In a historically illiterate Salon piece, writer Heather Digby Parton argued that “right-wing hatred” of John F. Kennedy ultimately led to his death, and that a climate of hate is once again growing because of the right’s reaction to President Obama. Of course, the entire premise of Parton’s piece is false because JFK was not assassinated by any crazy ‘gun nut’ right-winger, as she might have you believe.
Lee Harvey Oswald was a proud Communist who adored the Soviet Union. But one wouldn't know that from the article. In fact, the words "Lee Harvey Oswald" are never mentioned. Parton cited some evidence that there was extreme rhetoric directed toward Kennedy from the right, and connects that to the fact that he was ultimately killed. She asserted that “The right-wing hatred for John F. Kennedy was in some ways as extreme as the hatred for Barack Obama and nowhere was it more energized than Dallas in 1963.”
She posted in her piece an image showing John F. Kennedy with the words, “Wanted for Treason” found below it. Parton then asked – and in this bizarre article, it is a very pertinent question: “So why bring this up today?”
Well, according to her, “the venom, the incoherent conspiracy-mongering, the visceral loathing still exist. In fact, in one of the most obliviously obtuse acts of sacrilege imaginable, Dealey Plaza is now the regular site of open-carry demonstrations.” It seems Parton is suggesting that the right-wing rhetoric of 50 years ago – which played no role in the death of Kennedy – is on the rise and some crazy gun toting conservative might assassinate President Obama one day.
The sub-headline read, "The 'open carry' crew is now spouting right-wing conspiracy theories and waving guns in the worst place imaginable."
She lamented the fact that law abiding Americans direct so much anger toward the President, sarcastically stating: “But in America, armed men and women marching around spouting hatred for the president at the very spot where a former president was assassinated is business as usual. We are 'free' here to carry guns in public and dare others to argue with us.”
Parton ended by claiming that Dealey Plaza should be “a monument to right-wing ignominy.” Think about that: The spot where an American president was murdered by a left-wing communist should be a "monument to right-wing ignominy."
It should be pointed out that liberals made a movie in 2006 fantasizing about the hypothetical assassination of George W. Bush. What is that movie a monument to?
Now, revisionist history from the left is nothing new, particularly when it comes to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball, also inaccurately held the right responsible for the murder. Salon is doing a disservice to its readers by promoting such an obvious historical myth.
