Here is an irrefutable example of historical falsification in the context of the Kennedy eulogy: that “leave no child behind” was a good thing. I cannot speak for other cities of our country but here in Houston LNCB has had a devastating effect on our public schools.
1. The instruction which was moderately relaxed before LNCB (I know because my sons attended public school before LNCB) became a Stakhanov System of Instruction: “Comrade Teacher, you must not only fulfill but surpass the norm so that our school can be called exemplary!” (I know because my woman-companion was a teacher in HISD until very recently).
2. The current ethnic composition of the HISD public schools shows that LNCB, although not the only cause for the trend, has been a major contributor to the re-segregation of our public schools among others by promoting charter schools (several of which have been closed because they turned out to be bogus) which do not have to participate in the insane testing disease. Today the proportion of “white” students in HISD is at an all-time low. That is re-segregation pur sang.

History is replete with examples that the falsification of history by power-hungry or poorly informed leaders is dangerous and, more often than not, a pretext for going to war (examples: Cuba in the 19th century, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq). Almost every time when a prominent of our leaders dies history is falsified in his/her eulogies. That I try to expose. It has nothing to do with “of the dead nothing but good”.

dihey,

The reality is that we all have blemishes,and the real challenge is whether or not with those blemishes we can concentrate upon the good that was done by the people that have blemishes rather than concentrating upon the blemishes to the exclusion of the good that those blemished people performed. You do nobody any good by concentrating on the blemishes.

Both the good and the bad of what anyone does needs to run together, the good will moderate the bad and the bad will moderate the good and if we are following the proper path in life, the good will dilute the bad to the point of purity where both good and bad cease to exist.

dihey, August 29 at 9:11 am #

I fully agree that the Presidency of JFK was not worthy of the hype surrounding it, and I was, then and now, a critic of his decisions. Further I support your opinion about LBJ regarding civil rights and his ability to make a brave and noble decision regarding that which lost the South for the Democrats.

Johnson was the most powerful man in govt prior to accepting the second banana role on that ticket, I always wondered why he did that. He was also, as you note, a flawed human being…aint we all though.

Amazing how much we agree upon…...

Ardee, you are right. My comments about the individual Kennedy’s were vile and I apologize for that.
However, I do not apologize for my major point which is that the adulation of the “Kennedy era” was/is false. It was neither JFK, nor RFK, nor TMK who set into motion the changes which have resulted in an African American president today. That was the much maligned/flawed Lyndon Baines Johnson. You have surely read or heard his “civil rights” speech. In my opinion that speech far surpasses in depth, daring, and humanism every speech JFK, RFK, or TMK have given. I consider that speech “Lincolnesque”. With regards to social legislation rammed through the congress, JFK, RFK, and TMK stand in the shadow of the giant LBJ.

ardee: Yes, Eunice became a wonderful and beloved international figure…but only truly after papa died. Papa never pushed her and that was my point. And why is she not buried at Arlington? Had she the wrong chromosomes?

Dihey I do not know why you obfuscate and attempt to sidetrack a discussion of the worth of Edward Kennedy’s life, or those of his brothers and other family members. Nor, in fact, do I care.

The simple truths remain; the Kennedy clan has given this nation much to be thankful for, and some to regret . In this time of mourning the passing of a man who served his nation for 47 years I find your criticisms petty to an extreme, unworthy of your reputation in fact, and driven by your own ideologies no doubt.

Your comment about the final resting place of Eunice simply betrays an ignorance of what is required for burial at Arlington…search, find and apologize.

There is a time to put politics and partisanship aside, the death of this man is certainly one of those times. By not doing so you speak volumes about yourself and nothing of import about that family.

Enough of this for me.

The very idea of perfection comes from imperfect minds so it can be suspect in its make up. Sure the Kennedys made their money from drug running but that’s okay. They went straight and two of them were in the war. One died then. Another survived to become president then was killed in office. Another died while running for president. A fourth had a terrible accident where a women, Mary Joe Kapecny died and that killed his reputation. He was the only one to fulfill what some of what their father wanted and then some. For a “dynasty only one actually made it. Their rivals the Bushs did one better on that score so far.

We are a mixture of things in our lives that make us what we are and brings out the good and bad in it. We all have feet of clay even if we may have gold too. I wonder how the ratio is of functioning families (under what criterion) vs disfunctional? If we even need to go there.

MarthaA: you challenged me on August 28 at 10:45 am to write what I consider to be a dysfunctional family. I did so and now you have used some of my thoughts on that subject to smear that I am perhaps “perfect”. I obviously and mistakenly assumed that we could have an exchange of views without name-calling.

dihey,

Hey, nobody is perfect, no not one, unless it is you.  The Kennedy’s have succeeded more than they have failed.  Forgive me, but I just can’t get into running the Kennedy’s down.  When it comes to casting stones at people who have done the best they could, it will have to be someone else other than me.  I am thankful that Senator Edward Moore Kennedy was a Senator in Congress and represented Massachusetts as well as the entire nation.  I think the Lord Jesus welcomed Senator Kennedy home, and that’s all I have to say about that.

Martha A: “So, what does it matter?”

Many of my friends are sad that the “Kennedy era” has come to an end. The retrospect of the “Kennedy Brothers” by MSNBC (Matthews) has brought back to my fading memory that thoroughly rotten era dominated by white males (just consult the photos of the JFK team of 1961: all male and all white!). I am deliriously happy that the “Kennedy era” is past, hopefully forever now that we have had several viable female Presidential candidates, have two women on our Supreme Court, and an African-American President although still far too few women in our geriatric club a.k.a. The Senate. Hosanna!

Papa Joe ordered brain surgery on one of his daughters without telling/consulting his wife in advance. That is NOT a dysfunctional family? Papa Joe pushed his boys to glamor and glory while the girls were asked to be sweet and serve tea at the boy’s campaign parties. That is NOT a dysfunctional family?  President JFK asked his security guards to provide women for one night-stands when he had to stay overnight in some town. That is NOT a dysfunctional family? Makes me wonder what you consider to be a functional family.

ardee: Yes, Eunice became a wonderful and beloved international figure…but only truly after papa died. Papa never pushed her and that was my point. And why is she not buried at Arlington? Had she the wrong chromosomes?

dihey,

Apparently you do not know the meaning of dysfunctional.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/142266/ted_kennedy’s_life_and_legacy/

dihey, August 27 at 6:46 pm

Oh, I dont know about that.. Eunice built a world wide organisation of great benefit, Edward served 47 years in public service, his older brothers, all three, paid the ultimate price for service as well.

Small words indeed in summation of this family, dihey.

dihey,

So?  What does that matter?

If there was ever a typical dysfunctional American family it was the Kennedy’s. The boys were pushed for greatness and the girls were asked to be sweet and serve tea at their campaign parties.

The name stamped on voting rights and medicare is not that of “Uncle Teddy” but of Lyndon Baines Johnson.

He did many good things, just that occasionally he got suckered in as many Americans did concerning Iraq. There was that one time he was shouting to the rafters to attack Iraq back in the 1990’s. I was so disappointed that he had been fooled. But it didn’t happen too of then & he backed the right bills time in and out. So he lived a good life, better than most of us, really.

Good to see Russ Feingold calling for a withdrawl from Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible. Good for him. He would never have a chance of becoming president any more that Dennis Kucininch because they are among the very few who are actually for us and not the corporations.

I just wish the so-called news sources wouldn’t spend endless hours on it. I want news. If people had a choice on watching endless coverage of a funeral and going for news sources I wonder which would win?

Quote: ” Kennedy funerals have marked our history: JFK. RFK. Jackie. John Jr. And two weeks ago, Eunice. This time the death to be mourned is the youngest brother who became the oldest, the only male to achieve something tragically denied the others: longevity.”

A very good article, I disagree with the aspect of “tragically”.  I myself, nor do I suspect the majority to consider these deaths “TRAGIC” in the accidental sense.  I surmise that the majority see these deaths quite differently…. more to the point, they see them as purposefully DENIED, and only after that, tragic.

Most Americans see these deaths more concretely as the suppression of the voice of The People and oppressive.  This death, regardless of “longevity” doesn’t begin to encompass the Kennedy family.

The People love the Kennedys, regardless the tabloids.  This, it seems….. is more indicative of The People’s sentiment than not.  Love is not fickle.  Love is a concept which doesn’t understand strength, it knows no bounds and it has no favorites.  It is love, it exists outside of platitudinal parameters.  It would be an impossiblity to “interrupt” The People’s love for the Kennedys.  It can’t be done, and the folly is realized in the ignorance of those who’ve tried.

Senator Kennedy now is keeping a look out for out nation from a secret undisclosed location. I hope he gets to see Public Health Care legislated for all the people of the United States, instead of only the privileged few, because that is what he wanted.