ford pardoning nixon didn't 'heal the nation', it harmed it.

[Philosoraptor]

ford was only appointed to end the Watergate scandals and let nixon skate, period. There was no magic 'healing' after he pardoned nixon, I didn't feel healed, I felt heeled by the world's biggest heel. If I remember correctly, millions were outraged, and I never heard anyone say, 'finally, America is healed now'.

The whole debacle was brought to a grinding halt with almost no prosecution, except nixon's underlings, nixon escaped prosecution and impeachment, there was no honor or healing in what ford was placed there to do.

So let them tell you while the funeral goes on that tired old line from the seventies, ford never healed anything, he participated in one of the greatest scams and hoaxes ever, not to mention that other scam and hoax ford was on, the Warren Commission Report.

Showing respect to a former president at his passing is one thing, deifying him to saint hood is another, this guy was no saint, he was jovial, charming to a degree, but he did nothing to be elevated to saint hood over. His legacy is one of shame, not healing.

[sweetheart]

1. infected with the pus of republican criminality

The wound is not healed, the patient is dying from gangreen.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Fords approval ratings went from the 70's to the 30's for good reason

Ford is the guy with a shovel and a garbage can chasing after the elephant and cleaning up shit. He was the cleanup boy.

That was his job.

Don

[ixion]

3. yep, exactly...but it made republicans feel better, therefore 'everyone' was healed

right? :eyes:

The mid to late seventies is often considered to be a lackluster period in our contemporary history. There was inflation... and disco.

IMO, if you want to actually heal the US, the first thing that needs to end is the so-called 'War on Drugs' (not repealed by Mr Ford, nor Carter, and so on).

In fact, end all the 'wars' against abstractions (Drugs, Terror, Christmas), because these 'wars' only exist in our mind, and in doing so they shred the social fabric. Fighting with these shadows on the wall is literally tearing our society apart, ironically in the name of 'healing'.


Please, no more of this type of 'healing'. I don't think we can take much more. :-(

[POAS]

4. I've gone back and forth on this

for years. Ar first I hated the pardon and held that belief for years until I bought into the "heal the nation" argument. Now I'm back in the camp of believers that a trial and conviction of Nixon would have been the right way to go if for no other reason than that it would haveextablished that the President is indeed not above the law.

Ford's cover for Nixon resulted in that same group of Nixon thugs to continue their drive for the "unitary executive" who is above the law.

[cali]

5. No, his legacy is mixed.

And brief pronouncements, invariably devoid of any supporting links, hardly leads to a greater understanding of whatever subject it is that the poster is attempting to explain.

[sniffa]

6. i'm gLad someone finaLLy pointed this out

i'm so sick of everyone on DU praising him, and not a singLe bad word about the guy.

i'm shocked it took you so Long to finaLLy break the ice.

[Solly Mack]

7. Where justice is pushed aside, healing never takes root

Just as there will be no healing unless the Bush administration is held accountable for their crimes.

It really is that simple.

So many of America's problems stem from the ignoring of corruption, crime and hate-filled thinking ...as well as bad policy that has lead to death and destruction and the crushing of the human spirit.

The survivors of Katrina will never truly heal until justice is done by them. They were forgotten and left to die...such a thing just doesn't "heal" without doing right by the victims.

Same with Iraq
Same with Afghanistan
Same with the troops, who have been used and abused by a corrupt and criminal government
Same with all Americans who have been victims of the Bush administration's bad policies and hate-filled thinking.
Same with the people at GTMO and the assorted other secret and not so secret prisons.
Same with all those tortured by America.

No Justice - NO Healing - No Peace.

[HughBeaumont]

8. The stopgap president enabled the BFEE with that pardon.

"If the President does it, it's not illegal."

[flordehinojos]

9. republicans like to pass gas and claim it is perfume.

}(

frankly, i am quite tired of the stench!

[Greg Helmsley]

10. Constitutionally

Someone should introduce an amendment that will allow the senate to override pardons with a 2/3 majority within 2 years to the day of the pardon. What do you all think?

[sellitman]

11. I say....outlaw pardons completely.

If a case needs to be reopened then evidence should be brought before the court and the wheels of justice should take over.

[Philosoraptor]

13. Agreed, it's a stupid escape hatch for the highly connected.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. sure, it can be misused, BUT

and it's a big butt,
there have been plenty of cases where pardons were granted because of a gross miscarriage of justice. and that is precisely the point.

Be careful what you wish for, you may get it.

Who here would support a blanket pardon for all marijuana convictions?

[sellitman]

12. Welcome to DU Greg!

Hope you post often!

[Greg Helmsley]

14. Thanks

The pardon thing always nipped at me and wanted to know anyone elses take on it.

[Lugnut]

15. I was one of those millions

I was outraged. I watched most of the Watergate hearings and was appalled that Nixon was let off the hook.

[snappyturtle]

16. K&R

I couldn't believe Nixon was pardoned. I was in Zermatt, Switzerland with a lot of folks from all over the world and the whole mess was steaming up. Most I was with couldn't believe the American people's response of letting the "crook" off the hook. It was almost embarrassing to be an American.

[philly_bob]

17. Ford was a good guy. Pardoning presidential criminals is a bad practice.

Let every politician know that even for the decent Ford, that pardon came back to smear his memory. Don't make that deal! It may seem like "healing" but the perpetrators stick around to do more damage.

[Blue-Jay]

18. Beating a dead horse, are we?

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. This is agreed.

It sent the wrong message.