Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Royal Family of The United States

gallery-kennedy-family-po-0061Tonight I would like to take a break from European Royalty to write about the The Royal Family of The United States- The Kennedy’s.

tedkennedy_196212Tonight, Ted Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. He was finally reunited with the two brothers that inspired him and created the vision that he helped carried out as a Senator for 46 years. Personal demons and public tragedies aside, The Kennedy’s have been the most important family in the United States. They have been committed to public service and fought against injustice wherever they saw it. They worked tirelessly in support of helping others. John, Robert, Eunice and Ted were single-handedly responsible for helping immigrants, minorities, the poor and handicapped Americans. I have always loved Robert Kennedy the most but Ted was able to live longer and carry out “The Kennedy Vision”. I can’t imagine the pain that he must have endured in his life. First, when he was a child and his oldest brother and idol, Joe, died and then shortly after, his sister Kathleen died in a plane crash. Then he grew up to lose his two older brothers. They inspired him, they were his best friends and they were taken away too soon.

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When they died, Ted was never the same but he went on to take care of the Kennedy family. He also helped take care of their children, he never missed a family party, a holiday, he was even the man that walked his nieces down the aisle. Shortly after Ted walked Caroline Kennedy down the aisle and gave her away at the altar, he received a note from Jacqueline Kennedy that read,

 ”On you the carefree youngest brother fell a burden a hero would have begged to be spared.  We are all going to make it because you were always there with your love.” Since, he passed away from brain cancer a few days ago, I have gone back and reflected on all of the things that he and his family has done.

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As United States Senators, The Kennedy brother’s served on the Labor and Human Resources and Judicial Committees. As a result of their efforts, legislation has passed into law that created equal pay for women, increases in the minimum wage, time and a half for overtime work, meals on wheels, parental leave, Head Start, child health insurance, health insurance portability, education funding, teacher training, childhood immunization, Indian education, occupational safety, civil rights for the disabled, consumer protection, the war on cancer, nurses training, legal services, support for people with mental retardation, the Age Discrimination Act, Literacy Corps, fair housing, Satellite Education, and job training programs to name just a few.

As President, John F. Kennedy was the first to call the challenge of civil rights “a moral issue” for the United States of America. Robert and Ted Kennedy lead the way on civil rights legislation from the elimination of the poll tax, and protection of voting rights to the integration of schools and right to public accommodations. Eighteen year-olds gained the right to vote under the sponsorship of Senator Ted Kennedy, and women got an equal right to athletic program funding because of his efforts on behalf of Title IX legislation. To preserve our environment and keep our citizens safer, the Kennedy brothers were on the forefront of the drive to insure clean air and water, and obtain gun control legislation.

Reaching out to the rest of the world President Kennedy created the Peace Corps, which embodied his ethic of public service. Because he looked to the future, he challenged us to go to the moon. And in marshalling all of our resources and talent to accomplish that historic goal, great discoveries were made that benefit our daily life here on earth. Robert Kennedy fought to end the Vietnam War and in South Africa, to end apartheid. Picking up their fallen dreams after they died, it was Ted Kennedy who carried on those efforts and became a champion of human rights around the globe.

The sisters of John, Robert and Ted Kennedy have made significant contributions in the area of public service as well. Eunice Kennedy Shriver started the Special Olympics in her backyard and guided it into becoming a worldwide effort and International Organization that has greatly enhanced the lives of people with mental retardation. President Reagan presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her outstanding work.  Eunice just passed away two weeks ago at age 88. Ted was too sick to go to her funeral.

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The members of the Kennedy family have always believed in public service, and that there are many ways one can serve one’s country and community without being in elective office. John, Robert and Ted Kennedy have followed the credo that “One person can make a difference and every one should try.” I am going to end this post with a quote that Bobby Kennedy recited at his brother, John’s funeral. Jacqueline Kennedy gave this to him to read from Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet:

and when [he] shall die

Take him and cut him out in little stars

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

And pay no worship to the garish sun.

 


Posted by Vivianna Barrera-Blanch in 11:46:29 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Sunday, August 16, 2009

16th Century Cougar- Diane de Poitiers

Diane de Poitiers (September 3, 1499- April 25, 1566) was a fixture at the French court and became notorious as the mistress of King Henri II. At the age of 15, she married a man 39 years older, Louis de Brézé, seigneur d’Anet and had two daughters with him. Louis de Brézé died in 1531  and Diane took up black as her main color of dress for the rest of her life, adding later some white and grey. Diane was a very unusual woman in her day. She was brilliant, gorgeous and an incredible athlete. Her shrewd knowledge in financial matters and legal issues became apparent after her huband’s death as she fought to retain her late husband’s title of “sénéchale de Normandie” which she accomplished.

She stayed at court after becoming a widow at 35 and was appointed to head the royal nursery. It is here that young eight year old Henri (son of King Francois I) grew attached to Diane. As the years progressed Henri fell madly in love Diane, nearly 20 years older than him  and his admiration would grow into one of the most powerful love affairs in history.

Although King Henri II fulfilled his duty by marrying the noble foreigner Catherine de’ Medici, Diane de Poitiers would remain his lifelong true love. They had one daughter born in 1538 Diane, Duchess d’Angoulême (1538-1619).

Diane was a beautiful woman who maintained her looks well into her fifties, Diane possessed an extreme intellect and a political astuteness to the point that the King trusted her to write many of his official letters and to even sign them jointly with the one name: HenriDiane. She was in fact, the “brains behind the throne”. Diane even arranged the marriage between his son Francis and Mary Queen of Scots. Henri gave Diane the Crown Jewels of France, had the Chateau d’Anet built for her, and gave her the Chateau at Chenonceaux, much to the horror of Catherine who had desperately wanted it for herself. Naturally, this did not sit well with the real Queen, who really loved her husband. 

In 1559, Henri was critically wounded in a jousting tournament.

Catherine de’ Medici took control, restricting access to him. Although the king called out repeatedly for Diane, she was never summoned, and when he died, they never had a chance to say goodbye. Catherine also banned her from the funeral. Soon after that, Catherine de’ Medici took all of the gifts and jewels that Henri gave Diane and banished her from Chenonceaux. She lived the rest of her life away from court and died on April 22, 1566, when she was 67 years old.

Posted by Vivianna Barrera-Blanch in 15:02:35 | Permalink | Comments (1) »