Thread: Chappaquiddick incident. May Mary Jo rest in peace now

A friend here on the forums requested that I post this wiki article in the RIP Ted Kennedy thread. I didn't have the heart to do it on the off chance that Senator Kennedy made peace with himself and God over this incident. I will however post the article here and let everyone judge for themselves.

Chappaquiddick incident - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I find it not only in poor taste to judge another man so harshly for his mistakes (God knows I have made mine) but even poorer to post it for someone else who does not have a wherewithal to do it themselves.

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

I find it not only in poor taste to judge another man so harshly for his mistakes (God knows I have made mine) but even poorer to post it for someone else who does not have a wherewithal to do it themselves.

I guess I am a poor tasting bastard then but I am not judging Senator Kennedy as you suggest. I am only laying out the article for anyone who wishes to read it. It is Gods to judge in the final analysis

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

I find it not only in poor taste to judge another man so harshly for his mistakes (God knows I have made mine) but even poorer to post it for someone else who does not have a wherewithal to do it themselves.

By the way, my friend and I believe yours too, is no coward, just a little lacking in computer skills.

If I had the skills I would have done it myself. I am not trying to pronounce judgement on Ted, I would rather have seen justice for Mary Jo. It is hard for me to listen to the adoration of the late senator when in reality he was as irresponsible as they come. Read the story of Mary Jo Kopechne and make your own decision.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

If I had the skills I would have done it myself. I am not trying to pronounce judgement on Ted, I would rather have seen justice for Mary Jo. It is hard for me to listen to the adoration of the late senator when in reality he was as irresponsible as they come. Read the story of Mary Jo Kopechne and make your own decision.

Thanks. I know the story, and I do think it is awful... but it is not for me to judge a man based on one incident. I also think it is good to recognize that he never claimed to be a great moral leader, nor denied many accusations against him... you want someone really slimy, look at Mark Sanford.


That said, I do think Teddy was a bit of an....orc amongst senators.

I think of two things, one being,"There but for the grace of God go I" and the other the novel Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. Jim was a fellow who went to sea to seek the adventure he frequently day dreamed about. He fantasized himself the hero in various imaginary encounters and when the time came that an emergency arose he blew it.

Because of his fear and resulting poor judgment a number of people died and he was put on trial. The rest of the novel is devoted to his attempt to redeem himself for the actions he took in a few minutes all those years before.

So if you have been drinking and you drive off of a bridge with a young lady and you plunge into that dark cold water and your survival instinct overcomes you and you save yourself. Now you are standing on the bank hoping to see the young lady join you but she is nowhere to be seen.

I don't know if he dove into the dark waters again in a futile attempt to save her or if he ran. I would bet he was haunted by that night for the rest of his life. Far be it for me to judge him until I am confronted with the same set of circumstances. I hope both of them are resting in peace. Now back to the straight razor topics for me.

BK, I truly appreciated your last post. My last comment on this will be this: If you cant be a moral leader, why should you be able to legislate, all legislation is morals put into law. I dont care wether its Ted Kennedy or Mark Sanford, dems or reps. If your going to tell the people how to live you better be able to lead by example. We all have our shortcomings, but some people are truly unfit.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

BK, I truly appreciated your last post. My last comment on this will be this: If you cant be a moral leader, why should you be able to legislate, all legislation is morals put into law. I dont care wether its Ted Kennedy or Mark Sanford, dems or reps. If your going to tell the people how to live you better be able to lead by example. We all have our shortcomings, but some people are truly unfit.

The pragmatic, Calvinistic part of me agrees. The other part says "Let him who is perfect throw the first stone." We're all humans, and we're all messed up....so none of us can legislate under those ideal terms.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

BK, I truly appreciated your last post. My last comment on this will be this: If you cant be a moral leader, why should you be able to legislate, all legislation is morals put into law. I dont care wether its Ted Kennedy or Mark Sanford, dems or reps. If your going to tell the people how to live you better be able to lead by example. We all have our shortcomings, but some people are truly unfit.

Ah sorry, but that is where I disagree.

Governmental positions are jobs. They should be done by people who are good at what they do. Yes, they should have morals, but in the US it has gone too far imo. For example, the US obsession with Christianity in their leadership is misplaced. Or whether or not a governor has a son / daughter who is gay , or whether someone has an extra marital relationship, or whether a congressman is gay or not...
So ****ing what? None of these things have any correlation with the integrity with which someone does their job.

These are all things that say nothing of whether a man is capable to do his job and to do it with honesty. The obsession with moral perfection simply pushes people in a closet.