JFK And The Roots Of The Tea Party

"The president is a socialist. He is neutering the United States on the world stage. He is spending us into bankruptcy. He is hellbent on expanding national health care, which will surely lead to government death panels. He is advancing big-government agendas everywhere from Main Street to Wall Street. And do we really know the truth about his personal history and religion? Perhaps the man in the Oval Office should be impeached — even tried for treason.

"If today’s extremist rhetoric sounds familiar, that’s because it is eerily, poignantly similar to the vitriol aimed squarely at John F. Kennedy during his presidency. And just like today, Texans were leading what some of them saw as a moral crusade. To find the very roots of the tea party of 2013, just go back to downtown Dallas in 1963, back to the months and weeks leading to the Kennedy assassination. It was where and when a deeply angry political polarization, driven by a band of zealots, burst wide open in America.

"It was fueled then, as now, by billionaires opposed to federal oversight, rabid media, Bible-thumping preachers and extremist lawmakers who had moved far from their political peers. In 1963, that strident minority hijacked the civic dialogue and brewed the boiling, toxic environment waiting for Kennedy the day he died." - Bill Minutaglio, writing for the Washington Post.

Alex Jones Goes To Dallas

Crackpot conspiracy theorist Alex Jones loaded his flying saucer with several dozen fellow crazies yesterday to descend on Dealey Plaza in Dallas so that they could, at last, reveal the truth about JFK's assassination. On Wednesday, Jones had exposed the super-secret plot of the Dallas police to kidnap him before the protest so that the truth never comes out. Unfortunately, that kidnapping plot was foiled and Jones and his band of asylum escapees were able to create headaches for local law enforcement.

RELATED: Yesterday I took the above photo on the Upper East Side, where Jones' brigade of batshittery has been tagging the sidewalks.

Breitbart: JFK's Killer Was A Liberal

Breitbart is blaming the assassination of JFK on the ACLU and liberalism.

Although conspiracy theories abound as to who orchestrated President John F. Kennedy’s murder 50 years ago, there is little doubt regarding who actually pulled the trigger and shot the 35th president: left-wing radical Lee Harvey Oswald. Whatever theories exist about connections to the Soviet Union, Cuba, the mob, the CIA, or anything else, Lee Harvey Oswald was a leftist true believer that wanted to take out the President of the United States and leader of the free world. Ultimately, Oswald was militantly anti-American, desperately tried to join the country’s enemies, and would have willingly betrayed the United States. That he killed a president many liberals adore was incidental to his Communist cause that was most threatened by the democratically-elected leader of the United States and the American people.

One wonders how many Breitbart readers would endorse the Christian American Patriots Militia?

50 Years Ago Today

I was four years old when JFK was assassinated and lately I've wondered how real my memories of my mom, my aunt, and my grandmother crying in front of the TV are. We were at my grandparents' house in Newark for Thanksgiving that week and my mother later often told the story about everybody rushing home from work that day because of fears that the city would erupt into "race riots." Do I really remember all that drama or have my mom's stories sort of insinuated themselves into a false memory? If you're old enough, share your own memories.

Airlines Begin Frankenstorm Shutdown

The Wall Street Journal reports:

U.S. airlines have canceled more than 4,700 flights due to depart Sunday and Monday, ahead of the expected landfall early Tuesday of Hurricane Sandy. Airlines canceled 1,030 domestic and international services on Sunday and a further 3,680 due to depart Monday, with east coast airports expected to decide later Sunday whether or not to close. Airports from Washington, D.C. up to Boston were implementing contingency plans, with the ability of staff to reach work and control towers to remain open in high winds among the key concerns. Most air traffic control towers close when winds reach 60 to 70 knots, but many of the early disruptions are because of mass transit shutdowns that have affected the availability of airline and airport staff, FlightAware said. New York is shutting down its transit system beginning at 7 p.m. local time on Sunday. Newark Liberty International Airport accounted for almost a quarter of the U.S. cancellations, with 1,080 services to and from the United Airlines' hub scrubbed over the next two days. United is suspending operations on Monday and early Tuesday at Newark and Dulles International Airport, as well as 24 others including Boston, Philadelphia and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

RELATED: Amtrak has suspended service along the northeast corridor. Local NYC news also reports that inland and midtown hotels are filling up with evacuees from Zone A.  Emergency planners advise that all travelers should plan to spend at least the next two days in whatever location they are tonight.

UPDATE: The Broadway League has announced that all Broadway and Off Broadway shows have been canceled for tonight and tomorrow.   Refunds are available through ticket sellers.

TSA Freaks Out After Man Swims Ashore At JFK And Strolls Across Runways

JFK has a $100M anti-terrorism security system but it couldn't stop a man with a broken jet-ski who swam three miles to shore then walked across two of the busiest runways in the world.

Daniel Casillo, 31, was able to swim up to and enter the airport grounds on Friday night, past an intricate system of motion sensors and closed-circuit cameras designed to to safeguard against terrorists, authorities said. Casillo's night began innocently enough, as he and some friends were racing on jet skis in Jamaica Bay near JFK airport when his watercraft stalled. After calling for and receiving no help, he managed to swim towards the only thing he could see, the runway lights at JFK. Once he made it to land, Casillo climbed an eight-foot barbed-wire perimeter fence and walked undetected through the airport's Perimeter Intrusion Detection System and across two runways into Delta's terminal 3. Unnoticed until then, Casillo walked into the airport dripping wet and wearing his bright yellow life jacket. When he was eventually spotted by a Delta employee, police charged Casillo with criminal trespassing.

One Port Authority official said, "I think he should be given dinner and a bottle of champagne for showing us our faults." We presume the criminal charges will be dropped. (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)

JFK: #1 Airport For Disease Contagion

You know how every "deadly virus breakout" movie focuses on airports and usually depicts scientists tracking the air travel of the bug's first carriers? Now there's a study that ranks U.S. airports in terms of their "disease contagion spreading influence." Interestingly, the results don't track exactly with how busy the airports are. Honolulu, the nation's 25th busiest airport, ranks third in disease-spreading potential.

A simplified model using random diffusion might say that half the travelers at the Honolulu airport will go to San Francisco and half to Anchorage, Alaska, taking the disease and spreading it to travelers at those airports, who would randomly travel and continue the contagion. In fact, while the Honolulu airport gets only 30 percent as much air traffic as New York's Kennedy International Airport, the new model predicts that it is nearly as influential in terms of contagion, because of where it fits in the air transportation network: Its location in the Pacific Ocean and its many connections to distant, large and well-connected hubs gives it a ranking of third in terms of contagion-spreading influence. Kennedy Airport is ranked first by the model, followed by airports in Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, Newark, Chicago (O'Hare) and Washington (Dulles). Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which is first in number of flights, ranks eighth in contagion influence. Boston's Logan International Airport ranks 15th.

Lana Del Rey - National Anthem

Priscilla Cast To Perform At JFK

Travelers at JFK will get a special gay pride treat tomorrow, courtesy of American Airlines. The Advocate reports:

The cast of Priscilla, the musical from Bette Midler based on the 1994 Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, will perform musical numbers free Thursday at 3 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. The numbers include renditions of "Like a Prayer," "Diva Medley," and "We Belong." "We are pleased to host the cast of Priscilla as we treat customers to this special performance and celebrate Pride Month," American Airlines vice president Tim Ahern said in a release. "We are very proud of our history of support for both LGBT customers and employees and are excited to bring this show to JFK as a fun way to celebrate this rich history."

Near Collision At JFK

NEW YORK: Jets Collide At JFK

Yikes:

Two planes collided Monday while taxiing at Kennedy Airport around 8:15 p.m., according to Port Authority officials One of the planes was a Paris-bound Air France A380 -- one of the largest in the world -- which was carrying 500 passengers. While on its way to the runway for takeoff, it somehow ran into a taxiing Comair plane that had landed and was heading to the gate. The left wing of the Air France flight reportedly hit the tail of the Comair plane.

No injuries. JFK already has one of the highest "near-miss" records of all major airports.

PETA Ads "Too Sexy" For NYC Airports

The company that handles advertising at JFK and LGA has rejected the new PETA campaign. PETA tells Gothamist it's because their images are too sexy.

The ad, which PETA had hoped to display near the full-body scanners that will be installed at the two airports, shows an airport security X-ray scan of a trim woman wearing a bra and panties that are printed with the words "Be Proud of Your Body Scan: Go Vegan." Many studies have shown that eating a vegan diet helps prevent obesity and heart disease. Bob Cilia, executive vice president of sales and marketing for JCDecaux North America, told PETA that the company doesn't "accept nudity or political ads" and added that although he has seen ads that are more risqué, he was just following policy by rejecting PETA's ad.

That's too sexy? Must be the nipples.

The Animated Steven Slater

Taiwan's Apple Action News' specialty is computer animations of breaking events. Here's their take on JetBlue folk hero Steven Slater, complete with that "sexual embrace" with his boyfriend.

FreeStevenSlater.com

Already. And Facebook too. Slater was arraigned on charges of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment in the Queens Supreme Court. The judge set bail at $2500. Letterman and The View are doubtlessly next.

UPDATE: There's also a legal defense fund.

A Hat, A Brooch, A Pterodactyl

Over at Boy Culture, Matthew Rettenmund thinks JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater could play Johnny in a remake of Airplane! Below is Young Turks host Cent Uygur's take on the incident.

Gay Flight Attendant Lives The Dream

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, 39, lived out the dream of every trolley-dolly today after a passenger refused to remain in his seat upon arrival at JFK. When the disobedient passenger (possibly accidentally) smashed Slater in the head while pulling down his suitcase, Slater launched an obscene tirade over the PA system, pulled the handle for the emergency slide and abandoned the plane.

The contretemps unfolded as JetBlue flight 1052 from Pittsburgh landed at Kennedy around noon — on time — with a full load of 100 passengers and pulled up to the gate, said the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing but offered the following account: One passenger got out of his seat to fetch his belongings from the overhead compartment before the crew had given permission. Mr. Slater instructed the man to remain seated. The passenger defied him. Mr. Slater approached and reached the passenger just as he pulled down his luggage, which struck Mr. Slater in the head. Mr. Slater asked for an apology. The passenger instead cursed at him. Mr. Slater got on the plane’s public address system and cursed out all aboard. Then he activated the inflatable evacuation slide at service exit R1, launched himself off the plane, an Embraer 190, ran to the employee parking lot and left the airport in a car he had parked there. In a statement, JetBlue said it was working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to investigate the incident.

Commenters at the above-linked New York Times story are nearly universally in awe of Slater's action, even though he faces a possible seven year sentence for his action. Many are calling for JetBlue to reinstate or promote him. NBC reports that Slater was arrested shortly after the incident at his Queens home, where they curiously note that he "was found in a sexual embrace with his partner." Huh? Anyway, cheers today to Steven Slater, one sky queen who'd finally had enough.

Feds Arrest Pakistani Immigrant In Connection To Times Square Car Bomb

Federal investigators have arrested a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan in connection with Saturday's failed car bombing in Times Square. The suspect was arrested at JFK while apparently attempting to flee the country.

The man, Faisal Shahzad, was believed to have recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer in the heart of Times Square, one of the people briefed on the development said. Mr. Shahzad was taken into custody at a New York-area airport, apparently trying to flee, one of the people said. Charges against Mr. Shahzad, who had returned recently from a trip to Pakistan, were not announced. The authorities began focusing on him after they tracked the vehicle to its previously registered owner in Bridgeport, Conn., who had advertised it for sale on several Web sites. He paid cash, and the sale was handled without any formal paperwork. The former owner told investigators that it appeared the buyer was of Middle Eastern or Hispanic descent, but could not recall his name. It was unclear how agents from the Joint Terrorist Task Force identified him. Federal authorities provided few details on Monday night about the arrest, the suspect or the scope of any conspiracy in the failed attack.

It doesn't appear that the man arrested at JFK was the same person spotted on the surveillance video that was circulated by investigators on Monday. Authorities now say that man may not be involved in the attempted attack, but that they are continuing to look for him. On Sunday a Pakistani sect of the Taliban claimed responsibility for the car bomb. Investigators are now seeking a link between the man arrested at JFK and Islamist groups in Pakistan.

Erykah Badu Fined, Fox News Calls For Boycott, Wanda Sykes Riffs On Clip

Erykah Badu was fined $500 for disorderly conduct for stripping nude at the site of JFK's assassination during the filming of a music video. Badu says she meant no disrespect.

Erykah Badu says her music video, "Window Seat," in which she stripped nude and feigned being shot at the site of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, has been "grossly misunderstood" and was not intended to insult the memory of the late president. "My point was grossly misunderstood all over America. JFK is one of my heroes, one of the nation's heroes," Badu said on The Wanda Sykes Show Saturday night. "John F Kennedy was a revolutionary; he was not afraid to butt heads with America, and I was not afraid to show America my butt-naked truth."

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly is calling for a boycott of Badu's music.

Last night Wanda Sykes riffed on Badu's clip.

R&B Star Erykah Badu In Controversy Over Video Made At JFK Shooting Site

R&B star Erykah Badu is facing criticism for making a music video at the Dallas site of the assassination of JFK. In the video, Badu slowly strips off most of her clothes and strolls the street of the shooting in her bra and panties. At the end of the clip, Badu lies down nude at the location of the murder.

Commerical filming shoots require a permit from the city of Dallas, but here, no such permit was sought or granted. “She said she was frankly kind of surprised nobody made a formal complaint at the time, though on her Twitter account she says people were yelling at her while they were filming" said Richard Ray, a FOX reporter who spoke with Badu. According to her Twitter post, Badu stated that people she passed shouted things like "This is a public place,” “you ought to be ashamed,” and “put your clothes on." Dallas police say if an offended witness had complained, Badu could have been charged with a misdemeanor. "More than likely if a person was totally nude on the streets of Dallas and somebody called the police or the police saw them in the act then they would be charged with indecent exposure," said Cpl. Janice Crowther of the Dallas Police Department. Mike Brownlow a witness to the incident said "At first I think some people thought she fell down or something but of course with her being naked, people were like, 'Why in the world is she naked?" Brownlow said that “it all happened pretty fast and that a white van was parked in the street and waiting for the getaway." "One of the guys rushed to her, got her up. Put her in the van and took off under the bridge," he continued. In the final moments, most people in the background seem remarkably unaffected.

Well, it worked. Cuz now we're all gonna want to see the video.

Little Kid Runs JFK Air Traffic Control

Well, this is reassuring. An air traffic controller at JFK took his kid to work with him and let the child deliver a few directions to pilots over the radio. Gothamist notes: "To be fair, he does sound pretty darn cute." The FAA is vowing that heads will roll.