Day: July 8, 2011

Betty Ford: One Of The Greatest First Ladies In American History, Dead at 93!

First Lady Betty Ford, widow of President Gerald R. Ford, who died four and a half years ago at 93, tonight passed away at the same age of 93!

With her death, the nation has lost one of its greatest First Ladies, and one who never sought the title or the position!

Betty Ford was a shy person who never looked for the limelight, and was far from thrilled when her husband suddenly became President on August 9, 1974, upon the resignation of President Richard Nixon due to the Watergate scandal.

But she was a loyal wife who took it upon herself to speak up in a modern way not seen since Eleanor Roosevelt was First Lady in the administration of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Betty Ford spoke up for the Equal Rights Amendment for women; supported abortion rights; was courageous to expose and champion the issue of breast cancer after she had surgery as First Lady because of having that medical problem; and made public as well her addiction to pain pills due to depression, and promoted the Betty Ford Center in California for people who had drug or alcohol problems as she had.

Betty Ford was a woman of courage and conviction; a feminist when it was not popular in many circles, particularly Republican, to be so; and in every sense a MODERN lady, who helped to humanize her husband, who while considered a conservative at the time of his Presidency, today would come across as a moderate to liberal Republican, probably likely to be read out of the party with its right wing extremist trend in recent years!

The author always admired Betty Ford, and the nation will mourn the death of this elegant, classy lady, who added to the office of First Lady of the United States, as one of its greatest representatives!

Barack Obama, The Democratic Party, And The American People: On The Way To Separation Or Divorce?

President Obama is alienating his progressive base, due to indications that he is willing to negotiate cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as part of a deal with the Congressional Republicans to avoid a default of the government, as we face the August 2 deadline of the need to raise the debt ceiling.

Various groups, including labor unions, the National Organization For Women, The Alliance For Retired Americans, and Moveon.Org are furious with the President. Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have all made it clear that such concessions are totally unacceptable.

The question is whether President Obama has the courage to stand up to the Republicans and possibly help to cause a default on the national debt, or instead is willing to antagonize his base and sacrifice the support of the Democratic Party’s heritage–the New Deal and Great Society programs that have become our safety net!

It means that either President Obama will cause a “separation” or “divorce” from the American people 16 months from now, or cause a similar “separation” or “divorce” from his party loyalists as he enters the campaign for re-election in November 2012!

One could say that Obama has the choice between the “devil and deep blue sea”, and what he ultimately chooses to do will reverberate in the long run for the nation and his historical reputation!

The Conservative Majority Supreme Court And Texas Governor Rick Perry Message To American Tourists Overseas, Particularly In Mexico: Travel At Your Own Risk!

Last night, a Mexican national who had committed a heinous murder in Texas was executed, which in itself is nothing unusual, and no one is mourning the individual involved.

But what is to be mourned is the fact that the Supreme Court and Texas Governor Rick Perry have just made safety for American tourists overseas, particularly in Mexico, far less certain.

One might ask: how is that so? The answer is that the International Court of Justice in the Hague had ruled in 2004 that at least 50 Mexican citizens on death row in the United States had been denied their rights under the Vienna Convention, which requires that foreign citizens be informed of their right to assistance from the consular officials of their nation in their legal defense.

Nothing had been done by Congress regarding this, and Rick Perry refused to listen to the appeal of President Obama to delay the execution, allow action by Congress, and prevent the danger that American citizens in Mexico could similarly be treated as Texas was dealing with this inmate.

It is troubling that for political reasons, the conservative majority of the Court and the Texas Governor took action that interfered with the foreign policy authority of the Presidency.

And the biggest loser could be American citizens, who now must expect retribution, and the actions of the Supreme Court and Rick Perry, for political gain, make the warning clear: You are on your own if you get into any kind of legal trouble in Mexico, and maybe, anywhere, in theory.