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Friday, August 28, 2009

I Didn't Know Kennedy

This weekend one of the most famous politicians will be buried, Ted Kennedy. I'll be honest, I really didn't know much about him until recently. I knew his brothers, I'm not that big of a moron. And I know about the history of the Kennedy family.

I know that some will bring up Chappaquiddick and his early years as a womanizer as a means to distract people for what Ted Kennedy stood for, those in need.

The entire Kennedy family stands for those in need. John and Robert were killed trying to help others. I find it ironic that Ted Kennedy died of an illness despite having the best medical coverage any American would love to have.

Ooops! Did I mention healthcare?

Truth is that many Americans would not have been able to survive the cancer Kennedy had because they don't have the same type of healthcare. That's what Kennedy had been fighting for for so many years. Give those in need good healthcare.

In Kennedy's case his illness killed him anyway. But, he fought and he fought hard. Our country stands at the door of a great opportunity. It seems, at times, that money is the only reason we don't walk through that door. When our country wanted to find WMD's, (still looking), money was no object at a billion dollars a day for six years. Why do we allow this?

When each of the former Kennedy brothers died the country went into reflection mode. Maybe during those moments of reflection the eyes of critics were opened to what the Kennedys were trying to accomplish. Maybe in the weeks to follow those who oppose healthcare reforms will open their eyes, open that door and walk in.

The following words are from Ted Kennedy's eulogy of his brother Robert. What an honor it would be for anybody to say such things about us.

My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.
Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: 'Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.'

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poignant comments Mark. Thank you for posting one of my favorite quotes at one of the most painful times in our lives.

Mark Ploch said...

I feel like I missed knowing the true impact the whole Kennedy family had and has on this country.

I can't think of too many other families that they could be compare with.

Scott Plocharczyk said...

I love comments from fellow senators that say, "He was a man for the people."

I think, why don't those senators become men for the people too.

Mark Ploch said...

Here's a quiz

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/20/health.care.quiz/index.html

CFandl said...

Ask the Kopeckne family and the relatives of those killed at the Bay of Pigs what they think of the Kennedy's.

I hope this whole b.s. myth of Camelot finally goes away. The Kennedy's championed causes as a means for gaining power. Their family's wealth (obtained in many corrupt ways) allowed them to do so.

Mark Ploch said...

And there's the wet blanket. Who had 12:39?

Mike said...

The 'wet blanket' has a point here. The Kennedy name did come with a 'look the other way card' that at the time of Camelot got a lot of use.
Let's face it, if Blago or George Ryan or even the average Joe were driving the car at Chappaquiddick and didn't report the accident, they would have gotten a lot more than a 2 month suspended license.
Still, I really believe the family were good and decent and were in it to help people witch is a lot more than I can say for most politicians.

PeaKay40 said...

Good blog Mark.
Every statement made here has some validity. Be it good or bad it is what it is.
The kind of things that happened to the Kennedy's or the Blago's or whoever.....Some others on this planet have done foolish things (especially in their youth) that they more than likely are sorry for. The Kennedy's because of their money and will to be in the limelight did things that many nobodys do on a regular basis. We do however never hear about them because the media knows that covering the nobody's doesn't sell
papers or warrant the need to watch the news.
All in all the Kennedy's have also done a lot of good and I'm sure that future Kennedy's will also do
many more good things.
Seems to me that the media should start to cover the GOOD STUFF, no matter who does it.

Tim said...

Didn't Teddy cheat at Harvard? I also believe he knew more about his nephew's rape situation than was ever disclosed.

He was never in the same league as his two older brothers. Personally, I don't think he ever really wanted to be President. I don't blame him either.

Mark Ploch said...

I realize that the Kennedy's were no angels. I just think that when you weigh the good vs. the bad the good side wins.

Scott Plocharczyk said...

But, unfortunately, the bad side left somebody dead.