The Ford Pardon of Nixon and GHWB Pardon in Iran/Contra gave us GWB....

[Blackhatjack]

It is now clear that Gerry Ford 'lied' when he said he issued the pardon of Nixon 'for the good of the country' and to promote 'healing' while pronouncing the Nation's 'long nightmare is over.' He had a long personal friendship with Nixon which he suppressed, and stated to news sources that he did not want his dear friend to have that stigma.

Then George Herbert Walker Bush pardons the Iran/Contra defendants just before the commencement of their trials which would have implicated himself in wrongdoing.

Both situations in which pardons were granted from reasons other than the national interests did not serve to 'heal the nation.' Rather both set the stage for George W. Bush to rise to power, knowing that people in high places would protect him if he broke the law.

It would have 'healed the nation' to see Nixon impeached and removed from office, and prosecuted for his crimes. It would have 'healed the nation' to see those who purposefully broke the law prosecuted in the Iran/Contra affair, and hustled off to prison --rather than allow them to spin their schemes and rise again later with Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld etc.

If the pardons had not been issued, and those responsible had been held accountable rather than pardoned, we would likely have been on guard against a 'George W. Bush figurehead puppet' and would not be in the mess we are in today.

WHen George W. Bush pardons Libby and others, I hope people will remember the damage that such pardons did in the past and say never again....

[goclark]

1. Excellent thoughts ~ we could have healed if Nixon had

not been pardoned.

How many Democrats were pardoned and why?

[k_jerome]

2. little late. lots of shit on Ford threads...

wait a few days, then you can be original. Happy New Year.

[mitchum]

14. Why wait? Ford shit on the country...

and the stench is now unbearable.
Death does not ennoble anyone.

[novalib]

3. The ONLY GOOD Thing About Ford's Pardon

Here is the ONLY good thing about Ford's unconscienable pardon of Nixon:

I helped to elect Jimmy Carter. Ans HE was REALLY the President who brought healing to our country.

I get SO TIRED of hearing that Ford brought "healing" to our country by pardoning Nixon!!!

THAT IS JUST NOT TRUE!!!!!

I was alive then, and I REMEMBER the divisions that were DEEPENED when Ford granted Nixon a pardon!!!!

But, by pardoning Nixon, it made it easier to defeat that decade's cabal/regime of thugs!!!!

And Jimmy and his lovely wife Roslyn came to the White House, bringing their own style of graciousness and healing to our land!!!!!

[tabasco]

4. It's truly disheartening that those involved with the Iran-Contra subversion

got away scot-free, namely the head of the crime syndicate himself, GHW Bush. OMG he is a FAR better actor than Reagan. The Bush crime family operates just like the mafia and GHWB is the perfect godfather. He has everybody fooled or corrupted, maybe even Bill Clinton. Clinton better not turn his back on his new "friend" Poppy Bush. Will we ever be able to put a stake through the heart of these criminal subversive war profiteers?

[texpatriot2004]

5. Agreed! These pardons were for friends and partners in crime nt

[NNN0LHI]

6. Yep, how some hold these thugs out as decent people troubles me

I don't know if it is due to ignorance or what?

Don

[TankLV]

7. Yep - can't disagree with you there.

THAT was the single most damaging thing to our country during my lifetime...

[pansypoo53219]

8. maybe

but i think the corporate medeeya has far more culpability.

THEY are the ones who created georgie, the prezit ya wanna have a beer with.
forget COMPETANT.

[stray cat]

9. Lets just blame Clinton - a case can be made for nearly anything

[mitchum]

15. Actually, DLClinton DID cover up malfeasances in the Reagan and Bush...

administrations

[stray cat]

10. Lets just blame Clinton -

or maybe the butterfly that flew by at just the right time to change the course of events.

[Octafish]

11. Who will pardon the crazy monkey?

President McCain?

[DesertRat]

12. President Jeb?

:puke:

[Octafish]

18. That's my nightmare.

McCain "wins" the election.
His running mate is ex-Gov. Jebthro Bushler.
McCain gets "sick" and, um, leaves office.
Voila!
Poppy's tears dry.
Another pretzeldent Bush.

[seafan]

21. I am afraid this is very close to *the plan* for Jeb.

Eight abusive years of Jeb Bush's aggressive agenda have Floridians staggering under the assault of treasury-draining tax cuts, educational starvation, punitive FCAT testing, steamrolling school vouchers into law while at the same time fighting smaller class sizes, nearly the worst record in the nation for high school graduation rates,

massive job cuts through forced privatization of state jobs, crushing property taxes and property insurance on homeowners and small business owners, failure to take care of our children in foster care, running monstrosities called boot camps that murder our children, unprecedented interference into the privacy of patients with terminal conditions, forcing prisons to operate on "faith-based" ideology, ending affirmative-action for minorities in university admission,

multiple department heads appointed by Jeb resigning in disgrace for wrongdoing, ethics scandals engulfing numerous departments, leaving in place a *Farm Team* of administrative loyalists in Legislative offices under the watchful eye of Republican House Speaker Marco Rubio after Jeb leaves, striking legitimate voters off the rolls with his bogus felon lists, and supervising over the theft of the 2000 Presidential election for his brother.


It's time to retire this number *43* for Florida AND his big brother as well.

This is the last night of Jeb's tyrannical rule in Florida, for tomorrow at noon, we will have another governor.



Jeb is aware that his presidential prospects are severely limited in polling right now, but that will not stand in his way when he starts the inevitable move toward the VP slot for 2008. Don't forget that a large number of his closest advisers have signed on with Romney, while others went to McCain.

Yes, Jeb knows about the importance of "Farm Teams".


So, as we begin 2007, always keep an eye on Jeb. After eight years of him, we know what he's about.




And you'd better believe we don't want him anywhere near our White House.

[DesertRat]

23. That is a nightmare!

:scared:

[mdmc]

13. The DLC helped us get GWB too

...agreed....never again...

[bobthedrummer]

16. The Church Committee released 14 reports detailing the lawlessness

and dangers of the "national security community" that were known about in the 1970's.

Senator Church made a statement (about the NSA) in 1975 that must be extrapolated on to today.
"I know the capacity that is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision, so that we never cross over that abyss. That is the abyss from which there is no return."

In the general context of your OP, these links are provided to give historical background as to what pardoning criminals and traitors by criminals and traitors has wrought.

"Back to Church" by Chris Mooney November 5th, 2001
http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/19/mooney-c.html

"Frank Church and the Abyss of Warrantless Wiretapping" by John Nichols 4-26-2006
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0426-30.htm

"No Place to Hide" by Nat Hentoff 1-13-2006
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0603,hentoff,71743,6.html

Amy Goodman interviewed the Church Committee's chief counsel, Frederick Schwarz 5-17-2006, read it and weep and then get motivated
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/17/159236

Frank Church profile from Spartacus.Schoolnet
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAchurchF.htm

[bobthedrummer]

17. "Tyranny's healer, democracy's assassin:The true legacy of Gerald Ford"

by Larry Chin 1-7-07
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1587.shtml

[Disturbed]

19. Nixon should not have been Pardoned yet the

Pardons of the Iran/Contra Criminals was a worse action.

[bobthedrummer]

24. Then there's Henry Kissinger et al to consider

Henry B. Gonzalez was after Henry Kissinger et al for years-he did get this indictment read into The Congressional Record

Kissinger Associates, BNL and Iraq
http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/congress/1991/h910502g.htm

At the same time of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro the Iran/Contra "Enterprise" and Kissinger et al also used BCCI

BCCI and Kissinger Associates
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/20kiss.htm

[in_cog_ni_to]

20. It sure did and what's the common thread in all 3 administrations?

(Nixon, Reagan, and Psycho)....CHENEY AND RUMSFELD. I so hope their time has come. Waxman, Conyers, and Dingle....I'm counting on them.

[ikojo]

22. My family is not formal but I did the next best

thing, I didn't wear a tie dye.

One of my nephews got married this summer and I surprised (should say freaked out) his mom by coming to the wedding in a dress. She expected me to wear a pair of kakhis and a polo type shirt (my standard non tie dye outfit).

Always good to keep 'em on their toes.

[bobthedrummer]

25. kick