How’s everyone’s weekend going? Thanks for spending a portion of it with the Six.
Reading and watching all of the chaos in our country and around the world this week, I know I can’t be the only one asking, ‘where are the adults in the room?’
I just finished reading a biography of John F. Kennedy. It’s appropriately titled “An Unfinished Life.”
The book encompasses JFK’s entire life, from birth until his assassination almost 60 years ago. In that sense, the author (Robert Dallek) takes a traditional biographical cradle-to-grave approach. But Dallek does what good biographers do: deeper dives into smaller sections of the subject’s life in order to present a fuller portrait of a person’s character and makeup.
JFK was basically an introverted intellectual who conditioned himself from a very young age to be objective in his reasoning. He likely would have entered journalism or academia until an inciting incident––the death of older brother Joe in WW2––thrust him into politics. He reluctantly agreed to fulfill his father’s dream to have a son in the White House and the rest is well-documented history.
Here’s what JFK faced in about 1,000 days in the White House (he was president from January 1961 until November 1963): escalation of the Cold War with the Soviets, the origins of Castro’s Cuba, the engagement of combat forces in Vietnam and on our soil, violence born from tensions around civil rights legislation. JFK did all of this with a series of debilitating health ailments. And accomplished all of it while in his mid-40s.
(The book does make several references to JFK’s well-rumored amorous appetite for women. He was a noted philanderer and that can’t be ignored, although it was by mainstream media at the time. But the author maintains his personal life and health problems did not cloud his judgment as president.)
What I took from the book was how, whether staring down Khrushchev or Castro or Diem, JFK put America first. He had a clear moral compass when it came to decision-making as political leader. He was burdened not by impact on party but by country. But not the tribalistic definitions of “patriotism” we see from the far extremes of both parties. He understood the United States’ role in geopolitics and had keen instincts on when to intervene and when to isolate.
Can we name a single politician like that today? Where everything is not viewed through the lens of identity, personal profit or gerrymandering? Whomever comes to mind, they fit the profile.
Henry Kissinger, who served under Presidents Nixon and Ford and recently turned 100, once wrote “Lacking a moral and strategic vision, the present age is unmoored.”
Another quote attributed to a famous figure in history, Winston Churchill, states “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
We certainly don’t want to repeat the events of the 1960s. But we’d be wise to study the principles and ethics of men of that time in history like JFK.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
Last week, JFK’s nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced he would no longer run for the Democratic presidential nomination but, instead, would run as an independent. Before RFK split from the Dems, there was speculation on how his presence would impact the ‘24 election and from whom––Biden or Trump––he would siphon off votes. A new poll reveals it’s Trump. From the article: “Kennedy’s presence erodes Trump’s lead among independents and cuts into his support among Republicans.” Safe to speculate how very soon, we’ll hear Trump begin a “RFK is bad” campaign at rallies across the country.
2. Poll: Americans Wary Of A.I.
Two polls to lead the Six on this Sunday. This is another good one via Pew Research that finds the vast majority of Americans do not trust companies to use AI responsibly: 70 percent of those who have heard of artificial intelligence saying they have very little or no trust at all in companies’ use of it, and only 24 percent having some or a great deal of trust. Get this––81 percent of people who have heard of artificial intelligence think that information collected by companies will be used in ways that people are not comfortable with, and 80 percent say that it’d be used in ways not “originally intended.” If there existed an AI predictor of bad quarterbacking, Bears fans would gladly have funded that piece of technology.
3. Murders, Muggers and Rottweilers: Stories From My Best/Worst Apartment.
A glimpse into punk New York City in the late ’70s? Sonic Youth's co-founder remembers life on the Lower East Side circa 1978, a peak year for no-wavers and punk rockers but also for muggers, murderers, rottweilers, junkies, drug-dealers, rent-boys and drunks. "The crime and violence were real, but they were more or less arbitrary. Also, I probably shouldn’t have been walking alone around Alphabet City at three in the morning." Even if not a fan of Sonic Youth or that genre of music, an entertaining read for anyone that lived in urban areas in the 70s, 80s or 90s.
4. A Push To Bring Back Outdoor Hoops To Chicago Neighborhood.
At the turn of the century, a Chicago South Side neighborhood removed its basketball courts. A once thriving pick up hoops culture had diminished, and politicians and area leaders claimed “safety concerns” and “lack of interest” as reasons for the court removal. Now, there is lobbying to bring the courts back. Residents see the courts as a symbol of urban renewal and “When there’s a hoop at the park, on the playground, it’s a space to rub shoulders, to meet your neighbors, for kids and families to be a part of something larger.” Well-reported piece via Book Club Chicago.
5. Why Americans Spend So Much Money on Halloween.
This year the national retail federation expects Americans to spend $12.2 billion on Halloween, up from $10.6 billion last year, according to BBC News. Yes, $12B! A remarkably solid chunk of that—$3.9 billion—is projected to go toward home decorations. The sheer scale of Halloween decorations that can be had have gotten insanely gaudy, whether you’re talking the $299 12-foot Home Depot Giant-Sized Skeleton with LCD Eyes, the 13.5-foot Oogie Boogie archway, the 12.5-foot wide predator of the night, the 13-foot Jack Skellington, the 8-foot animated smoldering reaper of souls, or if you’re in the mood to keep things light and classy, a 12-foot towering ghost.
Lest this be a warning to any crackpot considering running onto the field during a live sporting event. Philly Justice.
Thanks for reading everybody and have a great rest of your weekend.
Have a suggestion for The Sunday Six? Send email to jonjkerr@gmail.com.