Mary Jo Kopechne - Ted Kennedy was punished; leave him alone

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com



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.

Ted Kennedy was a hero

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.

Such should be done for Senator Kennedy.

Senator Barbara Boxer on Senator Kennedy

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

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.


Barbara Boxer

Ted Kennedy to be buried 95 feet from RFK

I just listened to CNN's Barbara Starr explain that Senator Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy ,who passed way this morning after a battle with brain cancer, will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery just 95 feet from his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and near President John F. Kennedy.

 

John, Robert, and Ted

Starr briefly mentioned the requirements for being buried at Arlington National Cemetery , so I checked for more information.

Part 553 of Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations sets the criteria for burial at Arlington. The website lists the "eligibility for internment" and the list mostly covers those who served in the Armed Forces and Presidents of The United States.

Senator Kennedy served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1957 and was senator, which qualifies him for burial at Arlington. Moreover, and this is not within regulations but according to CNN's Starr something the Kennedy family discussed with Arlington officials, his brothers are buried there and when his conditioned worsened last year, efforts were made to form a plan for burial at Arlington National Cemetary.

Video on CNN

Ted Kennedy's legacy: please don't tarnish it

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 dies - a great American in my life

I happened to wake up in the middle of the night, well, at around 1 AM, looked at my email, and saw the CNN news alert that Senator Ted Kennedy passed away of brain cancer at 77 years old. So I got out of bed and made this vlog.

I did so because Ted Kennedy was a big part of my life and generation. No. I never met him; always wanted to but I didn't place a high priority on making that happen. Frankly, the idea of Senator Kennedy passing on just wasn't one I could wrap my mind around.

But it happened.

Ted Kennedy is one of the greatest elected officials of our time. He's great because he cared and fought for people who did not have what he had. He's great for his staying power. And, yes, he's great because he was a Kennedy.

 

Senator Ted Kennedy

He's the last of "the brothers" to grace our time and my life. JFK was killed one year after I was born. Bobby Kennedy was murdered in 1968. JFK jr. - who I had high hopes would become, and really did achieve the level of, a force in "entrepreneurial politics" with the magazine "George" passed suddenly in a plane crash with his wife in 1999. Then there was Ted, the survivor.

Ted Kennedy for me will be remembered for a number of great acts and legislative works. One of them, The Violence Against Women Act that he co-wrote and worked to improve over the years.

But for me, Senator Kennedy will always be remembered for endorsing then-Senator Barack Obama as 44th President of The United States, when many believed he would back then-Senator Hillary Clinton. His move changed the course of the 2008 presidential primary and history, too. Barack Obama became the first African American president of the United States.

Ted Kennedy. A great American in my life. A sad day it is.

Why the UFL has a better shot at success then prior attempts at Professional Football Leagues.

Welcome to another session of Dr. Football's class called "Viewing Pro Football 421", a 4th year undergraduate class. Today's topic: Will the UFL be successful in todays market?

Sure it's been done before. Another Pro Football League, you laugh. No one can touch the NFL, you say. But what if The UFL isn't trying to "compete" with the NFL, but rather enhance the ability of people to watch live the greatest game ever played?
So you think I'm nuts too don't you?You must think I'm inhaling too much field chalk. But look at it this way: when was the last time you went to an NFL game? Do you remember how much you paid to get in? To buy your kid a pennant (or if you were lucky, a game program!) or a T-shirt? Don't even think about a jersey! Or NFL licensed Baby Booties! Forget it!! (before i obtained a press credential i was paying $70 per ticket, 5 dollars for a game program and 5 dollars for a 32oz. bottle of water. I hear it's $80-$85 now for the cheapest seat in the Meadowlands).

The UFL changes all of that. Tickets for 20 Bucks a game, in quality venues! Affordable prices(for today at least) at the concessions. No Kid, you're not dreaming, this is the real UFL and if you Live in NY it's coming to your house soon.

Ok so it's in the middle of the week, but didn't you say you were football starved? You just can't watch another season of the local college teams. You don't think you can put up with the team in Green and White that can't seam to make up their minds about who the QB is. The team in Blue with the shortage of starters even though they had a great draft and did well in free agency already missing too many players in training camp. Not that I'm saying "don't follow your favorite team anymore," hardly that. I'm just saying open yourself up to the possibility of another pro football league being able to entertain you this fall.

Let's step away from NY for a moment. Did you ever think Las Vegas would get an NFL franchise? For years the NFL wanted no part of the Sodom and Gomorrah that is the gambling culture of Vegas, yet now they allow teams to back state run sports themed lottery tickets(that is for discussion in another article). Give the UFL head honchos credit for jumping all over the Vegas market, as well as Orlando. The Vegas team will attract fans from parts of California, Arizona, and Utah as well. As for Florida, a former co-blogging partner of mine who spent a good deal of time growing up there once told me "you can never have too much football in Florida."
Although Orlando is only 105 minutes from the greater Tampa area, there is a huge void to be filled there and in other parts of the country with the loss of the Arena Football League as we knew it.

Let's sum it up for today shall we: More pro football is good, not bad, as some would suggest. It doesn't "water down" or "short change" the great game, as a few suggest. It gives the fan(and Player and Coach!) more options on more days of the week to watch the game, as well as for you young folks to learn about the game. Why would anyone argue with me about that? Class dismissed, now go watch some football!

Vlogger Saran Austin's back in SF Poken party

Vlogger Sarah Austin - who looks like a (she's gonna kill me for this) kind of cross between Britney Spears, Chelsea Clinton, and Heidi Montag - invited me to her coming back to San Francisco party Monday evening. (Yes, yesterday!)

Now, you may be saying "Who's Sarah Austin" - good question. She's a micro-celebrity tech vlogger who gained her fame from appearing first on Justin.tv and now has a livecasting show on Mogulus. The difference between what I do and what she does is she's not a political commentator and focuses more on tech. To that end, she started her own site Pop17.com and has drawn a range of guests from the tech industry and has Ford Motor Company (she's an "agent" of The Ford Fiesta Movement), Virgin America, Perkett PR and TechCrunch news blog as sponsors.

Sarah is a study in how to make vlogging a business and her party was no exception to her example. Held at the office of ZaudHouse Design Group in Portrero Hill, it attracted a group of about 50 friends and family members, and almost all of the friends were in tech. There were the usual suspects like my friend Cathy Brooks, who manages to turn up at every single tech event in the Bay Area. And there were folks I didn't expect to see like my friend digital video producer "Turbo Ted" - Theodore Terbolizard - who must be Oakland's only Republican!

But what was fun for me was to see this new product called Poken. I'm going to feature it in another blog post, but the idea is to exchange information with someone else as you would switch business cards. In this case, let's say you and someone has this small device called Poken. It's designed like a tiny plastic four-finger hand. When you and the other person touch the hands - "Hi Four!" - green LEDs in both light up, meaning you've exchanged information. When you go back to your home or office and plug into the USB port of your computer, the site is called up where you can sign up and if the other person signs up or is already there, you have their business contact information.

Sweet.

The party became a kind of "Hi Four" fest for a time, until we got to the part where the raffle was held (I won another Poken), and then we had an auction to take Sarah out on a date. The winning bid of $375 was made by a man, but he was almost beaten by a dog named Truman, who barked his bid during the proceedings. (Ok, he was coaxed by Cathy Brooks, but Ted counted it anyway!)

The party was also to benefit Summer Search, a national leadership development program. They gained $500 from the event.

In all, a fun time, and a learning experience too. The party was the perfect mix of business and fun. Here's an example: most parties have a host or no host bar - this one had a wine sponsor Gary Vaynerchuk, who's doing his live USTREAM.tv show as I type this, and the winery was Titus Vineyards near St. Helena. So, the wine gains not just the exposure from the party, but from this video-blog too. And that's true for Poken as well. What we have is the first stage of a kind of marketing model that should cause more to discover vlogging.

I hope.