The Thing You Now Know About Priests...

[BeachGirlFLA]

Again, I will repeat that I am not politically aligned with much of what Senator Kennedy believed in. And certainly his behavior after the Chappaquiddick incident was abhorrent, as has his behavior been at many times throughout his life.

But, there are many things that make up the human psyche, the human condition, a human being. We all have faults and foibles...some more than others. For all the "bad" he did, I would like to think that he also did some "good"...perhaps in an effort to "make up for" his failings.

I have no idea what was in Senator Kennedy's mind or heart throughout the years with regard to his failings...none of us do. And as I said earlier, now it is up to his God to judge.

I completely agree with you and his son's story about sledding after losing his leg to cancer definitely choked me up.

 

[C.Ann]

Not like he was a president? He was much more than a president. He spent decades in the Senate and created and signed most of the bills and laws we have today. We have better healthcare, school systems, programs for the poor, the elderly, the working class and the disabled. And much much more.
Aside from everything he did in the Senate, he was the last male Kennedy of that generation.

Tourists from around the world spend $$$$ just for a 45 minute boat tour to get a glimpse of the Kennedy Compound. What was special about Ted, is that he sailed the waters as if he were your nextdoor neighbor. Always a hello and a wave if you passed by. He never thought he was better or more powerful than anyone else.
If you listened to any of the comments being made by friends, you would know he was the first to pick up the phone and call everyone for birthdays, newborns, illness or any exciting news. His friends LOVED him and he had thousands.
RIP Ted...

From what I understood one of the main reasons everything ran behind was because of the weather. They had to wait for the planes to get clearance. Remember there were so many members of congress and other dignitaries flying out of Boston you can be sure they didn't want to take any unnecessary chances.

I thought it was a beautiful and very moving service. I thought the Kennedys showed a lot of class. Ted Kennedy Jr.'s speech really broke me up. I also have a son who had bone cancer as a child so I felt a special closeness with their family.

Actually, a Catholic funeral Mass is usually about 1-1.25 hours for a "regular" person. Add to that his 2 sons & the President speaking, in addition to multiple grandchildren doing the intercessions, in addition to a longish (but by no means the longest I've ever heard) homily, and I am amazed they got out of there in 2 hours.

My understanding was that the weather slowed things down more than anything else...we had some pretty lousy weather up here in the Northeast yesterday and when one is attempting to move the Kennedy family, en masse, from one state to another, I can see how delays would happen...there are a lot of them and they were battling the weather.

The Cardinal at the gravesite wasn't that long-winded either, as far as graveside Catholic services go...a bit longer than average maybe, based on the fact that he was a Kennedy and there was a lot to say about the man, but not as horrifically long as some of you folks, perhaps unfamiliar with Catholic rituals, may think. I liked that he read the Senator's letter to the Pope and part of the Pope's response back...again, for a Catholic, that is very meaningful. The senator's letter seemed to speak of his knowledge of his own failings, and I will leave it to God to deal with that as He sees fit.
I will say from my perspective that I think it went pretty well and was quite well-orchestrated for what they had control over...and let's face it, none of us control the weather.

I can appreciate his long tenure in public life/service without necessarily agreeing with his politics....but I was happy for the glimpse into him as "Dad" and "Grandpa", and "Uncle" and "substitute father" for his family. One of the speakers said it had to be a hard mantle to bear to carry the weight of that family, with their triumphs and tragedies, on one's shoulders, but he did try his best to that, I think. It's easy to lose sight of the person when one begins to think of him as an "icon".

As far as the length of the day...a long day, no doubt,

But realistically, I think the better explanation for the length of overall day was the logistics complicated by the weather.

May he rest in peace.

It was a beautiful, touching service - all of which I recorded..

The strength of his wife Vicki - for the past week or so - has been nothing short of amazing.. The sincere appreciation she showed to everyone who came out to pay their respects - from the high ranking politicians to the little people on the street - would have made Ted very, very proud..

He had his faults - as do all humans - and yes, a young woman lost her life.. However, in looking at the tragedies he himself has endured - over and over and over again in the years following that fateful night - I would be hard pressed to say he suffered no "punishment"..

His legacy is one of accomplishments during his years of service - just as it should be..

RIP Ted..

 

[emdav]

I didn't watch but l love your use of the word filibuster.