The Passing of America's 38th President
Readers saddened by the death of Gerald Ford recalled the events that shaped his legacy, most notably his historic ascension to the presidency. "Ford may be considered an 'accidental president,' but he was precisely what our country needed at a time of turmoil," one said. "He brought decency back to the White House, and that was no accident." Others continue to be less generous. One described Ford's pardoning of Richard Nixon as "fumbling the most important decision of his presidency." Readers also found parallels in concurrent news events. On a dire note, one observed that Ford's death coincided with the death of the United States' 3,000th service member in Iraq. "Some spent many days mourning the one; some barely acknowledged the many," she wrote. Another hoped that with Saddam Hussein's execution, Iraqis might now be fortunate to "find a leader like Ford to end their long national nightmare."
Remembering President Ford
Among the many blessings Gerald Ford enjoyed in life is that he lived long enough to realize that the nation had come to truly understand and respect his courageous efforts as our 38th president ("More Than Met the Eye," Jan. 8). Ford was a statesman who accepted his nation's call to serve during a most difficult time. While the timing of his service may have been "accidental," there was no fluke to the sincerity of his character. During the past 30 years there have been many good candidates deserving my vote, but my proudest ballot was cast in 1976 for President Gerald Ford. For the service he gave this nation, for the honor he restored to the presidency and for his enduring respect for the Constitution, I will always be grateful.
James S. Flanagan
Norwich, N.Y.
It's unfortunate that it takes a presidential funeral to bring a level of civility to our nation's capital. Now that Gerald Ford has been laid to rest, I suppose it will be business as usual in Washington. We can look forward to divisiveness, scandals, pork barreling, earmarking and name-calling as the new Congress gets underway.
Barry Campbell
Luther, Mich.
Your cover featuring Gerald Ford with smoke elegantly curling from his pipe sends a terrible message and glorifies an awful health risk. Tobacco-related health issues are Public Health Enemy No. 1 in our country. The American Cancer Society notes that in 2006, more than 170,000 cancer deaths were caused by tobacco use. The pipe smoking in this portrait is irrelevant to Ford's image as a president and serves no purpose to define his legacy. Why glamorize tobacco use and facilitate its horrible consequences?
Julian C. Schink, M.D.
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Univ.
Chicago, Ill.
Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon enabled healing in America? Where is the evidence of such healing now? More Americans are as far apart politically as they ever were before. The people who should have been washed out of government in a Nixon trial have been in control of it the past six years. Since the early 1990s, elements of the GOP have used wedge politics to drive Americans farther apart. There's been no healing. Lauding Ford masks the reality of the divisions within our country.
Steven Wolf
Juneau, Alaska
When Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon on Sept. 8, 1974, Nixon had been a senator, vice president and president. His guilt, or lack thereof, will never be proved. At the same time, there were thousands of men, lacking advantages of high office, who faced the choice of going to jail or fleeing to Canada in order to live with their consciences regarding Vietnam. Pardoning Nixon, while not these young men, was the big mistake Ford made.
M. Deffebach
Indialantic, Fla.
It's easy to criticize Gerald Ford but more important to remember some of his achievements. He took action that led to the signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, finally apologizing to Japanese-Americans for their unjust internment during WWII. He not only pardoned Nixon, but also Iva Toguri D'Aquino, a Japanese-American woman who was forced to be Tokyo Rose, an English-language propaganda radio announcer for the Japanese government. She had been tried and convicted of treason by the U.S. government.
Kent Hori
Gardena, Calif.
Hanging of a Dictator With Saddam Hussein's execution, we once and for all get to see what a huge blunder this war has been ("Death of a Tyrant," Jan. 8). A gang of leather-jacketed, ski-masked thugs--looking more like they were hijacking a plane to Uganda than fulfilling the final sentence handed down by the highest court in Iraq--handled the execution in what looked to be the back alley of a local butcher shop's garbage dump. And our president still desperately attempts to downplay the fact that our policies are creating a world with more suffering, more chaos and more violence. It's time to begin promoting true peace, true justice and true democracy.
Sean Karlin
San Francisco, Calif.
George W. Bush called Saddam Hussein's hanging "an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain and defend itself, and be an ally in the war on terror." More important milestones for world stability would include supporting the International Criminal Court, which we've continually opposed; not stockpiling nuclear weapons even as we denounce Iran and North Korea for theirs, and politicians refraining from calling the war in Iraq something to be "won," as if victory is just one more gunshot, hanging or bomb drop away. I'm not cheering any executions. I'll cheer when my country starts upholding real values of civilization and democracy, and not just gun-barrel justice. Iraq needs to be handled with diplomacy, nation-building and, most importantly, a departure from the insane idea that a hanging is just a "milestone" checked off on the way to some nebulous victory.
David Nurenberg
Somerville, Mass.
Ways to Live Green in 2007 Your advice to cut back on meat consumption for the sake of the planet was right on target ("Easy to Be Green," TIP SHEET, Jan. 8). Your article said that meat production is energy-inefficient, but that's just part of the picture. The livestock industry contributes to some of the world's most serious environmental threats: land degradation, climate change, water and air pollution, and loss of biodiversity. A recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report said the livestock sector is responsible for 18 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than transportation. If you want to go green, you can buy a Prius--or you can help the environment (for less money) by cutting back on meat.
Lisa Towell
Los Altos, Calif.
As small-scale cattle farmers, we were not impressed with your idea to save the planet by forgoing meat once or twice a week. However, your suggestion of using cloth bags for groceries (which we do) will save more of our planet's resources than the nonmeat idea. And things like driving on properly inflated tires, driving less aggressively and removing unnecessary articles from your trunk will also save far more fuel than forgoing a juicy steak or pork chop.
Michael and Shirley Jones
Primghar, Iowa
I'd like to suggest an additional way to go green--consider a smaller house. Houses across the United States are getting bigger every year, while family sizes are getting smaller. Many people are unaware that building with construction materials such as wallboards, bricks, tiles, carpets, windows, doors and fixtures is a highly energy-intensive process. Smaller homes could be built with less energy and fewer raw materials and would require much less energy to heat and cool throughout the year. It is easy to live in a smaller home if you pay attention to household goods and rooms that are not used on a regular basis. Modifying our way of life is the easiest way to reduce energy usage and save the environment.
Renuka Panigrahy
Ames, Iowa
Oprah's New African Academy As a high-school teacher, I'm all too familiar with Oprah Winfrey's observation that in the United States--where children can attend school free of charge--many students don't appreciate what they have ("Oprah Goes to School," Jan. 8). She says she became frustrated visiting inner-city schools because "the sense that you need to learn just isn't there," and because students feel they need or want iPods and sneakers instead. However, she contributes to this very attitude with every consumer gift giveaway on her show and by providing students in her new academy with a beauty salon, yoga studio, extra-large closets, indoor and outdoor theaters, and hundreds of pieces of tribal art. To inner-city students, their iPods might be just as beautiful as Winfrey's tribal art. The $40 million she spent on this new school can buy a lot of things, but it won't buy beauty in the form of insight, reflection and meaning. Perhaps South African students were telling Winfrey this in their expressed desire for school uniforms, not iPods and sneakers.
Margaret M. Light
Carpinteria, Calif.
As a 10th grader, I don't believe there is any room for debate regarding Oprah Winfrey's kindness and generosity in her desire to do something that will have an immediate and long-lasting effect on young girls who for so long have had next to nothing. The black female population in South Africa has historically faced humiliation and torture that is beyond my understanding, so Winfrey's decision to make this new school an all-girls' academy also makes perfectly good sense. People have criticized the great expense of the project, the "200-thread-count sheets" and the pleated uniforms that the girls will wear. In the end what matters is that Winfrey's actions might help spur other wealthy individuals around the world to reach into their pockets and spend on behalf of all the children in South Africa.
Allison Riddle
Liberty Township, Ohio