Wow talk about self indulgence! Did this guy ever take responsibility for any of his crimes and failures? I don’t have much respect for the Catholic Church because as we know, they have many problems of their own, but I have less respect for the Kennedy family who are notorious for (ab)using their position and power and trying to manipulate the laws of this country and the church for their own selfish reasons.

Teddy Boy may sound pious to the uninformed in this letter, but right up until the last moment he was trying to manipulate the laws of Massachusetts for his own selfish reasons by trying to reverse his own 2004 succession law revision, so that the Kennedy family and the Democrats could continue to have a hold on the Senate seat he was soon to vacate. And who did he suggest to fill that seat? His, IMO, gold digging wife or his nephew Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, best known for strong arming the Boston Diocese forcing them to grant him an annulment from his first marriage, which although granted was reversed by the Vatican in 2005.

They may pretend to be pious individuals, but at best Kennedy and the rest of his notorious family are nothing more than cafeteria Catholics who pick and choose the rules and regulations that best serve their selfish needs.

The outpouring at the capitol and the “endorsements” of other equally sleazy politicians cannot make up for Kennedy refusing to take responsibility for the death of Mary Jo Kopechne in an effort to save his career and protect the family name, but then what can you expect from a family built on the profits of a bootlegger.

I wrote a similar post on my blog yesterday.

This isn’t coming from a Catholic, nor from someone who is the Church’s biggest fan. But I don’t think you need to be a “pious individual” (and I don’t think anyone ever thought Senator Kennedy was, to any great degree, anyway) in order to earn a little respect in death. The McCain family along with Senators Hatch and Frist, and former VP Dan Quayle have been nothing but reverential, and they actually knew the man–and his “gold-digging wife,” who he credited with saving his life. A little class goes a long way. It’s worth a try.

@Laurie Beth, The facts speak for themselves. I can’t help it if people like you are still stuck in the 60s living in the phony fantasy world of Camelot. You can’t have much class yourself if you think it was right for Kennedy to destroy the lives of the Kopechne family by refusing to take responsibility for what he did and didn’t do concerning the death of Ms. Kopechne in order to protect his reputation and family name.

Anyone who heard the coverage yesterday and does not know Ted Kennedy’s history would think that he was another Mother Theresa. I don’t think pointing out the opinions of the likes of McCain, Hatch, Frist, and especially Dan Quayle helps your case.

Just because someone dies doesn’t make him/her a saint. It is what they did while they were alive that counts.

You might want to Google the Kennedy family to inform yourself.

One more thing. Does it strike anyone else as strange that Ted Kennedy was not satisfied to have his parish priest’s blessing, he went straight to the top and had the president hand deliver a personal plea of forgiveness to the Pope?

When was the last time you ever heard that happen?

…Except for the fact that I never said he was a saint or anything close to it, but congratulations on your classic straw man argument.

I know plenty about the Kennedy family; Googling is not necessary but thank you for the suggestion.

I merely said he deserves respect in death, particularly because of the remarkable bills he helped to author for the causes of racial equality, gender equality, health care and aid to those stricken with poverty, many of which were well past the 1960s and any notion of Camelot.

“Anyone who heard the coverage yesterday and does not know Ted Kennedy’s history would think that he was another Mother Theresa.”

I don’t agree with that. I think there was plenty of coverage lent to Mr. Kennedy’s personal failings and to the fact that he *did* take responsibility for those.

Senator Kennedy *did* take responsibility for Mary Jo Kopechne’s death. It was a horrible incident, but considering how much good Teddy Kennedy went on to do, you must not believe in second chances or rehabilitation at all. If that is your position, I disagree wholeheartedly.

@Laurie Beth, No, I don’t believe in second chances or rehab for murderers or pedophiles, but Kennedy got his second chance when the authorities chose not to prosecute him for this crime. It is attitudes like yours that contribute to the release of criminals like Philip Garrido who are paroled and commit more violent crimes and repeat their offenses over and over again, creating more victims.

I watched CNN’s laughable funeral coverage and Kennedy’s crimes were barely mentioned. In fact, Gergen offensively referred to any negatives in Kennedy’s life as mere “mistakes.” As if they could be ereased and forgotten.

Kennedy had to admit that he caused the accident, but his high paid lawyers conspired with the authorities and he was not prosecuted any further. If you are familiar with the history of Chappaquiddick then you know that Kennedy waited until the morning to report the accident, probably because he was drunk and didn’t want the authorities to find out. The diver who found Ms. Kopechne’s body said that she may have been alive for up to two hours after the accident. Kennedy’s failure to report the accident in a timely manner is tantamount to murder. That is enough evidence for me and no amount of “good deeds” can excuse that crime.
The “average Joe” would have gone to prison if he had committed the same offense.

I have to tell you, I think the comparison of Senator Kennedy to Philip Garrido in any way is a lot more laughable than CNN’s weekend coverage was. I recognize that you are not really comparing them but you’re talking about attitudes toward crime and punishment permeating society, but I don’t think it’s accurate. I never said I would have wanted Garrido paroled after his initial convictions–kidnapping and taking a person over state lines in *addition* to repeated brutal rapes–but you’re glossing over the fact that his crimes were obviously premeditated, whereas Senator Kennedy’s *mistake* was not. You’re right that he was probably drunk–probably too drunk to know what he was doing. I do not believe he left that woman there to die when he was of sound mind.

Alcoholism and drug addiction cause people to act in dangerous ways that they would not under ordinary circumstances. Obviously I can’t prove it, but I do not personally believe that Senator Kennedy purposely left that woman to die, and I certainly don’t think it was premeditated, as Garrido fully admitted his crimes were (he stated that he’d had the desire for many years and it wouldn’t go away–and this is the 1976 abduction, not the abduction of Jaycee Dugard). As for whether serious sex offenders or murders can be rehabilitated, I don’t have the training or the knowledge to answer that. But I do know that alcoholics may never be cured, but they can be rehabilitated and be sober for the rest of their lives. I have seen that happen; it happened for Senator Kennedy, and it likely happened largely because of his wife, who you seem to think is a gold-digger merely because of the age difference and the class difference. I think that’s unfortunate.

You made a fantastic point about there being serious classism when it comes to sentencing, and I applaud you for that. However, addiction is not something you do, it is something that is done to you. Mary Jo Kopechne was an unfortunate victim of his addiction, and that’s horribly tragic. But reducing Senator Kennedy’s extraordinary career–without which there would be more children without health insurance, more discrimination in the workplace, more working Americans without union protection–to one mistake, no matter how horrible, just seems sad and bitter to me.