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Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy (1932-2009)
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Subject: BS: Edward Kennedy dead From: GUEST,Sam Date: 26 Aug 09 - 04:35 AM Senator Edward Kennedy, the liberal lion of the US Senate, has died aged 77, after battling a brain tumour. Skip related content For nearly a half-century in the Senate, Kennedy was a dominant voice on health care, civil rights, war and peace, and more. To the American public, though, he was best known as the last surviving brother of a legendary political family. Edward Kennedy was elected to the Senate in 1962, when his brother John was president, and served longer than all but two senators in history. Over the decades, he put his imprint on every major piece of social legislation to clear the Congress. A family statement said: "We've lost the irreplaceable centre of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all." Senator Kennedy lost two of his brothers - John and Robert - to assassins' bullets, and his own hopes of reaching the White House were damaged, perhaps doomed, in 1969 by the scandal that came to be known as Chappaquiddick, a car accident that left a young woman dead. Senator Kennedy - known to family, friends and foes simply as Ted - ended his quest for the presidency in 1980 with a stirring valedictory that echoed across the decades: "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die." The third-longest-serving senator in US history, he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour in May 2008 and underwent surgery and a gruelling regime of radiation and chemotherapy. His death comes just weeks after that of his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who died on August 11.
-Joe Offer, Forum Moderator- |
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Subject: RE: BS: Edward Kennedy dead From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 26 Aug 09 - 05:01 AM 40 years plus 40 days later .... Mary Jo Kopechne ....finds peace .... amidst the swamp water and seaweed in the strands of hair.
Sincerely, |
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Subject: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Genie Date: 26 Aug 09 - 05:10 AM This came as a bit of a shock to me, even though it wasn't really unexpected. I am saddened in many ways. Sen. Edward Kennedy dies at age 77 |
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Subject: BS: Obit: Teddy Kennedy From: Raptor Date: 26 Aug 09 - 07:43 AM RIP |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Fiolar Date: 26 Aug 09 - 08:02 AM Sad indeed. Ar Deis De Le Na hAnam. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Beer Date: 26 Aug 09 - 08:20 AM A great American R.I.P. Adrien |
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Subject: Obit: Edward M Kennedy From: 3refs Date: 26 Aug 09 - 08:24 AM "Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the last surviving brother in a political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in U.S. history, died Tuesday night at his home on Cape Cod after a year-long struggle with brain cancer. He was 77" Just a flood of memories. God Bless RIP |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SINSULL Date: 26 Aug 09 - 08:26 AM He lived in the shadow of Mary Jo Kopechne -"the young woman" mentioned above. She cost him the presidency. Like his brothers, a brilliant and effective politician with a dark side. Aeschylus would have had a field day. RIP |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: artbrooks Date: 26 Aug 09 - 08:36 AM He provided a firm anchor for the so-called progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and likely delayed and limited its shift toward the center-right of American politics. It is too bad that his career in public service was overshadowed for so long by one mistake, and that there are so few Kennedys in the next generation that are following the example set by him and his brothers. RIP |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Wolfgang Date: 26 Aug 09 - 09:29 AM Headline in a German online-magazine: An icon, a giant, a maker of presidents. Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Smedley Date: 26 Aug 09 - 09:37 AM What artbrooks calls 'one mistake' was an act of appalling cowardice that cost the life of another person. So a pretty grim mistake. Having said that, plenty of American presidents have a whole lot more blood on their hands than that. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Alice Date: 26 Aug 09 - 09:49 AM I was listening to the news last night when the special report came on that Senator Kennedy had just died. For 2 more hours, I listened to the history of Ted Kennedy, the messages coming in of condolences from Orrin Hatch and Nancy Reagan. It was when Orrin Hatch's condolences were read that I started crying, because Ted Kennedy was able to be admired and beloved even by the most opposite of politicians in the senate. I kept thinking of all the power in him to help create a better health care system in the US, how long he has worked for that, and how close we are now but still really needing his help to achieve success. During his lifetime the senate used to have statesmen who would come from both liberal and conservative sides and respect each other, debate in a statesmanlike way. Then came people like Newt Gingrich and the talk radio shock and hate jocks who have no respect for their opposition, but rather demonized the word liberal, created and nurtured hate for the Democrats. It is absolutely the end of an era with the passing of Ted Kennedy. Rest in peace. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: katlaughing Date: 26 Aug 09 - 10:25 AM Those were my thoughts, too, Alice, esp. about the health care problems. I wish he'd lived long enough to see a good change come about on that; he had worked for so long and so hard at that. I feel kind of numb right now. Knew it was coming, but still such a Passing. It is the end of an era. Thank you, Sir and RIP, kat |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Bat Goddess Date: 26 Aug 09 - 10:29 AM I can only repeat what's been said above -- and that I'm saddened by our loss. Of his 'one mistake' (which I well remember) -- he was young and, I'm sure, scared. We've all made errors of judgment, especially in our youth when we were most invincible (at least in our own mind). Most of us were just damned lucky not to have caused death or injury to ourselves or another person. He lived long enough to become a statesman -- something we truly need more of in our government. Linn |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Azizi Date: 26 Aug 09 - 10:38 AM I co-sign what Bat Goddess wrote. RIP Senator Kennedy. ** And if the original poster of this thread is the same Guest Sam from the BNP threads below the Mudcat line in the BS section, well he (or she) knows a lot about infamy. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: gnu Date: 26 Aug 09 - 10:48 AM Well said. RIP. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Sailor Ron Date: 26 Aug 09 - 11:18 AM Not being American I can't share the loss that his death means to many of his compatriots. I'm sorry he's died, the same way I'm sorry to hear of the death of anyone who has decicated his working life to try & make a difference to the lives of 'the comman man'. Having said that I can't overlook his support, either actual or moral, to the IRA. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: GUEST,Sansy McLean (lost cookie) Date: 26 Aug 09 - 12:10 PM The end of an era! He and his siblings did much to foster social justice in the USA. In his youth he made serious mistakes, but so have many of us as well. In the end his legacy shone brightly! RIP! |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: catspaw49 Date: 26 Aug 09 - 12:26 PM There is far too much to say for me to add something to this thread. A good point made on CBS this morning.........The way he worked in the senate is a way now forgotten and unknown to younger senators and politicians in general. It was the across-the-aisle, scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, mode of LBJ, Russell Long, Ev Dirksen, and many others of a time now past. Things got done becasue they had to get done and it was in general done with the best interests of the country in mind. Today, he who has the PACs and the asssociated money gets elected and that older spirit is gone with pre-purchased votes. Thanks Senator......The youngest and last Kennedy brother accomplished far more than anyone expected and leaves perhaps the strongest legacy of action. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Peace Date: 26 Aug 09 - 12:28 PM "Today, he who has the PACs and the asssociated money gets elected and that older spirit is gone with pre-purchased votes." Amen to that. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: katlaughing Date: 26 Aug 09 - 12:33 PM Well said, PatSpaw |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: olddude Date: 26 Aug 09 - 12:38 PM a great American leader with a social conscience. I shutter to think where we would be without him ... yes he made mistakes in his personal life. Who hasn't ... let those without sin cast the first stone huh .. But America would have been a far sadder place to live without his leadership and conscience for social justice. God Bless you Ted, we are all heartbroken losing you |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Mrrzy Date: 26 Aug 09 - 01:01 PM What a great person, statesman, and orator we have lost. I don't remember much of my college graduation - daddy had just been blown up by terrorists - but I *do* remember Ted's commencement speech. It will be a long time before we see the like. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SharonA Date: 26 Aug 09 - 01:51 PM "He lived in the shadow of Mary Jo Kopechne -'the young woman' mentioned above. She cost him the presidency." Not precisely. Kennedy's actions cost him the Presidency. Not just his driving on July 18, 1969 when he was responsible for Kopechne's death, but his actions afterward, particularly his failure to report the accident right away and, more broadly, his drinking habit and playboy behaviors. No one can be sure now whether Kennedy was driving drunk, but no one can be sure of believing his statement that he was not, given his habit and his reputation. The public's lack of trust in him, and the public knowledge of his irresponsibility, is what cost him the Presidency. All he achieved since that night could not erase what he did, and what he did not do, that night. Sorry, but he'll never rest in complete peace. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Joe Offer Date: 26 Aug 09 - 01:54 PM Personally, I think he was a great senator. He knew how to compromise and how to seek balance, and how to get things accomplished in a polarized Congress. He stood for what was right for America - even though his personal life was often a mess. During his first marriage, Teddy Kennedy was a playboy. The Chappaquiddick scandal was indeed a scandal - there's no excuse for what he did. Despite that, he did a lot of good for his country, good that might not have been done if he had been sent to prison. But I'm sure there a lot of people who are thinking today that Mary Jo Kopechne has finally found justice. Perhaps the lesson here is that if a person does something wrong, he/she shouldn't be condemned for the rest of life. Ted Kennedy went on to accomplish a lot of good for the people of this country. May he rest in peace. -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Ebbie Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:00 PM There are some here who evidently do not believe in redemption and restitution. (I used to have a brother who was unforgiving to everyone all his life - because he never learned to forgive himself.) RIP, Mr. Kennedy. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Joe Offer Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:07 PM I often don't think much of the Guardian, but it has a good article on the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident here (click). As is pointed out in the article, it's clear that Kennedy didn't just run away and do nothing. He and two friends went back to the scene of the accident, but were unable to free Kopechne. He didn't notify authorities until the next morning - but remember that this incident took place on an island, after the last ferry had left. But it's also clear that Kennedy's conduct was suspicious and certainly not heroic. How guilty was he? Nobody really knows. His conduct in that incident and in much of his personal life, was not admirable. Still, he was a great senator. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Nancy King Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:09 PM How very sad -- a great loss for our country. I think he accomplished much more as a US Senator than he ever could have as president. Nancy |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Peace Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:13 PM Why did this thread have to be started by Guest, Sam. "Sam" is a Nazi, and he and his ilk never had any commerce with the ideas or ideals of Ted Kennedy. RIP, Mr Kennedy. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SharonA Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:24 PM Who knows whether it was the same "GUEST, Sam"? Bruce, please re-read what I said to you, in my PM, about red herrings. Ebbie, it's not up to me or anyone else to "redeem" Kennedy. That would be up to his God. As for "restitution", I think you have it backwards. What restitution did the Kennedy family offer to the Kopechne family in the wake of their daughter's death? |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Peace Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:26 PM Well, if it's NOT the same Guest Sam then someone with the button isn't doing his/her homework. TWO people are NOT supposed to have the same user name--a fact that has escaped the BNP. So it's one or the other. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Genie Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:29 PM Actually, I started an Obit thread for Kennedy too, Peace. (I searched for "Obit" and didn't find it because the thread Sam had started just said "Edward Kennedy dead".) The two threads have been merged, using the more customary and respectful title. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Genie Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:40 PM I'd like to think that Kennedy's death does not signal the end of an era. It probably signals the end of the Kennedy 'dynasty' as major political power players, and I think that's sad. But I'd love to see the progressives and even the truly moderate Democrats and Independents be rededicated to the populist and egalitarian and humanitarian values that Kennedy worked so hard for. And I'd love to see his death spur some kind of return to the kind of Congressional cooperation that, as Spaw said, Kennedy was famous for. I'm not at all sure that can happen, given the angry tone of today's politics and media (especially on the "right"). But Kennedy did have dear friends "across the aisle," and it's possible some of them may be a little more open to cooperation with the Obama administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress out of respect for Ted Kennedy. I can hope, can't I? What I really hope is that the so-called "far left" in American political (ROFL) will be energized, not disheartened, by the loss of the "liberal lion of the Senate" and will find new determination to push for the kinds of progressive policies that the Kennedys have worked for. Genie |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SharonA Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:46 PM What Genie said. Also see Joe's note below the post of "GUEST, Sam". Here's an excerpt about this from my PM to Bruce: Yes, I see that the Ted Kennedy obit thread was started by GUEST, Sam. I imagine that Joe let it slide because it was an Obit thread and because Sam had simply copied-and-pasted some obit info from a legitimate source. But if you question that exception to the rule, why not PM Joe about it? Grumbling... about it in a Mudcat thread would be... ineffectual. It doesn't change my opinion about Joe or about Mudcat policy; I think that any criticism of such a non-inflammatory Obit thread, simply because it was started by a GUEST, falls into the "red herring" category. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SINSULL Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:46 PM Restitution: About $95,000 from Kennedy and $50,000 from the insurance company. I agree, Joe, that if a person does something wrong he should not be condemned for it for the rest of his life. I also believe that if my son pulled the same stunt and told the same lies, he would be in jail for a considerable amount of time. I groan out loud when I hear about Kennedy's social conscience. He regularly used the Kennedy name, power and money to get himself and various Kennedy offspring out of criminal predicaments. Yes - he accomplished great things as a senator. Maybe now isn't the time to point out that in some ways he a colossal screw up. Actually I am looking forward to the publishing of his autobiography next month. It will be interesting to see how he judged himself and his legacy. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SharonA Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:49 PM Oops, I didn't know Genie had posted again before my post. I meant "What Genie said at 2:29 p.m. about this thread." (Can't say I agree with absolutely everything Genie said at 2:40!) |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SharonA Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:52 PM SINSULL: Thanks for the info about restitution. Please give a reference for it; I couldn't find any such thing when I searched. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Genie Date: 26 Aug 09 - 02:59 PM SINS, Laura Bush might well have done jail time for driving drunk and killing her boyfriend when she was young too, had her family's circumstances been different. People who are white and rich, or even middle-class, often get by with "mistakes" that would land a working-class or poor person -- especially a black or other minority -- in the slammer (and maybe ruin them for life). All I ask with regard to our readiness to condemn or forgive Ted Kennedy for Chappaquiddick is that we use the same 'moral yardstick' that's used for appraising other rich and/or powerful public figures, including politicians. At least what Kennedy did at Chappaquiddick wasn't deliberate and premeditated killing -- which many other powerful people have engaged in, in one form or another, and survived with their reputations pretty much intact. It is in Kennedy's work as a US Senator that we see his "social conscience" at work most clearly, and to greatest effect. In some ways, many, if not most, of our "heroes" have been colossally flawed. Genie |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Peace Date: 26 Aug 09 - 03:12 PM His voting record on important bills. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Gervase Date: 26 Aug 09 - 03:22 PM Maybe BNP Sam started the thread out of admiration for the politics of the senator's father... I have mixed feelings about him. While he doubtless did much for the poor and dispossessed of his own nation, he was an effective recruiting sergeant and fund-raiser for terrorists and murderers in Northern Ireland. To me that is a flaw more colossal than failing to report an accident. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SINSULL Date: 26 Aug 09 - 03:25 PM One source: http://www.citizensvoice.com/news/remembering_mary_jo_a_promising_life_lost_at_chappaquiddick_40_years_ago A Google search turns up numerous references to the insurance payment, personal payment and that Kennedy paid the Kopechne's legal fees for fighting the exhumation of the body for a second autopsy. None of this IMHO is at all damning to Kennedy. It is the least he could have done. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SharonA Date: 26 Aug 09 - 03:30 PM "All I ask with regard to our readiness to condemn or forgive Ted Kennedy for Chappaquiddick is that we use the same 'moral yardstick' that's used for appraising other rich and/or powerful public figures, including politicians." I cannot believe you said that, Genie. As a matter of fact, those of us who take Chappaquiddick into account as part of that measurement ARE using the same moral yardstick we use fot those other powerful public figures who have their misdeeds plastered over with money and shellacked by consultants and slick lawyers. Those figures all come up short against that yardstick. Are you saying Ted was no worse than the rest of 'em? I'm saying he was no better... but I'm also saying that, in some ways, he was worse than some of the rest of 'em. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Wesley S Date: 26 Aug 09 - 03:43 PM Y'all had plenty of time to kick around Chappaquiddick while Ted Kennedy was alive. Nows he's dead. Let it go. As if everyone here has led a perfect life.... |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Genie Date: 26 Aug 09 - 03:55 PM SharonA, what I meant by "using the same yardstick" is that an act of negligent homicide -- IF that's what Chappaquiddick was -- seems to be judged more harshly by our media and the public at large than, say, starting an unjustified war, authorizing torture of captured people (who in many cases were guilty of nothing), allowing hundreds (or more) people to die unnecessarily in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina by administrative negligence or indifference, contributing to the suffering and death of people by financial fraud (e.g., Enron), etc., etc. Many of our governmental policies place the obscene profits of "health insurance" corporations above the lives and well-being of our citizens, including those who pay (sometimes a LOT) for that insurance. There is more than one way to contribute to the death of a person. Drunk driving is one. Business and political policies that disregard human rights and needs for the sake of huge wealth and power are others. : ) |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Genie Date: 26 Aug 09 - 04:00 PM ETA (to Sharon): Ted Kennedy may have been as flawed in his personal/private life as "the rest of them," but as a Senator -- as a representative of people -- I don't think he was anywhere near as greedy and corrupt as most politicians. And as someone pretty far removed from our politicians except where legislation concerned, I am far more concerned with what Ted Kennedy did in his public/political life than anything else. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Emma B Date: 26 Aug 09 - 04:02 PM Sam or Shelley or whatever she calls herself is, as she boasts, a supporter of the BNP This is how her party reported the death of Ted Kennedy today "Modern America's greatest traitor, Edward Kennedy, has died, after nearly destroying European America. He leaves behind a scandalous political career which was laced with lurid tales of drugs, sexual abuse and moral degeneracy. Apart from his reprehensible personal life, Senator Kennedy is best known as the "godfather" of America's immigration policy since 1964, and is possibly the one individual most responsible for the current demographic displacement of European Americans from that continent. As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Senator Kennedy had chief oversight responsibility for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which he allowed to degenerate into one of the most ineffective agencies in the Federal Government. He was the chief sponsor of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which abolished the national-origin quotas that had been in place in the United States since the Immigration Act of 1924. During debate on the Senate floor, Kennedy, speaking of the effects of the act, said, "First, our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. Under the proposed bill, the present level of immigration remains substantially the same…. Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset…. Contrary to the charges in some quarters, [the bill] will not inundate America with immigrants from any one country or area, or the most populated and deprived nations of Africa and Asia…. In the final analysis, the ethnic pattern of immigration under the proposed measure is not expected to change as sharply as the critics seem to think…. The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants. It will not upset the ethnic mix of our society. It will not relax the standards of admission. It will not cause American workers to lose their jobs." Of course, precisely the opposite happened, and the Act resulted in a flood of new immigration from non-European nations that changed the ethnic make-up of the United States. Immigration doubled between 1965 and 1970 and doubled again between 1970 and 1990. European origin Americans have dropped as a percentage of the American population from nearly 90 percent to the low 60 percent of today. At current immigration rates, European Americans are on course to become an absolute minority in their country within twenty years. Despite the demographic change which proved Kennedy was a bare faced liar, he shamelessly proceeded to foster a further set of laws which actually encouraged the Third World invasion of America. He was behind the Refugee Act of 1980, and a major proponent of the fraud-ridden 1986 immigration amnesty. In both cases, he deliberately lied in public about the number of "immigrants" who would exploit the legislation, claiming that the effects would be minor. In reality, about 2.7 million illegals qualified for American citizenship, one of the single largest population additions in American history, and the lure of amnesty drew a further five million illegals into the country. Kennedy also promoted his anti-white legislation without any regard to the cost in administrative and financial terms. His 1980 Refugee Act created a massive taxpayer-funded bureaucracy which today, according to its own figures, works through at least 100,000 fake asylum applications each year, in addition to the 'genuine' ones. The Seasonal Agricultural Worker (SAW) amnesty, promoted by Kennedy, saw fraud rates as high as 70 percent. The number of illegals who used the amnesty to gain access to America was estimated to be at least three times the number of those who qualified given the size of that country's agricultural labour force. His personal life was as appalling as his political career. Time magazine once described Kennedy as "Palm Beach boozer, lout and tabloid grotesque" while Newsweek said Kennedy was "the living symbol of the family flaws." Kennedy himself later acknowledged, "I went through a lot of difficult times over a period in my life where [drinking] may have been somewhat of a factor or force." Twice he was involved in drunken incidents in Washington restaurants to which police were called, with one involving physical contact with a waitress. His most infamous personal moment came in July 1969 when he was on Martha's Vineyard's Chappaquiddick Island at a party for the "Boiler Room Girls", a group of young women who had worked on his brother Robert's presidential campaign the year before. Kennedy left the party with one of the women, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne. He drove his car off the Dike Bridge into the Poucha Pond inlet. Kennedy escaped the overturned vehicle and swam to safety, but Kopechne died in the car. Kennedy left the scene and did not call authorities until after Kopechne's body was discovered the following day. Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was given a sentence of two months in jail, suspended. The most likely explanation for his behaviour was that he was severely under the influence of drugs or alcohol and did not want his blood tested so soon after the incident, leaving the unfortunate young woman to drown. Kennedy denied the allegations, which dogged his failed 1980 presidential election challenge against incumbent Jimmy Carter. Edward Kennedy will go down in the annals of history as one of the greatest traitors America has ever produced, due to his attempts to utterly destroy the country of his birth." THIS IS THE 'GUEST' YOU INVITE INTO YOUR FORUM! Be vigilant! |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: Bill D Date: 26 Aug 09 - 04:06 PM NO ONE, except Sen. Kennedy himself has any idea of exactly what happened, and he said even he was not sure... from the article linked above: "... He insisted that he was "not driving under the influence of alcohol" nor had he "engaged in any immoral conduct" with Kopechne. "But my conduct and conversations during the next several hours (following the accident) to the extent that I can remember them make no sense to me at all," he added. "Although my doctors informed me that I suffered a cerebral concussion as well as shock, I do not seek to escape responsibility for my actions by placing the blame either on the physical, emotional trauma brought on by the accident or on anyone else. I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately." For 40 years since, Ted Kennedy has been an exemplary public figure, working to make life better in every way he could. What more could be asked of someone, whether they had an 'unfortunate incident' in their past or not? I despair at these attempts by those who do not know to judge and decide that someone's life is defined by what they assume about something 40 years ago. Let's let him rest. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: lefthanded guitar Date: 26 Aug 09 - 04:17 PM I don't know what I can add to these thoughts, except my own personal feeling about Ted and the Kennedys. They were larger than life. They came from wealth, but spent their political lives trying to better the lives of ALL Americans, the middle class and the poor. They inspired a generation, certainly MINE to try and reach out of our narrow lives and be part of a larger community, to contribute goodness to the world. It's the end of legacy, end of an era. As far as his mistake of 40 years ago, I do believe it was truly an accident. (If anyone has ever seen a picture of that bridge, btw, it is treacherous). I think his track record shows that he was a man of conscience overall (and there's NO use arguing it with people who disgree) For me, I just feel terribly saddened, and the entire family seems to have been met by tragedy at ever turn.An older brother lost. Two brothers lost. A sister lost. A lovely and elegant sister in law gone. A nephew of great promise, most heartbreakingly gone too soon. And yet, where lesser folks would have faltered and been thwarted, Ted Kennedy took up the mantle and never lost his fire and dedication to a cause greater than his own. Rest in peace Ted. Rest in peace all of them. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: SharonA Date: 26 Aug 09 - 04:21 PM OK, Genie. I get it. I don't think Chappaquiddick is judged any more harshly than some of the other things you mention, but I guess we judge it harshly because it's less abstract to us -- it's one man and one woman in one car, and most of us can relate to being in that situation and being responsible, as a driver, for what happens to the passenger in the car we're driving. The right thing to do after a traffic accident is very obvious, and it's spelled out for each and every driver by the law, so when a rich and powerful figure gets away with doing the wrong thing (walking away) and compounding it with silence and lies and conflicting stories, it raises our ire because we know we'd have the book thrown at us for doing the same thing. It's a bit more difficult to put ourselves in the shoes of the person who starts a war or authorizes torture; we're left wondering what sort of judgment call we'd make in the same situation, with so many conflicting pressures upon us. Wesley says we should let Chappaquiddick go, now that Kennedy is dead. That's not so easy when we know that Kennedy took his deepest secrets about that incident to the grave with him. In all his versions of the incident, he never gave an explanation of it that made sense in light of the evidence that the public is privy to, and we don't know what the local authorities covered up and continue to cover up. Many of us believe there was a more serious crime committed that night, and we believe that Kennedy should have come clean about it but never did. So, yeah, we're still kickin' it around to see if someone still living knows what really happened... and will admit to it now that Kennedy is gone. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: Sen. Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy From: GUEST,DonMeixner Date: 26 Aug 09 - 04:40 PM I am sorry he died. He did some good things and some not so good. He was reelected by his constituency so he must have done his job in their eyes and that is all that matters. He wasn't my Senator so his passing does not cause me harm or help. My hope is that at last the family of Mary Jo Kopeckne can finally let her rest and the conservative windbags will find no need to bring her up every once in a while. Why should the Kopeckne's suffer so the Seans and Rushes and Becks and Savages can whip a tired pony and make a stale point. Don |
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