I
was in Brother Malachy's English class at La Salle High School in
Miami. Some time after lunch, I was probably thinking of the
upcoming weekend when the first word came. That weekend would start
a bit earlier as my school let us go home upon hearing of President
Kennedy's death. So began that weekend that extended through Monday
as my school somehow obtained enough TVs so that we could all see and
hear the events of the funeral that culminated at Arlington Cemetery.
And with that, we were focused on one presidential role that is
often glossed over or downright ignored. That is the role of head of
state – our ceremonial representative who personifies us as a
people. When our head of state dies, probably more so when he is
willfully killed, we all become somehow less; we all grieve over our
loss.
There
were many issues that vied for this space today. Probably the change
in the Senate's rule concerning the filibuster would have won out.
But I could not let this posting pass without commenting on the 50th
anniversary of the assassination. That is all you need to say, the
assassination, to know the reference even though there have been
others of notable importance since then. Perhaps its importance lies
in the fact that our lives as Americans seem to have begun to so
drastically change since then. I will not go on about it – who am
I? For all of you who were alive back on that fall day in 1963, I'm
sure you have your own memories and emotions as valid as any
expressed in any media. I have nothing to add of note. But one
cannot just go through today as if that day, this date, is like any
other – it's not. So a moment of reflection, of recollection, of
respect, is well in order. As you go about your business today, look
around at your fellow citizens and know that today is one of those
days for collective recognition of our common fate. We are a people,
after all.
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