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The United States Coast Guard today officially changed their search and rescue operation to a search and recovery operation. Sadly, Kennedy, Carolyn ( his wife ) and Lauren ( his wife's sister ) Bessette, all passengers in the JFK Jr. piloted single engined private aircraft, are now presumed dead after forty-eight hours, they would have been in the sixty-eight degree water.
Dating myself once again, one of my early memories of television is seeing John salute his dead father/President in black and white. It pains me, and I would offer my condolences to all the Kennedy and Bessette family members. This whole thing the media is doing, brings back my old memories of the assassination.
I think it is a bit ghoulish of the networks to give so much time to worthless updates from hastily put together nonsequitor talking heads and experts, as they try to milk every ratings point they can off of a dead Kennedy! I say, put a sock in it guys, and find another earth shattering story to report, not tabloid/scandal sheet material.
Call it the " Kennedy Curse " if you want, but these Kennedy men like to live on the edge and take chances. John may truely have brought this one onto himself; for sure, more than his father or uncle did on to themselves, at least.
Kennedy had been a pilot since early 1998 and he bought the aircraft just a few months ago, this year. He had the most basic of licenses, including only certification for flight under VFR ( visual flight rules ). He was not instrument rated or night rated, though this ' night ' rating is not one officially recognized in the United States. Believe it or not, but his aircraft was not equipped with either a lift raft or even life jackets?
Okay, so call me insensitive, but I think these questions need to be answered. Why was he flying an aircraft with a leg injury? Why was he flying at night, over water with haze and possible fog, with only a simple VFR license? Why was he flying over water without life jackets or a life raft on board the plane? Why didn't he fly the popular route that followed the coast line and crossed the water only briefly on the final approach, instead of going straight over the water the entire way? The answer is a simple one; the Kennedy family men like to take chances and they think they are leading charmed lives, right up until the times of their deaths. This time, the two Bessette sisters paid for it with their lives as well.
As I feel some remorse for JFK Jr., my mind seems to drift toward the injustice that the two Bessette sisters had to be on that fateful flight. Rest in peace.
- Bongo ( Get over it? )
