Senator Ted Kennedy, the Great Lion who worked tirelessly for children & working people, has died

The Great Lion’s torch is lit and has now been passed on. Hold it up high President Obama in honor of the greatest Senator to ever live…

Man, oh man. I knew the other day when I heard on the radio that Teddy (or his family) had sent a letter to the Governor…his days were limited. I felt it in my heart. For many of us, we’ve had a deep connection to the Great Lion and just like an ailing family member, we know when the end is near. I couldn’t even do THIS POST the other day, because the thought of him dying now would be too much to bear! Access to health care for all Americans, especially for children and for the hard working Americans, was a lifelong passion to him. Dying now would be a travesty! And it is. I’m a mess.

We love you Ted. May you rest in peace now, because as we look over your life today, we will know that you never ever ever ever stopped working for the people who mattered. You could have spent your life with all your money doing what is wrong….yes, you could have lived your life as a republican….but you chose not to! You instead spent your life with meaning and with a purpose for the common good of all.

I remember when you pointed out the selfishness of the republicans for trying once again to block minimum wage or screaming about health care for children and all Americans! You never stopped, Uncle Teddy! And you were always right about what you said. You said it beautifully too and you always had the children and hard working Americans in the back of your head when you took the republicans to task.

But most of all, we remember your words at your brothah Robert Kennedy’s funeral after he was gunned down by a madman. The words you spoke then could be used for you today….

You had moral courage in the face of Monsters, Teddy. When you saw suffering you tried to heal it! We thank you and will never forget! We love you. You touched all of us. May you RIP now.

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30 Responses to “Senator Ted Kennedy, the Great Lion who worked tirelessly for children & working people, has died”

  1. kayinmaine says:

    Here’s what Nomolos (a Mainer) said on FireDogLake this morning:

    “He was in the Senate for just two years when he took up my cause against being drafted. He intervened and saved me from being yet more cannon fodder in the Vietnam corporate war. He personally arranged for me to get into the Army reserve as we fought the battle about immigrant, non citizens, being forced into the army and being sent to Vietnam. He was caring, helpful and absolutely committed to a cause that he thought wrong. I could not vote for him as I was newly “off the boat” but that we laughed about and I promised to vote for him as soon as I could.. Later, when there was an almost years wait to be sworn in as a citizen, he again intervened and arranged for my swearing in in just days. Senator Edward Kennedy cared deeply about every person no matter who. He took up my cause because he thought it right even though I was a “nobody”, an absolutely broke immigrant trying to get a foothold in a new country. The country and the world will be less well off without him.”

    http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/26/the-cause-endures/#comment-1964727

    Ted Kennedy was a selfless man!

  2. kayinmaine says:

    The New York Times has done an incredible obituary on Ted:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/us/politics/27kennedy.html?_r=1&hp

    Anyone else crying uncontrollably this morning?

  3. Grant in Texas says:

    Woke up this morning to find that my partner had our new flag in
    the front yard at half mast. I wasn’t shocked since he was too ill
    to attend his sister’s wake and funeral. He has been called the
    greatest senator of the past century and being compared to the
    likes of Daniel Webster. And he was supposedly once called the
    “under achiever” in the Kennedy clan. He will be missed by
    Americans.

  4. kayinmaine says:

    George Bush killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis. Ted Kennedy unintentionally killed a woman in a drunk driving accident.

  5. Lisa K. says:

    It is a terribly sad day at my house. MoveOn has asked that we put
    a candle in the window in memory of Ted tonight, and that is what I
    plan to do. RIP, Teddy.

    • kayinmaine says:

      Today has been very rough knowing Ted died last night while most of us were sleeping. I kept thinking today I would have wanted to be by his side! Man. I couldn’t believe it when I woke up, turned the tv on, and boom! there it was…..Teddy was gone. Surreal.

  6. Lisa K. says:

    “George Bush killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis.” Not
    to mention condemned thousands of American soldiers to a useless,
    wasted death to satisfy his grandiose whims, and approved the
    torture and murder of hundreds of detainees for no particular
    reason whatsoever except that he was mad.

  7. Grant in Texas says:

    Move0n has a good video up now:
    http://pol.moveon.org/kennedy/?id=17002-4245627-KRHwW1x&t=1 The
    greatest memorial we could give Sen. Kennedy would be to pass
    healthcare as he hoped to see come about in his lifetime. Just
    reported he wrote 1500 bills, had 300 become law and voted over
    25,000 times in his four decades in the Senate. Quite an
    accomplishment.

  8. Grant in Texas says:

    The Nation magazine has a nice tribute up:
    http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020325/newfield So many tragedies in
    one family, three killed in plane crashes (Teddy survived another
    plane crash), and two assassinations.

  9. Grant in Texas says:

    After his funeral mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (aka the
    Mission Church) in Boston, Kennedy will be buried alongside his
    brothers at Arlington Cemetery.

  10. Temple Of The Dog says:

    Ted Kennedy may have been born into and enjoyed a life of privilege
    which many of us could only dream about but as an elected public
    servant he fought hard for people less fortunate than himself.
    Whether it was health care, civil rights, women’s rights or
    education Ted Kennedy was a champion for the average American
    citizen and NOTHING will ever take away from his great
    legacy….NOTHING!

  11. Grant in Texas says:

    Gee, a TROLL calling Kay a “cunt”…how original? They can spell
    four letter words! TROLL, why don’t you go over to Free Republic
    where they are holding a pissing match and dance over Kennedy’s
    grave at Arlington…a place where most TROLLS will never have
    EARNED a plot. The TROLL should be erased since he is obviously not
    here to say anything good about Sen. Kennedy.

  12. Grant in Texas says:

    Kennedy died at 11:30 August 25. Almost to the hour (adjusted for
    Mountain Time) on August 25, 2008, Kennedy gave a speech at the
    Democratic National Convention in Denver promoting healthcare
    legislation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IDN4b58pTU

  13. james collins says:

    Breaking! Limbaugh to announce a move to Massachusetts to steal
    Ted’s Senate seat. I got this from someone associated with the
    show! He plans to announce this on Friday’s show. Body isn’t even
    cold! Incredible!

    • kayinmaine says:

      Are you kidding? Rush Limbaugh can’t even run down the sidewalk without having heart pains so how the hell would he run for a Senate seat? It would kill him! Oh wait. Let’s hope he runs!

  14. Grant says:

    We are going to see a lot of HATE from the reich-wingnuts. Some
    couldn’t get to this blog and other liberal blogs fast enough to
    start flinging their crap, today. Real conservatives like John
    McCain will even be speaking at his wake on Friday night! Problem
    is the remaining TRUE conservatives are having their voices shouted
    over by wingnut racist haters like Limbaugh and Beck.

  15. Grant says:

    Limbaugh just a couple of days ago said that the Senators death
    will be USED by Democrats to get healthcare passed. Limbaugh said,
    “It’s obvious that the untimely death of Senator Kennedy here is
    seen by some as an opportunity for political maneuvering. Now here
    the eventual death of Senator Kennedy is being used by Democrats to
    once again make sure that his death does not cause a loss of 60
    votes in the Senate, all so this monstrosity of a debacle, national
    health care, could be passed.” Then today, Rush laments that
    Kennedy’s death will lead to an “inspirational effort or technique
    to get national health care on the fast track. Before it’s all over
    it will be called the Ted Kennedy Memorial Health Care bill.” Then
    he concluded, “The greatest tribute would be that every American,
    every man, every woman, every child would get the same health care
    options that Ted Kennedy got. Ted Kennedy did not have to face
    death panels. Ted Kennedy didn’t have to face government-run
    end-of-life counseling. Nobody said to Ted Kennedy’s family, “Give
    him a pain pill.” I think if you want to move the health care
    debate forward, let’s do Tedcare for all, forever, and make
    sure that every man, woman, and child get the same health care
    options that Ted Kennedy got.” I am sure Limbaugh with his hundreds
    of millions doesn’t worry about healthcare either. He has HIS, to
    hell with everyone else!

  16. Grant in Texas says:

    Rush can dream his oxycontin dreams! Just went to a so-called
    “progressive” blog and thought I had hit Free Republic. Too bad our
    country seems to have gone to the fringes, both right and left.
    This from a far-left “progressive” at the New Cafe: “He [Kennedy]
    is scum of the earth. He went through the motions as do most
    politicians, and also he never worked an honest day in his life. A
    true politician to the end.” So some are not going to let Teddy
    have a few days of eulogies, a moment of silence. I am grateful to
    the Kennedy brothers for making me see our nation in a different
    light and more than any other influence, brought me out of the
    Republican party to become a registered Democrat in the last half
    of the ’60’s.

  17. Clif says:

    When I was young Bobby Kennedy made realize answering my conscience, not my pocket book was a more authentic way to live life.

    RIP Bobby

    Ted Kennedy showed me as an adult how to live that, in caring for others less fortunate then myself.

    RIP Teddy

  18. kayinmaine says:

    Grant, only TRUE LIBERALS knew who Ted Kennedy was and loved him for it. All others are pieces of shit who couldn’t hold a candle to us or TEDDY! Just ignore them. There are many Democrats who are afraid of the conservaNAZIS so they tend to go along with these Nazis in the hopes they’ll be liked!

    Clif, THANK YOU! ((((Hugging You)))) The Kennedy family has shown us what it means to give selflessly. There is not ONE REPUBLICAN in the past 20 years at least THAT WOULD BE MOURNED OR GRIEVED LIKE TED KENNEDY IS TODAY. None. Not even Reagan. In fact, I heard more people complaining about that bastard’s 5 day funeral! Reagan ruined America! He started the mess.

  19. kayinmaine says:

    KO just asked why Ted Kennedy was called the “Lion of the Senate”. THE ANSWER:

    BECAUSE HE ROARED LIKE A LION AGAINST THE ENEMY (the republicans), HE CIRCLED HIS PREY (the republicans), AND AT THE END OF THE DAY HE LAID OUTSIDE THE DEN DOOR PROTECTING THOSE HE CARED ABOUT (which was everyone including the bastard republicans!).

  20. Grant in Texas says:

    I was an ardent Goldwater volunteer in 1960 and along with a few
    other YAF friends, worked the floor of the convention that summer
    in Chicago for Barry. I liked Goldwater’s conservative fiscal
    policies but the Kennedy’s woke me up and made me see that human
    beings are as important as budgets, etc. When Nixon/Pat Buchanan
    formulated their “Southern Strategy” to actively invite racist
    Dixiecrats into the “Party of Lincoln”, I realized the GOP I had
    known had left me and others like me in the dust. When Kennedy was
    assassinated, I threw my support to third party candidate Eugene
    McCarthy as I wanted us out of Vietnam. Think of the 22,000
    American lives which would have been saved if we had had a
    President Robert F. Kennedy instead of Nixon, not counting the
    larger number of Vietnamese, Cambodia, Laotian innocents.

  21. Donna6167 says:

    KIM this has truly been a sad day. I feel like I lost a family
    member :( He fought for the average Joe and the underdogs. Ted
    Kennedy will truly be missed. For anyone to deny that he did such
    good as a Senator is just assinine. He made a stupid mistake many
    years ago, and probably paid for it daily in his personal life, it
    does not take away from all the good that he has done since. RIP
    TED!

    • kayinmaine says:

      Hi Donna! It sure has been a sad day for all of us who cared deeply for Senator Ted Kennedy. Of course, there is the Hating Group out there who refuse to accept that Ted Kennedy killed a woman UNINTENTIONALLY while George Bush INTENTIONALLY killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis after he lied to the nation! I spit on those people as you know. :-)

  22. Palin Power says:

    I already have dg! RUSH to the Senate!

  23. molly says:

    Still crying over our loss . I absolutely adored Ted Kennedy.

    • kayinmaine says:

      Molly, did you watch the footage today of Ted’s casket being brought to the hearse? Cried my eyes out! I was so filled with joy and warmth, though, seeing all the people along the route to Boston (or Bawstin) standing on the side of the road clapping & waving to him as he went by. No republican (not even Reagan!) produced that kind of love and respect! He was completely adored no matter how hard the wingnuts try to smear him or say otherwise. We loved him and Ted deserved to take one last ride to Boston. He made this trip a lot and it’s obvious he asked his family to make sure he could enjoy it once again. Man, I miss him!

  24. Grant in Texas says:

    Ted Kennedy’s accomplishments are printed here:
    http://www.vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?Id=makennedyedwardm The Rude
    Pundit lists some of his efforts to make this a better nation and
    asks those right wingers already dancing on his grave, these
    questions: You think a woman shouldn’t lose her job if she gets
    pregnant? You think 100,000 more cops on the street’s a good idea?
    You think poor kids should have health care? You think soldiers in
    Iraq should have the proper armor? Just check those things off the
    list. He was an ardent supporter. Do you like your state and not
    the federal government controlling the curriculum of your kids’
    schools? Thank Ted Kennedy. Do you like being able to vote starting
    at age 18? Thank Ted Kennedy. Do you think low-income people should
    get help with heating their homes in the winter? Thank the man. Do
    you think the federal government should fund cancer research? Yep.
    Do you believe that Meals on Wheels is a good thing? Ditto. Does
    your daughter (or you, if you’re female) like playing soccer or
    basketball or softball at school? Thanks to Ted Kennedy’s support
    of Title IX. Do you think that disabled people should be able to go
    to school? Have access to buildings? Not be discriminated against
    for housing and loads of other things? Kennedy, big time. You like
    your cheap airfares? You know the answer. You think people on
    welfare oughta get jobs? So did Kennedy. You think mental
    institutions should treat people humanely? Yeah, so did your new
    friend, Ted Kennedy. You believe that the Defense Department should
    provide child care for the kids of soldiers? Kennedy did.

  25. kayinmaine says:

    We are so excited about George Bush & Sarah Palin dying too! Whew, a nation without these fascist Pigs will be a good nation! In fact, we hope they both die horrible painful deaths too. The End.