Former US President Ford dead at 93

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Geronimo


FDR comitted war crimes and LBJ commited the same war crimes as Nixon. I wonder why you have never expressed any frustration with the fact that they were never punished?

Anyway I think that ford thought prosecution of Nixon would do more harm than good and I happen to agree with him. It's perfectly understandable that he would choose to pardon the man.

Learn a bit of history then come talk to me. Those weren't made war crimes until 1946 which was after WW2 had ended while LBJ mostly avoided booming cities and attempted to instead use targeted booming. Nixon didn't.

It is never better to allow the such massive abuses of power and pure lawlessness to go unpunished. Letting Nixon walk away Scot-free robbed the American people of justice.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon
RIP.

And actually, Ford was from Michigan.

OK, I guess he just moved here then.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Learn a bit of history then come talk to me. Those weren't made war crimes until 1946 which was after WW2 had ended while LBJ mostly avoided booming cities and attempted to instead use targeted booming. Nixon didn't.

It is never better to allow the such massive abuses of power and pure lawlessness to go unpunished. Letting Nixon walk away Scot-free robbed the American people of justice.

FDR's authorization of stealing Japanese-Americans' property and forcing them to relocate into desert areas was immoral.

[Dinner]

Sure was. Also the government didn't steal any property though it did deny people use of their property and did detain them. Legally, it was a mixed bag. It is clearly illegal to hold citizens without trial like was done but it is legal to hold enemy nationals during a time of war. The first generation Japanese immigrants were denied citizenship for racist reasons so officially they were still enemy nationals. There kids were born in the US though so they were citizens and their treatment was blatently illegal.

[Odin]

Originally posted by rah
There are many that consider that the statement that lost him the election.

tthat and the pardoning of Nixon.

[rah]

I think the fact that he was making quite a comeback up until that debate showed that he might be able to overcome the pardon.

But you're probably right. He had to know the pardon was going to cost him any future career in politics, which was the top reason why I had to respect him. He did what he thought was right regardless of what it would cost him in the future. Anyone that looks at his life as a whole can't deny that he was basically a good man.

[Hueij]

Too bad Agnew didn't get the chance to replace Nixon. I wonder what the world would look like if he had...

[Dinner]

Agnew could have pardoned himself for his tax evasion.

[Zkribbler]

And Nixon could have pardoned himself for the Watergatge coverup.

[Winston]

Oh. I'm sorry to hear this. Ford - and Nixon - were the first Presidents I was aware of as a young boy. Always liked the man, also in his later years. Having to ascend to the office in such an unconventional way was both his "fortune" and his undoing, I think. I used citations there because I don't believe he actually sought out the Presidency very actively; he took on the responsibility out of a sense of duty more than anything else, which is a highly unusual quality to have in a President. Pity he didn't get to serve longer than he did.

The pardon of Nixon was a necessary first step in the process of healing of the nation, though it may have been perceived differently at the time in its more isolated context by most voters - which is hardly surprising.

R.I.P.

[TCO]

Nixon bombed military targets (some of them in cities, like Haiphong Harbor). My uncle, Fred Palmer was a CAG over there and personally led the HH mission (getting a Navy Cross).

[TCO]

I don't agree with the pardoning. (Neither do I agree that Nixon was evil incarnate as the young pup anti-war reporters seem to want to make him an archetype.) But I just like to see these things settled legally.

[Dinner]

I don't think many people have claimed Nixon was evil incarnate. Just a criminal who should have been forced to do his time.

[TCO]

I think there are a lot of liberal newsies who see him as a prototypical bad guy and who overestimate his crimes.

[TCO]

And the bombing campaign was fine. And a hell of a lot more effective on the NV then "pauses" or "gotta talk to people" of Kerry/Carter types.