For the most part, I've not monitored the situation of Senator Edward Kennedy's public mourning. Basically, it's none of my business. His family needs to mourn. Whether or not the body politic gets to mourn is irrelevant.
But I watched the funeral Mass for him this weekend. A couple of thoughts:
How many people of the neighborhood around the church will have Yo Yo Ma play at their funeral? They made a big deal out of how Senator Kennedy had chosen that church and it was in the middle of a depressed neighborhood. Let's see some of those people come back next week and really honor a spirit of charity by worshiping with the poor.
Did you notice that Secretary Clinton was seated next to President Bush? While the church was packed, those two managed to get about 3 feet between them. And while they didn't show it, I'm pretty sure Hillary didn't give George a hug during the sign of the peace. And did you notice that the Clintons sat to the left of the Bushes? Coincidence? I think not.
I'm actually impressed by Hillary. It must have taken a supreme force of will not to scream out loud when her soul started burning as she crossed the chapel's threshold. And to continue to endure it during the service took a superhuman effort.
I know Kennedy wrote his own intercessions for the Mass, but did politics really have to be brought into it? It was a funeral, not a stump speech.
And of course, afterward the talking heads got started. Apparently some Democrats want to name the Senate health care bill after Kennedy. Nothing like propping the corpse up in the corner and using it to get what you want. Of course, Johnson used JFK's death to get a lot of unpopular bills through Congress. Using the dead to get what you want is a well-used Democratic tradition.
So anyway, I hope he rests in peace. Like all of us he has a lot to answer to when he meets the Almighty. I just hope he has the smarts to own up to it in the afterlife, because he certainly didn't do it in this one.
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