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Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy dead at 77


Jahfin

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I don't have any attitude w/you I'm just trying to find out what I,judging by the tone of this thread, apparently missed. You seemed to have some info on that so I asked what it was. Sorry for any misunderstanding. :)

Apologies for the misunderstanding on my end as well :beer:

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Look here you Sick Twisted FREAK . . .

It's not the Dead that I'm concerned with ... IT'S THE L-I-V-I-N-G ! ! !

And the Dems and their Liberal Media Complex have treated Living Reps with great disrespect, and on a very regular Basis....

Sarah Palin is my first footnote in that regard ....

1. Obama

2. Letterman

3. etc....

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Look here you Sick Twisted FREAK . . .

It's not the Dead that I'm concerned with ... IT'S THE L-I-V-I-N-G ! ! !

And the Dems and their Liberal Media Complex have treated Living Reps with great disrespect, and on a very regular Basis....

Sarah Palin is my first footnote in that regard ....

1. Obama

2. Letterman

3. etc....

lulz - so true.

I was just addressing all the ruffled feathers in this thread.

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Wanna bet? This is going to be spun into a requiem for sixties idealism. No point turning a television on for at least the next two weeks.

Actually the only channels I've seen covering Kennedy, after about the first 12 hours, are MSNBC and CNN. The major networks & PBS were running regular programming very quickly. But it's been 2 months since MJ died, and every time I turn to the tv guide channel to see what's on, they're playing the Michael/Elvis thing, Michael Jackson's Entourage Where Are They Now, or some other Jackson program. The only exception is when they play Punked.

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More than half of my music listening career is a requiem for sixties idealism. If your pissing on that, don't you think you are pissing on the foundation of rock itself? Right now For Profit insurers are preventing me from any health care at all. I don't want bonused out CEOs spending health dollars on lobbyists and pay offs to politicians.

I don't want the "health insurance" industry buying TV commercials to protect their self interest. All of that is money best spent on care. Bare in mind that our system allows business owners to pit my wage directly against that of an illegal worker. That drives my wage down and gives my employer no incentive to offer me health insurance. LZ.com, I'll have you know I'm in regular contact with my Oregon reps, and universal health care is an all or nothing issue for me. I've also called a few "blue dogs" to suggest they re register as Republicans.

Employer based health "insurance" is not sustainable, and on the surface a terrible idea. I need life based health care, not employer based "health insurance". I need to be covered as I am, not rated to see if I'm an acceptable risk to the for profit matrix.

Steve, you've ruined all the enjoyment I got out of your other posts. I don't read you anymore.

I like what you said about the foundation of rock! And if it makes you feel any better, rockarolla, you're not alone on the health care issue. I've supported Single Payer for almost 20 years, and have been mailing letters and sending emails about health care to Pres Obama, members of Congress & media. I've even been thinking about moving to Canada...We have to get at least a minimum of Public Option to pass in order to get health care costs under control and provide everyone with lifelong coverage that's not tied to their job. This would also free up US companies to be more competitive with other countries and

put small businesses & the self employed on equal footing with big corporations. But it sounds like I'm probably preaching to the choir to you rockarolla-I'm glad someone feels the same way. Hang in there!

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Some comments from Ed Klein of Newsweek and The New York Times Magazine (not exactly a right winger) in the link:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2M2YWQ1ODQwNjZiOGVmZWU3MzQ2MmZmMDk4MWExZGY=

If what Mr. Klein says is true (I don't see what his motivation would be for making something like this up about a man he admired.)..........well there simply are no words.

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Take off your blinders - his remark had nothing to do with Ted Kennedy, nor was it "nasty".

He responded to the previous remark -

which was a comment on the TV coverage.

And it's hardly unfounded, does anyone need a reminder of the circus that Sen. Paul Wellstone's funeral became?

I doubt Democrats will learn from their mistakes.

I went to the Wellstone memorial and the news coverage of it didn't reflect the overall atmosphere/tone, and I think it missed the point of what the one guy in particular meant by his comments.

I thought it was a nice event overall. It was weird because we were seated upstairs and directly below us was the section for all the big shots-weird to be in the same place with all of them! I think Kennedy was probably there, but I can't remember now. Wellstone is the only politician I ever volunteered for. People are asking now who could

eventually have a similar role/legacy as Kennedy, and Wellstone is the only one I can think of.

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Actually the only channels I've seen covering Kennedy, after about the first 12 hours, are MSNBC and CNN. The major networks & PBS were running regular programming very quickly. But it's been 2 months, and every time I turn to the tv guide channel to see what's on, they're playing the Michael/Elvis thing, Michael Jackson's Entourage Where Are They Now, or some other Jackson program. The only exception is when they play Punked.

Hence my problem with the canonization of celebrity in this country. Ted Kennedy was more a powerful, influential and important figure in this country than some stupid pop singer. I'm sorry, but this overreaching and cloying melodrama over the death of Michael Jackson has gotten to the point where I wish he'd return from the dead just so everyone would shut up. For the first couple weeks, I could understand it....it was sudden, he didn't seem to have a history of health problems but now it's just too much. For God's sake, his fucked up family hasn't even buried him yet! They're probably trying to beat that corpse for all the dollars it has left.

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Not that this matters one bit because it happened so long ago, but didn't Ted Kennedy kill a woman way back then when he was a young Senator? If not killed, then took very pre-cautious steps to cover up her death? Can you imagine if something like that happened today. The negative ramifications alone would be enough to destroy someone's political career, if not send them to prison.

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It's starting already:

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office sent an email to reporters at around 2:30 a.m. today, just hours after his death, calling for the passage of health care overhaul. “Ted Kennedy’s dream of quality health care for all Americans will be made real this year because of his leadership and his inspiration,” the statement read.

Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, also issued a statement this morning calling for the passage of health care overhaul. “Let us continue his cause,” Stern said. “Let us take action this year to pass health care reform. And let us continue to build Kennedy’s vision of America.”

South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the House majority whip, said: “As we move forward with health reform legislation, his absence will be palpable. But let us use his inspirational words as our guide, to rise to our best ideals and finally provide decent quality health care to all Americans as a fundamental right, not a privilege."

I don't think there's anything wrong with naming a health care bill for Kennedy, unless that bill is for a type of health care plan that Kennedy specifically said he didn't support. He tried to get health care reform for decades, so I think it would be very appropriate to name it in his memory. I'm sure that would mean a lot to his surviving family members.

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Not that this matters one bit because it happened so long ago, but didn't Ted Kennedy kill a woman way back then when he was a young Senator? If not killed, then took very pre-cautious steps to cover up her death? Can you imagine if something like that happened today. The negative ramifications alone would be enough to destroy someone's political career, if not send them to prison.

Erm . . . gotta let somebody else take this one. :run:

Go for it, Electrophile!

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Funny you should mention this in nearly the same breath as his stance on gay rights.

I can't say I'm surprised, I just found it a bit odd is all. There's always been a divide in political beliefs in this country (as there should be) but it seems to have widened and grown even more divisive in recent years. At some point I fully expect it to result in acts of violence between supporters of the warring parties. Of course I surely hope it doesn't but that's the level of intolerance it appears to have reached.

On the "speaking ill of the dead" tip I know it didn't stop members of my own family (including myself) and friends from talking shit about my oldest brother when he recently passed. Were we all sad? Most definitely but he could be an incredibly difficult person. While that certainly made an impression on nearly every person he encountered, it won't be the lasting one. The things we'll carry with us for the rest of our lives are the smiles he put on all of our faces and the fact that one doesn't have to "toe the line" to live a fulfilling existence in this world. He went against the grain from the moment he was born and went out like that too.

Now back to the regularly scheduled Ted Kennedy bashing session.

I'm sorry about your brother.

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Not that this matters one bit because it happened so long ago, but didn't Ted Kennedy kill a woman way back then when he was a young Senator? If not killed, then took very pre-cautious steps to cover up her death? Can you imagine if something like that happened today. The negative ramifications alone would be enough to destroy someone's political career, if not send them to prison.

foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/chappaquiddick

The file known as Chappaquiddick, is also know known the Mary Jo Kopechne investigation. This investigation was opened when an overturned car was found at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in the water and Ms. Kopechne's body was in the car. Ms. Kopechne was a former secretary to late Senator, Robert F. Kennedy. It was determined the driver of the automobile was Senator Edward M. Kennedy. It was alleged he was on the wrong road and drove off Dike's Bridge, with the automobile overturning in the water. Senator Kennedy managed to get out of the car, but Ms. Kopechne did not make it out of the car and drowned.

spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKUlasewicz

On 19th July, 1969, Ulasewicz received a phone call from Jack Caulfield: "Get out to Martha's Vineyard as fast as you can, Tony. Kennedy's car ran off a bridge last night. There was a girl in it. She's dead." This phone call took place less than two hours after the body of Mary Jo Kopechne, the former secretary of Robert Kennedy, had been found in a car that Caulfield suspected Edward Kennedy had been driving.

Ulasewicz was one of the first to arrive in Chappaquiddick after the tragedy. In several cases he was able to interview several key witnesses. This included Sylvia Malm who was staying in Dike House at the time. Dike House was only 150 yards from the scene of the accident. Malm told Ulasewicz that she was reading in bed on the night of the accident. She remained awake until midnight but no one knocked on her door.

JFKulasewicz2.jpg

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Not that this matters one bit because it happened so long ago, but didn't Ted Kennedy kill a woman way back then when he was a young Senator?

Did you read this thread at all before you posted? Chappaquiddick was mentioned quite a few times. Also, he didn't kill Kopechne. The accident killed her. What made it criminal was his fleeing the scene of said accident. Had he gotten help immediately, she could have been saved. It was a horrible accident made worse by his ego and need to save his own ass. Which isn't murder, it's vehicular manslaughter and fleeing the scene of an accident. Doesn't make it any better or any less loathesome, but that's the gist of it.

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Chappaquiddick??? Chappaquiddick?? Hey, that's where they filmed some scenes from Jaws. When Roy Scheider goes on the Amity car ferry, that's really the Edgartown to Chappaquidick 'On Time' ferry. :)

air_74_ferry_1.jpg

I apologise in advance for this useless bit of irrelevant trivia.

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Chappaquiddick??? Chappaquiddick?? Hey, that's where they filmed some scenes from Jaws. When Roy Scheider goes on the Amity car ferry, that's really the Edgartown to Chappaquidick 'On Time' ferry. :)

air_74_ferry_1.jpg

I apologise in advance for this useless bit of irrelevant trivia.

And all the good whaling stories begin at Nantucket......

Apologies

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Actually the only channels I've seen covering Kennedy, after about the first 12 hours, are MSNBC and CNN. The major networks & PBS were running regular programming very quickly. But it's been 2 months since MJ died, and every time I turn to the tv guide channel to see what's on, they're playing the Michael/Elvis thing, Michael Jackson's Entourage Where Are They Now, or some other Jackson program. The only exception is when they play Punked.

Not sure what you're watching, but every broadcast network news (ABC, NBC, CBS) are easily over 50% Kennedy-related items, interspersed with other breaking news, especially their morning shows.

GMA has Chris Cuomo on location in Kennbunkport.

No, they aren't pre-empting regular programming, but they certainly will for the funeral, which is basically the same procedure they used for MJ.

As for the MJ stories 2 months later, that's standard cable fare - it's their bread and butter. Whatever's recent that they can piece together all their old clips into a finished piece that will sell commercial time.

The Kennedy stories will be forthcoming, it's a pretty set cycle.

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Hence my problem with the canonization of celebrity in this country. Ted Kennedy was more a powerful, influential and important figure in this country than some stupid pop singer. I'm sorry, but this overreaching and cloying melodrama over the death of Michael Jackson has gotten to the point where I wish he'd return from the dead just so everyone would shut up. For the first couple weeks, I could understand it....it was sudden, he didn't seem to have a history of health problems but now it's just too much. For God's sake, his fucked up family hasn't even buried him yet! They're probably trying to beat that corpse for all the dollars it has left.

Well, alternatively, Jackson was a more powerful, influential and important figure around the world than this career politician. Either way, the canonization of celebrities and politicians is misguided.

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I went to the Wellstone memorial and the news coverage of it didn't reflect the overall atmosphere/tone, and I think it missed the point of what the one guy in particular meant by his comments.

I thought it was a nice event overall. It was weird because we were seated upstairs and directly below us was the section for all the big shots-weird to be in the same place with all of them! I think Kennedy was probably there, but I can't remember now. Wellstone is the only politician I ever volunteered for. People are asking now who could

eventually have a similar role/legacy as Kennedy, and Wellstone is the only one I can think of.

What I saw was not limited to a single person, but many different speakers, all of which used it as an opportunity to fire relentless political jabs and basically turned it into a Democratic pep rally.

Maybe if Wellstone had been an inconsequential political figure like Dennis Kucinich, it wouldn't have seemed so inappropriate.

But from everything I understood about him, Wellstone was a stand-up guy who actually made a difference and showed the respect for his office that, unfortunately, more and more politicians fail to do. It seems he did way too much in his life to have the memorial for his death cheapened by political grandstanding and raw opportunism.

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