If you haven't heard, Ted Kennedy died today. When I heard the news I remembered my own personal experience and memory of Ted. My wife and I were in Martha's Vineyard on our honeymoon when we decided to take a bike ride to the island of Chappaquiddick. We caught the ferry from Edgartown and began to tour the small island going from beach to beach. We turned down Dyke's road and peddaled down to Dyke's Bridge. Niether of us knew we were on the infamous bridge where Ted had run his car into the water. When a local pointed this fact out to us, I looked at the area with a new eye. I stood in the middle of the bridge and looked into the water below. It was crystal clear, about six feet deep, and sandy on the bottom. I thought that if the car had fallen into the water on its side it would have protruded about the surface. I imagined Ted's story of diving down to save Mary Jo until he was so exhausted that he couldn't dive any more. Then he ran 2 miles back to the ferry landing, swam about a quarter mile accross the bay at a time that I believe the tide would be going out and the current would be very demanding, and then headed to his lawyer's house to tell his tale. Let me make this clear, the water under Dyke's Bridge is about the same as a six foot deep swimming pool. If Ted stood in the water, the top of his head would have been above the surface. I don't think he would need to dive at all. The water is also as clear and warm as a swimming pool. No weeds, no rocky bottom, nothing to diminish visibility. To me it seemed obvious that he was lying. I asked a local about the story. She told me that everyone knew it was a lie, but that the Kennedy family had done so much for the state, they felt they owed it to him to keep electing him. 

If anyone out there still believes that Ted was telling the truth, please visit Dyke's Bridge. Watch the 400 horsepower ferry struggle against the current in the bay, ride your bike all the way to the bridge, look down into the water about 4 feet below the surface of the bridge, check out the beautiful sandy bottom through the warm, clear water. Now picture yourself giving up trying to rescue a human being trapped in a car  a few feet from your grasp. Being there will clear up any doubts. RIP, murderer.