"A Better View"

[dem629]

Of all the tributes to Ted Kennedy over the last few days, perhaps the most poignant, in terms of assessing where we are as a nation, was the tribute outside the Capitol Building this afternoon in Washington.

Hundreds of staffers gathered on the steps, and many more thousands of citizens assembled on the lawn around the building to pay tribute as the motorcade stopped. The crowd was made up of people of all ages and races, with the front row given to the disabled.

What a contrast to what we've recently been seeing. Lately political news has focused on crowds of mostly older white protesters. They're angry.

They're angry about deficits and debt, but said nothing when the previous president racked up over one-trillion dollars of debt to fight a needless war of choice.

....

<snip>

All contradictions, of course, and it shouldn't be surprising. After all, it's hard to get your story straight when you're not being honest about your views. Even though they may hint at it in whispered conversations, these people don't have the courage to publicly proclaim their real reason for being angry. They'll hint at it, for instance, with signs that say "I want my country back." But they don't have the guts to finish that thought.

Read the rest of http://jefftompkins.blogspot.com/2009/08/better-view-of-america.html">A Better View of America

[bluescribbler]

1. I was also moved by

the people lining the motorcade route from Cape Cod to Boston, the approximately 50,000 people who stood in line for hours to pay their respects at the JFK library, and the people who waited in the rain to watch the hearse roll by on the way to the church. These were the people Kennedy had fought for during his entire career.

Sail on, my Senator. Sail on.

[dem629]

2. It really was a beautiful sight.