I realize this would have been more appropriate last week, but I’ve been holding on to it trying to figure out exactly how I wanted to say what I wanted to say. I’m still not sure I know, but it’s time to just write it down and move on. To those who are about to be offended by the next line, I would ask that you read on… it’s probably not as bad as you think.
I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE BEEN INSPIRED BY A KENNEDY.
There… I said it, but I don’t mean it in a bad way. Let’s face it… by the time I was born, Camelot was long gone… dead and buried. While I have nothing against the Kennedy’s per se, the idea of an American “royal” family was always rather repugnant to me. There are great American families, but the idea that this family was destined in some way to lead us to our greatest selves just never sat well with me.
As per the marquee Kennedys, well… Joe was a rich guy who believed in his own personal manifest destiny. A doer for certain, but a bit narcissistic for my tastes. …and the way he treated Rosemary… well, fathers aren’t supposed to do that.
Joe Jr was BMOC, but died tragically before we really got to know him.
To me, JFK was a figure from the history books. Important, yes, but an often ineffectual president because he couldn’t unite his government… an unrealized potential due to an assassin’s bullet. An American Tragedy, but not personally inspiring.
Robert, of course, met the same fate before he could be elected… which is a shame because I believe he actually believed in and stood for most of the things that are credited to JFK. I was about three-months old when he died, so again, he didn’t have a strong effect on me personally.
…and that brings us to Teddy. What can I say? The first I heard of him was the story of Chappaquiddick. Certainly as a youngster, all I saw was a rich guy who killed a girl and was given a free pass. As time went on and I grew up, Teddy drank heavily and continued to set a shoddy example. Yes, he always pushed for universal healthcare, but he was also a very liberal Liberal. When he was on the news, the first thought that would pop into my mind was “Jesus Christ, what is he doing now?!?”
But then, I’ve never really looked at him as a person, either. He’s Chappaquiddick or an Alcoholic or one of the guys keeping Congress from working together… but a person? Never thought about it…
…well… not until last weekend. I had his funeral going on TV while I worked. Not sure why I flicked it on, but I did, and I’m glad I did. While I worked, I listened to people talk… not Barack Obama and the other figureheads at the funeral, but to his family. His kids, especially. I listened to the stories of Teddy sitting up at night helping his asthmatic son breathe and helping another deal with a lost leg. I listened to men speak lovingly of their father who will be missed, and I began to see Teddy as a man. A flawed man who’s done some unforgivable things, but who has also always worked for his family and his country. A man over-shadowed by his brothers and struggling to overcome his own weaknesses, and yet, always working to do his best for his country… to make it right.
I rarely agreed with the man, and I didn’t care for what he represented, but I’d like to take a moment to thank him for his lifetime service to his country. I hope you’ve found peace.
Enough of the serious… I think it’s time to look in on the News Guy this week… and I wonder what the Mousira royal family is up to?
As a right-wing libertarian, I’m about as far from the Kennedy’s (and now Obama) as one can get and still be in the same country. I disagree with almost everything policy they stand for. BUT, they’re doing what they believe is best and that’s a damn sight better than most of the rest of us.
I concur. Incidentally, welcome.