Having recently viewed the film "The U.S. vs. John Lennon," I am intrigued by the persistence of the social (and political) role of the "lone wacko" gunman figure in American history. I am not persuaded that Mark David Chapman was put up to the murder of Lennon by the Federal Government, but I have to wonder why people whom the F.B.I. has considered "individuals of interest" (and John Lennon became one of these when he started cashing in his celebrity chips in an effort to mainstream political dissidents in the United States--perhaps the ONLY thing that could redeem our cults of celebrity) also attract these figures. Manchurian candidate, you ask? I think it is a question worth asking aloud, not that I expect to receive any kind of a convincing answer...Besides, I couldn't resist posting this great pic of John...
The important lesson to draw from the Lennon case, the FBI's surveillance of members of the anti-war movement, MLK, Malcolm X, members of the Black Panther Party, and the infamous COINTEL program, is that the U. S. Justice Department has consistently interpreted its mission in ways that are contrary to the express language of the Bill of Rights. What I want to know is: When will we stop placing the fox in charge of the chicken coop?
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