EDGARTOWN, Mass. – Just a week after the death of semi-permanent Senate fixture Ted Kennedy, the so-called Lion of the Senate has garnered a touching posthumous honor in his home state.
Chappaquiddick’s picturesque Dike Bridge, where, in a less-than-lionhearted moment in 1969, Kennedy drove a young courtesan to her watery death, is to be rechristened in his name, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) confirmed today.
“There’s a lot of negative emotions, negative consequences that came out of the so-called Chappaquiddick Incident,” noted Patrick during a news conference announcing the dedication of the bridge. “Yes, a young woman with a promising career ahead of her lost her life, but even more tragically, the Lion’s presidential and, very nearly, his senate aspirations were squandered.
“We’ll never know just how close we came to having the Senator installed for only seven years instead of 46. I can’t imagine, nor do I want to, what condition Massachusetts, our country and, indeed, even the entire world would be in had that come to pass.”
Patrick was referring to the cursory investigation of the 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne, the passenger aboard Kennedy’s Oldsmobile Delmont 88 during its ill-fated midnight cruise, which concluded with the vehicle inverted and submerged in Poucha Channel, after which Kopechne drowned and the senator retired to his hotel room.
Authorities were able to rescue the senator's car, but not his presidential dreams, from the indifferent depths of Poucha Channel.
He did not alert authorities until the following morning, when they had already discovered the scene of the accident.
Although a perfunctory inquest was held, along with 20 minutes of grand jury testimony, the senator preempted the proceedings by valiantly pleading guilty to one charge of leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury and received the onerous sentence of two months of prison.
Although the sentence was immediately suspended and the senator did no jail time, his drivers license was suspended for 16 entire months.
Legal analysts speculated at the time that the senator’s employment of a personal driver likely had a great mitigating effect on his license suspension, although Kennedy denied that, noting that using a driver added “many layers of complexities to conducting late-night trysts” and that the suspension “certainly created within me the notion that I had paid and indeed overpaid my debt to society, and yet never did I ask for any change, nor would I.”
Still, Governor Patrick notes that the Chappaquiddick Incident shaved several points off of Senator Kennedy’s reelection results the following year, which saw him scrape by with only a 62-percent share of the vote and caused a needless scare among Kennedy apparatchiks.
“That this great man should have had to suffer that kind of anxiety, that kind of narrow brush with defeat, all because of a silly little vehicle mishap … that is the stuff of modern tragedy,” said Patrick. “Today, we take the first steps to find some small silver lining in that tragedy.
“We the people of Massachusetts can only hope that this humble token gesture, this renaming and rededication of the Dike Bridge to the Senator Ted Kennedy Memorial Causeway, can in some small way signal the heartfelt gratitude, respect and, yes, regret we feel over this tiny corner of our state having managed to become a very big blockade of what should have been the next Kennedy presidential administration.”
Thanks to the senator’s generous payment of $90,904 ($533,730.68 in today’s dollars), the Kopechne family’s silence was assured.
Meanwhile, the nation’s usual fatuously blind estimation of what they are told is royalty ensured the senator a legendary senate career that spanned four decades, although his standing in would-be presidential circles was never the same.
The bridge will be formally renamed in a ceremony during the coming Labor Day weekend holiday.
Originally posted 2009-09-01 14:32:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Massachusetts politicians have no shame or honor.
Kudos Seaslug
This is outrageous. Now we are going to glorify a crime. The bridge should be rename with Mary Jo Kopechne’s name.
Miriam
This is outrageous. Now we are going to glorify a crime. The bridge should be renamed with Mary Jo’s name.
That poor girl was alive in the car for an hour, while that so-called hero slunk drunkenly into the night. If he is our hero, we are a pathetic group indeed. How utterly obscene to name that bridge after him.
I totally agree!
This demeans our practice of naming public places with the names of honorable persons or events. What is next? ,re-naming the Washington Bridge as the ” Elliot Spitzer Bridge??. Our country is becoming more degraded every day ! Sickning!
Wow. Does no one understand the definition of satire anymore?
I personally feel that it’s high time people realized the insignificance of this “crime” and started to acknowledge how much this single event has slowed progress in American History. When I think of whatthis couyntry may have lost because Ronald reagan was president, in stead of the rightful Kennedy torch bearer. What a fitting tribute to one of the greatest legislators America has ever seen.
Flame, Baby Flame!!! Go ahead neocons, spew your venom. It only shows your contempt for a Great American.
I think we should go to each and every horrendous murder scene and name them after the suspects who committed the crime. Seriously, this is a good idea…It should have a plaque, which describes how he drove into the water and drunkenly swam to safety leaving Mary Jo Kopechne for dead. She supposedly remained alive for an hour trapped in the vehicle underwater before succumbing. Kennedy did not go to the farm house 150 feet away and call the Fire Department or an Ambulance, instead he went home and returned 10 hours later….
Tell me Mr. Patrick did not say this ““Yes, a young woman with a promising career ahead of her lost her life, but even more tragically, the Lion’s presidential and, very nearly, his senate aspirations were squandered”
Even more tragically, a young girl lost her life, what can be more tragic then that? A job, a political career, someone needs to be taken out to the wood shed and have some sense beat into him. This would embarrass Mr. Kennedy if he were alive today, that is for sure. Mr. Patrick should know better, and if not be voted out of office for stupidity.
Senator Kennedy was a great man, but his career is not more important than a young ladies life. Maybe she would have gone on to become the first female president had she not lost her life in that tragic accident.
I don’t see anything funny about this at all!!! Satire Schmatire…there’s nothing funny about naming this bridge after the accused and convicted perpetrator!!! The victim deserves better, and a half a million dollars for the loss of a loved on at the hands of the political elite is a slap in the face to her family. Who have had to deal with the very public death of their daughter for 40 years. Would you take $12k/ year if it was your child that was so carelessly discarded. I don’t think you would.
Christian, Apparently you have never had a child killed by an arrogant inconsiderate drunk. RIP Maryjo.
Uncle Bingo
I’M OUTRAGED!
(I got diet Pepsi up my nose, and it’s all your fault)
“That this great man should have had to suffer that kind of anxiety, that kind of narrow brush with defeat, all because of a silly little vehicle mishap … that is the stuff of modern tragedy.” Silly little vehicle mishap! Tell that to Maryjo’s family. A young woman life was lost, and the author is concerned about this perpertrator’s anxiety. What have we become?
Terry –
Apparently you can’t see the forrest for the trees. I look around and all I see is a bunch of righties so ready to dance on Kennedy’s grave that the can’t see the truth when it’s right in front of their face. Blind ignorance is not innocence.
Your Ad hominem arguments are not surprising. This is not politics, right or left. It is manslaughter pure and simple
Obviously your to emotionally affected to see what I’m trying to point out to you. I’m trying not to spell it out for the sake of future readers.
Again I implore you to “take a look around” you might find some intersting things.
I don’t disagree that Koechne’s death is regrettable, or that Kennedy bears the responsibility for that. But, consider also that he isn’t completely to blame, she was drunk too, and she choose to get in the car with him. So often, the “victim” becomes the martyr when in fact they themselves contribute to their own demise.
Thanx, Sisyphus, for the well done satire. Sometimes the raw truth can best come out in the vehicle of satire, see other articles on same subject, including Wikipedia. Thanks to some other posters who seem to satirize their ignorance of what satire is!
“Yes, a young woman with a promising career ahead of her lost her life, but even more tragically, the Lion’s presidential and, very nearly, his senate aspirations were squandered.
“We’ll never know just how close we came to having the Senator installed for only seven years instead of 46. I can’t imagine, nor do I want to, what condition Massachusetts, our country and, indeed, even the entire world would be in had that come to pass.”
WTH!! “more tragically”? a person’s life is worth less than a political career? This guy needs to be out of office! What a jerk!
This is my new most favoritest web site. Finally the hard hitting journalism this country needs.
WOW THIS IS PATHETIC. Poor Mary Jo.
Actually, I’d rather piss on Kennedy’s grave.
Not because of Chappaquiddick, but because of the policies he foisted upon all of us as a Senator.
Christian,
I don’t see how you can simply call this tragedy “regrettable” and actually put blame the true victim here! Kennedy fled from the scene– he was a drunken coward and it cost Koechne her life. She would have lived had he gotten help. As someone else said, she survived for an hour breathing from an air hole. That he not only got away with this, but remained in office for his whole life is unbelievable. Do you really think we would have been better off with that kind of character holding an even higher office?
At this point I can only assume the the Francino family has suffered a painful loss, causing them to miss the point entirely. I am truly sorry for their suffering and will now cease to confront them on their opinions. I wish them nothing but peace.
However for the majority of the other posters may impart you with these words of wisdom.
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”
- Luke 6:37
“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:14
“As one may bring himself to believe almost anything he is inclined to believe, it makes all the difference whether we begin or end with the inquiry, “What is truth?”
- Richard Whately
At this point I can only assume the the Francino family has suffered a painful loss, causing them to miss the point entirely. I am truly sorry for any suffering they may have endured, and will now cease to confront them on their opinions. I wish them nothing but the peace.
However for the majority of the other posters may impart you with these words of wisdom.
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”
– Luke 6:37
“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:14
As one may bring himself to believe almost anything he is inclined to believe, it makes all the difference whether we begin or end with the inquiry, “What is truth?”
- Richard Whately
This is actually a real story:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hJuhv38_wziB5HQaIOHYG0Ty_l7AD9AFEGT00
What you said! absolutely a disgrace! If someone died personally at the hand of Kennedy, and their life was only worth 90K, makes me wonder what an annonymous life like you or me is worth?? Little , I suspect as is evidenced by current government activety
Why not rename the bridge “Ted Kennedy-Mary Jo Kopechne Memorial Bridge”?
I can’t agree with you more. If this were an actual story, I’d share your outrage. However, as this bridge is not, nor never will be, named after this man, I can’t muster that much outrage. I call it satire for a reason – It is “the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.”
This “story” does a good job of pointing out the fact that this man never was held accountable for his actions. That the entire legal process was corrupt at best, and potentially prosecutable. The fact that Ted Kennedy was ever elected anything other than Animal Control Officer after this event is disgusting. It would appear that the electorate in Massachusetts turned a blind eye to justice.
HELLO
Its our GOVT. thats running and Ruining the Country ! And Their renaming bridges and roads the same way in New York ? – Politicians are being Glorified ?
Christian you better check yourself in some place. Think you are down a couple of quarts. Ted Kennedy was a drunken piece of crap. Everyone thinks because of his years serving Mass. he is a great man. The gutless wonder left that girl in the car to drown. If you have ever been up to see that bridge you would understand how gutless he really was that night. The water is not high at all even when tide all the way up. A ten year old could have pulled her out of the car. Anyone that condones what Ted Kennedy did or minimizes that girls death is an idiot.
Christian you better check yourself in some place. Think you are down a couple of quarts. Ted Kennedy was a drunken piece of crap. Everyone thinks because of his years serving Mass. he is a great man. The gutless wonder left that girl in the car to drown. If you have ever been up to see that bridge you would understand how gutless he really was that night. The water is not high at all even when tide all the way up. A ten year old could have pulled her out of the car. Anyone that condones what Ted Kennedy did or minimizes that girls death is an idiot.