John F. Kennedy
I can definitely consider myself an apolitical person, and so this week's assignment was like a joke to me. Politics bore me to death, really, and I am not an extremely patriotic person either, though I must say I'm pretty attached to both the USA and Spain, as the two countries that have seen me grow and made me the person I am. Apart from that, I'd actually like to consider myself a citizen of the world, and I have a complete fascination for foreign countries, languages, traditions, and culture.
I am also a highly idealistic person, and I find it hard to have any faith in politicians, governments and generally speaking people in power. There are many political systems and forms of government, some of which work just fine with some countries (like Capitalism and Socialism), while others make real sense and appear to be the only solution to other countries' societies (like Comunism). Were they all truly put into practice the way they are, I am certain we would all live in a much nicer world. Unfortunately, there is a very big difference between political ideologies and philosophies and the way they always become distorted to the benefit of some.
John F. Kennedy was the first thing that came to my mind when I first read this week's assignment. The following paragraph found on the Web clearly explains the reason why many people all over the world (including me) admired and respected him:
" President Kennedy's death caused enormous sadness and grief among all Americans. Most people still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news of the murder. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the President's funeral, and millions throughout the world watched it on television.
As the years have gone by and other Presidents have written their chapters in history, John Kennedy's brief time in office stands out in people's memories for his leadership, personality, and accomplishments. Many respect his coolness when faced with difficult decisions--like what to do about the missiles in Cuba. Others admire his ability to inspire people with his eloquent speeches. Still others think his compassion and his willingness to fight for new government programs to help the poor, the elderly and the ill were most important. Like all leaders, John Kennedy made mistakes, but he was always optimistic about the future. He believed that people could solve their common problems if they put their country's interests first and worked together."
Other things I like about John F. Kennedy are his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and in exploring space. And of course, the way he was misteriously assassinated and taken out of the picture when he was doing so much for the people and as much as he was loved, is something that has turned him into an even more well known figure all over the world. By the way, here is a link to the movie J.F.K. directed by Oliver Stone.
There are hundreds of places online to find information about John F. Kennedy, whether it be photographs, the president's Biography, his years of presidency, his most famous speeches, details about his assassination, etc. And so I am not going to create one more Web site about him, but instead I will just link on this page to some interesting sites to visit if you want to learn some more about this young man, who was sworn in as the 35th President on January 20, 1961. Following is a brief biography:
John Fitzgerald Kennedy ( May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963)
In 1956 Kennedy almost gained the Democratic nomination
for Vice President, and four years later he was a first-ballot nominee
for President. Winning by a narrow margin in the popular vote, Kennedy
became the first Roman Catholic and our
35th President. His Inaugural Address offered the memorable
injunction: "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what
you can do for your country." As President, he set out to redeem
his campaign pledge to get America moving again. His economic programs
launched the country on its longest sustained expansion since World War
II; before his death, he laid plans for a massive assault on persisting
pockets of privation and poverty. On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly
past his first thousand days in office, JFK was killed by an assassin's
bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy
was the youngest man elected President; and he was the
youngest to die.
Did you know?
There is a complete list of incredible coincidences between the deaths of Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln. It is a true mistery. Just click here to see what I mean...
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Weber