Remembering Bobby Kennedy

Forty years ago today on June 5, 1968, Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Kennedy had just finished giving his victory speech for the California Democratic primary, which had ended a few hours before. Kennedy died early the next day on June 6th.

Bobby had electrified the nation's young people with his message of hope that working together people could solve the many problems facing the nation in those days. Not unlike a certain other young politician, Barack Obama, who is energizing the young people of today's America into believing in hope and that "yes we can" solve the problems of today.

With Kennedy's death coming so close after those of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his own brother, President John F. Kennedy, hope seemed to disappear from America for generations. Viet Nam, Watergate, corporate greed, social injustices, economic doldrums, and a needless (in my opinion, anyway) Iraq War have made cynics out of too many of us. For many Americans and for many nations around the world, America is no longer the "last best hope on Earth" that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy was eulogized by his brother, Senator Edward Kennedy, in a brilliant speech, closing by saying: "My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."

For those ideals, Bobby and his fellow liberals were (and are) pilloried by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, George W. Bush, and Senator John McCain, who represent the worst of American politics. They stand for the politics of greed, divisiveness, and hate, where a politician can be branded "unpatriotic" if he or she doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin or simply forgets to hold his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance.

This country of ours still needs the hopes and dreams that Bobby Kennedy stood for. We need someone who will see wrong and try to right it, see suffering and try to heal it, and see war and try to stop it. I think all of us, liberal and conservative, can reach agreement about those points, at least. We'll never know what our country would be like today had Bobby lived. Would he have been elected president? Would our government be once again "government of the people, by the people, for the people"?

We'll never know. And that, to me, is the greatest tragedy resulting from Bobby Kennedy's death.

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Great Resource For Lincoln Historic Sites

I just "discovered" a very nice website devoted to historic sites and tours associated with Abraham Lincoln. The website Looking For Lincoln is operated by the "Looking For Lincoln Heritage Coalition" which is based in Springfield, Illinois. The organization is a consortium of central Illinois communities which have banded together to encourage visitation to the other lesser-known sites in the area associated with Lincoln.

Obviously, the Coalition is trying to drum up tourism, but it's doing a very commendable job in placing these small communities in context with Lincoln's life and career. Some of the sites shown and discussed on the website include the David Davis (a close friend and colleague of Lincoln's) mansion; the Mt. Pulaski courthouse (one of two surviving 8th Circuit courts where Lincoln practiced); and the Lincoln-Douglas debate museum in Charleston.

The website is well-organized and provides suggestions for "hub tours" starting out from various locations in Illinois. I'd highly recommend it as a starting point for anyone who would like to take a "Lincoln Pilgrimage" trip to Illinois. Indeed, I will use it as a reference the next time I take my own pilgrimage. The "Land Of Lincoln" encompasses far more than Springfield, and Looking For Lincoln is an outstanding starting place to find out why.

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Abe Is Hot!

Interest in Abraham Lincoln is getting hot now that the bicentennial of his birth is approaching next February 12. One might say that Abe himself is "hot," thanks to all the presidential contenders and wannabes are comparing themselves to him.

Here's a cool photo from the Associated Press showing some renovation work being done on an 1871 statue of Lincoln in Philadelphia. I'd say Abe is hotter than ever. Note the blowtorch in the worker's hand.

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Lincoln Statue Decapitated For Fifth Time

Today's Mail Tribune from Medford, Oregon brings the sad news that for the fifth time, the Abe Lincoln statue in Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon has had its head cut off. Local officials are distressed, because the statue had only recently been repaired and rededicated after the 2005 decapitation. Other such acts of vandalism occurred in 1958, 1967, and 1973.

Damage is estimated now to be at $1,200. Park officials do have a spare Abe head, but have no idea if they will restore the statue now or not. A local merchant is suggesting that a security camera be focused on the statue from now on. Police in Oregon currently have no suspects. Sorry for the lack of photos.

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If You Can't Be Lincoln, Join Him

Here's a photo from today's New York Times showing Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton posing in front of Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. She visited it today, while contemplating her impending loss of the nomination.

Members of the press pool actually asked her if she thought either her husband or she would ever have their likeness carved in the mountain. Perish the thought! In her defense, at least Mrs. Clinton laughed at the question.

I guess if you can't be just like Abe, you can at least pose with him.

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Lincoln Memorial Maintenance

Here's an interesting photo of some maintenance being done on the Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This photo is from three years ago, but for some reason is popping up on the Reuters news site recently. I didn't know that cleaning of the statue occurs, so this was news to me.

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A Nation Remembers Their Sacrifice

Today is the day that we remember the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen military personnel who died while serving our country in defense of our freedom. Unfortunately, the true meaning and history of this day have become obscured as many of us treat it as the beginning of summer, to be celebrated with picnics, barbecues, boating and drinking.

While we all have our own opinions about war and the military in general (especially these days), we all need to be grateful to those who gave their lives for us. Lincoln said it best in his closing remarks of the Gettysburg Address:

...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

For a detailed history of Memorial Day, click here.

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