The Legend and Legacy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Wednesday, December 4th, 2013




My Dear America:

It is December now and the Tributes to our late President John F. Kennedy have become fewer and less visible.  Although I think that the 50 year Tributes to the late President certainly got out of hand as November 22nd, 2013 approached and finally arrived, I really didn't have a problem with all of the celebrations of the life and death of JFK.  To be honest I have gotten very annoyed over the years as November 22nd has continued to come and go every year with less and less attention given to JFK's Assassination.  I didn't think that it was right for that to happen so the incredible hoopla, Magazine, Television and Newspaper stories that surrounded this year's 50 year Anniversary of the President's Murder was really OK with me.  

I was 18 years old back in 1963 on that fateful day when I first learned the terrible news.  I was walking down a hall between classes when I passed in front of the King's College bookstore in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania.  I looked into the bookstore and saw a very odd sight.  Quite a few students were in the bookstore looking silent and packed in like sardines.  I popped my head inside the main entrance to the bookstore and asked what was going on.  What sounded like one voice but was actually several voices answered 

"The President's been shot."

I pushed my way inside the bookstore to find a spot and began to listen to the radio which was being piped into the bookstore via the College's loudspeaker system.  It wasn't long before a solemn and terrifying voice came over the loudspeaker system.

"The President is dead," said the voice

In a rather orderly manner all of us who had been inside the bookstore filed out into the hall.  I don't remember much about what had happened after that except for the fact that I wrote a song about JFK sometime that weekend and watched on television what I think had been the first live televised murder in the history of the country when Jack Ruby shot Oswald.

As I think back on it now, I realize just how much of an impact Kennedy had on my life.  In my house and with my Catholic family he was close to a God, His picture on the wall of our dining room was even bigger than that of Jesus.  I followed the Presidential campaign closely and watched the first televised debates between JFK and Richard Nixon.  In my mind Kennedy won those debates handily and certainly looked great compared to Nixon. 

Back in those days I had never seen a color television and watched JFK on black and white television.  I was stunned when I was able to watch JFK give a great speech in downtown Wilkes Barre as I somehow had managed to weasel my way onto the roof of a building looking down on Center Square where I could look down and see him.  my view of him from that rooftop was a great one.  I could see his handsome tan and was really surprised by how really red his hair was.  I still can't recall ever seeing anyone as handsome as this Boston Irishman either before or since I saw him from my rooftop perch.  
Kennedy clearly had problems controlling himself when it came to women we learned later on after he had gone.  Clearly he was too handsome for his own good.  

I was as proud as could be when I got my chance to vote in my first Presidential Election in 1960.  Naturally I voted for Kennedy.  There was never any question in my mind about who was going to get my vote.  I was, in fact, very proud that I was able to vote for John Fitzgerald Kennedy.  

On those few occasions when I was able to catch his press conferences I found them to be incredibly entertaining.  He never seemed to be stumped or caught off guard with any question and seemed to be able to add humor to the proceedings in every case.

As I think back on my working life, which was spent, in addition to writing, as a Counselor, Social Worker and Family Therapist I realize that Kennedy's call to "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country" was something that I have taken seriously for my entire life.  Thank you, Jack Kennedy, for pointing me in the right direction.

I have read many books about President Kennedy and about the Kennedy Assassination.  Many of those books question the conclusion of the Warren Commission that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.  Certainly it is possible that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone but there is also considerable evidence available to anyone willing to look for it that Oswald was, indeed, a "Patsy" who may have been a willing conspirator in Kennedy's death but in the end was betrayed and used by others to accomplish the grisly task of killing President Kennedy.

I have recently published a Novel,"The Man on The Grassy Knoll: The Assassins" which is Book One in a Fictional Series.  This book explores some of the theories I have regarding the Kennedy Assassination and is available through Amazon.com.

While so called experts still occasionally come to the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone the more I have found out about the Assassination, the less likely that seems, at least in my judgement anyway.  I invite anyone willing to explore my theories about the Assassination to read my book and any other books or articles you might find on the subject.

The Kennedy Assassination was a wake up call to those young people like myself back in the sixties who thought that they had it all figured out and that hope would spring eternal in America and the world.  I still have a great deal of hope for our country and our society but the Kennedy Assassination, Vietnam and Watergate were indicators that we were also in for dark days, as well in America's future.  

As we watch Republicans attempt to stifle and possibly destroy our government it would be wise for all Americans to recognize that Freedom isn't always Free and that just as the Soviet Union fell, it would be just as possible for Democracy to fail in America if we don't learn some hard lessons from our nation's history.



Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher 

REVENGE OF THE TURDS - The Government Shutdown and the (Almost) Debt Ceiling Default

October 22nd, 2013



My Dear America:

I apologize to all readers of this Blog for my use of the word "Turds" in the title of this post.  I have made a very conscious effort since I first started this Blog in 2008 to keep the language used in the Blog Postings relatively appropriate.  

I admit to the use of occasional "Hells" and "Damns" at times but other than these rather acceptable curses I have kept it clean.  While some may object to my use of the word "Turd" I must say that President George W. Bush used that word as a term of endearment to Karl Rove and while I don't use the word as a term of endearment toward Ted Cruz and his Right Wing Republican Cohorts I find the term "Turd" much more acceptable than many other terms I could have used.  I thought quite seriously about starting off this posting with every single curse word I could think of and to be honest I was quite amazed at how many I was able to come up with in my mind in a short period of time.  But as I thought about it I realized that I have been responsible regardng my use of language in my Blog for several years now and since some of my relatives including young relatives may read it from time to time I don't wish to shock them or anyone else with my use of inappropriate language.

So, for the moment, I am sticking with Turds which rhymes with Nerds and in my mind is a proper term for Ted Cruz and his sick group of misfits who we now know, if we didn't know before, are willing to sink the American Ship of State in order to further Ted's bizarre and reckless political career.

In the time the U.S. Government was shut down economists estimate that in addition to incredible insensitivity to government workers, who like the rest of us, have to pay bills and feed their families, our enconomy took a 24 Billion Dollar hit.

Any responsible person calling themself a Fiscal Conservative should be able to recognize that a financial hit of that astounding amount, when it didn't need to be done in the first place, is an unforgivable political sin.

Clearly the time has come for reasonable people in both the Republican and Democratic Parties to step up and with some rational debate figure out how to stop these Republican lunatics from spreading their destructive political disease.  While my instincts are to simply call for a Democratic Party Sweep of upcoming elections it seems clear to me that some Republicans will still be elected in gerrymandered districts all over the country.  

I think that all reasonable people should hopefully realize the destructive nature of the so called "Tea Party." I think that it is about time that the more sane elements of the Republican and Democratic Party agree to disagree on some items but not on shutting down the government or screwing around with the debt ceiling.  Let us have no more of this Right Wing nonsense about how fiscally responsible Tea Party members are when they are willing to put our country 24 Billion dollars in the hole for seemingly no good reason.  Speaking of hole that reminds me of Ted Cruz and one of the many curse words that I thought better about using in writing this post.

Let's get smart and get ready to elect some Democrats out in America and get ready to fill the holes left by the Tea Party and their cohorts.


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher  
  

THE STUPID PARTY STRIKES AGAIN: On the First Day of Obamacare Signups the Republicans in the House and Senate Shut Down the U.S. Government but Obamacare Continues

October 1st, 2013


My Dear America:

My apologies to you, America, for the Republican Fools who dominate the United States House of Representatives and who have painted all of us into a corner where none of us seem to know what to do next and, consequently, nothing is seemingly being done to alleviate the dire Government Shutdown that is now in effect.

Although the Shutdown certainly affects a great portion of Government workers who will certainly take the brunt of this madness, apparently Social Security recipients and the Armed Services will not be affected, at least for now.  

It is certainly a rather odd situation to look at the world today and realize that Russia, Syria and Iran are finally starting to show some reasonable and responsible thinking (relatively speaking) and that the Right Wingers in the House and Senate are Stupid and Reckless enough to do what they are presently doing and seem to be happy that they have shut down the Government and seem not only uninterested in solving this crisis but merely pushing on to their next manufactured crisis involving the debt ceiling.

How anyone who is actually an American Citizen could see any good coming from shutting down the government is beyond me.  How anyone who is actually a Legislator would be happy with this state of affairs is beyond reason.  Yet here we are.  The Government is partially shut down and Obamacare, which is what Ted Cruz stated that he was fighting against, is up and running and, according to President Obama, will continue to operate and provide an opportunity for those who have not been able to afford health care or who were shut out of reasonable health care for whatever reason will now be able to provide it to themselves and their families at a reasonable cost.

What the hell is wrong with that?

The truth is, as Rachel Maddow pointed out on her special Live MSNBC show last night after midnight, that many Republicans are now fulfilling their promises to their more well heeled supporters.  That promise to those supporters was to "shut down the government" and I think we can all agree that these Right Wingers have done their damndest to if not destroy, at least degrade our government.  

The hell with the fact that we need to show unity, respect and support to our Nation's leader, the President, at this most dangerous period of World History.  Instead second rate righties continue to investigate Benghazi while making sure by their actions that there may be more Benghazi type incidents due to the Government shutdown.  

Talk about the "Stupid Party."

What in the hell do these people want?  That is what I want to know.  Do they really want no government, at all.  As a former government employee I am well aware of the fact that government at its best, has it faults.  Yet the thought of Americans existing in a country with no government at all is absurd.  

Maybe we have gone overboard in some respects.  While World War II was a gruesome necessity to keep the rest of our civilized world from Nazi Rule we have certainly overstepped our bounds when it came to Wars in Vietnam and Iraq.  

Yet where would most of us be without Government stepping in at times and making certain that Americans are at minimum allowed opportunities to lift ourselves up and have good lives.  

I believe that we have long ago come to a Crossroads in which many Americans decided that Paul Ryan and his Goddess of Selfishness, Ayn Rand were right in writing off the poor, the sick and the downtrodden in America.

The Gospel of Jesus teaches that the Nazarene was concerned with the poor, the sick and the people in need.  Yet people who call themselves Christians see themselves and their selfishness as representatives of Christ.  Nothing could be further than the truth.  Christ told us to take care of each other, not simply to take care of ourselves.  Where would we be without Civil Rights, without Social Security, without Health Care.  We are not animals who prey on other humans.  We are Social Beings who need help from one another once in awhile.  

Who is going to pay the Park Ranger's mortgage in the coming weeks.  Who will buy food for the Government workers not being paid.  Although these other government workers are left to fend for themselves Congress has arranged for their own paychecks to continue during this time when other government workers suffer.

What?

They can't have that kind of nerve, Can they?  They sure can and they do.  

The time has come for the American people, not the phonies, but the real Americans who actually care about one another to rise up and teach the Republicans a lesson that they will not soon forget.  It is time for everyone who is eligible to vote to find out how to get involved in their Local, Statewide and National Democratic Committees and make the effort to get involved.  If you're sick of getting shafted by Republicans than get involved and "Clean The House."  

Oh wait, if you are a government employee then you are barred by the government from being involved in partisan politics.  No it doesn't make much sense but it is the law.  So until the law changes those of us who are not government employees need to get out and work for change, namely to help the Democrats take back the House of Representatives, keep the Senate and keep the Presidency in Democratic hands.

Like the Television Newsman in the movie "Network", we need to stand up and let these political Nitwits know that "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore" and mean it. 

God Bless the Democrats and lets hope they can keep the Congress out of the hands of the Lunatics who seem to be in charge in the House and are hoping to take back the Senate.

"CLEAN THE HOUSE"



Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher  

In The Shadow of Daniel Ellsberg: Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden: The Patriots Act

Thursday, July 18th, 2013



My Dear America:

A long time ago in a Decade Far Away (the 70's)  I had a very extraordinary experience.  I attended a lecture at Lehigh University by Norman Mailer one evening and by an incredible stroke of luck I not only heard him speak but I actually got to meet him and spend time with him at a Fraternity party to which Norman invited the entire audience.

Although Norman talked about other things during his well attended lecture, it seemed to me that his main topic was that of recommending to the audience that they should get behind his latest idea which was the institution of a "Peoples CIA" in which regular Americans should take the time to spy on their Spy Agency and their Government.  Even though it was the decade in which we had Watergate and the virtual fouling of nearly everything American by Richard Nixon and his band of well dressed thugs, the "Peoples CIA" idea seemed Far Out by any standard.  When I got to talk to Mr. Mailer later on at the party I asked him whether he was really serious about the prospect of a "Peoples CIA".  He assured me that he was dead serious and that he thought that the time had come for this idea to become a reality.

Of Course the idea of a "Peoples CIA" never caught on and never became a reality during the seventies or any other decade following it, until now.

Now in 2013, however, we seem to have found a few people who have taken it upon themselves to form, if not a "Peoples CIA," at least a movement in the direction of discovering and uncovering secrets that not only Americans should know about, but do something about.

We have seen, however, at this time in our nations history when communication has been transformed into something incredibly special and accessable in which all manner of people can participate, that those Whistleblowers, who have become the "Peoples CIA" that Norman Mailer dreamed about, have also become the demonized scapegoats of the very governments and institutions that they have blown the whistle on.

In the case of Wikkileaks Whistleblower, Bradley Manning the United States Government seems to have locked him up with the intention of throwing away the key.  What did Bradley Manning do?  He exposed the fact that people supposedly acting with the blessing of the US Government were killing people indiscriminately.  His reward for letting Americans know about America's indiscriminate and indefensible behavior was to be placed in solitary confinement as if he was the criminal killing people for no reason at all.
My understanding is that Bradley Manning is either on trial or is being prepared for trial or Court Martial.  Have We the People heard anything about this man any time recently.

No We haven't.

We have heard about Edward Snowden, however.  This 29 year old tekkie is on the run after revealing to two newspapers that the United States Government is spying on its citizens in ways that we have never dreamed possible.  His reward for his revealing secrets that he was privy to as a Government Contractor, is apparently outrage on all sides of the American Tale.  Although Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Media seem to have had difficulty in agreeing on anything, They all seem to agree that Edward Snowden is bad news.  He's a Spy, a Traitor, an extremely bad American.

Personally, I think that both Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden are good Americans who have not followed the rules but have acted not for what they could have gained financially, apparently, but have acted in what they felt was the best interest of their country. 

Many have asked why Manning and Snowden have not gone through regular legal channels to present their information to the American People.

The answer to that is that many Whisleblowers who have come before them and who did blow the whistle the correct and legal way are now the incarcerated victims of Government Revenge and retribution.

It has been clear to many people, myself included, that something has been rotten in Washington for some time.  In my mind I had thought that what was rotten was mainly Republican Rot.  I have found out, however, that President Obama, who I have long admired and defended, has gone over the line on Whistleblowers by investigating and locking up More Whistleblowers and Journalists that reveal their secrets than any President before him.

Norman Mailer was right.  We need a "Peoples CIA" to protect us from a government that seems to have no qualms about locking up Patriots who are acting in our country's best interests, just as the Fathers of our Country did hundreds of years ago.

Although Barack Obama has done a lot of things right in the past few years this is one area in which I believe as an American Citizen that he is on the wrong side of history and that his legacy will pay for his sins.


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Republicans Continue to try to tag Obama with a Watergate type scandal - It's not Benghazi or the IRS Scandal, Although It may very well be the Obama Administration's War on Whisleblowers and Writers who write about them

Thursday, May 30th, 2013



My Dear America:

Republicans can't seem to stand the fact that President Obama's approval numbers continue to be high despite the negative hype that they continue to try to introduce and continue to try to keep alive. 

Clearly Americans can see the forest for the trees in the Benghazi issue and the IRS issue. 

With regard to Benghazi we have already investigated and re investigated this tragedy and Republican Senators John McCain, Lindsay Graham and Kelly Ayotte led the charge to disrespect and defeat a great candidate, Susan Rice, in her quest to be Secretary of State. 

In addition, with the likes of Senator Ted Cruz and others, even though she accepted the responsibility for the problems in Benghazi the Republican Senators seem to want to burn former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton at the stake.

How much political damage to good peoples reputations will it take for Republicans to allow this sad chapter in history to be put behind us. 

Certainly Benghazi was a tragedy of epic proportions and shouldn't have happened but will raking it over the coals over and over again bring back the dead.  No it won't.  It is time to get past this terrible episode and work on improving State Department Security in the future.

With regard to the IRS my feeling is that failing to question new organizations claiming IRS tax exempt status is a non issue that should have been identified as one from the beginning.  

The Supreme Court decision regarding tax exemptions for PAC'S created this mess and the IRS obviously was investigating those new or remodeled PAC's claiming tax exempt status. 

Why Shouldn't They have been invesigating these groups before giving them a Tax Exempt status?

Wouldn't the IRS have been derelict in their duties if they didn't question these highly questionable groups claiming tax exemptions?

In fact, however, one issue that very well could rise to the level of Watergate criminal activity is the issue of what seems to be the Obama Administation's War on Whistleblowers and Writers who write about them.

Clearly something very questionable is going on in the White House and the Justice Department when more Government Whistleblowers and Journalists who tell their stories have been investigated and criminally charged in the Obama Administration than in every other previous Presidential Administration combined.  

In an Administration that has done so much good for America this situation with Whisleblowers and their Storytellers is a blemish that must be removed ASAP.

Many people blame Attorney General, Eric Holder, for this mess.  Surely the Attorney General is partly to blame for the War on Whistleblowers but it does not seem credible that Holder would attack Whistleblowers with the ferocity and the numbers that he has without the approval and guidance of President Obama and/or members of his inner circle.

As President Obama states that he is attempting to wind down the War on Terror, it is also necessary for him to take responsibility for the War on Whistleblowers and to end it before it does to his Administration what Watergate did to Richard Nixon's Administration.

When Nixon's young White House Counsel, John Dean, back in the 70's testified before the Senate Watergate Committee he described telling Nixon that there was a "Cancer on the Presidency" that needed to be removed.  Dean's reward from Nixon for his warning was for him to be fired and for Nixon to designate Dean as the cancer on the Presidency.

Today Barack Obama must recognize that his War on Whistleblowers, including searching through Reporter's E Mails and other offensive behaviors, has the Stink of Watergate about it and it must stop.  We are a Nation of Laws and one of our main laws is a law that protects the Freedom of the Press.  When that tenet of Freedom is challenged by the immense power of the state it is time to recognize that something in America is out of control and that Freedom of the Press has kept us free and will continue to keep us free only as long as we value it and protect it.



Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Losers and Lunatics: A weekend in Houston with the NRA

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013




My Dear America:


Talk about your strange weekends.

This past weekend in Houston, Texas the National Rifle Association (NRA) held it's annual Convention.   This year's Convention was possibly the first time ever, or at least in most commentator's memories, the first time anyone could remember when there were no Democrats speaking at the Convention.

Instead, The National Rifle Asscociation changed it's name for the Weekend to the National Republican Association and the doors of the National Republican Clown College opened and out of the College doors poured forth the Republican Clowns of past, Present and Future to populate the stage of the NRA Convention. 

There were the Teds (Nugent and Cruz) both scary as hell, Nugent because of his blatant threats to kill the President and Cruz because of his blatant attempts to kill the President's legislative agenda in the Senate.

There were also the Ricks (Santorum and Perry).  Santorum was the loser of his Pennsylvania Senate Seat to Democrat, Bob Casey, who then had the gall to run for President and actually ended up a strong contender in some states to Mitt Romney.  Rick Perry was, of course, the Governor of the host state and to show his commitment to guns a video of him firing an automatic weapon on a gun range introduced him to the Houston Convention audience to great cheers.

Sarah Palin was there, finally having some convention somewhere showing her some respect.

So was Glenn Beck back from the media dead squeaking and whining about those awful Liberals who were trying to steal democracy away from the poor Gun Toting Americans by proposing background checks.

Another speaker was Non Relevant Bush Appointee, John Bolton, the UN
Ambassador famous for wanting to kill the UN.  He also had a say on the Houston Stage.

And Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, who is famous for his statement after Mitt Romney's loss that the Republican Party should stop being the "Stupid Party," was in Houston showing that he had not quite given up on the stupidity in his party just yet.

Apparently everyone in Houston was celebrating the fact that they had somehow shut down the possibility of the expansion of background checks, at least for the time being.  It is certainly strange to see the NRA celebrating that since most polls show that actual honest to god NRA members are widely in favor of background checks.  Could it be that the gun industry has been putting their money making agenda in front of their common sense agenda in fighting against background checks through the NRA.

What is truly frightening to me is that some of the members of the 2013 Republican Clown College may very well end up being viable Republican Candidates for President in 2016, Cruz, Perry, Palin and Jindal, for instance.  If that happens liberals may very well look back at the Republican Crop of Oddball Candidates in the 2012 Election as "The Good Old Days."

God forbid that one of these Gun Toting, Venom Spouting mad men or woman
would ever get to the White House.

That is a thought that is very frightening and very real. 

It is time for the average American Voter to start paying attention to what is happening to their liberty.  Slowly but surely we are sinking ever more frighteningly into the swamp of stupidity and arrogance that can one day leave us in the grip of someone like Cruz or Perry, who may very well turn out to be clowns, but extremely dangerous and persuasive clowns, nevertheless.


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

After The Boston Marathon Bombings The Healing Begins

Monday, April 22nd, 2013



My Dear America:

Today is exactly a week after the horrific Boston Marathon Bombings in Boston, Massachusetts last Monday.  It is only a week after the bombings but it seems as though we have been dealing with this horror for much longer. 

Many questions remain as to why two people who seemed to genuinely take advantage of the American Dream would turn their attention to trying to destroy that dream.  The suspects in the bombing were brothers who did not flee Boston immediately after the bombs went off but instead seemed to go about their business as usual until Thursday of last week when the FBI singled out their pictures and videos for broadcast and asked for the cooperation of the public in identifying them. 

Judging by the events of Thursday night the brothers became spooked by the fact that they were probably going to be identified by someone who knew them and started on a night of killing and gunfighting that left one MIT Policemen dead and another Policeman badly wounded and hanging onto his life at this point.  They carjacked an individual prior to having a gun battle with Boston Authorities but did not kill that person.  Reportedly the younger brother ran over his seemingly dead older brother in his effort to get away from the authorities. 

The younger brother was eventually captured in a blood spattered boat in a Watertown, Massachussetts backyard and was arrested to the cheers of neighbors and other Bostonites and to the relief of Federal State and local Boston Law Enforcement Agencies after a virtual lockdown of Boston for most of the day on Friday.

Certainly it is easy for me to second guess authorities in a situaltion like this since I didn't have any responsibility for anything that happened in Boston.  I think that the powers that be (Federal, State and Local) showed a courage that was admirable and a willingness and even an eagerness to work together that eventually led to the death of the older brother and the capture of the younger brother.  This unity in the face of extreme danger was and is admirable and is something that our Congress could and should learn from as we continue to waste time on petty BS instead of dealing with the monstrous challenges and problems that our country faces day after day, week after week and year after year.  

The shutting down of Boston on Friday might be debated but the truth was that no one was sure if the man on the run had other explosive devices he was planning to use.  In my opinion the shutting down of Boston was, if not a necessay step, at least a wise step. 

My only real problem with this whole situation is that seemingly age old problem of giving too much Television and other media attention to people who should not be given any attention at all.

Why these nice looking average seeming young guys became monsters a week ago is something we will probably learn about in time.  Why they killed three people and blew the limbs off many more will also probably be revealed.  Hopefully the dastardly deeds of these two men will not lead other lunatics to try and outdo them but the speed in which social media and technology helped to kill and capture the duo will certainly give pause to others who might feel as though they can get away with acts of terror in a city like Boston.

Certainly Boston, its residents, its law enforcement representatives and the State Police, FBI and The Massachussetts Governor, Deval Patrick and President Obama must be commended for their swift, decisive and effective action in bringing this terrible episode to a swift conclusion.

Boston has many reasons to be proud.



Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher