OT: President Ford

by txranger7 on Dec 26, 2006 11:18 PM CST

Former President Gerald Ford passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93.

Even though his hospital visits were publicized a couple of months ago, I was still surprised to hear the news.

He was the longest living president, followed by Ronald Reagan, who also died at 93. Ford had been living at his desert home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., about 130 miles east of Los Angeles.

Here is the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_re_us/obit_ford

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I always thought it would end like..

this..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-89770458144460734&hl=en

you jackin' it?

by chief on Dec 26, 2006 11:40 PM CST 0 recs

So...

How is France recovering from the fireball strike?

by hiafex on Dec 27, 2006 12:45 AM CST up 0 recs

surprised?

The guy was 93 years old and you're surprised he died?

http://tinyurl.com/vxkvz

by Dustin on Dec 27, 2006 12:22 AM CST 0 recs

In this 24 hour news world

Usually there are news outlets that report when famous people are not doing well. For example, we knew when Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan were close to dying.

I guess I was surprised that it I didn't hear anything before it happened.

This is only the 3rd presidential death that I can remember (Nixon, Reagan, Ford). I'm not old enough to remember Ford's presidency.

It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin

by txranger7 on Dec 27, 2006 7:39 AM CST up 0 recs

kept to himself since leaving the presidency. Obviously will go down in trivia history as the only man never to be elected to the office of Vice-President or President, but has served in both offices.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Dec 27, 2006 10:47 AM CST 0 recs

yes and no

He didn't try to interject himself into the presidencies of succeeding administrations. I am quite certain he was diametrically opposed philosophically to president Carter but was a man of great class. He pursued his life after the presidency as if he were an ordinary citizen. A very active citizen in his community in Cali. but not on the national stage. He left politics behind.

We were very fortunate to have a man of his ethics to follow president Nixon. Back in those days I was completely pissed that he pardoned president Nixon and I wasn't very familiar with him even though he was speaker of the House. I have come to see the wisdom of the pardon as evidenced by how quickly the country healed and moved on.

He could have had a professional NFL career but chose education. He had to fit in law school at Yale while also coaching the football team. A very interesting citizen who is the perfect example of being prepared for what life throws at you. He was vice president and president without running for either. What are the chances? I wonder if anyone in Congress now has the respect he had from his peers on both sides of the aisle. Goodbye Mr. Ford.

by jackbnimble on Dec 27, 2006 11:50 AM CST up 0 recs

well

he did run for president in 1978 against Carter. He was both, without winning either.

All good points though. I was actually complimenting his class in terms of not outwardly criticizing any future office holders especially while they are in office something that presidents since Ford, have not been able to do.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Dec 27, 2006 12:00 PM CST up 0 recs

1976

I think you mean, but I agree with your assessment of Ford's class and reserve.

by t ball on Dec 27, 2006 12:43 PM CST up 0 recs

duh!

'76 thanks.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Dec 27, 2006 2:26 PM CST up 0 recs

i'm a political science major too..

scary, huh?

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Dec 27, 2006 2:27 PM CST up 0 recs

I hope you have a business minor.

By itself, PoliSci is pretty useless in the real world (and I should know--I double-majored in PoliSci and History).

by Athos on Dec 27, 2006 2:33 PM CST up 0 recs

I majored in PoliSci...

...with a minor in Urban Studies, and I haven't used any of it since the day I graduated... Oh well -- to me, college was more about the experience than it was about the classes...

"Hello, win column..."

by rangersfan34 on Dec 27, 2006 2:35 PM CST up 0 recs

did you go to law school

or what? what did you get into?
i would be scared shitless if i were graduating next spring with only my degree in poli sci.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Dec 27, 2006 3:03 PM CST up 0 recs

When I first went off to...

...college, I had every intention of continuing on to law school after graduating with a PoliSci degree. My ultimate goal was to become a Sports Attorney... Of course, once I got to college, I gave up on that plan pretty quickly, as my grades tanked after only the first semester... I later found that my niche was more "local" government, which is why I picked Urban Studies as a minor. While in school, I got a kick-ass internship at the Los Angeles City Administrative Office and thought my career path was set. After graduating, I found that I couldn't get hired by the City of L.A. full-time, as they were in the midst of a major hiring freeze, so I packed up and moved back to Northern California. After wearing out my welcome back at home with the folks, I got a job through a temp. agency in the title and escrow industry, and I've been working in this industry ever since (almost 15 years now)... Obviously, this wasn't my goal back in my college days, but it's a good, low stress job, that earns me a much nicer living than any government job ever would...

"Hello, win column..."

by rangersfan34 on Dec 27, 2006 4:35 PM CST up 0 recs

its actually my second major

my first is Economics. I'm starting my masters in economics next year.
poli sci has been a waste of time. i haven't really learned a whole lot, i sort of wish i did econ and history.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Dec 27, 2006 3:03 PM CST up 0 recs

PoliSci

I've got a BA and MA in History, with minors in Political Science and English. And now I work as a QA analyst for a financial services company, and write a baseball column in my spare time.

So yeah, I know how useless (at least in terms of job application) those degrees can be. At least school taught me how to do research & analysis, and how to be a better writer, all of which come in handy in both my job and my hobby...

by RCCook on Dec 27, 2006 3:27 PM CST up 0 recs

He was never Speaker of the House

Penalty Box? DONT THINK SO!!!!!!! And i wish everyone could stop writing that crap cause its gay...SUPER GAY!!!! NYTXfan!!!

by Brian Thomas on Dec 27, 2006 1:22 PM CST up 0 recs

Healing

Last I heard, people are still talking about the connection between Watergate and cynicism among the people. We haven't healed. Scandal is cancer, and when you have cancer you don't typically ignore it and hope for remission. You wage war on it: chemotherapy, radiation, surgery. Anything to get rid of it. That's how you heal.

There were people who went to jail for what they did, but there are also people who should've and didn't. Justice wasn't served. I think the pardon was shady, at best.

I know Ford was on the Warren Commission and there are apparently some inconsistencies there, but I don't know enough about it to comment.

http://tinyurl.com/vxkvz

by Dustin on Dec 29, 2006 9:23 AM CST up 0 recs

Ford's Integrity

When old people pass on, its time to be forgiving and talk about the good qualities the person had while living. Time to recognize a person's achievements in this life, good or bad. So it is with Ford...

As the last living Warren Commissioner, he takes to the grave his responsibility for having Arlen Specter come up with the "single buller theory". On JFK's autopsy face sheet, there is clearly an entry wound marked about 6" below the neck which Ford told J, Lee Rankin to move up in order to support the notion of a bullet going through both the President and Governor Connolly. The medical artist was not shown a picture, but the wound was moved up to the neck in the artist's picture. We now know that Ford owned up to moving the wound to make it easier for us to understand the WC's conclusion, and we have the papers he personally edited to make this change from Mr. Rankin's files....

He ended up becoming President of the United States.

by Muguy on Dec 29, 2006 9:05 AM CST 0 recs