Edward Kennedy Knighted

Kennedy to be knighted by Queen

SENATOR EDWARD Kennedy has accepted an honorary knighthood from Britain’s Queen Elisabeth in recognition of his contribution to peace in the North and to the relationship between Britain and the United States.

Announcing the award during an address to the joint houses of Congress yesterday, British prime minister Gordon Brown praised the Democrat’s political achievements at home and abroad.

“I know that you will allow me to single out for special mention today one of your most distinguished senators, known in every continent and a great friend,” Mr Brown said. “Northern Ireland today is at peace, more Americans have healthcare, children around the world are going to school, and for all those things we owe a great debt to the life and courage of senator Edward Kennedy.” The announcement was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation.

Mr Kennedy (76), who is suffering from a malignant brain tumour, is the latest in a succession of prominent Irish-Americans to accept British honours.

Last year businessman Dan Rooney, a co-founder of the Ireland Funds who is widely expected to be named the next US ambassador to Ireland, became an honorary commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), while New York hotelier John Fitzpatrick was named an honorary officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Other Irish-American recipients include New York lawyer John Connorton, who was awarded a CBE in 2004 for his work towards peace in the North.

Few Americans have received honorary knighthoods, which allow them to use the letters KBE after their name. Recent recipients include former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former president George HW Bush.

Mr Kennedy, who plans to return to work in Washington later this week, said he was “deeply grateful” for the honour.

“I have always prized the opportunity to work with the British government and strengthen and deepen the role of our two countries as leading beacons of democracy in the world,” he said.

“I am proud that I was able to play a part in the decades-long effort to bring peace to Northern Ireland.” Mr Kennedy recalled his family’s ties to Britain, where his father served as ambassador and from where his brother, Joseph Kennedy jnr, left for his final combat mission in the second World War, dying in action in 1944. “So for me this honour is moving and personal – a reflection not only of my public life, but of things that profoundly matter to me as an individual,” he said.

“I accept this honour in the spirit in which it is given, with a continuing commitment to be a voice for the voiceless and for the shared ideals of freedom and fairness which are so fundamental to the character of our two countries.”

I read this earlier today. I still don't know how I feel about people from outside of the Commonwealth being Knighted, but at least there are real ties to Britain in Kennedy's case, unlike 'sir' Bill Gates (lower case 's' on purpose).

Let us not forget chappaquiddick. We have pointed out that many times in the past these knight designations are unfounded and should not be given just based upon politically correct people in power. This just proves England's royalty is out of touch with mainstream. If this was your daughter would you knight the coward?

"On the night of July 18, 1969, Kennedy was on Chappaquiddick Island at a party for the "Boiler Room Girls", a group of young women who had worked on his brother Robert's presidential campaign the year before. Leaving the party, Kennedy was driving a 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 with one of the women, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, as his passenger, when Kennedy drove off Dike Bridge into Poucha Pond between Chappaquiddick Island and Cape Poge barrier beach. Kennedy escaped the overturned vehicle and swam to safety, but Kopechne died in the car. Kennedy left the scene and did not call authorities until after Kopechne's body was discovered the following day.

On July 25, Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was given a sentence of two months in jail, suspended. That night, Kennedy gave a national broadcast in which he said, "I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately," but denied driving under the influence of alcohol and denied any immoral conduct between him and Kopechne. Kennedy asked the Massachusetts electorate whether he should stay in office, and after getting a favorable response, he did.

In January 1970, an inquest into Kopechne's death took place in Edgartown, Massachusetts. At the request of Kennedy's lawyers, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ordered the inquest be conducted in secret. Judge James A. Boyle presided over the inquest. His conclusions were as follows:

"Kopechne and Kennedy did not intend to return to Edgartown" at the time they left the party.
"Kennedy did not intend to drive to the ferry slip".
"[Kennedy]'s turn onto Dike Road was intentional".
Judge Boyle also said that "negligent driving appears to have contributed to the death of Mary Jo Kopechne." Under Massachusetts law, Boyle could have ordered Kennedy's arrest, but he chose not to do so. A grand jury on Martha's Vineyard staged a two-day investigation in April 1970 but issued no indictment, after which Boyle made his inquest report public. Kennedy deemed its conclusions "not justified."

Kennedy easily won re-election to another term in the Senate later in 1970, getting 62 percent of the vote against an underfunded Republican."

The Knighthood and $1.25 will get him a medium double double at Tim Hortons.



Camac.

Unfortunately, many have forgotten Chappaquiddick thanks to power and a silenced media. A couple of years ago we were discussing the incident at work and a few college interns had no idea what we were talking about. After explaining the incident, they were amazed that he's been so honored all these years. What a bitter pill for Kopechne's family to swallow all these years.

What was that Monty Python line in the Holy Grail? When the peasant rails on King Arthur for reciting the story of Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake - demanding they honor him? Something about a "moistened bint" and a "watery tart" if I recall!

Jillian

What were dat?.. [belch] Kennedy was nighted by a queen? ...uhhh, mmmm, Kennedy was knighted as queen?...[burp] Kennedy ran the queen off the royal highway after being knighted?....

Leave it to the monarchy of the Colonists to knight this particular senator and servant of our nation... Wasn't Bennedict Arnold knighted as well?

In the interests of sobriety, I believe an honorary degree today has more import than being made a knight by that English Queen. Its high time highlanders to get a Stuart back on the throne again!

And bloody great piece of cutlery!

Excuse me while I go retch in the corner. That drunk should have hung it up decades ago!

englishmix;

If you look up the lineage of Queen Elizabeth you will find that she has Stewart Blood. Her Mother was a Scot. I am a Monarchist but have little or no use for the Stewarts who cared little for Scotland except as a source of manpower for their misadventures.



Camac.


PS: Stuart is the French spelling.

Hey now. Let's try to keep the bashing of Elizabeth to a minimum. You've got to remember this knighting is from a UK perspective, not an American one. I'm sure those other issues named, health care and education, have certain merit, but this is no doubt entirely for his efforts to see peace in Ulster. Anyone involved with quelling that age old bloody fight is no doubt of great importance to The Crown. Not to diminish his sketchy past, but I don't think any of that incident would have been taken into account, or important to The Crown.

I still don't like hearing about knighthoods awarded to those not of the Commonwealth.

oldraven;

Agreed, enough bashing the Queen and I also agree that a Knighthood should be given only to a Commonwealth person, but it is only Honourary (Sir Edward Kennedy) and it was given for a good reason. I also see that splinter groups of the I.R.A are starting the killings again. Will some Irish never learn?


Camac.

The man is the poster child for lack of family values, drunken debauchery and lack of respect for the law. He does not deserve the title of senator or to be knighted. The Queen is old and this may be an early sign of dementia!

I feel sorry for him as a malignancy in the brain is about 98% terminal. Beyond that, I have nothing else to say.

Slàinte,    

Patch    

I notice this announcement was made by Brown, and not The Throne. I'm wondering how much the Queen actually had to do with this decision.

Camac,
Say it ain't so Joe! The Queen is of the House of Windsor with some German blood - no, no, bloody 'ell, I can't bear to do the research. Ugh!

Raven,
I've just requested "God Save The Queen She's Not A Human Being" by the Sex Pistols with a special dedication for you on Highlander Radio. Poke! Maybe there is something to it having been Brown's announcement

I'm with you Patch!

But this news about the attacks in Ireland is horrible. I would like to think these recent events have been done by some demented few and not really the IRA - the sort of which we have everywhere, like the news in Alabama and Germany today.

She's not a what???














As for the IRA being involved, from what I'm reading, this cop shooting was an offshoot of the IRA, but the two soldiers killed a couple of days before was claimed by the Real IRA.

englishmix;

Her Majesty is actually of the House Saxe-Coburg-Gotha her grandfather George 5th changed the name during the 1st World War to the House of Windsor because it didn't sit well that the Royal Family had a German name whilst at war with Germany. The Queen married into the House of Mountbaten when she married Prince Phillip of Greece but retained the name Windsor as that of the Royal House.The Stewart connection more than likely comes from her Mother Queen Elizabeth wife of George 6th , (not sure about that), she was Scots from the family of Bowes-Lyon. All the royal families of Europe are intertwined as a result of all the children Victoria and Albert had. Both Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicolas were George 5th cousins. A DNA sample supplied by Prince Phillip helped to identify the remains of the Tsar and his Family back in the 90s.


Camac.