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" Charleston South Carolina"
(set 9 days ago)
Location: home...finally, home .
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This is a new book by Steven King, but it is not a horror story like "Cujo" or something. The premise is: what would have happened if someone could have gone back in time to prevent JFK's assassination. How would the world have been different?
Any ideas? How would the world have changed, if at all, in this alternate universe?
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1. Lyndon Johnson would have been off the ticket for the next go-around. I think Kennedy would have uncovered the rather plentiful dirt on LBJ and given him the heave ho.
2. Vietnam would have likely been a more successful endeavor, chiefly because Kennedy seemed to have more of a grasp of counterinsurgency and asymmetrical warfare than LBJ, who seemed to subscribe to pointless bombing and maneuvering to send messages to Hanoi. I like to think that JFK would have not appointed Westmoreland. Or cashiered the guy as early as possible. Finally, the war most likely would not have been fought in a way that required 750,000 soldiers there at the same time.
3. I'm thinking that Kennedy would not have implemented anything as large or as ill-conceived as Johnson's Great Society program.
4. JFK would have been nailing Gina Lollabrigida in the Lincoln Bedroom.
Yes...imagine John Kennedy serving two full terms. He could have been succeeded in office by Bobby, and the world might never have had to deal with Richard Nixon and/or Watergate.
Alternate histories are the science fiction/fantasy of this generation. I'll admit to thinking that King's entree was going to be something more like Kennedy becoming a vampire, or Checkers turning into a Cujo just before Nixon made an important speech, or maybe "Children of the Cheney."
Physically, I doubt Kennedy would have lasted a full second term anyway.
JFK was born in 1917 so there is a slight chance he would still be living today. Had he not been assassinated, it is likely that his womanizing tendencies would have been disclosed and he would be remembered as a mediocre President. However, had he been able to finish two four year terms, LBJ would have been retired to Texas and not gotten close to the White House. Had that been the case, I might be voting for a few Democrats every now and then. Now that's real sci-fi!
I personally think that JFK was ready to end all American involvement in Vietnam and that is why the CIA murdered him. Anyone who stands in the way of the war machine of America gets run over.
We wouldn't have the welfare system we have today. Kennedy would have recognized it for what it was, another way to control the poor people when Kennedy wanted to empower them.
I don't think any of the race riots would have happened without the Vietnam war to demonstrate this country's blatant racism and elitism.
Nixon would have never sniffed the White House with Bobby taking over for 8 more year after JFK was done.
I personally think that JFK was ready to end all American involvement in Vietnam and that is why the CIA murdered him. Anyone who stands in the way of the war machine of America gets run over.
We wouldn't have the welfare system we have today. Kennedy would have recognized it for what it was, another way to control the poor people when Kennedy wanted to empower them.
I don't think any of the race riots would have happened without the Vietnam war to demonstrate this country's blatant racism and elitism.
Nixon would have never sniffed the White House with Bobby taking over for 8 more year after JFK was done.
This would be a much better country today.
I wrote a paper about his assassination en route to my history degree.
I don't think it was one group of people, but a whole lot of powerful people. JFK stepped on a lot of people's toes.
The CIA was mad because he was taking away their autonomy and gaffed the Bay of Pigs invasion. I believe if JFK stayed another term he would have closed the CIA and placed intelligence under the control of the military.
The mafia was mad because he was getting out of line. They got him in and his brother disrespected them by prosecuting various bosses.
Vietnam was more about the Joint Chiefs, who didn't like non-military intellectuals telling them what to do.
The thing nobody talks about is his actions towards big business and banking. JFK got rid of the Business Advisory Committee, which was a group of top executives that had previously advised the president.
JFK supported the following policies: 1) Consumer Protection 2) Vigorous antitrust action 3) Automatic withholding of taxes on dividends 4) End to foreign tax havens 5) Medicare 6) Campaign finance restructuring
My guess is whomever wanted him dead would have tried again.
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