W. Niederhut

Michael, Perhaps you missed the big news from one of Trump's former professors at U. Penn, to the effect that, "Donald Trump was the single worst student (he) ever taught at Penn." Trump's older sister also wrote papers for him, so that he could grift his way through two years at Fordham and two at Penn. It was the academic equivalent of allegedly having bone spurs. Incidentally, can you specify which of Russ Baker's criticisms of RFK, Jr. were "wrong or exaggerated" in your opinion?

Huh? It's "presumptuous" to ask forum members to clarify their statements on the forum? When was that standard of Education Forum discourse established?

Paul, Where does RFK, Jr. stand on some of the major domestic and foreign policy crises of our time-- the rise of the anti-democracy, proto-fascist Trump cult, Putin's brutal, illegal war against Ukraine, wealth inequality and the Reaganomic national debt, gun homicides, etc.?? Is RFK, Jr. a champion of progressive, liberal democracy? Is he a bona fide progressive? Has he condemned Trumplicon fascism and Putin's fascist dictatorship? Has he advocated gun control? Has he advocated increasing taxes on the rich? Thus far, most of his fluffing has happened on the plutocratic Faux News Anti-Biden Propaganda network.

Yeah, Matt, and the guys in the MAGA-verse who have been selling Durham nothing burgers probably don't even know. That is one issue I have with the reality-based news and opinion being exiled to this Water Cooler board on the forum. The result is that political reality has been marginalized, while the Fox News/Joe Rogan alternate reality propaganda is still being posted daily on the JFKA forum. Not sure how to fix that problem. I agree that the political discussions should be separated from debates about the JFK assassination.

Larry, It was unfair of me to attribute your slur about Vice President Harris to racism, and I do apologize-- especially if you can provide a rational explanation for your slur. Here's what you wrote: "If all RFK Jr's campaign does is force Biden out of the race, then that is a victory for the country. we cant afford to have Harris or Trump become president." Are you likening Vice President Harris to an uneducated sociopath like Donald Trump? Harris has had to run the gauntlets of racism and misogyny-- which were, obviously, deployed by the Fox News propagandists, for years, against Obama and Hillary Clinton. Did you watch the 2020 Democratic primary debates, or Harris's Vice Presidential debate against Mike Pence? The lady is highly intelligent, articulate, and well educated. More importantly, she is committed to the public good. So, what are your grounds for claiming that "the country can't afford to have Vice President Harris become President?" As opposed to whom-- Anti-Woke Ron DeSantis? The shameless Trump apologist Mike Pence? As for your Joe Rogan comment, I am quite familiar with the scientific "merits" of RFK's anti-vaccine disinformation in recent years. I prefer written analyses to podcasts. Now, perhaps you would be so kind as to answer a few of my unanswered questions (above.) 1) Which of Russ Baker's specific criticisms of RFK, Jr. do you disagree with? 2) Should the West have refrained from intervention following Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939? 3) Was the American Revolutionary War essentially a "proxy war" (between Britain and France) in your opinion-- as opposed to a war for independence? 4) Was Alexander McCaskill-- the anti-Biden propagandist-- your Fox News/Tucker Carlson contact person?

Lauren Boebert says she's being 'directed' by 'God' to impeach Biden - Raw Story - Celebrating 19 Years of Independent Journalism

Reality check about John Cotter's latest false claims, folks. 1) I was, in fact, reprimanded by the mods here for accurately referring to John Cotter as an "anti-vaxxer" in one of our discussions about RFK, Jr. His whining about this was puzzling at the time, since many people, including RFK, Jr. are known "anti-vaxxers." The term "anti-vaxxer" is standard parlance here in the U.S., and John Cotter has repeatedly posted about his opposition to the use of COVID vaccines during our pandemic. Nevertheless, John's whining about being called an "anti-vaxxer" was taken seriously by the mods. 2) Cotter posted a recent ad hominem t-r-o-l-l slur suggesting that I had been "institutionalized"-- in the context of his off topic anti-psychiatry disinformation posts.

Has anyone else noticed that the same Fox News/Joe Rogan/RFK, Jr. fans who have repeatedly denied and downplayed Donald Trump's crimes against the U.S. are now denying and downplaying Putin's war crimes in Ukraine? The main political crises (domestic and foreign) facing the U.S. and the West today are the inter-related anti-democracy movements of Trump-ism and Putin-ism. Where is RFK, Jr. on these two critical issues? Democracy is betrayed by silence.

The RFK Jr. Threat June 20, 2023 at 1:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 261 Comments Jonathan Last argues that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential candidacy is a “fifth column.” “I could be wrong about this, but I believe that Kennedy will absolutely be speaking at a party convention next summer. But it won’t be the Democratic convention. He’ll have a slot speaking at the Republican convention where he will endorse whoever the Republican nominee is.” “All of which is why it is best to understand the Kennedy campaign not as an intra-party challenge to Biden, but the first phase of a two-stage gauntlet Biden is running against Trumpian populism.”

Gee, Larry, thanks for your expert Dr. Joe Rogan medical reference. We should all get our medical opinions from talk radio. I don't know how I ever got admitted to Harvard Medical School back in the day without such judicious medical advice from an NYU lawyer. Did you and RFK, Jr. ever study microbiology, virology, or immunology during the course of your law school educations? What you guys are doing is known in medical circles as giving bad medical advice outside of your area(s) of expertise. As for RFK, Jr.'s idiotic claims about antidepressants and America's gun homicide epidemic, it's a subject that I understand in considerable detail, having spent a great deal of time during my 40-year psychiatric career treating mood disorders and, at times, evaluating and assessing homicide risks. RFK, Jr.s mental health concepts seem to be based on Scientology disinformation. All of the best multi-factorial analyses of our sky-high U.S. gun homicide rates have shown that the basic problem in America is the prevalence of guns. RFK, Jr.'s solution is to assure his Fox News/Joe Rogan fan club that he, "will not take away their guns." Terrific. Meanwhile, since you persist in calling Putin's invasion of Ukraine a "proxy war," let me ask. Do you also conceptualize the American Revolutionary War as a "proxy war" (e.g., between Britain and France?) It, certainly, wasn't viewed as a "proxy war" to the American colonists who were fighting for independence! As for your racist slur (above) about Vice President Harris, it's beneath contempt.

Larry, I take it that you support RFK, Jr.'s continued promotion of the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism? Do you also agree with RFK, Jr.'s claim that antidepressants are responsible for America's epidemic of gun homicides? What are your thoughts about Russ Baker's specific critique of RFK, Jr.'s position on Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine? Should we let the Little Dictator subjugate a sovereign nation and ship citizens and opposition leaders to his Gulag? Do you have a similar opinion about the impropriety of Western intervention following Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939? And, if not, why not? Explain.

Jim, I don't want to unnecessarily clutter the JFKA forum with old baggage from the 56 Years thread, but you are, evidently, unaware of Ben's lengthy, redundant history of bending over backwards to cover Donald Trump's derriere on the Education Forum. Let's set the record straight, in the context of understanding Ben's numerous, daily RFK, Jr./Biden snuff job threads here promoting RFK, Jr.'s anti-Biden candidacy. Ben doth protest too much about allegedly being non-partisan, while repeatedly bashing the "Donks," denying Trump's J6 coup attempt, Trump's Russia-gate scandal, etc., prior to the closure of the 56 Years thread. You, yourself, encouraged Ben to finally watch the Congressional J6 hearings last summer, after he repeatedly, erroneously dismissed them as a "circus." So, in fact, Denny Zartman is correct. Ben's daily RFK, Jr. threads on this forum are redundant, indirect attacks on Biden and the Donks, in the guise of references to the JFK records.

Jim, You, obviously, know the history better than I. Why did JFK fly to Berlin in late June of 1963 to give his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech? Wasn't West Berlin being threatened with a new Soviet blockade of some sort?

Ad hominem jargon. You ducked Baker's critique of RFK, Jr.'s dubious policy positions. Meanwhile, I notice that RFK, Jr.'s fan club on the forum is comprised of the same people who have tended to reference Tucker Carlson, Jim, Russ Baker has published a number of articles on the JFK assassination at Who What Why. I don't recall off hand whether he reviewed A Lie Too Big to Fail. As for Family of Secrets, you made a number of valid points in your review of the book, especially the relative neglect of GHWB'S October Surprise and Iran-Contra history. But you overlooked some nuances in Baker's coverage of GHWB's history on 11/22/63. For example, to whom was Barbara Bush's bizarre, formal letter "to her family" about 11/22/63 addressed? How old was Jeb Bush on 11/22/63? In any case, no less an historian and intellectual than Gore Vidal had high praise for Family of Secrets. As for our Fox News liaison Larry Schnapf's comment that Baker is suffering from "RFK Jr. derangement syndrome," it's a vacuous ad hominem slur that glosses over Baker's accurate critique of some of RFK, Jr.'s questionable judgments. And Baker's series about RFK, Jr. originated as a response to his readers who support RFK, Jr. Schnapf's comment reminds me of the Fox/MAGA habit of dismissing substantial criticisms of Donald Trump as "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Roger, You misinterpreted my comments. I believe JFK was quite sincere about pursuing peace as an ideal, de-escalating the nuclear arms race, and "breaking the CIA into a thousand pieces." I view his subsequent Berlin Speech as a counterpoint-- a statement to the Kremlin that the U.S. was simultaneously committed to defending freedom and democracy in Europe. When people use only the Peace Speech to criticise Biden's support for Ukraine, they are overlooking what JFK said in Berlin.

Ben, I disagree with your "larger concerns" take here. IMO, the major crises of our time are issues like climate change, the proto-fascist, anti-democracy GOP cult centered on Trump, and Putin's war on Ukraine. RFK, Jr. has a good track record on environmental issues, but where does he stand on GOP voter suppression, anti-Woke-ism, Trump-ism, and Putin-ism? These are questions that progressive journalists like Russ Baker and Naomi Klein are asking. It's specious to dismiss them as "hit pieces." Also, Jim D. asked what Russ Baker's article has to do with JFK, but we could ask the same question about the daily pro-RFK threads on this board.

Ron DeSantis? Rupert Murdoch has been fluffing DeSantis for the past two years.

I've been a fan of investigative journalist Russ Baker ever since I read his great book, Family of Secrets, about the "untold history" of the Bush family. He is a Deep State critic, and a JFKA Truther. In recent years, Baker has run an independent news site called Who What Why. He has recently published a series of op-eds about RFK, Jr.'s candidacy. Since the JFKA forum has become a site for Ben Cole's daily threads about RFK, Jr.'s 2024 Presidential candidacy, here is this morning's Russ Baker op-ed. If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Were President, How Safe Would We Be? - WhoWhatWhy

Anthony, I have always respected your research and insights on this forum. Two non-rhetorical questions. 1) Has Putin, possibly, had a long-term goal of annexing Ukraine, in accordance with Aleksandr Dugin's popular 1997 Russian military textbook on The Geopolitical Future of Russia? 2) If so, isn't it likely that Putin would have aggressively promoted propaganda about various pretexts/excuses for invading and annexing Ukraine-- e.g., claiming that Russia was threatened by Ukraine, that Ukrainians are N-a-z-i-s with bio-weapons labs, etc.?

Yeah, Matt, and there is a misperception in the RFK, Jr. fan club on this forum that only the M$M has been critical of RFK, Jr. RFK, Jr. has also been criticized recently by some reputable, independent, progressive journalists like Naomi Klein and Russ Baker. Russ Baker published a new op-ed today (at Who What Why) raising some serious questions, among other things, about RFK, Jr.'s position on Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Learn the definition of "spam," John. This isn't spam. It's a direct rebuttal of your inaccurate, inappropriate t-r-o-l-l-ing (above) on this thread.

Jim, What is your recollection of the events leading up to the breakdown in Biden and Blinken's efforts to forestall Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine last year? Do you condone Putin's illegal invasion and war crimes in Ukraine? Also, do you condone Putin's illegal 2014 annexation of the Crimea? Peace is an admirable ideal, but when was JFK ever confronted with an illegal invasion of an independent, sovereign nation by a totalitarian police state? As a matter of fact, JFK vowed to defend West Berlin from Soviet annexation, didn't he?

I predicted awhile ago that Rupert Murdoch and the other right wing Republican media moguls who are currently fluffing RFK, Jr. will abruptly turn on him if he ever becomes the Democratic nominee. They'll suddenly start running stories about RFK, Jr.'s heroin addiction, ex-wife's suicide, etc. They are chiefly interested in regaining GOP control of the White House and Congress-- to maintain low corporate and income tax rates, and GOP plutocratic control of the SCOTUS and judicial system. IMO, they are simply using RFK, Jr. to sabotage Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

Indeed, Cliff, and the other awkward truth about NATO expansion is how eager the nations of the former Soviet Bloc have been to join NATO and the EU. Their interest in joining the prosperous democracies of the EU is inconsistent with the Russia Today narrative decrying U.S. oppression and "full spectrum dominance." Who are the "oppressors" in Europe today, other than Putin and Lukashenko?