Let Us Continue
Ten seconds in Dallas that changed the course of the world
“Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the House, Members of the Senate, my fellow Americans:
All I have I would have given gladly not to be standing here today.
The greatest leader of our time has been struck down by the foulest deed of our time. Today, John Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on in the immortal words and works that he left behind. He lives on in the mind and memories of mankind. He lives on in the hearts of his countrymen. No words are sad enough to express our sense of loss. No words are strong enough to express our determination to continue the forward thrust of America that he began.
The dream of conquering the vastness of space, the dream of partnership across the Atlantic -- and across the Pacific as well -- the dream of a Peace Corps in less developed nations, the dream of education for all of our children, the dream of jobs for all who seek them and need them, the dream of care for our elderly, the dream of an all-out attack on mental illness, and above all, the dream of equal rights for all Americans, whatever their race or color. These and other American dreams have been vitalized by his drive and by his dedication. And now the ideas and the ideals which he so nobly represented must and will be translated into effective action.
Under John Kennedy's leadership, this nation has demonstrated that it has the courage to seek peace, and it has the fortitude to risk war. We have proved that we are a good and reliable friend to those who seek peace and freedom. We have shown that we can also be a formidable foe to those who reject the path of peace and those who seek to impose upon us or our allies the yoke of tyranny. This nation will keep its commitments from South Vietnam to West Berlin. We will be unceasing in the search for peace, resourceful in our pursuit of areas of agreement -- even with those with whom we differ -- and generous and loyal to those who join with us in common cause.
In this age when there can be no losers in peace and no victors in war, we must recognize the obligation to match national strength with national restraint. We must be prepared at one and the same time for both the confrontation of power and the limitation of power. We must be ready to defend the national interest and to negotiate the common interest. This is the path that we shall continue to pursue. Those who test our courage will find it strong, and those who seek our friendship will find it honorable. We will demonstrate anew that the strong can be just in the use of strength, and the just can be strong in the defense of justice.
And let all know we will extend no special privilege and impose no persecution. We will carry on the fight against poverty, and misery, and disease, and ignorance, in other lands and in our own. We will serve all the nation, not one section or one sector, or one group, but all Americans.
These are the United States: A united people with a united purpose.
On the 20th day of January, in 19 and 61, John F. Kennedy told his countrymen that our national work would not be finished ‘in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet.’ ‘But,’ he said, ‘let us begin.’
Today in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans, let us continue.
The time has come for Americans of all races and creeds and political beliefs to understand and to respect one another. So let us put an end to the teaching and the preaching of hate and evil and violence. Let us turn away from the fanatics of the far left and the far right, from the apostles of bitterness and bigotry, from those defiant of law, and those who pour venom into our nation's bloodstream.
I profoundly hope that the tragedy and the torment of these terrible days will bind us together in new fellowship, making us one people in our hour of sorrow.
So let us here highly resolve that John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not live or die in vain.
And on this Thanksgiving eve, as we gather together to ask the Lord's blessing, and give Him our thanks, let us unite in those familiar and cherished words:
‘America, America,
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good
With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.’”
What you just read was a rather long excerpt from a speech called Let Us Continue, by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was read to a join session of Congress on November 27th, 1963…..less than a week after the 35th President of the United States had been mowed down by gunfire in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.
As some of you might know, I literally have a podcast on this event: that’s how important I think it is to who we are now as a nation. I firmly believe that the death of Kennedy was a turning point for our culture and our society. There’s a lot to suggest this, and also a strong possibility I’ll dive into that in a later post.
But for right now, I want to push aside all the tinfoil hat nonsense, the crazy conspiracies, even the facts & evidence I discuss on my podcast, The Oswald Files, and turn to something else.
Today is the 61st anniversary of John Kennedy’s death. To my knowledge, he was murdered right at 12:30pm Central Standard Time. So if you’re reading this right around then, you’re probably reading it almost 61 years to the minute he was killed. That’s a crazy thought 🤯. But like I reminded my podcast listeners this morning, there’s something more important than the tangled web of conspiracies and lies, and even the fascination of a historical event, that the assassination is.
A man was killed. Murdered in cold blood.
A father, a husband, a son, an uncle, a brother.
And it wasn’t just the President, either. Two other men lost their lives. Patrolman J.D. Tippit & Lee Harvey Oswald. Tippit was murdered, again in cold blood. He had a family, and children. Just like JFK, he was a father, a husband, a brother, and a son. And he was a human being made in the image of the Almighty.
Lee Harvey Oswald, whether he was guilty or not (which he probably wasn’t), was still a man who at the very least deserved a fair trial and an open conviction. Instead, he was sentenced to a surprise, unofficial death…not by a public court of law, but by judges hiding in the shadows, holding whispered conversations, afraid their deeds would be brought to light. He was sentenced to death by a jury he never had a chance to defend himself before. He was sentenced to death before he ever had a chance to explain himself, or even have charges leveled. The tool used to implement this invisible death sentence was a middle-aged Mafia man named Jack Ruby.
Oswald had a young wife, Marina. He had two young daughters, June & Rachel. He had a mother he cared for, Marguerite.
The purpose of this post is not to defend Oswald’s supposed actions, but to show a mistake I’ve made in the past, and I’m sure many others have made. This event has been, and is being picked apart like carrion on the roadside. Oftentimes we forget that this is not all just cold facts, evidence, logic, and detective work. Real people were affected. Real people were hurt emotionally, physically, & mentally.
Three images of God lost their lives senselessly. Their bodies were broken and shattered and destroyed. For what purpose? Because someone, somewhere, at some point, decided they didn’t like any of these men. And because God willed it, the whole tragedy came about.
So today is a day of mourning for our country. A day of grieving and a day of wrath. But also a day, as LBJ said in his speech, a day to continue. And as you go about your Friday, don’t forget that 61 years ago, the nation reeled in shock. But while the conspiracies exploded, the press had a field day, and uncertainty reigned, there were three families, at very different places in life, in very different positions, who all were mourning. And there were three men who had gone to meet the Lord….my prayer being that they eventually came before the pearly gates and heard the voice say: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
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