hroes. And then again in Los Angeles as a second brother fell, Robert Kennedy, killed by an Islamic extremist. It was passed down as tribal wisdom to many children. It was the Holy Grail for the swelling ranks of the Kennedys themselves. Another accident claimed one of the remaining Kennedys in July 1999, when John Kennedy Jr. accompanied by his wife and sister in law died in a plane accident on their way to Marthas Vineyard. He was more than just a president's son. He grew up being referred to as John John and seemed to be the Kennedy's answer to a family history that's filled with tragedy, pain and scandal. His disappearance in the prime of his life like the deaths of his father, two uncles, an aunt and two cousins before him only added to the perception that his larger-than-life family has been plagued with tragedy and pain.Incredibly, the auto accident involving Senator Ted Kennedy is presented even now by the media as a tragedy not because his aide died, but because the entire incident (the senator was found guilty of leaving the scene of the accident) made unlikely any future presidential campaign. Similarly, the skiing accident involving the nephew of JFK was the result of poor judgment; he was participating in a rough game without protective gear even after being specifically warned of the danger. The common thread that runs through these incidents is not something as mysterious or ominous as a curse, but the tendency by many Kennedys to take risks and ignore reasonable concerns for safety. The Kennedy family over several generations has come to occupy a position of social and political privilege. Apparently, leading a life of wealth and celebrity has instilled in them a sense of invincibility and a feeling that normal rules of conduct do not apply. There was just plain dysfunction in the families of Old Joe's grandchildren, which had so often been pictured as a healthy, endearing gene pool of American strength and enthusiasm-...
