Comments calling a former First Lady of the United States a “classless drunken cow” are what prompted my post.
It's important to note that the only person on this thread I have specifically attacked has been American_Ranger, the one who said that, and who, interestingly enough, has been silent since this uproar started.
As I said at 215 in this thread: “I'm not going to single out specific posters on Free Republic other than the initial item about Mrs. Ford being a ‘classless drunken cow.’ That statement is factually wrong and indefensible under any circumstances. However, speaking more broadly, there's a type of language being used in conservative circles that is just as incompatible with Scripture as abortion, sexual promiscuity, illegal drug use, or any of the other things on which Mrs. Ford's published views are being legitimately criticized.”
Outlaw, with regard to you at 215 on this thread: “I do not know who said what to whom, what got removed, and what got put back later. I finally found the Outlaw Woman post with the “POS” language, but it was on a different Betty Ford thread, and Outlaw Woman's comments were some of the less offensive things. A lot of other things that have been said, not just on this thread but others, have been far worse.”
Abortion is evil. Those who use their public position to advocate abortion bear responsibility for promoting evil. I'm not Betty Ford's pastor nor would she have wanted me in that role, and while my family was once close to the Fords that was many, many years ago. If I were in a position to speak to her on a personal level in the months prior to her death, which I most definitely was not, there would be things that needed to be said that she would not have liked.
On that point I don't think you and I have any disagreement.
I'm also not opposed to public attacks on public people at the time of their death under all circumstances. It's uncouth, it reeks of bad manners, and it's probably counterproductive in most cases, but under rare circumstances it may be appropriate. Pointing out that a dead rock star died as the result of his drunk driving and killed three uninvolved people in the other car may be a really good idea.
The problem here is that Mrs. Ford isn't some popular Hollywood starlet promoting abortion who died of a drug overdose at a young age and is getting lauded by the Hollywood community for her pro-choice advocacy. Mrs. Ford is a former First Lady of the United States. She is entitled to the respect of that position. There's also the issue of her being an older woman. Modern American culture doesn't have a lot of respect for the elderly, but Scripture is quite clear about the way we are to treat our elders.
I can think of very few good things to say about Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton or their wives, but at the point they die, they will be biblically entitled to the respect warranted by their positions. At least three of those four people have done a great deal of damage to the United States, some more than others, but we as conservatives simply cannot talk about our civil magistrates the way that liberals do. The office is worthy of respect, no matter how much we object to the person who may be in it, or who previously held it.
Again, as I've said a number of times, we are conservatives. We are not revolutionaries. If we adopt the liberal tactics of disrespect for order and authority, those methods are not neutral, and they will take us places we most definitely do not want to go.
It's over now and you were included on my reply because you had responded (and yes I'm aware you didn't ‘attack’) and just wanted to give my own viewpoint on the reaction which included some ugly FReepmail.
As far as respect, well that is an opinion and was addressed in my last post. Respecting (as in being still) the moment (her death) can be done but, as someone else pointed out, the article was posted in news and there was no indication that it was intended to be a solemn obit. I'm blunt and abortion is the one topic that will instantly set me off. The damage to our Nation & culture, which has been spear-headed by the pro-death & promiscuous culture, of which, Ford belonged, is absolutely incalculable. I don't know if she repented or not, but sincerely hope so, ‘for her sake’.
As I said, I'm sorry if my post offended but I will never lavish praise on someone just because of their age or position in society; not when they've assisted evil.
Betty Ford was a LEADER in the pro-death movement. So what if she was a Republican. Does not anyone on this forum remember that it was the REPUBLICANS on the Supreme Court that gave us ROE v. WADE? Brennan was a Nixon appointee. I frankly voted for Carter in 1976 because I thought that as a Christian we would get some moral leadership. OK, I was wrong. The Republican Party did not become pro-life until Reagan beat Carter.
This thread and the other threads were linked to news stories and posted in news. Hence the threads were legitimate forums to point out the FACT that Betty Ford was not a saint and that she was, IN FACT, a tireless worker and supporter of NARAL and Planned Parenthood and was given a lifetime achievement award by NARAL at a luncheon where the topic of the day was to try to convince Bill Clinton to VETO THE PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN. However when I did just that, I was attacked by freepers, most of whom identified themselves as Pro-life, for being insensitive. The more I tried to point out my frustration with pro-lifers the more I was attacked by them.
I have apparently been made an enemy of some of my long time FReeper FRiends on this thread and the other because of my insistence on posting the truth about Betty Ford.
I guess when Nancy Pelosi finally is laid to rest we will all be forced to forget for the moment her tireless efforts to ensure that an entire generation of Americans were killed off in the womb and remember her for her tireless work on behalf of the plastic surgery industry?
I apologize for NOTHING I said on this thread or the other.
If I offended anyone, then tough beans!
I for one will not sit still while someone who epitomized what is wrong with this country is given praise and accolades merely because she is no longer able to promote her evil agenda because she is now standing before God and making an accounting of her life before Him.
If pro-lifers want to pray that God will be merciful to her soul, then I have no problems with that. If pro-lifers want to praise her for her alcohol work, then frankly I do have a problem with that because all her work on other projects cannot possibly make up for her tireless work on behalf of the enemies of life.
I'm done here.