The Massachusetts Special Election – 1/19/01

Teddy must be rolling over in his grave as his spirit bears witness to this election.

It’s not that I object to others’ points of view, it’s that I object to the manner in which they are shared.  The Massachusetts Special Election is being held today.  This state has big shoes to fill:  those of Ted Kennedy.  Yeah, I know.  He drove a car off a bridge and left Mary Jo Kopechne behind.  Truly sad.  But is that a reason to spew hate on all Democrats of this state?  Is that a reason to ignore all the GOOD that Kennedy has done for this state, and for this country?  Yeah yeah, I know.  He didn’t do anything.  I’ve heard it all before.  But you can’t ignore the fact that after all is said and done, Ted Kennedy appealed to the Pope himself to be absolved of his sins as he lay dying from brain cancer.  May this fate never touch you.  This may not mean anything to any of you who are not of a particular faith, and it may mean nothing to you even if you are of a particular faith.  But it means a lot to scores of people.  Ted knew he wasn’t perfect and he knew he made some bad decisions in his life.  I don’t necessarily believe in the sacrament of Confession of the Catholic religion, but what I can’t ignore is what DOES matter.  What DOES matter is that he did appeal for forgiveness.  What must be considered is that he recognized he wasn’t perfect and tried everything in his power to do the right thing for the people of Massachusetts and the people of this country.  He spent the rest of his life fighting for what’s right for us and correcting his wrongs, which is a lot more than I can say for many people I’ve known.  He spent the rest of his life in community service to us.  Ted Kennedy showed us through his actions, that everyone is valuable and deserving of a good life regardless of party.  

Have any of you given any thought to something you might have done and wanted to take it back?  We all make mistakes.  Were any of you actually there on the bridge in Chappaquiddick, witnessing the event as it unfolded?  The answer is simply “no”.  Because if you had, this would be the only reason that any of you would have to make your own narrow judgement about exactly what happened that night.  Some of us are too quick to label Ted a “murderer”; too quick to explain the “true” events of what happened that night.  I have some information for you:  you were NOT there.  You do NOT know what happened, contrary to what your own mind is telling you.  To label Ted Kennedy a “murderer” is far beyond your first amendment right to free speech.  Calling me a Nazi for my choice of candidate is far beyond your first amendment right to free speech.  What the constitution doesn’t outline well enough is that free speech doesn’t give you free rein to hurt others or hurt others’ reputation.  The laws of the universe continually prove that when you hurt others, you hurt yourself.  It may take a while, but it never fails.

The vitriol being spewed by the Republicans in the state of MA (and in this country for that matter) is a sure way to divide this country.  The name calling and hate only serves the one who participates in such behavior and it’s embarrassing for our country.  But maybe you don’t care about that.  Maybe you just like to make others miserable because you are miserable.  Maybe you just like to feel more important than anyone else, but that is still no reason to be hateful.  IS there a valid reason for hate?  Those who hate will give you all kinds of “valid” reasons, but those reasons are only on the surface.  The Republicans claim that the country is going to hell now with Obama in office.  Why?  The reasons they offer are on a spectrum ranging from Obama having little experience to Obama being the anti-christ.  And that covers a lot!  But at the root of this hate is not that Obama has little experience or that he’s Satan’s pawn.  It’s the color of his skin.  Go ahead and live in denial if you are telling me this is not the reason, because the other reasons you give HOLD NO WATER and don’t make any rational sense.  There is always a root cause and the root cause here is race.

But back to the special election in Massachusetts.  I’ve been labeled as ignorant, stupid, moronic, and yes, a Nazi.  How nice!  And you don’t even know me!  It’s ok.  That’s only hurt ego lashing out at me because I have an alternate point of view.  Get over your own ego and life is much more pleasant.  People still think they can bully their way to victory in elections, and maybe they can, but if one of the most controversial elections can result in a presidency, so can this one.

So to the Scott Brown supporters, yes, this is Teddy’s seat.  Because it was Teddy who championed healthcare for all of us, it was Teddy who represented us and made us feel important.  And it is Teddy’s seat we are hoping to fill with someone who holds the same values as we do in Massachusetts, not just a nameless “people’s” seat and if you had any respect for that seat, you would understand this.  If you had any respect for the people of Massachusetts, you would denounce the abhorrent behavior of your supporters.  But you don’t.  And that speaks volumes about who you are and how you operate.

Let’s move forward people.  If you’re in Massachusetts, get out and vote today!