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I agree the Mary Jo incident was a horrible thing and a blot on his record. It shouldn't overshadow everything positive he did. ................
I think it does. At the end of our days we all simply hope that the good we have accomplished will overshadow the bad. In this case, I don't think it does but we're trying to be positive.
Kennedy did much to help those less fortunate than he was and I truly believe he really did love this country which very much matters. He held enormous power and was a driving force in public service for almost 47 years. That alone is worth honoring.
So on his death we mourn and honor him, but never forget that Ted Kennedy was a human being with very real faults not the least of which was a time in 1969 when he put himself first and the life of a young girl was snuffed out unnecessarily because of bad decisions that he made. I am ever mindful that his was not always an exemplary life.
So we should honor him for his good works, for recognizing the benefits of negotiation, for reaching across the aisle. But please let's not deify him as I have seen done over the past couple of days. He was just a man and at times not a particularly honorable one.
I couldn't stand his political leanings, but I'm sure if I met him in person and would have been able to sit down and talk with him I would have liked him personally. He was definitely no dummy; he was a very intelligent man. He DID do a few things politically that I agree with, although those were in the minority.
RIP Senator Kennedy, and I wish your family peace.
I met William Kennedy at UNM many years ago. He was just a person. He seemed nice enough - for a Democrat. OK, in all seriousness, he was very quiet and quite serious. He also seemed quite intelligent. I would not want to carry that burden (Kennedy name) with me. I only spoke with him a few times, but he was a nice enough fellow.
Thanks TXBoomerang. It's nice posters like you, who know what they're talking about and try to spread the "nice" around that keep me coming back to C-D.
I never met the man but from what I saw of him and others like him who were "burdened" with family wealth he seemed to handle his (later) life much better than many. In a way this is a tribute to his folks, although mostly his Mom because I think "The Ambassador" was a world class azz-hat. I read one of the more recent biographies of Senator Kennedy (I think there have been 2 or three published in the last couple of years) and it sounds like his Mom was the "driver for excellence" from the kids.
Many of us did lots of stupid things when we younger;
Screwed up in college; CHECK
Drank and drove, with a woman other than our mate; CHECK (although in my case I wasn't married or engaged to the other one
Had to join the Army because of screwing up, getting kicked out of college; CHECK. Heck most of us would have had Dad pull some strings and get us into Yale or Princeton upon getting kicked out of Harvard.
Have to live every day knowing that one brother sacrificed himself and died during WWII, another was a Naval hero and was assassinated, another was known as a "crime busting" Attorney General and was assassinated. KNOWING that every time anyone looks at you they're thinking; "why's he still around and they're dead?" That's got to be a terrible burden.
I think despite all of his troubles when younger (heck not so young, up until his fifties) he was a man who genuinely did want to see others helped and couldn't understand the pettiness of those around him who felt that CEOs who donated money to their political campaigns should get to screw over powerless people.
One of his sons was speaking speaking today and said something that caught my attention. It was something along the lines of Republicans want whats best for America as well, even if were don't agree on political issues you still respected them. That is pretty damn admirable to me, just look at this forum where you cannot have a debate without personal attacks being thrown back and forth. To be able to sit have a debate, which can get heated, but not throw insults at the poster but reply in a way thats respectful. People on both sides of the spectrum are guilty of it, hell I get pretty heated over issues. I just wish we could do it with some respect.
I think he was truly sincere in his beliefs, but unfortunately I think he more often legislated with his heart rather than his brain.
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