History: The Year is 1963

I've uploaded year 1963 to the TSP Wiki...

http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1963

As always, Alex Shrugged's opinions are his own. Other people's work are their own. I include them here for the sake of completeness and to provide a second method of access to the material for the TSP history segment.


* A Presidency of a Thousand Days -- Contributed by Alex Shrugged

* On Fire for Freedom of Faith -- Contributed by Southpaw Ben

* Notable Births -- See below.

* This Year in Film -- See below.

* This Year in Music -- See below.

* In Other News -- See below.

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A Presidency of a Thousand Days

Contributed by Alex Shrugged

"They've killed my husband! ... I have his brains in my hands!"

-- First Lady Jackie Kennedy as she crawls across the trunk of the limousine. ^[1]

President John F. Kennedy is shot this year in Dallas, Texas as his open-top limousine passes by a book depository and "a grassy knoll", but before we get into that, let's review these 1,030 days: In his inaugural speech he said, "ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country." He wasn't the first to say that, but he said it best. Kennedy initiated small and targeted welfare programs that worked, and if a little is good a lot must be better! But that is for the future. Kennedy stepped up the US involvement in Vietnam to stop the communists, and he tapped Martin Luther King's telephones because the Reverand had a communist on his staff. (He really did.) Kennedy declared that we should "go to the moon" and "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner.... not a jelly doughnut. That is an urban legend, but a funny one.) He failed at the Bay of Pigs and brought us to the brink of nuclear annihilation. He is a war hero with his own movie playing in theaters right now: PT 109. He has a storybook marriage, and he is a crass womanizer. As with every President, he is a mixed bag of the good and the bad. And now his brains are splattered across the trunk of his limousine as his wife struggles to gather the pieces of her husband's life and her own. Who did this? A man is caught 80 minutes later, and then he is shot. The conspiracy theories will never end. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

My Take by Alex Shrugged
I cried that day. I cried for a week. I watched the funeral procession with Jack Jr. saluting as his father's coffin passed in review. He was a good boy. People wanted to make JFK into a saint, but he was far from that. He was a conservative, however. I laughed when President Clinton called JFK his hero. (If only he had listened to his hero.) The man arrested for the shooting was a communist named Lee Harvey Oswald. Did he do it? I think so. But wasn't there a second shooter on a grassy knoll somewhere? A single shooter fits the evidence. If there was a second shooter he must be 80 years old by now. Let it go. The nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot Oswald while he was being transferred to a more secure location. (Gee, thanks!) This is why controversial prisoners are transported in a bullet proof vest today. As I recall, I wasn't broken up about Oswald's death. I am more of a rule-of-law guy today. I think I'm better off. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}

On Fire for Freedom of Faith

Contributed by Southpaw Ben
Between May and November, Buddhists in South Vietnam protested their oppression by the minority Catholic government, headed by President Ngô Đình Diệm. On May 8th, 9 unarmed civilians were shot by police and army security forces while protesting the ban of the display of Buddhist flags during the celebration of the birthday Gautama Buddha.^[13] On June 11th, the Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức, with the help of 2 fellow monks, light himself on fire and burnt to death in front of the Cambodian embassy in Saigon. This was in response to the oppression of the Buddhist faith by the Catholic government.^[14] The oppression of the Buddhist faith ended with the coup and assassination of President Diệm on November 2nd.

My Take by Southpaw Ben
"If you are willing to set yourself on fire for your cause, you can probably do more for that cause alive because of your commitment to that cause." A podcaster I listened to said this years ago, but unfortunately I don't remember who. I feel like that is largely the case, however sometimes the act can bring the issue into the public eye, as was the case here, with a picture of the monk spreading around the world like wild fire (pardon the pun), and burning western sympathies for President Diệm with it. In regards to President Diệm's, it took place after the coup, while he was in custody and being transported to a prison. When the generals leading the coup heard that President Diệm had been killed, many of them openly wept, as they had respected him as a leader, despite overthrowing him from power.

Note: While I (Southpaw Ben) am not a Catholic (I am a Mennonite), I choose to attend Mass every week at school and some of my closest friends are outspoken Catholics, and I tend to agree with many Catholic teachings

My Take by Alex Shrugged
I have a family friend who is a Vietnamese Catholic currently studying to be a priest. Please note that Catholics were being murdered by those so-called peace-loving Buddhists. No doubt they felt justified. It was tough times for everyone.

Notable Births

• Rand Paul: US Senator (R), presidential hopeful, and son of Ron Paul. ^[15]

• Joe Scarborough: US Representative (R) and co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC. (I suspect Joe's ratings are less than the downloads for TSP.--alexshrugged)^[15]

• And in Entertainment...

• -- In Sports: Bobby Bonilla, Karl Malone, Michael Jordon, and Charles Barkley. ^[15]

• -- Terry Farrell: Jadzia Dax, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (FYI, she played a Trill, science officer and eventually the wife of Worf.--alexshrugged) ^[15]

• -- Vanessa Williams: First black Miss America, singer and actress. ^[15]

• -- Whitney Houston (died 2012, age 48): Singer, actress. Drowned during drug blackout. ^[15]

• -- George Michael (died 2016, age 53): Singer/songwriter. Died in his sleep on Xmas Day. ^{[15] [16]}

• And a list of actors and actresses too numerous to mention: ^[15]

This Year in Film

• The Great Escape: Famous World War 2 escape from a prison camp. (Exciting.--alexshrugged) ^[17]

• Lilies of the Field: A black Baptist agrees to build a chapel for German Catholic nuns. (An amazing film--alexshrugged) ^[17]

• PT 109: The story of John F. Kennedy saving his men after a collision with a Japanese destroyer. (Entertaining propaganda.--alexshrugged) ^[17]

This Year in Music

• She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah): The Beatles. ^[18]

• It's My Party (and I'll cry if I want to): Lesley Gore. ^[18]

• Surfin' U.S.A.: The Beach Boys. ^[18]

In Other News

• The SAGE Radar/Computer linked defense system is now complete: And obsolete. "The Big Board" is often portrayed in movies such as Dr. Strangelove and War Games. ^{[19] [20]}

• Bull Connor (D) hoses down black demonstrators and arrests Rev. Martin Luther King: King writes his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." ^{[19] [21] [22]}

• Rev. Martin Luther King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech: It is under strict copyright control until 2038, so don't inspire people with his speech without prior written permission. (All rights reserved.--alexshrugged) ^{[19] [23] [24]}

This Year in Wikipedia

Year 1963, Wikipedia.