U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, 1932-2009

Posted: 08|26|09 at 6:36 am by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
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pascal
August 26th, 2009 at 6:18 am
The world is now a better place.
Indy4U2C
August 26th, 2009 at 6:20 am
Pascal, you very correctly describe it! The world is a better place.

Ted, before you go to our Maker, I hope Mary Jo speaks to you!
Think Again
August 26th, 2009 at 6:33 am
Wow, Abdul. First post out of the box. I guess I should've expected it.

Ted will meet his maker calmly, I suspect. And because he's likely sought forgiveness, he'll be ushered into the Kingdom promptly.

Now, if you want to point fingers, pascal, I've got a big one to point at a living man or two. Apply your holier-than-thou attitude to our immediate past president, and his veep. Both of whom forced horrid lies on the world, at the cost of countless lives and hundreds of billions. All for a testosterone-driven dream full of nonsense.

Selective indignation works. Let Kennedy rest in peace for at least a day.

How sad it must be to wake up as sour as both of you do. You're going to have a long eight years. Got enough Rolaids?

RIP, Sen. Kennedy. Have a beer with Reagan today. And Tip, and some of your old Congressional buds who have passed on. Pay no attention to the folks who will besmirch you on mortal earth. They're in their own world anyway.
patriotpaul
August 26th, 2009 at 6:42 am
Many of our leaders lead morally bankrupt lives. The electorate always has the choice of not re-electing them.
anji219
August 26th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Please, this is nothing compared to the hateful people that will come out of the box and outright cheer when Bush and Cheney die.
Shorebreak
August 26th, 2009 at 8:19 am
I guess the media finally found something to replace the healthcare debate. Now we'll get a week of canned commentary and the expected left/right lies that solidify voters into their respective camps, further preventing us from uniting against our rapidly emerging “top down” (read: Unconstitutional) centralized national leadership.

As far as Kennedy is concerned, I have my opinions about some of the things he's done (or not done – we're just as responsible for omission as we are for commission) but my sincere hope is that our maker judges him with mercy and compassion. If not, I guess I have to expect no mercy for myself as well.
wilson46201
August 26th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Stay classy, Jocelyn Tandy. Stay classy!
melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I see him and I see an adulterer and guy that got away with murder.

I've heard it said that the point of life in this dimension is to give us the experience of forgiveness. That doesn't mean we forget.
Rico
August 26th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Ted Kennedy has likely sought forgiveness?? While it doesn't surprise me, Think Again, that you're a fan of his, I didn't realize you could see inside his heart and head. Mary Jo actually had footprints on her body where Teddy stepped on her to save his own ass. What a guy!
And since when is it 'holier than thou' to expect someone to pay for his crimes?
Fact Checker
August 26th, 2009 at 11:50 am
What a barren group of individuals who are posting here today. Rejoicing over the death of one of our great leaders……doesn't partisanship end at the grave……..lies, lies, lies I would have expected this out of Rico but some of the others are very disappointing.
melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
People said the same kinds of things about OJ who got away with murder. I think it is a universal that folks don't think you should get away with murder and be rewarded with nearly 40 years in the U.S. Senate.
wilson46201
August 26th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Read the U.S. Constitution. Voters in Massachusetts repeatedly chose Ted Kennedy as their Senator. Repeatedly. Their choice. Repeatedly. You can whine in Indiana but Massachusetts voters repeatedly chose Ted Kennedy as their Senator.
melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Wilson, I'm not whining. I'm explaining to Abdul why people aren't particularly mourning here over Kennedy. Hoosiers aren't real keen on murder or adultery.
neccia
August 26th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
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varangianguard
August 26th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Aren't there enough living politicians to kick around without beating up on the recently deceased?

Perfect people excepted.
wilson46201
August 26th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Melyssa Donaghy getting huffy and haughty about ADULTERY? That's funny! LOL
Rico
August 26th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
You're a moron, Fact Checker. Nobody on here is rejoicing over Ted Kennedy's death. Some of us simply refuse to let others re-write history and canonize the guy.
Indy4U2C
August 26th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
…and the point, Wilson?

Here in Indy, with a gerrymandered district, ghost votes, and the ignorant sent Julia, our very own “Fool on Capitol Hill” to congress…
IndyErnie
August 26th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
No one is rejoicing at Everyman (or Woman) For Himself Ted's death. But we don't have to agree with the rewriting of his spoon-fed legacy either.
Re-elected in Massachusetts or not Wilson the guy was an ass. He was an abuser, a cheater, a murderer and he never asked America to forgive he just expected forgetfulness.
Is the world a better place because of his death? NO!… but it isn't a better place because of his existence either.
Fact Checker
August 26th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I agree with you Wilson….Melyssa, complaining and getting all self righteous about adultery……come on, Melyssa, even for you, that is absurd. Perhaps we could have a discussion of some of the GOP adulterers, Ensign, Vitter, Sanford, etc …etc and I wont even name some of the local names….Let the dead rest in peace!!
Think Again
August 26th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Well, Rico, there you go again, mis-reading and jumping to conclusions. I never said I was a fan of his. And no one is re-writing history to note that Sen. Kennedy wrote more enacted legislation than all but two people in history. Some of it bad, by your account, some of it bad by my account, but some of it good by many accounts. And where do you get these urban legends (footprints on MJK's body)? You seem so eager to repeat them ad naseum.

As for his seeking forgiveness, he said as much in an interview 20 or so years ago, published in GQ, in an otherwise very unflattering article. I can only take him at his word…so I didn't have to look inside his heart. As much as you try to ascribe certain powers to me, I cannot do that.

Wilson, to be perfectly fair, Melyssa's side interests, as I understand it, do not include adultery, but a particular fettish or affectation some people enjoy in their sex lives. I think that was the whole point of her zoning fight, but I culd be mistaken.

Anji: I won't rejoice when Bush and Cheney die. That's not how I roll. Vengeance is a particularly ugly trait, and it rarely accompanies grace or wisdom. It does seem to have a healthy presence among the far-right, for some reason I do not understand. But I will continue to insist that Bush and Cheney be held accountable for their lies while on earth. Which were numerous and damned near criminal, as well as costly. Hell, they probably were criminal. The fat lady hasn't sung on that score.
melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Wilson? The 5 years I worked as a dominatrix, I was celibate as a conscious decision. My practice was based in teaching chastity and chaste relationships and most of the work I did involved couples' therapy. You ever been celibate for 5 years?
melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
And Fact Checker…both parties are full of adulterers. Think about this. If they could cheat on their wife or husband, who are people closest to them that they pledged at one point to love, imagine what their moral compass would allow them to do to people they've never met.
wilson46201
August 26th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
That's definitely a PhD statement: Piled Higher and Deeper!
And your failed sex shop on Massachusetts Ave. was simply selling “marital devices” to encourage conjugal bliss? Sure you were! (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
patriotpaul
August 26th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/qhywrnbhpq–...
patriotpaul
August 26th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Fact Checker, It's not just the local dead. Some adulterers are alive and still inserting themselves (pardon the pun) and still expect to influence others. I hope this is not a new requirement to climb the political ladder.
Rico
August 26th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Attacking one's opinions on here is one thing, Wilson, but to make pronouncements about a poster's personal life on here is beneath even you.
melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Wilson…My boutique was in The Chatham Center, not on Mass Avenue. I did not sell sex toys…there are shops that do that already. I sold very high end leather goods, fine art, and role play props. The next door neighbor, a guy named Clay Miller, hated my landlord because he was planning to redevelop the space into a condo building. The neighbor was also President of Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association. I was used by Clay Miller to attack my landlord. Clay Miller still attacks my ex-landlord with frivolous lawsuits. City zoning inspected my store and took 100's of pictures. Read the damned report filed at City Hall. The shop was not a sex shop…at least according to city code. The shop made a small profit and was not shut down by the city. I voluntarily closed the shop at the end of October 2005 after being open less than 1 year because I couldn't get the thing to pay me more than $15 an hour to keep it open.
melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
My boutique was located inside a building at the corner of 9th and East Street where the old LAMP Art Gallery used to be. That's not Mass Avenue and shows you just how little Wilson knows about anything.
patriotpaul
August 26th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
While the electorate realizes we don't elect pristine ministers or preachers to political office, we still expect them to have high standards for conducting themselves. If a representative or anyone thinking of running for office has a grave moral failing, such as adultery (and you know who you are), that undermines our faith in his decision making, he should resign on principle. But that would assume he had principles to begin with wouldn't it!
Think Again
August 26th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Melyssa, I was trying to delicately point out Wilson's error. As usual, you did so so much better and eloquently.
pascal
August 26th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
——————————————————————————–

Subject: Teddy Kennedy

Let us pay our respects to “The Lion of The Senate”

From: STEPHEN V.N. YATES

Because I know he was your “hero” and a pillar of the Catholic Church…

The Last of The Kennedy Dynasty

As soon as his cancer was detected, I noticed the immediate attempt at the “canonization” of the old reprobate Teddy Kennedy by the mainstream media. They are saying what a “great American” he is. I say, let's get a couple of things clear and not twist the facts to change the real history.

1. He was caught cheating at Harvard when he attended it. He was expelled twice, once for cheating on a test, and once for paying a classmate to cheat for him.

2. While expelled, Kennedy enlisted in the Army, but mistakenly signed up for four years instead of two. Oops! The man can't count to four! His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to England (a step up from bootlegging liquor into the US from Canada during prohibition), pulled the necessary strings to have his enlistment shortened to two years, and to ensure that he served in Europe, not Korea, where a war was raging. No preferential treatment for him! (like he charged that President Bush received).

3. Kennedy was assigned to Paris, never advanced beyond the rank of Private, and returned to Harvard upon being discharged. Imagine a person of his “education” NEVER advancing past the rank of Private!

4. While attending law school at the University of Virginia, he was cited for reckless driving four times, including once when he was clocked driving 90 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood with his headlights off after dark. Yet his Virginia driver's license was never revoked… Coincidentally, he passed the bar exam in1959. Amazing!

5. In 1964, he was seriously injured in a plane crash, and hospitalized for several months. Test results done by the hospital at the time he was admitted had shown he was legally intoxicated. The results of those tests remained a “state secret” until in the 1980's when the report was unsealed.. Didn't hear about that from the unbiased media, did we?

6. On July 19, 1969, Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts .. At about 11:00 PM, he borrowed his chauffeur's keys to his Oldsmobile limousine, and offered to give a ride home to Mary Jo Kopechne, a campaign worker. Leaving the island via an unlit bridge with no guard rail, Kennedy steered the car off the bridge, flipped, and into Poucha Pond..

7. He swam to shore and walked back to the party, passing several houses and a fire station. Two friends then returned with him to the scene of the accident. According to their later testimony, they told him what he already knew – that he was required by law to immediately report the accident to the authorities. Instead Kennedy made his way to his hotel, called his lawyer, and went to sleep. Kennedy called the police the next morning and by then the wreck had already been discovered. Before dying, Kopechne had scratched at the upholstered floor above her head in the upside-down car. The Kennedy family began “calling in favors”, ensuring that any inquiry would be contained. Her corpse was whisked out-of-state to her family, before an autopsy could be conducted. Further details are uncertain, but after the accident Kennedy says he repeatedly dove under the water trying to rescue Kopechne and he didn't call police because he was in a state of

shock. It is widely assumed Kennedy was drunk, and he held off calling police in hopes that his family could fix the problem overnight. Since the accident, Kennedy's “political enemies” have referred to him as the distinguished Senator from Chappaquiddick. He pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, and was given a SUSPENDED SENTENCE OF TWO MONTHS.

Kopechne's family received a small pay out from the Kennedy's insurance policy, and never sued. There was later an effort to have her body exhumed and autopsied, but her family successfully fought against this in court, and Kennedy's family paid their attorney's bills… a “token of friendship”?

8. Kennedy has held his Senate seat for more than forty years, but considering his longevity, his accomplishments seem scant. He authored or argued for legislation that ensured a variety of civil rights, increased the minimum wage in 1981, made access to health care easier for the indigent, and funded Meals on Wheels for fixed-income seniors and is widely held as the “standard-bearer for liberalism”. In his very first Senate roll, he was the floor manager for the bill that turned U.S. immigration policy upside down and opened the floodgate for immigrants from third world countries.

9. Since that time, he has been the prime instigator and author of every expansion of an increase in immigration, up to and including the latest attempt to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. Not to mention the pious grilling he gave the last two Supreme Court nominees, as if he was the standard bearer for the nation in matters of “what’s right”. What a pompous ass!

10. He is known around Washington as a public drunk, loud, boisterous and very disrespectful to ladies. JERK is a better description than “great American”. “A blonde in every pond” is his motto.

Let's not allow the spin doctors make this jerk a hero — how quickly the American public forgets what his real legacy is. Let’s keep this going for truth, justice and the American way.

STEPHEN V.N. YATES

But, I haven't run this thru Snopes to see if it is accurate in every detail. Mr. Yates misses all the loose money that was floating around the plane crash nor does he mention the Indiana connection of Senator Bahy in said plane with all the money laying around-of course there could be an innocent reason for that money laying around. One ought not speak ill of the dead is the general rule but one ought not ignore 40 years of lying and media coverup either.
John Howard
August 26th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
People watch TV shows like Dancing with the Stars, Extra!, World's Wackiest Car Crashes. Repeatedly. The shows get rated at or near the top of the ratings. Repeatedly.

Lots of people smoke cigarettes. Repeatedly. Despite having serious respiratory problems and knowing it will kill them if they keep lighting up.

There's no implicit 'quality' or 'goodness' in large numbers of people doing the same thing, repeatedly.
wilson46201
August 26th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Sad to see some folk equate our precious American Constitution and history to a trivial TV show. Patriots died for our Constitution and the right to vote — sadly, some now blow off our right to freely elect our representatives in our democratic republic.
George Washington weeps…
Melyssa
August 26th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Gotta hand it to Kennedy though…he was working the Hill practically til the day he died.
Taxpayer 834512
August 26th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I'm sure you'd agree it's nothing short of “sad” to see the “trivial” regard some have for what's in our Constitution- and not within it. A “right” to health care for instance.
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I'm not a big Ted Kennedy fan to say the least. But, their family sacrificed to protect our country. I thank them for that.
wilson46201
August 26th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
1. “for the general welfare”
2. “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”
John Howard
August 26th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Wilson exhibits a miniscule level of reading comprehension. Repeatedly.

Wilson produces an irrational and disjointed monolog. Repeatedly.
patriotpaul
August 27th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Well, guess what. The Democrats are already trying to politicize the death by converting the health-care bill to a 'legacy' bill for Kennedy. They may even call it the Kennedy health-care reform bill.
Rico
August 27th, 2009 at 6:57 am
The irony is Kennedy would have been dead a year ago if he had been a victim of the 'healthcare reform' he was trying to force upon us. (Maybe 'hypocrisy' is a more appropriate word than 'irony'.)
Think Again
August 27th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Pascal…are there black helicopters outside your window?

The Bayh connection is well known and reported lately. There was no mention of “all the money laying around” because it's urban myth. I've directly asked Birch that question. His loud laugh was proof enough for me.

Just like the Kennedys paying the Kopechne family's legal bills.

Not that those facts will change your mind. But in the post-obit firestorm, all the anti-Kenendy articles will flourish in NetWorld. Have at it. It's mildly irritating and, to be honest, mildly entertaining. Mostly to see where this wacko trian will go next.
Taxpayer 834512
August 27th, 2009 at 7:15 am
At the risk of making this as ponderous as recent dictionary interpretation, I agree there are Contitutional excesses by Republicans that we could both agree upon. But, I equally disagree that “…promote the general welfare…” and “…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Declaration of Independence) make the explicit case that over two hundred years in the political ebb and flow of interpreting these documents is wrong.
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I understand the “moral” appeal of it and sympathize to an exetent or would not be a community volunteer, etc. I'm missing the “Constitutional” link.
pascal
August 27th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Is that the same Birch who STILL owes money to honest folks? I seem to recall financially supporting him by donating money to his first senate race but it was money down the drain as he didn't really pursue the policies that he promised (sorta runs in that family?) Holding one's nose concerning any of the Kennedy's is not related to the death of this one. Bobby, race card California, Jack in the shack (too many to count) and this dead slob have their own records and have been an embarrassment. You certainly wouldn't want your kids to emulate these.
Fact Checker
August 27th, 2009 at 8:52 am
We need to hurry and get healthcare reform so some of the psycho cases can get back on their meds.
BlackIrish
August 27th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Cloudt comes to mind. My heart has a very empty feeling, I don't know if I can exist without a Kennedy in power, I have spent my entire life loving and admiring this beautiful group of people. No other family on earth has the power to make me feel secure, no one – No One ever messed with the Kennedy's and the USA. Most of the creepy, whiny pussfied politicians in Washington today make me feel ill, not one real man amongst the crowd. Ted Kennedy simply reeked with class, dignity and power, a great statesman, never to be replaced. All of these weasels on the internet with their friggin snooping and Snopes are an absolute joke, a bunch of loser turds. I'm damn glad they're not running this country. Who needs the details completely checked out to the inth degree. These folks need to be on the front lines in Vietnam where our troops learned a great lesson – you don't need to know what your not supposed to know! Power is what gets it done just ask Ronald Reagan, George Bush, they secretly adored the man. most people dream of having his stature – he was a political giant. Back in the day, when he was partying like a madman, times were great, he was such a awesome badass – he personally controlled most of Congress. We'll miss the man…his good looks, incredible charm and of course his famous smile. The world mourns his passing, so sad to loose the one and only real American Idol! By the way, “No One” but Ted & Mary Jo know true details of the car accident, end of story! All of your speculation has brought nothing to the table except you still don't know what happened, it's really none of your business – the families worked it out to their satisfaction – end of story, so get over it! You have no idea who was paid off, you're all just speculating, and stabbing in the air. I think it's really neat that the two families were able to keep you vultures out of it. RIP Ted Kennedy! You win, game. set, match….Now it's back to business, Joe P Jr. for Senate!
IndyErnie
August 27th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I think I'm gonna puke…gagg..gagg…spewwww!!
Rico
August 27th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I agree, Ernie. What a bunch of childlike, sycophantic drivel. BlackIrish is a disgrace to the Irish (and probably Blacks too).

TA: A laugh from a former senator being asked a sensitive question is proof enough for you?? Wow, you're a hard sell. It's no wonder you're buying everything Barry says hook, line, and sinker.
BlackIrish
August 27th, 2009 at 11:43 am
So, go puke you out your soy milk you wussie! Mr. Yates is another story, you want to talk about a pussy looser and poser. He spews nothing but a bunch of beat up old useless suppositions and completely slanted political crapola at the masses – obviously blinded by the fact that his personal beat down is for naught, you aint man enough to take one of our most fearless leaders. Besides, what have you done in your life that would allow you to be in the same room with such a magnificant individual as Senator Ted Kennedy!!!!
Rico
August 27th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Now, thats sum goooood ritin'!
BlackIrish
August 27th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Bro! Sycophantic…May be you are right, come to think of it I do think of Ted Kennedy mirros General Swatzkorff, George Bush and Ronald Reagan; so I guess I am a parasite of both our rich and famous leaders!
Rico
August 27th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
uh….forgive me, but whaaaaaaaaa?
IndyErnie
August 27th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
“what have you done in your life that would allow you to be in the same room with such a magnificant individual as Senator Ted Kennedy!!!!”

I guess nothing. I haven’t killed a female co-worker while drunk yet.
IndyErnie
August 27th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
What the hell did he just say?
pascal
August 27th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
The Indiana Senator was then a part of the coverup as noted in Senatorial Privilege, by Leo Damore, good reading, all 400 plus pages of it. Now that Ted might be experiencing global warming you can expect a lot more documentation about the POS this slimeball was and how little “his” media reported on his slime. Come to think of it, John Edwards, the recent vice presidential candidate, hasn't pushed Mark Sanford out of the sights of the media. How's about it, Think Again, why is Sanford in the news for what he did and Edwards is on page gadzillion? Shall I detail for you the John Edwards story that you don't know about?
wilson46201
August 27th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Some folk discuss politics — others like Rico and pascal are like old biddies gossiping over the backyard fence!
IndyErnie
August 27th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
“old biddies”? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black…
Shorebreak
August 27th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Here's a perfect synopsis of the Kennedy's and how the public responds to them:

I remember one time when I was tipping back a few schooners with a couple of buddies at the old Fish Market in Old Town, Alexandria. That was back when their taps still said “Old Milwaukee” and Natural Light”. Today their taps say “Fish Market” and “Fish Market Light”, but between you me, they changed the taps but haven't changed the product :) . Next time you're over that way pay them a visit and order the calamari. You won't be disappointed.

But getting back to the story, we were young and dumb and all of the rest of that stuff. We were suited up and “pre-gaming” before heading over to M Street for a night at the bars. The old northern VA gentry crowd was starting to fill up the place (and we fit in, since we were the private school offspring of the old gaurd etc) when the big, old glass door opened up from the sidewalk and a small gaggle of beautiful young ladies began gliding into the room, along with one very lucky young man.

The Fish Market comprises the first floor at one end of a very old building, across the street from the Potomac. It's rooms are on the small side for a large restaurant, but there are many of them and all are decorated in a quaint colonial style. The main bar is no different. The room is relatively small with a U-shaped bar and small tables along opposite walls. The bottom of the U faced the street and that's where the entourage of young ladies and lucky guy planted themselves. Us four or five handsome young guys in coat and tie were lined up alongside the bar, staring enviously at the guy who was clearly the center of attention for all of the women. That's when one of my pals said “You've got to be F'n kidding me”.

He was referring to William Kennedy Smith, who had just been acquitted of rape charges down in Palm after a night drinking with his uncle Teddy. We tabbed out and left, along with over half of the bar crowd. In the meantime, a small gaggle began to form, asking for autographs.

And that's how it's been with the Kennedy's. Most people either love 'em or they hate 'em. I'll say one thing – they're not lukewarm. I don't know if that adds any value or not, but it's a fact. As far as the rest of my night, I have absolutely no recollection of what happened so I assume it was a great time. I'll save the reflection pool story for another occasion, since that was a different night.
Think Again
August 28th, 2009 at 4:19 am
Pascal: I don't know what you're reading, but Sen. Edwards's ethical slips were well-documented in the dailies I read: WSJ, IndyStar, Miami Herald, ChiTrib, NYT, ven foreign newspapers.

The SC governor's actions are news because he's still governor, for reasons known only to God and South Carolinians. And because they wonder if he did, or does, use state resources to fund his trysts. And because he's one of the far right's darlings–he was even chair of the national GOP Governors until last month–and he's waxed poetic in the national media about values and the liberal left's apparent lack thereof, in his eyes. Fair fodder.

I cringed at your mention of the tome by Mr. Damore–long ago discredited. His other book, Senatorial Privelege, made him a current-day darling of the far right. Alas, he was a tortured soul, and sadly took his own life by handgun in 1995. I've talked directly with the elder Sen. Bayh about this “money” issue. There was no money lying around. Period.

Again, I'd ask–are there black helicopters buzzing around your home, and, for that matter, Mr. Damore's? They're looking for your birth certificates.
Fact Checker
August 28th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Wilson. I think old biddies just gossip…..Rico and pascal spew hate, venom, lies and are always looking for a way to undermine our way of government…….they are NOT two harmless old biddies gossiping over the back fence…….
pascal
August 28th, 2009 at 10:10 am
The money story can be verified but it wasn't in Damore's book. I wonder if liberals will forgive Vick, all he did was kill dogs. And, I'm interested in the discrediting of Mr. Damore. What reputable person did that? And, if they want my birth certificate, I can produce it on USA paperwork vs that of some other place.
pascal
August 28th, 2009 at 10:24 am
http://tomroeser.com/ a good source for more on Teddy without all the hate and venom and, actually, speaking the truth about the recently deceased. As you know the Senator so well, Birch, can you ascertain if he ever made good on the debts he incurred? You know, promised to pay folks for meals, hotels, etc. etc. but sure drug his feet or maybe even actually stiffed these people? I do remember a guy named Branigan who asked about getting a bunch of folks together and to retire the embarrassing debts. But, embarrassment is relative? They didn't seem to bother Birch just as Kennedy antics (all of that ilk) don't bother you. Hope your kids don't turn out that way.
Taxpayer 834512
August 28th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I'm no happier with the South Carolina governor than the late Senator. But, unlike the governor, Senator Kennedy is now the “one for the Gipper” symbol in the next wave of trying to shove 1000 legislative pages down our throats.
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If you want to Senator Kennedy to receive some respect in death, fine, leave him be instead of making him the latest label on a dog food can the public doesn't want to buy. You want to “reform” health care? Fine, let's get down to bipartisanly reforming it based on some of the concessions the President has wrested from some of the players, not seize ownership of it from the free market.
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With the choices of corrupt free markets or corrupt government-ownership, which has the rat's chance in hell of reform versus zero?
Rico
August 28th, 2009 at 11:59 am
It is folks like us, (Fact) Checker, who are trying to defend and protect our way of government (at least what's left of what our founders intended). It is your hero Barry who is attempting to dismantle what made this country great. Are you even paying attention to what's going on? Are you such a spineless creature that you don't mind the government making all your decisions for you?
Some of us, unlike yourself, aren't willing to grab our ankles and let this dangerous administration give it to us. Now, shouldn't you be watching the view or something.
BlackIrish
August 28th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Government- Give me abreak the USPS for $0.44 picks up your mail at your house and delivers it to Wyoming – Jon Stewart

Who says our Frederal Govenment is sooo friggin evil and inept, hell half of your relatives are probabaly on the payroll as we speak helping our great country to maintain it's world domination as a Superpower.. Ride on Senator Kennedy, We LOVE you and will till the end of time, because we in the middle class think you have the purest reputation of always being of the people and for the people – long live your legacy, Yes, my man I can rest assured you that your lifelong deeds will hound those conservative basterds forever and ever and your greatness will never be forgotten, Teddy, you are my Hero! To the damn poor people who can't afford to to be on the internet making their statement, you also their hero and always will be, put that in your damn pipe and smoke it!

Senator Kennedy
wilson46201
August 28th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
pssst: Hawaii has been a state in the U.S.A. since August 21, 1959.
John Howard
August 28th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
The USPS delivers that mail to Wyoming without billing trillions to the American Taxpayer. That would be a good lesson for Congress – priviate enterprise working without taxpayer subsidies. Of course, for maybe $300 Billion in Congressional payola I guess we could get postage down to 20-25 cents so everybody could afford it.
Matt Stone
August 29th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
John, a post office is actually part of the duties of government specifically named in the Constitution. Without USPS, the private market would eliminate many routes which just can't make a profit at all.

I'll fully agree that any fat in the USPS' budget that is there should be trimmed. My gut instinct is that the salaries for mail carriers, and benefits, are a bit high for the job they do (but if those benefits and salaries are tied to a lower rate of people quitting, I could be persuaded to support them). But I think ensuring that citizens are able to get their mail in a timely manner, if they live in an urban city or are farmers out in the country or doing manual labor out in Alaska, is essential to a nation such as ours.
pascal
August 30th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
It is a bit belated for this thread but I don't recall the MSM covering this noted aspect of former senator Kennedy. http://catholiccitizens.org/press/pressview.asp... Of course, one can always complain about the source bearing the news as is often done on this site by posters. If one says that liberals stink their first impulse is to deny the observation rather than checking with their own noses. Meylssa has enough steel and intellectual advantage to pass over the ad hominem stuff posted by people who can't challenge her facts/observations. Folks who bother with the short post cited here ought be interested in knowing that both sentators from Mass. worked with communists and against American interests. There is a word for people who do that.
BlackIrish
August 30th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Pascal, Pascal..come on didn't you mean to say not one word but “two” words: Ronald Reagan – like who provided arms to the Sandaista rebels or Dick Cheney slyly positioning the US to win gigantic middle east oil rebuilding contracts all while acting the part of a warrior on the other front as a cover, you are on Afgan opium to call out Teddy for dealing with the enemy when George Bush and his low life corrupt investment bankers and his slimy partners in kind such as TX based cash cow no bid contracts Halliburton & Co and the rest of the slim of the oil induustry damn near ruined the world's economy! Thank God for Obama, at least he's an honest and forthright individual who's trying to right this country back from the Republican's friggin train wreck. Clinton had to overcome te same mess…Damn Republican sell out the Democrats every time on the way out of White House. Keep stimulating the economy, it's the only way forward, Dems can't stop to point fingers, thy don't have time, we we're in so damn deep when Obama took office it was frightening, history will set this crap right, it will take time to sort it out. George W. Bush was the most unenlightened Prez ever to hold office, over and out!
pascal
September 1st, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Traitor is the one word.
wilson46201
September 1st, 2009 at 8:42 pm
“pascal” is wise to use a pseydonym online. That way he can be totally whacked out and rave about American Senators being “traitors”. If he dared to use such language personally and openly in civilized company, he'd be shunned and abhorred by decent citizenry… here he can hide and cower while venting his hatreds and fears. Poor miserable soul!
Blackirish
September 1st, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Wilson46201 – I totally agree with your comment, your my kinda person, can I get an Amen! Pascal, you can bite the big one.
pascal
September 1st, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Traitor is the one word.
wilson46201
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:42 am
“pascal” is wise to use a pseydonym online. That way he can be totally whacked out and rave about American Senators being “traitors”. If he dared to use such language personally and openly in civilized company, he'd be shunned and abhorred by decent citizenry… here he can hide and cower while venting his hatreds and fears. Poor miserable soul!
Blackirish
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:26 am
Wilson46201 – I totally agree with your comment, your my kinda person, can I get an Amen! Pascal, you can bite the big one.

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