[Peace-discuss] A just assessment of Kennedy

[C. G. Estabrook]

When Edward Moore Kennedy ran for senator at the age of 30, while his brother 
was president, his campaign slogan was "He can do MORE for Massachusetts!"

His opponent, the son of the Speaker of the House, said to him in debate, quite 
accurately, "If your name were Edward Moore, your candidacy would be a joke."

When his father Joseph Kennedy was the (pro-fascist) US ambassador to Britain in 
1940, he famously observed "Democracy is finished in England. It may be here." 
He was in a position to know. A jumped-up bootlegger from Boston, Joseph Kennedy 
had been put in charge of the newly-created Securities and Exchange Commission 
by FDR on the argument that he wanted to put the biggest crook in charge of the 
other crooks.

The Kennedy family was not so much a cause of the corruption of democracy in 
20thC US as a symptom.


unionyes wrote:
> My indirect personal experience with Ted Kennedy !
> 
> Begining in 1998, Doug Mccaron, the newly elected " international " ( U.S.
> and Canada ) President of the Carpenter's Union began his corporate campaign
> against the 115 year old traditions of the UBC ( United Brotherhood of
> Carpenters ). These included ;
> 
> 1) The membership could no longer elect their representation ( Business 
> Agents ) that dispatched jobs and who enforced the contract.
> 
> 2) Memebers could no longer vote on to accept or reject the collective 
> bargaining aggrement the unelected ( appointed ) " leadership " " negotiated
> ", that we had to work under / within.
> 
> 3) The " Union " became a " Union " in name and tradition only, and in 
> function within a few short years, became the " Human Resources Dept. " of
> the Contractor's Assoc. ", that WE ( the members ) paid for, but in reality
> received NO representation  for our dues money !
> 
> The center of the national rank and file rebellion in the Carpenter's Union
> was BOSTON !
> 
> A Federal lawsuit was filed in addition to numerous rank and file organizing
> activities / rebellions in different parts of the country ( Boston, NYC,
> Upstate NY, Philly, D.C - Baltimore, Atlanta, Jacksonville Fla., Chicago,
> Madison and southern Wisconsin, Central Illinois ; Danville, Jacksonville,
> Mattoon, Bloomington, and in particular Champaign-Urbahna , Seattle, San
> Francisco, Portland, and L.A. .
> 
> Enter Ted Kennedy !
> 
> A few Carpenters of the Boston locals were relatives of the Kennedys ( albeit
> poor relatives ), who approached Ted to intervene. Ted said he was concerned
> and would " take care of the matter to ensure that justice was done ".
> 
> Fast forward 6-months later from February 2000 Boston to August 2000 Chicago.
>  The national Carpenters Union convention. The only Union convention where
> the members of the Union picketed outside McCormick Place against their own "
> Union leadership " and had the Chicago riot police show-up over 100 strong,
> in an attempt to intimidate us. Which was unsuccessful ( we stood our ground
> and refused to move ).
> 
> WE also had elected delegates inside the convention hall literaly at times
> fist fighting their way to the microphones to speak, that were being "
> guarded " by hired goons of Doug McCarron. Those who did make it to the
> microphones via fists or cleverness, soon had the microphones turned-off
> abruptly the moment they began to state criticism of the dictator's policies.
> 
> 
> Day one of the convention, Ted Kennedy's nephew speaks at the convention 
> about how wonderful his family has been to the " working man " and how he
> would like our " support " to get elected to a State  Congressional Seat in
> New Hampshire. The majority of the delegates ( about 55 % ) vote to " donate
> " OUR dues money to Ted's nephew in the amount of $ One Million Dollars ! For
> a STATE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT in the smallest state of the U.S. where we had
> fewer than 10,000 members ( out of 500,000 nation-wide ).
> 
> Day two, Ted Kennedy arrives and ALSO receives One Million Dollars for his
> Senate re-election campaign, and gives a speech praising the dictator and
> destroyer of the Carpenter's Union as " a great visionary leader " ! Despite
> all of the info and pleas he received from us.
> 
> So much for the " wonderful humanitarian " he is claimed to be.
> 
> Later we find out that Teddy in conjunction with his closest Senate Collegue
> ( Diane Feinstein ) are financially involved with Perini Construction (
> largest east-coast general commercial contractor ) and Tutor-Sablia
> Construction, the largest West coast general contractor, who recently merged
> and appointed Doug McCarron ( Pres. of Carpenters's " Union " ) to their new
> Board of Directors ! To thicken the plot, U.S. Senator Feinstein's husband (
> Richard Blum ) is a short time later , " hired " to " manage and invest " the
> national Carpenter's Union pension fund , equal to about 150 Billion dollars.
> 
> 
> So don't tell me what a " wonderful " man Ted Kennedy was !
> 
> He was nothing but one of the aristocratic dynasty members of the U.S. ruling
> class, who cared for nothing but ;  power, influence , and favorable
> publicity.
> 
> David Johnson Aug. 28th, 2009 Champaign, IL.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at illinois.edu> 
> To: "Peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net> Sent: Friday, August 28,
> 2009 9:14 PM Subject: [Peace-discuss] A just assessment of Kennedy
> 
> 
>> [I lived in Massachusetts for many years while Edward Moore Kennedy was a
>> US senator from the Commonwealth, and this is one of the few honest
>> accounts I've seen of his tenure. De mortuis nil nisi bonum -- of the dead
>> speak only good -- but it's important to understand the real politics of
>> the matter.  --CGE]
>> 
>> Teddy Kennedy the Hollow Champion By ALEXANDER COCKBURN
>> 
>> Teddy Kennedy's disasters were vivid. His legislative triumphs, draped in
>> this week's obituaries with respectful homage, were far less colorful but
>> they were actually devastating for the very constituencies – working
>> people, organized labor – whose champion he claimed to be...
>>