be wrong, but we know that RoJo has actively colluded in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. RoJo has also been accused of working for the Kremlin. But, in any case, having a U.S. Senator accuse the CIA of killing JFK is a gift-- even if the Senator is RoJo. As for Tucker and his CIA source, where were they in 2017 and 2018 when Trump blocked the release of the JFK records? At the time, Tucker and his Fox News associates were virtual White House staffers. Better late than never, but why did Tucker wait until 2023 to suddenly announce that the CIA killed JFK?

Sandy, When it comes to cognitive styles, some people are "lumpers," and some are "splitters." Your pacific intentions are admirable-- preventing conflicts by splitting dissenters into separate threads-- but I have always been more of a synthesizer-- a "lumper" The most productive discussions I have ever had-- going back to college days in the 70s-- are those in which worlds collide, and some sort of Hegelian synthesis emerges from conflicting viewpoints, a thesis and an antithesis. Conflict doesn't bother me. Nietzsche once said that he had learned far more from his intellectual adversaries than from his friends. Of course, synthesis can only happen in situations where people in a discussion are intellectually honest, and open to learning about facts and theories that challenge their paradigms-- rather than doggedly repeating their fixed beliefs. As for the cases of RoJo and Tucker Carlson, we're looking at a large can of MAGA worms that holds little interest for me. I, frankly, despise both men. But, as I said here when Tucker first went public with his claims about the CIA and the JFKA, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth." Any public figure accusing the CIA of killing JFK is a gift. So, the good news is that a U.S. Senator has just accused the CIA of killing JFK. The bad news is that it's RoJo. I have merely asked the question, "Why RoJo?" I have a hypothesis, but little data other than what I know about RoJo's sordid political career.

Jim, I beg to differ with the anti-contextual spin on the forum criticizing discussions about contemporary public figures who have been willing to discuss the JFKA. Context matters. Is it "hijacking" to try put this latest Ron Johnson news in the context of the man's Senatorial career? On the contrary, it's an important line of inquiry. Why RoJo, of all people? Why Tucker Carlson? Why is it that the only politicians and talking heads who have been openly discussing the CIA's putative role in the JFK assassination are people who have either; 1) actively colluded in Trump's Stop-the-Steal scam, (RoJo and Tucker) or, 2) remained suspiciously silent about it (RFK, Jr.?) Surely, educated, informed people on this forum don't still believe at this late date that Trump's Stop-the-Steal scam-- and his J6 insurrection-- were predicated on a "Deep State"/"Patriot Purge" plot, do they? I strongly suspect that RoJo is suddenly attacking the CIA over the JFKA as a way of indirectly pushing the false narrative that Trump's misconduct is some how the fault of the "Deep State."

Cory, What do you make of the fact that the few American politicians and talking heads (e.g., RFK, Jr., RoJo, and Tucker Carlson) who have spoken up about the CIA and the JFK assassination have also either directly participated in Trump's Stop-the-Steal scam, or remained completely silent about it (in RFK, Jr.'s case?) Serious question. My impression is that RFK, Jr. has a genuine, longstanding interest in making the public aware of the truth about the JFKA, while Republican partisans like Tucker and RoJo are mainly using the JFKA as a pretext for undermining public support for the Democratic Party. Speaking of which, whatever happened to Larry Schnapps efforts to get Congressional Republicans involved in releasing the JFK records?

Yeah, Michael, we loony left-wingers are foolishly intolerant of Koch-funded scoundrels like RoJo-- guys who collaborated with Donald Trump to overturn the results of our 2020 U.S. election. RoJo helping to destroy our American democracy is no biggie, eh? Trump, Scott Perry, RoJo, et.al., didn't succeed in burning down our D.C. Reichstag and incarcerating America's annoying loony left-wingers in places similar to Dachau, but, at least, they tried... "All I did was drop off some False Elector tallies for Pence"

I have fairly direct, personal knowledge about Putin's FSB agents coercing a bishop in the old (White) Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) to vote for Putin's Moscow Patriarchate takeover of the ROCOR in Western Europe and the U.S. in 2007. These guys are ruthless and skillful. Little wonder that the Republicans in Congress just sabotaged defense funding for Ukraine. GOP Lawmaker Says His Colleagues Are Compromised December 21, 2023 at 3:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 49 Comments Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said on a podcast that some of his colleagues have been compromised by the Russians using drugs and prostitutes. Said Burchett: “You know the old honeypot. The Russians do that and I’m sure Members of Congress have been caught up. Why in the world would good conservatives vote for crazy stuff like what we’ve been seeing? Here’s how it works. You’re visiting, you’re out of the country or out of town or you’re in a motel or at a bar in DC and, whatever you’re into – women, men, whatever – comes up and they’re very attractive and they’re laughing at your jokes, and you’re buying them a drink.” He added: “Next thing you know you’re in the motel room with them naked, and next thing you know you’re about to make a key vote, and what happens? Some well-dressed person comes up, whispers in your ear, ‘Hey man, there’s tapes out on you. Were you in a motel room on whatever with whoever? And you’re like, ‘Uh, oh.’ And they say, ‘You really ought not to be voting for this thing. And what do they do? It’s human nature.”

Cliff, You're spot on about RoJo-the-J6-False-Elector-Clown. But it's pointless to argue with a guy who has repeatedly insisted that Trump's J6 mob attack on the U.S. Congress was a harmless "scrum."

The most remarkable thing about this story is that RoJo finally got something right. Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn... 🤥

Doug, I've been listening to this terrific old Sinatra recording all month-- the only time Sinatra ever sang with Bing Crosby. (From the 1956 film, High Society, which also features Louis Armstrong's band and Grace Kelly in Newport, Rhode Island.)

I have seen estimates of 3-4 million indigenous people in Southeast Asia, (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) and another 1 million Indonesians (lawyers, students, and intellectuals affiliated with the PKI.)

But notice how the sociopath, Donald Trump, cleverly moved the goal posts here. He didn't deny Ivana Trump's published claim that he used to keep a copy of Hitler's speeches in his nightstand. Instead, he said that he never read Mein Kampf. One of my old psychiatric supervisors was a Forensic Psychiatry professor at UCHSC who used to point out that sociopaths often give semantically evasive answers to incriminating questions. For example, they may deny owning a "gun," but later admit that they do own a "rifle."

Hooray! I can't imagine the Republicans on the SCOTUS will sustain this ruling, but it's terrific to see a state supreme court acknowledge that Trump did, in fact, engage in an insurrection against the U.S. government.

Kirk, I only responded to the popular modern trope blaming "religion" for mass murder, because most people don't know that the worst genocides in history were committed by anti-Christian atheists-- Stalin, Hitler, the Khmer Rouge, et. al. It's a subject that I have studied in great detail over the years. The truth is that Homo Sapiens have always been tribal and genocidal. It's in our DNA. But religions teaching peace and compassion, when not perverted by sociopaths, have often ameliorated our baser human instincts. Dostoevsky was right. The horrors of Naziism and Stalinism were directly linked to the collapse of traditional Christianity in 20th century Germany and Russia, respectively.

True. But, if this gentleman's account of his November 22nd meeting with Nixon is accurate, Hoover was promptly pushing that narrative.

So, it sounds like J. Edgar Hoover told Nixon, fairly promptly on November 22nd, that the assassin "was someone connected to Castro."

Two underrated American Christmas classics from my old neighborhood...