To Mr. (or) Mrs. Verbal Vitriol on the Life of Ted Kennedy

To Mr. (or) Mrs. Verbal Vitriol on the Life of Ted Kennedy

I am not writing here to defend the late Ted Kennedy. I did not share his politics or his liberal outlook on life such as it was. In many ways, as you point out, he had serious faults, but Ted Kennedy was not a totally unprincipled man. At least not in the way you think. Oftentimes the senator was inclined to use audacious rhetoric and misinformed opinions to get his political and social way. Of course, he was not alone in this gamesmanship, for as one gives one usually receives in return.

The natural ability of liberalism to bully through the use of clever insults did not come from the senator only; it is the one thing that all liberals share equally, because it is a natural inclination in humans. Just as the tendency in dogs is to approach other dogs with caution and sometimes fight, we humans, too, express ourselves when needed with a verbal bite. The only thing I have against liberalism, and or people such as Mr. Kennedy, is their shared principles of denial and their refusal to speak the truth when the pranks and indignities of their peers are exposed. Except for this I would not have much time or special interest is such prejudice, for I am not especially wedded to any theories that the holders of liberalism are any worse by national customs or habits than any other obfuscating people.

All things being considered it doesn’t end there. The language of liberalism is a graceless and inarticulate language, the paradox being, liberalism teaches what it professes not to teach, admires what it professes not to admire, and glories in the popularity of the most witless and vulgar celebrities while hiding behind civic responsibility. I wouldn’t hesitate to call a spade a spade. Strong and powerful people, especially people who wholeheartedly accept the ideals of liberalism, or to put it another way, people who believe there are no eternal consequences involved with their words or actions, are easily persuaded to reject common sense and resort to the verbal violence of vulgarity while parading it off as mere opinion. Defenders of fairness and fighters for the middle class they are not except in words only. The only thing these politicians defend and fight for is their own degraded values, and for nothing and nobody else.

Such people have for the most part an unhindered use of language because they believe they have an uninhibited right to any language they please. As an example, liberal comedians today are sick with their mealy-mouthed and insulting humor because their politicians, who may not use the same vulgarities themselves, at least not often in public, accept it as valuable in itself, sometimes as vote-getters. Many people who do not profess such easy liberal virtue reject these values, and often wind up being ridiculed savagely in the comedy routines of these disgusting monkeys of stupidity throughout media.

Ted Kennedy whatever his faults did not commonly use foul language with a streak of malice against his political foes. It may be that the restraints of statesmanship prohibited him from doing so in public, but I think the senator retained a sense of honor that many men and women today have deliberately forgotten. In my mind liberalism may be bleak, taciturn and naturally hypocritical but it cannot totally overcome the conscience of even the most thick and barbarous individuals. Something remains that even the most selfish imbecile cannot completely wipe out of themselves if they have to give a show for it.

What I find troubling, and it is obvious that you do not, is the malicious manner in which you express yourself. Writing the way you do about Ted Kennedy, having no ear for integrity in the slightest degree will not help you explain yourself to anyone and the senator is beyond anybody’s help. You are wasting your time. You make yourself appear as an illiterate ox that was suckled by a moron.

Even as an Irishman myself, I cannot defend the Senator in everything he did during his long years in the American government. Using that age old “I am Irish, too,” defense holds no sway with everyone, but he rightly used his Irish heritage and political influence to help restore peace to Ireland. That is more than highly commendable; it is a point of honor that your brave invective cannot take away. Although I could never relate to Kennedy the politician, Kennedy the man I could understand easily. He was a flawed individual as we all are and I think you would do well to look at yourself as you are and not look at a dead man for what you think he was.

You resemble Ted Kennedy in more ways than you understand. He was stubborn just as you are. He often refused to acknowledge the faults that were pointed out in him. Yet in many other ways he was a kind and caring individual to which many people surely can attest. He had a family who loved him, friends and acquaintances who cared for him, I am sure, just as you do. Tell me, who doesn’t share these same faults, qualities and passions? Who doesn’t sometimes rise to greatness even if only in little ways and at other times fall to a lower rung of human existence if only a little? Being totally despicable and given to fiery and vulgar invective because you are prodded by some perversion of justice or lousy political ideal rather than to sense is no excuse for you to claim a perfect right to remain a part of the human race.

Ted Kennedy worked tirelessly to expand his political agenda just as you work overtime out of your egotistical psyche to show the world how many ways you can spew forth four letter words. But don’t feel bad or alone. There are millions just like you showing their disdainful, savage stuff on the internet. In all four corners of the world they are crawling out of their psychotic holes spreading their misery. It does seem a pity that we try to teach dogs not to bite but think that doing the same with people like you somehow
invades their personal rights to do or say as they please. Well, there is a saying that you can teach a dog nearly anything that you can teach a fool or a Supreme Court Judge.

Where you and Kennedy differ is that he did not feel the need to exhort to your type of foulness with those with whom he differed--a point you neglected to bring up. He was not put in his position of power and wealth simply because he was a great man, but because someone bigger than himself chose him for that life. How could you negate that choice? For all of the man’s faults, he was more often than not able to obey a public decency that you don’t care a fig about and are willing to say so to anyone who will listen. Often Senator Kennedy said that with him it wasn’t personal when it came to policy, with you there is no policy but the personal and you degrade yourself.

Do not be so ambitious to prove yourself to the world that doesn’t know any better when you do know more than you let on. The way you write is absolutely cynical and filled with personal venom. Your unpolished, unsophisticated way with grammar and spelling doesn’t hide your obvious showmanship, nor is that a guarantee to you and people like you that you won’t be forgotten twenty-four hours after your exit from life and the internet. No one ever went broke overestimating themselves, hell, they just died overestimating themselves.

Looking out my window I see birds hiding in a copse and a few riders on their horses traveling the snowy road. Even in the bleakness of life, among the imprecations and incivility that you often see emanating from politicians and others, there is beauty. Try and find it and leave your sore horses behind.

Dom Giovanni
Irish Italian poet