Gerald Ford 1913-2006

just broke on cnn.

was vice president and president, but was never elected to either post.
may he rest in peace.

[edit on 26-12-2006 by elitegamer23]

I am looking at the news now and they are doing a history compilation of his political career.

He had been sick for a while on and off from the hospitals.

How sad.

Another important chapter of American politics and history is gone.

im led to believe that mr ford was a 33 degree mason.

im 29 so i wasnt around during his political life and i dont know much about gerald ford , but i will say he always seemed to stay out of the public eyes .

[edit on 26-12-2006 by elitegamer23]

Gerald Ford rest in peace you came to the oval at a very difficult time. He was was able to put political differences aside and form a friendship with Carter after both men had left office.

Ford is a close friend of his successor, Jimmy Carter, despite the fact that Carter defeated him in the 1976 presidential election. Their friendship began in 1981, after both had left office, when they attended the funeral of Egypt's slain leader Anwar Al Sadat. Today, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, visit President and Mrs. Ford's home frequently.[52]

link

Originally posted by elitegamer23
im led to believe that mr ford was a 33 degree mason.

It's actually true:

GERALD RUDOLPH FORD(1913- )
Thirty-eighth President (1974-1977)

MASONIC RECORD

Initiated: September 30, 1949, Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan, along with his half-brothers Thomas Gardner Ford (1918-1995), Richard Addison Ford (1924-) and James Francis Ford (1927- ). The Fellowcraft and Master Mason Degrees were Conferred by Columbia Lodge No. 3, Washington, D.C., on April 20 and May 18, 1951, as a courtesy to Malta Lodge. Brother Ford was made a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33°, and Honorary Member, Supreme Council A.A.S.R. Northern Jurisdiction at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, on September 26, 1962, for which he served as Exemplar (Representative) for his Class. Brother and President Ford was unanimously elected an Active Member of the International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay and its Honorary Grand Master, at its Annual Session held at Orlando, Florida, April 6-9, 1975; Brother Ford held this post until January 1977, at which time he became a Past Honorary Grand Master, receiving his Collar and Jewel on October 24, 1978 in Topeka, Kansas, from the Hon. Thomas C. Raum, Jr., Grand Master, Order of DeMolay.

www.pagrandlodge.org...

Please note the detail; if a public figure is a Freemason, this is the way their "record" should look. When it's a baseless accusation (as if it's some kind of indictment ) this kind of documentation isn't available.

He was also a Shriner.

RIP Brother, you healed a nation and received nothing but criticism; instead of the acclaim you deserved.



[edit on 26/12/2006 by Mirthful Me]

I started a new thread but saw this one. I've moved my post here and will ask a mod to remove mine.....


CNN is reporting the death of former President Gerald Ford at the age of 93.
www.cnn.com...



My condolences to Betty and the family....

EDIT: From the link...

Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon's scandal-shattered White House as the 38th and only unelected president in America's history, has died, his wife, Betty, said Tuesday. He was 93.

Ford had battled pneumonia in January 2006 and underwent two heart treatments -- including an angioplasty -- in August at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

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, California, about 130 miles east of Los Angeles.

gerald ford, the sneaky president

the only one who was never elected

a vice president nominee who took over for a resigned president

well...

not going to speak ill of him, at least he tried

Ford and his quotes (herein paraphrased) never fails to bust me out laughin'...

1. 'Abandoning Vietnam was such a tragedy'.
Your watch, your say, Mister No Balls A'Tall.

2. 'No, but the Chinese, they really didn't mean it about the Cultural Revolution, besides, they're getting better!'
Rapproachment with a future slave labor force not being something you even started yet 'good relations' with a totalitarian state being something _we're STILL paying for_ as a function of lost presence in the SWPA. Fights over the Taiwan Straights and the rights of Rebel Provinces; Two Koreas, One Nuclear Madman; EP-3s gone touristing; the Phillipines; and even Iraq. ALL because of what we gave up on in Vietnam. As Ford's beginning of a Very Bad Habit of 'really nice guy' acceptable losering.

3. 'There are no Big Bad Bears in EE.'
And so the process of massive demilitarization which Carter /only continued/ begins on your watch. Leading us to Ronnie Rayguns and his policy of 'if it ain't nailed down, buy it!' inflationary defense spending to make the 'Evil Empire' go broke. As an example of the constantly discontiguous foreign policy shifts as Broke Down Diplomacy there is no better starting point.

4. 'The National Nightmare Is Over.'
BWUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH! Oh please people. That's code speak for "Nixon, you're off the hook." Face it, Poor Richard had ZERO reason to abandon a position from which he had the advantage of making things as brutally painful and grotesque as possible _on our dime_ in a prolonged impeachment trial process. Except that 'we do a deal' in which Congress brokers compassion for big-wave-and-see'ya-suckers! immediate flight.

And good'ol Jerry not only signed off on it, he was the mouthpiece for Business As Usual In WDC fallout by which we STILL do not know the full pre or post Watergate culpability of a man who once put our nuclear forces on standup alert 'just for show'. A blanket pardon for 'WHAT CRIME?' thus makes us look like cowards afraid to find the truth before we decide if it's worthy of forgiveness or condemnation. Not even the Iraqis are so craven.

CONCLUSION:
Gerald R. Ford was little more than a 2 year temp run like an old episode of 'Raymond' after the football game runs over. Which exact dog and pony show and what particular agenda being played out being 'A Network Decision' all the way through his term.

The saddest irony being that by signing him up for Sainthood, the networks and CNN are simply playing the exact same 'safest route is head in sand blind to what comes next' psychology around all the other looming disasters and needful questions that could otherwise be put in perspective by looking at the REAL PERSON and the downhill processes he started.

As a 'really nice guy' advocate for multimillion dollar ski resorts, Ford probably hit his high water mark.


KPl.

P.S. In case you innocents in the back row weren't aware: You 'elect' a /platform/ of all the 'prior commitments and special interests' that bought your favorite candidate a trip to his public rental mansion.

Part of that baggage is the licensed appendix they call the VP.

Therefore Ford WAS elected because he WAS RM Nixon's running mate.

News Organizations meally mouthing their way into something useful to say as a 'highpoint' of The Great Man In Question is just so much BS playing to the LCD sound byte mentality of their audience:

We The People. The morons of U.S. Inc.


KPl.

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
gerald ford, the sneaky president

the only one who was never elected

a vice president nominee who took over for a resigned president

well...

not going to speak ill of him, at least he tried

Sneaky how? By serving his country?

Maybe if his "superior" hadn't screwed up majorly he would never have been the only president not elected.

He was the butt of jokes, hell, if it wasn't for Ford would Chevy Chase have had a career? THAT would have been a shame.

That being said, that make Carter as the oldest living ex-president. THAT'S gotta irk some here.

ford was NOT elected as a vice president
nixon appointed ford after the resignation of his OTHER vice president

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
ford was NOT elected as a vice president
nixon appointed ford after the resignation of his OTHER vice president

So, it was still all done according to the Constitution. He didn't ask for either the VP or Presidential position, but served both well.

His only major mistake was nominating John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court.

I was really upset when I first learned of his death. Ford was always the "silent" president, the one who never made much noise but was so important nonetheless. His legacy will be, IMO, that he rescued America from the darkest depths and he gave us all another shot. In an article titled "Moral Leadership," Ron Nessen of the Washington Post said "Ford was a good president because he never wanted to be president." Contrevorsial as he was, Ford was just about as pure a leader and president as any could ever be. The image of him making his own breakfast? That was no act, that was purely and simply who he really was. Perhaps he was too pure; politicians all need some sort of an edge in order to succeed. That's why Ford was never reelected, he just didn't have that edge that is so synonymous with politicians.

America lost a hero. A hero in the truest sense of the word. When I was in ninth grade, my American History class assigned us to research a president and then conduct a report on him, asking why he should be elected president. I can't remember what exactly I said, but I know this, I am so damn proud that I did my assignment on Gerald R. Ford.

Rest easy sir. You've earned it.

Originally posted by sweatmonicaIdo
I was really upset when I first learned of his death. Ford was always the "silent" president, the one who never made much noise but was so important nonetheless. His legacy will be, IMO, that he rescued America from the darkest depths and he gave us all another shot. In an article titled "Moral Leadership," Ron Nessen of the Washington Post said "Ford was a good president because he never wanted to be president." Contrevorsial as he was, Ford was just about as pure a leader and president as any could ever be. The image of him making his own breakfast? That was no act, that was purely and simply who he really was. Perhaps he was too pure; politicians all need some sort of an edge in order to succeed. That's why Ford was never reelected, he just didn't have that edge that is so synonymous with politicians.

America lost a hero. A hero in the truest sense of the word. When I was in ninth grade, my American History class assigned us to research a president and then conduct a report on him, asking why he should be elected president. I can't remember what exactly I said, but I know this, I am so damn proud that I did my assignment on Gerald R. Ford.

Rest easy sir. You've earned it.

I couldn't disagree with more!

He pardoned Nixon and that inability to put the sleeze bag in prison was taken away from the American public. He hardened the politicians to know that they can get away with virtually anything without punishment. Ford was a waste.

We did not move forward when he was in office or else he would have been reelected.

Blanddad I don't quite agree with but since this isn't PTS I wont outline why.
However if you choose to post on this thread I may even reply if I feel like I have a strong enough opinion on the matter.

I saw a sign posted outside his memorial, it stated, "Gerald Ford, just a nice guy." I would say that assessment is probably true. He was on the Larry King show one night, and even when he spoke of the first assassination attempt on his life, he kind of smiled. I never seen a trace of animosity whatsoever in the man.

An overdue dirtnap!....I spoke as poorly of him in life so I'll at least be consistant....good riddence !

Ford was an average president who pardoned Nixon to avoid the trail that might bring out that "bay of pigs" reference!

Could it be, that without the pardon the JFK assination conspirators would be uncovered????

Not the brightest guy, nice guy and probably a made for a good dupe!

I recently got back from the small semi-private ceremony in Palm Desert. Some of our family knew him, though we weren't very close..He was always was a respectful and just a nice guy

The silent president has left with a big exit, he will be remember by the comments he made of the iraqi war and what he left to be brought to light about it after death.

Way to go.