Thoughts on Ted Kennedy's True Compass

I've had an interest in Ted Kennedy's older brothers for many years. Actually I have an interest in many who have died prematurely. I'm unsure as to why. I suppose a part of it are the "what ifs" of history. What if John Kennedy had lived? Would he have had a second term? Would the Vietnam war have happened? Or what if Robert Kennedy had lived? Would he have become President? Or, what if they had both lived to a ripe old age?


The answers to these questions will never be known. I had been aware of Ted Kennedy but knew very little of him. I knew of the Chappaquiddick incident and I knew of his unsuccessful run for the Presidency in 1980. The first, and only speech I saw him give on TV was his endorsement of Barack Obama a few months before he would be diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. I remember reading the headlines in the spring of 2008 saying he had only a few months to live. Well a few months went by and I did not hear anything of his death and quickly forgot about what I had read. Then a few months ago he did die. I watched the biographical retrospectives on the news and the funeral a few days later. I learned through one of these retrospectives that he had written a memoir and finished it before he died. I decided to buy the book and find out more of this man. The only one of the Kennedy brothers who was able to live a long life and died peacefully.
After reading the book I wondered why I had not heard as much about him as I have about his brothers. Some have argued that in his 47 years as Senator he was able to do more for his country than most Presidents. I'm not sure if thats true or not. Judging from this book he was quite humble about his accomplishments. That continues throughout the book. He admits that trait more than likely came from his father who tried to play down accomplishments but take full responsibility for mistakes.
The first half of the book is mostly about growing up and his family. By the age of 15 two of his brothers were war heroes. One had died and the other was about to be elected to congress. As the youngest of the family he had a lot to live up to. He went to Harvard which seems to be a family tradition for the Kennedys before enlisting in the army. His two surviving brothers talked him out of volunteering to go to Korea because of what their parents had gone through with the death of Joe jr. Instead he served his time on a base just outside of Paris. After being discharged from the army he immediately went out on the campaign trail to help John Kennedy get elected to the Senate. A short time later he went out alone across the United States trying to secure his brothers run at the Presidency. This part of the book has quite a few entertaining anecdotes. One of the more entertaining ones takes place in the south west where he had to ride a bronc at a rodeo before anyone would listen to him. These sections of the book are full of hero worship for his older brothers. He tried to live up to their example both personally and professionally. He speaks of how even as he wrote the book in 2007-09 it still seems strange to him that they are dead.
In the early 1970s his oldest son was diagnosed with cancer. This began his lifelong fight for healthcare which made some progress over the years. He ran for President in 1980 in part because Jimmy Carter would not support him on this and other issues. His bid for the nomination was unsuccessful. He contemplated running again against Reagan in 1984 but was talked out of it by his family. By then he was content to spend the rest of his career as a Senator.
He wrote the book while sick. He knew he likely would die with cancer eventually but was determined to fight for as long as he could. He managed to live long enough to see Barack Obama win the Presidency which gave him hope for the future.
Overall I enjoyed the book. It is quite heavy on politics during the second half though, which will likely drive some people away. Not I, I find those types of things interesting. It helps that I didnt know how half the things he wrote of were going to end.

I shall write again later. Fare-thee-well.

5:13

A few weeks ago I lost my guitar pic. Though I walk at least an hour everyday I never got around to going to the music store to buy a replacement. As a result I have been forced to learn how to play using my fingers which has proven to be easier than I thought it would be. I am finding that at times I prefer this type of sound to flat-picking.

I bought a record player a little over a month ago from a small electronics store in Florida. Had to pay a $16.00 duty but I dont mind. I've been meaning to get one for several years but the time just never seemed right. I simultaneously ordered two LP's. They are Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" and the self titled debut album of The Doors. I immediately noticed the difference in sound quality in this "new" medium compared to CDs. MP3s sound very dull to me. They've slowly been losing their appeal to me since I started listening to better sources of music. At some point MP3 quality may improve but for the moment they leave much to be desired. With the records it almost sounds as if the band is in the same room as me. There is more depth to the record. This is well known to many, but to some it will be news. I wonder how CDs managed to take over the market in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The only advantage I see with CDs is their size. At that time CDs were not on par with records, not even close. I realized this when I heard a few Beatles songs on vinyl. Up to that point I had only heard the 1987 CD mixes which were horrible. A lot was lost in those CDs. I am however quite pleased with the recent remastering and re-release of The Beatles catalogue. It was a huge improvement, particularly for the mono set.
Since then I have bought several other LPs. I managed to get one of the original pressings of Bruce Springsteen's debut album "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.". That album was originally released in 1973 and did not sell very well at the time. I imagine my collection will slowly grow for some time to come.