“No Man’s life liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session”.

- attributed to NY State Judge Gideon Tucker



Showing posts with label Kennedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kennedy. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Irony Of Today's Massachusetts Senate Election

How ironic that Ted Kennedy's death may bring, not a groundswell of pity and sympathy in the form of his cherished socialized health care plan, but, instead, his replacement by a young, vibrant conversative Republican whose first act will be to block Senate passage of said bill.

You truly cannot make something like this up, can you? Who'd have believed it? Everyone thought the Kennedy patsy appointed in his stead would robotically cast a vote for whatever unworkable, expensive health care "reform" bill was shoved under his nose.

Now, the drama will likely move from Scott Brown's election to the date of his seating in the Senate.

As I mentioned a few days ago, in this post, I did donate money to Brown's campaign. As did a colleague of mine, upon my suggestion. The national stakes in this particular election are sufficiently great to merit support to a Senator in another state.

Let's hope the people of Massachusetts get out and vote Scott Brown into office today. They'll be doing themselves and the entire nation a tremendous service by doing so.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Teddy's Eulogies

I happened to see a few minutes of Teddy Kennedy's wake Friday night. Since I was exercising, it was difficult to avoid the several news channels all carrying the pity party.

Mostly, I avoided listening to any of the schmaltzy stories about Teddy's personality. How could anyone stand more than five minutes of that bilge?

But I noticed a few missing speakers.

Where were Mary Jo Kopechne's parents? Surely, everyone assembled to laud the long-time, unaccomplished dead Kennedy wanted to hear one of them speak, didn't they?

After all, Teddy's behavior in the infamous Chappaquiddick death probably constitutes the single best example of his character. He was responsible for the young woman's death in several ways, and managed to evade any legal consequence.

Typical Kennedy. Typical Teddy.

In fact, on Saturday night, as I again exercised in the evening, I saw CNN running some sort of videography of the last Kennedy to die. Here, again, Teddy's inconsequence beside the other males of his family was brought home quite clearly.

It's funny how that works. Not hearing any audio, and seeing only pictures from the 1930s and onwards, Teddy's tentative connection to and lack of any commonality with the rest of the Kennedy males, other than sharing their name, was clear.

His father, Joe, was an accomplished, if ruthless, businessman and quasi-politico. True, he also argued for appeasing Hitler and embarrassed the US at the Court of St. James just before and during WWII.

Teddy's older brother, Joe Jr., died courageously piloting a bomber on a dangerous mission involving experimentation with remote-controlling planes to be used as guided missiles. Though no wreckage was ever found of Joe Jr.'s plane, it's assumed that it accidentally exploded with Joe sill at the controls, a victim of the still-tricky use of radio signals to arm and pilot one plane from another.

Older brothers John and Bobby, of course, both served in the Navy. JFK saw combat and saved the crew of his sunken PT boat. Bobby enlisted in the reserves and served briefly as a commissioned officer.

Teddy, of course, did none of the above. Unaccomplished in business, he enlisted in the army, but his father's connections made sure he nevery saw action in Korea. Funny, isn't it, how George W. Bush was smeared, inaccurately, for missing action in Vietnam, while Teddy Kennedy got a pass for being in a US Army European HQ guard during the nasty Korean conflict.

He was caught cheating in college, and convicted of driving without a license while in law school.

Notionally his brother's campaign manager, Teddy gained none of the useful experience of earning one's living on one's own merits and wits. Instead, he simply went into the then 'family business' of politics. When JFK's Senate seat was up for grabs in 1962, Teddy ran for it and won, securing his life's one job.

Hardly a worthwhile life, is it? The runt of a large litter, not too bright, cheating at Harvard. Never even using his law degree. He simply ran in a safe election in a safe state for a US Senate seat, without any sort of life experience to bring to the office.

That was Teddy Kennedy- cheater, killer of a young woman without punishment, and long-serving Senator with no particular experience nor accomplishments to inform or add value to that office for 47 years.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Senate Loses An Unindicted Murderer

I awoke yesterday to a slate of issues to handle. It could have been a tough morning.

Then I turned on CNBC and my day became brighter as I learned the good news.

Ted Kennedy is dead.

Finally, the unindicted murderer of the Senate is gone. The womanizing, drinking, cheating Senator of some 37 years is gone.

Teddy Kennedy was wholly a creature of his family. If he'd been born elsewhere, or into another family, he'd likely have been unknown.

But, thanks to two well-known older brothers and a wealthy family, Teddy became the last hope after the death of every other male son in the Kennedy family.

On his own, Teddy was known for cheating in law school, womanizing while married to his ex-wife, Joan, thus driving her to drink. Oh, yes, and being responsible for the death of his campaign staffer, Mary Jo Kopechne.

As Charles Krauthammer noted on Fox News last night, even Kennedy's welfare legislation was largely gutted later on by Gingrich's House, with Clinton's signature on the bill.

Ted Kennedy, aside from being born to wealth and social prominence, added very little to society.

A walking- well, hobbling- poster boy for term limits no longer blemishes the US Senate.

Perhaps the best evidence for Kennedy's low regard for democracy and his own constituency was his attempts over the past five years to change the way Massachusetts fills Congressional vacancies.

When he thought fellow Senator John Kerry would become President, and Republican Mitt Romney was Governor, Kennedy convinced the Democratic state legislature to change the existing law from gubernatorial appointment to special election.

When, this year, Kennedy realized he was unlikely to make it to a health care bill vote, he wrote his state's legislators to appeal to them to change it back to gubernatorial appointment, after all. You see, the state now has a Democratic governor who is sure to appoint another extreme liberal in Teddy's place.

What a scoundrel! How much more contempt could Teddy have shown for voters in Massachusetts? He behaved as if he, then, his party, owns that Senate seat.

Good riddance!

Now Teddy Kennedy will have final justice visited upon him. A verdict rendered absolutely, from which there can be no appeal. One that can't be bought, nor avoided with his family's money and influence. And can't be spun by friendly, fawning media outlets.

A truly final verdict on Teddy for all eternity.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Brain-Dead, or Just Brain-Damaged? Ted Kennedy's Healthcare Ideas

Is it me, or does anyone else think it's a bad idea to lionize and use the ideas of a guy who's basically now, if not for some time, brain-damaged?

I'm referring, of course, to unindicted manslaughterer Senator Teddy Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Since publicizing his brain tumor, I've wondered why anyone would now take his so-called work, i.e., wrecking the US healthcare sector, seriously. The guy's noggin is broken. His circuitry is fried.

Would you back a one-legged man in the Olympic 100-meter dash? Of course not.

Why are we even pretending to pay attention to this fossil? He's a walking- well, doddering- advertisement for term limits.

And we're going to restructure 17% of the US economy on the whims of a guy with a damaged brain that's slowly killing him?

This is beyond black humor. It's just plain stupid.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Those Wacky Kennedy Boys

I mentioned in this recent post on my companion business blog that I subscribe to the uber-liberally biased Outside Magazine.

In another recent issue of the periodical, I found a story about the current situation in the dictatorship of Venezuela. The picture painted by the article's author was truly horrendous; rampant thievery, kidnapping, drugging of tourists to rob them, advice to avoid any unknown taxi drivers.

In part of the story, the writer related how his taxi driver/guide bemoaned how Chavez parades on the world stage as an environmentalist, yet, at home, prices gasoline at the equivalent of US $.40/gallon. This subsidy has brought incredible congestion to the streets of Venezuela's major cities.

This got me thinking about those wacky Kennedy boys, Joe and Bobby.

Joe is that annoying do-gooder with the commercials showing him in a utility suit, heating oil hose nozzle in hand, dispensing free, Venezuelan-sourced fuel to American poor. Joe decries all things conservative, ignores how some of these people brought about their own evictions or financial problems, alleges that our government has failed them by failing to provide them with heating oil, then gets to work with his fuel truck.

Thus, Joe is supporting Hugo Chavez' wanton environmental destruction via artificially cheap gasoline prices.

But then we have Bobby. Well, Bobby, Jr., I guess. Except the original Bobby is dead, so Bobby, Jr. could be just plain old Bobby.

Anyway, I digress.

Bobby is often seen arguing for green energy grids, non-carbon energy sources, etc. The usually greenie heaven on earth, with no thought to cost or jobs and industrial electrical or locomotive power lost.

So, here's my question.

Shouldn't Joe and Bobby get their stories straight? Their combined acts together?

One of them, Joe, is ought dispensing free, carbon-based fuel, on behalf of a banana republic dictator who is polluting the world thought overly-subsidized fuel prices.

The other is railing against carbon economies.

Shouldn't they have just one family story line?

Or are they following their grandfather Joe's financial instincts, and providing a sort of "Kennedy energy hedge," by being on both sides of the same environmental issue at once?

Ah, those wacky Kennedy boys.

Maybe their Uncle Teddy should take them for a ride in his car out Edgartown way, to solve this Kennedy political split?

With his brain cancer, do you think he'll even know he's underwater when they go off the bridge this time?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Wonderboy, The Kennedys & The Vatican

There is good news concerning the Vatican's position on abortion and stem cell research, and those who would seek to be an ambassador to it.

Our First Rookie has further embarrassed himself, and the daughter of a previous president, Caroline Kennedy, by having the latter rejected as the US ambassador to the Vatican.

According to news sources, add the typically clueless John Kerry into the mix for dreaming up the crazy idea in the first place.

Apparently Wonderboy either didn't know, or didn't care, that the Vatican has explicitly made clear to all nations that it will not accept ambassadors who are actively for abortion and/or stem cell research. Kennedy is, of course, stridently in favor of both.

Maybe Kerry is just to stupid to realize that the Vatican has the only version of Catholicism that counts. So Kerry's idea of what should pass for sanctioned behavior is essentially moot.

As a conservative, though, you have to love how the year has begun for Caroline. First bounced out of consideration for Senator from New York, to replace Hillary Clinton. Perhaps because of her tin ear for local politics, or perhaps for the credible stories describing her affair while married.

Now she's been hung out to dry for being an unacceptable Catholic in the eyes of the Vatican.

Looks like the administration can't seem to get anything right. Not even a simple ambassadorship to one of the world's smallest countries.

Unless, of course, Wonderboy wants to flaunt his differences with those who oppose abortion.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Joe Kennedy's Treasonous Behavior

Have you seen those stupid "Joe 4 Oil" commercials?

You know, the ones where Joe Kennedy's grandson, modern-day uber-liberal Joe, gives away Venezuelan oil to poor Americans?

Joe makes it clear that he thinks Venezuelan strongman and dictator Hugo Chavez cares more about Americans who can't afford heating oil than we do.

I guess treason is genetic. Joe's grandfather, while US ambassador to the Court of St. James, constantly agitated for Hitler and predicted the fall of Great Britain in the days after France's capitulation.

Now we have his grandson stumping for the younger version of South America's Castro.

It's enough to make you sick.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The "Dead" Kennedys

It's a wonderful week for conservatives, where the Kennedys are concerned.

Only minutes after being interviewed at the post-inaugural lunch in the Capitol, everyone's favorite corpulent, unindicted murderer, the Tedster, a/k/a Teddy Kennedy, collapsed with a seizure.

Is he dead yet? Sadly, no. But hopefully getting much, much closer.

Some would say I'm being callous, insensitive and mean. I disagree (obviously). Rather, I think too many Republicans and conservatives extend unnecessary courtesy and tiptoe around Kennedy's damaging liberalism, not to mention his lack of intellect and habit of simply lying when it suits him.

The GOP has been far too easy on Kennedy for too long. Let's be honest. Only death will remove him from the Senate.

Question. Would you want a person who has experienced this many brain seizures, and has brain cancer, to be your Senator?

Does anyone really think this guy has whatever mental faculties he may once have possessed? Granted, they were never very formidable, but even the mundane ones he had must now be suspect.

But, that's not all.

Caroline Kennedy, Tedster's niece, and pretender to a Senate appointment for the vacant New York seat, announced that she is 'dropping out' of consideration. Funny how she tried to beat New York's governor to the punch, as he announced that she's out of the running.

It's somewhat hilarious that Caroline claimed her withdrawal is because of her ailing uncle Teddy.

Precious, but totally unbelievable.

There are, however, two silver linings. First, it seems that Americans, New Yorkers, and even the state's governor, realized how shameful Caroline's naked grab for power, based solely on her last name, and her father, was simply too much.

Second, as a result of the first, we may finally see a Kennedy-free Senate within the year.

Who said it's a totally dark time for conservatives?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

New York's Newest Carpet-Bagger: Caroline Kennedy

This is just unbelievable, isn't it?

It's not enough that her uncle was New York's first carpetbagger Senator. Or that the state is just getting rid of its next one.

Now, a person with nothing to recommend her but her last name is desiring not to run, but simply be appointed as the US Senator from New York for the seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton.

With a biography devoid of any significant accomplishments, aside from those accorded her because of her maiden name, it's a sad commentary on the US political landscape, and the Democratic party, in particular, that Kennedy is even seriously being considered for this seat.

As a commentator on Fox News noted, it sends a signal to the rest of the world that US politics is a plutocracy, more than a meritocracy.

Of course, in a country where 'Bo' Biden is expected to inherit his hapless father's Delaware Senate seat, after having been given prior political offices along the way, it's hard to argue that the perception is true.

At least among Democrats.

I suppose the only silver lining in the Caroline Kennedy Senate seat quest is that it clearly demonstrates, once again, how hopelessly corrupt and bereft of new ideas the Democratic party is, that it must bow to the unaccomplished daughter of a dead President, rather than consider candidates for the seat on merit.