Comments on: "A Death Threat Magnet"

"A Death Threat Magnet"

zarq — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:06:12 -0800

The FBI has released their extensive files on US Senator Edward M. Kennedy to the public, covering their relationship with him between 1961 and 1985. The seven files, totaling more than 2,200 pages of documents reveal (among other things,) the perhaps unsurprising news that the late Senator received "scores" of death threats from radical groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, "Minutemen" organizations, and the National Socialist White People's Party. The release was initiated by a Freedom of Information Act Request from Judicial Watch on May 3, 2010, (Complaint pdf) but the FBI gave the Senator's family the "rare opportunity" to raise objections before releasing the file.

By: zarq

zarq — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:09:47 -0800

Since it does not appear in the "Related Posts" section at the bottom of this page, here is Senator Ted Kennedy's obituary thread on Metafilter: Goodbye Teddy.

By: yeloson

yeloson — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:12:38 -0800

Funny how all these terrorist groups haven't been declared enemy combatants and detained already.

By: zarq

zarq — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:15:22 -0800

Funny how all these terrorist groups haven't been declared enemy combatants and detained already. We have a double standard.

By: bearwife

bearwife — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:20:11 -0800

A most interesting revelations was that William F. Buckley tipped off the FBI about one of the death threats against Kennedy.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:20:20 -0800

It's because white and terrorist are polar opposites. Obviously. I mean, the guy supported the IRA for years and since US Senators don't support terrorists, the IRA aren't terrorists. QED.

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:28:08 -0800

The period July 1961 onwards is a treasure trove of J Edgar Hoover's cold war FBI. Scroll down about 1/4 through the file to Nov. 1964 and read Hoover's Essay about Joe Kennedy. That Joe and J. Edgar were friends says pretty much all you need to know about both.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:30:24 -0800

Are you surprised? The nutball right in this country, which is, of course, officially not a threat, has always hated Teddy with every cell of their bodies. Some tea baggers I know were gleeful when he died. They were just vicious.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:55:43 -0800

Some of that viciousness might be explained by resentment of the privilege represented by the aforementioned "rare opportunity".

By: neuron

neuron — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:57:37 -0800

Shortly after his death, the New Yorker ran a photo of Kennedy from shortly after his first election to the U.S. Senate in 1962. He was 30 years old at the time. I was struck by the fact that he didn't have a giant head at that time.

By: clarknova

clarknova — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:07:50 -0800

Some of that viciousness might be explained by resentment of the privilege represented by the aforementioned "rare opportunity". Given the Tea Party's disinterest in the similar privilege their favorite enjoys, that's obviously not the reason.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:15:52 -0800

the FBI gave the Senator's family the "rare opportunity" to raise objections before releasing the file. All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:22:06 -0800

Some tea baggers I know were gleeful when he died. They were just vicious. Sadly, this is a problem not restricted to any portion of the political spectrum.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:30:28 -0800

Given the Tea Party's disinterest in the similar privilege their favorite enjoys, that's obviously not the reason. No, that just means they're hypocrites. Like people who rightly sneered at W's coasting into an Ivy League school and using family connections to avoid dangerous military service, but would never do so to a Democratic poster boy like Ted Kennedy - despite his having done exactly the same thing.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:33:21 -0800

Speaking of which, remind me to go live in the woods for a month after W dies.

By: clarknova

clarknova — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:43:03 -0800

Joe: True and granted. But it still stands; if someone is hypocritical about their given motivation, it's not their real motivation.

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:23:27 -0800

Some of that viciousness might be explained by resentment of the privilege represented by the aforementioned "rare opportunity". Which would explain their equally vehement hatred for the Bush family. Wait...what?

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:26:08 -0800

Like people who rightly sneered at W's coasting into an Ivy League school and using family connections to avoid dangerous military service, but would never do so to a Democratic poster boy like Ted Kennedy - despite his having done exactly the same thing. When that same W guy wants to deny affirmative action for historic racial discrimination on the grounds that everyone should have a level playing field and goes all rah-rah for sending boys to war, well, it puts a slightly different spin on things, dontcha think?

By: immlass

immlass — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:37:45 -0800

The first thing I noticed when I opened the first link was in the second sentence: He was a long-time leader in the Democrat Party and candidate for that party's presidential nomination. I used to think that was a sure sign of a Republican, or at least a hater of the Democratic party, but the rest of the summary of the files on that page convinced me it was just badly written by someone trying for lawyerese instead of necessarily demonstrating hostility to Kennedy/the Democratic Party on a partisan basis. I never expected to see that particular error on a nonpartisan federal government/executive branch web site, though.

By: grubi

grubi — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:43:17 -0800

Like people who rightly sneered at W's coasting into an Ivy League school and using family connections to avoid dangerous military service, but would never do so to a Democratic poster boy like Ted Kennedy - despite his having done exactly the same thing. Well, let's see how often Kennedy brought up his own service, as opposed to Bush. Who showed up on an aircraft carrier in a flight suit, touting his bellicosity and military strength, and who was a tireless fighter for health care and civil rights.

By: hal_c_on

hal_c_on — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:46:05 -0800

The seven files, totaling more than 2,200 pages of documents reveal (among other things,) the perhaps unsurprising news that the late Senator received "scores" of death threats from radical groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, "Minutemen" organizations, and the National Socialist White People's Party. Man, its just like white people to hate old, white, rich, privileged men.{/sarcasm}