Section I: progressive review of JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He died and why it Matters
It was anthropologist Mary Douglas who observed that Human is at heart, creatures of denial, they crave for stability especially when their notions are threatened, rearrange the way they conceive issues and deny the challenges. In her book, JFK and the unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matter, Douglas offers an incisive and searing diagnosis of the various ills that marked the death of once an American icon and human activist John F. Kennedy. In an articulate voice, the well known anthologist, advocate and writer in different universities offers a compressive scanning on the episodes that marked the termination JF Kennedy. The well developed book, through chronological and thematic arrangement aims to reveal some of the truths behind the conspiracy and set both the observers and the new generation free (Douglas 3).
Douglas categorically manages to develop JF Kennedy’s story into six broad chapters. The initial chapter referred as “A Cold War Turns” mainly portrays JF Kennedy as a cold war warrior. The section depicts him and his strong values towards communism issues (Douglas 12). His work as one of the labor committee members led to the formation of communist union official. In 1952, after successfully running for the senate seat, he fully supported the entire Americans who were in Diaspora for the cold war. In 1960, while running for presidential elections, JF advocated for “Tough on the Soviets” issue by continually hammering the controversial issue of Americans falling behind the soviets and lacking leadership. While in the office as a congressman, JF debated with Nixon to ensure that he changed the Eisenhower policy that resulted in the loss of Cuba (Douglas 17).
The chapter continues to configure that, upon assuming the presidential mandate, his inaugural speech provided his statue stand of archiving liberty to the nation. To prove the credibility of his claim and fulfill the “missile gap,” he ordered for more spending on nuclear weapons that set up competition with other nations thus making America to lose its superiority in the nuclear field by the end of the decade. It is in this chapter where Douglas represents the eminent efforts that were made by JF Kennedy through his “Domino Theory” to decrease the tension with the USSR after the massive Cuban Missile Crisis. The president’s fascist coup’d’état ended removing South Vietnamese president Dihn Smith in order not to win the war. JF Kennedy moves when dealing with international controversial issues makes him one of the heroes in the field of politics (Douglas 36).
The second chapter of the book, Douglas mainly addresses the relationship between Kennedy, Castro and the CIA and the major issues that transpired among them. The chapter addresses the possibility of the saga that ended up cruelly eliminating the JF Kennedy. It addresses whether the mafia group that plotted to kill Fidel Castro was related to the murder of JF Kennedy. Could there it be that CIA and Castro were involved in the JF Kennedy assassinations? This speculation is mainly due to the coincidence nature of the assassination that was plotted to finish Castro during that time (Douglas 54). The chapter also discloses how President Johnson ordered the CIA to investigate claims that Castro had learned the plot and aimed to retaliate. According to some of the press documentary accounts, Kennedy ignored most of the threats that were made by the Cuban President and referred them as “a small band of conspirators making a barrier that need to be removed to allow US support the necessary goals in Cuba. “ He failed to identify the operation of AMLASH that yawned for his blood. This weakness made him not to detect his life threats thus he died in unknown circumstances (Douglas 76).
Taking critical review on the chapter, the longtime peace advocate, Douglas reviews some of the reports that were presented by the CIA, Senate Intelligence Committee on their possible association with the JF assassination. The study shows that there is possibility that Castro plotted to retaliate. The FBI investigations revealed on how the CIA had a connection with one of the plotters AMLASH due to some of the meetings they had on Nov 22 and another almost five days after the assassination of the icon. Douglas through critical analysis presents every interested viewer with an overview of how angry, violent and unstable man conspired with the CIA and the Cuban president to terminate the life of the only human activist JF Kennedy. He continues to say that this was the time when JFK services were required most by the Americans. Douglas inarticulate manner strives to uncover the relationship between the assassins, the CIA and the Cuban president Fidel Castro (Douglas 85).
In the third chapter, the book mainly expands on the on the relationship between JF Kennedy and his view on the South Vietnam War. Douglas reveals how JF Kennedy had exposed to his friends, staff members and advisers such as Sen. Mike Mansfield on the plan to end the Vietnam War (Douglas 102). The strange issue with this case is that, despite his intention to end the war before even his reign, the number of US soldiers increased from 900 to approximately 1600 by the end of 1965. Douglas narrates that just like any other reasonable top leader in America JFK would have liked to pull US troops out of Vietnam Crisis. The president only wanted to carry out the exercise under reasonable and favorable conditions to the U.S. This idea spells out why Kennedy was quite hostile towards both the North and Southern leaders of Vietnam ideas of reunification and diplomatic overtures. These trends would have widely been viewed by other as ‘a loss” the united states of America within the ongoing Soviet Union for global influence competition (Douglas 128).
Unlike his skilled and radical move in 1962’s during Cuban Missile Crisis, Douglass narrates JF Kennedy failure to pose a coherent policy to end the Vietnam War of 1963. Most of the Douglas arguments are counterfactual. He states the reason Kennedy was reluctant to the move was mainly to archive a stronger performance from the Southern Vietnams military against the Northern and the Viet Cong. He desperately wanted to deliver new leadership in the southern Vietnam and ultimately withdraw his militants. Unfortunately, the placing of Robert Kennedy as the president after the removal of Diem resulted into nightmare. His Southern Vietnam government suffered a high level of instability and due to the high level of political turmoil, his military performance suffered badly in the late 1963 through to 1965. The author of the book laments that JF Kennedy did not live to see this outcome of the process. He was his successor Lyndon Johnson, who as vice president decided to escalate the Vietnam War thus making America be defeated thus causing him his second chance as the president (Douglas 134).
The fourth chapter of the book explores the Marked Out for Assassination, strives to marshal convincing evidences that the death of President JF Kennedy was a U.S. warfare state coup. The author vividly describes the unfortunate shot at the Lorrain Balcony in Dealey plaza that marked the end of the American King dream. Douglas in narrating her somber story marks that, at the eve of 22 November 1963, the president had his motorcade through the city of Dallas, Texas. Just downtown area, the president was fatally shot at the back and the throat (Douglas 144). It was very unfortunate that the fateful day, all the presidential agents had been removed from his limousine and the whole system was turned into a mess by reproaching the movement in a slow motion. According to the relevant investigations, the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald one of the Texas school custodians paved his way and committed the crime. The author proves through careful assessment of legal records and procedure proved that JF Kennedy had been murdered due to his negative opinion to the cold war. Douglas shared the Oswald myth to expose the entire world on the grim reality on the kings’ assassination as state crime (Douglas 147).
Chapter five of the well articulated book mainly talks about what transpired in on the evening of 4 Nov 1963 in Saigon and the Chicago restaurants, a period that was less than three weeks before the fateful day of the assassination of JF Kennedy. The chapter opens Khrushchev son questioning his father’s remarks on his motive to “help” his enemy JF Kennedy. Douglas describes JF Kennedy and Khrushchev relationship as “The two men agreed on Noah’s ark as a crucial symbolA sea of conflict had to stay afloat.” During this time the American nation was deeply involved in the cold war and to worsen the situation, there was almost a possibility of nuclear conflict within the Soviet Union. Many of the Americans had opted for the presidential thought to glorify communalism. JF Kennedy had received Soviet Premier Nkita Khrushchev to support him on the nuclear test ban. The Vietnam War was also looming front and center. The two presidents and apparently different forces decide to exchange letter with the aim of achieving peace. Therefore, Douglas proves that the d-day of presidential address was marked with much influx (Douglas 188).
In chapter six, the brilliant author onset by providing an incisive view of the “weather” pattern that marked the city of Dallas and Washington. The cold pacific current that passed across with drizzle before down foreshadowed the unremarkable except that befell the American president, icon, and a king to many. Downtown Dallas, a former vice president Richard Nixon, was sleeping alone in one of the durable drapery suite hotel. Unfortunately, 30 miles from where he was President JF Kennedy had also spent a night in one of the Hotels. It was this fateful day when President JF Kennedy become the martyred king and Nixon experienced the night. The author then commemorates what transpired after the presidential death until Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as the U.S president in Dallas (Douglas 230).
Section II: Important Ideas and on my opinion
Douglas book follows the protocols of the ancient Hebrews that abominated the bats and lobsters that are neither fish nor fowl and presents the modern society’s forms of outcast that are neither male nor female, but acts as transgender. The inquisitive advocate provides a well elaborated reexamination of President JF Kennedy tenure and assassination. Much of her account is based on the evidences that are uncovered recently from the Soviet Union classifieds. He marks that because of JF Kennedy’s efforts to end nuclear war and achieve global peace his life was terminated. It is important to note that, without JFK assassinations, nobody could have risked to develop the story depicting the truth meaning of the world thus liberating the world from the unspeakable (Douglas 156).
Douglas believes that, before JF Kennedy assassination there were several events that caused the rifts that occurred between Joint chief of staff, Kennedy and the CIA. These included the CIA-led coup against the South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963 and the JFK defiance to employ nuclear first strike against the Soviet Union. The renowned advocate and a writer denotes that JF Kennedy was hated and perceived by these groups as a threat to because he failed to portray the superiority of the country to the world. In one of his speeches to the United Nations, Kennedy said “The weapons of the war must be abolished before they abolish us it is therefore, our intention to challenge the Soviet Union To advance together step by step until a complete disbarment is achieved.” By June 1963, JFK had started the mission of suspending the U.S.A mission of carrying further nuclear tests. JFK was hated and terminated because he persuaded peace for all nations (Douglas 234).
The unspeakable is not far away and the martyrdom of JFK has awakened many. It has opened the emptiness of the void, it has filled vacuum of responsibility and identified everyone with a state that eats its own people. The assassination has detailed the position of the state “plausible deniability.” It has proved the notion of human notion to act as the bats and lobsters that are neither fish nor fowl and present the modern society’s forms of outcast that are neither male nor female, but acts as transgender (Douglas 219). As the JFK assassination was being conducted by his own national security state, the entire American nation was supported the government. The nation continued with the mission of manufacturing its destructive weapons since thus failing to represent the mission of Jesus Christ Love.
Work Cited
James W. Douglass. "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and why it Matters." Orbis, Pp. 1- 544 Retrieved from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=KS-6XrdalGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=JFK+and+the+Unspeakable:+Why+He+Died+and+Why+It+Matters&hl=en&sa=X&ei=U5FOU9OpG_Sh7Aap6oCYBA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=JFK%20and%20the%20Unspeakable%3A%20Why%20He%20Died%20and%20Why%20It%20Matters&f=false
