When did it began, this long slide into a generalized acceptance of serious character flaws in those who put themselves forth to be our leaders? For me, I think it began with a car plunging off a bridge on a dark Massachusetts night in 1969. I remember recoiling in horror at the news that a lovely young woman, a campaign worker, had been left alone to die in the blackened waters of the night -- with no attempted rescue and the entire incident unreported and unmentioned to anyone for 10 hours.
For my generation, that first public tolerance of a major character failure in a person in a position of leadership seemed to set us on a downward spiral. It shored us up and provided a willingness to accept a story that seemed so unashamedly false -– to make it true, simply because so many wished it so. And it seemed that many did indeed wish it so.
I think many of the Boomers like to hear the lie; they believe that as long as the lie is predominant, it is, essentially, the truth. They have made it acceptable to excuse deviant, dishonorable behavior with a shrug and a “well, we all make mistakes,” as long as the dishonor is perpetrated by the right sort of person. And after all, this was Senator Ted Kennedy, and, during the administration of his brother, the country had been treated to Camelot.
Absolution, it seems, is no longer granted through a personal relationship with the One seated at the right hand of God; but rather, from the politicians on the left. Or so they want us to believe.
I remember watching Kennedy make a statement on television news; his voice quivering, he stated that his family seemed to be under some terrible curse. After all, there had been the assassination of JFK, the 1968 assassination of RFK; Joe, the eldest brother had been killed in the war; Kathleen was killed in an airplane crash; and Rosemary had been institutionalized after a lobotomy. The litany of Kennedy family tragedies was as long as the briefness of Teddy’s reason for not rescuing Mary Jo Kopechne that dreadful night in 1969.
Kennedy's time in the Senate was legendary. He was the Liberal Lion; an icon, but one who was willing to deal across the aisle to get the legislation he wanted. Serving for 46 years, he was the 3rd longest serving Senator in U.S. history -- behind only Senators Robert Byrd and Strom Thurmond. But as Chevy Chase quipped so many years ago, "Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment."
It was in May of 2008 when Kennedy was given the grim diagnosis of a brain tumor, malignant glioma, that carried a prognosis of almost certain death. But Ted Kennedy didn’t have ObamaCare –- he had KennedyCare; and with that, the best care available, Kennedy was able to see another Christmas, another spring, and even another summer and into early fall.
If Kennedy had been covered by ObamaCare, this obese 77 year-old with a liking for strong whiskey would probably have faced rationing of care, or more likely, denial of treatment, and an offer of suicide counseling, death panels or whatever they’re calling it these days.
Kennedy’s death emphasizes yet again that our elected officials enjoy one of the best health insurance plans in the world -- courtesy of the American taxpayer. The irony is their concerted effort to force a much less adequate, and much less life-affirming plan onto us, their constituents –- the very people they are sworn to serve. There is a lesson here for those willing to see it.
As for the Boomers and their view of the tolerant lie, one need look no further than the Oval Office.
As for Kennedy's absolution, it is my sincere hope that this man did indeed turn to Jesus Christ, and Christ alone for the forgiveness of his sins. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 KJV)
It's strange in a way -- it feels like an ending to 1969. Finally.
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