Thursday, December 28, 2006

Gerald R. Ford

The passing of a person prominent in our civic and cultural history leads us to reflect. This reflection can lead to some of the comments posted by Georgie Anne Geyer Whether or not we see the past through rose colored glasses, as Ms Geyer's comments seem to do, it is a fact that the present is filled with sufficient vitriol in the civic or political discourse as to lead us to search for some way of living, behaving, participating in our common life that does credit to the reputation we desire for ourselves and the legacy of our country. Some of us can't help but be patriotic but in terms of peace not war and reflections of the work people did in the past can shine some sort of light on that.

Whether or not I agree with Mr. Ford's pardon of Richard M. Nixon for his knowledge of or participation with the Watergate cover-up, I do remember the conversation of the country move toward the needs of the country. OF course economic recession and inflation etc were those things that affected our everyday lives. That perhaps led Mr. Ford to "forgive" on behalf of a country not yet ready to forgive the wayward Mr. Nixon.

That act aside and his rationale for it.

However, as a political junkie who wants peace on earth I do wonder if today would be in place had Ford allowed the impeachment process to go forward. His generosity, it seems to me, may have led to some of the horrible things we have witnessed during the past four years.

Something to ponder.

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