203 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 1 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

The Quiet Coup: Revisiting the JFK Assassination

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   1 comment, 2 series

Bob Passi
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Bob Passi
Become a Fan
  (2 fans)

LIFE Magazine 6 Dec 1963 - PRESIDENT KENNEDY IS LAID TO REST - Tang l... TT Kennedy 25-11-1963
LIFE Magazine 6 Dec 1963 - PRESIDENT KENNEDY IS LAID TO REST - Tang l... TT Kennedy 25-11-1963
(Image by manhhai from flickr)
  Details   DMCA

It all began with an assassination 61 years ago.

That Day

On November 22nd of 1963, almost exactly two months after my wife and I were married at the University of Minnesota, I was in the midst of a Shakespeare class on the University of Minnesota campus when the assassination of JFK was announced. Everyone was shocked; the air was thick with disbelief. The usually bustling campus was eerily quiet as I walked home, my mind reeling, trying to comprehend the gravity of what had just happened.

My wife had been teaching a class of elementary students in one of the Minneapolis public schools, trying to keep things calm. When she arrived home, she joined me in front of the TV in our apartment near campus, and we watched for the next several days as we, with the rest of the nation, tried to make sense of the assassination and mourn a fallen leader, who represented such renewed hope for the nation.

Since that day our nation has slowly been taken on another path, one that is much more focused on the needs of an economic elite, with changes in the tax code, the weakening of collective bargaining for unions and the pro-business Supreme Court rulings, while deemphasizing the needs of the ordinary citizens of our democracy.

This shift, which might have been labeled a conspiracy had it come from the liberal left, was instead described as a 'good business plan' by its conservative architects. Those conservative elements that represented that economic elite encompassed businesses, corporations, the military-industrial complex and the secret elements of our nation that covertly support their bidding in the name of National Security.

None of this was very apparent to most of us at that time, except that the Warren Commission report left too many questions unanswered: the inconsistencies of eyewitness testimony, the one-assassin theory, the one-bullet theory, and the kill shot coming from the back, all of which challenged our common sense. As time went on it became clearer that the official explanation of that assassination was as much a cover-up as a real investigation.

A Journalist's Warning

A couple of years later in 1965/1966 as I found myself teaching high school in a small town in Michigan, my wife and I were invited to a dinner by some friends and at that dinner was a journalist who had recently returned from Vietnam. He described the assassinations that the CIA operatives were carrying out in Vietnam. After hearing what he was saying, I said, "Well what would happen if the CIA began to do that here?' His answer was, "What makes you think they haven't?" That totally stopped the conversation as his response began to sink in.

The Motivation for the Quiet Coup

The quiet coup was, in reality, a plan to reestablish control over the levers of government in the US by the economic elite that had dominated government since the very beginning of this nation. With the coming of FDR and his New Deal, control of those levers had been shifted to be more democratically controlled by the citizens of the nation. In other words, the purpose of government had shifted to be in service of the citizens rather than being in service to business and the economic elite. But the new plan of that economic elite was to shift the focus back to economics, deregulating business with new economic and tax programs and solidifying that control so as never to lose it again.

The economic elite hated FDR and fought the New Deal, tooth and nail, with the help of a very conservative Supreme Court. That economic elite began to gradually reclaim some of their dominance by the end of FDR's administration. That process continued under Truman and seemed to begin to be solidly reestablished under Eisenhower, but the election of JFK appeared to jeopardize those gains.

As JFK continued in office, it became clear that things were returning to a "New Deal", more democratizing ideology. After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, perpetrated on the new president by the Eisenhower CIA with Alan Dulles as head, Kennedy fired Dulles and was about to dismantle the CIA. Later, Kennedy was beginning to pull out of Vietnam, and after the Cuban Missile Crisis, had found ways to perhaps end the Cold War by finding a de'tente with Russia and Cuba. All of these things began to look like a return to the democratizing elements of the New Deal, a possible end to the Cold War and potentially an end to the dominance of the economic elite once again.

After the JFK assassination, as we all know, the war in Vietnam continued for several more years, to the benefit of the military-industrial complex, the power of the CIA continued, the possibility of a de'tente with Russia and/or Cuba dissolved, and the Cold War with its arms race, continued to be the focus of our foreign policy. And, to top it all off, Alan Dulles was part of the Warren Commission.

The Beginning of the Quiet Coup

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Bob Passi Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linked In Page       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

I have a deep belief in participatory democracy, the value of ordinary people and finding a path to a sustainable future. I also understand the immediacy or the need for significant action to save democracy and our sustainable future on this (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

The Human Race

The History of Busy-ness

The End is Near! : Human Development

Isn't It Pretty to Think So

What's Next on the Journey Back to Sustainable Sanity?

The Hostile Takeover of America

Comments Image Post Article Comment and Rate This Article

These discussions are not moderated. We rely on users to police themselves, and flag inappropriate comments and behavior. In accordance with our Guidelines and Policies, we reserve the right to remove any post at any time for any reason, and will restrict access of registered users who repeatedly violate our terms.

  • OpEd News welcomes lively, CIVIL discourse. Personal attacks and/or hate speech are not tolerated and may result in banning.
  • Comments should relate to the content above. Irrelevant, off-topic comments are a distraction, and will be removed.
  • By submitting this comment, you agree to all OpEd News rules, guidelines and policies.
          

Comment Here:   


You can enter 2000 characters.
Become a Premium Member Would you like to be able to enter longer comments? You can enter 10,000 characters with Leader Membership. Simply sign up for your Premium Membership and you can say much more. Plus you'll be able to do a lot more, too.

Please login or register. Afterwards, your comment will be published.
 

Username
Password
Show Password

Forgot your password? Click here and we will send an email to the address you used when you registered.
First Name
Last Name

I am at least 16 years of age
(make sure username & password are filled in. Note that username must be an email address.)

1 people are discussing this page, with 1 comments  Post Comment


Bob Passi

Become a Fan
Follow Me on Twitter (Member since Jan 16, 2012), 2 fans, 133 articles, 234 comments (How many times has this commenter been recommended?)
Facebook Page Twitter Page Linked In Page Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

  New Content

Beginning with the assassination of JFK and tracing the quiet coup to the installation of Donald Trump as president.

Submitted on Monday, Nov 25, 2024 at 4:14:28 PM

Author 0
Add New Comment
  Recommend  (0+)
Flag This
Share Comment More Sharing          
Commenter Blocking?

 
Want to post your own comment on this Article? Post Comment


 

Tell A Friend