House of Eratosthenes

Last night & early this morning I had been tangling with several search engines, and perhaps my own ignorance in figuring out what to ask them, running down this quote from Senator Ted Kennedy that has been frequently cited by Neal Boortz and then run around the Internet by several other sources.

My curiosity was piqued after reading this item in yesterday’s “Nealz Nuze“:

A significant part of the Democrat agenda is the war on individuality. This was is no fig newton of my imagination. Master Democrat Ted Kennedy has made reference to this war in just those terms. Following a New England Patriots Super Bowl win several years ago Kennedy stumbled up to the microphone to share in the celebration, there to praise the teamwork of the Patriots, so welcome at a time that we are engaged in a “war against individuality.” So … his words, not mine.

First rule of Internet surfing: Before you get pissed off, find the source.

A little bit of searching revealed this was read into the Congressional Record of the 107th Congress. Wow that should be easy, right? Well to make a long story short, no not really. For one thing, there is no such thing as “Monday, February 7, 2002,” the date commonly cited for this quote, since that date fell on a Thursday. The Congressional Record can be flipped through one page at a time….not sure what the rationale is behind that, what with it being my record and everything. I really don’t want to go into further detail about such difficulties, but suffice it to say the sleuthing can be saved for another day, as the entire statement is posted prominently on Senator Kennedy’s web site. Here is your link.

Since September 11th, the courageous acts of countless Americans have set a new standard for the nation. Indeed, a new American spirit has been forged. That sprit is characterized by sacrifice, humility, and a refusal to quit in the face of adversity. At a time when our entire country is banding together and facing down individualism, the Patriots set a wonderful example, showing us all what is possible when we work together, believe in each other, and sacrifice for the greater good.

That example came from the top, and it came from the start of the season. Choosing to be introduced before the game as a team, not as individuals, the Patriots set the tone for their victory. Coach Bill Belichick stressed teamwork, saying that only by working together could the Patriots overcome their opponent, the best team in the NFL's regular season, the St. Louis Rams.

What does this mean? Granting the Senator the benefit of every doubt, he is extending his congratulations to the New England Patriots for accomplishing something as a team that might not have been achieved by any one individual. Is Boortz then taking something out of context and putting words in the Senator’s mouth?

I’ll leave it to the reader to decide. Certainly there is nothing about a “war against the individual” but there is that disturbing passage about “facing down individualism.” Back to the original question…what does it mean. I just can’t play Kennedy’s Advocate and make this pretty. The best spin you could possibly put on it is that Kennedy got his words mixed up, and meant to say “terrorism.” Does he really think individualism is something we all want to face down?

Individualism invented baseball, and invididualism discovered the principles of gravity upon which the game relies. Teamwork — now that I come to think of it — crashed planes into buildings on September 11, 2001 and killed nearly 3,000 people.

"...sacrifice, humility, and a refusal to quit in the face of adversity."

Screw you Senator Kennedy. Humility may have taught me a thing or two or three, but I never did achieve an awful lot with that. When the time came to actually get work done, throughout the life I can recall I got work done by shutting the humility off and telling myself “I can do this.” This is mutually exclusive from the refusal to quit in the face of adversity.

At the very least, Senator Kennedy is guilty of willfully preaching ignorance toward the contribution of the individual. He’s saying a spirit of “I can do this” will not get the job done, and a spirit of “we can do this” is the only thing upon which we should rely.

Honestly, I do not know what country he is talking about that is banding together and facing down individualism. He seems to be implying everybody who lives there is in agreement on it. I’m not living in any country like that. I live in a country that worships at the altar of freedom and opposes tyranny. Freedom will win this war, and everything else we set out to do: freedom to work on a team, to lead a team, to engage in efforts as individuals. Anybody who thinks individualism is all that matters, can build their own computer to argue the point — anybody who thinks teamwork is all that matters, can promote that viewpoint without lights or electricity, which are inventions contributed by individuals.

I didn’t know that He Said It was a such popular topic. I was just looking for who invented the microphone and happened to see your blog post.
I’m glad I found it, and will surely come back some day. Wait, I better add you to my RSS reader. OK.. I will return soon.
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- Me | 11/23/2005 @ 23:04
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- Me | 11/26/2005 @ 03:38
[…] and labor unions: Are people self-sufficient and capable…and should they be?. You have to do some digging to find out what people are really trying to advance here (and you’ll notice, since 2005, the link behind […]
- House of Eratosthenes | 07/21/2013 @ 13:20
[…] and labor unions: Are people self-sufficient and capable…and should they be?. You have to do some digging to find out what people are really trying to advance here (and you’ll notice, since 2005, the link behind […]
- Memo For File CLXXXII | Rotten Chestnuts | 07/21/2013 @ 14:27

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