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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 12/28/2006 : 05:11:09
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Nation shocked by death of a President few remembered
Rancho Mirage, California, December 28, 2006 (UPA) -- Gerald Rudolph Ford was a mild-mannered nonentity and the 38th President of the United States.
Gerald Rudolph Ford: "Quality is job one"
Ford served as President almost unnoticed from August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977. He was the only President ever to hold office without even the formality of an election. He is also the only President to have a substance abuse clinic named after his First Lady.
Ford, largely unnoticed, died the day after Christmas, peacefully, in his Rancho Mirage home. He was surrounded by his wife, Betty, and his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Most Americans who did recall his name thought he must have died decades ago.
Ford, who was 93 at the time of his death, was remembered by those few who knew of him as "A really nice guy," as "Way better than that bastard, Nixon," and as "A likable klutz."
Aside from being a a nice fellow, giving an unconditional pardon to his scandal-plagued predecessor, Richard M. Nixon, and presiding over America's final ignominious retreat from Vietnam, Ford did nothing at all during his time as President. But those few people who remember his presidency recall nothing particularly dangerous or scandalous about his time in office, which, they insist, is saying a lot.
Reactions from citizens on the street ranged from the stunned to the confused. "Ford who?" asked Dillert Tilby, of Madison, Wisconsin. "I thought he died just after Reagan did," remarked Georgina Wilton, of Bar Harbor, Maine. "I didn't like his cars, I'm a Chevy man," said Philmon Lupus. "He was the original drummer for the Beatles, right?" opined David Luuks of San Diego, California.
All across the nation, automatic sympathy responses are being activated by people who don't have a clue who this fellow was, but feel compelled to go through the motions because they heard he was both an ex-President and a nice guy.
"Believe me," said Alter Mann, a Vietnam vet, "a President you can forget is worth a dozen of the ones you remember. Forgettable is just fine. And Jerry Ford really was a nice guy, I vaguely recall."
A state funeral is scheduled for Saturday evening, with later services Tuesday at Washington's National Cathedral. Another service will be held on January 3rd, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 12/28/2006 05:29:30
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 06:15:10 [Permalink]
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Hah! Ford not only gave Nixon an undeserved walk (I'm convinced that deal was closed in advance), but Cheney and Rumsfeld, et al, came through his happily abbreviated administration.
He was a "nice guy" and living (at one time) proof that nice guys finish last. I'm waiting to hear from that poor guy he clocked in the head with a golf ball....
Edit: The memory plays tricks. Upon lookup, I see that it was a lady who caught Gerry's errant ball with her gourd.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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| Edited by - filthy on 12/28/2006 06:28:04 |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 07:11:52 [Permalink]
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I remember the WIN buttons! My ex had one. I was driving truck at the time and didn't have time for any more futility than was served up by my job.
I, along with many other vets, all but flipped out when Nixon was pardoned. That still colors my thinking about Ford.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Denwash
New Member
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 08:03:06 [Permalink]
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| Although Ford was one of the Lamiest Lame Ducks ever (It's pretty evident that pardoning Nixon was part of the deal when he became vice-president) He did in fact have a lot of impact in the country while in office. He appointed George H W Bush as director of the CIA, Donald Rumsfeld (Who was pretty close to politically bankrupt at the time) as Secretary of Defense, and Dick Cheney as his Chief of Staff (Nobody had heard of Cheney before that). A lot of the people that are in control of the Government today are directly attributable to his term as President. I have seen a lot of speculation that if he had won the 1976 election (He came pretty darn close by gum), we would have seen an incredible increase in American imperialism long before the current wave of nastiness. I have a feeling that he kind of used that "Likeable common man of the people" image to his advantage, although it hurt his re-election campaign. Hmmm, can you think of any other recent president that has cultivated that kind of of image? |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 11:41:36 [Permalink]
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Wow! Folks here remember old Ford better than I would have thought, and certainly better than I did myself.
It seems that most of you share the impression that I have that a deal was set up in advance for Nixon's pardon. Gorgo, as usual, can be counted upon to note the foreign policy atrocities of any President after U.S. Grant. And Filthy's take is closer to my own real Viet vet memories and feelings than the pulled punches I had Alter Mann, my fictional vet, express.
I will slightly defend my approach of pointing out the superiority of (I had supposed) unremembered Presidents. But only slightly. Very good Presidents are remembered, too, not just the horrible ones.
And here's a 20/20 hindsight bonus observation: One of the Presidents who is remembered most positively was, I suspect, one of our worst adventurists: John F. Kennedy. I was too young to vote, but I campaigned for JFK and even shook his hand. He was behind the Bay of Pigs, and was extremely lucky when he played a dangerous Russian Roulette game with the Soviets over their Cuban missiles. We came very close to a full-scale nuclear war. I think JFK's arrogance was largely responsible for getting us into Vietnam, despite the conventional wisdom that he was just about to change course when he was assassinated. This arrogance meant he thought his Best and Brightest team could tackle any problem at all. Often he was right, sometimes, he was dangerously wrong. In an odd sense, he and Bush have much in common.
All in all, the lesson I've learned is, next time Gerald Ford dies, I won't go so easy on the SOB.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 12/28/2006 11:49:48 |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 11:59:06 [Permalink]
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quote:
Gorgo, as usual, can be counted upon to note the foreign policy atrocities of any President after U.S. Grant.
Or before. |
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 12:06:24 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Gorgo
quote:
Gorgo, as usual, can be counted upon to note the foreign policy atrocities of any President after U.S. Grant.
Or before.
LOL! So I pulled my punches a bit on you, too.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Boron10
Religion Moderator
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 12:42:01 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner:
.
.
.
All in all, the lesson I've learned is, next time Gerald Ford dies, I won't go so easy on the SOB.
You do that, HalfMooner! 
Interestingly enough, the Constitutional Amendment which Mr. Nixon invoked in order to appoint his new Vice President was only a few years old at the time.
Also, as noted earlier, Mr. Ford was the first president who was not elected, as either President or Vice President. He had to be appointed. |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 12:47:18 [Permalink]
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quote:
LOL! So I pulled my punches a bit on you, too.
And given a little time, I could probably come up with some domestic atrocities. Especially if I can count the Whip Inflation Now campaign.
Watching his speeches was torture. Remember the calendar? AARRGGHH!!! |
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 13:30:01 [Permalink]
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| Our local paper made the mistake of reporting that Gerald Ford was the only U.S. President not elected to office. (They forgot about George W. Bush.) |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 13:40:07 [Permalink]
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| Wasn't he elected by the Supreme Court and the electoral college? |
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 13:45:33 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Chippewa
Our local paper made the mistake of reporting that Gerald Ford was the only U.S. President not elected to office. (They forgot about George W. Bush.)
Heheh. You noted my cautious use of weaselology when I recounted it: "He was the only President ever to hold office without even the formality of an election." With Bush, we got the formality. Sort of like a forced marriage before being raped.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 19:21:40 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Heheh. You noted my cautious use of weaselology when I recounted it: "He was the only President ever to hold office without even the formality of an election." With Bush, we got the formality. Sort of like a forced marriage before being raped.
Yes - I noticed that. Most of the folks I know have referred to Bush as the "appointed President" though I resist even calling him a "President". |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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