The Largest Tourist Attraction in Dallas

In 1967 Penn Jones Jr., one of the early critics of the official explanation of the JFK assassination, asked rhetorically: "Just how many times must we prove conspiracy?"

It was only four years after Kennedy's killing, but by then enough was known.

Things haven't changed much. A few weeks ago another early critic, Vince Salandria, said, "The debate over the killing of President John F. Kennedy interminably rambles on. It dumps mountains of trash on the public in an effort to bury the self-evident truth of the JFK assassination coup and its cover-up."

The predictable circus of the fiftieth anniversary, with its mountains of trash, is in full swing. The City of Dallas has limited public access to Dealey Plaza, the scene of the crime. That tiny park is its biggest tourist attraction, but to go there on November 22 this year one must possess a ticket. The tickets were issued by lottery.

Concerned citizens have gathered in Dealey Plaza every November 22 since the first anniversary, but this year the powers-that-be are muscling out those who have consistently expressed their concern. The reason is plain enough. Dallas is back in the international spotlight. Dissent of any kind is not acceptable.

"In the debate," Salandria went on, "the national security state and its puppets (the military industrial complex and the nation’s press), desperately seek to substitute for the plain historical truth of their guilt, a seemingly impenetrable mystery which is no mystery at all."

So, what chance do we have of getting down to the serious business of fixing the country?

In December 1963, just a few weeks after Kennedy's death, Minority of One editor M.S. Arnoni wrote: "The assassination itself is probably a mere prelude to an historical tragedy the scope of which is not yet discernible."

The Debate Club, Part Two

To my surprise, US News and World Report has published my 500-word op/ed on the question of whether there was a conspiracy in the JFK assassination.

Here is a link to the item, which is included in what the magazine calls the Debate Club.

The appearance of my essay is a little ironic, since one of its points is that on the "Was there a conspiracy?" question, there isn't anything to debate.

All told, five opinions are offered. Four answer the question, "Yes." The lone defender – sort of a lone nut – makes empty, meaningless arguments that do not so much defend his position as ridicule anyone who might answer yes.

The Debate Club

The "Debate Club" is a feature of US News and World Report, or at least its online edition, which is billed as "a meeting of the sharpest minds on the day's most important topics."

I don't know about that – but I'll take them at their word.

A few weeks ago an editor from US News contacted me and asked if I would contribute a 500 word Debate Club op/ed on the question, Was there a conspiracy to assassinate JFK?

He asked because I wrote a book on the subject, first published in hardcover in 2007. It re-emerged as an e-book this past October.

He also asked because the 50th anniversary of the assassination is coming up.

Within a day or so I'd completed the 500 words (550, as it turned out) and sent them along. I have not heard a peep out of USNWR since.

I had to sign a contract that, among other things, prevents me from quoting my op/ed here. I'll link to it from this blog if they use it. If they don't, it still belongs to me and I'll be free to post it. I'm not all that confident they will use it. I'm sure they asked a lot of others to contribute.

Ego being what it is, I hope to reach the wide audience the Debate Club might afford. But of course, I'm no Vincent Bugliosi. I toned down the rhetoric, but the thrust of my essay is that the Debate Club's question is stupid. So I'm not holding my breath.

The current Debate Club topic, as this is written, is whether the Washington Redskins football team should change their name. Coincidentally I just blogged about that. I did not tone down the rhetoric on that one!