It is sad to read when anyone has a terminal illness. It was sad to hear of Senator Ted Kennedy's probable terminal illness. It is not sad to keep hearing all these wonder alcolades about Senator Ted Kennedy and the Kennedy "Dynasty." Let's recap. Let's start in 1969.
Meet Mary Jo Kopechne. July 20, 1969 as a 1967 Delmont 88 was being pulled from a channel (Poucha Pond) in Chappaquiddick. As young and beautiful Mary Jo Kopechne suffocated inside the Delmont 88... Ted swam to his own safety. Ted fled to his posh hotel room, then to sleep never bothering to call the local authorities. A science teacher and 15 year old boy fishing from the "Dike Bridge" found the car in the morning. He pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended sentence of two months. How long do you think you or I would of served?
Now read about the "Ted Kennedy Fun Room."
In the Summer of 1989 Kennedy and fellow Senator Chris Dodd were having lunch at famous Washington D.C. restaurant La Brasserie. Kennedy requested the attendance of waitress Carla Gaviglio. According to the Washington Times "When she put in an appearance in their private retreat - 'The Teddy Kennedy Fun Room' - the Massachusetts senator picked her up and heaved her onto a table. The crystal candlesticks and champagne glasses shattered as he grabbed her again and flung her on top of Dodd. "Then Kennedy threw himself on top of the woman. The waitress implored Mr. Kennedy to 'Get off me!'
"Another waitress entered to find 'things all tipped over and Kennedy was on top, [the waitress] was in the middle and Dodd was on the bottom.' At that point the sandwich was disassembled."
There are numerous other similar stories. One from a friend who had the "honor" of waiting on Ted's table.
Meet Pam Kelley. (top right photo) Pam Kelley’s family lived in Hyannisport near the Kennedys. Her older sister Kim was the longtime girlfriend of Bobby Kennedy, Jr., a heroin addict. She became David Kennedy’s girlfriend in the summer of 1973, and spent time with him in Colorado. The couple returned to Massachusetts, and decided to go over to Nantucket to meet Joe, then age 20. On Monday morning, before they were to catch the ferry, they decided to go for a final swim. Joe borrowed a jeep to go out to the jetty. This is Pam’s description of what happened next, from “The Kennedys: An American Drama,” by Peter Collier and David Horowitz: “We were all sort of standing up in the jeep. Joe was cutting through the woods, spinning the jeep in circles. We were yelling and laughing and acting crazy. There was a rest area on the other side of the highway and Joe started to cross over to it. He didn’t see this station wagon heading toward us until the last minute. Joe swerved and we hit a ditch with our tires on the right side, breaking the jeep’s axle and flipping us. We held on to the roll bar for a couple of flips and then had to let go. Me and David were right together… in the air. I remember tumbling and seeing David’s face. I hit the ground. When I tried to get up, nothing happened.”
She was paralyzed. She would never walk again. Joe Kennedy, too, paid a price for his Teddy-like driving. A judge who had been a Harvard classmate of his late uncle and namesake Joe Jr. suspended his driver’s license. When David was in the hospital recovering from his own fractured vertebrae, he was introduced to morphine. Soon he too was a junkie, like his older brother Bobby. In 1984, David would be dead of a drug overdose at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach. Joe Kennedy is now retired from politics, at least temporarily. Many years ago, on the beach at Hyannisport on the Fourth of July, he set one of his sons on fire with some illegal fireworks. No charges were filed. In 2005 Joe made headlines again:
She was paralyzed. She would never walk again. Joe Kennedy, too, paid a price for his Teddy-like driving. A judge who had been a Harvard classmate of his late uncle and namesake Joe Jr. suspended his driver’s license. When David was in the hospital recovering from his own fractured vertebrae, he was introduced to morphine. Soon he too was a junkie, like his older brother Bobby. In 1984, David would be dead of a drug overdose at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach. Joe Kennedy is now retired from politics, at least temporarily. Many years ago, on the beach at Hyannisport on the Fourth of July, he set one of his sons on fire with some illegal fireworks. No charges were filed. In 2005 Joe made headlines again:
From The Boston Herald Aug 31, 2005
Paralyzed victim of Joe K crash: Skinflint won't helpBy Laurel J. Sweet and Maggie Mulvihill Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - Updated: 07:42 AM EST Joseph P. Kennedy II, who built upon his family fortune with a lucrative career of his own since leaving politics, allegedly told a Hyannis mother he left paralyzed for life in a car crash 32 years ago that he is ``broke'' and won't be her financial crutch any longer.
``I'm broke. I work for a non-profit. I'm not a bottomless pit,'' the chairman of Citizens Energy Corp. and former congressman allegedly told Pamela Burkley, whom he knew in their star-crossed youth on Cape Cod as Pam Kelley – his late brother David's girlfriend.
Kennedy denies through his lawyer that he made the remarks.
Though she acknowledges Kennedy, 52, has thrown some $50,000 her way over the years, Burkley, 50, told the Herald, ``I feel like he thinks I'm a piece of trash sitting in a wheelchair.''
The divorced mother of a 16-year-old girl said she earns $57,000 a year as executive director of the Cape Organization for Rights of the Disabled and suffers from recurring bladder cancer. ``I'm realizing my body is starting to give out on me,'' she said.
``I just want to live my life and plant my plants, play with my dogs and watch my daughter grow up. As I age, I'm getting nervous and less independent. And I'm tired.''
Steve Kidder, a friend and attorney for Kennedy, said Burkley's portrayal of slain U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy's son as cold and uncaring is wrong.
``The quote that she is attributing to Joe simply did not happen,'' Kidder responded emphatically.
In a statement released to the Herald through Kidder, Kennedy said, ``I have a very strong sense of responsibility for Pam and her circumstances. I have helped Pam many, many times over the years, and Pam knows I will continue to do so in the future.''
Burkley netted $668,000 from an insurance policy on the Jeep Kennedy flipped Aug. 13, 1973, snapping her spine and injuring five other teens heading to a Nantucket swimming hole.
The middle-class daughter of a builder and a real estate agent told a reporter at the time: ``There's no way I'd be able to spend that money if I lived to be 102.'' She decided not to sue.
But just eight years later, her trust fund was gone, invested in a house, medical expenses and land in Kezar Falls, Maine.
Kennedy was found guilty of driving to endanger and fined $100. A fawning judge told him, ``Use your illustrious name as an asset to do a lot of good.''
In the years since, Burkley struggled with depression, thoughts of suicide, and battled drugs and booze.
``Once I got sober,'' she said, ``I just flew. And I'm so proud of that and what I've done for myself, my community and my family. That's what I've spent the last 32 years doing and I don't see him owning any of this.''
Kennedy, meanwhile, has continued to live well.
Kennedy is the owner of nearly $2 million in real estate, including a rambling six-bedroom colonial in Brighton assessed this year by city officials at $741,600. In April 2003 he also took out a $1 million loan to purchase a 1,800-square-foot condo in an exclusive waterfront gated community in Key Largo, Fla., for which he and his wife, his former congressional aide Beth Kelly, paid $1.275 million, public records show
In addition, Kennedy owns two boats – a top-of-the-line, 35-foot fishing vessel he moors in Florida, and a 22-foot white sloop he keeps on Cape Cod, records show.
Entities related to his Citizens Energy Corp. paid him more than $400,000 in 2003, the last year for which records are available.
Paralyzed victim of Joe K crash: Skinflint won't helpBy Laurel J. Sweet and Maggie Mulvihill Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - Updated: 07:42 AM EST Joseph P. Kennedy II, who built upon his family fortune with a lucrative career of his own since leaving politics, allegedly told a Hyannis mother he left paralyzed for life in a car crash 32 years ago that he is ``broke'' and won't be her financial crutch any longer.
``I'm broke. I work for a non-profit. I'm not a bottomless pit,'' the chairman of Citizens Energy Corp. and former congressman allegedly told Pamela Burkley, whom he knew in their star-crossed youth on Cape Cod as Pam Kelley – his late brother David's girlfriend.
Kennedy denies through his lawyer that he made the remarks.
Though she acknowledges Kennedy, 52, has thrown some $50,000 her way over the years, Burkley, 50, told the Herald, ``I feel like he thinks I'm a piece of trash sitting in a wheelchair.''
The divorced mother of a 16-year-old girl said she earns $57,000 a year as executive director of the Cape Organization for Rights of the Disabled and suffers from recurring bladder cancer. ``I'm realizing my body is starting to give out on me,'' she said.
``I just want to live my life and plant my plants, play with my dogs and watch my daughter grow up. As I age, I'm getting nervous and less independent. And I'm tired.''
Steve Kidder, a friend and attorney for Kennedy, said Burkley's portrayal of slain U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy's son as cold and uncaring is wrong.
``The quote that she is attributing to Joe simply did not happen,'' Kidder responded emphatically.
In a statement released to the Herald through Kidder, Kennedy said, ``I have a very strong sense of responsibility for Pam and her circumstances. I have helped Pam many, many times over the years, and Pam knows I will continue to do so in the future.''
Burkley netted $668,000 from an insurance policy on the Jeep Kennedy flipped Aug. 13, 1973, snapping her spine and injuring five other teens heading to a Nantucket swimming hole.
The middle-class daughter of a builder and a real estate agent told a reporter at the time: ``There's no way I'd be able to spend that money if I lived to be 102.'' She decided not to sue.
But just eight years later, her trust fund was gone, invested in a house, medical expenses and land in Kezar Falls, Maine.
Kennedy was found guilty of driving to endanger and fined $100. A fawning judge told him, ``Use your illustrious name as an asset to do a lot of good.''
In the years since, Burkley struggled with depression, thoughts of suicide, and battled drugs and booze.
``Once I got sober,'' she said, ``I just flew. And I'm so proud of that and what I've done for myself, my community and my family. That's what I've spent the last 32 years doing and I don't see him owning any of this.''
Kennedy, meanwhile, has continued to live well.
Kennedy is the owner of nearly $2 million in real estate, including a rambling six-bedroom colonial in Brighton assessed this year by city officials at $741,600. In April 2003 he also took out a $1 million loan to purchase a 1,800-square-foot condo in an exclusive waterfront gated community in Key Largo, Fla., for which he and his wife, his former congressional aide Beth Kelly, paid $1.275 million, public records show
In addition, Kennedy owns two boats – a top-of-the-line, 35-foot fishing vessel he moors in Florida, and a 22-foot white sloop he keeps on Cape Cod, records show.
Entities related to his Citizens Energy Corp. paid him more than $400,000 in 2003, the last year for which records are available.
Meet Martha Moxley. Fifteen year old Martha Moxley's only mistake in life was being the neighbor of Michael Skakel, nephew of Robert F.Kennedy. Martha Moxley was beaten to death with a golf club by Michael Skakel. It took 27 years for "socialite" to be brought to justice.
Meet William "Kennedy" Smith. In 1991, Smith was tried and acquitted on a charge of rape. He was represented by prominent Miami-based criminal defense attorney Roy Black. The trial attracted extensive media coverage because of the prominence of the Kennedy family.
The incident began on the evening of March 30, 1991, when Smith, then 30 years old, was in a bar (named Au Bar) in Palm Beach, Florida in the company of his uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, and his cousin Patrick Kennedy. Smith met a 29-year-old woman, Patricia Bowman. Patrick became acquainted with Michelle Cassone, another young woman who was at the bar. The four of them then went to a nearby house owned by the Kennedy family. Smith and Bowman went for a walk along the beach. She alleged that Smith raped her; Smith testified that the sex was consensual. At a criminal trial later that year, Smith was acquitted of all charges against him. In 2004, a former employee of the Center for International Rehabilitation, Audra Soulias, alleged that Smith had sexually assaulted her in 1999, and brought a civil action against him. Smith denied her charges, calling them "outrageous" and saying that "family and personal history have made me unusually vulnerable to these kinds of charges" and resigned from the CIR. On January 5, 2005, the court dismissed Soulias's lawsuit.
In the same time period, it was reported that Laura Hamilton was paid a large sum of money by Smith in an out-of-court settlement. Laura Hamilton charged that Smith "often improperly touched her" and "gave unwanted massages." A draft complaint states, "Dr. Smith continued to rub Ms. Hamilton's belly, inched his hand below her waist, and stuck his tongue in her ear.
The incident began on the evening of March 30, 1991, when Smith, then 30 years old, was in a bar (named Au Bar) in Palm Beach, Florida in the company of his uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, and his cousin Patrick Kennedy. Smith met a 29-year-old woman, Patricia Bowman. Patrick became acquainted with Michelle Cassone, another young woman who was at the bar. The four of them then went to a nearby house owned by the Kennedy family. Smith and Bowman went for a walk along the beach. She alleged that Smith raped her; Smith testified that the sex was consensual. At a criminal trial later that year, Smith was acquitted of all charges against him. In 2004, a former employee of the Center for International Rehabilitation, Audra Soulias, alleged that Smith had sexually assaulted her in 1999, and brought a civil action against him. Smith denied her charges, calling them "outrageous" and saying that "family and personal history have made me unusually vulnerable to these kinds of charges" and resigned from the CIR. On January 5, 2005, the court dismissed Soulias's lawsuit.
In the same time period, it was reported that Laura Hamilton was paid a large sum of money by Smith in an out-of-court settlement. Laura Hamilton charged that Smith "often improperly touched her" and "gave unwanted massages." A draft complaint states, "Dr. Smith continued to rub Ms. Hamilton's belly, inched his hand below her waist, and stuck his tongue in her ear.
Meet Michael Kennedy. In 1997, the news broke that Michael Kennedy was having an affair with the family's former babysitter. Allegedly, the affair had begun three years before when the babysitter was a fourteen-year-old teenager, and Kennedy was placed under investigation for statutory rape. However, the babysitter did not cooperate with prosecutors. Shortly after the scandal began, Michael Kennedy and his wife separated. After the affair, Michael Kennedy checked himself into a rehab center for alcoholics. Michael Kennedy was the head of his brother Joseph's non-profit organization, Citizen's Energy Corporation. He also helped organize Edward M. Kennedy's re-election campaign against Mitt Romney in 1994. Michael Kennedy died at the end of 1997 in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado. He was skiing with several other members of the Kennedy family when he hit a tree while they were playing football on skis. Kennedy was not wearing a helmet or other safety equipment, and was reportedly filming the football game on a camcorder.
Meet Patrick Kennedy. Patrick J. Kennedy became the youngest member of the Kennedy political family to hold elected office in 1988, when he won election to the Rhode Island State Assembly at age 21. On May 4, 2006, Kennedy crashed his 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a barricade on Capitol Hill at 2:45AM. An official who was not on the scene said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his car, but Kennedy claimed that he was merely disoriented from prescription medications Ambien and Phenergan.Anonymous sources are alleged to have seen Kennedy drinking at the nearby Hawk & Dove bar prior the accident. Kennedy also stated to officers that he was "late for a vote." However, the last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier. The standard field sobriety test was not administered. Kennedy was driven home by an officer.
On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted he has an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be re-admitting himself to a drug rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he has sought treatment for prior addictions. He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On May 8, 2006, Kennedy got a show of support when he was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party.On June 5, 2006 Kennedy was released from drug rehab.
After being asked if he expected any special treatment from authorities, Kennedy expressed that he hoped they would treat him as if he "were an African-American in Anacostia".On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.He was sentenced to one year probation and a fine of $350. Two of the three charges (reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit) were dismissed. He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation program that includes weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts .
In an earlier incident, on April 15, 2006, Kennedy was driving a Ford Crown Victoria registered to the "Friends of Pat Kennedy Inc" on Turnpike Avenue in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. As Patrick attempted to turn left into the CVS parking lot, his vehicle was "broadsided" by a Nissan Maxima driven by off duty Coast Guard warrant officer Thomas Guthlein who was attempting to make a right turn into the same parking lot. Portsmouth Rhode Island police did not issue a citation to either driver. One woman who witnessed the accident has expressed her opinion that Kennedy was impaired. Guthlein is quoted in the New York Daily News as saying 'I never really got that close to him ... It was just a regular traffic accident'. Kennedy has acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years and sought treatment for an OxyContin addiction in 2006.
In 2000, Kennedy was accused of pushing a security guard at LAX. City prosecutors ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against him and he paid an undisclosed civil settlement to the alleged victim almost two years later.
In 2000, Atlantic Navigation Company of Mystic, CT, claimed that a boat they rented to Kennedy was found abandoned off Martha's Vineyard and required $28,000 to repair.
The same year, the Coast Guard was dispatched to Kennedy's yacht after he and his date *(former Channel 7 News anchor Caterina Bandini, became embroiled in an argument on his yacht off Martha's Vineyard.
In 2003, Kennedy drew fire from his critics when he said that "I have never worked a fucking day in my life."
In 2007, the Kennedy camp stated that they will retain $6,600 in donations from fugitive Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu. Kennedy is one of the few Democrats not to return or donate these contributions. This is a controversial action because of the allegation that Hsu has been using his personal funds to unfairly influence Washington.
On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted he has an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be re-admitting himself to a drug rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he has sought treatment for prior addictions. He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On May 8, 2006, Kennedy got a show of support when he was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party.On June 5, 2006 Kennedy was released from drug rehab.
After being asked if he expected any special treatment from authorities, Kennedy expressed that he hoped they would treat him as if he "were an African-American in Anacostia".On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.He was sentenced to one year probation and a fine of $350. Two of the three charges (reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit) were dismissed. He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation program that includes weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts .
In an earlier incident, on April 15, 2006, Kennedy was driving a Ford Crown Victoria registered to the "Friends of Pat Kennedy Inc" on Turnpike Avenue in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. As Patrick attempted to turn left into the CVS parking lot, his vehicle was "broadsided" by a Nissan Maxima driven by off duty Coast Guard warrant officer Thomas Guthlein who was attempting to make a right turn into the same parking lot. Portsmouth Rhode Island police did not issue a citation to either driver. One woman who witnessed the accident has expressed her opinion that Kennedy was impaired. Guthlein is quoted in the New York Daily News as saying 'I never really got that close to him ... It was just a regular traffic accident'. Kennedy has acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years and sought treatment for an OxyContin addiction in 2006.
In 2000, Kennedy was accused of pushing a security guard at LAX. City prosecutors ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against him and he paid an undisclosed civil settlement to the alleged victim almost two years later.
In 2000, Atlantic Navigation Company of Mystic, CT, claimed that a boat they rented to Kennedy was found abandoned off Martha's Vineyard and required $28,000 to repair.
The same year, the Coast Guard was dispatched to Kennedy's yacht after he and his date *(former Channel 7 News anchor Caterina Bandini, became embroiled in an argument on his yacht off Martha's Vineyard.
In 2003, Kennedy drew fire from his critics when he said that "I have never worked a fucking day in my life."
In 2007, the Kennedy camp stated that they will retain $6,600 in donations from fugitive Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu. Kennedy is one of the few Democrats not to return or donate these contributions. This is a controversial action because of the allegation that Hsu has been using his personal funds to unfairly influence Washington.
With all the corruption and influence meddling, is this the wonderful great American family deserving of such praise? Many are penning columns admiring the Kennedy brothers and what they stood for. There is no question he is an insider. He has 46 years of experience and service. But at what price?
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