Reply #26: It wasn't premeditated, but it certainly was murder or manslaughter

[MadHound]

Through sheer negligence and by walking away. Yes, Kennedy did indeed try to rescue Mary Jo, for fifteen or twenty minutes according to his own statements. Then he dragged himself out of the water and walked back to the compound, in his own words, to get help. Well, there was a family named Dike, who lived well within sight of the bridge, and they had their light on. Why didn't he stop there and call? Why did Ted walk right by the house of the fire chief, which was lit, and the fire station? What better place to get help for Mary Jo?

No, no, the kind of help Teddy was looking for wasn't for Mary Jo, it was for himself, for the first people he contacted when he got back to the compound wasn't the police or fire dept, it was his lawyers! In fact Ted didn't contact the authorities about the incident until ten hours after the fact. Meanwhile, according to the rescue diver and coroner who investigated the scene and the body, Mary Jo was still alive in the car, breathing the air that was trapped in the overturned vehicle. Unable to free herself, she died of asphyxiation, as the O2 she was breathing slowly became polluted with the CO2 she expelled. It was thought by those who investigated that she could have been alive for up to two hours in the car, plenty of time for a rescue if Ted hadn't been so fucking concerned about his reputation.

The crash of the car was indeed an accident, albeit one committed by a person who was so drunk that it was a crime for him to be behind the wheel. But walking away and not notifying the proper authorities immediately, well friend, that's murder, plain and simple. Ted Kennedy left that poor woman to die, and instead of doing the right thing and contacting the authorities, he instead sat down with his lawyers to try and either cover up the matter, or at least minimize the impact that it would have on his life and career. And as he was doing all of this, the minutes passed, and the air that Mary Jo was breathing became ever more polluted, until she finally died.

As far as Laura Bush goes, yes, she should have to face justice also, just like Ted. What I'm getting at here is the matter of hypocrisy. The first type of hypocrisy is that there is a double standard in this country when it comes to the enforcement of the law. If you are rich and powerful, like Ted and Laura, you rarely have to face the consequences of your actions, while the rest of Americans have to face the full brunt of the law when we break it. The second hypocrisy I'm addressing is that of giving a pass to somebody on their obvious wrongdoings just because they have a D behind their name. We should be morally honest with ourselves that we can hold all people to the same legal standards, no matter the socioeconomic status, or what the political affiliation is. Sadly though, that sort of hypocrisy is all too alive and well in this day and age.