Where’s The Outrage?

To the Editor:

With all the hype last year regarding the 40th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, one would have expected perhaps a collective inspiration propelling Americans, finally, to demand the truth from our government about the blatant murder of our president; a sort of clamor to justify that short-lived surge of interest — which always seems to accompany any milestone year that ends in either a 5 or a 0.

Don’t hold your breath.

Monday, November 22, 2004: 41 years – and counting…How many “specials” aired this year on television? Any magazine cover stories, documentaries, or new books? Did you read any columns or tributes on the op ed page? Me neither.

But there was a new game released to “honor” JFK’s memory, 21st Century-style:

“On the eve of the 41st anniversary of John F Kennedy’s death, a controversial PC ‘docu-game’ is inviting gamers to recreate the president’s assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald.

“JFKReloaded.com, developed by Scottish firm Traffic, challenges participants to fire the three shots that came from the sixth floor of the Dallas book depository…”

I really wonder if we have truly become a nation of idiots to condone an abomination such as this. Where’s the outrage? Where are those “values” we claim to cherish?

More than 85 percent of statistic-loving Americans don’t believe the Warren Commission’s insult-of-an-investigation, the “official version,” which, regrettably, has been reproduced for posterity in our children’s history textbooks.

And now, some soulless, exploitative video-game producer has created yet another way to entertain and misinform a whole new generation, whose lack of any real curiosity is equaled only by an incurable apathy and a penchant for mindless violence. It is anybody’s guess as to who is more reprehensible — those who created this game, or those who would purchase it?

A tragic and transformative moment in history becomes folly-for-profit. I am reminded of the saying, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.”

In anticipation of the 1964 election, JFK and senator Barry Goldwater, who were friends, had discussed campaigning together to bring their respective messages to the populace in debates throughout the country. Could you imagine Bush and Kerry taking the same plane to various American cities to discuss issues in front of citizens?

No signing of loyalty oaths, no partisan crowds, no unnecessary spin on the events, and no ludicrous amounts of money being spent to out-hype one’s opponent!

Where have we descended as a republic and as a culture in just 41 years? What did we lose during those “Six Seconds in Dallas?” Innocence? We all grew up pretty quickly after that horrific day. Hope? The real killers were never brought to justice. But perhaps the most significant sacrifice had to do with our democracy, which began to fade that day and, little by little, it has turned into something different to say the least…

It’s never too late to become active and to change the politics-gone-awry in our history. Hard work, tenacity, and a passion for justice brought Byron de la Beckwith to jail in 1994, 31 years after he gunned down civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963.

The message to those who commit political assassinations and other travesties should be that we are a civilized people, whose hunger for the truth and the principles of democracy will not be compromised by the passage of time or by the sleight-of-hand of the purveyors or misinformation or constitutional ambiguity.

Nor will we be distracted by technology that lulls our youth into complacency, deadens their senses to violence and good judgment, and caters to their need to be passively entertained. How about a video game entitled, “Use Your Wits To Solve The Crime” or “Creative Solutions to World Suffering.” Better yet, what about something like “JFKRevisited.com” — where players can explore the facts and think for themselves about the long-term implications of “High Treason”…Would this game warrant a website?

Michael Luzzi

173 Boggs Hill Road, Newtown                             November 26, 2004