The end of an era.

The only one of four brothers to die of natural causes.

And wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago that Eunice Kennedy Shriver died? Kinda wierd to have two siblings die in the same month.

Awoke this morning to the sad news. Ted Kennedy will be sorely missed by our nation.

While I didn't care for him, I sure am sorry to hear about him. He was a well known political figure...

Yes, I would say one of the most influential political figures of our times, especially for a senator. I will never forget the day he endorsed Obama. That is when I realized how much of a heavyweight he was because that spelled doom for Hillary's bid. It also made me respect the healthcare issues.

My heart goes out to the Kennedy family, as well as the people of Massachusetts.

I can speak to such an intense feeling in Boston area... grief and celebration...even those who did not agree with him have stood in line for hours in respect....
people of all colors and backgrounds have lined the streets and highways to wave goodbye this powerful man who in so many small ways you may never hear of touched so many of our lives (mine, too)... particularly in Massachusetts... but no doubt far and wide...

the church of his funeral service is such a symbol... in the middle of a low income, multi-cultural neighborhood... a beautiful church but with a congregation so often marginalized still... those who he fought for the hardest...

I have no doubt that whatever he did his intent was love and service... who knows when any of us "succeed" in results.... but he will be missed by many, and I pray that his energy and determination will be continued....
thanks to you, Sen. Kennedy... such small words for so much...

This is incredibly BAD TASTE!




Far from letting Kennedy rest in peace, many media conservatives savagely attacked the Senate's last liberal lion. Leading the charge was radio host Rush Limbaugh, who began his broadcast Wednesday morning eulogizing Kennedy by calling him "the lion of the Senate" before noting that "we were his prey." Hardly finished, El Rushbo would go on to say that "Kennedy screwed up everything he touched." He said Kennedy's opposition to Robert Bork's Supreme Court nomination was "the beginning of the dawn of the age of the current hate." He claimed Kennedy "used the government to take money from people that work to give it to people that don't work" and that "most of Senator Kennedy's plans ended up damaging the people he seeks to help." Finally, Limbaugh marveled at the fact that "the Constitution is still there, even after Ted Kennedy in the Senate for 52 [sic] years." All that and more led MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Politico's Patrick Gavin to agree that "Limbaugh showed great restraint" in discussing Kennedy's death. Can you imagine what Rush would have said had it not been for such "restraint?"

Limbaugh was hardly alone in his disgusting attacks on Kennedy. Radio host and Fox News political analyst Tammy Bruce kept it classy, claiming on Twitter that Fox News Sunday's Chris "Wallace noted the last great act of Kennedy's career was to endorse [President] Obama. I agree: he left a woman to drown and now he's left us to drown."

Eric Sanger, a director at Premiere Radio Networks, ABC Radio/Citadel Media and The Sean Hannity Show, said on Facebook (emphasis added), "The irony is that the media is already positioning Ted as a champion for the little man against wealth and privilege. This piece of garbage was the poster child for wealth and privilege. Hopefully, this event will mark the end of this repugnant family and all the endless crap, entitlement, personal indulgences and collateral damage (Kopechne, Bessette, Bowman, Moxely, etc.)."

Wesley Pruden, a Washington Times columnist, wrote that Kennedy's death was "a good career move" and that Democrats "are smiling through their tears," while Andrew Breitbart, a fellow Times columnist, called Kennedy a "villain," a "duplicitous bastard," and a "prick" on Twitter, as noted by Politico. Riehl World View, a right-wing blog, came to Breitbart's defense, claiming that liberals criticizing him were "hypocrites" because when Dick Cheney dies, they're going to do the exact same thing. That's right, liberals today are hypocrites because of what they might do in the future. Now that's some crazy fortune-telling.

Fox News host Sean Hannity told his audience that "out of respect for his family," he had decided not to "bring up Mary Jo Kopechne" or Kennedy's "radical socialism." Seriously.

When they weren't busy attacking Kennedy's legacy, media conservatives -- like Fox News' Laura Ingraham -- were attacking Democrats for purportedly attempting to use his passing to stifle debate and enact health care reform legislation, repeatedly calling this supposed tactic the "death card." In a true episode of pot meets kettle, conservative media figures -- like health care serial misinformer Betsy McCaughey -- have used Kennedy's death to attack health care reform, some even baselessly suggesting that if reform passes, elderly cancer patients -- as Kennedy was -- will be "denied" treatments or that their treatments will be "rationed." Limbaugh said that "Ted Kennedy didn't have to read a death book," while Tom Marr, guest-hosting Lou Dobbs' radio show, said under a public option, a "bureaucrat" would have told Kennedy, "77, brain tumor, bye-bye."

On top of the relentless smears from media conservatives, several mainstream press outlets repeated without question the GOP claim that Kennedy's absence from the health care debate prevented lawmakers from reaching a bipartisan compromise and that had Kennedy been present, agreement on health care reform would have been more likely. Several progressive commentators have identified this talking point as GOP spin intended to disguise Republicans' obstructionism, with Salon.com's Joan Walsh, for example, stating that "absolutely no evidence supports that point of view" and washingtonpost.com blogger Ezra Klein noting that Kennedy's committee has already reported out a bill -- a progressive one, at that.

He accomplished more for people as a senator than any president has or most other legislators have. History will remember Senator "Ted" Kennedy for all of the good that he did long after the media blow hards who, unsuccessfully, tried to besmirch his memory have faded into oblivion.

Peace to you, Ted.

Amen, Zap......

Yeah, like what the hell has Rush Limbaugh contributed to society besides a lot of hot air?

Maybe he's cranky...and out of Vicodin.

Oh, my! Sue, you may have discovered the true source of global warming!!!

....

one can only imagine Limbaugh's eulogy:
there's some shit for the compost!