As I write this I'm sitting here watching the funeral for Senator Ted Kennedy and preparing myself to attend the memorial service for Mary Morris Lawrence.
This is a hard day. To start, it's a day that marks the passing of two incredible people; one I never got to personally know, the other I did personally know. Both changed the society they were in.
It's hard for me to accept the passing of Mary because her spirit was so powerful I can't see her as anything but here and alive. I suppose that's why it took me so long to write anything about this moment. Aside from the fact that this has been my sixth memorial or funeral this year, it's just something that's plain hard to acknowledge.
Mary was America's first female photojournalist, and one who knew many, from Orson Wells to Humphrey Bogart. But to me, Mary was always the bright buzzing light in the room that could make one statement which cut through all of life's crap and got to the point: "Zennie. I want to talk to you about that ridiculous column you wrote," she's loudly say at some gathering.
Orson Wells and Carl Sanburg (Mary Morris Lawrence)
At the time from 1993 to 1996 I was a columnist for The Montclarion here in Oakland, and like today, I weighed in with my opinions on Oakland, politics, news, and sports (tech came later). Mary read my work and kept me in check, and I loved every second of it.
Mary was hard to miss. You felt her presence in the room. For me, she was the closest thing to royalty in Oakland.
For some reason that I attribute in part to lack of knoweldge and to crazy right-wing extremist, and to Internet trolls looking for the next nasty thing to write, the topic being searched is not "Ted Kennedy" but "Mary Jo Kopechne", and her name's all over Twitter and a top search term as of this writing.
That's a shame.
I find that the vast majority of people engaging in the subject just leave inane comments without any real knowledge of the incident or what Kennedy did and why it's over. Let me help here.
Mary Jo Kopechne was a campaign worker to Robert F. Kennedy and in 1969 (July) was one of several women invited to a party at the island called on Chappaquiddick, near Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. Jack Crimmins, Kennedy's driver had brought Kennedy's car, a black Oldsmobile, to the Vineyard as well as alcohol for the weekend: cases of beer, and vodka, Scotch, and rum.
Reportedly, Kennedy annouced that he was leaving the party and Kopechne wanted a ride back home, so rather than get driver, Kennedy elected to drive her himself. Now, reading between the Boston.com lines, it seems the two may have been looking for a dark place to fool around in the car, but since they may have been tailed by a deputy sheriff and according to this research didn't remain parked when his car pulled up, they didn't find one.
Then Kennedy took a wrong turn at dark, unlit road without guardrails called Dike Road and put on the breaks, not knowing where he was, but accidentally drove into a body of water reportedly called Poucha Pond. The car was upside down; Kennedy said it was black and water was all around coming into the car.
He turned for Kopechne who too was struggling, and then tried to open the door but it would not budge. Finally, just when he thought that was it, with an apparent burst of adrenaline he escaped and swam to surface.
Kennedy said, and it was confirmed, that he did swim back underwater to look for Kopechne. Moreover, other associates did too, but the current was too strong for them to complete their mission. She passed on.
Fearful of his future, Kennedy failed to call the police, thinking that his friends who helped look for her had done so.
Kennedy: "I was the driver"
Senator Kennedy admitted he was the driver of the car and pled guilty to the charge of leaving the scene. Sighting his contributions to the community Judge James Boyle agreed with his lawyers request to suspend his sentence.
Kennedy made a mistake but made up for it
Accidents happen to everyone. It's sad to see people write about this who, if they were caught in the same circumstances don't know how they would have handled it, don't know what they would have done. If you're one of those people, the Internet trolls running around today, don't get upset if people treat you like you're treating Senator Kennedy after his death.
I for one, will not clap in glee at your tragedy.
Get this straight: Ted Kennedy had his day in court 40 years ago, was sentenced, and that was excused by the judge. You can't retry a case decades later and double jeopardy is a violation of Kennedy's constitutional rights.
Moreover, such efforts smack of the best of President Richard M. Nixon, who was obsessed that a Kennedy would come back to beat him in another election and showed a greater than normal interest in Chappaquiddick for the purpose of polluting an ever-gullible American public with false information on Ted Kennedy. That was Nixon's tactic: take the truth, bend it beyond recognition, then feed the result to people who don't care to vet it but will certainly repeat it.
In 1964 when it was unpopular to do, Ted Kennedy worked to get rid of the poll tax. What was that? It was a charge on African Americans in the South of $2 just to cast a vote. In 1966 the U.S. Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional. Kennedy took a position to help blacks that was unpopular and within my time. I was born in 1962.
It's easy for some to sit on the outside, forty years later, after Kennedy has died today, and point a finger. But it takes a basic level of character and empathy that's lacking in Internet trolls to take a look at a person's great life's work after a mistake and give credit to them for a job well done.
I just received this email from the Office of Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) containing Senator Boxer's statement on the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy:
Senator Barbara Boxer
Dear Friends,
I was heartbroken to hear of Senator Ted Kennedy's passing and my deepest sympathies go out to Vicki, his children and the entire Kennedy family.
I will always think of Senator Kennedy as the lion of the Senate. From his seat in the back of the beautiful Senate chamber, he used his powerful voice to speak out for the voiceless. He could always be counted on to champion justice, fairness and compassion — and to challenge all of us to do the same.
Personally, I will miss Senator Kennedy's warm and engaging presence, his bellowing laughter and the way he reached out to all senators in friendship.
No one will ever be able to fill his shoes, but we must honor his extraordinary legacy by continuing his life's work. The most fitting tribute we could give Senator Kennedy is to carry on his fight for a quality education for all our children, affordable health care that families can rely on, an economy that works for everyone and equal rights for all our citizens.
After I learned of the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy I created my video blog on YouTube at around 1 AM today and later found a bunch of really nasty comments about Senator Kennedy on my YouTube channel's video page.
Comments referring to events of the past and assumptions about him based on reports of his battles with the bottle of long ago. I could go on about these, but I will not. I eliminated those comments and in some cases banned the people who wrote them. I ask you all to have respect for those who have passed on, even if one can't see you or know who you are online.
Show class.
Ted Kennedy has passed on to Heaven; let him rest on his journey.
Ted Kennedy did great deeds on earth and today many will remember those acts from one who was the third longest serving senator in our history. From the creation of the Violence Against Women Act to the Children's Health Care Act, Kennedy wrote 2,500 bills, 300 of which were made into law.
According to the Boston Globe, Kennedy specialized in the art of compromise, and learned that he would have to win small battles, in a process that for me recalls learning about "incremental planning" in college at Texas-Arlington and Berkeley.
Kennedy was 'relentless' here, introducing more legislation to achieve overall objectives than most any other U.S. Senator. And he managed to do this while not making enemies. Republican Senator John McCain just said on CNN that he "could do battle with you in the Senate, and then after all the speech-making was over, he could walk over, put his arm around you and let you all know we were friends."
Senator Kennedy was a great man.
For those of you who feel moved to write something nasty, I ask that you don't. Take at least one day, heck this whole week, to chill on your primal urge to be mean. Try being nice. What good does it do anyone, including yourself, to feel your negative energy, expressed in words, for all to see? None. So don't do it.
Please respect Senator Ted Kennedy in his passing. Please respect yourself and others today.
Senator Ted Kennedy is to enter the hospital for targeted treatments on the tumor in his brain, it was reported today. That process will be followed by radiation and chemotherapy work. Two weeks ago, Senator Kennedy was sent to the hospital after a a seizure at his home on Cape Cod.
According to reports, doctors later announced that he had a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe, a brain region that governs sensation but also plays some role in movement and language.
It didn't make the SF Chronicle, perhaps because their reporter didn't get the memo , but Ted Kennedy's the secret surprise guest set to speak for Barack Obama and a perfect counterpoint to the appearance of President Bill Clinton at today's California State Democratic Convention.
Ted Kennedy To Endorse Barack Obama | Obama, Kennedy Endorsement
Sen. Obama with Sen John McCain, Sen. Joe Liberman, and Sen. Ted Kennedy
It's all over the Sunday talk shows. Just after a landslide victory in the South Carolina Primary, Senator Barack Obama scored another win of sorts with the annouced endorsement of Barack Obama for President by the Legendary "Liberal Lion" Ted Kennedy.
According to the Boston Globe, "Kennedy confidantes told the Globe today that the Bay State's senior senator will appear with Obama and Kennedy's niece, Caroline Kennedy, at a morning rally at American University in Washington tomorrow to announce his support."
The endorsement announcement comes right on the heels of Caroline Kennedy's sprited annoucement that after over 20 years of not backing a presidential candidate, she will support Barack Obama.
