Editorial:
Be Kinder To One Another
It was 12:30 PM in Dallas, Texas, when a suspected fatal bullet whisked through the November 22nd sky, shattering the cranium of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Since that time, the volume of words written about this man–and the events leading up to and after the assassination–have been so astronomical as to defy description.
So any further dissertation regarding this sad event in our history would be anti-climatic.
For those of us who lived through those terrifying hours, however, there is always something yet to be said.
Ironically, in his last speech, Kennedy noted: "This is a dangerous and uncertain world ... no one expects our lives to be easy … not in this decade, not in this century."
And truly, since that fateful afternoon, we in this country have found our lives and our times more uncertain than ever before. It is almost as though that deadly projectile which destroyed that youthful brain also demolished the gentle and kind heart of this great country.
Dark days followed in rapid succession soon after John Kennedy's lifeless body was wheeled from Trauma Room One of the Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
Even before his remains were laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery, Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspected assassin, was shot to death in full view of millions of television viewers. Decent Americans were shocked beyond comprehension.
When President Kennedy died, it was, as Senator Mike Mansfield so eloquently put it: "A piece of each of us died."
We, as a kind, civilized people, have stepped backward instead of forward since that tragic event in 1963.
The senseless killings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy added further to the erosion of our moral fiber and in our belief of the inherent goodness of man. And the gruesome 9/11 terrorist attack, endless conflicts, needless war casualties, outright political corruption and blatant corporate greed have left us numb.
Today I see a violent and angry population with little tolerance or compassion for one another. Human kindness is lacking in many of our young people and, sadly, in some of our senior citizens as well.
However I feel there is still time to start anew.
For as John Kennedy once said: "Neither wind nor tide is always with us. Our course on a dark and stormy sea cannot always be clear. But we have set sail ... and the horizon, however cloudy, is also full of hope."
So let us try to be kinder to one another and return to a more peaceful and friendly era when "being neighborly" was the norm.
It just might catch on again.
Yesterday's Magazette just gets better and better.
Nadja Bernitt
Thank you for sharing the YM Summer Issue, 2010. I traveled along with each author, experiencing their life's times and places.
Ingeborg Knight
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Ned, awesome jobs on both TPW and YM. Your publishing makes my writing look so much better in print!!!
Bill Canavan
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Susan Malone
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I enjoyed all the wonderful stories in your summer edition. What a marvelous gift you give all of us. I was delighted to find three of my articles in it, too...all from my upcoming book "God Forbid..." Thank you so much for this terrific Magazette.
Sheron Jordan
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Jodi LaVohn
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Luke Wilson
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McClaren Davies on Madonna's story on "Underneath It All."
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JB Hamilton Queen
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Dade Cunningham
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Thank you for printing my story First Year Teacher. I couldn't leave my computer until I had read every one of the essays. What a great publication.
Barbara Ledford Wright
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John Salerno
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Dear Mr. Burke,
Couldn't believe I found you! 25 years ago you published one of my articles, "A Lesson At The Ice Cream Parlor." Grateful to find you. Keep up the good work. I love all your YM stories.
Sheron Jordan
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Ingeborg Knight
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Annie Laura Smith
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Scarborough, ON, Canada
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Daniel Johnson
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Marion Tickner
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I grew up with Marion. She always had a great imagination and even then was writing. I enjoy reading her work and am proud that she has had it published in your magazine.
Mary G. Armstrong
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Ned, I'm so glad to see that YM is still going strong! Many years ago, you printed one of my stories about tossing cans into a neighbor's yard. I was thrilled to see it in print...and I've gone on to become a freelance writer since then, and made a huge move to the hinterlands (Minnesota).
I'm glad to have found YM again!
Natalie Miller Rotunda
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A writer friend of mine sent me the address site for Yesterday's Magazette...and he said he was sure I would enjoy it...and I do! There is a LOT to enjoy. You are a very busy man ... I look forward to checking out your other web links. I also plan to submit a story or two to YM and maybe include some photos. That would be fun.
Mary Tracy (Appleton WI)
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Society Editor for Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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This YM website deserves a lot of readers. Thanks.
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Wonderful to read your heart-tugging story about Sad John. You caught and held me from the first sentence, made me feel the warmth of your protagonist.
Nadja Bernitt
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Always enjoy your magazine. I will be contacting some other previous readers to let them know you are online and interested in submissions.
McClaren Davies
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