Forum Index
»
Off-Topic
Ted Kennedy Passed Away
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
A close relative of mine died of a brain tumor. It is a terrible, terrible illness and death. Heartbreaking for the people who love him. This is a disgusting comment. |
Anonymous
|
Honestly, some of you women are sick. And I suspect that most people around you have no idea how horrible you are. Which makes you liars. And I bet you consider yourself people of faith, no? Which makes you hypocrites, too.
I'm guessing that you have done things in your life you regret; would you like those things to be the things for which you are judged and remembered? TK did many things he regretted, I'm sure, but he spent the majority of his life creating policy that improved lives and engaging in gestures that helped people. I won't list them all here. Get some help for your disproportionate rage and ugliness. You have no perspective. |
Anonymous
Yes, I've known rich people who never volunteered and who spent their lives enjoying their money without a thought for others, so the Kennedys deserve some credit. But not any more credit than the average public-service oriented family, that is true. |
Anonymous
|
Wow, the pp(s) who is on the rampage to prove how awful Ted Kennedy was in the midst of others expressing sorrow at his passing really should consider whether her main goal is to tell the truth or to get attention for herself. There is at least one (possibly more) poster on this site who likes to make bombshell statements designed to elicit outraged reactions. You think you're serving the cause of truth but what is really going on is that you are riling up people and enjoying the negative attention you receive from your bombshell statements.
You need to look more closely at your motivation for what you say and at the possibility that you may be doing it because you need the drama. You think your comments are about telling the truth. In reality they're about you and your need for attention. |
Anonymous
|
The previous poster is right. Although TK has a flawed past, it doesn't exclude him from being an awesome advocate for families and the underprivileged. I for one, have taken advantage of COBRA and FMLA. Most moms I know, if they're financially able and it's available, take advantage of FMLA to it's max. I was able to spend 4 months with my son after he was born, and without FMLA, I would have had 8 weeks. I mean, really, recognizing his accomplishments doesn't indicate you had great respect for the man, or even like him, but that he did great work for families.
|
Anonymous
And that he was married with two children and a baby on the way when this happened. Oh yeah, his wife had a miscarriage shortly after the funeral of Mary Jo. He passed a lot of good legislation but he also led a very reckless life who destroyed many people in the process. Thank cannot and should not be overlooked. |
Anonymous
|
"True, but that's because most of us are holding down full time jobs and not living off of trust funds. Is it really that hard to perform charity work when you've never had to worry about a real job, retirement, your children's education, etc. Is it really that hard to attend cocktail parties and fundraisers and receive constant adulation from people like you? We're not talking Mother Theresa here. It just cracks me up when people go on and on about how great this extremely privileged family is. I know plenty of people who get up everyday, go to some crappy job with long hours and still manage to act decently to others AND do charity work. I don't consider the Kennedys to be better people."
I see your point, but the difference with people like the Kennedy's or other rich folks, is that they truly have the chance to make broad, big changes through their influence. Yes, it is wonderful that the single mom who is struggling finds it in her heart to still volunteer at the soup kitchen or take extra food she has cooked to the homeless guy on the way to work. And those kinds of deeds are what make the world go round, truly. But people like the Kennedy's are able to use their good deeds to influence bigger changes, like changing laws, enacting policies etc. I'm not really sticking up for Ted or the Kennedys in general. I also get sick of the allure a little bit. I think Ted was a good man and I'm sad for his family. But, if the world didn't have families like this - and "trust fund" babies who grow up and choose public service or charitable giving instead of doing nothing with their lives, the world would be far worse. |
Anonymous
Thank you PP, for understanding what I was trying to get at, even though I didn't word it very well. |
Anonymous
|
I have mixed feelings about Ted Kennedy. It is sad for a family when anyone dies, no matter what the circumstances.
The thing that bothers me is how people laud him for doing all these things to help the "average joe", when the Kennedys broke all these rules to ensure that they would have a "Legacy". Ted Kennedy was kicked out of Harvard for cheating on a Spanish exam. He then spent two years in the army and then returned to Harvard to complete his studies. Many people do not get such a second chance. When JFK was elected president, a family friend held JFK's senate seat until Teddy was old enough to run for office in a special election. Chappaquiddick -- enough said He got an annulment for a marriage that lasted 20+ years and produced 3 children. I am a Catholic and while there are some cases for invalidating a marriage, I think it is wrong to do so after one has had children via the marriage. He had a long history of womanizing -- the 60's, 70's, and 80's, but always professed to be devout Catholic. He worked to change Massachusetts law in 2004 so that when a Massachusetts senate seat is vacated, a special election is required to fill the seat and the governor is no longer allowed to appoint someone to temporarily to fill the seat. He fought for this change so that Republican Gov. Mitt Romney would not be able to appoint a Republican to fill John Kerry's seat, if Kerry won the 2044 presidential election. After being diagnosed with brain cancer, Kennedy and his family had been appealing to get the law changed backed, so that the current governor, a democrat, could appoint someone so that the Democrats would not lose their super majority in the senate while waiting for the special election. Finally, many many people in the Senate worked on all these laws discussed here, nothing done in the Senate is a one man show. |
Anonymous
Excellent post. Yesterday, his family lost a father, a husband, an Uncle and a grandfather. For that, I am truly sorry. I have been through the death of a loved once from cancer and it is a tragic way for anyone to go. On the other hand, I think the media coverage is over the top. I wonder if John McCain will receive the same kind of coverage when he dies? Somehow, I don't the press will be as forgiving of his mistakes in life. |
Anonymous
|
I knew him. My husband worked for him. So did my boss. The Senator worked his staff very hard, but he worked much harder than any of them. He didn't need his salary but he earned it five times over. And he would have done the job for free.
The staff and alumni phone tree has been like a reunion, albeit a tearful one. I learned by email first-- and my husband knew immediately what had happened when I said "oh no," and touched his arm before handing my Blackberry over. Senator Kennedy knew the names of the Capitol elevator operators' spouses and children and would ask about them. Sometimes he'd make his staff crazy by getting off schedule to spend time with a witness who had traveled to DC to tell their story of discrimination, or hate violence, or loss of health care. He gave these people spontaneous tours of the Capitol. Everyone who works for him gets one of his beautiful watercolor paintings as a gift when they leave. My husband's is over our fireplace. I'm so glad that we have it to look at right now. The Senator has sent me personal thank you letters just for doing my job, advocating before his committees. He has thanked me and my staff for helping him help us fight for civil rights. Other members of Congress will occasionally call your boss with kudos, but he sends these letters. He remembers your name and what you have done. Senator Kennedy regularly received requests for help from people all over the country, many of whom didn't know the names of their own senators but knew that even if they don't live in Massachusetts, he is really their senator, and their champion. He and his staff always responded and often made significant efforts. Every 18 year old who voted, every proud new citizen who benefitted from the 1965 immigration act that wiped away racist quotas, every woman who wants a fair wage, every dish washer whose meager wages are now a bit more, everyone whose civil rights were protected because Robert Bork is not on the Supreme Court, and many others owe him a debt of gratitude. My husband has lost a father figure who came into his life not long after my husband's own father died of the identical form of cancer. It makes me think about how fragile our lives are, and how precious. I'm very sorry for his wife, who did great things for his health and his happiness. She has suffered an unimaginable loss and is doing so with grace. In the civil rights community, we are all wondering who will lead, who will speak, who will rally us, and who will ever again understand our humanity and share our vision of what this country can and should be. It doesn't bother me that so many people are saying vile things about him because the people who truly know him love him deeply, and he gave every one of us the strength to know that our regard, and the deep rewards of his work, were enough to sustain him. It is enough to know that all around the world right now, there are people typing tributes of love and respect, with tears in their eyes. |
Anonymous
| Beautiful, 11:27. Thanks for sharing that. |
Anonymous
Yes, what a lovely note. Thank you. |
Anonymous
Thank you for writing this. I'm so sorry for your loss. |
Anonymous
Hear, hear. I had tears in my eyes reading your beautiful post. Thank you so much. |