With the passing of Eunice and Ted Kennedy recently I feel compelled to recount my own special relationship with the Kennedy Family.
Years ago I was flying from Worcester Massachusetts to Philadelphia. I was flying in a small commuter plane and had an aisle seat. Directly across the aisle I noticed a member of the Kennedy family sitting there. Cool I thought. I wanted to talk to him but small planes like that are very loud and it’s difficult to carry on a conversation so I didn’t try. Plus I’m sure if I’d waded into a real conversation about politics or whatever with someone like that, he’d realize I was an ignorant bumpkin, which I is.
When I got back I told a friend that I’d sat beside a Kennedy on a plane. They asked the obvious question-‘Which Kennedy?’ Well, I honestly didn’t know. The guy looked like a Kennedy though and that’s what I said. I answered: ‘ … uh … well, he looked like a Kennedy.’ At that point my friend did the obvious thing and laughed. A few weeks later however I was vindicated. There was a TV documentary telling what the children of JFK’s generation were up to and the guy I say across from was the assistant district attorney of Philadelphia. I can’t remember his name now but I had indeed sat next to, or at least across the aisle from a Kennedy. That’s pretty much my relationship with the Kennedy Dynasty.
Speaking of the Kennedys and to be serious for a moment, I was watching Ted Kennedy’s funeral procession and wondered if most news channels were broadcasting it. I flipped through the channels a bit and they all seemed to be. I was a bit curious as to what Fox News might say about the passing of the ‘Liberal Lion.’ They’d have the good sense to be respectful wouldn’t they? Well, as soon as I turned the channel I heard them wondering aloud about Ted Kennedy meeting the criteria to be interred at Arlington. I had only been watching a few seconds and heard this. Honestly. Of course they preceded their comments with phrases such as ‘Some say that’ and ‘others say’ to appear that they were ‘simply reporting’ what someone else said and wouldn’t sound quite as disrespectful. You may or may not like him but there is no real debate as to whether or not Ted Kennedy can be buried in Arlington Cemetery. Those unbiased, fair and balanced people at Fox News couldn’t resist slighting the man as he is being drawn to his grave.
What incredible assholes.
I am biased, I liked Ted Kennedy. The one thing I really liked about him was that regardless of its demonization over the past 30 years, he embraced the word ‘Liberal.’ He didn’t cower away from it as does pretty much every other ‘progressive’ politician does now. In the end he was human. He had his flaws but allowing himself to be bullied into shunning the characterization of ‘liberal’ wasn’t one of them.