Wednesday, August 26, 2009

THE ANTI-HERO OF CHAPPAQUIDDICK DIES

I do not mean to diminish the significance of his death, but it is really difficult to deal with this in a compassionate manner.

If I were to make a list of the things I liked about Senator Ted Kennedy and place it next to the list of things I did not like about him, the latter list would be exhaustive, while the former almost non-existent.

Nevertheless, he was a flesh and blood person with a family that loved him in that certain way families of this type love each other.

I'm sure they are devastated, and I pray that they find the Peace of God in this trying time.

Ted Kennedy accomplished a lot...almost all of it bad.

Kennedy is credited with helping to pass a lot of "civil rights" legislation, some of it good, most of it serving to solidify the entitlement attitude of minorities. He consistently argued for the increased minimum wage in 1981, helped to fund "Meals on Wheels," helped reduce the voting age from 21 to 18, supported "Title IX," which gave women's athletics much better funding and helped use tax payer dollars to "access to health care" for poor people.

With the possible exception of Meals on Wheels, most of his legislative life was spent making people more dependent on the government, rather than leading them to become independent, self-helping, liberty-loving individuals.

At least four times, while at law school, Kennedy was stopped by police for reckless driving, yet he never had his license suspended.

I remember another president who was severely castigated by the Main Stream Media when some of his youthful activities came to light, but not Ted Kennedy. Somehow, with "help" from the family, he got off and it was never heard of again.

On Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts, in 1969, he attended a party from which he offered to give Mary Jo Kopechne a ride home.

Some say he had been drinking. At any rate, he missed the ramp to a bridge and flipped the borrowed limousine into Poucha Pond.

He left Mary Jo behind to drown and did not even report the incident until the next day.

For contributing to the death of another human being, Ted Kennedy was given a two month sentence and it was suspended.

It is often helpful to have a powerful family who can pull the appropriate strings.

When it was discovered that he had brain cancer, the subconscious mind of almost everybody knew his days were numbered.

And now, his number has come up.

No longer will we get to hear his sometimes muddled, often incoherent rambling rages on this that or the other.

His accusatory pontifications will be no more.

He will, for a short time, replace Michael Jackson as the only newsworthy subject for the talking heads and gossip-mongers of TV.

My honest condolences go out to his family, as they are no doubt saddened by his death.

10 comments:

Red said...

You are to be commended for taking the higher road. I did not.

Joe said...

Red: No, but your post was certainly true. The pictures were good, too.

Anonymous said...

Although I didn't agree with views on politics and don't care for the man, he fought for what he believed. I hope our representatives have as strong of a work ethic as he did. Imagine what could be accomplished.

ablur said...

More often then not I cursed the man for what he has done to this nation. For that, I am glad he is gone.

To his family, he held a position of love and honor. I pray that their pain can be lessoned for the loss.

Lone Ranger said...

This is a prime example of the hypocrisy of the dramacrats. Had this been Bush, or Rove, or Cheney, libs would be dancing naked in the streets (they seem to like doing things naked)and their comments on the Internet would be so vile and hateful, they would be stomach churning. But, it's Teddy, so we must be respectful, or we are painted as heartless, evil conservatives.

And who is the first to politicize Kennedy's death? The dems. Now they want to attach his name to this horror of a health care bill.

Bryan said...

Words are like seeds, there are times and even ways they should not be planted.

Editor said...

Nice post. Kennedy would be proud.

Mark said...

You are much kinder than I.

Here's a quotation from one of my favorite philosophers, Emo Philips:

I was arrested in Massachusetts for drunk driving. The judge asked me, "Do you know what the penalty for drunk driving is in this state?" I said, "Oh, I don't know...re-election to the Senate?"

Susannah said...

Joe, your last sentence says it best: "My honest condolences go out to his family, as they are no doubt saddened by his death."

He was pretty much a scoundrel, though. But ya know? Jesus loved even the scoundrels.

Jos said...

honest condolences or crocodile tears?