Gerald Ford is dead - no headlines

[Old Hippie]

I'll agree with that. Nixion (while perhapes a good president in terms of *some relations* (recognizing China and USSR...if that was actually a good move?), should have been made to pay for his crimes. As Reagan (another republican) should have been made to pay for his crimes in "Iran-Contra gate"for which he was caught dead to rights and could well have been impeached.

 

But I blame the democrates in both cases, and in the case of GWB as well, seems they just don't have the balls for impeachment...

[elef]

The constitution is very unclear about the right to pardon

he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

 

Section 4. The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

 

compare this with

 

for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in

 

when is an offence an offence? from a legal POV just after court decides so

here the president is first acting as judge and decides that Nixon has commited crimes which he doesn't have the power to do and in the next sentence pardons him

 

could he have pardoned him for future crimes also - sure as soon as you have left the foundation that offences are decided by courts

 

IMO the pardon is illegal and unconstitutional

 

 

[Old Hippie]

"...could he have pardoned him for future crimes also..."

 

 

Mty understanding is, yes, *but* only crimes committed related to what he is being pardoned for...inother words, if it is later determined he committed another crime related to watergate, he would in theory already have been pardoned...not sure this has ever been tested in court though.

[gene1944]

Flashermac:

Wish we had somebody like Gerald Ford in the White House now, instead of Buffalo Bob.

 

Please show some respect for the honorable late Buffalo Bob.

 

 

[Flashermac]

Kawabonga, you're right. But even Flubadub would be an improvement.

 

 

[foreigner]

under the tutor ship of Cheney, Rumsfeld & Kissenger Ford was one of the greatest butchers to sit in the democracy spreading whitehouse:

http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2003/13.html

 

President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave the green light to Suharto's 1975 invasion of East Timor.

 

As many as 230,000 East Timorese died as a result of Indonesia's invasion and the 23-year occupation of the country. As much as one third of the population died as a result of starvation, disease from 1976 to 1999. According to Amnesty International, East Timor represents one of the worst cases of genocides in the 20th century

 

Benevolent America spreading democracy.

[elef]

According to Amnesty International, East Timor represents one of the worst cases of genocides in the 20th century

 

Really?? Have they never heard of Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Khmer Rouge, Rwanda and many other.

[Old Hippie]

This is an over used claim "one of the worst..." It implies something is awful, but doesn't quite/really say just exactly how awful. It also leavs room for corrections such as "...oh, I said one of the worst, not THE worst..." It seems everything these days is "one of the worst..." whatevers...

[foreigner]

I stand corrected .. over 200,000 dead is of no consequence.

 

200,000 mothers / fathers / children / brothers / sisters is far less than a coma in future history books

 

& by this reasoning why is 9 11 ever mentioned? ..9 11 is = to far less than a cum stain in a Victoria's Secrets catalog.

 

stupid question: How many innocents killed is significant ..

say = to a semicolon , ;, in the history books?

 

f' 200,000 ..

Ford was a benevolent prez spreading democracy & supporting kind rulers like Mohammad Suharto.

"His (Suharto) rule, however, caused the politicals purges and deaths of millions of Indonesians"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suharto

ah, 1,000,000s now we're talking punctuation!

 

I'm outa here.

just reporting some facts & not intending to instigate argument on the relative perceptions of white on brown vs white on white mass murder.

 

 

 

 

 

[Old Hippie]

Ah, but youfail to understand, thosekilled on 9-11,w ere mostly Americans, hence far more importantthan other people killed in a far off land, who do not worship the same god. You see, inside every forigner (such as yourself perhapes, I mean foreigner means non American right?) is an American just yearning to be free and have democracy, even if they need to die to get it. All part of the ciost of freedom for the really important people, such as those of us deemed by god to be worthy enough to have been born in the USA...we are indeed god's chosen people (he was/is an American after all).

 

"...Benevolent America spreading democracy..."

 

Yep, that is us! And no need to thank us. Just call when your ass is in the fryer, and if it suits us, we will eventually get around to helping you. No doubt over paid as well.

 

"America, pissing off the inferior countries since 1776"

 

Oops, forgot, don't feed the trolls.