They Are All Gone Now

Good By Senator Kennedy.

I will admit that when I herd the news this morning I was at work and I am not ashamed that when I told a friend about it I cried.

My interest in politics started when in 8th grade I stayed up all night watching the 1962 results. I remember sitting in the rocking chair, in out "TV room." I could not tell my mother and father that I was pulling for Kennedy as the were Nixon people.

I remember the day he was shot. Finding out in typing class and then being mad as hell that I had to go to the high school basketball game and play in the band. That is right the Random Lake school's played a game that night.

I remember going to bed that night in June thinking that Bobby was going to be the next President of the United States. It was going to be all right. He would end the was and would solve all our "civil rights." It was good. I woke up the next day and nothing was good.

Senator Ted Kennedy made things better by telling all of us not to give up the dream and to honor both John and Bobby by fighting for that dream.

I stayed in politics for several years fighting for that dream. Today, like many days I fell like I have let down John, Bobby, Martin and now Ted by not staying and fighting. I am not talking about working for a politician but working for a politician that was out fighting for a cause.

You know that many politicians run away from the word Liberal. Not Senator Ted Kennedy. He wore that like a BADGE OF HONOR.

So as sad as I am now I think we all need to take a deep breath and look to the future. The dream is not dead. It lives. Without Senator Ted Kennedy it may takes us a little longer and we may have to work a little harder. But we can get their.

Farewell Senator.