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The 60th anniversary of the assassination of JFK is a time to reflect on his idea of America and his ideals for the future. While visiting a grave on the hillside of Arlington National Cemetery, I happened to strike up a conversation with the ghost of President Kennedy. Questions may be out of context but the quotations are real.
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We have war in Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East, and revolutions in Africa. Can we ever hope for World Peace?
Today no nation can build its destiny alone. The age of self-sufficient nationalism is over. The age of interdependence is here. World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor—it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement.
War and poverty compel millions to migrate to the U.S. Should we be concerned?
Since 1607, when the first English settlers reached the New World, over 42 million people have migrated to the United States.
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge–to convert our good words into good deeds–in a new alliance for progress–to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty.
But aren’t things different now? How much is too much?
In 1797 a member of Congress argued that, while a liberal immigration policy was fine when the country was new and unsettled, now that America had reached its maturity and was fully populated, immigration should stop—an argument which has been repeated at regular intervals throughout American history.
The world is threatened by terrorism, foreign and domestic. Can we hope to live in peace?
Terror is not a new weapon. Throughout history it has been used by those who could not prevail, either by persuasion or example. But inevitably they fail, either because men are not afraid to die for a life worth living, or because the terrorists themselves came to realize that free men cannot be frightened by threats, and that aggression would meet its own response.
The bullets fired by the assassin on Nov. 22, 1963, was but a foreshadow of the senseless shootings that have followed. Is there a balance between ‘the right to bear arms’ and the actions of deranged killers?
I have said that control of arms is a mission that we undertake particularly for our children and our grandchildren and that they have no lobby in Washington.
Academia has become big business. School vouchers and free tuition divide our country. What should be our focus?
The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth. Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.
Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.
Inflation is a 21st century concern. Can we hope to help the impoverished?
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.
The cost of healthcare affects millions. How can we improve the quality of life for all?
Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity.
Can we hope to attain those goals?
Never before has man had such capacity to control his own environment, to end thirst and hunger, to conquer poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and massive human misery
Ah, the environment. What should we strive for?
Our problems are man-made — therefore, they can be solved by man. Our national conservation effort must include the complete spectrum of resources: air, water, and land; fuels, energy, and minerals; soils, forests, and forage; fish and wildlife. Together they make up the world of nature which surrounds us- of the American heritage.
Sixty years ago, you defined civil rights as “a moral issue … as old as the scriptures and as clear as the Constitution.” What can the individual do to break down the discrimination against age, against race, against gender?
Let us not be blind to our differences – but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.
Closing words, Mr. President; what is your final analysis?
Our most common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.
XXX
Caption for photo (by Don Mathis) of plaque in Dealey Plaza –
Remarks prepared for delivery in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963:
We in this country, in this generation, are – by destiny rather than choice – the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of “peace on earth, good will toward men.” That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: “except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
