Fist, I’ve received two emails asking why he will be buried in Arlington. The fact that other Kennedys are buried there is insufficient reason to qualify him. I looked around, and found this question being asked in various blogs and forums around the internet. So I found the answer.
Senator Kennedy served in the army from 1951 to 1953, and served as a guard overseas during that time. According to the Arlington cemetery burial guidelines, a person qualifies for burial in Arlington if he served in the military (besides training) and held an elected office of the United States government.
So Kennedy qualifies for burial in Arlington, and I hope that this answers any questions you might have.
Second, I’d like to say that the memorial service was MOSTLY fine. It did what it was supposed to do, focusing on the life of the deceased. The only time it was politicized was when calls were made to use his death to advance the political goal of passing the health care reform bills currently in Congress.
As I wrote earlier, politicizing somebody’s death is a bad idea, and it shows a very distinct lack of class and respect for the deceased. It’s incredibly crass, in my own humble opinion. But the Democrats are latching onto Senator Kennedy’s death as a means to revive seriously flagging support and defeat rapidly growing opposition to what is, in reality, a very bad bill.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26560.html
Tales about Teddy Kennedy's sailing and lousy singing voice got big laughs at his Friday night memorial service at Boston's JFK Library — but it was a call to use his death as a spur to pass health care reform that ignited the passion of those gathered to honor him.
Kennedy's family and friends, led by his nephew Rep. Joe Kennedy and Senate brother-in-arms John Kerry, celebrated the Massachusetts Democrat's 77 years by vowing to carry on his fight, despite GOP warnings against politicizing his passing.
"He labored for the right to give health care to all Americans and we'll do that in his name," said Kerry, who recalled Kennedy's struggles preparing himself for public appearances during his year-long battle with brain cancer.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26560.html#ixzz0PfepilSl
Those are my thoughts on what has happened so far. As I said in my original post on the subject, I do not believe in jumping onto somebody’s death to use for my own purposes, and I will not do so now. I may, at some point in the future, comment on his politics or life, but I will not capitalize on somebody’s death to make a poltical point.
Pity the Democrats don’t see it that way…
UPDATE: The politicization of his death isn't limited to Democrats. I found this point, by Mike Huckabee, to be out of line as well. Can't these people WAIT a respectable amount of time before trying to make points like this?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26554.html
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