The article uses too many pronouns to identify if the claim is that the Alito's or the Bomgardner's knew the Kopechne's.
You don't know either, that's why your responses are so vague as above.
Posted on 01/26/2006 10:22:20 PM PST by Congressman Billybob
On 12 January, 2006, the New York Times ran an article entitled “Thrust into the Limelight, and for Some A Symbol of Washington’s Bite.” It was a mini-biography of Mrs. Martha-Ann Alito, and it purported to explain the reasons for Mrs. Alito’s tears during her husband Samuel’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. It blamed them on a follow-up question by Senator Lindsay Graham, rather than on the verbal savaging of Judge Alito by the Democrats on the Committee, led by Senator Ted Kennedy.
The Times should have gotten the story right, because one of the three reporters on the story was in their New Jersey Bureau, and based in Caldwell. But they didn’t. Here are the operative paragraphs from that article on the cause of her tears:
She has sat behind him [her husband] all week, a pleasant-looking woman in sensible clothes, peering through rimless glasses as Democrats grilled Judge Alito about his investments and his affiliation with a conservative Princeton alumni group and Republicans tried to provide him some relief.
On Wednesday, one of those Republicans, Mr. Graham, tried to mock the Democrats with a question about the alumni group, which opposed affirmative action.
"Are you really a closet bigot?" Mr. Graham asked, at which point Mrs. Alito drew her hands to her face and left the hearing room weeping.
Source: http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F20C14FD3C5B0C708DDDA80894DE404482
As the article explained, Mrs. Alito is “fiercely protective” of her husband. And she was upset by the attacks on him as if he were dishonest, or a bigot, or a poor judge. But there was an additional reason, much older and much darker than what happened at that hearing. It concerns the fact that Senator Kennedy led the attack against Judge Alito.
Mrs, Alito was born Martha-Ann Bomgardner in Ft. Knox, Kentucky. The family moved with her father’s profession as an air traffic controller to New Jersey, where she attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Kentucky, she returned to New Jersey and became a librarian in the US Attorney’s office, where she met her husband.
Through her husband’s family, she learned of their personal friendship with another young woman who was also an only child. This other woman and her family were staunch Catholics. On occasion, they attended the same church in Roseland, New Jersey, as the Alitos, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, one of only two churches in that town of 5,298. The Alitos live in Caldwell, population 7,584, where this other woman graduated from Caldwell College, probably as a commuter student from her home, rather than a resident student.
From the personal memories of this woman that Mrs. Alito got from her husband’s family, and from her own understanding of what it means to be an only child, Mrs. Alito knew of the worst thing that any human being could do to another. She also heard of its impact on the family.
That other woman’s name was Mary Jo Kopeckne. She was killed by Senator Ted Kennedy, in an auto accident on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, on 18 July, 1969. That was the other reason for Mrs. Alito’s tears.
[Author’s notes: The author did not bother any of the three families referred to here in writing this. All the information was gathered from reputable Internet sources. If the Times puts a competent reporter on the story, it can find the same information. It should also then apologize for its original article, in which the three reporters presented their personal assumptions as facts on the cause of Mrs. Alito’s upset at the hearing.]
John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
Is this the story? No, it was that she knew what kind of man Kennedy is.
Huh?? I'd be spending 24/7 on the Weekly World News!!! I don't care what y'all think. Mark my words. This is a load of BS!! And I think it's an insult to Mrs. Alito!!
Teddy is a horrible person...but I think anyone who would exploit Mrs. Alito for political/personal gain is EQUALLY dispicable!!
The article uses too many pronouns to identify if the claim is that the Alito's or the Bomgardner's knew the Kopechne's.
You don't know either, that's why your responses are so vague as above.
2. "But I am not about to list my sources."
Sorry, doesn't pass the smell test.
Small town. Two churches. One Protestant, One Catholic. Rural. Probably centralized school district. Near major AF base. I would be the Alito and Kopechne families knew each other. If they attended church fairly regularly, for fish frys on fridays, picnics, and for services, sunday school etc.
You obviously were never taken to church whether you liked it or not.
This is pre DVD, pre video game, pre video tape, Black and WHite TV days.
Besides the volunteer Fire Department and the village tavern/VFW there probably was not much else to do in town.
Did you see #55?? THAT is the truth behind her tears!! This is just a self-promoting jerk exploiting Mrs. Alito!!
**That other woman’s name was Mary Jo Kopeckne. She was killed by Senator Ted Kennedy, in an auto accident on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, on 18 July, 1969. That was the other reason for Mrs. Alito’s tears.**
It sounds like the article is claiming that Mrs. Alito was crying for Mary Jo, doesn't it?
I am a product of Spring Valley, IL and Hamtramck, MI.
Look it up.
There's been at least a couple of other Kennedys killed - - Bobby's son David OD'd in the '80s and another Kennedy boy was killed when he hit a tree while playing football on a ski slope.
bttt
Thanks for posting.
I've posted to you that the Alitos, a family to which the former Miss Bomgardner is related by law, knew Mary Jo Kopechne. See post 28.
The question is not whether or not the Alitos knew the Kopechnes. The issue here is whether Mrs. Alito was crying for Mary Jo, which is what it sounds like the article is claiming.
Apparently, some Freepers are "reading challenged".
There are problems either with your use of pronouns or with your claim that Mrs. Alito personally knew the "other woman" known as Mary Jo Kopechne.
If it is merely a pronoun issue, then the problem is simply that only **you** as the writer correctly knows that it is the Alito family, not Mrs. Alito herself, who knew Mary Jo.
Thank you so much for hanging in there, ilovew...you keep bringing forth the truth and no one here wants to acknowledge it.
This is where our side gets in trouble...making stupid claims that the media pick up on. This is one of the dumbest pieces I've ever read!
I've noticed that too, but Southack isn't generally among them. Color me surprised.
No problem. I don't think hating Kennedy should be any excuse for making silly claims.
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