dead Rosemary Kennedy

[Typhoid Harry 23]

As an American Irish Catholic, I am, and have been as long as I've known the details. ashamed of the esteem and priviledge that the Kennedy family enjoys. Their wealth is the result of criminal activities and their political successes the same. Elitist assholes, the lot. /rant off

[Guest Anon]

Yes, Joe K Sr felt a lot of guilt about the lobotomy. Rose was crushed when she was told after the fact, and openly talked of it as the first tragedy that befell their many children thereafter. This tragedy set the pattern for how the family dealt with the those to come. The reason the Kennedy saga captivates is as old as Greek tragedy, write lowbrow: hubris, its achievements and failures.

[Guest ElizabethRose]

Rosemary,

 

May you rest in Peace now in the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. How said that your family insitutionalized you for all those years. May God forgive them. I have a sister who has special needs, she has down syndrome. She is 49 years old and still living at home with my 90 year old Mother. We have never thought about institutionalizing her and never will. She went to a Catholica School for Retared Girls that was run by Nuns, and then she went into the work shop. She has been a productive person in today's society and she is so happy that she has many brothers and sisters that adore her. She has never been a burden, she has been the blessing in our lives because she is right up there next to God. There is nothing that she can do wrong, and I just wish the rest of the world could be as happy and loving as this child. We thank God everyday for her.

[Guest anon]

God bless her.

[Guest Major Mike]

Rest in peace......I read how you kept a diary and mentioned tea parties.....and you snuck out after hours..........sounds pretty normal to me.

 

Mike

[Guest George M]

May Rosemary Kennedy Rest in Peace.

Being a caregiver for most of my adult life to my aunt and to my younger brother who both have special needs...Two of the hardest days of my life were when I had to send them into private homes because they were threats to themselves. Mental illness is a horrible disease, and 60 plus years ago it was even worse to live with, watch, nurture, be a caregiver in an era when we did not know enough nor did we have the medications that we do today. I am not here to judge Joe Kennedy, or any of the Kennedy's. One has to do the best that one can in life with Honor and dignity and pray for the best. What the Kennedy's did do was to inform the world and bring to light the special needs of a special segment of the population. The Kennedy's did that with Rosemary and the Special Olympics which I had attended several years ago with my brother. I implore all private citizens and our government to speak out for the rights of these special, loving people and support and fund programs to help and assist them. I shed a tear for Rosemary Kennedy, and all the Kennedy's at the passing of the BEST Kennedy of them all!

[Guest Arnold C. Ravenbroth]

What a shame her dad turned on her, with all that money they could have kept her at home and cared for her..everybody has to answer to God one day, even this rich family, most are/were perverted in some weird way!

[Guest Death List Watcher]

Has anyone yet noted that Rosemary, an 86-year-old woman suffering from mental retardation, was the first child of Joe and Rose Kennedy to naturally die? Not only does that speak many words regarding the family's feistiness, it also brings to mind the tragedies and untimely deaths suffered by this family.

[Guest Jocelyn C. Gallant]

Rosemary Kennedy who is 86 and has been Instutionilized since 1941 \ shes also had a failed lobodomy. Should she be a possible cannidate for 2005?

 

[i have merged your post with a previous thread about Rosemary, posted by like-minded people! - DWB]

People with disabilities should compet in regular spots like other afflices without disabilities. Special Olmpiecs should not be a life segreated sports in segreations settings it is time for the world to reccernized inclusions of perosns with disabilities in their own communities being more productive at Special Olmpice games was good at the time but times have changed over the years. We need to do more for persons with disabilities to promit more inclusions of citizens with disabilities not keeping them segreated. We need to promit employment opporturnities for persons with disabilities instead of icelated them from socieity. Massachusetts still has it's institutions for the persons with developmental disabilities when Massachusetts should support community-baces services for it's citizens with developmental disabilities into the communities it should closed down their institutions it's too, costly for Massachusetts taxpayers to keep them in an insitutions it cost Cities-and-Towns in Massachusetts. It's cheaper to have it's citizens with disabilities living and working in their own communities in the State of Massachusetts. Rosemary Kennedy did not have the opporturnities to live in work in the community since she was admitted to a State Insitutions at age 23 as young woman in 1941 64 years ago today. Jocelyn C. Gallant, Salem, New Hampshire

[Guest RM]

In 1941, I believe Old Joe Kennedy was told by Doctors that a lobotomy would benefit his daughter. Before the procedure, Rosemary Kennedy had the mentality of a 10 year old, but could function. But Kennedy was afraid that his Daughter would do something that would cause the family great embarrassment( getting pregnant, for example). After the failed procedure, she was a virtual vegetable, and spent the remainder of her days in isolation. Perhaps Joseph Kennedy did not care about the consequences before he consented to have those butchers lobotomize his daughter. I personally feel that Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. was a detestable and odious human being, and I believe that he never saw his daughter again after he had her committed. What a sorry excuse for a Father, not to mention a Man. That is, if you can really consider someone like the late Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., a man!

[Guest Guest]

Watched an episode on the History Channel a few weeks ago on the Kennedys.

You would be surprised at some things you may not know about them and their father.

 

Rosemary was obviously slow but when I hear the term retarded I think of people with downs sydrome. When you look at videos of her it does not look like she was as bad off as people who have downs syndrome.

 

He definitely favored his sons over his daughters and it was no secret that he had numerous affairs and I doubt he had any real respect for women.

 

What he did to Rosemary was totally wrong and he probably just wanted her out of the family spotlight since he only cared about the political aspirations of his sons.

 

I guess she was just another victim (lobotomy) of the Kennedy family curse or who knows maybe she is the reason the curse began.

[Guest Gilzee]

I've heard it a million times with the rich and well to do....."What will others think?" Because Kennedy Sr. feared for his family's reputation, he had his daughter lobotomized. This comparison trait is very typical of many well to do. Who suffers from this egotistical form of thinking is usually the children, who then unknowlingly pass it on to future generations. Sounds to me that Kennedy Sr. selfishly lived his own life through manipulating his own children.

[Guest Trina]

So Joe was afraid Rosemary would cause the family embarrassment. I guess he never considered some of his own actions and those of his children and some of his grandchildren may cause some embarrassment. Shame on him! Rest in peace, Rosemary!

[Guest Jefferson, Wisconsin resident]

Rosemary was well taken care of at St Coletta. She was very much loved

[honez 79]

most are/were perverted in some weird way!

... as opposed to being perverted in the normal way?

[Guest Guest]

By the way, Rosemary was not a "virtual vegetable" after the lobotomy -- that is urban myth; in fact, ABC News ran a lovely photo of her in middle age outdoors with what appeared to be family. She travelled, and attended family functions. She was sheltered at St. Coletta's to keep her far away from the paparazzi that plagued the homes of all her siblings (apparently,they did not release photos of her in her later life so that she would remain harder to identify among family and retainers and what not). Eunice was her particular champion in the family, which should be no surprise.

[weatherman90 7]

.....and that concludes the "GUEST" portion of this post.......

[Guest unregistered]

If the family fo Rosemary Kennedy were as ashamed and embarassed about her disability as some people are accusing them of, the I have a question? Why did her father allow Eunice Kennedy Shriver (Rosemary's sister) to start Special Olympics? Mrs. Shriver did this because of her sister and her disability and proudly tells anyone who will listen about her sister. Special Olympics is a wonderful organization and has been around for many years. It allows people of all ages and degrees of disability to compete in many sporting events. Unless you have ever witnessed for yourself the pride that a Special Olympic Athelete has, you should be careful not to criticized. Unless you have walked in the shoes of these special people and the families that love them, you should not judge.

[weatherman90 7]

.........or not........

[stupidtrucks 0]

deleted for privacy reasons, sorry

[weatherman90 7]

Hmmm

[Josco 49]

Hmmm

 

Weatherman90, does this mean you know what is going on here? I think I've lost the plot

 

(yes, yes...... people who know me will say 'what's new?')

[Guest Terry]

OK you people where have you been. Rosemary Kennedy was very well taken care of by the rest of her family and adored by them even before her father died. (No I didn't like him either), Have you people not heard of SPECIAL OLYMPICS???

It was her brother, President Kennedy, who started it. Why because he saw how much she had to offer and others like her.

 

And before you condemn the Kennedy's-do a little research. What was done to Rosemary was the recommended therapy of the day.

[Guest A friend]

I have extensive experience working with special needs people. I know several diagnosed as "mildly mentally retarded" who are extremely unhappy with their lives because their abilities are just enough to enable them to live fairly independently while their disabilities lead them to make dangerous choices that compromise that independence. Several have suicidal thoughts, or have made some attempt, because they can see how their disabilities limit. It is a very difficult situation for the individual and the families.

 

A friend has a daughter with disabilities similar to what have been described in Rosemary's younger days. Her family is desperate to try anything that will help her. A lifetime of special education, medications, therapists, and supportive family and friends has not helped as she sees others excel in areas she struggles.

 

Not that he was a nice person by any means, but isn't it possible that Joe Kennedy was not so much concerned with what other people thought as he was for the possible unhappiness of his daughter? Perhaps Rosemary saw what the others in the family were moving on to while realizing her own disabilities? If a qualified doctor assured our friends that a surgery could possibly alleviate their daughter's depressions and self-destructive actions, they say they would almost have to try. I find it highly unlikely that Joe Kennedy asked for this surgery thinking that his daughter would be permanently disabled to a greater degree, but more likely he had hoped it would help her.

 

As it turned out, Rosemary went on to enjoy a comfortable and active life of her own away from her family, as most children do when they get past their early 20s. As someone else mentioned, perhaps her purpose or contribution in life was to inspire the Special Olympics and Best Buddies. Guess we have to trust that God sometimes works in mysterious ways!

[Guest sana]

mildly retarted, makes ya wonder what politicians are capable of when they place their posistions and power above the needs of their own child. She was taking an interest in boys, and the daddy had her brain fried.. I wonder if he wasn't ultimately responsable for all the tragic circumstances that surround that family to this very day.. You can't take what god has freely given and put a mark of dissapproval on it and put in motion the very demise of that childs mind forever without paying it for it. What goes around, comes around..