January 5, 2007
On the House Floor
Yesterday, newly-elected Members of the House were sworn into office to serve throughout the 110th Congress. The Democratic Caucus assumed majority status after 12 years in the minority and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was elected as the first female Speaker of the House. The House also adopted rules under which it will operate for the next two years.
Milestone for Marriage
What the Boston Globe called a “shameful reversal of rights” is in fact a small victory for the preservation of traditional marriage. On Tuesday, 62 Massachusetts state legislators voted to
advance a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. In contrast with California’s initiative process, a proposition in Massachusetts must meet with the support of one-quarter of state legislators in two consecutive legislative sessions to qualify for a vote of the people. Clearing this hurdle in the state at the forefront of the assault on the definition of marriage is an important milestone, although the defense of marriage still has a long way to go.
Termination of a Tyrant
On December 30th, the life of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein came to an ignominious end as the new government of Iraq carried out his death sentence. He will go down in history alongside such infamous characters as Stalin, Hitler, and Mao, who similarly slaughtered so many of their own people in the process of achieving and maintaining power. After being deposed by an international coalition and then captured in a “spider hole” by American forces on December 13, 2003, Saddam was duly convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraq Special Tribunal and was sentenced to death by hanging on November 5, 2006. In contrast with our own justice system, the appeal was heard and the sentence executed in an expeditious manner. Thus, the man who assumed a position of absolute power over his nation from 1979 to 2003 through murder and intrigue, including the murder of many within his own family, met his final demise.
Passing of a President
On December 26, 2006, former President Gerald R. Ford passed away at the age of 93, having become the longest lived president in our history. Known for being the only president to hold that office without having been elected to either the presidency or vice presidency, this week, the world has come to know and remember much more about this great man. Ford was an Eagle Scout, star of the University of Michigan’s national champion football team, graduate of the Yale Law School, and an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served for a quarter century in the House of Representatives – eight years of which he was the Republican Minority Leader. However, most notably, he was appointed as vice president when his predecessor vacated the office amid scandal. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to become America’s chief executive under provisions of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, again due to scandal.
Jerry Ford presided over this nation during a time of bitter division at home and setbacks abroad. His administration saw the withdrawal of American forces from the Vietnam War, grappled with inflation and recession, and of course was forced to deal with the aftermath of Watergate. And although the president came under intense criticism for pardoning Richard Nixon for his role in the scandal, even many of Ford’s fiercest opponents at that time came to view his decision as exactly the sort of action that was needed to heal national wounds and restore popular respect for high office. It is proper that he has now been widely honored as a man of humility and integrity and a leader of courage and principle.
Quote of the Week
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” – President Gerald Ford, Address to a Joint Session of Congress,
August 12, 1974
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