Senator Edward Kennedy: The Lion Now Rests

The King is dead: long live the King.  Perhaps this is the best way to describe the passing of the political torch from Kennedy to Kennedy - John to Robert to Edward.  But now there seems to be no King to hail, no torch to pass.  The Kennedys are the American Royal Family.  They have given the American people its version of Camelot.  And, it is no more.  With the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy, America's royalty is gone.  Yes there are still Kennedys among us and some even treading where greater footsteps have gone, but there will never be another Jack, Bobby or Teddy.  There will never be another Camelot the likes of Jackie's.  Even our best future hope, John-John, is no longer with us.  As the headlines announce the passing of an American icon and the people mourn the loss of a legend, Senator Kennedy's own words resonate, "We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make."

Good-night, sweet prince; and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest...

remarks courtesy of Harvard Gazette Online, 12/01/08 - Senator Edward M. Kennedy on receiving an honorary degree
quote courtesy of Shakespeare's play Hamlet
photo courtesy of Steven Crowley/The New York Times

Supreme Significance

It’s about time. The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States is long overdue. The first female Supreme Court Justice was appointed in 1981, a milestone for all women in America. However, the fact that it took nearly 30 years to nominate a female minority is unbelievable. If appointed, she would only be the third female Justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Again – unbelievable. And again, I say it’s about time.

Judge Sotomayor has a notable record and has ruled on high profile issues covering everything from baseball to politics, from print media to television. Many lawyers appearing before her court describe her as plain spoken, intelligent, demanding, and sometimes somewhat unforgiving. She is known for her “just the facts” approach to judicial decision making which some may argue does not leave much room for gray areas. Others would say that this black and white method of justice is far better than one dispensed as a reflection of one’s own prejudice. Either way, she has an impressive track record and is more than qualified to sit on the bench accompanied by some of the law’s most brilliant minds.

Her importance however lies more in her background than her impressive circum vitae. Her “extraordinary journey”, as President Obama called it, to this nomination is just that - extraordinary. Sonia Sotomayor is the embodiment of the American Dream and it is that fact alone that will make her decisions on the Court unique and quite possibly stand apart from her colleagues. She will bring to the table a life experience that no other Justice has and it is this point of view that would make her appointment compliment and better represent America as a whole. No doubt, Sonia Sotomayor is a significant nominee but her confirmation would be monumentally historical, not only for women and minorities, but mainly, for this Supreme Court body.

America the Beautiful?

Let’s play the blame game. I watch many of the political news shows, read the websites and even catch a Twitter or two and am struck by debates over health care reform, the Sotomayor confirmation and the fiscal economic crisis. It seems that the political arena has become a hotbed of insanity! Last night I watched a news segment where the actual citizenship of our president was questioned! Whatever happened to respect for the office? Whatever happened to the promise of an America of the people, for the people, by the people? I am frustrated with the direction this country is taking and it has nothing to do with what party I affiliate with. On the contrary, I place equal blame on all politicians and their inability to come together for a common good, for America. Whatever happened to forming a more perfect Union?

America is a great country. Understatement. America is the land of opportunity, the land of the free. We fight for what we believe in and the right to speak up about our beliefs. Unfortunately, what I have learned and witnessed, is that we are also petty, selfish and very unforgiving. Our elected politicians are so ready to point the finger and play the blame game, that instead of thinking of their constituents; they immediately get into a playground brawl with each other. No one listens politely to the other side of the spectrum but instead immediately lashes out. The president’s inability to pass health care reform “will be his Waterloo,” stated a senator just the other day. Instead of sticking it to the president, shouldn’t Congress be working with the president to find a way to pass health care reform? Instead of focusing on words in a speech (or many speeches), shouldn’t the confirmation committee be concerned with a Sotomayor’s judicial record? Instead of blaming the Clinton administration or Bush politics for America’s current fiscal crisis, shouldn’t we instead be working together to fix it?

I worked in Washington for over 10 years and was lucky enough to land a job that taught me the nitty gritty of the political machine. Any illusions I had about government came to a screeching halt after having spent time in the shadows of Capitol Hill. But what I came away with was one definite belief. Our government is made up of US, the American people, and we make up the government. Until we can get along and work together, we can’t expect our elected officials to do so. “Civility lies somewhere between tolerance and acceptance.” – Anthony Gregory

Think about it and then decide. Blame or action?