Gerald Ford Remembered for His 'Calm and Steady' Hand

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

FoxNews

WASHINGTON — Tributes from around the country poured forward Wednesday for President Gerald R. Ford, who led America out of the tumultuous post-Watergate period with dignity and respect.

Saying the United States will be grateful forever, President Bush on Wednesday bade farewell to the 38th president, just hours after he died at home in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

"President Ford lived 93 years and his life was a blessing to America," Bush said from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he and the first lady are staying through the New Year.

"President Ford was a great man who devoted the best years of his life in serving the United States. He was a true gentleman who reflected the best in America's character."

Bush, who will attend Ford's funeral, said the man who took over the top job after the resignation of President Richard Nixon led with honorable conduct and a sense of duty in a time of post-Watergate turmoil.

"On Aug. 9, 1974, he stepped into the presidency without ever having sought the office. He assumed power in a period of great division and turmoil. For a nation that needed healing and for an office that needed a calm and steady hand, Gerald Ford came along when we needed him most," Bush said.

Ford was expected to lie in repose in three locations — Washington, D.C., Grand Rapids, Mich., and Palm Desert, Calif., with services held at the church he attended in California, St. Margaret's Episcopal Church. Details of his funeral were to be announced Wednesday.

Ceremonies likely will begin Thursday or Friday. Ford's family will accompany his casket into the church sanctuary. The public was expected to be able to pay respects for a few hours, and the casket later will be flown to Washington for national ceremonies. A public viewing in the Capitol Rotunda was expected.

The Ford Museum lobby will be open 24 hours a day until further notice, and the museum's other areas, including all exhibit galleries and the gift store, will be closed during this period. Ford likely will finally be laid to rest on the presidential grounds at the museum.

On the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan, the Ford Library lobby will be open for visitors for approximately seven days beginning Thursday. The Library's research room will be closed during this period.

The New York Stock Exchange will close in observance of Ford’s death, which has long been tradition, most likely on the day of his funeral.

Ford's lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda will take an act of Congress. Republican leaders could come to Washington to seek unanimous consent from empty chambers if the family wants Ford to lie in state.

Little information about his death was available early Wednesday, though sources revealed he died at his home at 6:45 p.m. EST Tuesday.

Ford's chief of staff called Bush Chief of Staff Josh Bolten at 10:25 p.m. EST to inform the president of the death. The president called Ford's widow, Betty Ford, to express his condolences just after midnight.

In a written statement issued late Tuesday night, the president described Ford as a "great American" who dedicated many years of his life to service to the country.

"With his quiet integrity, common sense and kind instincts, President Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the presidency," Bush said.

Other notables also expressed condolences for the death of the president who served in the aftermath of Watergate and was known as a healer for a nation suffering after the Vietnam War and political scandal that forced Nixon's resignation.

"I was proud to know President Ford and to have served in the White House as his chief of staff," Vice President Dick Cheney said.

"He was a dear friend and mentor to me until this very day. I feel a great sense of loss at his passing, and Lynne and our daughters join me in offering heartfelt sympathy to Betty Ford and her entire family."

Ford was "one of the most admirable public servants and human beings I have ever known," said former President Jimmy Carter, who defeated Ford in 1976.

"An outstanding statesman, he wisely chose the path of healing during a deeply divisive time in our nation's history," Carter said. "He frequently rose above politics by emphasizing the need for bipartisanship and seeking common ground on issues critical to our nation. I will always cherish the personal friendship we shared."

"Ronnie and I always considered him a dear friend and close political ally," former first lady Nancy Reagan said.

"His accomplishments and devotion to our country are vast, and even long after he left the presidency he made it a point to speak out on issues important to us all. ... I know the days ahead will be very difficult for Betty and my love and deepest sympathy go out to her and the entire Ford family."

"Gerald Ford was a man of modesty, decency and national healing. Although he never aspired to America's highest office, once there he renewed our faith in our nation's system of government. He also earned our affection and respect," added Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the incoming Senate minority leader.

"Gerald Ford and I came from different sides of the aisle," said Sen. John Dingell, D-Mich., "but we forged a wonderful friendship as we served Michigan together in the House of Representatives.

"When his nation called on him to serve this country in the most difficult of times, he rose up and held the country together. It will certainly be his legacy. I will remember him fondly and I will miss him dearly," said Dingell, who will lead the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the 110th Congress.

Several people familiar with Ford told FOX News that he will be known as a very honest and good man who did what he thought was right and didn't bow to political pressure despite his decision to pardon Nixon for crimes related to the Watergate scandal.

"There are just some people who are what they appear to be," said Doug Bailey, one of Ford's political media consultants, who added that Ford's earthy demeanor disarmed people suspicious of him after Nixon had let down so many.

"He demonstrated a completely different kind of presidency" than Nixon, Bailey said. "He was a very, very down-to-Earth guy."

Though often remembered as clumsy, especially after the famous trip down the staircase out of Air Force One, Ford was one of the most athletic presidents. He was a star on the University of Michigan football team and rejected an offer to join the National Football League in order to attend law school.

"He was the best athlete that has ever been in the White House, at least in modern times," said former ABC news director Hal Bruno, who added that Ford got a "bum rap" as a klutz.

Besides his unrecognized physical prowess, Ford himself said he was frequently misunderstood regarding his decision to pardon Nixon, who was the only president to resign from the post.

"If I had not granted a pardon, Mr. Nixon would have been indicted and convicted and there would have been at appeal and there would have been a three- or four-year period ... that issue would be the headline.

"We had to get that off the front page. The only way to do it was to make a decisive mood, grant pardons, and get on with the business of the country," Ford said in an interview with FOX News a few years ago.

"At the time, the public did not generally understand the reasons for the pardon. Time has convinced most people, well over a majority," he said.

Calling Ford "a man of wisdom," former Rep. Bill Archer, D-Texas, who served as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said Ford would have won the 1976 presidential election against Jimmy Carter had Ford not pardoned Nixon in September 1974.

Bruno agreed.

"He took us out of Watergate, he brought us out of Watergate, and those were perilous times. The pardon itself was inevitable. It had to be that way and probably most people knew it and agreed with it," said Bruno, who added that the "clumsy" way the pardon was handled was more Ford's downfall than the pardon itself.

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Need I say more?

"And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men."

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." - Linus Van Pelt

Many thanks to my friend Lori for sending this to me.  Now I would like to pass it along to you.

Subject: Stress

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a
glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20oz.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on
how long you try to hold it.  If I hold it for a minute, that's not a
problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.  If I
hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance."

"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the
heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.  If we
carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes
increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and
rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with
the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. 
Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.  Whatever burdens you're
carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."

Wrong turn

NASCAR champ Johnson breaks wrist in golf cart fall

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson broke his left wrist when he fell off a golf cart during a celebrity tournament, his team said Sunday.

The injury occurred Friday at a tournament in Lecanto, Fla., and will prevent him from driving for at least four weeks. The injury was to his non-shifting hand, and he should be able to participate in preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway next month.

"I was in a golf cart and the driver took a sharp turn," Johnson said in a statement. "I wasn't holding on tight enough, landed awkwardly on the ground and heard a little pop. It was a fluke deal, but fortunately we're in the offseason and I don't plan to miss any additional time."

The Citrus County Chronicle reported that Johnson was laying on the roof of the cart when he fell.

Johnson will not be able to compete in the Race of Champions Nations Cup at the Stade de France in Paris next weekend. Johnson, who teamed with Jeff Gordon and Colin Edwards to win the Nations Cup in 2002, said he will still travel to Paris as a consultant for Team USA.

He was scheduled to team with X-Games champion Travis Pastrana in Paris. A replacement for Johnson was not immediately announced.

"It's disappointing that I can't compete ... but I'll definitely be in Paris to cheer them on and provide any support that I can," he said.

Johnson wrapped up his first NASCAR championship last month and celebrated it Dec. 1 at the annual awards ceremony in New York City. It capped a whirlwind year for Johnson, who won the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway en route to the title.

This is the second consecutive year that NASCAR's reigning champion was injured during the offseason.

Tony Stewart broke his wrist and bruised his ribs last January when he flipped a car during a qualifying race for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. Stewart's arm was placed in a cast, but he was able to compete a month later when the season opened at Daytona.

*Does anyone else find the humor in this? 

By the Letters

December 1st is World AIDS Day. Established by the World Health Organization in 1988, World AIDS Day serves to focus global attention on the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Observance of this day provides an opportunity for governments, national AIDS programs, churches, community organizations and individuals to demonstrate the importance of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

With an estimated 38.6 million people worldwide living with HIV at the end of 2005, and more than 25 million people having died of AIDS since 1981, December 1st serves to remind everyone that action makes a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Americans should be reminded that HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. With an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 HIV- positive individuals living in the U.S., and approximately 40,000 new infections occurring every year, the U.S., like other nations around the world is deeply affected by HIV/AIDS.

From:

http://www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/world/index.html