Remebering A Legend; Edward M. Kennedy
All that is missing is the elder Bush, then all of the living Presidents would have been in attendance today.
That has to say something about the man and his work. Typically you only see this many dignitaries at the funerals of Heads of State. Then again, Ted Kennedy had become almost more significant than a head of state. No, he couldn’t command armies or negotiate treaties – but he still touched the lives of every American. This will be the first time in my parents lifetime that there will not be a Kennedy of significant national importance somewhere within the US Government. We’ll see how long that lasts…
His work with the LGBT community has been large.
<iJJ> Ted Kennedy: LGBT Activists React [via Joe.My.God]
Kennedy was the first major politician to give credence to the fact that the struggle for LGBT equality is a struggle for civil rights. We have lost a great ally in the US Senate.
For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.
-Edward Kennedy
Later.
So much of his “The Dream Shall Never Die” speech is relevant now. It makes me sad that so many Americans do not know how much it was really Senator Edward Kennedy that advanced the dreams of his brothers into reality. So many of us who want now to pick up the “fallen standard” need the example his life offers of HOW liberal ideals can be transformed into something real that betters the lives of our neighbors.
I put together some of the audio of the speech, accompanied it with images and ideas that highlight some of his accomplishments, and put it into a video. The following page also has information on the 6 (of 13 or a minority) Democratic senators in the Senate Finance Committee who have yet to pledge their support for the public option in the Kennedy Health Care bill.
http://ipolity.com/wiki/index.php?page=TDP+Health+Care
And none can foretell what comes next. ,