Lady Bird Johnson, 94, the Grand old Lady of the Democratic Party

[WI_DEM]

I have to say I frankly didn't think that Mrs. Johnson was still alive but she is. I was wondering who the oldest living First Lady is and thought it might be Mrs. Ford, but it's Mrs. Johnson. She is 94 and frail, having suffered a stroke a couple of years ago. But according to Wikpedia she made a rare public appearance in October, 2006 at the LBJ Library in a wheelchair but looking "engaged and alert."

Many blessings, Mrs. Johnson.

[Faygo Kid]

1. Class act. Her "cause" was her beautification campaign.

She helped remove a lot of billboards and build awareness that played a part in the environment movement. Couldn't have been easy being married to Lyndon. Keep going, Bird.

[medeak]

2. everytime I see wildflowers along the highway

I think of her

[Jackpine Radical]

3. In honor of Ladybird and her Beautify America program, I offer

this from Ogden Nash:

I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree.
And unless the billboards fall,
I may never see a tree at all.

[willthekid]

4. I can't say I'm happy she's gone, but I don't like the woman....

She and her husband were known war profiteers and owned companies that sadly made profit off the Vietnam war. She was also one of the first pushers of KBR and later Halliburton - 2 Houston oil companies that were early financial backers of then congressman and senator Johnson. Whatever good Mr. Johnson may have done in my opinion is regrettably overshadowed by the blood on their hands that they helped escalate during the Vietnam War. For old times sake I could get a lot more in depth into the Johnson's war-profitting past but I won't. If others would like to elaborate on it further than please do but I'm not really in a confrontational mood despite my contempt for this woman and her husband who spilled the blood of many an American GI and Vietnamese civilian for their own pocketbook's sake.

[terrya]

5. Lady Bird Johnson is still alive.n/t

[willthekid]

6. Shit lol

I misread the top headline. My error.

[pop goes the weasel]

7. oh, come now

Brown and Root started in 1919. She obviously couldn't have been one of its first pushers. By the time LBJ was supporting B&R's bidding for New Deal hydroelectric contracts, the company already had around 15 years of history as a military contractor.

I can't ever think that what the Johnsons did was overshadowed by Vietnam. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would not have gotten through Congress with the lack of domestic leadership that JFK was providing (leadership is more than being photogenic and giving good speeches), and I hate to think of what sort of country we would have without them.

Lady Bird, and her husband, were also adamant that Detroit reduce auto emissions. The Johnsons both believed in careful stewardship of resources, even if it meant a reduction in profits. Don't tell me you wouldn't prefer to see some of that attitude in the White House right now.

[Raine]

8. Glad to hear she is still around

THANKS for the info. :thumbsup: