Senator Ted Kennedy dies at 77

BOSTON - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the liberal lion of the Senate and haunted bearer of the Camelot torch after two of his brothers fell to assassins’ bullets, has died at his home in Hyannis Port after battling a brain tumor. He was 77.

In nearly 50 years in the Senate, Kennedy served alongside 10 presidents — his brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy among them — compiling an impressive list of legislative achievements on health care, civil rights, education, immigration and more.

His only run for the White House ended in defeat in 1980. More than a quarter-century later, he handed then-Sen. Barack Obama an endorsement at a critical point in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, explicitly likening the young contender to President Kennedy.

To the American public, Kennedy — known to friends and foes alike simply as Ted — was best known as the last surviving son of America’s most glamorous political family, father figure and, memorably, eulogist of an Irish-American clan plagued again and again by tragedy.

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Senator Ted Kennedy dies at 77

The President, the Dems, libbers and RINOs can ALL sing his praises, that is the hypocrisy we ALL expected, but I am not going to honor a murdering son of an Irish bootlegger. I am hoping that Mary Jo Kopechne was waiting for him with a Louisville Slugger!

I have NEVER been a supporter OF Teddy Kennedy, and I won’t prostitute me, or my blog and become one now. I don’t intend to denigrate, nor will I celebrate his passing.

I can’t, in good conscience, and won’t, pile any honors on a man that was far less than honorable in my opinion!

EDIT: After seeing a few comments on other blogs, on Facebook, and in my comments section here, I have to say this, if you feel so inclined to blast off on Kennedy, by ALL means, have at it. I won’t stop you, nor will I edit your words. There are many Americans that truly detest Edward Kennedy, I am one of them, and I have said all I can say and remain even remotely civil.

NYT: Blackwater tied to CIA death plot

WASHINGTON - The Central Intelligence Agency in 2004 hired outside contractors from the private security contractor Blackwater USA as part of a secret program to locate and assassinate top operatives of Al Qaeda, according to current and former government officials.

Executives from Blackwater, which has generated controversy because of its aggressive tactics in Iraq, helped the spy agency with planning, training and surveillance. The C.I.A. spent several million dollars on the program, which did not capture or kill any terrorist suspects.

The fact that the C.I.A. used an outside company for the program was a major reason that Leon E. Panetta, the new C.I.A. director, became alarmed and called an emergency meeting to tell Congress that the agency had withheld details of the program for seven years, the officials said.

It is unclear whether the C.I.A. had planned to use the contractors to capture or kill Qaeda operatives, or just to help with training and surveillance. American spy agencies have in recent years outsourced some highly controversial work, including the interrogation of prisoners. But government officials said that bringing outsiders into a program with lethal authority raised deep concerns about accountability in covert operations.

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NYT: Blackwater tied to CIA death plot

“The C.I.A. spent several million dollars on the program, which did not capture or kill any terrorist suspects.” That we have been TOLD about…

Let me make one thing very clear, no one at the CIA or Blackwater is going to look at you and say, “Sure, we captured old so-and-so and we killed 3 of his top aids too…”

It just doesn’t work that way. The overly sensitive and incredibly PC among us don’t believe in political kidnapping, taking terrorists prisoner, and/or killing, ie: assassinating them. We have LAWS against that sort of thing you know. Why would the Agency, or any Blackwater operator knowingly expose himself to a war crimes or murder charge?

It has also drawn controversy. Blackwater employees hired to guard American diplomats in Iraq were accused of using excessive force on several occasions, including shootings in downtown Baghdad in 2007 in which 17 civilians were killed. Iraqi officials have since refused to renew the company’s operating license.

Excessive force huh?

Let me point something else out for those less than well informed individuals that have no idea what fighting an insurgency in a place like Iraq is all about. Do ANY of you know the difference between an Enemy Combatant and a civilian? In a theater like Iraq or Afghanistan? Anyone??

Once the shooting stops and the smoke clears, a CIVILIAN is the one that managed to hide his AK-47 before anyone else. That’s it, the only difference. 10 seconds prior he was killing everything in front of him, but he laid that weapon DOWN before you got a round in him, so, YOU are wrong, YOU are now guilty of killing a civilian and YOU are a WAR CRIMINAL. Too bad, so sad. Leavenworth here I come!

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