#1 2009-08-26 16:13:31
I can't say that Ted Kennedy and I were "drinkin' buddies", but it was "Ted" and "Dick", and I did know him well enough to imagine him shaking his head in a mix of disbelief and disgust had I been able to tell him the story of the recent, failed ,race-baiting attempt by the sorry leader and representatives of his -and my-party here in Wareham.
I can also imagine his reaction on hearing me describe the real life cartoon of the three WDTC "perps' in the parking lot next to The Middle
School, one an elected official , the other two selectmen hopefuls, waiting with their bullhorns for the "protesters" who never came because they never were.
He'd have acted with the air punching gesture of a golfer who has just made a 30 foot putt:
"Ye-ess !....They didn't fall for it !"
So conditioned is the membership of the WDTC to "knuckling under" that not a one of them has stood up to deplore the incident, guaranteeing that it will linger on like an untreated infection.
Americans have an amazing capacity for forgiveness, providing that the one who has erred stands tall and says , "I screwed up and I'm sorry".
Then we could bury it and move on. They are gambling that we'll forget. I don't think so.
They will react to Ted Kennedy's death as if they have lost someone who stood for what they stand for here in Wareham. Nothing could be further from reality. They have truly lost their way.
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#2 2009-08-26 16:55:26
Thanks, Dick.
I have many stories about Ted over the years. After my sadness passes, I will relate some.
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#3 2009-08-26 16:57:44
One thing: Ted transcended party lines. Always!
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#4 2009-08-26 18:14:57
Mr. Wheeler,
That was an excellent story. I still have a certain amount of anger at the race baiting incident that will not go away. They never admitted to it and the Selectmen swept it under the rug. I believe, with all my heart, that they will pay for what they did. People did notice and that will not go away!
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#5 2009-08-26 23:11:05
Dick:
You are so right about Senator Kennedy, he had an amazing ability to embrace his opposition, listen to "the other side", and compromise. A true leader has been lost. He was a man who could admit that he was human and had his own short-comings. He did not use populations of people for votes, he worked diligently to give every American the same opportunities.
Senator Kennedy has sat in his seat for as long as I have been alive, as long as my husband has been alive (and he is ten years older than me!) This is a sad day........
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#6 2009-08-27 16:07:24
Click to enlarge
From Swift's Beach looking more or less towards Hyannis Port on the horizon at the time when Ted Kennedy was beginning his final journey from Cape Cod to Boston.
Auto-edited on 2020-08-11 to update URLs
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#7 2009-08-27 16:53:47
When I was a Selectman, I worked with Senator Kennedy, as well as Senator Brooke, very closely.
I was a consultant, even then, and I remember many trips to Washington to lobby bills for the small businessman in Wareham and the Tri-Town area.
Like Dick, it was Ted and Biff.
Unlike Dick, he would sometimes call me Buff, or Boff, or Buff. It didn't make any difference, because he was Ted and he was a good guy.
One remembrance, not to get too maudlin, which is how I feel right now. I NEVER hear Ted Kennedy say anything negative about anyone.
I have always had a propensity to shoot my mouth off, and if I was with him and said something about someone who was against our agenda, he would say nothing.
If he agreed, he would smile, probably laugh a little.
If he disagreed, at some point later he would say,"You know, you can work with anyone."
I hope I see him again on the other side.
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