Orange Juice blogger Paul Lucas and U.S. Senators Paul Wellstone and Ted Kennedy
“Sen. Edward Moore Kennedy, the youngest Kennedy brother who was left to head the family’s political dynasty after his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, has died at age 77,” according to ABC News.
The man known as the “liberal lion of the Senate” had fought a more than year-long battle with brain cancer, and according to his son had lived longer with the disease than his doctors expected him to.
R.I.P. Senator.
Thank you for all you have done for the loss fortunate, for civil rights and for all Americans.
You will be missed.
God bless.
Now Massachusetts can get some real representation.
RIP
Three words in remembrance:
Mary. Jo. Kopechne.
God have mercy on Ted Kennedy’s soul.
Yes!!! The muderer/womanizer/drunk/anti-American weasel of weasels is dead!
I agree, Cook, maybe that messed up State might actually pick someone good…you don’t have to raise the bar very hight to do better than Ted Kennedy.
Medicare
Medicaid
School lunches
Federal student loans
Funding for mental health research
Meals on Wheels
Federal student loans
Funding for cancer research
Funding for developmental disabilities research and support
Head Start
Civil Rights
International human rights advocacy
The Northern Ireland Peace Process
Increased minimum wages
The Voting Rights Act
Legal Services
Immigration Reform to open up access to non-Europeans
The Americans with Disabilities Act
Access to Health Care
Constituent Service
Constituent Service
Constituent Service
Constituent Service
Gay rights and marriage equality
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Funding for stem cell research
The Cape Cod National Seashore
And a presence in the Senate for nearly one-quarter of the body’s
existence.
Whatever you may have thought of his private foibles, no one can deny that something on this list of accomplishments that Ted Kennedy championed which has touched each and every member of this group and his or her family for the better.
The Lion Sleeps tonight. May you rest in Peace Mr. Kennedy.
He will be remembered as a fighter for the things he belived in and for standing up for those who could not stand up for themselves.
Red,
Nice list…. if you look at it, most of those “accomplishments” have to do with taking money away from one person, and giving it to somebody else.
Medicare
Medicaid
School lunches
Federal student loans
Funding for mental health research
Meals on Wheels
Federal student loans
Funding for cancer research
Funding for developmental disabilities research and support
Head Start
Civil Rights
Increased minimum wages
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Funding for stem cell research
The Irony is, as well all know he was pushing for Socialist healthcare for many many years…… While Romney was governor of Mass, they changed the Law to have an election, to a Senate opening. (didn’t want Romney to appt a Rep if Kerry was elected) Now that they have a Dem as Governor, they have to vote on filling the seat…. Wouldn’t it just be “Over the top” Irony, if a Rep gets elected, and is the 41st Vote to Block the Health Care Bill?
Jim you are right, He will not be remembered for SWIMMING For those who Could not SWIM for themselves!!!
“Private foibles”????
Looks like all is forgiven as long as you are a liberal, even negligent homicide, philandering, character assassination and a lifetime of frat-boy behavior.
That was distasteful.
No one is excusing the private actions. But today is aday to celebrate and commemorate the life of someone who served his country and his state and championed the disadvantaged.
That is just it red, His Private Actions are Who he was! It is easy to champion the disadvanaged with other peoples money! And Public Service? Really? This is the same guy, who when running for President, and was asked WHY he wanted to be President, HAD NO ANSWER! Seriously……
By the way, if he was such a “Champion of the poor” how much of that Mulit- Billion dollar forute was left to the poor????? I guessing somewhere between, go pound sand, and 0…
well maybe today is not the day . but lots of good points on here . i am no way a fan of T. K. IN FACT I HATED HIM . i thought he got away with murder back then and got a slap on the wrist because of who he was . i disagree with his politics 99% of the time .
We’re way better off without this jerk. Remember what this a**hole did to Robert Bork.
“Nice list…. if you look at it, most of those “accomplishments” have to do with taking money away from one person, and giving it to somebody else.”
Well bigmark, which one on the list would you take away?
Please don’t forget me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jo_Kopechne
May God grant him the same peace he gave to the Kopechne family. I think ACDC has a song about the street Teddy is now on.
The lion is at rest.
His leadership, his vision and his passion will be missed.
“It is easy to champion the disadvanaged with other peoples money!”
So are you saying the charity organizations are “easy” or not worth mentioning because they’re using “other people’s money”?
The “other peoples money” argument is often used by Rush Limbaugh. It’s a silly and shallow argument, and it amazes me how many people would regurgitate what they hear from talking heads on the radio and TV.
It’s simple, we trust our elected officials to spend our tax money in a responsible way that will benefit our society/country as a whole. Whether we spend money assisting the poor, build arms, go to war or send astronauts to the moon, we are spending tax payers money. Guys like Limbaugh keep their mouths shut when the government is spending money on programs they like, but then scream “OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY” when it comes to programs they don’t like. I guess it’s safe to assume that most politicians pay taxes as well, and therefore, when they decide to spend money on something, it is also their money. Instead of saying “other people’s money”, a better description would be “our money”.
Of course, you have every right to dispute their decisions and criticize a spending program. But focus on the relevancy of the program and not deter attention to the “other people’s money” argument, which frankly is meaningless.
By the way, this is not only the case for government, but true for publicly traded companies as well. IF the governing body of Microsoft decides to buy Yahoo for $50 billion dollars, they will use the company’s money. Which means that to investors/owners of the company, they’re using “our money”. Some will cheer and celebrate the decision while others will disagree and dispute the decision. Either way, you won’t hear anyone using the “other people’s money” argument.
I was glad to have met him when I did. This picture was taken in the spring of 2002 just months before the tragic death of Sen Paul Wellstone. Both of these gentlemen spoke with me for fifteen minutes after a hearing on student loans. They were very down to earth and spoke plainly and very openly. Had I not known who they wrre it would be like having a conversation with two regular guys at the coffre shop or tavern.
Lam, your thinking is the problem, our Constitution was written to limit what they may spend money on! It is very specific!
The problem, charities, and companies don’t get their money by Taking under threat of force. I do many hours of Non-profit work, and own an investment firm. All of it is Based on Free exchange of capital, my charity or microsoft cannot get your money unless you give it to me, I cannot take it from you.
The government takes it under threat of force. If I do not pay my taxes, I will be put in Jail.
It is easy to be for stuff! It is hard to pay for it with your own money
I am for a minimum wage of $1000 per hour for everybody!
I am for Free Heathcare!
I am for a house on the beach for those who do not have one!
I am for Steak dinner twice a week for people who are hungry!
I am for free education for everybody!
I am for Cars for everybody!
I am for free transportation, for everybody
I am for peace
I am for life
I am for employment for those who want it
I am for clean sheets for every child
I am for jobs for everybody
I am for clean water
I am for clean air
II am for 6 weeks vacation
I am for 1,000,000 per year in pensions for everybody
I am for anything that makes your life better!
Is that better? Oops, but who will pay for it?
Bigmark
Again, I ask you, from the list above that RV listed for Kennedy, which ones would you take away? I’m not saying you’re right or wrong, I just wanted to know where you stand.
As far as taxes, as I’ve said, government spends our money and often we little people have very little to say about it. Welfare, war, arms, space… when you like a program, does the thought of “other people’s money” or “who will pay for it” ever cross your mind? No, of course not. Because when you like the program, you then believe that the cost doing nothing is greater then the financial cost of the program. You believe that the mission is worth it. But when you don’t like a program, then all in the sudden you preach “other people’s money”. All I’m saying is that “other people’s money” is a given. The question is do you think the program, whatever it may be, is worth the cost? Focus on that.
Bigmark
An example of what I’m saying is this: Bush spent 10 billion dollars a month on Iraq (that we know of), he also “spent” or used the lives of our soldiers to fight. Whether I agree with him or not on the war, I have to believe that he genuinely believed he did what was best for the country. That the financial cost and the lives sacrificed were worth it.
So we can argue or debate on whether or not we should have gone to Iraq, but I would never accept the argument that perhaps it was easy for Bush because he used other people’s money and lives. I think you should give Kennedy the same respect for various programs that he believed in.
Medicare – About to go bankrupt
Medicaid – Bankrupt
School lunches – What do they eat during the summer?
Federal student loans – Can be done privately
Funding for mental health research – Private, make a profit on it
Meals on Wheels – Private, or charity
Funding for cancer research -what has this gotten us? Private
Funding for developmental disabilities research and support- Private
Head Start- Private
Civil Rights -No $ involved
Increased minimum wages- Telling me how to spend my money, and will not allow me to contract for my own labor
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Funding for stem cell research-Seriously
Uh, I would say if you gave this list to Jefferson, or Madison, they would say no to all of them.
It warms my heart to see common sense and conservative principles displayed on The Juice… sometimes it gets lonely…
#24,
The reason we are the number one political blog in Orange County is simple. We offer a diversity of opinion. You won’t find that on the local blue and red hack blogs.
Yes, Ted was quite a liberal. I will remember him for his efforts to help Latinos. Gracias Ted – vaya con Dios!
WTF, it really does get lonely…last post was mine…not logged on. Oops
As soon as his cancer was detected, I noticed the immediate attempt at the “canonization” of old Teddy Kennedy by the mainstream media. They are saying what a “great American” he is. I say, let’s get a couple things clear & not twist the facts to change the real history. In other words, let us not let our sympathy for his illness get in the way of truth.
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 in 1959. 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 payout 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”.
#27 wft?
Cut and paste, cut and paste, cut and paste. A better of description of your post would be plagiarism. Is this what you do? You see something on the web and you pass it on, pasting it as if it were your own words and thoughts?
#26 Bigmark, from your response, you would cancel:
medicare
Medicaid
School lunches
Federal student loans
Funding for mental health research
Meals on Wheels
Funding for cancer research
Funding for developmental disabilities research and support
Head Start
Increased minimum wages
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Funding for stem cell research
At least I know where you stand. Thanks.
“And Public Service? Really? This is the same guy, who when running for President, and was asked WHY he wanted to be President, HAD NO ANSWER! Seriously……”
Oh I see, so in order to provide public service, you must be or want to be President?
The question was asked of him before he announced his candidacy, so I can see why he was uncomfortable. He did screw up on the answer, that’s for sure. But maybe the simple answer is that he didn’t want to be President. Maybe he ran for President because his brother was a famous President, his other brother came close to be President, and so he thought he should their footstep. He made a mistake, he’s more at home in a the Senate seat. How does that affect his quality as a public servant?
lamp pho are you a lib wft post on here who cares if its pasted those are facts or do you have a problem with facts . we know facts are like a disease to libs .
#30 great one, I’m not even sure what a “lib” is?? Can you define what a lib is for me? List some of the major issues that separate a “lib” to the “conservative”. And please, try to use your own words, but if you need to cut and paste, I’ll understand. Just use “quotation marks”.
Thanks
well lets see . libs are for illegal immigration . entitlements , programs , higher taxes ,take from the rich to give to the poor , pro gay marriage , pro choice , those are a few i can think of from the top of my head .
thank God ted Kennedy is gone! he passed afirmative action / equal opportunity employment so I a white man couldn’t buy a job! may he rest in H**l!
#32 Great one
illegal immigration – I’m not for illegal immigration
entitlements programs – There must be hundreds (I guess) of programs. I support some and not for others. Even the programs that I support, I don’t necessarily support them at the current level.
higher taxes – I don’t support higher taxes, although I understand that sometimes it may be necessary. I hope not though.
Take from the rich to give to the poor – I don’t necessarily feel this way… but I do think that the tax code is wayyy too complicated. Personally, I want a flat tax rate for everyone.
pro gay marriage – tough issue… I’m sitting on the fence on this one.
pro choice – Yes I am pro choice on this very difficult issue but I would be happy to debate anyone on it.
lam pho thanks their are some tough issues out there
#27
WTF?
Thanks for the real history on Ted Kennedy. I sometimes wonder who was the worse, John, Robert, Teddy or the old man??
Here are some pictures in memorial of Senator Kennedy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132×8614183