Sen. Ted Kennedy dies at 77
Lawmaker to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near D.C.
Source: NBC News
Thurs., Aug 27, 2009


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.

His family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday.

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," the statement said. "We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all."

A few hours later, two vans left the family compound at Hyannis Port in pre-dawn darkness. Both bore hearse license plates — with the word "hearse" blacked out.

Kennedy will lie in repose Thursday and Friday at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston before his funeral at a city church, the senator's office said.

Kennedy is to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near his slain brothers, said Kennedy spokesman Keith Maley.

Kennedy's funeral Mass will take place Saturday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica — commonly known as the Mission Church — in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston.

Obama, on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., said he and the first lady were “heartbroken” to hear of Kennedy's passing.

“An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time,” Obama said.

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STATEMENT BY MEXICAN AMBASSADOR ARTURO SARUKHAN

Senator Edward Kennedy


The United States has lost a Statesman and a leader. Senator Edward Kennedy was a
larger than life figure in American politics, a champion of causes large and small, a
tenacious and effective advocate for the values and ideals of his country, whose passion as a public servant had a tremendous impact not only for Americans but for millions of others abroad.

During a long and exceptional career in Congress that spanned over four decades, Senator Kennedy sponsored and promoted countless initiatives in favor of millions of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans that live and work in this country. At the same time, at the international level, he was always a staunch supporter of deepening and widening the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States, always showing a strong friendship for our country.

This was particularly evident in his leadership in the immigration reform debate and his steadfast defense of minorities, including of course those of Hispanic origin. His stand on these and countless other issues were an inspiration to many in this country, and the Mexican people fully recognized and are grateful for his efforts in this regard.

A descendant of Irish immigrants himself, Senator Kennedy was an indefatigable defender of immigrants and immigrant rights in the US Congress. His profound knowledge and rigorous analysis of this issue allowed him to invariably present practical solutions to confront the many challenges arising from this phenomenon, without ever losing sight of its human dimension. He consistently pushed to provide the newest generations of immigrants with the framework and the tools that in the past allowed its predecessors to fully integrate into US society and enrich it. Senator Kennedy fully recognized that immigrants were not a burden to this country, but rather contributed to the economic well-being and vitality of the United States.

For that reason he firmly believed that the solution to the many challenges posed by immigration is a comprehensive reform that would include, among other things, a fair, legal and orderly way for undocumented migrants to adjust their status and introduce adjustments to the system so that it would better respond to labor market needs, while reintroducing the circularity in the flow of workers that had been lost over the past few years.

The protection of minorities was also a lifelong concern of Senator Kennedy.

Throughout his extraordinary career he was a passionate defender of the rights of minorities in this country, a position that greatly benefited Mexican-Americans and the Hispanic community as a whole. In particular, Senator Kennedy promoted legislation to provide these groups with better access to education and healthcare, facilitate the exercise of their political rights, and protect them against discrimination. All of these policies helped to empower these groups over the years, allowing them to fully exercise their citizenship and thus enabling them to contribute even more to this nation.

Over a long and illustrious career in Congress, Senator Kennedy developed the valuable virtue of conciliation, building alliances and constructing bipartisan agreements on countless issues, invariably identifying common ground and areas of shared interests.

For all he did for his country and his people, Senator Kennedy’s legacy will remain with us forever.

For all he did for Mexican-Americans, Mexicans and Mexico, he will be sorely missed on both side of the border and remembered as a true friend of our country.


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Visas are a threat to refugees

Your editorial No Threat To True Refugees (Aug. 26) chastises Amnesty International for criticizing the federal government’s decision to limit access to Canada’s refugee system for Mexican and Czech nationals by imposing a visa requirement on those two countries. But visas are precisely that – a clear threat to true refugees.

Time and again, governments around the world have imposed visas on countries that have become significant sources of refugee claims. The explicit aim is to curtail refugee flows. The visas allow no exceptions for “true” refugees; access to protection is blocked equally for all. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has noted that the decision to impose these visas is “inconsistent with a commitment to protect refugees.”

Should Canada’s refugee system be improved? Absolutely. But the road to reform does not lie in treating refugee claimants differently based on artificial lines the government draws between “safe” and “unsafe” countries. A fair system requires adequate levels of resources. It must assure both the expertise and independence of decision-makers. And it must include a speedy but fair appeal process, as agreed to by Parliament in 2001 but ignored by three governments since.

Alex Neve, secretary-general, Amnesty International Canada, Ottawa

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