"Close friends" - this thread will sink like a stone

[PCIntern]

but I don't care at this hour of the AM...

I watched the Kennedy Memorial last night, moved to tears at times, laughing out loud at others, just as many others here did, and inspired by each (other than that shit McCain), I got to thinking about my close friends many years ago...

When I was a young dentist, most if not all of my friends were dentists or dental personnel, such as laboratory folk, or even young-lady-staff members of other offices (it was an 'exciting time' in my life) simply because it was easiest to have a working discussion about the day's events, have people understand the context of an incident, interaction, or event, or just plain gossip about the resident population of dental folk (not as dull as it sounds).

This of course is not unusual for anyone....but I'm allowed my narcissism at this age and stage...

I counted among my acquaintances many whose personal, professional, and especially political personae would revolt me now: RWers, marital cheats, anti-intellectuals (!), brazen hucksters, and in retrospect, I almost can't believe that I even had a polite conversation with several of these, much less communed, socialized extensively, went on Convention Trips with, and even 'dated' (to be polite). But the one aspect of their existence which was critical/pivotal was that they understood the daily 'process' in which they and I were immersed, and no one, and I mean NO ONE outside mine or anyone's particular business, profession, marital status, etc., can REALLY REALLY comprehend, and that of course explains 90% of why there was the 'bond' which allowed such disparate folk to get along.

In addition, many of us were, despite differences in attributes, extroverted feeling people, who enjoyed the repartee, stories, advice-giving, whatever.

And so I saw this in last night's remarkable service. Senator Hatch is still a sanctimonious schmuck, probably wound tight as a drum, but had much in common with Kennedy as well as a probable longing to be as adventurous and downright behaviorally-insane - in a good way - as Teddy was...Orrin certainly looks repressed to me. I don't really care if Hatch's behavior truly emanates from a belief-system or not: the net effect is that he successfully has managed to keep a good portion of America down, all the while having a rousing time with his buddy Teddy whilst he votes against aid to the poor, against veterans benefits, against the Democratic President's nomination to the Supreme Court, and has the temerity to get up on the dais, weep openly and legitimately for his best friend in the whole world, and stand against every principle which the now-deceased Senator ever worked for, and we're supposed to accept this as 'business-as-usual'. Wink wink; nod nod.

But in the context of the Senate, and for the idiosyncratic individuals who make up this august but peculiar body of people, they were truly connected - you could see that in Hatch's demeanor, and his staccato laugh of a nervous, frightened man will forever be my vision of him now. I used to think of him as the inspiration (I know it wasn't really) for the Senator from Nevada in the Godfather: unctuous, warm in public, vicious and cold and bigoted in private, and very creepy with peculiar overtones which don't bear discussion at this time. But now, I'll always visualize this overwhelmed, emotional, inadequate persona who was deemed an effective tool by his masters a long time ago, and used effectively. My Pittsburgh-born father of blessed memory once said in referring to some outrageous position taken by Hatch: "What else do you expect from a Mormon born in Pittsburgh?"

I'm deeply moved by the loss of Senator Kennedy - it dredged up all the upset which I felt that Friday Afternoon in 1963 and that morning when I awakened to Bobby's death, having gone to sleep the night before thinking that he probably would be the next President, rescuing us from the Vietnam War and internal turmoil resulting from that and from the death of Dr. King. I grieve for America, for we have lost a champion, a powerful, extraordinary champion, for the ordinary man and woman.