On the 40th anniversary of Kennedy's death I want to say I greatly admire

[glarius]

the Kennedy family and here's why:
They were born into wealth and privilege but despite sometimes being self-indulgent, they generally seem to have a strong, social conscience. They fight for the underprivileged and less fortunate and for ecological causes....For instance, Robert Kennedy Jr. has been up here in Canada several times for different causes...I remember him giving us hell because he was concerned about too many trees being cut down in the old growth forests of British Columbia....And of course Ted Kennedy has done more good work in the Senate (if I"m not mistaken) than any other senator....It would be much easier for the Kennedys to just live the life of the wealthy but so many of them have chosen to help their fellow man instead....I think they're terrific!

[glarius]

1. Hmmm....looks like I'm the only one that admires them!

Hmmmm

[caledesi]

2. Another admirer here, despite all the trash that's been spewed

about this great family.

The Kennedy children were raised in an environment where "you gave back"...all of them did volunteer work somewhere in the world. It was just part of "growing up."

It reminds me of Princess Diana who used to take her boys to some of poorest places in London to get an understanding of how other people lived and their travails.

[glarius]

3. I loved it the other day when Teddy K. called Bush's appointments to

the courts that were not validated (wrong word)...neanderthals...LOL

[Demoiselle]

14. There's been a systematic trashing going on for years...

I take all the gossip with a huge (boulder-sized) grain of salt..especially since I can still remember how much hope JFK gave us all in those days...how proud he made us feel as Americans. It gets harder and harder for me to watch the memorials, knowing how far away from those ideals we've come. I've already said this on another thread tonight, but I firmly believe Jack and Bobby kept us out of a nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. That's enough greatness for ten Presidents.

[burrowowl]

4. Another admirer

and I just couldn't watch a show on TV about JFK's assasination. Tears still come to my eyes 40 years later. I also remember when RFK was killed as well.

[supernova]

5. You can thank Rose Kennedy

for their socially aware streak. She really wanted all of them to be aware of the life around them, not just their priviledged part of it.

RIP, Rose Kennedy. You are missed by more than your children.

[BuelahWitch]

6. Another one here

When you think that they are just as rich as the Bush clan, but the difference in character is massive. Would *any* Bush call the National Guard to protect minority students in the south? Hell, they wouldn't do it TODAY let alone in the 1960s!

I was burning up though when the History Channel documentary last night made such a big deal about Joe Kennedy's hand in John's elections. BS! What about what happened in Florida? That's a million times worse! :grr:

[dflprincess]

7. Another admirer here

It would have been so easy for Ted to leave public life after Bobby's murder - and who would have blamed him? But he stayed and continues to fight the good fight.

There was a comment made by a local commentator back when John Jr. died. This guy has more of a liberal bent and actually had a talk show on local radio on Sunday afternoon. This was the day after the plane went down and someone called in to complain about all the coverage John's being missing was getting and the DJ (Nick Coleman, Jr. actually - NO relation to that weasel Norm) said something like "You're talking to the wrong guy. If you're an Irish Catholic of a certain age, you wanted to be a Kennedy. And, if you couldn't be a Kennedy, you wanted to marry one and if that didn't happen, you wanted to be their friend. I don't care what garbage has come out, when something like this happens I want them to know I'm still their friend."

I can relate to that statement. It seems a little strange now how big a deal it was to us Irish Catholics to have "one of our own" in the White House. And I'm still their friend.

[arewethereyet]

8. I liked Jack

Worked for Bobby a little. Bobby and Teddy are not of Jack's calibre.

[glarius]

9. I understand from what I've read and seen on TV that Bobby had become

a crusader for the downtrodden and powerless in his later years...It is almost unbelievable that one family could have so many members die violently and so young....And yet they seem to be very upbeat...

[supernova]

17. WTF????

:wtf: are you saying? Bobby and Teddy are not of Jack's calibre. :wtf:

RFK took JFK's dream places it never dared go. EFK has proven his solidarity by his faithfulness and longevity.

You are way off base my friend.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. Who's EFK?

NT

[bicentennial_baby]

21. Edward Kennedy

aka Teddy

[dflprincess]

25. Teddy is EMK

Edward Moore Kennedy

[HairyPoppins]

10. What about the huge upper level tax cuts JFK gave in his first year?

Were they ok too?

[glarius]

12. And how long have you been waiting to say that....hmmmm?

[Demoiselle]

13. Taxes were very high in those days!

Wasn't the top income tax bracket percentage something like 83% in 1960? That's pretty huge, even for this unreconstructed Bolshevik.
Anybody have the numbers handy?

[TahitiNut]

18. While JFK favored reducing the top FIT bracket from 92% ...

.. to 70%, that reduction didn't pass until LBJ was President.

I wonder if all those Republicans who commend JFK's view on FIT rates would be supportive of a 70% top bracket as JFK was. (Yeah, I just wonder. :eyes:) After all, the rate stood at 92% (and above) during the entire Eisenhower/Nixon administrations.

Anyway, here's a chart that may shed some light on this particular factoid.

[Zomby Woof]

23. never mind those

It's Vietnam and the Bay of Pigs that should remain forever a stain on his overrated, romanticized, mythicized legacy.

I am an American first, before I am a Democrat, and being blindly partisan in praise of all Democrats - especially the criminal Kennedy clan - is a behavior I'd rather leave to the conservatives and Republicans.

I am honoring his memory, btw. I remember him for what he was, not a vessel to project upon him what I wanted him to be. He was a fair-to-middling president at best, but like Reagan, blown up to mythic proportions by his legions of devotees.

[glarius]

24. I'm really surprised at your remarks

Don't you think they have done ANY good in the world?....I think it is commendable that a family with such wealth has chosen to champion the causes of the less fortunate...I don't think that's all that common.....Besides they have had so many tragedies....more than most families ever do, and yet they remain strong and good humoured.....President Kennedy didn't live long enough for us to know whether he would have fullfilled his promise, but he seemed to be heading in the right direction.....Senator Ted strikes me as a very fearless, fighter for liberal causes.....That's all I wanted to say....Peace...
:hi:

[BigBigBear]

11. I agree

Bobby quoted Aeschylus and Tennyson from memory, bonded with and gained the trust of the poor and dispossessed. He talked of justice, broke bread with Cesar Chavez, eulogized MLK. I am quite convinced he was the brightest light of the Democratic Party since Roosevelt.

Jack had a poltician's instincts - he may have been a great president had he been given the chance. He was an inspiration, and still is. The first time I ever remember having to say a new president's name was "President Johnson". My father wept on and off for weeks after JFK's murder. I still do when I see the funeral footrage - although I don't remember the assasination very clearly (I was 5), I remember the funeral very clearly. The drums, the sounds of horses' hooves.

Teddy, who was the least gifted of JPK's sons, ended up being the marathoner, and gave us in substance many, many times more than his brothers. He is among the most despised members of Congress among the right, but its because they see him as having overcome his failings, to never quit, to never be bought off. Teddy is a flawed man, but a hard worker and true to our core beliefs. And the burdon of legacy he has had to endure is unspeakable.

Somewhere, his brothers must be very, very proud of him....and everyone here should appreciate him now that he's here, because you'll miss him when he's gone.

[CSI Willows]

15. Agreed

He was a wonderful man, a wonderful president, a leader in the civil rights movement, and no one deserves to die like that. Not even someone like Bush.
After I saw this MSNBC special on him I started crying I my friend told me it was stupid to cry over a dead man. First of all, she's a bit ignorant being 13 and everything. Then I told her "You may think it's stupid to cry for a dead man of forty years but I know that if a family member or friend were to be murdered I'd still be crying for them forty years later."
She saw my point.
Even though I was born 27 years after he was shot it still hurts me to see such a horrific image of a great man being assasinated and his life cut short.
O8) Rest in peace :cry:

[Octafish]

16. Great post, Glarius!

Thanks to KKKorporate McPravda, most Americans today only hear the Kennedys were womanizers who did unspeakable things with Marilyn Monroe.

The reality is the Kennedy children were raised to lead and serve their country. This means wearing a uniform in time of war and rolling up their sleaves to do serious work when needed. As Liberal Democrats, the Kennedys believe that the government has the power and the obligation to make life better for ALL Americans.

Conservatives can't stand Liberals like the Kennedys, because it would mean they have to use a fraction of their wealth in taxes to pay for government programs. They're also jealous because most of them can only dream of being smart and good enough to work to make this a better world.

[glarius]

19. Thanks..I think if we're looking for perfection on earth, we won't find it

The Kennedys are not perfect, but as a family they are responsible for so much good....They have endured unimaginable sorrow and pain and yet they carry on with energy and humour...Like I said at the beginning...I think they are terrific!

[Solomon]

22. Let me add my love for the Kennedys as well.

The propaganda machine has made it a crime to appreciate the Kennedys but we know why they don't want people to look up to the Kennedys. They don't fit the mold. When you get yours you're supposed to say fuck you to the rest of the world, not have a social conscience and give back to the community. That's a no-no.

I still remember when I first learned that there were a lot of people who hated the Kennedys. It was so a shock to me because until then I thought they were universally loved.

Only meanness could lead someone to disparage the Kennedys.