"He instinctively can find the shining greatness of our American culture and does a good job of highlighting it (although he also does have those rare lapses when he writes about hockey, but that is something caused by impurities in the Eastern waters or something)." Erik Keilholtz
Under the patronage of St. Tammany
Mark C. N. Sullivan is an editor at a Massachusetts university. He is married and the father of three children. Email
For a Catcher Here lies No-Knees Mick McGirk Squatted when he went to work Squatted when he went to bed Squatting now that he is dead His casket's only half the size Of any other normal guy's Because, no taller than an elf, Mick could not unsquat himself
Michael Knox Beran offers a compelling take on why Ted K chose the political path he did:
For the fourth and only surviving son of Joseph P. and Rose Kennedy, the path to liberal lionhood began on Dike Road on the night of July 18--19, 1969.
Had Chappaquiddick never happened, Kennedy would have had every incentive to try, as his older brothers did, to arrest the leftward lurch of the Democratic party, which weakened Democrats' ability to compete for the White House.
Ted, after Chappaquiddick, had to find another path to glory, one that did not include a sojourn at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. His choice revealed a certain native shrewdness: Morally debarred from the presidency, he would be the liberal lion that the older brothers--who valued possession of the White House more than they did the whimsies of the Left--could never be. The older boys were retrospectively endowed with liberal halos, as a concession to their martyrdoms; the kid brother would obtain the same crown in life.
By hewing with so little deviation to the liberal line, Kennedy has been able to maintain his dominance in the party.
Ted Kennedy did much good. But one is left with a sad feeling of "if only": If only he had channeled his immense power and celebrity and charm and Senate effectiveness differently – to defend the weakest, the unborn; to promote liberalism informed by his Catholic faith rather than in conflict with it; to promote the civility for which was credited behind the scenes, but which he so undercut with his attack on Robert Bork. How different would the Democratic Party and the country be today?
RIP.
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The Anchoress on the late Sen. Kennedy and Purgatory:
Some will focus on his personal sins -the assumed repentance or lack of same (of which they will likely have no real knowledge, just hunches) and some will presume to know the state of his soul, but those will be the inveterates, working from long-habit. Most Christians will, I think, understand that “the favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies not over and done” and will simply pray in hopes that Kennedy had made a contrite and humble confession of his failings and sins. Others, of course, will suggest that Kennedy’s pro-abortion positions, in and of themselves, should damn him forever in the eyes of God.
Thankfully, God knows more, and sees more, than the rest of us, because eventually we’ll all need to count on his mercy, as we face his justice. For all that we know of Kennedy, there is much we do not know. A family member who works with the very poor once told me that when he was in a real fix and unable to find help for, for instance, a sick child in need of surgery, a phone call to Kennedy’s office would set the “Irish Mafia” of professional people -doctors, lawyers, pilots and such- into brisk motion. I think an examination of the life of every “great” person (and I mean “great” in terms of power and influence) will expose deep flaws and surprising episodes of generosity.
So, upon hearing of his passing, I say “ah, he’s gone, then,” make a Sign of the Cross, and think of what C.S. Lewis wrote of Purgatory:
Our souls demand Purgatory, don’t they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, ‘It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy’? Should we not reply, ‘With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I’d rather be cleaned first.’ ‘It may hurt, you know’ – ‘Even so, sir.’
That is the headline tonight at Yahoo! where the Buzz Log notes a surge in queries on Rosemary Kennedy, whose difficult life inspired her sister Eunice's work with the mentally disabled.
Irish Elk originally posted the picture above of Rosemary Kennedy four years ago. The number of visitors who have arrived at this site today via Google Image Search had passed 1,800 as of 9 o'clock tonight.
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Eunice Shriver warned in 1968 against what she saw as "a drift into what I would call the 'Hard Society'" -- one without love, in which everyone takes care of himself or herself and people too frequently use one another to satisfy their desires without assuming the responsibilities of permanent relationships. The Hard Society was characterized by "separateness between rich and poor, between whites and blacks, between an intellectual elite and the unlearned masses, where both individuals and blocs are concerned solely with maximizing their own comforts and enforcing their own prejudices."
She wrote:
"I think we should be intolerant toward anything that makes it difficult for a woman who has conceived a child to bring him or her into the world with joy and gladness...
Dinotherium he Will have to do his best for D. The early world observed with awe His back, indented like a saw. His look was gay, his voice was strong; His tail was neither short nor long; His trunk, or elongated nose, Was not so large as some suppose; His teeth, as all the world allows, Were graminivorous, like a cow's.
He therefore should have wished to pass Long peaceful nights upon the Grass, But being mad the brute preferred To roost in branches, like a bird. (We have good reason to suppose He did so, from his claw-like toes.)
A creature heavier than a whale, You see at once, could hardly fail To suffer badly when he slid And tumbled (as he always did). His fossil therefore comes to light All broken up: and serve him right.
MORAL If you were born to walk the ground, Remain there; do not fool around.
Portrait of William Frederick (Buffalo Bill) Cody (1846-1917), sitting in a director's chair with members of his travelling show standing behind him. Scenery painted to look like Rocky Mountains is visible in the background, as are horses (real or painted?). Cody was a buffalo hunter, U.S. Army scout, and Indian fighter who dramatized the American West in travelling shows. Buffalo Bill's Show took place at the old Cubs' ballpark.
Horses, cows and bulls graze in the field at the old Cubs' ballpark. Painted scenery, with Rocky Mountains and pine trees, is propped in the back of the field, next to the grandstand. The animals and scenery were part of Buffalo Bill Cody's travelling show.
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