Teddy Kennedy, R.I.P.

[strollerqueen]

It's truly the end of an era. :cry:

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I was just going to post this....Coming from an Irish Democratic family, truly sad.

[strollerqueen]

You too? Did you grow up with the pictures on the wall? Got any good Kennedy stories? :wink2:

[kijip]

I was just going to post this....Coming from an Irish Democratic family, truly sad.

:yeahthat:

RIP.

[JTsMom]

Ohhhh, I hadn't heard yet. :( RIP

[egoldber]

What a great loss. :(

[TwinFoxes]

A very great loss, he was respected and genuinely liked on both sides of the aisle. That's very rare these days.

[wellyes]

RIP to a liberal lion. I wanted to post this picture I saw on wikipedia with the 3 Kennedy brothers:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Kennedy_bros.jpg



__________

This is going to sound disrespectful but..... by a weird coincidence, last night I happened to pick up Joyce Carol Oates' "Black Water" from my to-read pile which is less-than-thinly veiled fiction about Teddy Kennedy. Chilling, chilling book. It was a real emotional rollercoaster for me to read that last night - it gave me a nightmare - to wake up and see these headlines.

[ThreeofUs]

Truly the passing of an era. Kennedy folk have been in the Senate for such a long time.

[kayte]

How many days has it been since his sister's passing? So much grief for that family...

I wish he had seen some health care legislation passed--he spent so much of his life working on it.

[Corie]

This is going to sound disrespectful but..... by a weird coincidence, last night I happened to pick up Joyce Carol Oates' "Black Water" from my to-read pile which is less-than-thinly veiled fiction about Teddy Kennedy. Chilling, chilling book. It was a real emotional rollercoaster for me to read that last night - it gave me a nightmare - to wake up and see these headlines.


This is the first thing that always pops into my head whenever I hear his
name or see his picture. It has completely affected my opinion of him
as a person.

[Ceepa]

This is the first thing that always pops into my head whenever I hear his
name or see his picture. It has completely affected my opinion of him
as a person.

Same here.

[egoldber]

I don't have any illusions about Ted Kennedy's personal failings (or the entire Kennedy clan for that matter). But I think that what he was able to accomplish in his public career despite his personal failings was pretty amazing. I heard this on NPR driving into work:


"I recognize my own shortcomings, the faults and the conduct of my private life," Kennedy said. "I realize that I am alone responsible for this and I am the one who must confront it."

He said this in 1991 and went on to almost 20 more years of active public service. I think to be able to realize that, especially a politician in this day and age, takes a lot personal and political courage. And that he was able to turn his life around and continue to lead a life devoted to public service when there was no "gain" for him (and what I mean by that is he could never be President) was pretty amazing.

[hollybloom24]

He fought for the wellbeing of people who couldn't fight for themselves.

Rest in peace, Senator.

[ett]

Thanks for posting. I did not hear of the news yet. :(

[gatorsmom]

And that he was able to turn his life around and continue to lead a life devoted to public service when there was no "gain" for him (and what I mean by that is he could never be President) was pretty amazing.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. With the obvious pressure on all the Kennedy boys to become president, it had to be quite a burden on him to know he never could. And yet he accomplished so much else.

It really is the passing of an era.

[AnnieW625]

I will miss hearing his voice, there was just something about his accent; same with his two older brothers.

I always admired the Kennedy men despite their social shortcomings that were highlighted so much by the media. America wouldn't be the same without any of them. God bless his family, and close friends.

[arivecchi]

Great article about Senator Kennedy's life:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/us/politics/27kennedy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

[trales]

God bless Senator Kennedy.

[kerridean]

Really? Sorry but I have no respect for the man, dead or alive. He MURDERED an innocent young woman. A sister, a daughter, a friend to many. I do not understand how the media can portray this monster as a hero.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident

He served no time. He murdered a woman and walked away FREE. I just do not get this???????? How can people respect and admire an admitted murderer. What if it was your sister, child, mother. REALLY?

[Naranjadia]

I've been dreading this day ever since he got sick. His legislative accomplishments have made this a better country. Sigh.

[g-mama]

Really? Sorry but I have no respect for the man, dead or alive. He MURDERED an innocent young woman. A sister, a daughter, a friend to many. I do not understand how the media can portray this monster as a hero.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident

He served no time. He murdered a woman and walked away FREE. I just do not get this???????? How can people respect and admire an admitted murderer. What if it was your sister, child, mother. REALLY?

:yeahthat:

[KBecks]

Really? Sorry but I have no respect for the man, dead or alive.

I agree, that he left a woman to die and did not call for help reveals a lack of character and basic decency that is not compensated for by public service.

[arivecchi]

Really? He MURDERED an innocent young woman. :47: Murder??? Irrresponsible and reprehensible. Yes. Murder. No.

Some reactions from individuals who knew the Senator.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/edward-m-kennedy-dies-at-77/?hp

[shawnandangel]

Really? Sorry but I have no respect for the man, dead or alive. He MURDERED an innocent young woman. A sister, a daughter, a friend to many. I do not understand how the media can portray this monster as a hero.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident

He served no time. He murdered a woman and walked away FREE. I just do not get this???????? How can people respect and admire an admitted murderer. What if it was your sister, child, mother. REALLY?


We can judge all we want to in this life but I believe the only being who has the right to judge our actions is God. If Ted Kennedy made peace with God and was sorry for his actions, then God forgives him. If God forgives him, then so should I.

Ted Kennedy was also someone's brother, child, father. Tell Caroline Kennedy her pseudo-father, the man who walked her down the aisle, that Ted was a monster.

Even if you don't respect the man - you can respect his actions in the senate. He did a lot of good for this country - and this coming from a republican.

[Ceepa]

Let's just say I'm interested in what happens to the open Senate seat.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Let's just say I'm interested in what happens to the open Senate seat.

:yeahthat:

[kijip]

Really? Sorry but I have no respect for the man, dead or alive. He MURDERED an innocent young woman. A sister, a daughter, a friend to many. I do not understand how the media can portray this monster as a hero.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident

He served no time. He murdered a woman and walked away FREE. I just do not get this???????? How can people respect and admire an admitted murderer. What if it was your sister, child, mother. REALLY?

I don't think that a car accident under the influence rises to the level of murder. If you believe he set out that night to kill her, you are ignoring the facts of the case. He has been reelected by large margins, drawing voters from both parties, for so many terms for a reason.

People make mistakes and his mistake was large and vast, however when we condemn people with labels like monster we lose sight of the full picture of a man's life. Take Richard Nixon for example- are passing the EPA, establishing the CPSC and opening up relations with China rendered worthless by his mistakes? Not in my opinion. Is Laura Bush evil for being the at-fault driver in a fatal accident that killed a classmate in high school? No.

On a personal level, I can't imagine living my life without any thought ever for anyone to redemption, forgiveness and making amends.

His accomplishments and decades of working well in the Senate speak for themselves. I doubt anyone of us on this board will accomplish as much for the benefit of as many others as Ted Kennedy did in his career.

[MelissaTC]

I think to be able to realize that, especially a politician in this day and age, takes a lot personal and political courage. And that he was able to turn his life around and continue to lead a life devoted to public service when there was no "gain" for him (and what I mean by that is he could never be President) was pretty amazing.


ITA. It is a very sad day in America. I am thankful to him and to his family for the service they have given our country.

[wellyes]

I agree, that he left a woman to die and did not call for help reveals a lack of character and basic decency that is not compensated for by public service.He did call for help. He dove to try to rescue her, then called 2 other guys to come help with the diving. He did it badly: when he climbed out of the water, he passed several houses without knocking on doors. And of course he should have called the police (though this was a long time before 911 existed). Was he just being calculating about his political future at the expense of that poor woman's life? There is no real way to know. But I doubt that was the ONLY thing going on.... he had a concussion, and he'd experienced the trauma of being in an accident including fighting his way out of a sinking car. And maybe he was drunk too. Just a mess.

But "murderer"? I don't think so.
Is Laura Bush evil for being the at-fault driver in a fatal accident that killed a classmate in high school? No.

Good analogy.

And -"Monster"? No way. He did a LOT of good in this country, he was a true civil servant. Here's an interesting Slate article (http://www.slate.com/id/2226361/) outlining some of his accomplishments. I truly believe that this man might have been a great president, and he was definitely a fighter for civil rights in the US.

RIP Teddy.

[SnuggleBuggles]

On a personal level, I can't imagine living my life without any thought ever for anyone to redemption, forgiveness and making amends.

His accomplishments and decades of working well in the Senate speak for themselves. I doubt anyone of us on this board will accomplish as much for the benefit of as many others as Ted Kennedy did in his career.

Very well said.

Beth

[arivecchi]

I don't think that a car accident under the influence rises to the level of murder. If you believe he set out that night to kill her, you are ignoring the facts of the case. He has been reelected by large margins, drawing voters from both parties, for so many terms for a reason.

People make mistakes and his mistake was large and vast, however when we condemn people with labels like monster we lose sight of the full picture of a man's life. Take Richard Nixon for example- are passing the EPA, establishing the CPSC and opening up relations with China rendered worthless by his mistakes? Not in my opinion. Is Laura Bush evil for being the at-fault driver in a fatal accident that killed a classmate in high school? No.

On a personal level, I can't imagine living my life without any thought ever for anyone to redemption, forgiveness and making amends.

His accomplishments and decades of working well in the Senate speak for themselves. I doubt anyone of us on this board will accomplish as much for the benefit of as many others as Ted Kennedy did in his career. :yeahthat:

[Naranjadia]

His accomplishments and decades of working well in the Senate speak for themselves. I doubt anyone of us on this board will accomplish as much for the benefit of as many others as Ted Kennedy did in his career.

I thought this was a touching note by a mother about the effect of CHIP legislation on her family:


“Sen. Kennedy made a huge impact on the lives of my children. Born in 1996 and 1998, they were just toddlers when my husband and I became uninsured when he went back to school to receive his Masters of Divinity. The Children's Health Insurance Program bill was passed, and my children then were eligible for excellent coverage. My youngest son needed extensive work on his ears to recover his hearing, and my oldest son developed a very serious blood disorder called Henoch-Schonlein Purpura. With the CHIP insurance, the doctors felt fine in giving my children the tests and surgeries that they needed. I wrote a list for these two boys on recycled sticky notes, of all the achievements Sen. Kennedy has made in their lives. It covered two sides of the paper. Thank you, Teddy.”

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/us/politics/kennedy-react.html

[Katia]

Listening to NPR today, I heard the story of the "littlest refusenik" and thought of the BBB. Here's a link to an article on the same topic at CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/26/littlest.refusenik.kennedy/index.html

An excerpt:

"But the case of Jessica Katz was special because she was a baby born with a nutritional deficiency that stopped her from growing. She was a tiny baby dying in a Moscow hospital, getting weaker by the day.

"It was U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy who, her parents say, eventually saved her life."