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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > People and Politics > Bobby Kennedy should be ashamed of himself over his dead wife -- Successful effort to keep her remains from her family was disgusting - VIDEO

People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Bobby Kennedy should be ashamed of himself over his dead wife -- Successful effort to keep her remains from her family was disgusting - VIDEO

Posted on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 08:17 AM

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Robert F Kennedy Jr

Bobby Kennedy should be ashamed of his behavior over his dead wife Mary who hung herself.

His wife’s remains belonged to her family not to the person who deserted her.

Bobby Kennedy had the chutzpah to eulogise his late wife Mary Kennedy who killed herself, at least partly over him, at her funeral mass yesterday.

It had to be one of the greatest acts of hypocrisy by a separated spouse in many years.

The world knows the truth of the relationship, a tortured tangled one that led her eventually to take her own life by hanging herself.

Her family was understandably outraged when Bobby proposed he hold the wake and funeral service and bury her where he wanted to at the Kennedy family plot.

Her family rightfully wanted to claim back a beloved sister and daughter and bury her with their people.

Bobby did not agree and a judge agreed with him, mainly because the divorce was not final and he is next of kin.

To call it selfish and callous is to use very mild adjectives to describe this sort of behavior.

We have become used to the Kennedy sense of entitlement but this really took the biscuit.

The estranged husband who contributed to his wife’s suicide tells the congregation how wonderful she was.

Just a few days ago they were at daggers drawn and friends say she was increasingly depressed about it.

I’m sorry but the lack of sincerity and sheer effrontery of Bobby’s behavior is hard to take.

At least one Kennedy family member deserves praise however.

Kerry Kennedy, who was close to the dead woman, spoke some beautiful words.

“She was brilliant and she was beautiful and she cared so very, very deeply about everybody around her,” said Kerry Kennedy. “She had friends in every corner of the globe. Really deep, rich friendships.”

“I just think that she was really an angel who was brought to us, to live with us here on earth,” Kennedy said. “And I think God just brought her back up to heaven and said, ‘You don’t have to fight for me anymore.’”

That is sincere love, not some public relations effort to cover up bad behavior and very likely significant guilt.

Bobby Kennedy Jr, bearer of a famous name, one known for standing up for what is right, should be ashamed.

Here's the AP report on Mary Kennedy's family's ceremony:

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94 comments

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alimah | May 21, 2012, 08:12 PM EDT

To Patrick Counihan... Re: RFK Jr. What bad behavior? What significant guilt? How do you know why she committed suicide, or that he contibuted to her death? Did she leave you a note? You offer no specifics, therefore your article cannot be considered Journalism... just a judgmental rant! Those who knew mary well knew that she suffered from depression and alcoholism, which can be a deadly combination, and may have also contributed to the end of her marriage. It certainly could have prevented her from obtaining custody of her children.

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chicksooze | May 21, 2012, 04:39 PM EDT

Once again mamaginnty, the voice of reason. Nobody has the right to criticize RFK Jr, unless you have walked in his shoes. With respect to Mary, if she wasn't in a position to take care of her kids, (and it appears that she wasn't) he did the right thing in taking them. Who else would they be with? The vile spewing of hatred and judging on here is pathetic.

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jetsnoone | May 21, 2012, 01:03 PM EDT

Mary Schiavo was killed by her husband and the state.

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faberm1 | May 21, 2012, 12:12 PM EDT

Kennedys = phonies = disgusting

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mamaginnty | May 21, 2012, 12:00 PM EDT

Again any excuse and the jealousy and hatred seeps out. No one knows what goes on in a family home, it was only right that he got custody of the children, the poor woman had been alcoholic for years. Well before any marriage break-up.

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OldMariner | May 21, 2012, 11:45 AM EDT

As a long time lapsed Catholic, I have to ask whether the church still denies mass and graveside services to suicides. Has this also changed?

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Rwnevnstr | May 21, 2012, 09:29 AM EDT

After the Terri Schiavo fiasco, haven't we figured out that a marriage certificate is actually a 'property deed' and the wife is not only not a human being with rights, but other family relationships do not matter to anyone, not even courts?

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warlocks | May 21, 2012, 01:18 AM EDT

The Kennedys antics make me sick They all think they are Gods but the truth of the matter the Males in that family are really Rats ! and none can be trusted. they really had the whole World fooled with their BS! Everything Evil thing the boys did was covered up.From Murder to Hot Sex Jacks lovers in the white house ! none of the Kennedys were what they seemed to be !

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kilgara | May 21, 2012, 12:52 AM EDT

Through the 60's the Kennedys could do no wrong re the mass media. Somewhere along the way{Chappaquidick?}the media did a 180 and the Kennedys could do no right.Obviously the truth lies somewhere in between these two extremes , but media vultures like Roberts feed on this he' s all good or he's all bad fantasy. It sells newspapers and commercial time.Anyone who takes it seriously is just a media dupe.

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Eschetic | May 21, 2012, 12:16 AM EDT

Shame on everybody on the outside of this personal family tragedy for feeling they have a right to preach about it. We can never know the details of what the father and mother felt was best for their children or all the factors which led to the breakdown of a marriage and life which had started so hopefully. Only the rankest of hypocrites are in any position to criticize any of the parties here or say that the correct legal decision was in any way wrong. It's shameful that this scandal mongering, hate filled "article" was even posted on Irish Central - lowering it to rankest tabloid status. More than a few of those posting (starting with the sanctimonious Mr. Roberts himself) would do well to ask themselves what aspects of their own lives might make for scandal fodder if they were unfortunate enough to happen to have the last name Kennedy, or Bush, or Obama, or Reagan, or Roosevelt.

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KathyCallahan | May 20, 2012, 10:02 PM EDT

Mary Kennedy already lost so much not to mention her dignity as she was living on the edge of losing custody of her children in a bruising courtroom fight with RFK Jr. She was in collection with American Express if you can even believe it...and was on the verge of losing the home she imagined, created and built to live in with her family! By all accounts she was very generous in spirit, kind, Forgiving, caring, loving, welcoming, self effacing and enjoyed bringing people together. There is only so much loss and humiliation that she could take before falling apart. I am utterly appalled, nauseated and filled with grief as I read her fragile back story and how she is being talked about and caricatured in real time at the wake, funeral and burial. I'm do glad the Richardson's are a strong and loving clan who are taking up for her at a real family gathering in NYC on Monday night. Dear RFK Jr doomed and all alone Mary hung herself in her home and the gardener found her dead: Camelost Somehow I understand...

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dhaitzin | May 20, 2012, 09:11 PM EDT

Cant believe some of the comments here. This discussion is about the tragic death of a mother and wife. Not about left or right wing politics or about size of families or about being Irish. Its about a husband who abandoned his wife 4 years ago, took herchildren away and was planning to use his power and clout to make it permanent. Who flouted his new relationship in Hollywood took his children to an event with his mistress. Sent restraining orders ad infinitum, left his wife economically in fear. Then turns around and decides on her death that though he hasnt lived with her in 4 years, wouldnt let her see her children on Mothers day that he can decide she now stays a Kennedy and he decides where she will be buried. He is disgusting and it has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with being a decent human being.

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isupportrfkjr | May 20, 2012, 07:40 PM EDT

Horrah for a mon who has the courage to stand up to his critics at one of the most difficutl times of his life. I believe he did this for his children, to show them how to stand up in the face of adversity and let people know see how you truly feel.

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irishpjk | May 20, 2012, 07:13 PM EDT

Again with all the comments by people from the left and right, who only know what they get from the media, you should be ashamed of your self’s. You see it in print or on TV or you hear it on the radio and then you are an expert on what people did or did not do. Don’t you know left wing media will put a different spin on stuff than the right wing media and if you can’t read both and read between the lines you will end up hating one side or the other. That is how the media hooks us, now you either follow the media and they feed your hatred or you follow them hoping with more information you can decide who is right and who is wrong, either way they got you. To save our great country the PEOPLE have to look at what our leaders did, are doing or promising to do, then ask yourself will it help the USA or hurt. Remember this there is no one out there in Europe or anywhere else to bail us out so stop bickering about the little things that we cannot control. We can control our direction by getting a grip on where our leaders should be taking us then vote them in or out.

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pilib04 | May 20, 2012, 06:09 PM EDT

I think all of this Kennedy-Hating has to do with the size of their families. Bobby Jr had six children, 2 from the first marriage and 4 with Mary. What is it, jealousy. His dad, Bobby Kennedy, had 11 children. The youngest, Rory was born after he had been murdered.

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