Kennedy Tragedy

* One more tragedy for the Kennedy family (“Kennedy Crash Presumed Fatal as Search Shifts,” July 19). The news of John F. Kennedy Jr.’s missing plane has riveted the country. This family will always be remembered for its somewhat strange legacy: political milestones sandwiched in between tragic deaths. Our thoughts and prayers are with both families.

LISA M. SANCHEZ

Los Angeles

*

We know what the tragedy and loss of Kennedy represents to the Kennedy family, but wasn’t the loss to the Bessette family to lose two of its members a greater tragedy?

The media made this sad affair into a Kennedy event instead of a respectful reporting of three people dying in a flying accident.

Who are these people who turn solemn affairs into a media circus if not the media themselves? All the program changes, the reporters scrambling to get to Martha’s Vineyard, all the discombobulation of the written, visual and spoken media do not help with the search for these three people.

ROBERT ARONOFF

South Pasadena

*

The loss of JFK Jr., his wife and sister-in-law adds another sad chapter to the Kennedy saga. Our country will miss seeing what JFK Jr. would have done with his life. Many believe the final outcome would have been a high political office, even the highest office of all, like his father before him.

On a lighter note, women everywhere will no longer be able to see JFK Jr.’s progression from sweet little boy to cute teenager to handsome young man to drop-dead gorgeous adult. Call me superficial, but that man might have been the most attractive human being I’ve ever seen. And, by all accounts, his heart and soul were as beautiful as his face.

KELLY DAVIS

Huntington Beach

*

It is rather disturbing to me to watch as the networks spend millions, suspend virtually all programming, blotting out other news, to cover the loss of the Kennedy airplane and its occupants. This episode clearly resulted from the arrogance typical of so much of the Kennedy family throughout the years. With fewer than 100 hours of flying time, no instrument training and failure to file a flight plan, he attempted to fly at night over the ocean in an area well known for sudden changes in atmospheric conditions.

The loss of any human life this way is tragic; but for the fact he was JFK Jr., this would have received minor attention. The deaths of others who have contributed far more to the advance of society have received far less attention.

HAROLD L. SCHWARTZ

Las Flores

*

I do realize that one of the themes of this coming election year is “compassionate conservatism.” However, when James Pinkerton (Commentary, July 17) supposedly writes about the potential of JFK Jr. he ever-so-obviously manages to turn it into a mean-spirited article that exalts George W. Bush and denigrates Vice President Al Gore Jr.

In order to promote compassion, conservative writers must learn to conceal their biases much more cleverly, lest we the people see through their manipulations ever so clearly!

RANDY M. LYNCH

Santa Monica