"Anybody Here Seen My Old Friend... Teddy.."
- Thread starter Ladskater
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- Jun 27, 2003
I'll refrain from my thoughts on his politics... seems the Kennedy's always go in pairs... so this really came as no surprise, though I assumed he'd been getting better.
don't know the song you're referring to, guess that shows my youth
don't know the song you're referring to, guess that shows my youth
Ladskater, I'm with you. Ted Kennedy was certainly no saint, but he was a darn fine senator. Friends in Massachusetts said that he could be counted on to help the citizens of his state, and he also helped the country at large. He was instrumental in landmark legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. By all accounts, he was apparently known for two traits we would never have expected from the feckless younger brother of earlier days: he spent time on the day-to-day grind of the detail work needed to be a really good legislator, and he reached across the aisle to get Republicans to work with Democrats to get stuff done. He had the gift, rare these days, of being able to look at an adversary without seeing that person as some sort of devil incarnate. It's very revealing to me that some of his strongest friendships were with uber-Republicans such as Orrin Hatch and John McCain.
No one can deny that he did some bad things in his life, notably whatever happened that night with Miss Kopechne, may she rest in peace. But he has also done great good, far more than many people have in his position or with his advantages--or with his inner demons. Taken for all in all, he spent his life well, and I for one mourn him.
No one can deny that he did some bad things in his life, notably whatever happened that night with Miss Kopechne, may she rest in peace. But he has also done great good, far more than many people have in his position or with his advantages--or with his inner demons. Taken for all in all, he spent his life well, and I for one mourn him.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
I'll refrain from my thoughts on his politics... seems the Kennedy's always go in pairs... so this really came as no surprise, though I assumed he'd been getting better.
don't know the song you're referring to, guess that shows my youth
I thought all Americans would be familiar with this song! It was written in 1968 after the assasination of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. It was recorded by Dion. The words are very haunting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham,_Martin_&_John
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
I am not an American, but did live briefly in the States during President Kennedy's run as the President and his assasination. It was a very historic time. For my generation the passing of Ted Kennedy is the end of an era. That is why it is significant to me...
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
we know you're not American no need to remind ha ha...
you know, every time I read the title of thsi thread I think of the "real" Teddy... Roosevelt.
no need to remind ha ha...you know, every time I read the title of thsi thread I think of the "real" Teddy... Roosevelt.
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- Feb 17, 2007
I have spent almost my entire life in Connecticut, only moving to Massachusetts about 5 months ago. It seems like the entire Kennedy family was no big deal to us Nutmeggers. It was like their power, influence, mistique, whatever, stopped right at the CT border.
I have a recollection from about 20 years ago. I was working at an electroplating lab down in West Haven, and somebody brought in one of those celebrity tabloids. It showed several pictures of Mr. Kennedy on a boat with a young lady. One of the shots showed Mr. Kennedy' bare butt glistening in the sun.
I have a recollection from about 20 years ago. I was working at an electroplating lab down in West Haven, and somebody brought in one of those celebrity tabloids. It showed several pictures of Mr. Kennedy on a boat with a young lady. One of the shots showed Mr. Kennedy' bare butt glistening in the sun.
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- Jul 28, 2003
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Is this news??? Don't most of us know that Ted Kennedy had demons??? I have demons. Do you???
His son Teddy Jr.'s eulogy was so touching. He cried speaking of his father helping him go up an icy hill. Ted Sr. said we will make it ....and it might take us all day but you can do it.
Olympia, thank you for your nice words and understanding that all people even if they have demons aren't scumbags for the rest of their lives.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
The Kennedy's were far from perfect, but they gave a lot to the USA and the world.
If anything, he is remembered by his children and numerous nephews and nieces. Considering just this #, he has touched the lives of many as father and uncle. Sure, some have had their legal issues, but % wise, it probably reflects the peccadillos of the general public.
He is the type of politician who will be missed in government. For the most part, he kept his eye on what was right for the people - not just the party. If anything, it's probably one of the reasons why he was not the leader of the party.
If anything, he is remembered by his children and numerous nephews and nieces. Considering just this #, he has touched the lives of many as father and uncle. Sure, some have had their legal issues, but % wise, it probably reflects the peccadillos of the general public.
He is the type of politician who will be missed in government. For the most part, he kept his eye on what was right for the people - not just the party. If anything, it's probably one of the reasons why he was not the leader of the party.
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Country
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I think this sums up my feelings pretty well. We were actually in Boston last week, and I'm so glad we had a chance to visit the Kennedy Library last Monday. RIP, Teddy.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
An overview of some of the differences Edward Kennedy made in the US
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2110317/what_did_ted_kennedy_do_for_you_an.html?cat=75
Quoting from the above link
"In the coming days our nation will lay a national hero to rest with all the pomp and circumstance due him. But what did Ted Kennedy do for me, some will ask with scorn, choosing to remember his terrible tragedies. They'll even mock him, remembering Chappaquidick and the unanswered questions there instead of the redemptive work that he engaged in for the rest of his life after that terrible tragedy."
He was a son of great priviledge and was handed certain advantages, as have other presidents like the 2nd Bush. Do you allow the mistakes of youth to overshadow the entire body of a person's life? Yes, it seems that he escape justice, but it's not as though he didn't get himself back on the right track.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2110317/what_did_ted_kennedy_do_for_you_an.html?cat=75
Quoting from the above link
"In the coming days our nation will lay a national hero to rest with all the pomp and circumstance due him. But what did Ted Kennedy do for me, some will ask with scorn, choosing to remember his terrible tragedies. They'll even mock him, remembering Chappaquidick and the unanswered questions there instead of the redemptive work that he engaged in for the rest of his life after that terrible tragedy."
He was a son of great priviledge and was handed certain advantages, as have other presidents like the 2nd Bush. Do you allow the mistakes of youth to overshadow the entire body of a person's life? Yes, it seems that he escape justice, but it's not as though he didn't get himself back on the right track.
Heyang, what you said makes an important point. Laws we all depend on don't just make themselves. People have to build them laboriously, word by word, and gather votes, often one by one. Apparently that painstaking process was one in which Kennedy excelled, and we are all the beneficiaries of his skill.
Like many others, I was disappointed by his transgressions, but I am also grateful for his good deeds. I have a disabled relative, and every time I push her wheelchair up a ramp into a building, I know I have Kennedy (among others) to thank. And I have had to use COBRA for health care when my job evaporated a few years ago. Thank the good Lord I haven't had direct experience of the minimum wage, but I watched a YouTube video of Kennedy defending the raise, and urging a speedy vote on it. He was clearly one of the main reasons that raise got passed, because generally people in power don't like to spend money on the working poor.
Additionally, he often took personal action on behalf of powerless individuals. He went to the Soviet Union at least once to get some refuseniks out on the strength of his name. (One of them grew up to be an advocate for the homeless here in the U.S.) He also called Massachusetts families who had lost family members in the World Trade Center, and he got his staff to help them with needed details. If there's a scale on which those deeds must be weighed against his wrongdoings, I am not the one who has the right to judge the outcome.
Like many others, I was disappointed by his transgressions, but I am also grateful for his good deeds. I have a disabled relative, and every time I push her wheelchair up a ramp into a building, I know I have Kennedy (among others) to thank. And I have had to use COBRA for health care when my job evaporated a few years ago. Thank the good Lord I haven't had direct experience of the minimum wage, but I watched a YouTube video of Kennedy defending the raise, and urging a speedy vote on it. He was clearly one of the main reasons that raise got passed, because generally people in power don't like to spend money on the working poor.
Additionally, he often took personal action on behalf of powerless individuals. He went to the Soviet Union at least once to get some refuseniks out on the strength of his name. (One of them grew up to be an advocate for the homeless here in the U.S.) He also called Massachusetts families who had lost family members in the World Trade Center, and he got his staff to help them with needed details. If there's a scale on which those deeds must be weighed against his wrongdoings, I am not the one who has the right to judge the outcome.
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