Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens dies in plane crash

Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens dies in plane crash


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_alaska_plane_crash

What's ironic is that had his conviction stood, he would have been in prison and not on that plane. Weird.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/08/who_is_sean_okeefe.html

O'Keefe began his Washington career as a Presidential Management Intern (now known as Presidential Management Fellows) and later served as a senior staffer with the Senate Appropriations Committee. He specialized in defense spending and became close to powerful Senate Republicans including Stevens (who in 2003 called O’Keefe “one of the closest friends I have in the world,") and then-Rep. Dick Cheney.

... secretary of the Navy in the wake of the Tailhook sexual harassment scandal...

... NASA was struggling at the time with cost overruns for the International Space Station. He promised during his Senate confirmation hearings to “get the house in order,” and brought space-station spending under control. Then came the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in Feb. 2003....

...O’Keefe resigned from NASA in 2005 and became chancellor of Louisiana State University, joining the school just before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region....

And now he survives the plane crash that kills his friend, Ted Stevens.

I think God is trying to tell this man to stop being a Republican.

And if airline crash is their chosen intrument of execution, why did he kill Paul Wellstone, Mel Carnahan or Samantha Smith?

People die every day.

....

this place would be full of conspiracy theories.

they're saying serious weather conditions -- but don't they always!

His family was well aware of his corruption and profited from it. His son (Ben) went as far as continue with the family tradition of corruption.

Not once did I hear any of Stevens' family say something like "Yeah, he a corrupt bastard, but he's still our father."


Fuck 'em.

Something isn't settling well on this story.

Ted Stevens last words to the law of gravity.

Mourn him if you want to.

knew exactly what he was.

probably blaming the lamestream media for it or something equally stupid.

Black leather, I suspect. She's gonna be sitting front and center, "Look at me, look at me".

But I am sure there were other fine people aboard. I will keep those families in my thoughts.

"...Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment..."

We show class and grace by how we treat others, even in death, by our pity, and sympathy, and condolences not only if we perceive they do not deserve it, but especially when we believe they do not deserve it. To offer condolences does not mean we give the deceased life our stamp of approval, but it is our recognition that death comes to us all and we all experience that grief.

Although my passing will be noticed by few I hope that there are not those who stand in judgment of me and decide my family and friends do not deserve condolences upon my death. I would hope that people would show more class than that.

I would note that most native Alaskans (even staunch Dems like Shannyn Moore and Mudflat's Jeanne Devon) are mourning his death. Shannyn said that it's hard to explain to people that Uncle Ted could have been elected to any seat he chose this year or any time he chose to run.

My sympathy to his family and friends. RIP.

echo those sympathies to the families.

Also killed were Bill Phillips, a former Stevens’ aide; Dana Tindall, 48, of Anchorage, senior vice president of Anchorage-based communications company GCI; Tindall's 16-year-old daughter, Corey; and the pilot, Theron "Terry" Smith, 62, of Eagle River, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and his teenage son Kevin survived the crash with broken bones and other injuries, said former NASA spokesman Glenn Mahone. Stevens and O'Keefe, now the CEO of defense contractor EADS North America, were longtime fishing buddies.

The other survivors were Phillips' 13-year-old son, Willy, and Jim Morhard of Alexandria, Va., a one-time Stevens' aide turned lobbyist.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38637072/ns/us_news-life/

I didn't know about the 16 yr old girl. Now that's very tragic. It is Alaska. You have to fly to a lot of places and there is a very high inherent risk.

Condolences to all of the families.

husband and daughter. Guess her son did survive.