Happy New Year!
2007 is here, and with it, a flurry of news. This past weekend was filled with media coverage on various stories: Saddam’s hanging, a plane crash in Indonesia, the fatal shooting of an NFL player, and the continuing coverage of Gerald R. Ford’s funeral ceremonies. I don’t know if we’re getting all the drama out of the way early this year, or if this is just a sign of things to come in 2007. I’m leaning toward the latter.
President Ford’s body will be in Grand Rapids tonight, and I plan on going after work to pay my respects at the public viewing. I hope the weather is mild. There’s going to be a massive media convergence, and I’m kind of curious if I’ll get to see any of the big-name anchors tonight. I read that some of the Ford family was at the public viewing in Washington, D.C., and shook hands with some of the mourners. I hope some of the family is here tonight, too.
I look forward to this evening. I should probably stop drinking liquids pretty soon. I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave the line to use the latrine. I don’t want to have to fashion a catheter out of a drinking straw, a Coke bottle, and aquarium tubing….again.
deb responds:
Posted: January 2nd, 2007 at 3:38 pm →
Maybe you don’t want to have to do that whole “catheter” thing but THAT would make the news and be some good coverage for ya. Just something you might want to consider.
ANON1 responds:
Posted: January 2nd, 2007 at 3:39 pm →
You do know Ford was a Republican?
Rachel responds:
Posted: January 2nd, 2007 at 4:14 pm →
Have fun tonight. I won’t be there. I am NOT about to stand in line for hours with a bored 9 year old who could care less.
I am sad that he passed but he was in his 90’s and had a long eventful life.
Anon1 ~ It doesn’t matter to me whether someone is a Dem or a Republican. I respect the job that he did when he became President considering that it was a very dark time in the nation.
David in DC responds:
Posted: January 2nd, 2007 at 5:23 pm →
The cortege taking President Ford’s remains from Andrews Air Force Base to the Capitol took a circuitous route so that it could drive through Alexandria so as to acknowledge the Ford family’s connection to the Northern Virginia area where they lived for 25 years before moving into the White House.
Washington Street, which runs through the heart of Old Town Alexandria, was lined on both sides by folks paying their respects. It was beautiful.
The motorcade also paused briefly at the new WWII memorial on the National Mall. There, the folks lining the streets were WWII vets and Eagle Scouts (Ford was an Eagle Scout). Again, it was a lovely, respectful and could put a lump in your throat.
(Here I’ll have to admit that I’m a sap for this sort of thing. I cried watching Rhoda’s wedding on TV.)
The whole four-day period, which the newspapers say President and Mrs. Ford had a hand in pre-planning, has been classy and understated.
Just like the Fords.
ANON1 responds:
Posted: January 3rd, 2007 at 7:18 am →
Any update on if you went or not?