Treasures under siege

“Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in periods of moral crisis maintain their neutrality.” —John F. Kennedy Bonn, Germany, June 1963

What kind of jealousy, self-loathing must it take to wish to be either added by name to or demolish the federal living memorial to the 35th President assassinated in 1963?The remembrance of where you were, what you were doing on November 22, 1963, was as powerful as the remembrance of where you were on September 11, 2001.National moments of tragedy are forever engraved by the emotion for a beloved President killed, for 1000’s killed at the Trade Center, and for the fear of a nation at risk. These memories remain in the nation unfaded, etched deep, strong.

John F. Kennedy - young, vigorous in appearance, classy - was married to ultra classy First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with two small children playing hide and seek in the Oval Office.A photo of John-John, two years old, hiding beneath the Resolute Desk is decades dominate.The Kennedys: Jacque, renowned for the restoration of the White House – was given an Emmy for The Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy; the couple renowned for their extraordinary reception by Europe in 1963, “ I am the man who accompanied Jaqueline Kennedy to Paris”; John for his speech at the Berlin Wall ““Ich bin ein Berliner”.

“The Kennedys” a profound and highly respected family – a trio of brothers -with, yes, sexual misbehaviors-yet each had a life time of major national contributions, often shortened at the pinnacle of their work.The Kennedys were rich – none of their wealth accumulated during their years of service – none of it accumulated from associations with Russian oligarchs, with a murderer of an American journalist at a Turkish embassy, with despotic heads of state. Rather the Kennedy wealth was amassed by a not so upright father – Ambassador Joe – engaged in a plethora of businesses. John F. Kennedy was notably the first Catholic elected US President overcoming a country’s long fearful distrust of papal influence. The Kennedys – the American family, followed yet not surpassed by the Clintons, and the Bushes.

Six American Presidents have monuments gracing Washington DC:Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Grant, FD Roosevelt and Kennedy.A majority of these have been exploited in the Trump era, mostly in the past 20 months: closed, fenced off for some odd time period, tampered with physically (the Reflection Pool), made to endure extraordinary abuse of their status as monuments of pride(e.g., the ugly tramping of WWW wrestlers passing a seated Lincoln, bursting on to mikes with profanity enroute tothe 250 Anniversary wrestling defamation of the White House. The Smithsonian, the most splendid, expansive, globally-admired museum on the Washington Mall housing 17 museums, has been under siege since 2025–the Director recently resigned. Moneys from the National Parks have been funneled to “beautification” projects in DC, $90 million, while $325 million Congressionally specified funds for the National Parks Service upgrades have been diverted to the White House.

The exploits of Washington DC are not constitutional, are not morally justified, are ugly, harmful, and illegitimate – funds taken from clear Congressional allocations.The ongoing court spats persist – the administration arguing dribble, embarrassed in Court hearings.Fortunately, these exploitations are well covered by all media, unfortunately, they persist amid a never-ending war with Iran, with staggering price hikes, with economic plight for most.

How much envy, how much self-loathing must be required to want to paint the granite Eisenhower building, build a 250 foot ach disconnecting Arlington Cemetery from the Lincoln Memorial and the Mall, demolish The John F. Kennedy Memorial, gold laden the walls of the White House and numerous statues of pride? What lack of self must be intertwined in needing to put one’s face, one’s name on everything?There must be a sincere belief by this president that no one would name anything after him when he is out of office.

May we remain vigilant and assert our rights as citizens. May we be solid in spirit.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

— John F. Kennedy

Kathy Herald-Marlowe lives in Sharon.