RSSAttempted Deference to Ted Kennedy
Gene Lalor | August 30, 2009
After being rebuked by my daughter and then by my bride over my less than respectful postings on Teddy Kennedy, I resolved to be nicer, in fact, to avoid any further commentary which did not speak well of the man.
I couldn’t find anything nice to say so, in lieu of that option, I resolved to say nothing further, nada, diddly about the life or passing of Uncle Teddy.
That resolution also failed. I had to break it after reading about Ted’s love of Chappaquiddick jokes.
Ed Klein, former Newsweek foreign editor, revealed that Jocular Ted “loved to hear and tell Chappaquiddick jokes, and was always eager to know if anyone had heard any new ones.”
Of course, Klein immediately defended Kennedy’s warped sense of humor after seeing the shock it caused. Klein then interjected that he didn’t mean to suggest Ted lacked remorse: http://bit.ly/xpjqR.
Uncle Ted’s kids and grandkids would probably think that so cool, even awesome, that good ol’ dad and their so very funny gramps could chuckle about a murder he committed and, thanks to his name, got away with.
It just seems to me a very odd expression of remorse.
Seriously now, are none of America’s un-crowned royalty, the Kennedys, capable of distinguishing hype from reality? Are none of them capable of experiencing empathy for Mary Jo Kopechne? Do any of them, despite their expressions of deep grief at Ted’s funeral, have souls?
Or are all well-trained in the proper demeanor and well-versed in the proper language when in public venues while they get off in private over sick Chappaquiddick jokes?
In a related development, excerpts from both the letter Uncle Teddy wrote in July to Pope Benedict XVI and the Pope’s response have now been made public: http://bit.ly/jaj1g.
At Kennedy’s Arlington burial, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick read extended excerpts from both letters. No mention was made of either Chappaquiddick or of Ted’s rollicking sense of humor.
As suspected, in his letter, the late senator confessed to a “deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines.” He went on to bemoan his condition, praise President Obama, defend his record, and brag about his dedication.
Kennedy concluded his missive by writing, “I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your Holiness, and though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings. I continue to pray for God’s blessings on you and our Church and would be most thankful for your prayers for me.”
Like his sense of remorse, his view of his personal faith and adherence to the teachings of the Catholic Church are peculiar indeed. Last I heard, the Church hasn’t endorsed abortion and it definitely has not endorsed Ted’s pet advocacy for infanticide. Nor has it endorsed philandering, divorce, or treason.
Absent from his plea was any confession of his crime on the night of July 18-19, 1969.
Rightly, Pope Benedict, not one to be suckered by sweet words lacking any contrition from a desparate, dying man, said little of substance.
His response was civil but noncommital as summarized in this paragraph: ”His Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God our merciful Father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the Risen Savior to all who share in His sufferings and trust in His promise of eternal life.”
“Judge not lest ye be judged,” it says in Matthew, 7:1. With all due respect to Matthew, I’m not casting the first stone at the memory of the Liberal Lion. I’m simply re-cycling some of the many stones Kennedy cast in his 77 years.
Contributor's website: http://www.genelalor.com/
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