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Originally uploaded by jippyjabber.
Gerald Ford is Dead. I remember being told to run home and turn on the TV by the summer school teacher. I didn't need to go to summer school. I VOLUNTEERED to go. Why didn't someone tell me that I set myself up to be trashed by all of the either naughty or stupid kids? My sister was one of them. I thought if she had to go to summer school, I might as well go with her.
When the teacher said, go home and watch history in the making, go home and watch the president resign. I am sure, I am the only one of her students who actually did go home and watch President Nixon quit. Quit! I was afraid for our country. I didn't know a president could quit. In my panic of a pilotless country, I was introduced to Gerald Ford. What a relief!!! OK so there was a next in line. It was the firt time I cared at all about politics. Oh besides the message from the president in the Weekly Reader. I really believed in the Weekly Reader. Nothing in it prepared me for the slightest possibility that a president might be a liar and a cheater and be found out and forced to quit.
So, one bad one and he was busted and left. From now on we'd have only good honest men as presidents. Gerald Ford must be a good man if he was next in line. Oh to be that niave again. It seemed alright for a moment. Then came the pardon. At the time I thought if it wasn't so bad then why did he have to quit? I guess it was so bad. I guess Gerald Ford must be really really nice. I thought Gerald Ford had a kind of loyality that made him look bad to the very people who were demanding the president do the right thing.
It was confusing to me. But maybe Gerald Ford knew that it might not be good for America to have a president in prison. I had to believe that Gerald Ford knew things, top secret things, that helped him choose to pardon Nixon. I listened to him and found it to hard, sad, and noble. It was clear even to a little girl that he could have opted to make himself a superstar. He didn't do that. I myself was in the mist of intense peer preasure at summer school. It's brutal to be good sometimes.
The teacher had it right. I am glad now that I am older that I went home that day and turned on the TV and watched history in the making. I felt a horrible feeling in my gut for America when Nixon resigned. I went a long long time without feeling like that. 911 did it to me. How President Bush responded with the war. I wanted all of our good militarty persons after Osama. I still have a deep fear for America and worry so much about our leadership. Now, I worry about the worlds view of us. How we view ourselves, how seperated we are. How political we are and seemingly have to become. Even though Bush admitted to misleading the American public, I know he won't quit no matter what. I can't help it though, I belong to this country, I am American, and I am still waiting for that Gerald Ford kind of feeling.....
3 comments:
I remember those Weekly Readers. I loved them.
My dear, I hate to tell you this, but no one's been at the wheel since the idiot stepped into office.
Wait, it is worse. A maniac is at the wheel and the headlights are off while this thing barrels ass deep into the dark.
9/11 was not the first attack on American soil. Don't forget about the first (failed) Trade Center attack. And Oklahoma City with the American Tim McVeigh terrorist.
The media handled those attacks differently because the White House did not use these events to constantly drive fear into our hearts and minds.
I admit, 9/11 was bigger, did more damage, killed more people. But the damage to our minds, damage that would cause people to give up their freedoms (Patriot Act) was greatly manipulated.
I was in France watching the real story about Bush's mushroom cloud threats before the first bomb was dropped on Iraq. They were reporting feverishly that these claims were false. What was America doing at this time? Shit-kicking France for being cowards. Keeping people from even thinking about listening to the truth coming out of France.
Oh gosh, you got me started... Sorry for the rant.
I am happy for your "rant" or anyones. I've promised myself to get a more global view of politics. It just isn't enough to say, " Hey, I Voted!" Trust me we ( those of us here not wanting war) ( Still not knowing how Bush actually took the presidency) felt the futility against the manipulation and shared in the shame of the war and the Patriot Act passing. We could not stop it. We tried.
You know, I felt a much stronger reaction to Gerald Ford's death then I did to Saddam's. Of course we knew Saddam's was coming quickly from news reports yesterday. But still.
I wanted to see Ford's state funeral at the Washington Cathedral, too. But I respect his family's wishes to keep it private.
I liked Ford. I actually have one of his campaign buttons.
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