Let me preface my posting with the fact that no one should have to endure illness, hurt, hunger, depression, violence, etc. and that includes Senator Edward Kennedy. Who knows? I may need him one day.
I was watching the news this morning and there are rumblings that the Lion of the Democratic Party may indeed be making an appearance and address at the Convention this week. He and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg are very outspoken supporters of Barack - and that's great.
I have one question for those who think Kennedy is the greatest thing since sliced bread: does it matter to you that he basically murdered a young woman and contributed to the rape of another? I know everyone deserved a second act, but these legacies of Teddy are not DUIs or ventures into recreational drugs here. These are far more serious. Call it controversial, but it's true. It should have nothing to do with your thoughts on Obama, but I always wonder why Teddy has not been more ostracized. Like the fictitious Fredo Corleone, I feel as though if Jack or Bobby had not been assassinated, Teddy would have been nothing due to his indiscretions. I don't think the respect and awe he is afforded is deserved but I know that his work in Congress has certainly been lauded.
Which begs the question: is he afforded this massive respect for his work or because he is very ill with brain cancer? I repeat - no one deserves to suffer. But that also includes Mary Jo and Patricia.
UPDATE: Of course, this guy thinks it's The Second Coming.
7 comments:
liz,
wow! you really opened up a can of worms on this one!
i may have more to say later, but for now let me make these points:
1)as someone who is politically active, i can assure you that, from a purely political standpoint, Teddy deserves to be honored for his lifetime of work on behalf of the downtrodden and powerless in our society, brain tumor or no brain tumor!
2)from a legal standpoint, you are incorrect when you say that Teddy contributed to Ms. Bowman's rape, becuz a jury found William Kennedy Smith not guilty of raping Ms. Bowman. personally, i think that william *did* in fact rape Ms. Bowman, but, in all fairness to him, he had his day in court and was acquitted, whether or not i personally agree with the verdict. not only that, but i don't believe that Teddy *in fact* contributed to Ms. Bowman's rape anyway, at least not from a legal standpoint: Teddy was never charged with being an accessory after the fact or of a cover-up or obstruction of justice. exercising poor judgment is not the same as contributing to a crime.
MARIO
M:
Exactly the kind of comments I wanted! Thank you!
I too, believe that Ted Kennedy has contributed much to society and with his work in Congress. I think I mentioned it. It just doesn't parse with the parts of his life that I was talking about today. And, it has nothing to do with his illness. I just wonder if folks are whitewashing some of Ted's bad behavior because he's ill. Not saying that wrong or right. Just saying. I still feel as though he was the weakest of the three brothers and could never run for President given the Kopechne case and the Bowman case.
I am glad he and the Kennedys have chosen to remain active and place their support somewhere this election year. I just listened to all the breathless pundits this morning and was a little fed up with "ooooh, Ted Kennedy's going to speak". When I hear his name, as a non-consituent, I think of scandal and I can't help it.
No, he wasn't charged in Patricia Bowman's rape at all, nor should he have been, but many who attended that trial and read the reports feel that he basically was a "wingman" for William Kennedy Smith. It was he who invited the girls back to the compound from Au Bar, etc. Because really, people are starstruck but that doesn't mean they are asking for it. Kennedy Smith is a bad seed and it's not the first time or last time these allegations were made. I believe Ted has distanced himself as much as possible from his nephew.
I, too, believe that Smith was indeed guilty although acquitted. That happens all the time and I don't think Patricia Bowman wanted to publicize what happened to her.
Thank God for the disagreement. I needed it!
liz,
anytime, my dear friend!
re mary jo, that's a tougher one for me. teddy has been accused of not being completely forthright about what happened, which is no doubt true. however, i honestly believe in my heart of hearts that he is guilty of no worse crimes than the ones he pled guilty to: leaving the scene of an accident and not reporting the accident to the police. people have accused him of callously leaving mary jo to die when he could have rescued her. but maybe he was *not* able to rescue her. of course, we'll never know the answer to that question. but, in keeping with the american principle that a person is innocent unless proven guilty, in all fairness to teddy, i'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.
the voters of MASS have had eight opportunities since the tragedy to pass judgment on teddy via his re-election campaigns, and have re-elected him by landslides every time, which tells me that, obviously, they have forgiven him, which, of course, is certainly not the same as mary jo's parents forgiving him, which they probably never did. but, in all fairness to teddy, if the voters have forgiven him, and if no further legal action was taken against him back then, then teddy has a right to redemption, both politically and morally.
MARIO
Liz,
you will never find me defending Ted Kennedy. EVER.
I don't know a whole lot about his role in his nephew's case, but I always believed WKS abesolutely did it.
I have always though, had a very strong opnion on the DUI and the death of that woman. I think it may have been either before my time or at least when I was very young, but regardless of his health issues, he will NEVER get a free pass from me on leaving that poor defenseless woman to die. Wasn't it over a bridge or something like that?
I just think the fact that he got away with it is disgusting.
On a much lighter note:I am sorry the poor man is sick.I am usually neutral on the Kennedys.However,I have to thank him for providing some National Lampoon-style laughs when he-Ted- was caught bare-assed on a boat with his girlfriend.Thanx TED!!!Hope you get better!
M & M:
What I know of the death of Mary Jo Kopechne is that he drove off the bridge in Chappaquiddick while impaired, then ran, leaving Mary Jo (not his wife Joan)very much alive in the sinking car and apparently banging on the back window for help.
I did not Google this - but I am assuming that he had a very good reason for not getting help. Namely, a marriage.
I am not speaking today on points of law, but from a place of emotion and his treatment of women. Actually, the Kennedy family's treatment of women, which I've blogged about before as we recalled the untimely death of John, Jr. I continually come back to the word "hubris", but only because it's so very apt.
Anon: I agree!
Believe me, he will be saluted and lionized tonight. And yes, Massachusetts had many chances to vote him out of office, but I believe the Kennedys, or the idea of the Kennedys is like a dream made of Teflon and will always be.
liz,
indeed, the treatment of women by some of the kennedy men has been atrocious, to say the least, starting with Papa Joe, who had an extramarital affair with actress Gloria Swanson; JFK, whose numerous marital infidelities are well-known; and Teddy himself. in fact, on his, Teddy's, wedding day, JFK told Teddy that just becuz he was now married didn't mean that he had to be faithful--the remark was recorded in the home movie of the wedding and later heard by joan!
in addition, following the mary jo tragedy, joan happened to pick up the phone and overhear teddy talking to his girlfriend about the tragedy!
and, as you stated, teddy initially kept quite about the accident becuz of his marriage.
poor joan--i've always had nothing but compassion for her for all the hell she went thru--not just teddy's infidelities, but her son teddy jr. losing his leg to cancer. i can certainly see why she became an alcoholic. alcoholism, of course, is *never* the answer, but i'm just saying that i can see *why* she developed a drinking problem.
the worst one, of course, was WKS, becuz of what he did to ms. bowman, and, as you pointed out, that was not an isolated incident.
one of the kennedy men who did treat women with respect was JFK jr.: some of his former girlfriends were offered big money to do a tell-all about their relationship with JFK, but they all refused, becuz he had treated them with such respect.
MARIO
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