Ted Kennedy, 77, Dies After Lengthy Illness

[Shoujo Q]

News Source and Full Story



HYANNIS PORT, Mass. --Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, seen by some as the last lion of liberalism, a gregarious man who ascended to greatness on the American political stage, died late Tuesday night at his Cape Cod home, according to his family.Kennedy, who waged a public fight against a malignant brain tumor in the last year of his life, was surrounded by family members who had come in recent days to say a last goodbye to him.



"We've lost the irreplaceable center 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," his family said in a statement. "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."His death marks the end to a life where like the phoenix, Kennedy rose above earlier lapses in judgment that nearly eclipsed his potential.Kennedy was first elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts in 1962 and was re-elected for seven full terms."For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts," President Barack Obama said.





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Of course I feel very sorry that he's dead but I could only muster an "Oh?" when I found out. I didn't like him, never did like him. But that's my own opinion and isn't going to be a topic of conversation. Of course my father's side of the family worshiped the ground he walked on. It's quite a blow to the Kennedy family since they just lost another Kennedy earlier this month.



Kennedy's death is kind of a big deal because he was one of the giant boulder rocks in the Democratic party.



It'll be strange not having a Kennedy as our senator, whoever takes his place will have some big shoes to fill.

[Pi Mako]

Never liked him either, can't say I'm really sad (yeah, heartless of me). Though suffering from brain cancer must have been completely awful =/

[JPope]

40 years too late. Mary Jo Kopechne can Rest In Peace, Teddy Boy can Rot In Hell.

[Cyrene]

Cancer is horrible. R.I.P!



Also, he was a selfish prick when it came to the past (regarding the post above me), but honestly we weren't there. We don't know what happened. So speaking ill of the dead = classy. For serious.

[Shoujo Q]

I'm about sick of this Kennedy love fest. It's 24/7 Kennedy around here and it's driving me up the wall. I can't turn the TV on without seeing his face pop up at least once.



Oh and here's my rant for the day. When Kerry was running for president in 2004, Kennedy and the Democrats pushed a law that made it so the governor couldn't appoint a new senator if a seat became available mid-term for whatever reason because the governor at the time in our state was a Republican and they didn't want him filling the seat with a Republican. Once Kennedy realized he wasn't going to make it a full term because of his illness, he wanted to get the law changed back so that our Democratic governor could make it so a Democrat would get the seat. Unfortunately he died so now it's all up for debate. I personally think it's a load of bull. You can't keep changing laws willy nilly and it just makes me mad! D:<

[JPope]

[quote name='Cyrene' post='68030' date='Aug 28 2009, 07:33 PM']Cancer is horrible. R.I.P!



Also, he was a selfish prick when it came to the past (regarding the post above me), but honestly we weren't there. We don't know what happened. So speaking ill of the dead = classy. For serious.[/quote]

This is not a personal attack on you, but you're wrong. We do know that he left the scene of the accident, walked past numerous homes and even a fucking FIRE STATION on the way back to his party, where no one else could be bothered to call authorities. He left Kopechne there to drown. There is no defense for what Teddy Boy did that night. If he were a member of any other family, he would have spent those last 40 years in jail where he belonged, and not the US Senate.



And let us not forget about the Waitress Sandwich.



Edward Kennedy was a stinking piece of shit, and the world is a better place without him. The sun shines brighter. All girls are cuter. Food tastes better. The only thing that could possibly make me happier is if the Boston Red Sox were denied a spot int the post season as further punishment to the state of Massachusetts for saddling the United States with that fat, coat-tail riding, trust fund bully for so long. Speaking ill of the dead doesn't matter when the dead guy is as much of a waste of oxygen as Edward Kennedy was. The only thing bad about his death is that it came far too late.

[Shoujo Q]

Hey! Don't bash my Red Sox! I never voted for him, I swear he must have stuffed the ballot box or have closet voters because anyone I talked to around here (that wasn't catholic, Irish or born in the 50s/60s *half my family~*) would agree 95% with what Jpop just said. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /noway.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' />

[JPope]

[quote name='PQ' post='68100' date='Aug 29 2009, 05:03 PM']Hey! Don't bash my Red Sox![/quote]

The fact that the BoSox have owned the Tigers this year might have something to do with my position, too.

[Cyrene]

I agree he should have been punished. However, NO ONE did anything to punish him so others are to blame for him getting away with it.



Anyways, I feel for him and his family because my own Mother died of Brain Cancer. It's a horrible disease that in a way could be viewed as karma (a very painful death). Oh, and that sandwich thing. Ew. But I'm sure there are other senators that have done horrible things that have gone unreported or have used hush-money. It's all politics.

[JPope]

[quote name='Cyrene' post='68119' date='Aug 30 2009, 01:21 AM']Oh, and that sandwich thing. Ew. But I'm sure there are other senators that have done horrible things that have gone unreported or have used hush-money. It's all politics.[/quote]

But we know about this, and the topic is Edward Kennedy, not other Senators. Are you honestly suggesting that Kennedy's known personal transgressions -- murder, sexual assault -- should be glossed over simply because "it's all politics"? Maybe you can live with that, but you'll forgive me if my reaction is "fuck that noise". The "everybody does it" defense is always a lazy cop-out, and especially when applied to a piece of shit like Edward Kennedy, because anybody who does what he did to Mary Jo Kopechne is a seriously depraved fuck.



And here's the flipside: I'm sure there are an even greater number of other Senators who have not done things as horrible as leaving a woman to drown in a river without calling for help until they've slept off their hangovers the following morning, or sexually manhandled an unwilling waitress. Just because other Senators have gotten away with shit doesn't make Kennedy any less of a vile and contemptible piece of shit. His death brings me joy.

[Cyrene]

Oh no, I wasn't saying it was OK because it's all politics. I think he got away with it because of politics. He deserved punishment! He didn't and we can't do anything about it. It just shows that if you're born into the right family you can get away with anything.

[Madara]

I'm a conspiracy buff. I've read some accounts of Chappaquiddick that assert that Kennedy was set up and was not in the car when it went off the bridge. Threats against his children, nieces and nephews insured his cooperation in the cover story, which was designed to derail his future presidential ambitions. (Although he eventually did make a half-hearted run in one of the primaries--I think it was '76.) I can't prove it, of course, nor do I expect to persuade anyone, but given the vendetta against the Kennedy family by the powers that be in this country, I find it credible. If I can find a link to one of the things I've read, I'll post it.

[Madara]

[quote name='Madara' post='68156' date='Aug 31 2009, 11:05 AM']I'm a conspiracy buff. I've read some accounts of Chappaquiddick that assert that Kennedy was set up and was not in the car when it went off the bridge. Threats against his children, nieces and nephews insured his cooperation in the cover story, which was designed to derail his future presidential ambitions. (Although he eventually did make a half-hearted run in one of the primaries--I think it was '76.) I can't prove it, of course, nor do I expect to persuade anyone, but given the vendetta against the Kennedy family by the powers that be in this country, I find it credible. If I can find a link to one of the things I've read, I'll post it.[/quote]





Here are some links for anyone interested in reading about the Chappaquiddick frame-up:



http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=14717



http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=14732



Not the best things I've read on the subject, but the only things I can find on short notice.

[Red Raccoon]

[quote name='JPope' post='68145' date='Aug 30 2009, 09:38 AM']Are you honestly suggesting that Kennedy's known personal transgressions -- murder, sexual assault -- should be glossed over simply because "it's all politics"?[/quote]

(emphasis mine)



If you want to call it murder, that’s your right. With both the right and the left politicizing language, everything from abortion to eating a hamburger is called murder these days. But nothing in the Chappaquiddick incident would fit the legal definition of murder. Even had he not had family connections to protect him, there’s no reason to think Kennedy would ever have been charged with anything beyond manslaughter at the very worst.



And sexual assault? Ted Kennedy had a history of womanizing and heavy drinking, so I can hardly say the “waitress sandwich” incident absolutely couldn’t have happened. What I can say is that the evidence seems to be purely anecdotal. How much truth is there in the story? All of it? Some? None? Who knows? Incriminating stories about politicians are a dime a dozen, and I wonder at people who still take them seriously without substantial evidence to support them.



40 years ago, Ted Kennedy made a stupid mistake of the worst kind—the kind that got someone killed—and then made things even worse by trying to run away from responsibility. There was no excuse for it, and I’m certainly not going to try to defend him. Sadly, his behavior since then has not always reflected very well upon his character, either.



You don’t have to look too hard at Ted Kennedy’s life to find fodder for criticism, so why exaggerate the facts or give credence to unsupported tales? I think the need to demonize the man as much as possible is fueled less by an honest appraisal of his life than by political bias. The man wrote, supported, and voted for a shitload of legislation over the course of his career, such as the National Cancer Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Acts of 1991. To those opposed to this kind of legislation, there was no worse enemy than Ted Kennedy. Also worth noting is that non-political issues offer critics a much easier avenue of attack. Try saying, “Ted Kennedy authored legislation on behalf of cancer patients, the disabled, and minorities. What an asshole.” Even if you sincerely believe those measures were not beneficial for the nation, its hard to portray Kennedy as a bad person for supporting them. Oh, I suppose, with a little imagination, it’s possible to ascribe ulterior motives to his life’s work, but why bother when you have Chappaquiddick?

[JPope]

My point is, and always has been, that Ted Kennedy should never have been allowed to wield the type of power which would allow his opinion on such subjects to carry any weight beyond his personal opinion. Kennedy's actions at Chappaquiddick revealed a moral failing so deep and so complete that he deserved nothing beyond derision for the rest of his life. He never apologized to the Kopechne family. Ever. He tried to play the victim immediately following the incident (the "Kennedy curse"). He was the most selfish, morally bankrupt human being to ever hold a seat in the US Senate. I'd feel the same way if it were Ronald fucking Reagan who left that girl to drown. Nothing Kennedy did in the Senate absolved him of what he did to Mary Jo Kopechne. The idea that his actions as a Senator could possibly make up for taking a life is utterly abhorrant to me.

[Red Raccoon]

It is amazing that it didn't cost him his political career, and I think if something similar happened to a politician today, it would, regardless of how much weight his name carried. Frankly, I for one am glad that Ted Kennedy's career continued for another 40 years, because I feel strongly that there was a tremendous amount of good in the legislation he pushed through congress during that span. Some would indeed say he has earned forgiveness for that. Personally, I'm not really much of a believer in redemption, although I might in Kennedy's case had he since showed any sign that he'd repented from his irresponsible ways. Instead, I will say that Kennedy's political career strikes me as having been the polar opposite of his personal life, namely in that he always strove to do the right thing, often with much success. I think his legislation should be judged on the basis of its own merits and not be simply dismissed because of the moral character of the man who authored it.



As an aside, I'm not sure how you know what Ted Kennedy did or didn't say to the Kopechne family.



Edit: Uh...I'm an Admin now? Along with the entire rest of the board??

[eri]

[quote name='Red Raccoon' post='68361' date='Sep 2 2009, 04:03 PM']Edit: Uh...I'm an Admin now? Along with the entire rest of the board??[/quote]



<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> Red, I've missed you! And clearly you missed out on our admin dramz.



Michael Jackson's alleged sexual abuse does not cancel out the juggernaut of his music. At the same time, our praise for his music should not have exploded into the kind of media deification we saw last month. Any commemoration is going to be fraught with contradiction, especially when current political positions are still invested with the person memorialized. Moreover, I think American media tends to seek out heroes and villains to mark out a pretty simplistic Manichean understanding of life and all of its complexities. Thus, when an individual's private life and failings do not correlate to that person's achievements or contributions to the social good, it becomes an uncomfortable balancing act in our memorialization.



I am on the fence over the idea our politician's personal lives explain their public policies. I have no investment in the Kennedy image either. At the end though, I can appreciate that TKennedy's, um, enthusiasm and charisma was often channeled to projects for social good. Legislation *should* be judged on the impact it brings to society -- not the psychologized search for moral failings via its creator. However, I don't believe that good works cancel out the bad. Hence, depending on the framework you use to analyze the man, yeah, Ted Kennedy was a little bitch too.

[Red Raccoon]

Edit: Uh...I'm an Admin now? Along with the entire rest of the board??

<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':sideways:' /> Red, I've missed you! And clearly you missed out on our admin dramz.

Yeah, I'm pretty much out of the loop these days. I still visit this place a few times a week, but that doesn't mean I have one clue what really goes on around here anymore.

Michael Jackson's alleged sexual abuse does not cancel out the juggernaut of his music.

It's funny, this topic already made me think of Michael Jackson. There's a part of me that will always think that he probably did molest some kids. But I found that this realization didn't stop me from recognizing his importance as a music pioneer, nor did it make me appreciate his vast charitable contributions any less. Nor did I feel the need to shout "child molester!" amidst the many mourning his death/celebrating his life. The same person can be capable of doing both very bad things and very good things. It's just one of those things we have to figure out how to get our minds around.



And I miss you too. I miss a lot of people I used to know around here--some are still here I see, but others are gone. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/sad.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />