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Saturday marks the 35^th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s resignation.  On August 8, 1974, after having denied any involvement in the infamous Watergate scandal, and under pressure from nearly every politician in Washington, Richard Milhous Nixon officially became the first president in United States History to resign from the highest office in the country.  Gerald Ford was sworn in the next day to take over the role of US President.

The Watergate Scandal had already begun to taint the waters during the 1972 presidential elections; still, Nixon was re-elected in a landslide against his Democrat opponent, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota.  By this time, five men had already been arrested in the middle of the night for their attempts to break into the DNC headquarters at Watergate Hotel in D.C., a large sum of money in the form of a campaign check for Nixon appeared in the bank account of one of the burglars and the FBI had already determined the attempted break-in was a result of a large spy and sabotage effort ordered by Nixon.  The American public either didn’t care or didn’t believe the accusations that were beginning to surface.

Among other illegal activities, the office of a psychiatrist, who had been providing counseling services to a former defense analyst, Daniel Ellsberg, was burglarized and his confidential medical records stolen.  Ellsberg was the first one who leaked the scandal that would eventually and permanently taint politics.

In an address in November, 1973, President Nixon announced to the American public, “I’m not a crook” and once again reiterated his innocence.  Still, he chose to resign nine months later.  After President Ford assumed the role of president, he pardoned Nixon of all charges relating to the Watergate case.  In his announcement, he said, “… I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.”; and in one fell swoop, the former president was absolved.

Former President Nixon died in April, 1994.

As bad as the latest political scandal is, the governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich has singlehandedly confirmed the very thing we have spent our lives hoping would never come to pass: the sale of politics.  For a vacancy to become a commodity with a price tag undermines every principle the framers had hoped would safeguard our Constitution.  Despite all of the other scandals politicians

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seem to bury themselves in, this is by far one of the most disgusting we’ve seen in this lifetime.  This one is a kick in the teeth to every foundation this country is built on.  In one fell swoop, he’s managed to drop jaws across political party lines, the citizens who voted him into office and the general public as a whole. 

He was arrested and released on Tuesday after federal prosecutors accused him of a one man “political corruption crime spree”.   Some of these crimes he’s accused of includes threatening one of the country’s largest newspapers, Chicago Tribune, if it refused to fire writers who criticized him, as well as his redefinition of “pay to play” for politics.  He has been accused of giving jobs, political appointments and contracts for hefty price tags. This evidence has been gained via wiretaps on his home and office phones and it’s been said some of these conversations would fit nicely into any of the Godfather movies with “tough guy” talk and profanity.  He refers to political peers as “Candidate 1″, “Candidate 2″ and so.  Unfortunately, these candidates he refers to as considerations to fill the seat left vacant by Barack Obama have had to release statements that no one in public office should have ever have to make.  They’ve reiterated their respect for the political offices they hold and have stated not only did they have no idea of what the governor was doing, but they were as disappointed as the rest of the country.  None of those considered for this vacant post are suspected of participating in this political auction.  Now, though, instead of an immediate replacement being named, it appears as though a special election might be the only solution that’s fair and will renew the faith of the state’s voters. 

He’s also accused of complaining about his inability to make good money as governor and said he felt ’stuck’.  If you’re interested, he makes over $175,000 a year as governor.  He’s also overheard negotiating a position for his wife and stated he was looking for a gravy position where she could make at least “150 grand” a year.  He was lining the remainder of this golden brick road to cover him after he left office as governor.  When the pompous governor answered the door at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, his reply to the two FBI agents who’d announced they were there to arrest him was, “Is this a joke?”  That left it wide open - I don’t know if I’d have had enough self-discipline to keep from going into how the joke would ultimately be on him in ways he could never imagine.  I suppose that’s why I never considered that as a line of work.  It’s difficult, if not impossible, to bite my tongue. 

In the past two days, he’s vehemently asserted his refusal to step down as governor.  That’s been met with the state’s attorney releasing a statement that he didn’t have to, they were taking immediate steps to remove him from office.  So you see, if it was a joke, it’s clearly on Governor Blagojevich.

They say three topics are off limits at dinner parties and other social situations: your host’s extramarital affair, politics and religion. I have an easy time avoiding two of those topics. The other? If it’s on my mind, it’s on my tongue.

That said, a South Carolina Catholic priest has managed to compose a letter to his parish and basically condemned the entire Democratic sector of his church to hell unless they repent for voting for the wrong presidential candidate.

I find it hard to believe any American voter who participates in the voting process has ever cast a vote for a candidate he or she is in total agreement with. Many, if not most, Republicans disagree with the Bush policy on stem cell research. Many Democrats abhor the “across the board” abortion laws many candidates want to see passed into law. In fact, I can’t find five potential presidential candidates who combined would build the “perfect” president in my eyes. I say this because Reverend Jay Newman is assuming those who voted for Obama are in agreement with his views on abortion. I understand the passion with the abortion debate - trust me, I get it. But do two wrongs make a right? Is this priest condemning others to hell for the wrong reasons? He’s gone so far as to refuse Communion to his parishioners who voted for Obama. His letter reads, in part:

“Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ’s Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation.”

That’s a pretty powerful statement, yes? I just feel as though there’s a better way for him to guide his parish without alienating them or refusing what Catholics worldwide hold so tightly to. No one gets through this life unscathed. It’s that simple. Those who are faithful in their religious practices cling to their beliefs, especially in difficult times. It’s almost as though he’s drawn lines within his own church. He sees his parish as those who are worthy and those who had the misfortune to choose the wrong candidate in the presidential election. That also makes me wonder how many attending Mass following the elections revealed their political beliefs.

Catholicism teaches a zero tolerance on abortion, as do most faiths. Still, bishops disagree on whether those who vote against the Church’s views must forgo Communion. Some of the more liberal groups that believe a “Catholic Democrat” isn’t an oxymoron say this letter was way too harsh. We’ll have to see how his parish feels. In the meantime, I’m happily planning the holiday social events and I’ll be avoiding politics and religion during the festive parties, but that third topic? It’s wide open.

With so much going on in the world of politics, finances and American legal structures, we’ve heard words such as “recession”, and even phrases like, “Well, back during the days of the Depression…” Hopefully, things won’t get this despondent. Contrary to what some may believe, I don’t think we’re anywhere near a depression. Maybe a series of “blue days” would be a more apt description, for now anyway.

Still, though, I was interested in comparing the days of the Depression and the years prior that some say is the true beginning of what culminated into a near-decade decline. For the sake of uniformity, I’m using a general “pre-1940″ as my comp point with specific years within each reference.

*All figures come from US Census Bureau and BLS/PPI Government site

Even though there are some similarities, when you take a step back, you begin to realize many of these comparisons are indicative of society throughout the decades. Divorce, even though the rates were down, is as evident now as it was in the 1970s. Dropout rates are actually a bit better than they were in the early 1980s. Murder rates weren’t really any higher in the late 20s through the early 30s. Of course, robbery and theft was up for obvious reasons. On the other hand, a depression is defined as:

Deep extended slump in total business activity. Buying and selling drop, forcing a decline in production prices, incomes and employment.

Again, that statement can be applicable to many times even within our lifetimes. So, as bleak as the political and financial fronts seem to be, it’s not as discouraging as some insist, especially the ones who declare the sky is falling.

My guess is burglary, petty theft and misdemeanor charges for things such as a lack of automobile insurance and expired tags will be on the increase. Hopefully, the winds of change will begin to shift sooner rather than later.

 Once again, I got sidetracked with my efforts in posting a completely different blog today.  There are times that we come across people and know, sometimes instantly, that we dislike them.  Sometimes we know why, other times, it’s nothing but a gut feeling telling us to steer clear.  Michael Moore is one of those people.  Outspoken, loud and even brash is fine with me.  Insultive?  Not so fine with me.  I don’t care that he has made across-the-board statements on people based solely on their political affiliations.  I don’t care that he seldom allows an opponent he’s debating with to get a word in edgewise. It’s frustrating and leaves me wishing I had five minutes alone in a locked room with him - not to knock his head off his shoulders, although I’d be lying if I said that thought had never crossed my mind, but to give him a good “what for” about manners, respect for others’ opinions and what’s acceptable in a proper society that we as Americans keep insisting we are.  You know: the basic laws of etiquette. 

His latest entry into the “Jackass of the Year” award, though, takes the cake.  He’s managed to combine politics, religion, stupidity and pure disrespect and then rocket it to a new level. 

As millions of people are evacuating New Orleans in anticipation of yet another major hurricane that rivals Camille and Katrina, he’s shoving his foot down his throat by insisting this numbing tragedy (and trust me….this will be a tragedy on an entirely new plane.  Give it twelve more hours.) is proof that God exists.  And his reasoning?  Well, that’s simple in his mind.  The fact that Gustav’s landing will coincide with the Republic National Convention is nothing short of a gift from God.  I’m wondering what proactive measures he’s taking to see to those who will be directly affected from this storm and who also happen to be fans of his.   I know he can’t be too busy apologizing for such a crass statement.  He’s already provided a lukewarm “explanation” that he thinks is acceptable.  Which is fine.  As my mom says: “A forced apology is never a sincere apology.”

The fact is, in this region of the country, we’re taking measures to protect our family and the lives we’ve built.  Some will be impacted more than others.  When we take our eyes off of the satellites that show a huge storm that although is “only” a cat 3 hurricane right now, is projected to make landfall 100 miles to my east as a cat 4 monster, we’re watching and holding our breath and anticipating post-landfall problems, especially with the levees that were nowhere near completion after collapsing during Hurricane Katrina three years and three days ago.  We’re watching the legalities that are sure to come from insurance companies.  There are those who are gathering the same things they’ve gathered storm after storm as well as those documents we’ve learned to never forget since Katrina.  Every 

My previous office post-Katrina

police department from west Louisiana to the Florida panhandle is anticipating looters and preparing for those problems.  There were murders in New Orleans in the days following Katrina, accusations of police brutality, legal brawls in courtrooms regarding the definition of “murder” and whether or not nursing home administrators should be tried for that crime when they lost many of their residents and convicted sex offenders who’ve still not been located.  Those of us who aren’t anticipating a “direct hit” are walking our properties to double check all loose objects are secured because we’re looking at about a two hundred mile wide storm and although we might not get 150+ mph winds others are sure to see, we’re still looking at 70, maybe 80 mph winds at times.  And if you think it doesn’t affect you, think again.  Have you fueled your vehicle in the past couple days?  Notice any price hike?  There are reports that the attempted suicide rate jumped 600% in the weeks following Katrina.  Yes…SIX HUNDRED PERCENT.  This wasn’t only in New Orleans, but in south MS as well.  I can’t think of one person who wasn’t grateful for the water, the ice, the clothes, the toothpaste, the towels and a million other daily things that we just don’t notice until it doesn’t exist.  So much of it was provided by volunteers from every state, but there was so much of it that was provided by the taxpayers.  I would like to think every person in this country looks at it as exactly what our taxes are meant for.  Think back - there was a controversy regarding the insurance companies proposed “solution” to their problems as increasing premiums to all of their customers - not only those who were affected by Katrina.  Agree or disagree, there it is. 

So - Michael Moore…if you don’t mind, can you leave God alone?  We kind of need Him here right now.  And by the way, I doubt He’d choose you to declare that He does indeed exist.  Tell ya what: since Dickie Scruggs will be spending the next five hurricane seasons in prison, why don’t you fill his void?  No matter what anyone thinks about this former lawyer, he brought the insurance companies to their collective knees.  You just might learn a bit about humility and human nature.