If half the thousands upon thousands of stories being told about Ted Kennedy’s good deeds are true then I am seriously confused. This remarkable man showed more empathy towards people than any politician in my life time. A man whose Catholicism and upbringing required he take action when it came to helping the poor, the sick, the old, and the exploited. Always above and beyond.
Many years ago I heard it said that that there was a third woman in the car with Ted and unbeknownst to them, Mary Jo was in the backseat asleep under a blanket. (I was told her name, but even I have standards)
To get the true flavor of Chappaquiddick one should read Senatorial Privledge by Leo Damore. Through inquest testimony, grand jury minutes, and interviews,( including gold from Kennedy cousin and Chappaquiddick fixer Joe Gaughan.) Damore outlines te facts and Teddy’s expalnation.
Sketches made by divers who recovered the body show Mary Jo was in the back seat and there was a pocket of air where her face was. Autopsy said she did not drown but rather suffocated..
Why would this mensch who was able to swim across an inlet that night abandoned this woman? Talk about waking up next to a dead crack whore. This woman was alive and there was opportunity for Ted to try and get her out that evening.
But according to Ted, he tried and couldn’t and blah blah he waited 9 hours to report it. During that time he had much conversation with Paul Markham and Joe Gaughan. He left them to clean up the mess and swam back to the guest house he was staying in. The next morning he called a girlfriend in Germany, maybe read the newspaper, and chatted with friends he saw having breakfast. All this is documented.(BTW Damore committed suicide when he was penniless years later – “The Kennedy’s” made sure his career failed)
That morning when Kennedy waa chatting with friends I suggest he had no knowledge of Mary Jo. When the car went off the bridge Ted took care of himself and the woman in the front seat with him. His main concern then was getting the woman out of there before someone arrived. After he had her safe and sound he could deal with the fact that his car was in ten feet of water.
Perhaps that’s what Kennedy, Markham and Gaughan were “conspiring” about. Getting the car out of there. (Who do we know with a tow truck on the Vineyard?)
So instead the body appears and all hell breaks lose. The girls who were at the party were whisked off the island and the Kopechne’s were told the truth and taken care with big doe.
Ted could not expose the other woman. He is after all a gentleman. A mensch, remember?
If Teddy told the truth now he still would have admitted to and ratted out others of conspiracy and perjury regarding a death and just not nice things. Leave the sleeping dog alone. .
Today’s Globe editorial tells us:
While questions about Chappaquiddick may continue to inspire Kennedy skeptics and conspiracy theorists, the mystery dies with him.
Bull shit I say. It is now time to re-visit Chappaquiddick. This is where “journalists” should strive. FOI requests for grand jury minutes and inquest transcripts.
The people at the party are still around. Teddy is gone and the Kopechne’s have passed. The only reputation to protect now is the other woman, if of course there was one. If there was another woman she would have to be one of the party goers. Those people are known and alive and most if not all testified I believe.
Teddy’s story just doesn’t make sense. I’m not talking about the no sex part. I’m talking about leaving her there for nine hours.
Mensch or sociopath?
I mean, seriously?
If he didn’t know Mary Jo was back there, why would he claim to know she was in the car and invent the story we’ve heard?
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p>The “third passenger” was successfully eliminated from public knowledge. Wouldn’t “I thought I was going out for a drive alone” be an easier sell than the story he’s told all these years? He would have truthful testimony from people saying he didn’t leave the party with Mary Jo.
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p>It’d also make the explanation of the time gap much more sensible. “I didn’t’ report that night because it was just my car in the water. Figured we’d get it out the next day.”
Let them rest in peace.
I guess there’s no point in pretending I haven’t read this.
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p>Let’s investigate. Since your version sems to exonerate the senator of nearly all wrongdoing, maybe it will turn out be true, and Ted can rest a little more deeply.
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p>The journalistic principle is inarguable: If there is further mystery, it ought to be explored.
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p>I do find it a stretch that the other woman never came forward after all these years.
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cut Teddy’s brakeline with a knife.