''Say A Prayer For Our Country"

Robert Kennedy got the grim news as soon as his plane landed. It was in the early evening hours of April 4th, 1968, and the Senator's plane had just landed in Indianapolis. It was raining slightly, as a cool Spring air greeted Kennedy's party. But, the news they heard was hot, red-hot. It was news that would shake Bobby to his core. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot to death in Memphis....... Assassination was nothing new to RFK. He had lived with the prospect his whole adult life. The reason was because Bobby Kennedy was a controversial man. He had made plenty of enemies in his time in Washington. First, managing his brother Jack's successful run for the Senate from Massachusetts. Being campaign manager meant doing the dirty duty, telling ''No'' to big-time donors and businessmen who wanted to secretly control the campaign, and, by extension, the candidate himself. And, saying, ''Yes'' to those who can help the candidate get elected. Politics, as we know, is a brutally dirty game, with deals made with various devils who swim in the slime around the power brokers. A successful politician  must stay above the muck of dirty dealings. He or she must be clean, the spotless knight in shining armor. But, behind the scenes, the tricks of the trade are practiced and they are devious. This is where the campaign manager becomes the hit-man for all that is ugly. And, Robert Kennedy did what he had to. He was the ''bad guy''. He was successful doing it. John Kennedy got elected to the United States Senate in 1952, and, again, in 1958, in not small part because of Bobby........ He made enemies then, and he made even more enemies. After the 1952 election, Robert Kennedy sat on the Rackets Committee, which investigated organized crime. The prime focus in the committee was the Mafia. Going after the Mob was treacherous territory for Kennedy because his old man, Joe Kennedy, was a former big-time bootlegger and companion with those that walked on the other side of the law. Big Joe made his millions getting his hands and soul dirty. Bobby was the cleanser. But, Robert Kennedy also went after the rackets with a genuine feeling of wiping out corruption. Henceforth, his work on the committee became a crusade. The public knocking of heads between Bobby and Jimmy Hoffa became the stuff of legend. And, when Kennedy resigned his post as Chief Counsel, he had mastered the inner working of organized crime. But, he had a target on his back from the wars. He was equally loved and despised for his endeavors. It was a pattern that would follow him all of his professional life....... As Attorney General to his brother, Bobby became even more controversial. He delved into the hot topics of the day, including Civil Rights. RFK became a pariah in the segregated South, with the systematic breaking down of the Jim Crow laws. Bobby became the champion of the underdog, a strange position to take from a rich man's son. But, he succeeded and became the protector of those that had no voice. He identified with them. Maybe, it was because he was the person in his family that was forgotten when he was young. Robert Kennedy was the afterthought, someone who would never achieve the heights that his more glamorous siblings were climbing to. Bobby fought against his position as a young man, which led him into fighting for all of those who were oppressed. Make no mistake, he never completely shed his Kennedy position of influence. However----- and this is key----- he used that position to benefit those who were not as fortunate. With his positions----and bucking of established laws and bureaucracy---- Robert Kennedy became ''Ruthless Robert'', willing to do whatever was necessary to achieve his goals. He was, again, admired and feared for this passion....... Then, his brother, John, was killed in Dallas. Assassination was a topic discussed between the two brothers often. They both knew it was likely. And, they both agreed that if one of them was gonna get it, it would be Bobby. He had too many run-ins to ever think he would lose his enemies. The Mafia hated him, white segregationists hated him, old political hacks and big business had it out for him. but, this was the role he chose as his brother's protector and shield. John Kennedy was beloved. Robert Kennedy was feared. The irony was that, personally, JFK was the cool customer, able to detach himself from other human beings feelings and cares [which is one of the prime reasons he compulsively used women]. RFK identified strongly with those whom his brother dismissed. The Kennedy administration---- and their moves forward in Civil Rights, peace with the Soviets, aid to the aged----all came from the caring and persistent heart of Robert Francis Kennedy........ But, it also must be said: Robert Kennedy was no Angel. He could be mean and petty. And, he was not above doing dirty dealings. When he found out about a CIA/Mafia plot to kill Fidel Castro that had been hatched in the Eisenhower administration, he protested the ways but not the means. He kept the operation going with hit-and-run missions and sabotage. He also, as Attorney General, wiretapped his enemies and those he suspected could hurt his brother's Presidency---including Martin Luther King Jr. He nurtured grudges and could act quite petulant........ After Dallas in 1963, Robert Kennedy was a shattered man. He lost his brother and idol. He lost all of his passion and drive. Part of the grief was Survivor's Guilt. How could he go on with Jack dead? Another part, more dark, was the nagging feeling that somehow Bobby, with his punishing of enemies and political foes, had brought on JFK's death. There was a long list of people who wanted to get back at the Kennedys, the Mob on top. Did Bobby's endless pursuit of organized crime bring the fall of John Kennedy? Did his plans to kill Castro backfire and bite that hand that fed it? Was his ''ruthless'' nature responsible and the chickens came home to roost?........ Robert Kennedy, slowly, came back to the living. In 1964, he became a US Senator from the State Of New York [even though he did not live there. Charges of carpetbagging flew fast and furious]. Even more than before, he identified with the disadvantaged and the forgotten of the world. New causes seemed to come to him and he embraced them with urgency. Indian rights, children's rights, the horror of those in poverty, and, above all, a growing opposition to the Vietnam War. Once a strong proponent of the war, now, he saw the folly it had become and preached against it. To his credit, Kennedy admitted the mistakes he and his brother committed in the escalation of troops. But, RFK saw his hated rival, Lyndon Johnson, bang the war drum deeper and louder, with no end in sight and he felt he must take a stand. Nobody ever thought Bobby Kennedy would just be a US Senator. He was biding his time until 1968 and run against Johnson and reclaim the crown that was once the Kennedys....... He came into the Presidential race in the spring of 1968 with serious misgivings. He knew he was a hated man. And, the country was deeply divided, with racial and social discord running out of control. There were those who stated that Bobby was the only one who could unite the country because he had such deep support among minorities and the young, anti-war crowd. But, big business hated him, the Mafia still had a murderous rage against him, and many people still questioned how devious ''Ruthless Robert'' was. But, the affection he had among millions was genuine. He was the Last Hope for a morally mindful population. Only Bobby could save us. The open question was whether he would could outrun the ghosts of his past....... That question came into brutal focus on the evening of April 4 in Indianapolis. Those around him say that when Bobby heard the news about Martin Luther King Jr. being shot down, his face turned a pale pallor. He could have only heard the echoes from Dallas that were always so close to the surface. But, Bobby Kennedy also felt grieve for King, his onetime bugging suspect. Kennedy grew to admire the civil rights leader and championed his causes. They were never friends. They were, however, fellow travelers on the road to human rights. The reason Robert Kennedy was in Indianapolis was because he was making a campaign stop. The Indiana primary was only days away and Kennedy needed the state to try to win the nomination. The campaign had arranged appearances all around the state. That night, he was scheduled to speak in one of the worst ghettos in the country......... His advisers urged him to cancel. It was too dangerous, it was almost all black people there and who knew what the reaction would be if he showed up. Robert Kennedy had spent his whole life seeking challenges and tests of his mettle. He would go there, regardless of his personal safety. Also, perhaps, he was going because he knew that he needed to be there, to try to be of some comfort in this terrible time. He arrived as darkness had descended. The crowd was happy, applauding this genuine hero to them. It became very clear to Bobby that the people did not know a thing about what had happened. As he climbed a small platform that had been made for him to give his prepared speech, he made a snap decision. He threw away the speech and decided to speak off-the-cuff. This talk came from his heart.... "I have some very sad news and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight. Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between his fellow human beings, and he died in that cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of nation we are, and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black--- considering the evidence there evidently is that there were white people who were responsible--- you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization--- black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred towards one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand compassion and love.  For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my heart the same kind of feeling. I had a family member killed, but he was killed by a white man. But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to go beyond these rather difficult times. My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote 'In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God'. What we need in the United States is not division, what we need in the United States is not hatred, what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness, but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black. So I shall ask you tonight to return home , to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, that's true, but most importantly, to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love---a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke. Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and our people"....... The crowd left quietly, too overcome to do much but grieve internally. The Kennedy people also were shaken to their cores. They went to their hotel and gathered quietly, walking wounded who now had a new fear to try to not think about....... That night, in all of the major cities in America, ghettos were on fire. Rage at the King murder turned into rampant looting and arson. Property was destroyed, women raped, people beaten and killed. The story played out for all of the world to see. Every major city got hit........ Except, one....... In Indianapolis, it was quiet. There was no violence. There was no burning of buildings. There were no deaths. The city remained calm. In the deepest recesses of mourning, a beacon of light had been shown to the residents. And, that beacon was named Robert Kennedy....... A few days later, the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was held in Memphis. Thousands gathered and wept their grief. While many whites showed, most kept their respectful distance. There was still bitterness in the air and tensions ran high. Following King's casket were his family and friends and followers. And, there was also a familiar face. A white face. Robert Kennedy had been invited by the King family to march to the graveside. He, along with his wife, Ethel. They wore their emotion of sadness on their faces. While there was racial hostility in the air, when it came to Bobby, there was respect and love. And, hope. The feeling, unexpressed but very much felt, was, ''We still have Bobby Kennedy''...... Exactly two months to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, Robert Kennedy's fate found him in a burst of gunfire at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He had just given a victory speech in the ballroom of the hotel. It was a big win for him for he took the big state of California. After thanking his supporters, he left the podium and went through the kitchen trying to go to his room. Gunshots rang out and he went down. Whether there was just the one shooter or others has always been an open debate. The crowded ballroom converged on the shooter, Sirhan Sirhan. On the floor lay his victim, with several bullets in his body. Robert Kennedy said a few words before he lapsed into unconsciousness. The first thing he asked was, ''Is everyone ok?'' Then, those around him saw a faraway look on his face, as if he saw someone. His last word was ''Jack''........ Robert Kennedy would die on June 6, 1968, without regaining consciousness. A few days after his death, a train went cross-country, delivering his casket towards Washington, D.C. From all over, people lined the tracks, bowing their heads in silent prayer for the Last Hope. The people were of all nationalities and colors, a fine testament to a man who tried to bring people together as one. When the train finally reached the nations capital, there was a public service for Bobby. The main speaker was his brother, Edward Kennedy. Ted Kennedy's voice cracked as he spoke of his brother and the good works he did and the plans that never were to be. Finally, concluding his remarks, Ted quoted from George Bernard Shaw, the noted Irish playwright. It was a quote that Robert Kennedy had been using in his speeches as he ran to unite the country....... ''Some men see things as they are and say, 'Why?'...... I dream things that never were and say, 'Why not?' ''..............