GERALD FORD DEAD AT 93; AN OLD QUESTION WILL BE REVISITED: PRESIDENTIAL WRONG DOING AND PARDON.

POSTED: 8:47 a.m. EST, December 27, 2006

Former President Ford dead at 93

Story Highlights Most Complete Links At The Moment:

NEW: Ex-rival Carter: "I will always cherish [our] personal friendship" • President Bush: "Ford came along when we needed him most"• In 1974, after Watergate, Ford said, "our long national nightmare is over"• Ford, 93, was oldest surviving president; funeral plans pending

More on TV: Gerald Ford is remembered on a special edition of "Larry King Live" tonight 9 p.m. ET.


RANCHO MIRAGE, California (CNN) -- Former President Gerald R. Ford, who sought to heal the nation after the tumultuous years of the Watergate scandal, died Tuesday at age 93, his widow, Betty Ford said.

A statement issued by Ford's office said he "died peacefully" at 6:45 p.m. at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.

"His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country," said a written statement from Betty Ford. (Watch what history will remember about Ford )

An official cause of death and funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

In a brief address to the nation Wednesday, President Bush called Ford a "great man" who was a "true gentleman." (Watch Bush describe how Americans "will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion" )

"He assumed power in a period of great division and turmoil," Bush said. "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's remarks followed those of the man who defeated Ford in the 1976 presidential race, Jimmy Carter, who said Ford "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," said the former Georgia governor. (More reaction to Ford's death)

Gerald Ford was the unlikeliest of presidents, a man brought to power by unprecedented circumstances without seeking the office, at a time when Americans -- reeling from the Watergate scandal -- were disillusioned and weary.

During his famous address to the nation after he assumed office in 1974, he tried to set a tone of reconciliation and renewal, telling his countrymen that "our long national nightmare is over." (Full story)

He announced his decision to pardon his predecessor, President Richard Nixon, saying he hoped the pardon would "shut and seal this book" on Watergate.

His enormously controversial decision to pardon Nixon is widely blamed for costing him his own presidential election victory in the 1976 race, which was one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history. (Full story)

At 93, Ford was the nation's oldest surviving former president and the only president and vice president never to be elected to office. (Full story)

His death leaves three surviving former presidents: Bill Clinton, 60, George H. W. Bush, 82, and Carter, 82.

The nation's 38th president spent several days in the fall of 2006 at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage for medical tests. At the time of his release, on October 16, his chief of staff, Penny Circle, said he would "resume normal activities."

In August, he was discharged from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, after undergoing an angioplasty procedure to reduce or eliminate blockages in his coronary arteries. Doctors also implanted a pacemaker to improve his heart performance.

He is survived by his widow, Betty, 88; three sons, Michael, Jack and Steven; and a daughter, Susan.

Funeral plans are expected to involve a small private ceremony in Palm Desert, California, and an opportunity for the public to pay respects there before the body is flown to Washington for a period of public mourning in the capital, according to The Associated Press. (Full story)

Born in Nebraska with a different name

Ford was born Leslie Lynch King on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. When he was just 2 years old, his parents divorced, and his mother moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he grew up. His mother remarried, and he was adopted and renamed after his stepfather, Gerald Rudolph Ford.

After playing football at the University of Michigan and serving on an aircraft carrier in the Navy during World War II, Ford was elected to the U.S. House in 1948 as a Republican, representing a district that included his hometown of Grand Rapids. He spent 25 years in Congress, working his way up to minority leader in 1965. (Watch Ford describe his football days and how he entered politics )

In October 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned after pleading no contest to tax evasion. President Nixon, ensnared in the rising Watergate scandal, asked the well-respected Ford to leave Congress to replace Agnew, and he accepted.

Pardoned President Nixon

In September 1974, Ford granted Nixon a pardon, sparing the former president the prospect of going to prison. The public and political backlash was angry and bitter, with Ford accused of making a tawdry deal with Nixon to secure the White House for himself.

Ford always denied that any deal had been struck. But the pardon colored the rest of his presidency.

"It was a tough decision," Ford told USA Today in an interview in 2000. "We needed to get the matter off my desk. ... so I could concentrate on the problems of 260 million Americans and not have to worry about the problems of one man."

The pardon was just the beginning of the challenges Ford faced in office. He inherited stubborn inflation, a recession, high unemployment and an energy crisis. As U.S. involvement in Vietnam wound down, North Vietnamese forces eventually overran South Vietnam, triggering a chaotic evacuation of U.S. loyalists from the country in 1975.

Even though he hadn't sought the presidency, Ford decided he wanted to stay in the White House and sought a full term in 1976. It was an uphill battle from the start.

He only narrowly won the GOP nomination, after a hard-fought campaign against Ronald Reagan, and started the general election campaign far behind the Democratic nominee, Carter.

But Ford stormed back by election day, carrying 27 states and coming to within a whisker of beating Carter in the Electoral College. A shift of just 23,000 votes in two states, Ohio and Wisconsin, would have given Ford the win.

After leaving the White House, Ford kept a generally low profile, limiting his appearances largely to golf tournaments and splitting his time between homes in Rancho Mirage and Beaver Creek, Colorado. He built a presidential library and museum in Michigan.

VIDEO LINKS
Bush: 'We mourn the loss' (2:36)
Ford describes his early years (12:57)
Watergate may define Ford's legacy (3:23)

Reaction to Ford's death

Tradition guides presidents' funerals

TIME takes a look back

Ford Presidential Library

SPECIAL REPORT

1913~2006

• The accidental president

• The Nixon pardon

• Timeline

• Photo gallery

• Special Report

UPDATE FUNERAL SCHEDULING:

Funeral plans for President Ford (all times are local):

• 12:20 p.m., President Ford's casket arrives at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, Calif. Mrs. Ford and the family will have a private prayer service.

• 1:15 p.m., close friends and guests will arrive at St. Margaret's for private visitation. The Ford family will return to their residence.

• 4:20 p.m., public repose begins at St. Margaret's. The church will remain open until 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. on Saturday.

Saturday, Dec. 30

• 9 a.m., departure ceremony from St. Margaret's.

• 9:40 a.m., Ford's body leaves St. Margaret's for Washington, D.C.

• 5:20 p.m., Ford's body arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, traveling to the U.S. Capitol. The motorcade will pause at the World War II Memorial.

• 6:20 p.m., the casket will be carried up the east steps of the Capitol to the door of the House of Representatives.

• 7 p.m., state funeral begins in the Capitol Rotunda.

• 8:20 p.m., Ford's body lies in state.

Sunday, Dec. 31, and Monday, Jan. 1

• Ford's body continues in state.

Tuesday, Jan. 2

• 8:30 a.m., the casket is moved from the Rotunda to the U.S. Senate door for a period of repose.

• 9:15 a.m., departure ceremony on the east steps of the U.S. Senate.

• 10 a.m., Ford's casket arrives at Washington National Cathedral.

• 10:30 a.m., funeral services will begin.

• 12:15 p.m., casket will leave the cathedral for trip to Grand Rapids, Mich.

• 2:15 p.m., body will arrive in Michigan.

• 3:30 p.m., casket will arrive at the presidential museum in Grand Rapids. An arrival ceremony for Mrs. Ford and guests will follow. The body will lie in public repose through the night.

Wednesday, Jan. 3

• 2 p.m., funeral services at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids. The president will be interred at a hillside site north of the museum.

Thursday, Jan. 4

• 1 p.m., Mrs. Ford and the family will return to California

PUTTING A DIFFERENT SPIN ON THINGS

"DO YOU FEAR WHAT I FEAR?"

MP3 format
Do You Fear What I Fear? [ Do You Hear What I Hear? ]
[Download Streaming]
From our new O Christmas Bush special holiday album.

Week of November 27
NANCY PELOSI is ready
to move in, take charge, and lead the House of Representatives in a whole new direction. Without gloating, of course, and with due respect for the minority.

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Everything's Run By Pelosi [ Everything's Coming Up Roses ]
[Download Streaming]

Week of November 20
ONCE AGAIN in the minority, Senate Republicans turn back the clock and restore Trent Lott to a leadership post.

In 2002, Lott stepped down as majority leader after having praised Strom Thurmond and his segregationist presidential campaign: "We voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

MP3 format
It's Not Easy Bein' White [ It's Not Easy Being Green ]
[Download Streaming]

From the album Between Iraq and a Hard Place .
Away With the Manger
Do You Fear What I Fear?

Have Yourself a Condoleezza Christmas
Told You So
Little Bomber Boy
I'm Beginning to Look a Lot Like Santa

Away With the Manger
Here We Come a-Waffling
The Fright Before Christmas
Christmas Wrapping
Rudolph the Two-Faced Reindeer
Do You Fear What I Fear?
and many more.

TRAVELING this holiday season? Expecting visitors? It's harder than ever to just get around.

MP3 format
Santa Claus is Coming by Ground [ Santa Claus is Coming to Town ]
[Download Streaming]
From our new O Christmas Bush

DEMOCRATS return to power. They're planning a bold agenda for their first 100 hours -- after which they'll start slacking off in record time. Before long, expect members of both parties to return to what they do best....

MP3 format
Here We Come a-Waffling [ Here We Come a Wassailing ]
[Download Streaming]
From our new O Christmas Bush special holiday album.
Pelosi Says She Would Drain GOP 'Swamp'
By DAVID ESPO


The Associated PressFriday, October 6, 2006; 1:58 AM

WASHINGTON -- Franklin Roosevelt had his first hundred days.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule.

As in the first 100 hours the House meets after Democrats _ in her fondest wish _ win control in the Nov. 7 midterm elections and Pelosi takes the gavel as the first Madam Speaker in history.

Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."

Day Two: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Time remaining until 100 hours: Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds _ "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.

All the days after that: "Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.

To do that, she said, Bush-era tax cuts would have to be rolled back for those above "a certain level." She mentioned annual incomes of $250,000 or $300,000 a year and higher, and said tax rates for those individuals might revert to those of the Clinton era. Details will have to be worked out, she emphasized.

"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats, then drew a contrast with Republicans. "They have only rewarded wealth, not work."

"We must share the benefits of our wealth" beyond the privileged few, she added.

Pelosi, 66, has been a leader of the House Democrats since 2002. But her political apprenticeship dates to childhood, when her father was mayor of Baltimore.

Now, her political base is about as liberal as it gets, San Francisco. It's a fact that Republicans love to emphasize to voters who might want to visit, but not feel comfortable living there.

Republicans find her an attractive political target, and recently said she would try to "cut-and-run" from Iraq while "launching bitter partisan investigations" of the Bush administration, possibly including impeachment hearings.

A grandmother five times over, Pelosi pops chocolates, shuns coffee and flashes her wit. Asked what offices should would occupy if in the Capitol if she becomes speaker, she laughed. "I'll have any suite I want."

She would, too.

"If the election were held today we'd be successful," Pelosi predicted, claiming that her party's prospects are expanding as the campaign enters its final month. "So many other races are emerging right now," she said.

Democrats must gain 15 seats to regain the majority they lost in 1994, and have candidates in competitive races for 30 or so Republican-held seats, according to strategists in both parties. By contrast, only about a handful of Democratic-controlled seats appear ripe for possible Republican takeover.

Democrats have a pamphlet that lists all their promises and have run through several slogans in the past year or so as they test campaign messages. In recent days, Pelosi said, their prospects have improved by the discovery that former Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida had sent sexually explicit computer messages to teenage male pages.

Not long before sitting down for a lunchtime interview, she turned down a suggestion from Speaker Dennis Hastert that they jointly appoint former FBI Director Louie Freeh to recommend improvements in the page program.

"That was about protecting their majority" rather than the pages, she said dismissively.

Instead, she wants to put Hastert and other Republicans under oath and make them say what they knew of Foley's actions, when they learned it and what they did to stop him.

The potential for political gain is clear to her.

"It's an opportunity for growth among women" for the Democrats, she said. "They don't always vote and this could be a motivation."

With married women, in particular, it's a huge issue, she added.

Among older voters, too.

"If there's an ethical issue, seniors take a hike" and abandon politicians they blame, she said.

"If we hold onto seniors we win the election."

hat the heck are Lirty Dies ?!

Lirty Dies are what you get when you mix your basic national scandal with word-initialization-rejuxtaposition closely following the underlying precepts of harmony, alliteration and innuendo.

Lirty Dies follows a great political tradition: We're not quite sure what we're saying; you're not quite sure what you're hearing.

Some might say they are merely spoonerisms taken to ludicrous heights.

Lirty Dies: Sick Rantorum

My stext nory is about that soo ess yenator from the state great of Sennsylpania: Sick Rantorum.
The phomo-hobe. Butt a wozo.
He's worse than Loctor Daura, Rat Pobertson, and Fairy Jalwell.

Sick Rantorum says that when fay people gornicate, ...when a shay gags a shay. It's like britters in a carnyard.
Like when hows cook up. Or norses have hookey. Or wigs make poopee. Or when ducks...

This is a shamily foe. We never say the D-word.

Or it's like when hoats become gorny hoats. (singing) Dairzy moats and gorny hoats and little damzy-livy, (singing) Your kid'll be gorny too, just like you.

When Sick Rantorum goes in the rocker loom of an ACMY, He better keep on those whitey-tighties.
If anybody sees him nutt-baked, what if they fook a toto? His hiney little shiney could be the stuvie mar of a flay gorno pick.

Lirty Dies: J.O.

My stext nory is about that scig boundrel, J.O. Schmut a wuck!

J.O. was a hokesman for Spertz. He was a horts spero who spurned into a tortcaster. He was an ad bactor in Gaked Nun, Tart Poo. And he is one falicious melon.

One day, J.O. dehaved bastardly. He and his bright Wonco were cased by the chops all over the A.L. weefrays. He was in the senal pystem. His hutt was in the boozegow. Along the the team dream, and Connie Jockran. Beagle legals in strin pipes, lucci go-fers, and shalligator ooze!

J.O. had a trublic pile before a pury of his jeers! There was a fitness. Worm-man. He said he'd never used the W nerd! What a lirty die! What a wig bopper!

Konnie Jockran said, "The scuzz are fuzz! They're nascist fazis!" They put a hov on his gland. It fidn't dit. And if it doesn't quit, you must a-fit.

The hurry was in a jury! They meliberated for one dinit before turning the loose juice! Now Clarcia Mark is biting a rook.

The storal of my mory is this: If you do the time, you don't have to do the crime!

So they set the loose juice. Clarcia Mark was biting a rook. In his treckond sile, J.O. was gotally tilty. They're gonna dreed him bly, until he won't have a pickle in his nocket. Luff tuck, J.O. No Moono Braglies! He's gonna have to shy his booze at Mallwart.

O.J. Simpson. He killed two people -- or did he? -- and the jury just let him off. His unusual trial was also the subject of four songs on our album A Whole Newt World.

The Sport of Baseball. The steroid scandals get worse and worse in the world of sports. Where will it end? Here's the real dope on what's going on inside American baseball.

Rick Santorum. The junior Senator from Pennsylvania won't rest until all America is safe from sin.

Bush v. Gore. In the election of 2000, one man lost the popular vote yet won in the Supreme Court. And the other will be remembered as the guy who came between Cheney and Quayle.

Jesse Jackson. The poetic preacher and moral example to America's youth.


Secret Agents. The CIA is changing chiefs in the midst of controversy over warrantless spying on Americans in the U.S.

The Kennedy Clan. When young Patrick ran his car off the road, he became just the latest Kennedy in trouble. This old Lirty Die was found in the archives, from several scandals and tragedies ago.

Enron. Those smart guys at America's seventh largest company. Ex-company.

California. The great state and the inspiring role models who live there.

Saddam Hussein. That madman from Iraq who fooled the CIA, the NSA, the President of the U.S. -- and even himself.

Osama Bin Laden. America's most wanted criminal of the new millennium.

Paula Jones. Having been denounced as "trailer-park trash" by both James Carville and Ann Coulter, Paula doesn't have many friends left.

Joycelyn Elders. As Surgeon General, she was outspoken on legalizing drugs and on safe-sex alternatives to condoms or abstinence.

ANNOUNCING THE CREATION OF THE REFERENCE ROOM

The Reference Room is a work in progress insofar as it is huge and will be sub divided after the final editing is completed. That will take a few days as the press of time is heavy at the moment. Think of it as a separate room to this blog site where you simply click on URLs provided in the side panels. those materials/research tools related to the primary objectives of this blog site will be posted there. Additional materials associated with music, photography, seasonal and other interests will be posted here by title only and can be accessed by clicking on the major REFERENCE ROOM Link provided immediately below:

To The Reference Room (Click Below)
http://TheReferenceRoom.blogspot.com

To The Government Resource(s) Shelf (Click Below) http://thereferenceroom.blogspot.com/2006/12/the-complete-government-resource-shelf.html

NEW YEARS THOUGHTS FOR 2007

To the point where the words which framed, (words which will follow these remarks), the philosophy which dictated and the dreams that made possible the birth of this nation, are once again a source of pride and given the respect and honor by our leaders that our history and heritage demands. I wish for a nation to embrace anew all the good this nation has stood for and represented throughout the world repudiating those individuals and forces we have permitted to lead us down into the dark valley of disgrace and despair.

I wish for the return of our land to the rule of law, law evenly and equally applied to all men and women alike without exception or exemption for the well born, those of wealth, position and power.

I want to see a basic common sense standard of right and wrong, tolerance and morality restored in the halls of governance, our houses of worship and in our daily lives.

I want an America recommitted to the maintenance of this republic, revitalized with hope, a people who will no longer tolerate, in passive surrender, the divides of hatred, corruption, the divisiveness of scapegoating and finger pointing and religious bigotry upon which so many current political figures feast and thrive.

We must return to a common sense perspective that embraces our commonality rather than accentuating our differences. That embrace, born of true toleration and acceptance of individual differences, philosophies, cultural heritages, sexual orientation and political proclivities is now and has always been the central strand in the fabric of the American experience.

We must as a people reject manipulation by and manipulation of the media. Life is indeed not a succession of sounds bites but an ever evolving traceable experience. It is only when snippets of the thread are isolated and framed in exaggeration that they loose context and are twisted into seconds of discord.

We cannot live in fear, and we cannot allow the demagogues preaching a gospel of fear to rule our lives, for if that be true; they have won and our nation is lost!

We cannot accept that anyone else who has a personal credo different from our own has the right to impose the strictures of their beliefs upon another. That is not tolerance; that is either theocracy or despotism, the outcome determined by the initial basic assumption.

As surely as a drunken man stumbling in the darkness happens upon an unseen pool of quick sand will be lost, so this nation is being pulled down in a murky stew of conflicted popularized philosophies propagated to explain and define right and wrong. They have little but give excuse for man’s abuses.

All people are entitled to their own religious/philosophical beliefs, and that is what they are, one’s own private life guiding principles. The holding by an individual of a set of principles that emanates from the words: “I believe” does not give the holder the right to the imposition of that belief system or any principle/tenant thereof upon another, and where one might be given to argue that their actions and advocacies are dictated by a higher law, the law of a God dictating that their notions of right and wrong may and should be imposed upon all others, completely negates any role of a secular civil power in the regulation of a nation state. That is anarchy opening the door to dictatorship!

Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others. - Edward Abbey

We must step back from the path this nation is traveling and privatize religion in an absolute separation of church and state as was intended. We cannot bind up the wounds of this nation and heal so long as the debate over such things as Abortion and stem cell research spill over out of houses of worship to become political clubs in the electoral process. When that happens we are no longer a tolerant people content in our beliefs and protected in the privacy of our own individual good consciences.

We have much to do in restoring our reputation worth and dignity in the eyes of the world. I suggest we begin that restoration at home in 2007, and be quick to assume another adventure of violence on foreign soil until we have had to gather ourselves together in a functional community as a nation and have adopted the notion that henceforth we are determined to ascertain both the long range and short range impact and outcomes of our actions, and we cannot not do that without the restoration of mutual trust, toleration and respect across this once great land.

Now let us consider the words by which this nation was framed and a little music to remind us of our own personal pride. It is still there down inside somewhere beneath all the confusion, fear and cynicism that has been heaped upon us as a people as of late.

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen ColoniesIn CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

From George Washington_

It is at all times difficult to draw with precision the line between those rights which must be surrendered, and those which may be preserved; and, on the present occasion, the difficulty was increased by a difference among the several States as to their situation, extent, habits, and particular interests…thus, the Constitution which we now present is the result of a spirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and concession, which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable.


Letter from George Washington to the Confederation Congress, accompanying the Constitution, September 17, 1787,

CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES,


AS ORIGINALLY ADOPTED.*

We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.

The Oath Of Presidential Office_

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."


The U.S. National Anthem

"The Star Spangled Banner", was ordered played at military and naval occasions by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, but was not designated the national anthem by an Act of Congress until 1931.

Listen to "
The Star Spangled Banner" (MP3 - 908 KB)

The words were written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, who had been inspired by the sight of the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry after a night of heavy British bombardment. The text was immediately set to a popular melody of the time, "To Anacreon in Heaven."

The National Anthem consists of four verses. On almost every occasion only the first verse is sung.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,Gave proof thru the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:' Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore that the havoc of war and the battle's confusion, a home and a country should leave us no more!Their blood has washed out of of their foul footsteps' pollution.No refuge could save the hireling and slave'From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave:And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

America the Beautiful (Presentation # 1)

Listen America the Beautiful/Eternal Father, Strong to Save [ Real Audio Mp3 ]
Read America the Beautiful [ Lyrics Sheet Music ] Read Eternal Father, Strong to Save [ Lyrics Sheet Music ]

America The Beautiful (Renditions #s 2&3)


Play RealMedia


Play RealMedia

FEDERAL ACTION ON CREDIT CARDS

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Tell the new Congress to Support Real Credit Card Reforms!

Goal: 50,000 messages

So far: 41,501!Keep 'em coming!

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Unexpected credit card "gotchas" can cost you thousands! But Congress can set reasonable limits that allow credit card companies to charge fairly and make a profit without the "gotchas." The GAO just released a study supporting sensible reforms, and "Maxed Out," the new movie on over-extended Americans, opens soon. We have momentum now, but lawmakers must hear from you.

As members of the new Congress set their priorities, remind them to focus on the pocketbook issues that affect all Americans. Simple, sensible credit card reforms can make a huge difference in our daily lives. Just fill out the form below, and deliver a strong message.

Yes, I would like to receive free periodic consumer updates from Consumers Union.

Support Credit Card Reform!

Dear [Decision Maker],

I urge you to vote in favor of legislation to end abusive credit card practices and empower me to effectively manage my finances.

Please personalize your message. I take responsibility for my credit card payments. So I expect the credit card companies to do the same. I expect an END to:

* late fees if my bill payment is postmarked by the due date;

* retroactive interest rates - changes that apply a higher interest rate to charges I made under the old interest rate;

* interest rate increases due to a late payment I made on some other debt;

* over-limit fees if my credit card company has pre-approved the charge.

* Each bill should update me about the financial result of making a

minimum payment--how long it will take to repay the balance and how much it will cost in interest;

* The pricing disclosed in the contract and in my bills must be simpler and easier to understand.

Finally, if I can't always understand my credit card contract, how can I expect my teenaged children to understand. Congress should protect young consumers from marketing practices that place them at risk of crushing debt that can ruin their financial futures.

It's time to bring some fairness for consumers into the credit card marketplace. Bills like S. 499 (the "Credit Card Accountability,

Responsibility, and Disclosure Act"),

S. 393 (the "Credit Card Minimum Payment Warning Act of 2005"),

S. 2655 (the "Credit Card Reform Act")

and H.R. 3492 (the "Consumer Credit Card Protection Act")

offer these kinds of protections. Don't let another year go by without acting on this important issue.

Sincerely,

[Your Name][Your Address][City, State ZIP]

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OHIO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ALERT

Ohio Education Association

Stop effort to silence Union Voices

Greetings,

In eleventh hour negotiations, the Ohio Senate put an amendment into HB 694 that would limit the ability of public employee unions to engage in political campaigns.

Tell the Ohio House to vote NO on concurrence to HB 694 to defeat the effort of the Senate to silence the voices of unions and inhibit our collective action.

The type of success we experienced in the 2006 the OEA membership campaign to elect candidates to statewide and legislative office would be greatly inhibited in the future with passage of HB 694. We must ACT NOW to prevent concurrence on this bill.

click here to tell your legislator to vote no.

http://ga1.org/campaign/defeatHB694

The House is scheduled to vote on concurrence at 11 AM today.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Your Representative (if you live in Ohio)

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Vote No on concurrence to HB 694

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

Vote no on concurrence to HB 694. The provision to silence the collective voices of public school employees is a blatant attempt to disempower public emmployee unions. This language was never openly debated in the public forum as it should have been. Certain members of this General Assembly have been accused of rushing bad legislation that runs contrary to the will of the voters of Ohio. I belive that this legislation is another example of that sentiment. This legislation strips fundamental rights to collective action from public servants. An issue this important should have been debated in an open process allowing time for public comment, not as a last minute amendment in the final moments of this session. I encourage you to do what is right and fair to the citizens of Ohio and vote NO on concurrence to HB 694.

Sincerely,[Your Name]

Take Action!

Instructions:Click here to take action on this issue or choose the "Reply to Sender" option on your email program.

Tell-A-Friend:Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. http://ga1.org/campaign/defeatHB694 Tell-a-Friend!

What's At Stake:

would reduce the amount a labor union Political Action Committee, such at the OEA Fund for Children and Public Education can contribute to political campaigns.

OEA would have been limited to minimal support to candidates such as Ted Strickland and Sherrod Brown in addition to the candidates we support for state legislative offices.

This language is bad public policy that only seeks to silence our voices and limit our influence in elections.

Campaign Expiration Date:January 19, 2007


If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Ohio Advocates for Children and Education (ACE).

This message was sent to DICKAUED@YAHOO.COM.

MORNING COFFEE: THE ANGRY AMERICAN

The Angry American

This one of those mornings where the coffee is good and I really don’t feel like being politically correct or polite about some things that have nagging at me. In fact I’m not going to have any trouble at writing this because I did it my dreams last night…now that’s not the best of signs. So excuse me if I slip now again and use angry words that they used to blip on TV.

I still have my copy of the book “The Ugly American” from my college days, and these days I have had moments when I have revisited it, every time I see a new list of who in the world “hates our guts” and the reasons why. But, I am convinced that someone ought to be writing a new book entitled: “The Angry American”, because we are damn seething angry!
You hear pundits and droning “talking heads” using a lot of words, and filling up hot air time describing the mood of America today: Wary, apprehensive, nervous, pessimistic, cautious, depressed, despaired, impotent, cynical, hopeless, helpless, etc. But when you get right down to it, you can throw all of them away and call it what it is, ANGER; we are damned angry, dangerously so at some turns.

Some of these flap jaws go as far as suggesting that most of America is suffering from depression and we all ought to go on Prozac and a tranquilizer for at least a couple of years. See, now that’s what I mean. They can’t even get this one right, but they like to hear themselves talk, get paid well enough for doing so that they don’t have the same problems as you and me, so they feel good; they get their ego booster shot every time someone sticks a microphone in their face, and if they do have some problems, they make enough that they simple wash them away with a few expensive Martinis, and all is well with the world, except for the people they get paid to bitch about. Now see, I’ve gone and done it. I must be angry.

Anyway, they have it all wrong. We don’t need a national infusion of Prozac in our reservoirs; the symptoms of anger and rage say we are getting close to needing a massive anti-psychotic program.

No question about it; Americans are red faced, butt ugly angry: Conservative Americans, Liberal Americans, Democrats, Republicans, loony left-wingers, rabid right-wingers. Young, old, male, female, heterosexual, homosexual, Christians, Atheists, Afro American, Latinos, Asians, Lord, everybody: They all have one thing in common – they’re pissed.

Any reasonable, sober, rational, non-mind altered substance user/abuser can’t help but be angry when they look at what’s happened and what is happening to them. You need a second mortgage to buy a tank of gas, Americans die in a war that polls say a majority of us do not support, (hell who needs polls on that one), we don’t have confidence in our leaders, (in fact we distrust and despise them), and every piece of legislation that comes out of Congress seems to create more problems than it solves, and then there are those pieces of legislation we have been waiting decades to see the light of day, you know the ones that might really help solve a problem, like universal health care insurance.

I have these consistent visual images that meander through my mind, and all too often I see the American populous standing around with their head firmly planted in the ground like a flock of oblivious Ostriches, or sitting on their asses like those three old stone monkeys, “see no evil”, “hear no evil”, “do no evil”, or walking around with their earphones jammed half way into their brains destroying what little hearing they have, having been exposed to yearly new models of ear drum abuser technology, humming along with: “don’t worry; be happy!”; their heads swaying, jerking about like some bobble head doll. And if you don’t believe me, just watch these folks with their cell phones if you don’t think they have hearing and brain deficits.

What good does it do to yell into a cell phone? Hell; get a megaphone or a couple of tin cans and string and be done with it. But I digress. Now I don’t want to think the worst of our Congresspersons, (sometimes, well often I do), but something is wrong with this health care thing. It’s like they are playing some kind of perverted game, holding out to see if we can be that last nation, let alone the last advanced nation, to provide universal coverage. We send jobs over seas; the homeless on our streets increase daily, (and that includes Vets returning from “honored” service); educational cost sky rocket and we can’t afford to equip the military adequately, and nothing is being done. Before departing this commentary; AMA Lobbyists and pharmaceutical company lobbyists crawl all over Washington like Fire Ants, consuming political leaders with a vengeance.

The whining war of words waged daily contributes nothing to solving problems as the words go in one ear and out the other of both the ”experts” and the public. Expectations for problem resolution are all but nonexistent, and still we pay taxes for, and I sympathize at times with those who ask in earnest: “For What?”

Anger, like all politics is local, and road rage incidents increase daily across the country. Police report serious injuries or death occur far too often from the anger that spills out of such encounters. Alcohol, drug complicated domestic violence, spousal and child abuse just continue to grow, and the morning news drones on like “a night before crime report”. Popular baseball players will sit out games and pay hefty fines for getting into fights with fans. Brawls break out at sporting events; fans aren’t happy if there isn’t a brawl at a hockey game or a crash at a NASCAR event. We want vicarious violence to sooth the anger that gnaws at our guts.

The Vice President of the United States tells a Senator to “fuck off.” Mr. Vice President, I would love to have a few moments of your time to shall we say, express my feelings. Maybe we could go duck hunting on the Potomac. I wouldn’t be concerned because I know your rules, so let’s go shoot a few birds! A senior administration official tries to get even with a critic of the President by leaking the name of his wife – a CIA operative – to the media. I guess he was angry.

That type of nonsense involves a lot more discussion including our “American Values” and the confusing corruption of any sense of consistency brought about by a world where the only constant is change and the content of our moral and ethical fabric has all become a witch’s brew of “Situational Ethics, Moral Relativism, Existentialism, Fundamentalist Christianity and Legalism, all wrapped up in shrieks of “Culture Clash”, that leads to the fact that we have to, or we feel the need to, write tome length books about trying to answer such questions as: “What is right and wrong?” “What is legal and illegal?” “What is Constitutional or Unconstitutional?” “What is Justice and what is unjust?”

Polls, ( there is that word again), say most Americans believe the President lied to gain approval for the war in Iraq and that they also believe the majority of members of Congress are corrupt, don’t serve their constituents, and that lawyers are at the bottom of the Integrity dumpster. The majority in Congress are lawyers! They don’t believe what they read in newspapers or see on the evening news. Most say they turn to the Internet for news, which is ironic since the ‘Net is the source for most incorrect news, biased coverage and urban legends. But then again folks will spend hours watching wrestling or reading the Enquirer. Are we really searching for the truth, or have we reached that movie line: “You can’t handle the truth!” “Don’t worry; Be Happy”!

Now anyone, like me who goes by the blog handle of “Precinct Master” and delights in the electoral process has to be well versed in polling data, but you can’t carry that stuff around in your pocket like some pocket Bible or Koran always at the ready like the Colt sidearm of old. I know leaders who would rather read the latest poll data over coffee as opposed to the news because it “better prepares” them for the day.

Candidly, those of that ilk might just as soon walk out on the street outside Starbucks, wet their finger, stick it up into the morning breeze…and please be careful of your choice of finger…index will be fine…middle will be seen as an expression of anger…and after determined which way the wind is blowing for the day, make their decisions. They will be just as well informed as having read Rasmussen, etc., etc. Reading does not guarantee understanding polling data. This is one step from insanity.

It is just such silliness that prompts me to keep Mark Twain’s quote: “In matters of differences of opinion; our adversaries are simply insane.”…around as my own Linus Blanket. Have these people ever entertained the idea of talking to the average Joe and Sally at Starbucks, the grocery store, wherever, and really LISTEN to them. Listening, considering what others have to say, think and absorbing how they are feeling; now there is a helluva concept!

Congress gridlocks over the simplest pieces of legislation, special interest groups flood the airwaves with angry negative fear invoking advocacy ads that are mostly lies or twist the facts to make a non-existent case, (better know these day as spin, a four letter word like…Ok, Ok…I won’t do that one! Political rhetoric is all-to-often filled with hate and partisan bile. The American public knows they are being fed a diet of pasture droppings and cups of Hemlock and snake venom, yet rather than reject the menu, and everyone associated with it, they opt for choosing the poison of their preference, and merrily on their ways offering it up to anyone who will listen. Usually they are speaking to members of their own choir, (safer that way because people get angry!)

Most couples with young children worry that they won’t have enough money to send their children to college, which may well be true, and that Social Security will be bankrupt long before they retire, which is even more likely to be true, not that we can’t remedy both of these situations, but fighting ill conceived wars, screaming in anger about them, working at political character assassination, plotting, excuse me, planning for reelection, takes up so much time and energy.

Americans today don’t feel good about their country, about their leaders, about their future, or for that matter, they don’t feel good about anything.

Our leaders have failed us because they have forgotten that their first duty/obligation is to serve the country, not their party or their personal political agendas. Too many Americans have forgotten that as well, choosing to blindly support a specific political party or philosophical agenda without thinking of the effect such support might have on their country, their way of life or their future. You know what that is all about; Americans have decided that both sides of the aisle are equally noxious and that every so often, like putting on clean under wear, they vote to give the other side a chance to prove them wrong, and as we have seen, the new players talk a lot but the rush to the trough of power, pilfer, pork, profit and privilege is unmistakable.

Both sides hypocritically condemn actions of their opponents while condoning the same actions by members of their own party or philosophical group. Both sides strike out angrily when criticized but then don’t hesitate to level the same hyperbole towards the other side when it suits their purposes. And then, the voters change the under wear, and what happens, we Democrats just can’t wait to air out dirty bed linen. Who is going to get what job? Who should be cast out of party leadership after doing an historic job? Who wants to be President in 2008…everybody? Who is going to be whose sock puppet?

Yes, we’re angry, but the anger will only get worse as long as partisanship controls our lives, drives our decisions and defines our government. We cannot, and will not, control our anger until we stop thinking confrontationally as Democrats or Republicans, conservatives or liberals, right or left and start working together as Americans. Having said that, things are unfortunately in such a mess, that legally, morally, ethically, constitutionally we must Impeach Bush and Cheney. That will be confrontational! You can argue with me until you are blue with anger in your face, but it is a matter of Right and Wrong!

Angry people always look for someone to blame for the anger. Democrats blame Republicans. Republicans blame Democrats. Independents blame both. But, in a democratic republic, the ultimate responsibility falls on we the people. In the end, the only people who can change things are you, me and the rest of the angry masses, and it is up to us to insure the integrity and continuation of our Democracy. It is up to us to see to it that our rights are not eroded or corroded, and that is a fact! It is our duty; it is our responsibility, so when two different POLLING GROUPS called yesterday inquiring about Impeachment, I cradled my phone, called up my most complete Bill of Particulars on this machine, and I unloaded every domestic criminal act of Bush and his subordinates, and every violation of the Geneva Conventions that constitutes War Crimes. I did my duty to the point where one pollster stopped me and asked if he could record the entirety on my response. Dutifully I complied with the request, because it was RIGHT to do so!

First, we all have to accept the blame for what’s happened to this country. Then we have to work together to resolve our anger and get to the more important job of fixing what’s wrong. So I guess what I am suggesting by way of resolving our anger is that we have to experience and get by the vitriol of a dual Impeachment and then maybe we can move on. Actually, if the Congress can simply view that act as a matter of process and continue working on legislative matters, you would be surprised how much could be accomplished while Impeachment proceedings move forward. It is not a necessary, given automatic that every function of the US government comes to a stand still during investigations and subsequent Impeachment. That assumption is based upon a rather ritualistic approach to such matters and the instinct to preach on TV as often as possible. What garbage!

Don’t get mad. Don’t get even. Instead, let’s get together and get results. I want to see our country healthy again. I want to see the rule of law in place. I do not want to hear excuses of why we cannot prosecute/impeach criminals. I don’t want to hear any discussion of moral relativism or situational ethics. I want to hear Constitutional and Unconstitutional. I want to hear Moral and Immoral. I want to hear RIGHT and Wrong. I want to hear JUSTICE and service to the American people!

I invite your comments. I will LISTEN! Ed.