On November 22, 2013, we will mourn the fiftieth anniversary of the loss of President John F. Kennedy. To some, he’ll be remembered as king of Camelot. To some, he’ll be remembered as the president who could have stopped the Vietnam War. For some, he’ll be remembered at playing the greatest game of chess with the Soviet Union and winning (The Cuban Missile Crisis). He’ll also be remembered as the greatest president that ever lived, attempting to bridge the races. But he’ll also be remembered as the man gunned down by the CIA, FBI, Dallas Police Department, Lydon B. Johnson, Mafia, by the driver of the limousine. And believe it or not, even as openly committing suicide in Dealey Plaza. Take your pick, everyone can be pinned to the assassination. Its a rabbit hole.
Five years after the loss of John, the world witnessed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. A civil rights leader gaining ground, one who was uniting both black and white, he found himself gunned down in 1968. A few months later, Senator Robert Kennedy suffered the same fate. But prior to the both of them, in 1965, the life of Malcom X was taken.
In all these instances, in each assassination, millions of American people do not believe lone assassins prevailed. Millions of Americans, not on just garbage evidence, some quite convincing at first look, have built cases that one or more members of government bodies have been behind the blood loss. In each case, the goals of the assassinations were multiple. Some say it was to continue the war in Vietnam. Some to keep the races against each other. Some to keep groups in turmoil or keep some above others.
But you know what even trumped the John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories? What became the newest rabbit hole?
September 11, 2001 saw the greatest assault on American soil since Pearl Harbor. In fact, Hawaii wasn’t even a State of the United States when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. So technically, 9/11 was the greatest assault since the War of 1812. Within days, “9/11 Was An Inside Job” sprout up everywhere. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, members of the Project for the New American Century, the CIA, FBI, Israeli Mossad, Pakistan’s ISI and the news networks themselves have been implicated as saboteurs. And to what purpose? To keep the Haves having and the Have-Nots having not. Or Peak Oil. Or…whatever.
Upon examination of the theories above, very little stands as deserving much attention. Yet, the question is, why doesn’t anyone believe the official government accounts? Why do few (forget just Americans, let’s count millions worldwide) believe the Warren Commission conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone against Kennedy? Why don’t they, including King’s own son, believe James Earl Ray was solely responsible for killing King Jr,? And what about Waco and Oklahoma? Why do so many believe the FBI started the fire at the Branch Davidian compound in 1993 or blew up the Oklahoma Federal Building in 1995? Why the elaborate conspiracies?
There’s so many reasons WHY. But aside from the X-Files being really cool and that conspiracy theories are always kinda fun and exciting, understand that the Federal Government has given us every reason to doubt them.
How many times have “official sources” lied to cover up truths? Let’s dig up some old dirt.
Conflicts in Vietnam began at least in the 1950s. But to get the United States into full-blown war, the US needed a pretext for war, something the American people could rally behind. That came in August 1964 when President Lydon B. Johnson claimed that North Vietnam attacked American Destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Only problem is, it never happened. But it was enough for a decade plus war with Indonesian nations.
In 1975, the Church Committee was established to study government operations involving assassinations and were alarmed to find that, indeed, many had occurred. The CIA had involved itself with attempts against Castro and Lumumba and successes against Allende (who, incidentally took his own life before capture on…September 11…1973). And although the results were to ban assassination by any employee of the federal government, after September 11, 2001, standards were relaxed. Orders to get Osama Bin Laden and associates were authorized. And, as of recent, Senator Rand Paul took to the floor of the Senate to protest the use of military drones to assassinate Americans on American soil.
There’s also the injustices of COINTELPRO, the counter intelligence program was run by the FBI to infiltrate organizations it felt were threats to the government. From the late 1950s to early 1970s, the FBI mingled with, spied on, stirred up, committed acts of violence against and yes, conducted assassinations to “preserve national security”. Their definition, of course. Reputations were smeared and groups were discredited.
The United States Government has engaged in so many acts of shitness domestically and abroad that it’s no wonder why the American people don’t believe them when they sport halo-hats at press conferences.
As of late, we found that the IRS is targeting political groups not in line with liberal politics. Tea Party and Constitutional groups were being flagged in 2012 for further scrutiny. We’ve been treated to finding out the NSA is collecting vacuum style, gobs of emails, texts, phone calls, faxes, and all that is digital. And, as mentioned above, drone use against American citizens on American soil appears to have been at the very least, thought of. (Does it surprise anyone after Operation Northwoods revelations?)
And now we have the latest. The Community Relations Services (CRC) of the Department of Justice sent “peacekeepers” to protests after Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman (April 2012). According to Judicial Watch, documents obtained on their doings show that they did not quell, but, “the group actively worked to foment unrest, spending thousands of taxpayer dollars on travel and hotel rooms to train protestors throughout Florida. The peacekeepers also met with officials of the Republican National Convention, scheduled for several months later in Tampa, to warn them to expect protests in connection with Martin’s death.”
Wow.
I mean really…wow.
Some things change. Some things don’t.
When we see the federal government actively taking a side, stirring the pot, before a verdict even, what are we to think? Regardless on where you stand on the guilt or innocence of George Zimmerman, should the federal government be training protestors? Based on its escapades over the past several decades, there’s only going to be one outcome. Bad.
What are we to make of all this? The IRS targeting certain groups. The NSA scooping things up, picking targets based on…who knows. The Department of Justice conducting what may be a form of COINTELPRO in Florida?
Granted, all branches of government should be concerned about the outcome of the Zimmerman/Martin case. The Rodney King case in 1992 sprung riots divided along racial lines. Who knows how the Zimmerman/Martin case will fall out. We might know in a matter of days. Testimony will close soon. But based on history and the current revelation that there’s been some flies in the stew, I wonder, does someone behind the castle walls still want to see the division between black and white? A division between Haves and Have-Nots? A division to keep us from organizing because if we keep fighting amongst ourselves, if we keep believing in outrageous theories, if we keep yelling at the projection of Oz instead of Oz himself, will the Lords and Ladies remain above the serfs? Or is this just a game of whoever is in power gets to carry the big stick?
