I Blog Not To Praise Caesar, But To Bury Him...

Okay.


It's been a week since Teddy shuffled off this mortal coil. Joined the choir invisible. Started pushing up daisies. Stopped pinin' for the fjords. Gave up the ghost. Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. Hopped the twig. Turned up his toes. Went teats up.


The media accolades and hagiographies are still playing on television and in the print media; the last son of a political dynasty has passed on. His two brothers, taken violently before their time, await him in our nation's highest resting place. Tributes have flooded in from around the globe, with world leaders falling over themselves to send a memento or share an anecdote about the man.


I've held my tongue - until now.


My visceral dislike of Senator Kennedy could be explained solely by the man's many failings: Chappaquidick, where his insouciance and narcissism cost a young staffer her life; his late-night carousing with his nephews at an age where most men are enjoying their grandchildren; his casual tossing aside of his wife Joan - including the backing of the Roman Catholic church which granted an annulment to a marriage that produced several children; his expulsion from Harvard for cheating (and mystifying return).


But Senator Kennedy is beyond my reproach. He has been judged by a power infinitesimally higher than my own meager morals. Any scorn I could heap upon his actions in his personal life would be wasted on a man who no longer cares; metaphorical spitting into the wind in a spiteful attempt to cast aspersions on the dead.

I'd prefer to examine his political life and elucidate the many reasons that this man deserves not the accolades heaped upon him for his life's work but our undying enmity for his repeated attempts to cheapen and weaken our nation.

• Introduced the Immigration Act of 1965. If you know someone who has tried to come to this country from Europe and been thwarted by bureaucratic red tape, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Instrumental in the WIC program and Title IX. If you've watched a drug addict try to buy Bacardi Drink Mixes with a WIC check or seen a college's sports program phased out because there was no complimentary women's program, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Was the cosponsor of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which would later turn into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. If your child's education has been hampered because of a severely disabled student being "mainstreamed", thank Senator Kennedy.
• Lobbied for energy assistance. If you like seeing our tax dollars buying oil from Hugo Chavez and going to Ted's nephew Joe Kennedy Jr., thank Senator Kennedy.
• Proposed a Nuclear Freeze resolution. If you like the idea of the United States being kneecapped in the military arena while her enemies develop new and terrifying weapons, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Lead the opposition to Robert Bork for the Supreme Court. If you appreciate the calm and rational manner in which the two political parties air the differences in potential candidates, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Along with Jumpin' Jim Jeffords, sponsored the Work Incentives Improvement Act. So if you struggle to pay for classes at the local community college while a recovering drug addict gets free tuition, fees, and books, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Pushed repeatedly for increases in the Federal Minimum wage. If you like governmental attempts to manipulate the free market system in regards to remuneration, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Has voted in favor of every single gun control bill to come across his desk. If you like the government's steady assault on our Second Amendment rights, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Has voted in favor of allowing minors to get abortions without parental consent. If you think that a child should have to have a doctor's note to bring aspirin to school but should be able to have a major medical procedure performed without their parents knowing, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Prevent drilling for oil in ANWAR. If you like the United States being unable to explore for oil on her own soil, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Campaign Finance Reform. If you like being prevented from supporting the candidate of your choice, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Hate crimes. If you think that some people deserve special protection when it comes to crimes of violence, thank Senator Kennedy.
• PATRIOT Act. If you think President Bush's PATRIOT Act was a good idea, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Voted against Alito and Roberts for USSC. If you think that candidates for the USSC should only be approved on the basis of the political affiliation of the person appointing them, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Voted to end funding for the International Space Station. If you think we should eschew space exploration, thank Senator Kennedy.
• Unions. The unions have never had a more consistent ally than Ted Kennedy. If you think that Labor Unions are good for American business and the American worker, thank Senator Kennedy.

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I'd continue, but I'd say I've made my point.

(Most of the above points were taken from here.)

Senator Kennedy does not represent me; I say this with a touch of irony given that it's also true in the corporeal sense. His political views were not in line with my own; he has repeatedly voted to take money away from me in the form of increased taxes; he has voted to infringe upon my freedom; he has voted to curtail my liberty. He has appealed to America's enemies, appealing to the powers in Moscow for help in defeating Ronald Reagan.

The man was no saint, certainly; however it is equally clear that he was also no friend to the ideals of America as set forth by her Founding Fathers.

That is all.