Parenti criticizes the lone assassin theory, goes over details of the murder and addresses the bitter question that haunts so many, whether government agencies of a democratic country participated in the assassination of an elected President. This is one of Parenti’s most highly acclaimed talks, ending with a standing ovation. He spoke on the 30th anniversary of the assassination in Berkeley, CA.
When Oliver Stone’s movie JFK opened in December 1991 a huge PR campaign was mobilized against the film. Even progressives spoke out. Noam Chomsky wrote in support of the Warren Commission’s lone assassin findings. In contrast Michael Parenti supported Stone and began by examining what he calls “the gangster nature of the state”.
An extended text of this talk can be found in Parenti's’s book: Dirty Truths, published by City Lights in 1996.
Michael Parenti, now retired, was one of the nations leading progressive political analysts. He has taught at colleges and universities in the US and abroad. With roots in a working class Italian district in New York City and a PhD in political science from Yale, Parenti remains an internationally known lecturer and author.