#85 The death of conspiracies

We stopped by Bill and Sandy’s apartment after church. The TV was on, as it was in almost every home in America that day in late November 1963. When we thought we couldn’t be more shocked, grieved or terrorized, Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald as we watched.

The anniversary of that terrible time is coming and cable Court TV will be showing 9-10 p.m. est, Wednesday , November 19, on its “Forensic Files” program “The JFK Assassination: Investigation Reopened.” Apparently, new sophisticated technology shows it happened pretty much the way we watched it unfold in 1963. No conspiracy. The truth is usually less interesting than fiction, even if it is stranger, despite the conventional wisdom and old wives (in Hollywood) tales.

Each day we seem to hear or read of more conspiracy theories about 9-11. Anything as simple as one demented lone gunman or a small bunch of hell-bent martyrs flying airplanes into high profile buildings really disturbs our sense of safety and complacency. We’d much rather fall for the big plot idea, possibly huge forces manipulating an evil U.S. government, or Israel working behind the scenes.

On November 23 we will meet for church and gather here for a family dinner to celebrate the November birthdays of our children, for whom this is all ancient, and much abused history.