On CSPAN 2 - Senate speeches in memory of Ted Kennedy

[karynnj]

To get specific speeches online - http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77539&hors=s# (Kerry's was at 10am and is extremely emotional, but really good.)

[Hidden Stillness]

1. This Whole Day was Fabulous, and Kerry was Incredibly Good

I think this was the greatest thing I have ever heard from John Kerry, and I almost didn't listen to it because Kerry is so underwhelming to me generally. It was beautiful, and I waited all day, hoping C-SPAN would replay it, and the assholes did not, even though they replayed others (Barbara Mikulski was also really good). Over and over, different people mentioned Ted Kennedy's kindness to people who were suffering, had lost elections, were new in Washington, were sick--many, many people; things I had never heard of before, even though I was generally aware of Kennedy's personal connections to people, and caring nature.

The Kerry speech was deeply emotional, with some beautiful literary references that Kennedy would have loved. After telling how hard it was to even believe that this was real and had happened, then telling some of Kennedy's personal traits and accomplishments, and early experiences with the Kennedy family after arriving in Washington, very sick, and other things, Kerry quoted a couple of things. From "John Brown's Body" by Steven Vincent Benet, a favorite of Ted Kennedy's,

"Sometimes there comes a crack in time itself. Sometimes the earth is torn by something blind. Sometimes an image that has stood so long it seems implanted on the polar star is moved against an unfathomed force that suddenly will not have it anymore. Call it the mores, call it God or Fate, call it Mansoul or economic law, that force exists and moves. And when it moves it will imploy a hard and actual stone to batter into bits an actual wall and change the actual scheme of things," then commented that it was so much like Ted.

Then more stories of advice received over the years, notes--funny, touching, wise. Then near the end, talking about Kennedy's beloved sailboat, the Maya. Kerry started to get tense with near-tears again, then ended,

"Just before Thanksgiving Ted sent me a note that he would be spending the holiday with his beloved sailboat, the Maya. He added: If you are out on the sound, look for the Maya. She will be there. Indeed, I will never sail the sound again without thinking of the Maya and her big hard skipper.

"There is an anonymous quote that I once read, which because of Ted's faith--which was grounded and deeply important to him--I think it describes how we should think of his departure from the Senate. It says:

"I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then, someone at my side says; ``There, she is gone!'' ``Gone where?'' Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, ``There, she is gone!'' There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout; ``Here she comes!'' And that is dying.

"That is the way Ted Kennedy will live in the Senate--his spirit, his words, and the fight that still comes.

"Mr. President, I yield the floor."
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r111:9:./temp/~r111rYOMgO:eO:

Kerry almost cried at the part about "look for the Maya," and "I will never sail the Sound again without thinking of the Maya" and its skipper. It was very moving.

That day was full of tributes as to why Kennedy was so great, very specifically: a great staff that actually listened to people, took down what they said, and solved their problems rather than brushing them off-- Mikulski mentioned that; appearing at rallies for what seems like every single Democrat in the Senate for all those years, answering people's questions and problems, asking even the newest members what their interests were, and what they wanted to accomplish; on and on. What a brilliant master of the Senate, a great legislator, a true compassionate friend, and fun. It was wonderful to listen to. Also, some of these things might be on YouTube; I haven't checked.