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Sunday, October 20, 2013

Ted Kennedy's Memoir: A Review and a Commentary

I haven't read Ted Kennedy's memoir and have no desire to inflict it on myself. But I have read a detailed review by my friend Gerry Bruen that is well-worth reading.

Dare We Hope That Ted Kennedy Be Saved?

Maybe I'll change my mind and read the book as penance. Indeed, I read Margaret Sanger's autobiography while holding my nose. I suppose I could do the same with Kennedy. It's good to know your adversaries and their tactics. Kennedy and Sanger, both radical liberals, had more than their Irish heritage in common. They painted themselves in the best possible light and never minded misrepresenting the truth to do it.

While Gerry doesn't mention it,
Kennedy wrote about his "remorse" over Chappaquiddick. I'm inclined to be skeptical about how remorseful he really was, Kennedy biographer and personal friend, Ed Klein, described how he loved to joke about the tragedy and ask people about the latest Chappaquiddick jokes. What a laugh, eh? Letting a young woman die a slow death. Some experts said the air pocket in the car meant there was time to rescue her. We'll never know for sure, of course, and the Kennedy family talked Mary Jo's parents out of seeking an autopsy.



Ted Kennedy wore his faith on his sleeve, but it was a faith he twisted to meet his own perverse political and moral views. He appears to have chosen his theological advisers (dissenters all) according to the advice he was looking for. The fact he was justifying himself to Pope Benedict in the final days of his life and outlining all his virtues seems an odd way to face the end which calls for fear and trembling.

Gerry indicates that Kennedy considered his character assassination of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas highlights of his career. His ideological attack used lies and emotion to manipulate public opinion in both cases.



In my mind, those were two of the most shameful episodes of his career after one considers his flip-flop on abortion and his promotion of homosexual perversion and the destruction of marriage and the family. That he was proud of those vicious, cowardly assaults speaks volumes about the man. The "lion of the Senate" was actually a jackal!

I join with Gerry in praying for Kennedy (holding my nose, I confess), but my feelings revolt. It's a good thing that feelings are ruled by our intellect. One can feel animosity toward another and smile and wish them well, including the hope for their final repentance which is the only way to get to heaven. And so, I set my feelings for Sanger and Kennedy aside and choose to pray for eternal life for these minions of evil. After all, God loves every soul He created including those who rebel against Him (I should know). So I pray they repented. But I can't help thinking that Jesus may have said (as he did of Judas) -- better for them had they never been born.

I'm offering my rosary today for them both.

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