CGC's Reflections

American History and the JFK Presidency

Kennedy's presidency was shortlived because of his tragic and untimely death. It marked however many historic events and the beginnings of many historic events to come -- including the Space Program partly motivated by the Cold War to establish American might in the struggle between "free nations" vs the other extreme Communism.

It was a time also when American optimism was at its zenith -- reaching out to the world -- with the US CARE and Peace Corps programs to name a few. America then was the envy of the world and the one the "free" world looked up to partly because of the vision of Kennedy, as President.

It also marked the more overt American government policy to meddle in Vietnam, still part of the struggle between "free nations" vs. Communism during the height of the Cold War -- one that would change America forever. Failure to learn from the lessons of the Vietnam "war" led to committing the same mistakes to the present, like the currently tragedy of American invasion of Iraq, the second time around.

It is amazing for example that the first President Bush who committed American might to help fight a more justified war opted not to go to Bagdhad after the Iraq army had been soundly defeated and expulled invading Iraq from Kuwait. In contrast, the second President Bush, in the guize of "weapons of mass destruction" that turned out to be fabricated decided not only to initiate the invasion but thought naively, as personified by the cockiness of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld that Iraq can be "freed" in a matter of days. More than 4 years later, with several thousands of Americans sacrificing their lives and tens of thousands more Americans permanently maimed for life and more than one and a quarter trillion dollars (yes that is trillions) spent so far, there is no end in sight. These sacrifices of America and Americans do not compare with the sacrifices of Iraqis and Iraq as a nation -- with tens of thousands killed or murdered and hundreds of thousands injured and maimed for life, as well as hundreds of thousands fleeing the country and a nation that is about to be subdivided by ethnic-motivated civil war.

The other historic issue at the time of Kennedy was the continuing struggle for Civil Liberties and equality by the African-American community. Addressing institutional and social discrimination of African-Americans became more prominent during Kennedy's era but progress was not realized because of his untimely death. It was left to President Lyndon Johnson to continue the unfinished task, as well as enact into law many other socio-political policies not realized during the Kennedy's presidency.

The beginnings of these historic events are explored in the museum exhibits, and archives of the papers that provide insight to these events are available in the presidential library.
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Notes:
***The above ground visible structure of the Glass Pyramids at the Louvre was very functional design meant primarily to illumine the underground Visitor Center that was to integrate the three major buildings (actually former Palaces) that comprise the Louvre. The image I have shown for the latter is not the visible Glass Pyramids (above the surface) but the intricate detail of the inverted pyramid inside the underground Visitor Center of the Louvre -- to reveal how much artistry IM Pei imbued in his minimalist glass buildings. I have never had a chance to upload the visible structure of the Inverted Glass Pyramids from above ground. I will try to do that in the future.]