RANT: Responding to the Kennedy funeral

>I was struck this past week by the positive images and stories being told by the family and friends of the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy. >His life knew more than its share of tragedy, ambiguity, and even disgrace. >But his life also had lots of good stuff to counterbalance all the drama
I was struck how the rich and powerful are able to skate away from the tragedy they cause. Mark Steyn called it “Airbrushing out Mary Jo Kopechne”. I thought perfectly described it.
I grew up during the Camelot era. A product of Catholic schooling, everyone was enamored of the first Catholic President. Then over time, the inside joke got out. The sordid family history leaked out around the edges. Never an expose. Just an inside joke.
I was shocked — “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca — to see Boston’s Cardinal Archbishop in the proceedings. Money talks; principles walk!
I followed the MJK story and an older wiser relative summed it up: “If you did it, you’d be in prison for a long time. But a kennedy, nothing will happen!” He was absolutely right.
Teddy was not a paragon. He was a typical “Liberal”. “Good for thee, but not for me.” He was born with all the advantages wealth could bestow. The womanizing, drugs, drinking, and such wouldn’t be so bad. Bad enough! But mainly self-destructive. He went to new depths when he killed a young girl in a particularly horrifying fashion (i.e., it took her an estimated FIVE hours to drown while Teddy sobered up and covered up)!
Where he really negatively excelled was in his role as “Senator”. He was the classic “Liberal”. He “knew” what was good for us! That ego would drive policy that would impact millions but not him. That’s the egotism of “liberals” that are “superior” to all the little people. He was a person who had it all given to him, and yet pretended to know what we all needed. In a different time, he’d not have survived. Somehow, in ours, he prospered. Guess it’s pretty easy when nothing, even murder, sticks.
My problem with him was that: (1) He masqueraded as a Catholic while active in the pro-abortion movement. That’s called giving scandal. We were always taught that was the worst sin. (2) He proscribed solutions while carefully exempting himself. Do you think he had Massachusetts care like an ordinary taxpayer of his state get mandated? (3) He had a particularly obnoxious habit — lately reported in the “liberal” media as if it were “cute” — of asking “if anyone had heard any good Chappaquiddick jokes”.
No, I wouldn’t call it drama. I would call it the tragedy of a wasted life. And, I fail to see the “good stuff”. He was a poltroon — where he was because of his family money, power, and influence. Like the modern day “super star” athletes, who should thank their lucky stars every morning, he should have been … … better.
Maybe great wealth is a great curse, but he certainly let it carry him down.
I think this is a motivator. No matter how much you are born with, you have to earn it. No matter how little your born with, you can do better.
It makes me sad. But not for the reasons on TV! Sad for what could have been.
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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 11:37 and is filed under Ranting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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