Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Another Kennedy Loss

Edward Kennedy died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod, his family said in a statement. A malignant brain tumor was diagnosed in May 2008.

It is a sad time. Ted Kennedy was a strong, courageous man.

By the time of his death in Hyannis Port at the age of 77, he had 46 working years in Congress, time enough to leave his imprint on everything from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009, a law that expands support for national community-service programs. Over the years, Kennedy was a force behind the Freedom of Information Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He helped Soviet dissidents and fought apartheid. Above all, he conducted a four-decade crusade for universal health coverage, a poignant one toward the end as the country watched a struggle with a brain tumor.

AP on comments by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Schwarzenegger says he and his wife, Maria, are "immensely saddened" by the death of her "Uncle Teddy."

In a statement issued hours after the Massachusetts Democrat succumbed to brain cancer, the pair said he "was the rock of our family."

Kennedy's death came just two weeks after that of Maria Shriver's mother, Eunice Kennedy, one of the senator's siblings. He had attended her wake but was noticeably absent from her funeral, even though it was held near his Cape Cod home.

The governor said he has "personally benefited and grown" from Kennedy's experience and advice.

He also says the senator "taught us all that public service isn't a hobby or even an occupation, but a way of life."

On the political side:

Unlike most states, a successor to fill Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat in the Senate will be chosen through a special election, not by the governor.

Massachusetts law requires a special election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after a vacancy occurs. The law bans an interim appointee.

In a letter to state legislators, Kennedy asked that the governor be allowed to name an interim senator. The governor is a Democrat, which would guarantee any appointee would help maintain the party's 60-vote majority.

The request is critical to maintaining Democratic votes on health-care legislation that is moving through Congress and that has been a lifelong pursuit for Kennedy.

In the letter, dated July 2 and released Aug. 20, Kennedy also supported a special election. Such a contest likely will dramatically increase the number of competitors and create a political "domino" that could reach the precinct level of the Bay State, says Fred Bayles, director of Boston University's statehouse program.

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  • Written by: Christy
    • | 9:21 AM | 0 comment(s)!

    Monday, June 2, 2008
    LiLo, Ted Kennedy and the Simpson Family

    In case you wanted to know what Jessica Simpson has to say about her sister Ashlee and Ashlee's new husband Pete Wentz. We all knew she was pregnant and now that it has been confirmed, Jessica has spoken to the folks at People.com.

    "She'll be amazing, absolutely amazing," Jessica Simpson, 27, told PEOPLE in Las Vegas Saturday at the grand opening of Palms Place.

    "They're just the cutest couple in the world," she says. "They are adorable. Anybody would wish to be them and you can only wish them well. Just being around them inspires love and everything I sing about."

    There you have it. If the music goes down depression lane we'll know why.

    *~*~*

    Ted Kennedy will undergo brain surgery this morning. The Senator himself has released the following statement:

    "I am deeply grateful to the people of Massachusetts and to my friends, colleagues and so many others across the country and around the world who have expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and unexpected health challenge. I am humbled by the outpouring and am strengthened by your prayers and kindness. Over the past several days, VICKI and I, along with my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation. This morning, I will be undergoing surgery with DR. ALLEN FRIEDMAN at Duke University Medical Center and expect to remain there to recuperate for approximately one week. Shortly thereafter, I will start radiation treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital and begin chemotherapy. After completing treatment, I look forward to returning to the United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect BARACK OBAMA as our next president."

    Wow. I wonder what Barack will be saying in response to this fantastic endoresment.

    *~*~*

    Lindsay Lohan has apparently passed on an offer by OK! magazine to say she's gay. Insiders told Page Six that Lohan and OK! are in talks to do a cover where Lohan "comes out" about her relationship with gal pal Samantha Ronson, and the mag has offered her "around $1 million to do the cover." Now I have to think she's AGAIN just doing this for the money and the publicity.

    *~*~*

    X-Files star Gillian Anderson is expecting her second child with boyfriend Mark Griffiths, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.

    The couple have a son, Oscar, who was born in November 2006. Anderson also has a 13-year-old daughter, Piper, from a previous marriage.

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  • Written by: Christy
    • | 7:48 AM | 2 comment(s)!