Give It A Rest, People...

These days I've tried very hard to be open-minded when it comes to politics, to listen to both sides and come to a well-reasoned conclusion on the issues. Since we are stuck in the United States with and eternal Republican/Democrat battle that has little to nothing to do with issues any longer, it becomes more and more frustrating to actually expect others to do the same.

I can't tell how many times I've heard this week during the Alito Senate hearings the snide remarks made about Ted Kennedy. I don't have an ounce of particular bias toward him, nor do I have an ounce of animosity toward him. He is what he is, he's the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, and has been since 1963. He's the surviving brother of an American family institution, and is always a magnet for controversy. I don't believe he's a saint any more than I think he's an axe murderer. As I say, he is what he is.

But I can't hear or read an opinion about Kennedy from the right without hearing, with a virtual snear, "Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment." Hardy har har har, they chuckle while exchanging knowing glances and winks. I hope you guys continue to have just a good old self-righteous, juvenile, asinine time with that 36-year-old story. I was barely 2 when it happened, and it wasn't part of the history books as I was growing up so all my information about the incident has come from hearsay, biased commentary and places like this. From what I've been able to discern, the worst Kennedy was guilty of was negligance and bad judgement - not murder and conspiracy. Yes, a woman died in the incident but for it to continue to haunt him 36 years later as a built-up example of his immorality and lack of deservedness to be a Senator, it's still pretty weak.

And to me, it disrespects the memory of the woman who died by using her continually as a means to dig at Kennedy. As if she wasn't anything more than a dog that had been run over in the road.

Again, I'm not defending Kennedy in particular. I just continue to find the junior-high mentality of political opponents and the methods they use to attack, smear, or otherwise denigrate those on the other side - Republican or Democrat - to be obnoxious and unworthy of true democratic and American debate. And you should all be ashamed of yourselves.