True Compass

Teddy talks about a trip through Central and South America fact-finding for Jack during his presidency. They were curious about issues of nationalism and independence movements and socioeconomic situations in light of the Cold War and the spread of communism into poor countries fighting for sovreignty and development. Teddy shares that he and Jack felt that mostly the people in these countries were reaching out to the US and our ideals of freedom and democracy, but they were also desperate for technology and a helping hand out of poverty and the communists were providing for more of their needs. EMK talks about tiny villages generating just enough electricity to power a few small radios around which the entire village would gather to hear the news from the outside world - and the only station broadcasting to them was out of Havana. JFK's view was for the US to help these countries improve their technology to improve the lives of the people to win them over to American style capitalist democracy instead of forcing them at gunpoint. The tragedy of his assassination and the reality of the wars that would follow so closely afterward and the consequences to the rest of the world and our history are staggering. We could use a little more of this kind of thinking and foreign policy today. Read Three Cups of Tea!

True Compass

Some thoughts:

1. The Kennedy women really got the shaft. They worked like dogs and accomplished so much and still got very little recognition. All their pain and sorrow and loss was out on display for the whole world but their men mostly ignored them. Rose was just incredible. He talks about when their father took the assignment as ambassador to the UK and she moved 7 of their 9 children (Teddy was only 6 years old or so) to London, with only a few weeks to get Kick and Rosemary ready to come out as debs in the royal court in a foreign country, and heads of state and aristocracy to entertain in the drawing room as a world war was breaking out around them. Teddy says Mother was quite busy. Really? I'd be quite busy chasing shots of scotch with Pepto Bismol. (Which brings me to: Poor, poor Joan Kennedy. I feel for her, I really do.)

2. Ted tells this weirdo story about getting in a fist fight with an African-American guy in the army. He says he hadn't really had much contact with black people prior to this and then tells about finding this guys who was supposed to be working with him playing dice in the barracks and then getting in a fight with him. I can't for the life of me figure out what the point of mentioning that the guy was black or even of telling this story was. That he could win a fight with a black guy? That black people play dice? That he didn't know any black people? I don't get it.

3. As competitive as they were with one another, the Kennedy kids were also like a gang. They made their life decisions as a family, not as individuals really, and once they decided to do something they acted as a pack. All the rest threw their weight and energy behind whomever was sailing in a race, going to law school, playing football, starting a business, running for office, etc. How can you lose with an army of Kennedys behind you??

He Was a Handsome Man

Kate likes to kiss the picture of JFK on the back of my book. RFK and Teddy are also in the picture, but she likes Jack.

Interesting Tidbit #2: Teddy's first communion was administered by Pope Pius XII himself in Rome at the Vatican. Top that.

True Compass by Ted Kennedy

I'm cutting you off at the pass. I don't want to hear your snide comments about the fact that I'm reading Ted Kennedy's memoir. Keep it to yourselves. My aunt Sandy gave me this book for Christmas and I'm excited to read it. He was the Lion of the Senate for God's sake and well respected by people on both sides of the aisle for the hard work he did over a lifetime in public service. I know he was far from perfect - one of the chapters of the book is entitled "Harvard Screw-Up" so I think he knew it too - but his story is most certainly an interesting one.

So there. And by the way, it takes me forever to get through non-fiction these days because I'm easily distractable, so bear with me. I'll probably try to throw in some interesting tidbits and random commentary about Uncle Teddy as I go along, just so you know I'm still alive. And still reading.

Interesting Tidbit #1: Ted tells the story of how the family spent a weekend at Hyannis Port shortly after JFK was elected President. Jack was already exhausted from the job, so he slept in on Sunday morning. As he heard his parents come in from Mass, he jumped out of bed, threw on some pants, and snuck out of the house through the neighbors yard to avoid getting griped out by his mom and dad for missing Mass. The President of the United States!!