RIP Ted Stevens

[Platapus]

Former Senator Ted Stevens died in a airplane accident yesterday.

I honour his service to our country as a member of the military and as a member of congress. I often disagreed with him, but it was evident that he stood for what he believed.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/10/ala...ex.html?hpt=T1

Former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, one of five killed in a plane crash in his beloved Alaska, was remembered Tuesday as a "lion who retreated before nothing" and for being a guiding light in the formation of the 49th state.

The hard-nosed Stevens, 86, died in the crash Monday night 17 miles north of Dillingham, authorities said.


His friend, former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, and three others, including O'Keefe's son, Kevin, were injured. Alaska's FAA office said two survivors had serious injuries and two had minor injuries.


Tributes poured in all day for Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate's history and a champion for Alaska.


"Though small of stature, Ted Stevens seemed larger than life. For he built Alaska. And stood for Alaska. And he fought for Alaskans," Gov. Sean Parnell said at a news conference. "How can we summarize six decades of service?"


President Barack Obama extended his condolences to the families, including that of Stevens, who flew in support of the Flying Tigers in the Pacific Theater in World War II.

"A decorated World War II veteran, Senator Ted Stevens devoted his career to serving the people of Alaska and fighting for our men and women in uniform," Obama said in a written statement.

The DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter, on a fishing trip, crashed around 7 p.m. Monday amid rough weather conditions in a remote area of the state. Good samaritan pilots located the wreckage on a 40-degree mountain slope, authorities said. But the rain and fog prevented rescuers from landing until Tuesday morning.

"The weather has been an extreme factor in slowing this rescue, said Maj. Gen. Thomas Katkus, commissioner of the state's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "We managed to do it in a safe manner."
State aircraft, the U.S. Coast Guard and other military services contributed to the rescue effort.

The four who were injured were flown to Anchorage hospitals. Officials said they were not prepared to release identities of the killed and injured.
Authorities had no information on the cause of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct the investigation.
Because of its vast size, air travel is common in Alaska, often through perilous weather. Stevens expressed his own fears after a 1978 crash that killed his first wife and four others.


"Plane crashes are the occupational hazard of Alaska politics," Stevens told the Washington Post in 1979. The Post added, "He said he often felt as if one's number had to come up eventually, and even though he had been a fighter pilot in World War II, the prospect of flying around in his campaign frightened him."


In 1972, House Majority Leader Hale Boggs and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich were traveling in a plane that is thought to have crashed in Alaska. It was never found. Nick Begich was the father of one of Alaska's current U.S. senators, Mark Begich.


The Dillingham region, near the Bering Sea southwest of Anchorage, is rugged terrain surrounded by mountains. Storms there don't move quickly during this time of year but aren't as strong as those in winter, said Rob Marciano, CNN meteorologist.


"We haven't seen visibility improve much, so fog is an issue, and we haven't seen much in the way of that clearing," he said Tuesday morning.
The NTSB said the plane crashed 10 miles northwest of Aleknagik about 8 p.m. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Paul Takemoto said its tail number was N455A and it was registered to GCI Communications Corp., based in Anchorage. Bush pilots commonly use such planes.


Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said the plane took off at 2 p.m. Monday from a GCI corporate site on Lake Nerka, heading to the Agulowak Lodge on Lake Aleknagik, the Anchorage Daily News reported.


News of the latest crash reverberated across the state and country.
Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, said Stevens fought tenaciously for Alaska.
"In our land of towering mountains and larger than life characters, none were larger than the man who in 2000 was voted Alaskan of the Century. This decorated World War II pilot was a warrior and a true champion of Alaska," Palin said in a statement.


O'Keefe, 54, had a long career in the government and higher education, most recently serving as NASA administrator from December 2001 until his resignation in February 2005.


Before heading NASA, O'Keefe served for 11 months as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, overseeing the preparation, management and administration of the federal budget.
O'Keefe and his son suffered broken bones and other injuries, the Associated Press reported.


Ralph D. Crosby Jr., chairman of EADS North America, said, "It was with a great sense of relief and gratitude that we learned that Sean, and his son, Kevin, survived the aircraft crash in Alaska. We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of those less fortunate in this terrible accident. We owe a debt of gratitude for the heroic efforts of the members of the rescue crew and others who rushed to the scene."


Stevens earned the nickname "Uncle Ted" and a reputation as one of the most effective of all pork-barrel lawmakers, a senator who funneled billions of federal dollars to his home state.


Born November 18, 1923, Stevens graduated from UCLA and Harvard Law School and moved to Alaska in the 1950s to work as a lawyer. He was elected to the state's House of Representatives in 1964 and 1966. In July 2008, a federal grand jury indicted Stevens for making false statements on financial disclosure forms. He was convicted on October 27, 2008.
The next month, Stevens lost a bid for re-election to Democratic challenger Mark Begich, then the mayor of Anchorage. Citing prosecutorial misconduct, a federal judge later dismissed Stevens' conviction.
Olympic gold medalist Donna de Varona, who was a character witness at Stevens' trial, remembered him for improving the U.S. Olympics team's organization and championing Title IX, which provided equality for girls in the classroom and sports world.


"He thought everyone should have an equal opportunity," de Varona, a broadcaster and consultant, told CNN.


The Stevens family released a statement later Tuesday.
"Alaska and the nation he so loved have lost a great man. We have lost a tremendous husband and father and grandfather. He loved Alaska with all his heart. He was a guiding light through statehood and the development of the 49th state. Now that light is gone but the warmth and radiance of his life and his work will shine forever in the last frontier. His legacy is the 49th star on the American flag."


Parnell ordered state and U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Stevens. The U.S. flag will be raised to full-staff Thursday morning, while state flags will remain lowered until sunrise the day after the senator's memorial service, which has not been scheduled.


"This state is in mourning," said Sharon Leighnow, Parnell's press secretary. "Everybody has a Ted Stevens story."

A most tragic accident.

[Bubblehead1980]

Sad the way he was treated in the end, glad the judge dismissed the charges.

[Platapus]

Well the dropping of the charges really has nothing to do with whether Stevens was guilty or innocent of the charges. The dropping of the charges was due to the criminal, prosecutorial misconduct on behalf of the government.

This just reinforces my opinion that prosecutors are no better or worse than defense lawyers.

I wonder what ever happened to the plan to prosecute the prosecution team? They sure deserved it.

[Bubblehead1980]

Well I am aware they were not dropped based on his guilt or innocence(although I believe was innocent) I believe it was a political thing trying to influence the election, which it obviously did.Glad to see charges were dropped.

[Oberon]

Damn...he was a tough guy, surviving prostrate cancer, flying unescorted C-46s and C-47s in support of the Chinese in WWII, surviving a plane crash, but alas not the second.

I might not agree with some of his choices, however by reading through his wiki article I recognise a man of great character.

And of course, the internet side of me will never forget 'a series of tubes'.

RIP Uncle Ted

[Zachstar]

He made a bunch of wrong decisions in government but was a lion for the people of his state. RIP

[ryanglavin]

He fought for what he believed in was right, from WW2 to politics. May we honor the lion, RIP may whomever god you believe in Bless you.

[mookiemookie]

Can't say I agree with his political stances, but you gotta respect someone as principled as he was, whether or not you agree with those principles. I hope his soul has found rest.