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I was in the second grade at Highland Avenue Elementary School in Columbus when President Kennedy was assassinated. The principal made the announcement over the loud speaker, and school was dismissed. I walked the short distance home and found my mother glued to the television set; she had been interrupted by the horrible news while watching the soap opera, As the World Turns. The television in my parent’s bedroom remained on for the next several days. One would think there could be little left to say about JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy or the rest of the Kennedys of that fabled generation. However, since this year is the fiftieth anniversary of his assassination, the book world has been inundated with books about Camelot. Even the Kennedys were swept up in the misty memories; Jean Kennedy Smith, JFK’s only surviving sibling, Caroline Kennedy, his only surviving child, and a host of Kennedys from the third generation made a sentimental journey to Ireland, the land of Kennedy–and Fitzgerald–ancestors to retrace the steps of his famous 1963 visit there. Many do not know that, as a young man, Kennedy had aspired to be either a journalist or a professor.

On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F Kennedy, the airwaves are awash with coverage which is contradictory, confusing and dishonest. It is clear that President Kennedy was killed by the National Security State (CIA and Pentagon). The assassination marked the rise of the military industrial complex, the American Empire and the permanent warfare state. This fact is highly troubling for Americans who have not studied the political assassinations of the 1960s nor the many subsequent crimes perpetuated by the National Security State since 1963. People want to trust their government. Understanding the evil underbelly is highly uncomfortable. Political assassinations and events such as the attacks on 9/11 can be described as a “state crime against democracy,” a term coined by Lance deHaven-Smith in his book “Conspiracy Theory in America.” The cover story does not quite fit, but the result is increased funding or power for the National Security State. These events are used to justify another war, another conflict, another enemy. There will be no peace dividend.

As I was leaving Sunday Night’s Slayer show at the LC, I saw a group of disheveled, rotund men wearing matching shirts that said “Cleveland 216 Juggalos.” I chuckled at the idea of a group of dudes putting on the same outfit and driving two hours so they could represent their local chapter of Insane Clown Posse Fans. I also thanked Allah, God, Jesus, Richard Dawkins, Jah, Jehovah, Clarence 13x and Lucifer that when I was young and rebellious ICP was not an outlet for my adolescent desire to identify with the ugly and appalling because of youthful, Holden Caulfield-style cynicism. I will admit to wearing a Slayer “South of Heaven” shirt to church and catechism in middle school and might be coming from a slightly similar place, but at the end of the day Slayer has made music that most anyone will admit to being classic, and legendary. Sunday at the LC was another classic night performed by the legendary Thrash metal band. Slayer played an “old school” set. Their longtime guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman died in May of liver failure at the age of 49.

On the 31st of July, Yellow Springs Ohio was the site of a major police operation that involved multiple agencies. The resulting standoff left one resident dead from police gunfire and residents with serious questions about police conduct. Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine took the opportunity on November 12th to deliver a state Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) report and push for new mental health laws and greater police funding. Questions from the deceased's family were not answered and the press conference ended abruptly. The BCI report, which has not been released in full, claims to have interviewed over 80 residents of Yellow Springs regarding the shootout and death of Paul Schenck in July. Several Yellow Springs residents have declined to give statements to the Columbus Free Press, claiming the police would not take their statements and alleging police harassment and surveillance since their attempts to go on record.

Dear Editor To Jim Petric's (sic)questions: “why does our mounting monster debt of some $17 trillion and unfunded promised entitlements of $60 trillion NOT sincerely, inarguably scare the shit out of you? “I am not a Tea Partier, nor a Republican--hell, I wouldn't belong to a political party that would have me--but a former old school Kennedy Democrat who simply cannot fathom why folks on both sides of the aisle aren't begging and clamoring for and demanding government spending within our means.” (John Petric' column Oct. 31) Jim and any duckies who are interested. What you seem to be asking for is a quick and easy to comprehend answer, which is a bit difficult because much of the related concepts have been distorted or substituted with falsified simplicities. What is going on is mostly a political struggle over the fiscal capacities of the Federal government. A large portion of the scramble and mumbling cannot be simply based upon "common sense." Some economic and fiscal literacy is necessary to understand where, when and by whom the fraud of the faux "debate" is being perpetrated.

Tony “Doctah X” Harrington is a Reggae-rooted musician, singer and deejay who explores dub and dubstep often with Eastern and African Sounds. Doctah X recently released “Bangkok Chili” on North Carolina-based Boom One Records. This was a follow-up to his 2011 album “Agent of Kabul.” He hosts and deejays a radio show on WCRS called “Perscriptions” which airs Fridays from 9-10pm. He is one of those Columbus gems with a rich history. In the 70s and 80s, as a blues guitarist, Doctah X recorded and toured in Europe with Cream drummer Ginger Baker and played with blues legends John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins and Lele Gaudi. He also recorded with Umar Bin Hassan of the Last Poets. FP: Put together your fantasy band, dead or alive DoctahX: Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Hazel-guitars, Bernie Worrel, Jimmy Smith-keys and organ, Jaco Patorious -bass, Sly Dunbar-drums, Dr.

With a stroke of his pen on November 6, 2013, Ohio Governor John Kasich demonstrated his utter contempt for democracy. Fearing that Ohio Libertarian Party nominee Charlie Earl, who has strong Tea Party support, would cut into his conservative base, Kasich outlawed all third parties in Ohio for the 2014 election. The offending law is Senate Bill 193, which passed last week amidst controversy and turmoil at the Statehouse. It has been dubbed the “John Kasich Re-election Protection Act” for obvious reasons. The ever-arrogant Ohio Senator Bill Seiz (R-Cincinnati) introduced the draconian law the same day the Libertarians publicly announced Earl’s nomination. Kasich has always been a bit contemptuous of competitive elections. Other than his first campaign, most of his electoral victories were landslides aided by gerrymandered districts and an incredibly safe noncompetitive seat in the 1990’s.

Politicians should be envious of cannabis. It’s WAY more popular than they are. Its many wins at the ballot box testify to its popularity, and Election Day 2013 served as a case in point. From Colorado to Michigan, Maine and Miami, voters handed the substance healthy margins that would feel like a mandate to any vote hungry candidate. Take Colorado, for example. It is well known that the state’s Constitutional Amendment 64 to permit the “personal use and regulation of marijuana” passed by a 55 percent margin in 2012, the same year that President Obama won the White House with just 50.4 percent of the popular vote. Cannabis was on the ballot in Colorado again this year in the form of a tax on the sales made legal last year. This measure claimed an even higher 65 percent of the vote. Three Michigan cities ran local ballot initiatives to remove penalties for possession of an ounce and guess what?

The Columbus International Film & Video Festival closes out this weekend with an array of award winning films from around the world. The Festival, the longest running in the US, started last Thursday and continues through Sunday. Today (Thursday, November 14) the Festival features award winning student shorts. Local high school filmmaker Brian Ferenchik’s short “Wake Up” will be screened as well as OSU alumni Ryan Moody’s short “Last Call.” The screening is at the Canzani Center on the Columbus College Of Art & Design campus at 60 Cleveland Ave and admission is free for students and CIF&VF members, all others just $5. Parking is free in CCAD lots. On Friday, the Festival screens the Silver Chris (Best in Division) film “Heart Of Sky, Heart Of Earth.” The film has also been awarded the Central Ohio Green Education Fund Award. Directed by Frauke Sandig and Eric Black (who is originally from the Columbus area) the film is a look at Mayan culture today and their spiritual connection to the environment.

Far from the centers of worldwide financial trading, Ohio State University gave an award to an intelligence industry academic, while he called for more secrecy. Less than 24 hours earlier, the intelligence community ensured itself a tighter grasp on one of the key tools that we, the global public, use communicate amongst ourselves – Twitter. On November 8, Joshua Rovner came to OSU to present his book “Fixing the Facts: National Security and the Politics of Intelligence,” a study of the influence of intelligence (as in CIA) on decision making in national policy. Rovner also received a prestigious award for its publication. The Edgar S. Furniss Book Award commemorates the founder of OSU's Mershon Center for International Studies and is given once a year. Rovner began by presenting his book as a study of how intelligence professionals are manipulated into presenting estimates to national leadership figures that fit into the latter's pre-decided upon policy positions. He claimed that this historical tendency was caused by leader’s attempts to use intelligence estimates as public political tools.