Back in the 1960s, I was just a kid and I supported Barry Goldwater. I didn’t think much of John F. Kennedy. I didn’t have anything against him other than the fact that he was Democrat and I was a Republican. But, over the years, my appreciation for JFK’s speaking ability and for the quality of his speeches has only grown.
The first six minutes of the following video are of JFK speaking. I find his speech inspirational. Not every visual image that’s included on this video with JFK’s speech strikes me as reasonable or even appropriate–but the sound and content of the speech itself strike me as a magnificent declaration of American principles and as a prescient indictment of today’s “National Secrecy Agency”.
If JFK were still alive, I can imagine how he might cheer for today’s internet and the whistle-blowers.
The last five minutes of the video (after JFK finished his speech), don’t inspire me. But, those last five minutes are at least interesting and relevant.
JFK wasn’t perfect but he was one of two presidents in my memory who may have actually given a damn about this country. Reagan was the other. Both were shot. The rest of our recent presidents have been nothing but slick-talking con-artists who didn’t give a damn about The United States of America.
video 00:10:55
