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As you know by now (and if you don’t know by now, you should get better at knowing things), Senator Ted Kennedy died last night. Obviously, I can’t effectively or meaningfully eulogize him, and the world does not need me to. You can find tons of informative, meaningful, and touching tributes to him all over the place. And you should. I will just say that in a government of mostly middle-of-the-road monsters, he seemed to be someone who worked hard for the things that he believed in, and that what he believed in tended to be helping other people.
And this video of Robert Byrd being shockingly (but also kind of wonderfully) emotionally raw on the Senate floor, which is actually a year old, and is him reacting to the news of Kennedy’s diagnosis of brain cancer, broke my metal heart:
Goodbye, Ted Kennedy. You will be missed. You’re in heaven now, providing important, effective, lasting, and often bi-partisan governance to the angels. (Video via ThinkProgress.)
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i heard this his morning its sad no matter who you vote for
if anyone ever deserved ice cream cake, it was Ted Kennedy. i hope his passing can rally the health care initiative…whatever form it ends up taking. RIP.
There’s something about the way old people dab at their eyes that kills me. My grandmother used to stand at the front door of her house and do that every time we drove away, not to see her for another two years.
So does the summer of death end on Labor day, or is it Sept. 22nd? Too much
I am hoping for Labor Day. Whatever happened those good old hyped up Summer of the Shark Attacks that we used to hear about?
The sharks weren’t hungry after all that penis. Also
This isn’t the appropriate place to say this, but… WHAT THE HELL. Your avatar blew my mind. It’s still blowing my mind.
Today, we are all dead. RIP.
What an honorable, noble, man he was. I got the impression that he really did put the American people first in whatever he did. This is a such tragic loss, made more tragic in light of the timing. Health care reform was such an important issue for Ted, so much so that his dying wish was and emotional plea that he be replaced as soon as possible so we would be fully represented. A diamond in the rough, that man.
If I hear one right wing nut so much as mention the word “Chappaquiddick” in the next week, I’m just gonna fucking snap.
i broke the news to my new housemate this morning. i’m still trying to gauge if he’s cool or not, but he lost major, major points because after “no way, really?” that was all he mentioned in reference to his passing. and then i said, “he was a great senator and Democrat.” and then later he told me he didn’t vote in the last election.
x 1000
At least he didnt spend a half hour going on and on about how great he was.
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I should have known you’d say something like that. Because attention.
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only if by burgers you mean your moms tits and cemetary you mean your mom!!!! right??? lol
im sorry but you r an asshole and you PISSED me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, I?m having a ball. Scrapping and
yelling. Mixing it up. Loving every
minute with this damn crew.
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u are not cool at all you have no fukkin respect for the dead your probably gonna go to hell i wont even call you my dogg because you arent and you dont deserve it everybody makes mistaks and im sure u make way worse cuz ur an asshole who probably does worse sh*t every day
I do remember that and that is sad for everyone involved. He comes from a Catholic family so maybe he was able to confess, do his penance, and receive absolution for that. That’s between him and God. I sure hope so.
All of us break the commandment of “Thou shall not kill” in one way or another at different points in our lives. Some kill with their words and I think you need to reflect on this buenosueno.
God bless
I’ve always been considered an asshole for about as long as I can remember. That’s just my style. But I’d really feel blue if I didn’t think you were going to forgive me.
I don’t think you’re an asshole, bueno. I just think you’re kind of a sonofabitch
I think I’ve got it figured out… buenosueno has all the arrogance of An American Patriot but lacks style; Weezy has all the ))<>(( of Da Cake Eatur but lacks incoherence. Both need to go back to Troll school.
i dont know who da cake eatur is or why you keep talking about him but i kno im not ugly and i dont think he is either!!!! u cant tell when someone is ugly on the internet cause you cant see there faces!!!!!!! so stop calling me a troll because i am actually very sexy id say something about all the women i get but that would be disrespectful to the dead
He also lacks Da Cake Eatur’s chutzpah.
stop talking about da cake eatur!!!!! as i mentioned before i actually dont like cake!!! idont know why i just dont!!!! i dont like frosting!!! and stop insulting me i am trying really hard to be nice and spell better but you guys keep on making fun of me!!!!!!!
Sorry, Sqweezy. You’re just going to have to TalbainJ Harder if you want those negative numbers to go away.
Haha, I hope TalbainJ still reads this blog and everytime he sees someone make that joke he thinks “fuck.”
“as i mentioned before i actually dont like cake!!! idont know why i just dont!!!! i dont like frosting!!! and stop insulting me i am trying really hard to be nice and spell better but you guys keep on making fun of me!!!!!!!”
Guys. Please tell me I’m not the only one who Lots Of Loved till the cows came home about this comment. I DONT LIKE FROSTING!!!!
As much as I hate to admit it, Da Cake Eatur = Weezy. Eatur disappears almost exactly when Weezy shows up, and they share the same naive ignorance of grammar. But here’s the topper: when Da Cake Eatur first showed up, he tried talking slang and being “street” (whatever that means).
Methinks a conspiracy is afoot.
I’ve never laughed at Weezy, I always laugh at Cake. So I don’t think they’re the same person.
But I would like if we could arrange some kind of battle.
You ever notice that Weezy and Da Cake Eatur have never been in the same photograph together? SPOOOOOKY!
i’ve always just assumed most videogum trolls are the same person. i thought we all assumed that. i guess i’m doing it wrong.
And what, Satan, is it like there?
Your Enter the Void avatar made me very excited. Have you seen it already? Is it as amazing as it sounds?
Haven’t seen it, no, but I’m betting all my money it’ll be the best thing since roofs.
Has it even been released yet? I would love to see it. I can’t even seem to find a decent trailer.
You can see screenshots (at the very bottom of the page) and a frustratingly short (even for a teaser) teaser here: http://www.letempsdetruittout.net/gasparnoe/index.asp?v=22
RIP T.K.
Yeah, I’ve seen that teaser and my only reaction was “That’s a trailer?”. It does give you a feel for the tone, but Jesus! I need more! There’s no set release date and it’s been three months since Cannes. WTF? I need my Noe!
Also, I know it doesn’t qualify, but if Gabe is doing Funny Games for The Hunt (which also doesn’t qualify unless he’s doing the American version, in which case it sort of qualifies), then it seems ridiculous that he wouldn’t consider Irreversible. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my favorites of the last 20 years, but the reasons people hate Funny Games are present tenfold in that film.
And by that measure, what about Laugier’s Martyrs? I’m pretty lenient when it comes to brutal cinematic sadomasochism, but really? SPOILERS Skinning the most innocent character in the entire film alive? For what? To make a statement that the search for an afterlife knows no ethical boundaries? It literally comes out of nowhere, and subsequently, almost seems like a poor excuse for a grisly FX showcase. SPOILER END
I haven’t seen martyrs yet.. but it’s at the top of my queueueue.
Funny Games and Irreversible are both movies I could understand someone disliking or even hating, but not calling them “bad” let alone “the worst”. Nominate those two movies then we might as well nominate A Clockwork Orange.. which would be ridiculous. Let’s just start nominating great movies while we’re at it.. Diving Bell and the Butterfly or something? “THEY STITCHED HIS EYE SHUT.. THIS MOVIE IS BAD”
If it’s true that your rights can cancel your wrongs, Sen. Ted Kennedy was closer to breaking even than most.
Hope you have fun stealing Christmas.
So not a right winger, Still Laughing My Ass Off though. Not saying its the same thing here, but it’s a little like the wacko jacko blinders again.
The death of Mary Jo Kopechne was a part of his deep legacy that was neither honorable nor noble. You do not honor the dead by whitewashing the truth.
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Of course. I agree, but I believe there’s a short period of time following a public figure’s death that we should revere him or her for what they accomplished in this world. It’s one thing when someone like Jeffrey Dahmer dies, someone who contributed nothing to society and whose entire legacy is destructive. As terrible as what he did that night was (I’m not mentioning the implications of premeditation), he gave more to this country in one year than most of us will in our entire lifetimes. That deserves to be the national dialogue for at least the time it takes for his fucking body to cool down. It’s simple human decency and respect for a man who dedicated his life to serving his country. There will be plenty of time to air his dirty laundry, but can we at least wait until he’s in the ground?
We may disagree on the merits of his politics and accomplishments, but I’ll agree that they should and will be the focus of his remembrance. That said, while he should be looked upon with respect, I think reverence is too strong, especially since he proved to be entirely human. His weaknesses were what made him human, and they should properly be a part of that remembrance, even if that means including details that make us uncomfortable.
You might also keep in mind that it was you who brought up Chappaquiddick in the first place, and you did it as a preemptive hypothetical indictment of your ideological opponents. That is hardly a fitting way to remember a great man, especially one often praised for reaching across the aisle.
How nicely put Sam Lowry. You, my friend, have humbled and impressed me. Lets not forget how instrumental Ted was in the peace talks in Ireland. Letting Jerry Adams into the USA was not a popular move, but it proved to be the right one, and that man pushed for it all the way. Who knows how many lives that saved? So yeah, he made an awful and tragic mistake but I feel we should still remember him for being not only a great politician, but a great mean as well.
*man not mean. Apologies.
I’m not sure how this wasn’t clear, but my initial comment wasn’t a “preemptive hypothetical indictment” of my “ideological opponents” (whoever those are*). It was referring to the exact calculated, callous partisanship that you’ve accused me of. As Gmarley says below about Regan, I thought it was appalling when lefties were crying “Iran/Contra!” among many other things as soon as he stopped breathing. I wasn’t referring to a particular political motive, but the general concept of using someone’s departure from this world for your own gain.
So, let me get this straight. You’re accusing me of partisan maneuvering for doing the EXACT SAME THING that you did in response to my original comment? Whoops.
I have no “ideological opponents”. Only people I disagree with.
“If I hear one right wing nut so much as mention the word “Chappaquiddick” in the next week, I’m just gonna fucking snap.”
I’m not interested in fighting with you about semantics. You didn’t need to say that, and I felt that it did demand a response. Clearly you thought you were being non-ideological in calling out right wing nuts. My bad. But if you want to keep the dialogue free of dirty laundry, don’t bring up dirty laundry in the service of insulting those people you imagine will want to air it. I’m sure that your intentions were pure, but don’t confuse what you meant with what you said. I never meant to accuse you of callous partisanship, but perhaps you might suffer from a lack of self-awareness.
What is it that I did in response to your original comment? I certainly didn’t attack anyone or any political position. I didn’t impute devious motives to anyone for any reason. I just said what I believed was the most appropriate and respectful thing about the issue in the manner that you framed it. How is that the “exact same thing” as what I quoted above? It clearly is not. Whoops, indeed.
In essence, you were both right. I see were you are coming from That One as you never attacked anyone, yet it could have been taken in a different light as this is the internet and tone is not present! Sam was saying that ‘yes, he did a bad thing and that is part of the story’ and you are saying ‘hold off on the dirty laundry for later’, I see both your points and they are both valid. Lets just leave it at that and put an end to argumentgum, please?
Done and done, good sir. I guess I got a little defensive when I felt accused of something that I find despicable. It’s five o’clock! eDrinks on iMe! Maybe even you, buenoseueno…
I can certainly accept those terms.
I was at a show in Cambridge the night Ronald Reagan died. The crowd acted like a bunch of Sox fans at the news, full on high fives and chest bumps. I refuse… to behave like that. Kennedy didn’t do much to make me like him. He did a lot to make me respect him.
ugh, i’m such a fan of you that it hurts.
Well that’s the kindest thing the internet has ever said to me. It made me remember that I actually did register. Isn’t that somethin’?
oh man. it’s like he is 6 and he is burying his dead puppy. oh man.
yeah, seeing old people cry is just about the saddest thing in the world.
not that i find it inappropriate but this website has been on quite the political kick. it’s interesting, at times its like “jessica biel and aniston are virtual threats.” and at others “RIP, ted, you governed wisely.” then right back to “cups of cough syrup.” i like it.
I was just looking at Robert Byrd’s Wiki page and besides being an incredibly old fart it says that he joined the Ku Klux Klan in 1942. That is wild and wacky stuff. RIP to Teddy.
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yeah, byrd is a fairly notorious racist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FIBJt-c2o0
still a sad video. rest in peace, teddy.
Weezy: I do not mean this next statement to affect the Senator Ted Kennedy’s memory in anyway, but since when did you become the master of respect. If you wanted to respect a man’s memory so much, you wouldn’t comment on a thread about his legacy using an account you created to troll this website. Have some respect.
hey i am trying to be respectful im from mass and sen kennedy meant a lot to me hes been a senator as long as been ive alive and i have to deal with people in school saying shit on him all day i come home and see a**holes talking more shit and it bothers me i dont know why everyone thinks im joking and keeps on calling me ugly and i keep on getting negatives whatevs i gotta sleep now PO my doggs
Weezy is incredibly annoying. But, it’s not fair to single him out when American Patriot posted right below him and has +17. I’m probably going to get downvoted for this, but I thought weezy was actually pretty respectful all things considered.
Props for calling me out on the double standard.
Right. A blog that posts funny videos from the youtubes can’t possibly make any kind of political commentary. WTF, dudes? Get your own damn blog. Gabe for Prez!
This video shows why TK was called the Lion of the Senate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AbpBqm_XzA
Ask yourself, have your senators or representatives stood up and kicked some ass for you lately? Teddy wasn’t afraid to do it. R.I.P.
Love the avatar, Meat Head!
RIP TED
this video is fantastic & is hurting my ears.
Welp I cried a few times today. I always looked up to him. I think the best that any one can do to honor his memory is help those less fortunate and make sure that some kind of affordable health care becomes available.
I interned for him as a senior in college back in 2006. He was kind enough to allow even us lowly interns to use his personal office to speak to visitors or even just stare at the old photos on the walls: framed pictures of he and his brothers, a letter to Santa written over 70 years ago, a lock of Washington’s (red) hair; letters of condolence for the murders of two of his brothers. I’ll never forget that. The man certainly had his faults, but he did his best to grow because of them, and I admired him for it. Personally, I can’t imagine having your three older brothers die in war or through assassination and have such a heavy mantle passed onto your shoulders in the wake of those deaths without going completely batshit insane in the process. RIP, Senator.
Eulogy of the day people. Thanks Katie.
i was touched dogg i was touched
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HEY DIAPERFACE. When you DO AS MUCH as Ted Kennedy DESPITE THE shit that happens in YOUR LIFE, you can talk. I don’t give A SHIT if you think you’re HARDCORE for taking PART IN your little greenpeace shit BUT THIS guy actually got STUFF DONE. Even I CAN respect that.
ALSO HOW do you say your name? GOB? LIKE JOB with a J? YOU MADE a huge MISTAKE with that name.
OK, you’re getting all kinds of deserved love for the post below, but this post is hilarious. “You made a huge mistake with that name.” I upvote what you did there.
I feel like anytime something AD comes up, even Patriot can’t resist the reference. I love it.
Laura Bush committed vehicular manslaughter. Will you bring that up when she dies and people are remembering her? Stop taking a shit in the punch bowl.
I’m hoping THE SUMMER of Death WILL JUST end. I don’t care when. IT HAS NOW claimed it’s MOST vital victim. Ted Kennedy WAS THE LAST key we had to an INCREDIBLE era. An ERA THAT we likely BE UNABLE to recall. Was I ALWAYS AGREEING with WHAT Ted Kennedy THOUGHT? No. Am I PRO-HEALTH Care reform? No (I think it IS AN ECONOMICAL toll our COUNTRY CANNOT take at this TIME). DO I IDENTIFY myself as a CONSERVATIVE? Yes, yes I do. But DO I THINK Ted Kennedy was A MAN CUT from the very best AND THAT THE trash I’ve seen COMMENTERS ON SOME blogs about him needs TO STOP? I CANNOT say yes LOUD enough. He was A MAN WHO knew how to DO HIS job. HE CAME from a time WHEN men didn’t study political THEORY FROM their books and classes, BUT FORMED their beliefs AND OPINIONS as they fought for THEM OUT on the front lines. HE WASN’T a man driven by A CAREER or some GREED to climb UP THE political ladder. He WAS DRIVEN to represent his CONSTITUENTS AND fight for WHAT he believed in. The man HAD HIS FAULTS. He had his TRAILS; the fact HE PERSEVERED THROUGH and in spite of THEM showed HE WAS made of STRONGER stuff than most. DESPITE EVERYTHING he went through, HE STILL HELD his head high and went TO WASHINGTON with the intention of MAKING HIS country BETTER–not with the INTENTION TO get somewhere else. With TED’S passing, we lose ONE OF THE few people we need NOW MORE than ever. We need PEOPLE WHO do their job; people WHO CARE deeply about their country and WANT THE best for it.
TED KENNEDY was a true PATRIOT. He was A TRUE MAN. All of him, THE UPS and downs and the GOOD AND bad, made HIM A STRONGER man as he went through TIME. He was A MAN whom I have THE UPMOST respect for; a man WHO WAS respected on both sides of the aisle. As THE SUN sets TONIGHT, I feel like THE DARK comes a little quicker–a little STRONGER. We’ve lost one OF THE FUCKING best, y’all. We’ve lost one of the BEST in an age when THE BEST aren’t interested in POLITICS.
I love my COUNTRY. I know THE DAWN will always be there to follow the night, but without Ted Kennedy, the dawn comes a little slower. I won’t take the dawn for granted anymore. I hope you rest in piece, Ted Kennedy, and I hope you continue to get the respect you damn well deserve, sir.
Gabe, Ted Kennedy, David Cross, most Videogum readers, and AmPat have restored my faith in America as a Brit. Shine on, you crazy diamond!!!
peace* I’m sorry if their ARE OTHER typos. I know THAT’S not deserving at ALL. I am SORRY.
I know people always downvote you in a knee-jerk way, but I wish I could upvote this (and Katie’s but she’s not registered so
) endlessly so that it’s the number 1 at the end of the week. When even you can (kinda) but the shenanigans long enough to offer an impressively respectful eulogy, we know we’ve lost a great politician. Good job, Patriot; way to keep it civil!
cut the shenanigans* ugh. Sorry, Patriot. You aren’t the only one making typos today.
What a great post, Patriot. Maybe my favorite in Videogum history. I feel like I want to hug you.
No shit. Way to knock it out of the park, Patriot. I might register just so I can upvote you.
Woah. I mean, I get it, you’re passionate, but ALL the CAPS lock TENNIS might BE too MUCH.
Hey! Welcome to Videogum. We hope you enjoy it here. He does that, by the way. Here’s his book! http://anamericanpatriotnovel.blogspot.com/
We don’t get it either, but we roll with it.
Thank you, and THANK YOU. I didn’t ever think I’d find the best website in the world, but thanks to you I did.
I know we’ve already made our e-friendship official awhile ago but I’d like to renew it now. This post was great.
AmPat, I’m proud to be your fellow monster. That was beautiful, brosef.
Bill Pullman’s speech before the big final battle in “Independence Day” has NOTHING on this, Patriot. Kahdooz to you from the bottom of my monster heart, couldn’t have said it better myself.
wasn’t driven by career and greed? tell that to Jimmy Carter.
If you think Kennedy’s run at Carter had anything to do with self-interest, then you’re either too cynical or too ignorant to understand what that was really all about.
I hate to defend laura bush of all people, but she ran a stop sign. Ted Kennedy got drunk as a skunk, drove off a bridge, swam ashore, went to sleep, and didn’t tell anyone about what happened for 10 hours.
UM. GABE. Was that video really necessary? Because I was having an alright evening until that came along and I started bawling my eyes out.
:””””””-(
I thought Joe Biden’s tribute was great, and the idea that “it was never about him” has resonance beyond just Ted Kennedy’s political commitment. Our obsession with the private lives of public people/officials robs us of any clarity when it comes to appraising the public sphere. While the notion that the personal is political was perhaps once useful, at this point it does nothing but distract from the essential truth that politics is primarily the question of how wealth/resources are divided. What happened that night in Chappaquiddick was obviously disturbing, but it will never effect our lives the way, say, health care reform will.
*rushes in door panting & sweating*
hey, has anyone mentioned Chappaquiddick yet?
*silence*
oh.
Oh god, that video makes me tear up every time. As does the one of everyone in the chamber bursting into applause when he showed up to vote on Medicare last summer. As does his eulogy for RFK. As do his 1980 and 2008 convention speeches. Obviously I’m just a liberal emotional mess at the moment.
RIP Teddy – beautiful obit from across the pond: http://tinyurl.com/mwzb9f
Dominick Dunne also died and I feel way more terrible about that. He looked HORRIBLE on the last episode of Pride and Priviledge or whatever the series is called.
I find this the most touching thing I’ve ever viewed on CNN. Truly.
“…and that what he believed in tended to be helping other people.”
Except when those people are drowning in a tidal canal.
Gotta luv a racist klansman blubbering over a misogynistic, womanizing, manslaughtering drunk.
Politicians are so cute when they’re trying to be pious.
Most writers have the essential component of the Kennedy-Chappaquiddick saga wrong. The knee-jerk Kennedy haters call him a “murderer”. The facts indicate otherwise. Murder ~ NO! Manslaughter ~ perhaps YES!
Mary Jo Kopechne did NOT drown. She in fact suffocated. The woman perished while trapped in the submerged Oldsmobile sedan while under water in a dark tidal pond. It was long ago figured that Kopechne survived for at least an hour or more after the crash by breathing from an air pocket. No matter how it?s sliced, that has to be a tough way to die.
With a little detective work it has been figured that the real Chappaquiddick story was fundamentally different from the extensive lie promoted by Kennedy himself. Facts strongly suggest that Kopechne disappeared from the party at an earlier time. She?d mentioned to more than one person that cigarette smoke and the stuffy atmosphere at the cottage were making her feel ill. It was figured that Mary Jo Kopechne after making her way outside, found the unlocked Oldsmobile 4-door sedan, laid down across the back seat and fell asleep. There was no conspiracy or plot involved. It was a matter of simple happenstance.
Later that night, the routinely drunk Teddy Kennedy left the party with another woman, got behind the wheel of the Oldsmobile and aimed the car in the direction of the beach road. Kennedy, with one other person in the front and another laying down on the back seat only made it as far as the narrow Dike Bridge. With his driving skills impaired, Kennedy lost control and drove the car off the bridge and into the Chappaquiddick – Poucha tidal pond.
Perhaps it was the cold ocean water that helped Kennedy sober up enough to escape along with the mystery woman front seat passenger. It is believed that Kennedy did not know that another person was in that car. Kennedy made it back on foot to some point where he was able to make contact with his political minions. Somehow, the operatives got him over to the main island of Martha?s Vineyard, where Kennedy was checked into a motel. Records later showed that numerous phone calls were made back and forth from Kennedy?s room telephone all during the night. He was later seen, in the early morning, having breakfast at the motel coffee shop while casually chatting with other guests.
Meanwhile, local police had discovered in the tidal pond, the now partially exposed Oldsmobile sedan. Upon closer examination, the body of a young woman was found in a corner area near the rear window. Artificial respiration was carried out, but Mary Jo Kopechne could not be revived. Noticed at the time, was that no water could found in the woman?s lungs. Early on, it was figured that Kopechne had not drowned but instead had suffocated. Despite Massachusetts state law in such a case, no autopsy was ever performed on Mary Jo Kopechne?s body to discover the true cause of death.
Kennedy?s later contrived story had him at the risk of his own life ?diving repeatedly in an effort to save Miss Kopechne?. At the time, innumerable Massachusetts residents, including me, were outraged. Political stooges had taken depraved actions of the drunk miscreant Teddy Kennedy and spun the homicidal debacle into a performance of heroism.
Despite all, the contemptible Teddy Kennedy was elected again and again to the United States Senate by the people of Massachusetts. To this day, I have been unable to find anybody who even admits to having voted for Kennedy. In life and now death Theodore Edward Kennedy was on every level, a despicable human being. Hopefully through the sobering light of time, the actual facts will be accurately weighed.
In the meantime, the entire federal election system along with congress and senate requires a good strong enema. This nation needs to return to an operation of a true representative republic operated on actual democratic principle. Perhaps with Kennedy?s final flush through the sewer pipe of history, that much needed cleansing can now begin.
lOl hOpE tHiS dEaD fAgGoT HaS fUn In HeLl!!!!!!!!!