Ted Kennedy

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by equinenut

My dad, a staunchly conservative John Birch republican till his death considered him a "brilliant legislator". I like to remember my dad this way, giving credit due to someone giving his entire adult life to serving the U.S. Constitution AND the Bill of Rights.

That's the thing about Sen. Kennedy. Even those who oppose him, politically, almost universally respect him, his ideals and his integrity.

There are many who enter the congress or the senate (both Republican and Democrat) who enter the legislature for less than altruistic reasons. Given the sacrifices of his family and given his lifetime of public service, I don't think anyone of any political leaning can doubt that Senator Kennedy is in it for all the right reasons.

[Mexivoof]

Originally Posted by Mogley

Never mind!

The last individual who had no flaws was nailed to a cross.

Teddy isn't perfect no more than you or I. Did you laugh at Reagan for getting Alzheimers (I can't remeber how to spell it too

If I lived in MA (no way I'm trying that one) I would have ALWAYS voted against him; just as I always rooted against Walter Payton, but you still have to admire the person, especially at a time like this.

Go Teddy Go.

[Arnie]

Personally, I would not have deleted his post. It opened him up to a spanking & showed that he should be flushed down a sesspool, verbally.
The Kennedy family has suffered nothing but tragedy forever & Ted was just given a death sentence. His avitar appears to say it all! Mog's; you are a sad individual!

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by Arnie

Personally, I would not have deleted his post. It opened him up to a spanking & showed that he should be flushed down a sesspool, verbally.
The Kennedy family has suffered nothing but tragedy forever & Ted was just given a death sentence. His avitar appears to say it all! Mog's; you are a sad individual!

With all due respect, I completely understand the emotion behind your post, but I must disagree.

My preference (for whatever its worth) would be to keep this thread positive and upbeat.

There are PLENTY of other threads where we can get angry and be bitter with one another. (I should know, I've started plenty of them! ) I, for one, would love to see this thread be about support and positive thoughts for a man who has dedicated his life to public service. Agree with him politically or not, he needs and (I believe) has earned our support through a lifetime of service to this country.

[Arnie]

Fair enough, Stewart!
I just can't believe any *edited by mod* could steep so low when an individual was basically told: You are going to die! Personally, I vote with my pocketbook (Republican), as Dems tend to raise taxes, but I was brought up to respect all points of view!

BTW, isn't his avitar of a storm trooper sitting on the John? Not sure, as I have Glaucoma?

[MikeW]

I do not agree with his politics, but I am sad and feel for him and his family.

[Heather]

Hey, everyone. Mogley made a joke that was in poor taste. I won't defend his choice to do so, but I want to point out that most public figures of Mr. Kennedy's stature are targets of crude jokes.

His grim diagnosis is very sad and a shock to many people around the world, and the ill timing of the joke perhaps shocked some of us more than it normally might.

Mogley has taken some lumps for his arguably shaky judgment and I'd appreciate it if we could all just get back on topic in the thread. Thank you.

[Mogley]

Originally Posted by Arnie

Fair enough, Stewart!
I just can't believe any scum bag could steep so low when an individual was basically told: You are going to die! Personally, I vote with my pocketbook (Republican), as Dems tend to raise taxes, but I was brought up to respect all points of view!

BTW, isn't his avitar of a storm trooper sitting on the John? Not sure, as I have Glaucoma?

My apologies to those I offended.

Off topic: Arnie, Edit: *deleted by mod*!! Respect that point of view!!

[TeeZet]

Originally Posted by Heather

Hey, everyone. Mogley made a joke that was in poor taste. I won't defend his choice to do so, but I want to point out that most public figures of Mr. Kennedy's stature are targets of crude jokes.

His grim diagnosis is very sad and a shock to many people around the world, and the ill timing of the joke perhaps shocked some of us more than it normally might.

Mogley has taken some lumps for his arguably shaky judgment and I'd appreciate it if we could all just get back on topic in the thread. Thank you.

Wish I would've/could've put it like that. Thanks, Heather.
Sorry for the interruption, people.

[charlieiguana]

Originally Posted by StewartG

That's the thing about Sen. Kennedy. Even those who oppose him, politically, almost universally respect him, his ideals and his integrity.

There are many who enter the congress or the senate (both Republican and Democrat) who enter the legislature for less than altruistic reasons. Given the sacrifices of his family and given his lifetime of public service, I don't think anyone of any political leaning can doubt that Senator Kennedy is in it for all the right reasons.

Integrity. I will offer no more at this time, but integrity, well this is sad!

[MikeW]

Originally Posted by Mogley

My apologies to those I offended.
...

Sorry this is off topic.

But this is a rarity among posters, an apology.

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by Mogley

My apologies to those I offended.

Off topic: Arnie, Edit: *deleted by mod*!! Respect that point of view!!

Thanks Mogley, I appreciate the apology.

FWIW, my grandmother died from the same condition with which Sen. Kennedy was diagnosed. My grandmother "in law" died from pancreatic cancer. My father was diagnosed a couple of years ago with advanced prostate cancer and had to go through multiple invasive surgeries to achieve his recovery. (He is now cancer free, thank goodness.)

I'll admit, I'm a bit sensitive about this subject.

[E in DC]

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled thread.

Stewart, as a fellow unabashed liberal, I thought of you as I made the initial post. There's no one who has been a more steadfast warrior than Kennedy on our bedrock issues . . . living wages, workers' rights, health care, education, immigration reform, you name it. An all-too-rare voice for the voiceless.

But the thing is, he's genuinely liked and respected by his allies and his opponents alike. The man counts Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) among his closest friends. He's a real rarity in an era when there's so little civility in politics. (Witness the now deleted posts in this thread.)

On a personal level, my heart breaks for his family. He's the beloved patriarch of a clan that has seen far too much tragedy and loss. Assassinations, plane crashes, drug overdoses, freak accidents. I can only think of Caroline Kennedy who has lost so much and obviously just adores her Uncle Ted. What must she, his children and his wife be going through right now?

And this all hits close to home because I grew up in a big political Irish-Catholic family and we lost our dad to cancer 10 years ago.
But one of the biggest laughs we ever got, collectively, was when a friend of one of my sisters referred to us as the White Trash Kennedys.

[Mexivoof]

It is a shame what the Kennedy family has had to deal with in the last 40+ years, now one more.

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by E in DC

Stewart, as a fellow unabashed liberal, I thought of you as I made the initial post. There's no one who has been a more steadfast warrior than Kennedy on our bedrock issues . . . living wages, workers' rights, health care, education, immigration reform, you name it. An all-too-rare voice for the voiceless.

Again, agree or disagree with his political views, no one can deny the passion that burns within him. No wonder he has earned the nickname, "The Lion of the Senate."



Sen. Kennedy fighting for an increase in the minimum wage:





Sen. Kennedy on the troop surge in Iraq: