This morning I watched British Prime Minister Gordon Brown address Congress where his remarks also included the news that Queen Elizabeth was bestowing honorary knighthood on Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. I am sure that this news about the old liberal “Lion” was met with no small amount of right-wing consternation as those of the conservative ilk view Ted Kennedy with almost as much disdain as the Clintons and Barack Obama. Not that any of this matters.
Some cable news analyst watching Brown speak of the closeness and the enormous debt of gratitude owed the U.S. by the U.K noted that the gesture towards Kennedy sort of brought the storied family to a full circle. The analyst — perhaps it was historian Douglas Brinkley — noted Robert Kennedy’s remark once that the only reason his family was in America is that they were run out of Ireland. He also mentioned patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr.’s controversial tenure as ambassador to the Court of St. James where the old bootlegger supported the British P.M. Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasing the Nazis.
I don’t begrudge any honors to Ted Kennedy because — despite all the things he has done both good and bad — he has done a tremendous amount of work for his country. I suppose though, that I am little awed by the act of honorary knighthood by the Queen of England. If some significance exists in a historical context by such actions between those of our country and the British crown then I could see the point of importance of this all being made on grounds that the foundation of our American nation came from the British Isles. However, even though I am of Scotch, Irish and British stock myself, I don’t particularly acknowledge Britain as being my mother country necessarily.
I was born, raised and have spent most of my years in Texas with the exception of the time I served the U.S. in the military. Texas, of course, has had six flags fly over it by countries with sovereignty of one way or another. Those flags, for the non-Texans, are Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America and the United States. I am sure knowing that pains some of the more conservative folks in my state who disdain all things French and Mexican (perhaps excepting the food style of the latter people.)
Nonetheless, it would neither be correct nor preferable for me to claim any of those nations as the mother country with the exception of the United States because I was, quoting that famous New Jersey fellow Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A.” If I had to pick one of those countries which flew their flag over my home state, however, my preference would be the Republic of Texas because of its history.
So congratulations to Sir Teddy. It is kind of ironic that with all the talk of his brother’s short presidency and “Camelot” that Ted Kennedy would be the Kennedy who is knighted, at least honorarily. Perhaps someone down here in Texas will drink a toast in Sir Ted’s honor of cold Lone Stars (or perhaps a Corona cerveza por favor?)