Betty Ford Dead at 93

[NYC Liberal]

Source: CNN

Betty Ford, the widow of late President Gerald Ford and a co-founder of an eponymous addiction center in California, has died at the age of 93, according to the director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

Read more: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/08/betty-ford-dead-at-93/

[Kingofalldems]

1. A fine lady. RIP

[etherealtruth]

2. RIP Betty Ford

[Tx4obama]

3. RIP n/t

[EFerrari]

4. She was a great lady.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Safe passage to her...

My condolences to her family and to all who loved her...

A great lady.

[Cereal Kyller]

37. x2

She did more to destigmatize addiction than anyone of her generation. Sleep well, ma'am.

[alp227]

6. how many of you to be honest learned about her becuase of the drug rehab center?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Ford_Center

Mrs. Ford strongly advocated for women's rights and health, and the Ford Center positively changed many lives. She even as a (Rockefeller) Republican supported the Equal Rights Amendment as did her husband. Compare that to how Palin or Bachmann would approach ERA.

I found about this via . The last death of a First Lady was in 2007 (Lady Bird Johnson), and Gerald Ford died in 2006.

[Rozlee]

11. Thanks for the info.

I always considered Gerald Ford the most vanilla president in the last half century. Now, compared to the current crop of GOP mouth frothers, he comes across as a sane, thoughtful Republican leader. His wife had a great deal of sac revealing such a personal health problem as chemical dependency at a time when it was considered so taboo to mention, especially in her socio-economic class. She made a difference.

[tpsbmam]

18. My very liberal father worked with Gerry Ford

and always liked him. He said he was a really decent man.

[SharonAnn]

12. She also supported a woman's right to choose.

[markpkessinger]

28. Uh, some of us are old enough to remember her when she was First Lady...

...long before she founded the rehab center.

In any case, requiescat in pace, Mrs. Ford, and sincere condolences to all whom she loved.

[alp227]

46. Well I'm 20 and I recall first seeing her name in context of the Center

in Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography...just checking if there was a knowledge generation gap, I came of age during the Chimpy years.

[larwdem]

47. Yes

That was back when the republicans were at lest human

[alp227]

52. Nowadays the GOP would rather take money from prison companies and PUNISH

leading to a repeated cycle of prison-addiction-crime without treatment.

[Tom_Foolery]

7. RIP, beautiful lady.

[MissDeeds]

8. So sorry to hear this

She was a fine lady who helped many others overcome struggles with addiction. Her family can be proud of the positive impact she made.

RIP Mrs Ford

[CBHagman]

38. Yes, she did make a difference for millions of people!

I would be remiss, though, if I did not mention the part played by her daughter, Susan, in helping Mrs. Ford confront her addiction.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bettyford/act5.html

In any event, I am sincerely sorry to see Mrs. Ford go. I liked her very much as a first lady, and as you mentioned, her influence extends far, far beyond what she could ever have imagined.

Wishing peace of mind and heart to her family and friends.

[lunatica]

9. Goodbye sweet lady

The Betty Ford Center is a great legacy. Probably the most meaningful legacy in real benefit to people since Eleanor Roosevelt headed the UN delegation that penned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

[OmahaBlueDog]

10. A great FLOTUS who did so much to combat substance abuse

RIP

[nolabear]

13. A significant life, helpful to many. RIP to a brave lady.

It can't be easy to be a First Lady.

[warrior1]

14. RIP

[Puglover]

15. Classy lady.

RIP Mrs. Ford.

[Liberalynn]

16. RIP Betty

[U4ikLefty]

17. RIP Betty...you had such great courage.

Your short time as first lady was valuable to us all.

[roxiejules]

19. Betty tap dancing on the Cabinet Room table

RIP Betty ....





On the last day of the Jerry Ford administration, Betty was walking through the White House with David Kennerly, the White House photographer.

"You know, I've always wanted to dance on the cabinet room table," Betty said. Kennerly said, "Well, nobody's around." There was a Secret Service agent discreetly outside the door.

She took off her shoes, hopped up there, and struck a pose. "I just think I'm going to do this," Kennerly remembers her saying, and then she's on the table. "She's a tiny woman, really, in very good shape. Very graceful, as a former dancer with the Martha Graham company. She got up there."

Kennerly says he doesn't know why she danced up there, but he has a guess. Very few women have had a seat at that table. "Knowing her support for the Equal Rights Amendment" - she endorsed it - "she was tap-dancing in the middle of this male bastion."




via: http://www.canthook.com/node/139

[Kolesar]

23. That was fun

great find

[catrose]

39. Graceful and gracious

A powerful First Lady. RIP, and condolences to her children.

[FourScore]

70. That;'s wonderful! n/t

[XanaDUer]

20. Betty Ford saved my mother's life in the mid-1970s

she spoke out about cancer and screenings for women, and they caught my mom's cancer early enough to cure it.

RIP, Betty.

[democrat2thecore]

22. Now there's a tribute! Thank you Betty and RIP. ----- nt

[XanaDUer]

25. Yup

We had 21 more years together, thanks to Betty Ford. :thumbsup:

[murielm99]

51. She was one of the first to speak out about breast

cancer. So many women didn't talk about it. So many women did not do self-exams or have mammograms.

I knew many people who went in for exams after Betty Ford went public with her cancer. I knew at least a couple who caught their cancer early, and the early diagnoses saved their lives.

She did so many good things.

[wisteria]

21. God bless her and may she rest in peace. n/t

[tpsbmam]

24. "Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion."

"The search for human freedom can never be complete without freedom for women."

RIP, Mrs. Ford. You had a positive impact on this world, a great legacy to leave.

[alp227]

43. The Freepers have yet to bring THAT up

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2745870/posts

If you don't wanna click mostly they've got condolences and nice words and praise.

[gateley]

26. Rest in peace, Betty. You were so brave. We owe you so much. nt

[Warpy]

27. RIP, good lady

Thank you for the wonderful legacy you left us along with the memory of your great bravery in speaking out on things that had been taboo.

[guitar man]

29. 93 is a good run

RIP Betty :hug:

[Arctic Dave]

30. RIP

[VPStoltz]

31. A class act even when it wasn't always classy.

A real person who knew her faults and help us learn from them.
An inspiration for any and all of us who have dealt with substance abuse.
RIP - That great smile of yours will be missed.

[westerebus]

32. RIP

She is an outstanding example to us all. A brave heart and an open mind.

[Rhiannon12866]

33. Awwww... I always liked her.

She was a very brave lady and inspired a lot of people when she went public with her health issues and her addictions. Her courageous voice will be missed. ;(

[Odin2005]

34. Oh no! RIP, Betty!

:(

[BeyondGeography]

35. A lovely human being

:patriot:

RIP

[suffragette]

36. RIP to a courageous soul

[nevergiveup]

40. A classy lady who was way ahead of her time.

R.I.P.

[Beaverhausen]

41. She really was a wonderful person. She did a lot of good

RIP Betty.

[UrbScotty]

42. Very sad. The Fords were from West Michigan, as am I.

What a remarkable gentlelady.

[trackfan]

44. RIP Betty.

It reminds me that - WOW - there used to be Republicans who seemed like perfectly normal people.

[trud]

45. breast cancer

She was also up front about breast cancer when women didn't say much about that.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

48. I admired her strength.

She spent time trying to do good with her time on this planet and not harm. Something we should all aspire to. I'm happy she had a long and full life.

Peace be with her family.

[ldf]

49. in my almost 40 years of voting, i voted for one republican.

gerald ford.

because of betty ford, and because i was very uncomfortable with having a preacher living in the whitehouse.

i could not have been more wrong about jimmy carter, and i could not have been more right about betty ford.

she was an inspiration, and was WAAAAYY ahead of the politicians AND citizens, on social issues. she helped this country to grow forward, not backwards.

she was a first lady that any following her, could aspire to.

[Beacool]

50. Betty Ford was a remarkable woman.

She was spunky, outspoken, funny, pro choice, classy and seemed like someone who would have been a lot of fun to be around.

She spoke openly about her bout with breast cancer and later on about her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs.

Rest in peace, Betty.

:-(

[LongTomH]

53. Fare Thee Well, Lady! May eternity be good to you!

[emilyg]

54. A lovely, honest lady. RIP

[yurbud]

55. I can't imagine a Republican pol having a wife like that today.

[Frank Cannon]

66. Never. Probably never again.

Even expressing a single thought that resembles something like sanity or sympathy will get you run out of the Republican party on a rail.

RIP to an inspiring woman and a reminder of what some Republicans used to be like... long, long ago.

[Rowdyboy]

56. She was a real, vunerable human being, a wife and mother.....I really admired Betty....

Rest in peace.

[emilyg]

57. Betty Ford

Source: Radio

Betty Ford has died. Heard on the radio.

No link yet.

[emilyg]

58. Dupe - please delete

[juxtaposed]

59. kellogg brown and root union buster

[Iggo]

60. She helped push addiction recovery into the light and into the mainstream.

RIP

[Grrrfun]

61. I liked Betty and Gerald...

They don't make many likable politicians or wives anymore.. actors and liars now.

Gerald was picked for his moderate veneer, to fill the nixon presidential hole.

Betty was a decent, real person. Flaws and all...

[eridani]

62. I always liked her. Too bad they aren't making Republicans like that anymore. n/t

[theHandpuppet]

63. RIP, Betty

Those of us old enough to remember know that you took courageous stands for women's rights.

[Little Star]

64. RIP Mrs Ford. n/t

[AngryOldDem]

65. I still remember the 60 Minutes interview with Susan.

I was in my early teens at the time, and when all hell broke loose over what she said about Susan living with someone, I remember thinking, what a cool mom. I didn't understand the outrage.

She was a very classy lady.

[bemildred]

67. RIP. Our best former First Lady.

No disrespect intended to any of the others, but Betty had guts.

[NYC Liberal]

68. We've had some great ones. Her, Lady Bird, Eleanor Roosevelt,

come to mind.

[bemildred]

72. Yeah, generally a better crop than ex-Presidents.

I like Ms Carter too, speaking of ex-first ladies.

[NYC Liberal]

73. And Jackie Kennedy! How could I forget?

[FourScore]

69. I admired her very much. Thank you, Betty Ford, for all you did for others in need. n/t.

[LeftishBrit]

71. RIP to a great person

[hifiguy]

74. A great lady and a class act

in every way. I always thought the world of Betty Ford, who was always true to herself. She did immeasurable good in this world for so many. RIP.