Senator Ted Kennedy died today, after a prolonged struggle with brain cancer. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/obit.ted.kennedy/index.html Peace to his family and friends.
He was a great American and a great leader. Him and much of families went through some bad times and yet the "Kennedy's are as strong as ever, I'm pretty sure we wont hear the last of the the Kennedy Clan.
when will be the right time? now is good as ever. he did some good for the country and his home state of Massachusetts. by why glorify someone whose roots are born of criminal enterprise. ever hear of The Irish Mob? the Kennedy's, and a very tragic family. the old bastard was what, 77? maybe he'll RIP
Very very sad. It has to be horrible for the Kennedy family. Two family elders and evidently much loved by family members, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Ted Kennedy, sister and brother, died within two weeks. I am sorry for the family. Beyond the family these two people fought for the underdog on a national and worldwide front. Peace be with them and their families.
A long description of Kennedy's life -> http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090826/us_time/08599191875800 It describes his strengths and weaknesses, his failures and successes and delves into the specifics of his personal life. It doesn't reference enough about his taking the role of "father figure" to many of his nephews and nieces who lost parents. He fought for the underdog. While clearly being a leading liberal he supported aspects of business, allied with members of the GOP on various legislation, and became a powerful leader for the causes in which he believed. He had all too human frailties that the article points out. Ultimately he may well have been the cause of a human's death and got off, probably because of his family's wealth and power. Now nobody knows what really happened at Chappaquidick. On the other hand he was a rock for his extended family and powerful voice for the underdog. I feel badly for his extended family. Losing two family elders in such a short time has a devastating emotional impact on a family. I went through it. It sucks.
I guess that saying "all the good Kennedy's are dead" no longer applies. Here's to Oldsmobiles and icy water Ted!
I didn't agree with many of his positions, but I always admired the fact that for the past 20 years he's been pretty much consistent in his causes. That's because amongst all the U.S. Senators he was too wealthy to be susceptible to bribes.
Corwin, respectfully, I will have raise question to this notion. It may also mean he was simply someone who was consistent in his causes, because these were his convictions, yes? If wealth were a defining variable in whether someone does or does not engage in corrupt practice, well - the entirety of American electoral history would seem to show otherwise, in my opinion. I think Kennedy was a brilliant, thoughtful, and hard working liberal, who spearheaded a good many seminal events of our time. Love him, hate him for those events - but I don't think it's quite accurate to assign his unflinching liberalism to the fact he was rich. Which is why I think he has been honored from many folks, from both sides of the aisle, to be honest. Thanks for the gracious comment, though - coming from your political perspective, I know what he stood for is likely antithetical to much of your views. It's always refreshing, to me, when we can open up, and speak with compassion and principle, honorably. Your thought here is in that line, and I do appreciate it.
If you cant say anything else about the man you can say that he was consistent with what he believed in , and in my book that is something to be respected. Did he make mistakes, of course he did as none of us are perfect. The kennedys seem to be the most cursed political family of all time. Its a shame because they had some backbone to at least try to stand up to the establishment and that is another thing I respected about them.