Something Serious Has Happened on Air Force One (a Tl/story by Geon)
- Thread starter Geon
- Start date
Forgiveness to be sure is one of the most difficult of all the Christian virtues to master and truly deal with. It doesn't mean you turn off your emotions, but you don't let those emotions govern how you are to react to the person who wronged you.
I could cite several incidents from OTL starting with Dr. King himself. His family came to the defense of James Earl Ray when they came to believe Ray might not have been the assassin.
In my own church a member of our congregation who I think knew the victims forgave and sought parole for a young lady who helped plan the murder of her parents - it was a well-known case at the time that if I mentioned it some on this board would remember it.
In my case without going into any detail I had to learn to forgive people who had wronged me years ago. I still feel anger toward what they did but forgiveness was the only way to go forward.
No, I can tell you it's not easy. But if we don't forgive then the emotions you mention can just grow in us to make us more and more angry and bitter.
The news that one of the bombers of Grace Baptist Church had been turned himself in flashed around the country. By 6 p.m. that evening it would be broadcast by every major network.
In Montgomery, a little after 4 p.m. the mayor and police chief of that city both got a phone call from Governor Wallace. His message was clear. The young man was to be kept safe and away from the press. “If anything happens to him between now and the trial, I will hold you personally responsible,” Wallace said to the police chief.
In Washington, Bobby Kennedy was elated that a break had come so swiftly in the bombing case and called both Governor Wallace and the Alabama Attorney General to both congratulate them and to warn them that the trial had best be seen as fair to all sides, “the nation will be watching,” Bobby had warned as he concluded both calls.
In Dallas, Hoover was also happy with the news that they had an early break in the Montgomery church bombing case. He quipped to one of his agents, “Maybe we should hire Dr. King to train our agents how to interrogate people!”
By the end of the day the suspect was giving names and meeting times for the local cell of the Klan where the bombing had been planned. That night a group of 5 men would be arrested and charged with planning and implementing the crime.
Governor Wallace would release a statement in time to be read on the evening news that the arrest was the beginning of a campaign to ensure the safety of all citizens of Alabama from terror from agitators of any race. A comment that caused Bobby Kennedy to nearly choke on his drink as he listened to the statement from his office in Washington!
In Montgomery, a little after 4 p.m. the mayor and police chief of that city both got a phone call from Governor Wallace. His message was clear. The young man was to be kept safe and away from the press. “If anything happens to him between now and the trial, I will hold you personally responsible,” Wallace said to the police chief.
In Washington, Bobby Kennedy was elated that a break had come so swiftly in the bombing case and called both Governor Wallace and the Alabama Attorney General to both congratulate them and to warn them that the trial had best be seen as fair to all sides, “the nation will be watching,” Bobby had warned as he concluded both calls.
In Dallas, Hoover was also happy with the news that they had an early break in the Montgomery church bombing case. He quipped to one of his agents, “Maybe we should hire Dr. King to train our agents how to interrogate people!”
By the end of the day the suspect was giving names and meeting times for the local cell of the Klan where the bombing had been planned. That night a group of 5 men would be arrested and charged with planning and implementing the crime.
Governor Wallace would release a statement in time to be read on the evening news that the arrest was the beginning of a campaign to ensure the safety of all citizens of Alabama from terror from agitators of any race. A comment that caused Bobby Kennedy to nearly choke on his drink as he listened to the statement from his office in Washington!
First, my apologies to Mr. Buckley, I have nowhere near the ability to turn a phrase as he did. Secondly, this is a brief tribute to Tony Dow who was the big brother to an entire generation - go in joy.
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From the Wall Street Journal; December 8th, 1963 an editorial by William F. Buckley, Jr.:
In Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, the chief protagonist of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by three spirits which show him the true meaning of Christmas. For the past the past two and a half weeks the people of America have also been haunted by not three but two spirts, their names are uncertainty and anxiety.
These are two ghosts that we as Americans are all too familiar with living as we do in the shadow of the Cold War. But, for the most part we have managed to put them aside and ignore them as we get on with our lives.
But the events of November 22nd have cast a whole new light on these two specters.
Our uncertainty now comes from a mistrust of what we are hearing out of Washington. It has been over two weeks and still a clear picture has not emerged of the events that occurred in Dealey Plaza and on Love Field.
This is unnerving to Americans who have come to expect that questions and problems are expected to be answered or resolved quickly. Perhaps we had hoped that such matters would be resolved in the same amount of time as it might take Wally Cleaver to resolve a problem he has with a date, or as Rick Nelson might resolve how to deal with a problem at school. As much as we would wish it otherwise the difficulties of our lives cannot be solved in a neat 30-minute period as they are on Leave it to Beaver or Ozzie and Harriet.
In the November 22nd assassination of President Kennedy and the shootings of Vice-President Johnson and presidential aide Ken O’Donnell we have a complex situation. And complex situations by their very nature require more then 30 minutes to unravel and understand.
Unlike on television and in movies where the heroes and villains are usually easily identifiable and the motives for each are quickly understood, in the present situation the American public is faced with ambiguity piled upon ambiguity.
Who are the players in the present drama? Is it as some believe the K.G.B.? Is it Cuba in the form of either a pro-Castro faction or an anti-Castro faction which seeks revenge for the bungled Bay of Pigs fiasco? There is even the fear that this may be the result of shadowy figures operating to defend what President Eisenhower called the military industrial complex.
The fact that as of yet so little information has been released to the American people has caused many to speculate not only on the groups just mentioned being responsible but has also provoked more bizarre speculations on the people responsible for the November 22nd tragedies.
Of course, this feeds into our second specter, anxiety. Anxiety by its very definition is not a fear based on any one thing but rather an overall dread and feeling that things are not as they are supposed to be.
We have a gnawing fear that we cannot trust those who give us information. Likewise, we have a growing dread that we are being carried along by events that are totally out of our control by forces we do not understand.
And as our anxiety grows it causes us to further fuel uncertainty by adding to the various speculations from our own anxious minds.
Worse, this sort of anxiety can also produce a third specter, one named distrust, which can grow like a canker among us sapping any confidence we might have in our institutions.
Having diagnosed the problem, we now seek a cure. And the cure for both uncertainty and anxiety comes in the form of knowledge and understanding. We need to demand a truthful accounting starting from the government in Dallas to the government in Washington and perhaps even the government in Moscow. Only thus can we banish the two specters of uncertainty and anxiety and the potential specter of distrust.
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Chapter Twelve: The Pulse of the Nation
From the Wall Street Journal; December 8th, 1963 an editorial by William F. Buckley, Jr.:
In Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, the chief protagonist of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by three spirits which show him the true meaning of Christmas. For the past the past two and a half weeks the people of America have also been haunted by not three but two spirts, their names are uncertainty and anxiety.
These are two ghosts that we as Americans are all too familiar with living as we do in the shadow of the Cold War. But, for the most part we have managed to put them aside and ignore them as we get on with our lives.
But the events of November 22nd have cast a whole new light on these two specters.
Our uncertainty now comes from a mistrust of what we are hearing out of Washington. It has been over two weeks and still a clear picture has not emerged of the events that occurred in Dealey Plaza and on Love Field.
This is unnerving to Americans who have come to expect that questions and problems are expected to be answered or resolved quickly. Perhaps we had hoped that such matters would be resolved in the same amount of time as it might take Wally Cleaver to resolve a problem he has with a date, or as Rick Nelson might resolve how to deal with a problem at school. As much as we would wish it otherwise the difficulties of our lives cannot be solved in a neat 30-minute period as they are on Leave it to Beaver or Ozzie and Harriet.
In the November 22nd assassination of President Kennedy and the shootings of Vice-President Johnson and presidential aide Ken O’Donnell we have a complex situation. And complex situations by their very nature require more then 30 minutes to unravel and understand.
Unlike on television and in movies where the heroes and villains are usually easily identifiable and the motives for each are quickly understood, in the present situation the American public is faced with ambiguity piled upon ambiguity.
Who are the players in the present drama? Is it as some believe the K.G.B.? Is it Cuba in the form of either a pro-Castro faction or an anti-Castro faction which seeks revenge for the bungled Bay of Pigs fiasco? There is even the fear that this may be the result of shadowy figures operating to defend what President Eisenhower called the military industrial complex.
The fact that as of yet so little information has been released to the American people has caused many to speculate not only on the groups just mentioned being responsible but has also provoked more bizarre speculations on the people responsible for the November 22nd tragedies.
Of course, this feeds into our second specter, anxiety. Anxiety by its very definition is not a fear based on any one thing but rather an overall dread and feeling that things are not as they are supposed to be.
We have a gnawing fear that we cannot trust those who give us information. Likewise, we have a growing dread that we are being carried along by events that are totally out of our control by forces we do not understand.
And as our anxiety grows it causes us to further fuel uncertainty by adding to the various speculations from our own anxious minds.
Worse, this sort of anxiety can also produce a third specter, one named distrust, which can grow like a canker among us sapping any confidence we might have in our institutions.
Having diagnosed the problem, we now seek a cure. And the cure for both uncertainty and anxiety comes in the form of knowledge and understanding. We need to demand a truthful accounting starting from the government in Dallas to the government in Washington and perhaps even the government in Moscow. Only thus can we banish the two specters of uncertainty and anxiety and the potential specter of distrust.
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"As he began his sermon, Dr. King remembered how the previous evening he had agonized over what to say. He would reveal later that during that evening – what King called his own dark night of the soul; he came to a realization. As he would explain in an interview later in 1970:"
Yup.
Buckley is right though - there needs to be a statement from the White House or FBI soon.
Some of the 25 who where not on or near the plane should be released.
At least a basic timeline of events should be outlined to the press/public as well so they have some idea what happened.
If nothing else charges should start to be placed on people involved so folk can see the investigation is actually happening instead of days of 'no comment' or no announcements.
Some of the 25 who where not on or near the plane should be released.
At least a basic timeline of events should be outlined to the press/public as well so they have some idea what happened.
If nothing else charges should start to be placed on people involved so folk can see the investigation is actually happening instead of days of 'no comment' or no announcements.
I really enjoy your writing style, @Geon. The Confession chapter was quite good.
One potential consequence to consider due to Dr. King’s role in securing the confession: it could be the cause of schism between the Old Guard Civil Rights Movement and the more radical up and comers in SNCC and later the Black Panther Party.
One potential consequence to consider due to Dr. King’s role in securing the confession: it could be the cause of schism between the Old Guard Civil Rights Movement and the more radical up and comers in SNCC and later the Black Panther Party.
Dallas, TX; City Hall, the Mayor’s Office; 12:30 p.m. C.S.T.:
In the mayor’s office Mayor Cabell was meeting with the head of the Police and Firefighters Association, the union that represented public safety personnel in Dallas.
“According to my sources,” the mayor was saying, “It’s likely the trials won’t start until after the Christmas holidays. And I think I have enough clout to ensure that the arrested officers will be able to be home with their families for those holidays.”
“That does save us the trouble of having to raise and post bail for all of them Mr. Mayor, thank you,” the union president said with gratitude.
“However, it only puts off the problem,” he continued. “The Feds are likely to want to move the trial out of Dallas, so there won’t be a sympathetic jury for the officers and Chief Curry. We’re afraid this trial will be used by the government to make scapegoats of all of them and frankly, the Association can’t allow this.”
Mayor Cabell shook his head. “I don’t know if there is much, I can do beyond what I have done. Frankly, I had to pull in every favor I had among the legal community to arrange the Christmas leaves.
The union president nodded. “Yes, Mister Mayor and don’t think the organization doesn’t appreciate what you’ve done. We’ve had a very cordial relationship since you came to office. But if this thing does come to trial the rank and file of the Dallas Police Department won’t be happy. We won’t stand for seeing men, many of them with impeccable records have their careers and lives destroyed by Washington because Washington won’t accept the blame for what happened. If the trial does go forward, I must tell you the Union is fully prepared to display its displeasure in the form of a city-wide strike.”
The mayor looked shocked and then said, “If you do that you could plunge Dallas into total chaos.” “Mister Mayor, believe me we don’t want to take this step. This isn’t about money or pensions or anything else we’ve discussed in the past. It is about simple justice. If the government decides to try the Dallas 25 and Chief Curry the Association will order a full strike of all its members,” concluded the Union president.
In the mayor’s office Mayor Cabell was meeting with the head of the Police and Firefighters Association, the union that represented public safety personnel in Dallas.
“According to my sources,” the mayor was saying, “It’s likely the trials won’t start until after the Christmas holidays. And I think I have enough clout to ensure that the arrested officers will be able to be home with their families for those holidays.”
“That does save us the trouble of having to raise and post bail for all of them Mr. Mayor, thank you,” the union president said with gratitude.
“However, it only puts off the problem,” he continued. “The Feds are likely to want to move the trial out of Dallas, so there won’t be a sympathetic jury for the officers and Chief Curry. We’re afraid this trial will be used by the government to make scapegoats of all of them and frankly, the Association can’t allow this.”
Mayor Cabell shook his head. “I don’t know if there is much, I can do beyond what I have done. Frankly, I had to pull in every favor I had among the legal community to arrange the Christmas leaves.
The union president nodded. “Yes, Mister Mayor and don’t think the organization doesn’t appreciate what you’ve done. We’ve had a very cordial relationship since you came to office. But if this thing does come to trial the rank and file of the Dallas Police Department won’t be happy. We won’t stand for seeing men, many of them with impeccable records have their careers and lives destroyed by Washington because Washington won’t accept the blame for what happened. If the trial does go forward, I must tell you the Union is fully prepared to display its displeasure in the form of a city-wide strike.”
The mayor looked shocked and then said, “If you do that you could plunge Dallas into total chaos.” “Mister Mayor, believe me we don’t want to take this step. This isn’t about money or pensions or anything else we’ve discussed in the past. It is about simple justice. If the government decides to try the Dallas 25 and Chief Curry the Association will order a full strike of all its members,” concluded the Union president.
THAT won't go over well in a lot of places. If people can see the police as trying to obfuscate who killed the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, it's going to get even uglier.
Also, dropping charges, or even releasing people that weren;t on the plane, would have bad implications. It would tell everyone, "Cops can cover up crimes and get away." The ones that worked to cover things up belong behind bars just as much as the ones that pulled triggers--perhaps even moreso.
Dallas may start getting serious fallout soon, too. The moment even a threat of a citywide police strike comes out, anyone considering doing business there will reconsider, just on safery grounds.
What's the status of the governor? He NEEDS to intervene.
One important consideration regarding who doies what: States have certain rights. Cities and towns, however, exist at the sufferance of the state, unless state law declares otherwise. There is no constitutional reason why the state of Texas can't disestablish Dallas. They won't, but states do disestablish cities and towns.
If things go too far, there's always the nuclear option: declaring Dallas in rebellion.
Also, dropping charges, or even releasing people that weren;t on the plane, would have bad implications. It would tell everyone, "Cops can cover up crimes and get away." The ones that worked to cover things up belong behind bars just as much as the ones that pulled triggers--perhaps even moreso.
Dallas may start getting serious fallout soon, too. The moment even a threat of a citywide police strike comes out, anyone considering doing business there will reconsider, just on safery grounds.
What's the status of the governor? He NEEDS to intervene.
One important consideration regarding who doies what: States have certain rights. Cities and towns, however, exist at the sufferance of the state, unless state law declares otherwise. There is no constitutional reason why the state of Texas can't disestablish Dallas. They won't, but states do disestablish cities and towns.
If things go too far, there's always the nuclear option: declaring Dallas in rebellion.
I think the best option for the Governor would be to let the Police strike, and send in the National Guard and Texas State Troopers/Rangers to pick up the slack in the short term. Long term, he'll have to pick a side but in the short term he can play both sides if he does it right.
Idk since Connally is eyeing the Oval Office atm. He will face pressure from both sides and will have to pick eventually.
I like how the Dallas police think that if their members are in court the prosecution will win and giving evidence of what happened won't show they are not guilty.
Either they think the accused are guilty or they think courts always do what the prosecution say, which says a lot about corruption in Dallas.
Either they think the accused are guilty or they think courts always do what the prosecution say, which says a lot about corruption in Dallas.
A half hour after the president of the Police and Fire Department Union left the mayor’s office Earle Cabell was on the phone with governor Connally.
“They mean business Mr. Connally,” concluded Mayor Cabell as he outlined the situation.
“Do they understand the seriousness of the charges against the officers in question,” Connally asked?
“Yes sir, they do, and they consider this a whitewash by the Federal government, an attempt to lay the blame at the feet of the DPD who they will claim were simply doing their duty,” replied the mayor.
“You know Mister Mayor, if they do strike you could threaten to simply fire everyone who walks off their jobs and charge them with endangering the public safety," commented the governor.
The mayor responded with clear anger in his voice. “Governor, do you hear yourself? Do you know what it would mean if I not only fired every single police officer and fire fighter who went out on strike and charged them with endangering public safety? Let me paint a picture for you sir! First, we would have to call in the National Guard to maintain order and fight fires. Most of these National Guard troops have no experience with law enforcement or firefighting techniques. Secondly, a strike and subsequent firings would leave the Dallas Police and Fire Department depleted for the foreseeable future. It could be months if not years before we could fill every position. Third, the crime rate in Dallas would skyrocket. That would be unacceptable to the people of Dallas. And with the arrests of so many officers the Dallas court system would be choked with both criminal cases and civil cases from angry loved ones for years to come.”
“And if what I’ve just outlined happens governor that will be a disaster for everyone. The people of Dallas lose because of the lack of proper police and fire protection. I lose because it is likely the citizens of Dallas will boot me out of office so fast my head will spin! And you lose too sir, because it is unlikely you can expect the citizens of Dallas will support a governor, not to mention a presidential candidate who allowed National Guard troops to occupy their city. And you might remind your friend the Attorney General in Washington, that as Dallas goes so likely also goes Texas in the next election!”
Governor Connally was silent on the phone for a moment. Then he said, “Earle I understand your concern. Right now, it looks like you’ve bought us some time to consider our options through the Christmas holidays. Let’s see what we can do to diffuse this during this time. I promise you I will talk with Robert Kennedy. Perhaps some deal can be worked out to avert this mess.”
Mayor Cabell had composed himself enough to say, “That is all I can ask Governor Connally. Please keep me informed. I will do my best to try and diffuse things here if I can.”
“That’s all anyone can ask Earle. Take care,” said Connally and ended the conversation.
“They mean business Mr. Connally,” concluded Mayor Cabell as he outlined the situation.
“Do they understand the seriousness of the charges against the officers in question,” Connally asked?
“Yes sir, they do, and they consider this a whitewash by the Federal government, an attempt to lay the blame at the feet of the DPD who they will claim were simply doing their duty,” replied the mayor.
“You know Mister Mayor, if they do strike you could threaten to simply fire everyone who walks off their jobs and charge them with endangering the public safety," commented the governor.
The mayor responded with clear anger in his voice. “Governor, do you hear yourself? Do you know what it would mean if I not only fired every single police officer and fire fighter who went out on strike and charged them with endangering public safety? Let me paint a picture for you sir! First, we would have to call in the National Guard to maintain order and fight fires. Most of these National Guard troops have no experience with law enforcement or firefighting techniques. Secondly, a strike and subsequent firings would leave the Dallas Police and Fire Department depleted for the foreseeable future. It could be months if not years before we could fill every position. Third, the crime rate in Dallas would skyrocket. That would be unacceptable to the people of Dallas. And with the arrests of so many officers the Dallas court system would be choked with both criminal cases and civil cases from angry loved ones for years to come.”
“And if what I’ve just outlined happens governor that will be a disaster for everyone. The people of Dallas lose because of the lack of proper police and fire protection. I lose because it is likely the citizens of Dallas will boot me out of office so fast my head will spin! And you lose too sir, because it is unlikely you can expect the citizens of Dallas will support a governor, not to mention a presidential candidate who allowed National Guard troops to occupy their city. And you might remind your friend the Attorney General in Washington, that as Dallas goes so likely also goes Texas in the next election!”
Governor Connally was silent on the phone for a moment. Then he said, “Earle I understand your concern. Right now, it looks like you’ve bought us some time to consider our options through the Christmas holidays. Let’s see what we can do to diffuse this during this time. I promise you I will talk with Robert Kennedy. Perhaps some deal can be worked out to avert this mess.”
Mayor Cabell had composed himself enough to say, “That is all I can ask Governor Connally. Please keep me informed. I will do my best to try and diffuse things here if I can.”
“That’s all anyone can ask Earle. Take care,” said Connally and ended the conversation.
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