John Wilkes Booth

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

In class today, we were talking about conspiracies and I mentioned the Lincoln assassination, so I would like to expand over it now. Most sources and facts prove towards the following: John Wilkes Booth (the killer of Lincoln: fact) was never caught by the U.S. Government. (Now I would like to take this time to apologize: Mr. Mitchell said in class “This is a theory, right”, and I think I said “No, it’s factua…--”. Ok, so its not a fact, because for it to be a fact, there needs to be no speculation. But, the “fact” that John Wilkes Booth was executed by the U.S. Government, as it says, is also not a fact, because all the evidence that is present, points towards the fact that it is not a fact, in fact.)

Let me start out with the most obvious claim, that everybody who believes this “theory” (come on, it’s fact) uses. There have been many attempts by various groups of people, including the newschannel History.com , the Smithsonian Institute , even the Booth family to use modern technology to figure out the truth. The method: to exhume the body of John W. Booth or to use artifacts which Booth used to obtain DNA samples, by which they can solve the mystery in a second (they will solve the mystery because they can compare the person that the U.S. Government shot with John Wilkes Booth’s brother, and if they match, then the U.S. Government caught the right guy. If they don’t, well then you know.).  The problem: they have to obtain permission from the U.S. Government to do this. Every single court case that has been put up has been denied. Even the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Maryland (where remains of Edwin Booth, his brother, and John Booth exist) denied the Booth family’s request. The question on everyone’s mind is ‘why is the U.S. Government not wanting anybody to look into this? Are they afraid that they killed the wrong guy? Or are they afraid, that the people will discover that the U.S. Government lied to them, that the U.S. Government knew that they killed the wrong guy?’ Do you know the irony between Edwin Booth and Lincoln? Edwin Booth actually saved Lincoln’s son Robert’s life, unknowingly albeit. But when he got to know, he was proud, as state many recounts. And ironically, his brother, a few months later, killed Lincoln. But that’s another story altogether.

So what was John Wilkes Booth’s identity afterwards, you must ask, and when did he die? His identity was John St. Helen, who committed suicide in 1903, 38 years after the assassination of Lincoln. I won’t go into much detail, but let me explain to you why I say so. A comparison in photos of the two people show striking resemblance. Moreover, in 1931, six physicians in Chicago examined the body of John St. Helen and described that Helen had a broken left leg, a scared eyebrow, and a crushed right thumb-- all these rare characteristics, Booth had too, and that is a real fact.

Here is a link, which rightfully gets at this point. It observes all the angles. Read it, and read on other articles. Remember, the U.S. Government has a long, very long, history of being corrupt and lying to its people. Think about it yourself. And then, leave a comment below and tell me what you think. Mr. Mitchell asked this question in class about the Kennedy assassination. Do you think that what the Government has provided us is the reality? Or is there more to it then that? Or are you in the IDK area?

Rufuss

Monday, April 14, 2014

One of the most striking moments in Kindred, for me, was the transformation of Rufus from a happy-to-go boy to an adult. It just happened. Dana went back to 1976, and came back, seeing Rufus an adult of 25 years (she was 27 at that point). Time literally “flew by” (hah see what I did there?). Rufus, as he has grown, has contrary to Dana’s hopes, turned into a “normal” person. He has not turned into someone who is kind to his slaves and liberates them-- all the things that Dana wanted Rufus to do, he exactly doesn’t do them. He misused his powers (or in the case of the South, used, hence “normal” person) to rape Alice, and then later attempt to do the same to Dana. At first, very clearly, Dana is a mother like figure to Rufus, and he asks advice from her over Alice, and much more. But with their ages being almost similar, and upon the suicide Alice, we see a transference of power and love: Rufus moves his love from Alice to Dana. He is desperate and being the type of person he is, he used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants (that’s why he’s Rufuss).  On that note, we can also see a similarity with “power” between Kevin and Rufus. While it is true that Rufus and Kevin are vastly different in terms of their views of Dana and Alice, and the fact that they have completely opposing backgrounds, the basic similarity is that both Rufus and Kevin want the upper hand in their relationships: while for Rufus it is more extreme in that he is rapping Alice, Kevin’s is more subtle, when he is making Dana to type up  his work. Both wish to obtain power in their relationship. My biggest problem with Rufus is that he understands, he knows that rape is a horrifying act and yet he keeps doing harm, and then regrets what he did after he did it. The last thing, therefore, that I can say about Rufus is that while he has a somewhat understanding of morality, he choses not to keep up with it (unlike his father), and he is a selfish and brutal person.