Rest in Peace, but Enough Already

No disrespect meant here, but what's with the throngs of people paying tribute to Gerald Ford? I never agreed with Ronald Reagan for half a second on any issue, but I couldn't deny that he had great charisma and appeal to many people, so I understood why gazillions turned out for his funeral. But Ford? Is it just the pomp of laying a former president to rest, or am I missing something? He was never elected to national office, and he never did much of anything memorable. I'm just not getting it.

Comments

[Tonya]

I sooooooooo agree! (Yawn).

[tanya furtado]

Ford never wanted/anticipated to be president (2nd string for just vp), but the unexpected happened and now he's been labeled the "accidental president" in american history. what would have happened had he not followed the set protocol and became acting president???? i think a week+ or so of pomp and rememberance isn't that much to put up with--it's really is a standard formality for a former president's passing. you can easily turn the tv off, flip to a different page of the newspaper or magazine, if you feel differently about the person. the memorials are for the family and friends that are left with the physical grief. plus the media is expected to carry it all the coverage and drown you in it. why i don't watch tv or hardly read a newspaper, anymore.

i usually fall right into your views of things; however i have heard too many people complaining about all the "hub-dub" regarding president ford's death.

[Karen]

I can certainly understand the family and friends grieving, but they're talking about crowds and crowds of people turning out to pay their respects. I just don't put Ford in the same category as someone like Reagan (and, again, I didn't like him, but I know he was beloved by many).

It was indeed easy to avoid the funeral hub-bub (I don't watch TV or read newspapers either), but I did miss receiving my mail yesterday, particularly after Sunday and Monday's holiday.

[pam]

Maybe it's just relief at concentrating on another president besides W. What I don't get is the media yelling that Ford "healed" a nation. What he did was pardon Nixon, which set a precedent of questionable integrity - allowing high-ranking people who broke the law to be pardoned before they can be prosecuted. What else was he going to do? He and Nixon were best buds. He defended Nixon for years. Excuse me while I don't wear black this week.

[Loren]

Amen, Karen. I'll email you with my personal, selfish reasons for rolling my eyes at the hub-bub. Happy New Year, btw. ;)

[Chris]

I'm so glad it's not just me. As I recall, history has pretty much considered Ford's administration to be a non-issue. Why the fuss?

[Dawney Spencer]

I thought he was terrific because he was a total klutz. And, his wife publicly battled addiction. They were such REAL humans!!!