Tag Archive for Dallas

‘Uplifting’ the spirit in Dealey Plaza

Grassy knoll aftermath

The spirit of Dallas: Let’s plant an ‘uplifting’ message near the spot where JFK was killed.

The city of fathers of Dallas plan to plant a memorial plaque to President John F. Kennedy near the spot where he was shot dead 50 years ago, reports the Dallas Morning News.

This foolhardly but revealing proposal captures Dallas civic culture at is most clueless. Whatever its intentions, the idea of an “uplifting” plaque in the place where John F. Kennedy — a man, a husband, a father, a veteran of war, a visionary liberal, and a leader — died in a hail of bullets is not only in supremely bad taste. It also probably violates of National Park Service regulations requiring that the area be preserved as it appeared 50 years ago.

Read more

Petition to open Dealey Plaza on Nov. 22, 2013

John Judge continues to circulate his petition at change.org calling on Dallas Mayor Mike Rawling to allow Coalition on Politics Assassinations to hold its annual Moment of Silence in Dealey Plaza on the 50th Anniversary of the JFK’s assassination next November. Read more

Petition aims to protect free speech in Dealey Plaza

John Judge and the Coalition on Political Assassinations have launched a petition drive to reverse the city of Dallas’s plans to seal off Dealey Plaza from the public on November 22, 2013, the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. Read more

Dilemma in Dallas: Free speech tensions occupy Dealey Plaza

JFK Postcard

The original story of gunfire that was abandoned.

The commemoration of a catastrophe is a tricky business, we learn from today’s Wall Street Journal.

With the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination approaching in November 2013, Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings has boldly come out in favor of observing the event without talking about its causes.

“For 40 minutes, we need to be focusing on the man, not the moment 50 years ago,” he said.

Welcome to JFK at 50. The moment has come not to talk about the moment. This is a dilemma in Dallas.

Read more

The soundtrack of JFK at 50: “The World Is Very Different Now”

This story from Art and Seek, a culture site for North Texas, shows how the JFK story still resonates in the American imagination: Two Composers To Take on JFK Assassination Next Year.

One of the composers is an 18 year old musical prodigy named Conrad Tao.

Read more

JFK culture war brews in Dallas

Dallas is ground zero of the JFK assassination debate, and Russ Baker at WhoWhatWhy points out how plans for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary next year already seem weighted in favor of conclusions that vast majority of Americans people–and even most scholars–do not believe. The scene is set for a culture war in 2013.

Dealey Plaza gets a face lift

From WFAA (wfaa.com) in Dallas.

“Back at Dealey Plaza, the north pergola will be fenced off in mid-December for about a month, likely disappointing thousands of holiday tourists who won’t get all possible views of the plaza.”