NO DOUBTING TED KENNEDY’S IMPACT ON HISTORY
We will let the New York Times and liberal blogs lionize the man. I assure you there will be enough of that for anyone’s tastes.
Here, I will try to give the unvarnished truth about a person who was indeed, the “liberal lion of the Senate” (take from that what you will), as well as representing the absolute worst of wealth and privilege in the United States.
Ted Kennedy, the rogue son of a rogue family has died of brain cancer at age 77. Oftentimes, liberals like to compare the Kennedy family to that other famous political family that featured presidents, and legislators of note; the Adams family.
Pardon me if my outrage can’t quite be held in check. The man who fought longer and harder for American independence than anyone of his time - John Adams - had it all over Teddy as far as personal moral behavior and principled, pragmatic leadership. His son, John Quincy Adams, took stands against slavery that made any “political courage” shown by Kennedy to be minuscule by comparison.
Suffice it to say, that the difference between the two families couldn’t be more pronounced and referring to the Kennedy’s in the same breath as the Adams’s is a travesty.
No doubt Kennedy the man was a despicable cad, a notorious roue, and, until late in life, a certified drunk. As most conservative blogs are reporting this morning, “Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.” ‘Nuff said about Kennedy the man.
But history is a relentless bitch of a mistress, holding us to standards of truth and accuracy so that even one so vile as Kennedy must be examined not only in the context of his personal peccadilloes but also for his contributions to his times.
And those contributions were awesome.
There is no doubt that the average Joe working American lives a better life today because of Teddy Kennedy. He is safer on the job, his wages are higher (even non-union workers), his children have more educational opportunities, he is healthier, and wealthier than any working American of any other generation in history. We can certainly criticize liberal excesses in much of the legislation that this master parliamentarian guided through the labyrinthine maze of Congress. But no honest appraisal of Kennedy’s career would be complete without referring to the gigantic impact he had on ordinary, blue collar America.
He was at the center of every major legislative initiative that created much of the welfare state, as well as shepherding through Congress important legislation regarding voting rights, health care, labor law, and education. Conservatives like Barry Goldwater and Orrin Hatch found him not only to be a tough enemy but also someone with whom they could negotiate their concerns. He earned the respect of his opponents by having the issues associated with any legislation he was pushing down absolutely stone cold. And his mastery of Roberts Rules of Order made him a formidable presence in any senate debate.
Even historians not enamored of his far left liberalism — a liberalism that seemed to get farther left the older he got — compare him to Henry Clay or John C. Calhoun as far as his impact on the senate. That may be unfair to Clay who sacrificed his chance at the presidency to bring about compromises on the slavery issue. I did not sense such self abnegation in Teddy Kennedy, who viewed his senate seat as something of a patrimony from God. The wealth and privilege he enjoyed that allowed him to escape justice in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, and his family to get out of scrape after scrape with the law highlighted the fact that this was a family not above the law but beyond it. Their money, power, and influence had far too much impact on our national life than is healthy in a republic. And perhaps that’s the key to Kennedy’s psyche.
I believe the guilt of possessing great wealth drove him to compensate for his privileged position by pushing legislation that he believed exonerated him of his family sins. This is not unusual in American history, with industry titans from Astor to Rockefeller giving away much of their fortune prior to their death. But what drove Kennedy was also perhaps the nagging belief that he really wasn’t up to the Kennedy mystique, that he was a fraud compared to his martyred brothers.
The truth is, John Kennedy was no liberal at all (just ask Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.), and Robert Kennedy’s liberalism was far more muscular and more out of the classic school of left wing thought than the New Left activists who tried to adopt him in 1968. Robert’s liberalism was informed by both his Catholicism, and his own personal demons of trying to live up to the heroic image he carried of his brother John.
It took Ted a few years after Robert’s death to be convinced that “carrying on the legacy” of RFK actually meant going beyond his brother’s concerns that welfare was creating a permanent underclass to embracing the welfare state and the left wing agenda that went with it. Perhaps he saw this as the quickest way to the White House, not even able to fathom the damage done to his presidential aspirations by being responsible for Mary Jo Kopechne’s death. Or perhaps, it was indeed guilt that drove him on. Historians will have a field day with his motivations, that’s for sure.
The last of the “original” Kennedy brothers is dead. An age has now passed into history where for “one, brief, shining moment” one American family stood at the apex of power, largely bought for them by their immensely wealthy father. His two brothers who preceded him in death were known for what “might have been,” having been cut down before they could make any lasting impact on the country.
Not so the third Kennedy brother. His legacy will live on in the lives he made better, the lives he made worse - and the life he was responsible for ending.
He’s a tragic figure who brought much tragedy to others.
RIP.
Comment by KingShamus — 8/26/2009 @ 10:45 am
[...] Rick Moran: Ted Kennedy, the rogue son of a rogue family has died of brain cancer at age 77. Oftentimes, liberals like to compare the Kennedy family to that other famous political family that featured presidents, and legislators of note; the Adams family. [...]
Pingback by The Last Brother (Edward Kennedy 1932-2009) « Around The Sphere — 8/26/2009 @ 11:06 am
Thanks for the reminder, Rick. I really hated that guy. I guess even really, really bad people do some good things. I agree with your post, and even though you weren’t necessarily trying to cover all the bases, I have always felt it was important to remember two other interesting facts (one bad, one good):
The Bad: Lets start with his Harvards years. Oops, did I say years? Well, technically it was years, but was interrupted by being caught cheating. Expelled. If you or I try that, we’re toast. Kennedy was readmitted 2 years later (or so), and ended up graduating. I think this is important because it demonstrates a complete lack of morals, and a sense of entitlement even at such an early age.
Good: He served his country, enlisting in the Army, during his “hiatus” from Harvard. This actually surprised me, and I tip my hat to him for this. I don’t think many people know this.
A comment about some of the “awesome” contributions you attributed to him. There is no doubt that he contributed to a safer work environment, and too many other awesome legislation. But to credit him for higher wages and a better standard of living is going too far. The age of science was progressing with or without Ted, and our economy may very well have grown faster without some of the legislation he sponsored that hurt businesses.
I am never happy for anyone’s death, but his death in particular makes me hope that there is a just God.
Comment by lionheart — 8/26/2009 @ 11:27 am
Despite all the worst names Rick Moran regurgitated from his right-wing cesspool of negative thought, it is a testament to the good works of Ted Kenneday that even Mr. Moran could not deny Ted’s positive impact on the average America.
The same cannot be said of many of those whom Mr. Moran may hold in higher esteem.
As is the preference of the Right, it’s better to look at the interests of the powerful first, in hope, as they have convinced the Ditto Heads and slavish followers of right-wing thought, that they may somehow benefit eventually.
May I ask, how many of ordinary Americans are today benefiting from Reagan’s trickle-down economics, or George W. Bush’s tax breaks to the richer Americans?
I always remain amazed by way the Right-wing have convinced their ordinary less well-off followers that they are the custodians of their better interests.
Thank God for Ted Kennedy, and the good he has done for the average American of whatever political stripe.
May he rest in peace, and with the knowledge that his positive legacy will live on as testament to his good works.
As he said to America “have the courage to choose change”, and they did (at least, some segment of America did), and they chose Barack Obama.
The American Right-wing is to this day still fighting such change.
Comment by Eagle Mason — 8/26/2009 @ 11:28 am
Can’t even wait a day for your “tribute.” Typical right-wing class!
Comment by thirdmillenium — 8/26/2009 @ 11:36 am
Fair assessments and well written.
However… there were 3 brothers. The first (and always considered the ‘best and brightest’) was Joe who died in WW II (I believe). How the world and that family would have been different if he had lived is worthy of a book.
Comment by inca — 8/26/2009 @ 11:52 am
“May I ask, how many of ordinary Americans are today benefiting from Reagan’s trickle-down economics, or George W. Bush’s tax breaks to the richer Americans?”
You may ask. Anyone working today or a child of someone who has worked in the past 20 years has benefited from Reagans and G W Bush’s tax breaks. Contrary to your spinning, most of GW Bush’s tax cuts were on the middle class. Both Reagan and Bush took millions off the income tax rolls through their tax cuts, leaving us to a point where over half of working Americans dont pay any income tax at all, and the top 20% pay an astounding 83% of total income taxes.
That statistic is their legacy:
http://www.heritage.org/research/taxes/wm2420.cfm
Comment by Freedoms Truth — 8/26/2009 @ 11:52 am
More thoughts on the Kennedy legacy:
http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2009/08/ted-kennedy-legacy.html
“The Ted Kennedy Legacy: An undisciplined liberalism that doesn’t know its limitations.”
Comment by Freedoms Truth — 8/26/2009 @ 11:55 am
Sure, he was a morally despicable man and a great senator, and that represents a great contradiction. But what has damned Kennedy and his legacy forever is that more than any one individual, he is responsible for the total loss of civility in public life. The day Kennedy took to the Senate floor to launch a largely ad hominem attack on Robert Bork marked the day our politics became poisonous. Sure, he did the same thing with Thomas, but the Bork assassination was the moment our politics changed forever and for the worse. I understand among opposition senators he was quite admired. Nonetheless, his poisonous rather than principled attack on a distinguished jurist will be his legacy because it led us to the ugliness of today’s public life.
Comment by jackson1234 — 8/26/2009 @ 11:59 am
Written like the true conservative elitist who occasionally lets his hate show.
Yes, he killed a woman (whose birthday was today) and that was unforgivable.
But the next time you see a friend’s daughter play a college sport with the same parity as a son, the next time you welcome into your community an immigrant who is not from a Northern European Country, the next time you know of someone who has lost their health-care insurance because of a layoff and has to reply on COBRA, and most importantly, Rick, the next time you drag your sorry ass up a handicapped access ramp because you can’t handle the steps, thank Ted Kennedy.
BWhahahhahaha - are you fucking kidding me? I’M THE ELITIST?
This is a man from a family that abused this country with its wealth and privilege for far too long. Do you KNOW anything at all about that family? Holy Jesus! The sense of the law not applying to them was dripping from all of them. Maybe you’ve only heard about the high profile cases. It goes far far beyond that, beginning with Joe who makes Bernie Madoff look like a fucking saint.
I’ll save my thanks for someone who thinks the law applied equally to both him and me.
ed.
Comment by shaun — 8/26/2009 @ 12:04 pm
First, I can’t believe there are people in the world who can utter the phrase “Yes, he killed a woman…but….” It simply boggles the mind that, for some, killing a woman just does not mitigate other lifetime achievements. It does. It always has. It always will.
Second, no one should serve in the U.S. Senate as long as Kennedy did. It turns the intent of “government by the people” on its head.
Third, while Kennedy may have had his name on a number of important pieces of legislation, he did none of that alone. On Civil Rights, for example, it was the Republicans in Congress who put that over the top, and Kennedy’s democrat colleagues who opposed it. Tenure does not necessarily equal achievement, though we’ll hear little of that argument in the days to come. So, yes, we’ll have to wait for history to give us a more reasoned analysis of Kennedy’s achievements. For today, it’s all Camelot-style myth-making.
Comment by Anon — 8/26/2009 @ 12:47 pm
How brave you are, Anon. Strong feelings but afraid to put your name to them.
Comment by shaun — 8/26/2009 @ 1:11 pm
shaun, none of us put our real names on our comments. I clicked on your name, and got “blogger not found”. If you’re going to criticize an anonymous comment, man up and state your real name. Hypocrite.
Comment by lionheart — 8/26/2009 @ 1:37 pm
anonheart:
That is a Google technical boo-boo. Click here for the dope:
http://kikoshouse.blogspot.com
Comment by shaun — 8/26/2009 @ 1:42 pm
To Anon:
How many Iraqi death were George Bush responsible for, under the guise of the war on terror?
Of course, I expect you to say none, but the honest truth is another matter.
Then again, who cares? They are just Arabs.
Comment by Eagle Mason — 8/26/2009 @ 1:54 pm
Very good assessment of Ted Kennedy. I did not agree with a lot of his political agenda,but no doubt the has had a great impact on the country.
Comment by Stix — 8/26/2009 @ 1:58 pm
Our friends at The Onion love Ted Kennedy as much as we do:
‘Kennedy Curse’ Claims Life Of 77-Year-Old Tumor-Riddled Binge-Drinker
Comment by Chuck Tucson — 8/26/2009 @ 3:12 pm
Mr. Kennedy,
Your service was honorable, my fellow Americans and I Thank You. We could not have a “Right” without the balance of the “Left.”
I would also like to give a shout out to God, “Thank You for not allowing that man to be our President.”
I would also like to give a shout out to my crazy leftist friends out there. Why don’t you guys get together and re-name your Gov’ment Behavioral Control Legislation to:
“Kennedy Care-Becuase it’s for the Children!”
BwaHahaaaha!
Comment by Jimi — 8/26/2009 @ 3:16 pm
The guy killed his girl in his car and got kicked out of Harvard for cheating on a Spanish test.
Comment by charles — 8/26/2009 @ 4:35 pm
@Jimi:
Byrd proposed naming it after Kennedy this morning . . . and if you’re opposed to the bill that should scare the crap out of you. It could easily guilt/motivate the Dems to stop being factional and coalese into a filibuster-proof wave. Your joke may just get the bill passed now.
Bwahahahaha.
p.s.: laughing at a person dying is really, really sad.
Comment by busboy33 — 8/26/2009 @ 5:48 pm
Rick,
You write a balanced and reflective obituary light years beyond what most of the blogosphere and MSM trotted out.
I also appreciate what Lionheart said:
“I guess even really, really bad people do some good things.”
That could be put on his tombstone almost…
Comment by Eddie — 8/26/2009 @ 6:48 pm
[...] a few things I won’t repeat, but as Rightwing Nuthouse points out, there’s no doubting his impact on history. He might even have some posthumous impact, as Democrats find a rallying cry for their socialized [...]
Pingback by And Rightly So… » Blog Archive » Some Stories and Links — 8/26/2009 @ 7:04 pm
Amazing! “One American family stood at the apex of power largely bought for them by their immensely wealthy father”. Ever hear of anyone named BUSH??? And I don’t mean #41. It goes way back before him. I neither loved nor hated Ted, but let’s hear some facts and not the normal left/right BS. His brothers were both “might have beens”. He, despite his NUMEROUS human flaws (and let’s face it Chappaquiddick is #1), did more for the underprivileged than any legislator in history. Even the most fiscal conservative must surely believe that SOME people need government assistance. THAT is his legacy. And maybe, and I mean only maybe, he may have earned his way into heaven because of that. I neither praise the man nor despise him, I only wish that I live long enough to do 1 millionth the service to mankind that he was able to do whether or not it was through his wealth that he was able to do it. At least he did it. How about you or me???
Comment by steve — 8/26/2009 @ 7:25 pm
“How many Iraqi death were George Bush responsible for, under the guise of the war on terror?”
That’s some bizarre moral equivalence you’re drawing there…regardless, it’s impossible to answer your question directly. Instead, I’d say that George Bush was responsible for liberating and saving hundreds fold more Iraqi lives than deaths you likely claim he was responsible for.
Rest in peace, Teddy.
Comment by sota — 8/26/2009 @ 7:33 pm
Comment Seen at another Site:
So the Dems want to change the current bill to the Ted Kennedy Memorial Bill. Does that mean they are going to do what he did with Mary Jo Kopechne?
Do nothing and watch it die??
Comment by SShiell — 8/26/2009 @ 9:30 pm
Nobody is only a hero or only a coward. Maybe people felt more comfortable with him precisely because of his failings. Is there no redemption from past sins even if you try hard? I hope so, Rest in Peace Teddy.
Comment by funny man — 8/26/2009 @ 9:43 pm
“Nobody is only a hero or only a coward.”
Amen.
Comment by busboy33 — 8/26/2009 @ 10:23 pm
“and if you’re opposed to the bill that should scare the crap out of you. It could easily guilt/motivate the Dems to stop being factional and coalese into a filibuster-proof wave.”
Since ObamaCare is a trillion dollar massive expansion in Government spending, control and taxation, it fits quite well in the Kennedyesque mold of liberalism run amok. A crypto-socialistic monstrosity that undermines our fiscal future and puts govt more involved in our lives is a better monument than say naming an airport or aircraft carrier.
Comment by Travis Monitor — 8/26/2009 @ 10:39 pm
“Maybe people felt more comfortable with him precisely because of his failings. Is there no redemption from past sins even if you try hard?”
Why do only Democrat politicians get this kind of get-of-jail-free card treatment though? Being able to manipulate the justice system and the media so he could literally get away with murder (or at least manslaughter) made him a more ‘comfortable’ man for Massachusetts voters? Such a crime and abuse of power is forgivable enough to re-elect him again and again? I dont get that.
Comment by Travis Monitor — 8/26/2009 @ 10:45 pm
Travis,
A senator like Ted Kennedy has an enormous amount of power and influence. That power extends to all the constituents in his state as well. No voter in his right mind would want to give up that kind of influence, even if it was based on principal. All that money and power flows right back into Massachusetts in the form of projects/grants/cash/etc. The people didn’t necessarily forgive him for anything, they just looked past it in order to get their hands on a slightly bigger piece of the pie. Kinda reminds me of Dennis Hastert actually.
Comment by Chuck Tucson — 8/26/2009 @ 11:04 pm
Anyone who critizes Rick for his honest and straightforward (albeit not politically correct) assessment of the late Senator Edward Moore Kennedy is a viperous nincompoop! The man being discussed was nominally a Catholic - yet he supported abortion on demand, a completely unCatholic thing to do. I don’t think that Senator Kennedy had a very happy life, nor should he have. He was responsible for the death of another human being (aside from the abortion thing) and I’m sure that our ultimate Judge is having a long, serious conversation with him on THAT topic right now. Mary Jo is on the jury for sure!
I would rather be in an airplane with George W. Bush than in an Oldsmobile with Edward Moore Kennedy, that’s for sure!
Comment by Gayle Miller — 8/27/2009 @ 8:21 am
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, incidentally, was not the leftwing loon that Democrats now consider him to be. He was a friend of Richard M. Nixon and very moderate.
Hyperbole should not get in the way of reality. Edward Moore Kennedy was a deeply flawed man who had a few good qualities. Clearly he was loved by his nieces and nephews and they are now mourning his death. For THEM I will pray sincerely.
Comment by Gayle Miller — 8/27/2009 @ 8:24 am
A senator like Ted Kennedy has an enormous amount of power and influence. That power extends to all the constituents in his state as well. No voter in his right mind would want to give up that kind of influence, even if it was based on principal.
Spoken like a liberal Democrat.
I find that Republicans get bounced for scandals more easily because Republicans think “that guy is a scumbag, I wont vote for him again” while liberal Democrats think “I dont care what he does off-hours, even if he’s an SOB, he’s *my* SOB.” Different voter mindset.
How about the simple principle that power corrupts and that when powerful people act corruptly, the citizen voters need to boot that powerful person out of office to cleanse the office of corruption? .. Or more simply having some standards of ethical and legal behavior for officeholders? Would you hire a felon to be your accountant? your lawyer? your doctor? Then why accept it in your senator?
The fact is that the Kennedy family power was used and abused to get Ted Kennedy off of a vehicle homocide conviction after he got Mary Jo Kopechne killed.
Leo Damore’s “Senatorial Privilege” went through the details of exactly what Kennedy did and didnt do that caused the painful Chappaquiddick death of Mary Jo Kopechne, which included not just driving her off the bridge, but also fleeing the scene at a time Mary Jo was still alive. He swam 1/4 mile to the mainland then went to sleep and reported it to nobody until the next day; He didnt ask for help, but was trying to make up an alibi. the neck brace? A fake for media manipulation to make him look more injured than he was. So it wasnt merely careless drunk driving but abandoning a drowning victim at the scene of an accident at a time when *she was still alive*. Some people think it was just a drunk driving situation but it went beyond that. He killed her.
The Kennedy family manipulated the local DAs and judges to get Kennedy off so he did not have to face the serious charges that would have been filed had he been anyone else. What was is said about watergate? the coverup was worse than the crime? well, in this case the underly crime was bad enough but the coverup compounded it. It took Damore to unwind what really happened. There are drunk drivers who get life in prison for less intent/action to kill than what Kennedy did.
See:
http://www.amazon.com/Senatorial-Privilege-Chappaquiddick-Leo-Damore/dp/0895265648
Comment by Travis Monitor — 8/27/2009 @ 12:25 pm
This is absolute and total nonsense. Ted Kennedy being a bloated murderous douchebag does not mean that Republican voters are more discerning. The two aren’t even related.
Tom DeLay? Dennis Hastert? These guys stayed in power for a very long time, despite being horrible. Why? Because they brought home the bacon for their constituents, just like ol’ Ted. It’s not a liberal/conservative thing. It’s a bunch of people in a district or state getting extra benefits, and ignoring how they were attained.
Seems pretty non-partisan to me. Seems pretty human to me actually. Stop trying to find the divide and just look at reality. It’s right there in front of your polarized face.
Comment by Chuck Tucson — 8/27/2009 @ 1:59 pm
Political partisanship is one thing but I’m pretty sure moral failings and abuses of power is pretty equally divided among Reps and Dems. Why? It’s just the human condition.
I also believe that you can atone for past sins in your lifetime. This is not a Kennedy issue but rather general. Why then all the self righteousness? I remember (I was still in Germany) the furor caused by Carter’s Playboy interview when he said I commit adultery everyday in my mind. I thought, well what is the big deal he is just like every other fellow out here. Apparently not in the United States where playing the role of the righteous, sin-free politician has descended into an artform. Kennedy just like everyone out there was just human, the whole package, not more, not less.
Comment by funny man — 8/27/2009 @ 3:24 pm
Most writers have the essential component of the Kennedy-Chappaquiddick saga wrong. The knee-jerk Kennedy haters call him a “murderer”. The facts indicate otherwise. Murder ~ NO! Manslaughter ~ probaby YES!
Mary Jo Kopechne did NOT drown. She in fact suffocated. The woman perished while trapped in the submerged Oldsmobile sedan while under water in a dark tidal pond. It was long ago figured that Kopechne survived for at least an hour or more after the crash by breathing from an air pocket. No matter how it’s sliced, that has to be a tough way to die.
With a little detective work it has been figured that the real Chappaquiddick story was fundamentally different from the extensive lie promoted by Kennedy himself. Facts strongly suggest that Kopechne disappeared from the party at an earlier time. She’d mentioned to more than one person that cigarette smoke and the stuffy atmosphere at the cottage were making her feel ill. It was figured that Mary Jo Kopechne after making her way outside, found the unlocked Oldsmobile 4-door sedan, laid down across the back seat and fell asleep. There was no conspiracy or plot involved. It was a matter of simple happenstance.
Later that night, the routinely drunk Teddy Kennedy left the party with another woman, got behind the wheel of the Oldsmobile and aimed the car in the direction of the beach road. Kennedy, with one other person in the front and another laying down on the back seat only made it as far as the narrow Dike Bridge. With his driving skills impaired, Kennedy lost control and drove the car off the bridge and into the Chappaquiddick - Poucha tidal pond.
Perhaps it was the cold ocean water that helped Kennedy sober up enough to escape along with the mystery woman front seat passenger. It is believed that Kennedy did not know that another person was in that car. Kennedy made it back on foot to some point where he was able to make contact with his political minions. Somehow, the operatives got him over to the main island of Martha’s Vineyard, where Kennedy was checked into a motel. Records later showed that numerous phone calls were made back and forth from Kennedy’s room telephone all during the night. He was later seen, in the early morning, having breakfast at the motel coffee shop while casually chatting with other guests.
Meanwhile, local police had discovered in the tidal pond, the now partially exposed Oldsmobile sedan. Upon closer examination, the body of a young woman was found in a corner area near the rear window. Artificial respiration was carried out, but Mary Jo Kopechne could not be revived. Noticed at the time, was that no water could found in the woman’s lungs. Early on, it was figured that Kopechne had not drowned but instead had suffocated. Despite Massachusetts state law in such a case, no autopsy was ever performed on Mary Jo Kopechne’s body to discover the true cause of death.
Kennedy’s later contrived story had him at the risk of his own life “diving repeatedly in an effort to save Miss Kopechne”. At the time, innumerable Massachusetts residents, including me, were outraged. Political stooges had taken depraved actions of the drunk miscreant Teddy Kennedy and spun the homicidal debacle into a performance of heroism.
Despite all, the contemptible Kennedy was elected again and again to the United States Senate by the people of Massachusetts. To this day, I have been unable to find anybody who even admits to having voted for Kennedy. In life and now death Theodore Edward Kennedy was on every level, a despicable human being. Hopefully through the sobering light of time, the actual facts will be accurately weighed.
In the meantime, the entire federal election system along with congress and senate requires a good strong enema. This nation needs to return to the procedures of a true representative republic operated on real democratic principles Perhaps with Kennedy’s final flush through the sewer pipe of history, that much needed cleansing can now begin.
Comment by Jim Zerga — 8/29/2009 @ 12:09 pm
Jim Zerga,
Thanks for providing us with an angle very few people even know about.
In fact the most disgusting thing about this incident is how the most fundamental facts of what happened that night have not uncovered and no one made any serious efforts to do so.
Comment by Nagarajan Sivakumar — 8/30/2009 @ 3:52 pm
I also believe that you can atone for past sins in your lifetime.
Funnyman, that can happen only if you take the first step - you admit that you have sinned. You dont make up jokes about Chappaquiddick on your road to contrition.
http://www.examiner.com/x-722-Conservative-Politics-Examiner~y2009m8d27-Ted-Kennedy-loved-to-hear-and-tell-Chappaquiddick-jokes
Comment by Nagarajan Sivakumar — 8/30/2009 @ 3:54 pm