The ‘People’s SeNator’
Robert F Kennedy, born on November 20, 1925, is remembered as a visionary leader who inspired many people with his ideals and personal courage. His words stimulated several of the most important overarching lessons in our novels. He admired the works of George Bernard Shaw and used words in Shaw’s play “Back to Methuselah” words to express his own vision of a world where folks are free to pursue ‘dreams that never were,’ and then go make them happen. This inspiration motivates Adam throughout all three of our books.
RFK was a lawyer and politician who served as the US Attorney General and a US Senator. He was also the brother of President John F. Kennedy and was assassinated (five years after his brother) in 1968 while running for president himself. While taken far too soon, he championed civil rights and social justice and fought against racial discrimination, poverty, and injustice. He supported the desegregation of schools, the enforcement of voting rights, and the creation of anti-poverty programs. He repeatedly spoke out against violence of any sort and advocated for peaceful solutions.
As Attorney General, RFK crusaded against organized crime and corruption and boldly prosecuted mobsters, racketeers, and corrupt officials. He increased the conviction rate of organized criminal cases by eight times and established a special task force to combat crime. He famously clashed with James Hoffa, the Mafia leader of the Teamsters Union.
Bobby Kennedy advised his brother during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the most dangerous confrontation of the Cold War – and helped negotiate a peaceful resolution that avoided a nuclear war. He wrote a book about this experience called “Thirteen Days.”
RFK was a harsh critic of the Vietnam War, opposed the escalation of the war and called for peace and diplomacy and negotiated settlement. He also advocated for better relations between the US and Latin America, Africa, and Asia. He supported the independence movements of various countries and denounced colonialism and imperialism.
In Homeland Rescued, Adam and Tariana serve as arbitrators and are able to unite warring factions in a unified Galtland, avoiding a costly and bloody civil war. In the face of impossible odds, our heroes act courageously and risk their own lives in a manner consistent with RFK’s saying: “Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence – yet it is an essential quality for those who seek to change a society that most painfully needs to change."
Adam and Tariana go on to unite robotic Plakerols (yes we have bots that discover courage) and lead the enslaved people of Novana to rise up bravely and peacefully against the AI Supreme Command – rejecting ‘free stuff’ and the enslavement it brings and securing liberty and personal freedoms instead.
We are indeed grateful to Robert F. Kennedy for the words and lessons of his far-too-brief life. He once famously said, “Each time we stand up for an ideal, or act to improve the lot of others, or strike out against injustice, we send forth a tiny ripple of hope which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Let us heed RFK’s words, and one by one pledge to make a positive difference in our troubled world.
