... in a moment, it was no more. And so she took a ring from her finger and placed it in his hands.

[phasma ex machina]

There was a sound of laughter; in a moment, it was no more. And so she took a ring from her finger and placed it in his hands.

There was a wit in a man neither young nor old, but a wit full of an old man's wisdom and of a child's wisdom, and then, in a moment it was no more. And so she took a ring from her finger and placed it in his hands.

There was a man marked with the scars of his love of country, a body active with the surge of a life far, far from spent and, in a moment, it was no more. And so she took a ring from her finger and placed it in his hands.

There was a father with a little boy, a little girl and a joy of each in the other. In a moment it was no more, and so she took a ring from her finger and placed it in his hands.

There was a husband who asked much and gave much, and out of the giving and the asking wove with a woman what could not be broken in life, and in a moment it was no more. And so she took a ring from her finger and placed it in his hands, and kissed him and closed the lid of a coffin.

A piece of each of us died at that moment. Yet, in death he gave of himself to us. He gave us of a good heart from which the laughter came. He gave us of a profound wit, from which a great leadership emerged. He gave us of a kindness and a strength fused into a human courage to seek peace without fear.

He gave us of his love that we, too, in turn, might give. He gave that we might give of ourselves, that we might give to one another until there would be no room, no room at all, for the bigotry, the hatred, prejudice, and the arrogance which converged in that moment of horror to strike him down.

In leaving us -- these gifts, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States, leaves with us. Will we take them, Mr. President? Will we have, now, the sense and the responsibility and the courage to take them?

I pray to God that we shall and under God we will.

[pkdu]

1. Thankyou so much for this. I have never seen or heard these Eulogies before and I'm moved to tears

even tho I'm not (yet) a citizen.

When I googled this and read Earl Warren's I see how little things have changed today ...and hope and pray for our (current) beloved president..

"What moved some misguided wretch to do this horrible deed may never be known to us, but we do know that such acts are commonly stimulated by forces of hatred and malevolence, such as today are eating their way into the bloodstream of American life. What a price we pay for this fanaticism.

It has been said that the only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn. But surely we can learn if we have the will to do so. Surely there is a lesson to be learned from this tragic event.

If we really love this country, if we truly love justice aqd mercy, if we fervently want to make this Nation better for those who are to follow us, we can at least abjure the hatred that consumes people, the false accusations that divide us, and the bitterness that begets violence. Is it too much to hope that the martyrdom of our beloved President might even soften the hearts of those who would themselves recoil from assassination, but who do not shrink from spreading the venom which kindles thoughts of it in others? "

[phasma ex machina]

3. It moved me too and I didn't see it previously posted.

[dflprincess]

2. This was Mike Mansfield's eulogy (for those who don't know).

He was Senate Majority leader from the time LBJ became Vice President until 1977.

Supported the Great Society programs and opposed the Vietnam War. My kind of Democrat and a much better senator for Montana than Max Baucus.

[phasma ex machina]

4. Speaking of Mansfield...

"This gentleman went from snuffy to national and international prominence. And when he died in 2001, he was rightly buried in Arlington. If you want to visit his grave, don't look for him near the "Kennedy Eternal Flame", where so many politicians are laid to rest. Look for a small, common marker shared by the majority of our heroes. Look for the marker that says "Michael J. Mansfield, PVT. U.S. Marine Corps"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Mansfield

[truth2power]

5. Thank you for this. I watched only part of it. Too sad, tonite. I remember that day....

Bookmarked for tomorrow, when I can deal better.


P.S. Those who did this are still pulling the strings.

[byronius]

6. I'm reading Stephen King's newest, '11/22/63', in which a man returns to the past to try to prevent

Kennedy's assasination. So far, it's brilliant.

The thesis is that certain 'watershed events', if altered, could make the world a much more pleasant place. One of the possibilities he discusses is showing up in Florida with a large amount of cash to get those extra votes needed to keep Dubya out of the White House. The only problem is, the 'time portal' only works to send one back to a certain day in 1958. He'd end up being too old to stop Dubya.

Stephen King is just the coolest dude. Great American writer. Love him. Love this book.