I, like millions of Americans, was glued in front of the TV
listening to, and watching, the many tributes to the life and legacy
of Edward M. Kennedy, the senior senator from Massachusetts. I was
especially moved by the scene on the Capital steps where many of his
former and present staff waited patiently for hours just so they could
say a final goodbye. His wife, Vickie, showed a nobility and a
graciousness worthy of her being a First Lady.
By Friday night it was probably obvious to most viewers that they
themselves—at least for a while—had been witnesses to Teddy Kennedy’s
life of public service. Such had been so exceptional as to call forth
glowing tribute after tribute, often highlighting Kennedy’s honesty
and his big heart—in both his personal and professional lives.
Because the sentiments of admiration and thanks to Teddy Kennedy were
so National in scope, it’s easy to understand why those people who
could, decided to line the route from Washington, DC to Arlington
National Cemetery so that they, too, could pay personal tributes to
that exceptional man. Once I realized the length and breadth of the
appreciation for Teddy, it’s easy for me to state, with conviction,
that Edward M. Kennedy was probably THE best liked person to have ever
served as a US Senator!
It was oft-repeated that Teddy had been a senator for nearly 47
years. He was the third longest serving senator behind J. Strom
Thurmond of South Carolina, and Robert C. Bird of West Virginia.
Bird, age 92 and looking frail, was waiting at the Capital steps in a
wheelchair to bid goodbye to his friend and colleague, Teddy.
However, the glories of those friendships can’t negate the collective
damaging effects that the US Senate has had on this country from day
one. The anti-democracy senate never should have been brought into
existence, nor allowed to continue to exist, when our Constitution has
as its founding spirit: “The supremacy of democracy and fair play.”
The three gravest errors by the Founding Fathers in writing the
Constitution were: (1.) Having a US Senate at all; (2.) Their
making the impeachment process so complicated as to be practically
useless; and (3.) Their making the processes for amending the
Constitution too restrictive to have allowed such to correct, early
on, some of its fundamental flaws.
All of his life, Teddy Kennedy enjoyed the sport of sailing.
During one of Friday’s tributes, it was humorously related how Kennedy
had also liked to race. Win or loose, he was a game-player. In the
Senate he lost more than he won. But he was good natured about
either. Probably, more than any other person, Teddy had the
personality and the temperament to be outstanding in the Senate.
Caroline Kennedy, on the other hand, was more of a shy introvert. She
lacked her uncle’s love of person-to-person contacts and didn’t have
the wrangling spirit that’s so necessary to be an ‘effective’ Senator.
Where she not Secretary of State, former senator Hillary Rodham
Clinton has been mentioned as a strong-personality, consensus-builder
type who might could have filled Teddy’s shoes—figuratively, of
course. For far too long, their has been this notion that electing
strong and powerful representatives and senators is what people need
to do. That erroneous notion, unneeded in a democracy, has kept-in-
place the anti-democracy ‘seniority’ system. Since those with prior
governmental experience seem better equipped to go to Washington and
FIGHT for the voters, this country is largely “represented” by CAREER
politicians, who are out-of-touch with the common man.
There are a dozen or so US Senators whom any person would feel
privileged to know. Republican Orrin Hatch is certainly one. He’s
also serious-minded enough that his political ideas should be valued,
highly. In contrast with Kennedy, Hatch admitted having had a modest
background. He graduated from the ‘Harvard of the West,’ Brigham
Young University.
Senator Robert C. Byrd, already mentioned, was an entertaining,
perhaps hypnotic presence who knew when to pull out his fiddle, or to
dance a jig, to keep himself getting re elected. He was notorious in
how he could get earmarks and grants for pet projects for his state.
And he was notorious for wielding more… ‘power’ than even the
Constitution ever intended for a single senator to get. Though he
knew how to entertain and could wow others with his speeches, Byrd was
a negative influence on this country, as a whole, though he’s probably
not thought of that way in West Virginia.
SC Senator J. Strom Thurmond—from my home state—died in 2003.
Quite candidly, he was a bombastic simpleton, nothing more. He fought
for legislation, sometimes literally. His media prominence and
constituent services kept him in office till age 100. Though he had
often touted the virtues of honesty and integrity, he lacked both of
those qualities. And he lacked a conscience as well. Strom fathered
at least five bastard children. His ‘brain’ was located closer to his
loins than beneath his orange color hair. Sadly, his children value
their family name more than they value honesty.
Teddy Kennedy had his ’Joan’, while Strom had his ‘Nancy’… by-
hook-or-by-crook. To date, history book writers have been too
impotent to reveal that man’s true nature. Though he has a bigger-
than-life bronze statue in Columbia showing him walking—briefcase in
hand—Thurmond’s greatest legacy will be that HE is the primary motive
for my having written and polished the New Constitution of the United
States of America. The insights that I gained regarding our failed
and failing State and Federal Governments is the direct result of my
having gone head-to-head with the senator. While he lived, I lost…
But when a true history of that man is written, there won’t be many
South Carolinians who will be proud to have a bronze stature(s) on
public property legitimizing that scoundrel.
Because of his advanced age, Thurmond didn’t seek re election.
Instead, he chose to… ‘endorse’ the present scoundrel, Senator Lindsey
Graham. The following excerpts from my New Constitution relate to
political endorsements:
… “It shall be a felony for any government official or employee, or
any celebrity or media idol—past or present—to publicly endorse or
campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office or job.
Exhibiting ideological bias in a job terminates the employment.
Candidates for public office shall be disqualified for soliciting new
voter registrants; and no campaign shall aid or organize the
transportation of voters to the polls.”
I realized that there was a fishiness to Graham when I got a
unisex letter from him signed: “Lin.” Like a Jack-in-a-Box, Graham is
always popping up in front of the media. Several of Judge Sonia
Sotomayor’s speeches, apparently, had troubled Graham. But he
endorsed her anyway, and to the great detriment of democracy and fair
play in America… Since Graham approves of those who think that …
reverse discrimination—as against those New Haven firefighters—is
acceptable, then he is guilty of treason. After getting a fair trial,
he should be “hanged by the neck until dead“, along side Barack Obama,
Sotomayor, and others.
Last Saturday on Fox News, I heard Rush Limbaugh discussing how
he doesn’t enjoy not being supportive of Barack Obama. I, too, don’t
enjoy that I can’t patriotically assent to everything Obama proposes.
Nearly two years ago, I began telling the readers that that ego
maniac, Obama, will do wrong things, deliberately. The following
quote of mine seems apt for Obama: “The lust for power favors evil-
doing, because the glory of dictating good things must always be
shared with their unspoken moral imperatives.” Congress, too, keeps
enjoying doing the wrong things…
In that lovely gothic church in Boston, I got a brief glimpse of
the former senator from South Carolina, Fritz Hollings. I’m glad that
he seems to be doing OK. The present Junior Senator from SC is
Senator Jim DeMint. DeMint has said the if the present health care
reform doesn’t get passed, that such will spell the downfall of
Obama’s Presidency. It’s either Obama’s downfall, or the downfall of
the USA riding on the outcome of health care reform. No amount of
pleading by one of Kennedy’s young grandsons, during a responsive
reading, should be allowed to sway the voters away from their concerns
regarding the national debt and run-away government over-control of
everything. And no… emotional naming of the bill, as a ‘tribute’ to
Kennedy, should be allowed to cause to be passed a bill which could
well break the backbone of this country.
President Obama and Congress keep pushing our country deeper and
deeper into poverty. Like Glenn Beck, I pray that things will turn
out fine. This week Beck referred to the USA as: A Democratic
Republic. But what we actually have in this country is: A
DISFUNCTIONAL Representative Republic. We ‘elect’ officials who then
go to Washington to vote their whimsy without regard for the wishes of
the tax-paying constituents who elected them.
Wake up America! Underlying our growing discontent over health
care and government over-spending, is the UNITY that’s needed to
ratify my constitution. Talk it up! The corrupt politicians in
Washington will surely frown. But your grandchildren, and theirs will
thank you!
Respectfully submitted,
John A. Armistead
AKA NoEinstein on Google
__________
Happy Days… !
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.physics/browse_thread/thread/9903367481ce7970/ae4338645fbefbf5?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Happy+Days...!#ae4338645fbefbf5
Happy Days... 2
http://groups.google.com/group/views/browse_thread/thread/d63f04a059491122/579a48e380c75116?hl=en#579a48e380c75116
Campaigning is a Science, too.
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.physics/browse_thread/thread/a83e59ee6ca4d1f5/b29f39ee45684d85?hl=en&lnk=st&q=#b29f39ee45684d85
OBAMA’S NOMINATION OF SOTOMAYOR BETRAYS DEMOCRACY
http://groups.google.com/group/views/browse_thread/thread/998870d93fd1a994?hl=en
USA IS BOTH SOOTHED AND BETRAYED BY RHETORIC
http://groups.google.com/group/views/browse_thread/thread/576e701e1d916343?hl=en
A Democracy Doesn’t Favor Media Figures and Celebrities
http://groups.google.com/group/views/browse_thread/thread/e6230d6402064fbd?hl=en
Changing the USA from a Police State
http://groups.google.com/group/views/browse_thread/thread/4b4b7fbd47ddbee6?hl=en
A Line Is Drawn in the Sand for the USA
http://groups.google.com/group/views/browse_thread/thread/11704cf2bc723291?hl=en
A TIME FOR TRUTH AND A TIME FOR LIES
http://groups.google.com/group/views/browse_thread/thread/d93ce51a4db71bcc?hl=en
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