A Brief Note on the Tragedy in Tucson

A brief introduction to this post: I wrote this post last night, after watching the Tucson Memorial Service. I was unsure if I was going to talk about this tragedy, but felt it necessary. Please understand this is solely my own opinion, and is authored with nothing but respect and sadness for those who were lost.

It is an unfortunate reality that the worst moments in our history seem to be the only ones that truly bring us together and force us to examine the world in which we live. We have all heard of the tragedy that occurred this past Saturday in Tucson. This post is not meant to provide the factual details of this event, as that is readily available elsewhere. Rather, this post exists as a brief commentary on the situation which tragically took the lives of so many innocent people.

Reports on the shooter in this incident have used the word “troubled” over and over. Reports of his alleged mental health problems and unconventional past have been well documented. At this point, there appears to be no concrete motive for this unthinkable act. But that has not stopped people from speculating, as to the cause of this. The blame has been placed on many causes and individuals, not one of which is truly deserving of such awful accusations.

Throughout history, certain individuals have been uncomfortable with the reach of government and have tried to harm elected officials, whom they perceive to be the most tangible links to the problem they so desperately fear. Many people, for whatever reason, have unrealistic ideas in their heads about the harm their democratic government can do to them, and thus they take drastic measures to try and stop it. In this instance, it appears this may have been the case, however I myself am no authority on this matter.

There seems to be clear evidence that the target of the attack was Congresswoman Giffords. I am in no way justifying the actions of the shooter, but when an individual makes the decision to run for an elected position, they are acknowledging the danger it poses. Just as a police officer, or fireman does the same. What makes this tragedy even more horrific, is the fact that innocent bystanders became the actual victims. They did nothing wrong, other than being in that unfortunate spot at that very moment.

The speakers at last night’s memorial service made many poignant remarks. One in particular was said by President Barack Obama, who stated that “we should talk in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.” In the days since this tragedy the discussion has wounded, not healed a shocked and saddened nation. While many want to know the motives, so they may gain understanding and closure, the reality is simply that the events can not be undone. While we should always remember those who were lost, instead of dwelling on a past we can not change, let’s focus attention on a future we can make better. In my opinion, that is the true way to honour those who have died.

Full text of Obama’s eulogy can be found here.

Wednesday Update – January 12, 2011

Canada:

• Michael Ignatieff is heading out on his 20/11 tour – 20 ridings in 11 days. All 20 ridings belong to Bloc, Conservative or NDP rivals and Ignatieff’s visits are aimed at winning support for the Liberals, should an election be called. These are all ridings that the Liberals believe they can win. Read more here and here.
• Meanwhile, Jack Layton is embarking upon his own tour. However, Layton is visiting only Conservative ridings, as he believes this will provide the most benefit to him when an election is called (whenever that may be). Read more here.
• Canada is pledging $90M worth of funding to Haiti to help the progression of recovery, which has not been as quick as many would hope. The money is to help with education, agriculture and health. The funding will be divided into projects, which will specifically target each of the areas which most need the money. Read more here.

United States:

• Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been recovering well, after the mass shooting in Tucson on Saturday. Giffords’ doctors say she is likely to make a full recovery, but has a long road ahead. The shooting left a total of 6 dead, with more than a dozen injured. Speculation regarding the shooter’s motives has been monopolizing media coverage of the event, however there is no definitive reason, other than perhaps the suspect’s mental health issues. You can read more almost anywhere.
• President Barack Obama will be delivering his State of the Union address on January 25, 2011. It will be crucial to see how Obama handles the next two years, facing a Republican controlled Congress. Likewise, it will be interesting to see Boehner sitting behind Obama, and how he reacts to the things the president says. Read more here.
• A report following the BP oil spill from this past summer, has said that another spill is imminent, unless the government makes drastic changes. There needs to be greater attention to detail and better safety measures, otherwise another spill may be months away. Not surprisingly, Haliburton criticized the report’s findings. Read more here.

World:

• Certain parts of Australia are literally being washed away, as flood waters continue to flood many towns and including Brisbane. The death toll since the end of November has risen to 20, as the waters wash away homes and leave people stranded in peril. There are an additional 67 people who are still missing. Read more here and here.
• Drug wars in Mexico continue to escalate to extreme levels. Recently, thirty-one people were killed in four days. This comes after several people were found decapitated. There is no question that the government and law enforcement is not in control of the situation. Read more here.

Some Political Reading for 2011

I was lucky enough to receive quite a few books this past Christmas, which has meant my reading list has grown exponentially. I decided to put together a small list of some new and interesting political books, which are sure to be necessary reads for any political enthusiast. If you’re looking for any good reading material, perhaps something on this list will tickle your fancy.

The book I am currently reading, which I learned of simply by browsing the political science section of my local Chapters, is entitled The Audacity to Win by David Plouffe. Plouffe was Obama’s campaign manager in his 2008 presidential bid, and accounts for Obama’s historic rise from a candidate with zero name recognition and money, to a national candidate, to president. As it is coming directly from Plouffe, there is little worry that the information contained within is not correct. However, it is unlikely that Plouffe will include any ‘dirt’ on the Obama campaign of 2008. The book also looks to be a criticism of the Republican party, as the subtitle of the book is How Obama Won and How We Can Beat the Party of Limbaugh, Beck and Palin.

One of the books wrapped underneath the Christmas tree for me was George W. Bush’s Decision Points. I don’t need to say too much regarding this book, as it has been widely reported on. I am simply interested to hear how Bush tells his side of the story. Obviously this is an attempt to improve his legacy, but at the same time I don’t think anybody will finish the book with an unabashed love for the former president.

Another book on sitting on my bookshelf currently is A Journey: My Political Life by Tony Blair. Once again, this memoir has been widely reported on. Similar to Bush, Blair left office on less than desirable terms with the electorate. It will be interesting to see how he approaches the task of defending his political life to the reader, and how similar or different it will be to how Bush approached it.

A book that I simply could not pass up is by former president Jimmy Carter (if you read this past week’s Flashback Friday, you will know why). In what seems to be his one hundredth book, Carter opens up the diary he kept while president to give a first hand account of events that took place during his four years in the White House. The book is an attempt to provide people an avenue into Carter’s head to understand what he was thinking and going through as he led the country.

Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin was a book I finished this past summer. Subtitled Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime, the book outlines the 2008 election focusing on the primaries, nominations, VP selections, and campaigns of each party. While it focussed more heavily on the Democrats, with less mention of the Republican ticket, it was a good read and provided some interesting insight into an unknown side of the candidates.

I have mentioned this selection before in a previous Flashback Friday post, but I am also attempting to make time for American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by John Meacham. Generally I am more interested in content of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, but Jackson is a pretty interesting character, so I thought I would give it a go.

Another book, which I have owned for far too long and not read yet is Dreams from my Father. This was of course authored by Barack Obama and documents his life growing up, and his struggle to find his own identity. Obama’s work has been generally well received, so I am expecting it to be a decent read.

Lawrence Martin authored an interesting book on Prime Minister Stephen Harper, appropriately titled Harperland: The Politics of Control. The book will no doubt support what we all know about Harper being a very controlling individual within his party, and from what I have heard it provides quite a scathing review of a paranoid man.

As I was researching yesterday’s post on Tommy Douglas, I came across a book recently authored by Bill Waisser and C.S. Houston. Entitled Tommy’s Team: The People Behind the Douglas Years, it provides the history behind many of Douglas’ actions as premier and NDP leader, showing how he was not alone. By himself, Douglas was not able to accomplish all he wanted to. Thus he had a dedicated team of loyal personnel. But then again, who doesn’t? Not sure how groundbreaking this will be, but likely a decent history of Douglas.

So these are just a few of the current selections on my personal reading list, and perhaps some of them might be appealing to you as well. There are thousands of other books which are hot at the moment, including selections from Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Elizabeth Edwards and so on and so forth. The question I have for you all, is what books are you planning to read in 2011? These are mostly political books. Any good suggestions for Canadian or American history that you know of? Please share!

Tommy Douglas: The Greatest Canadian… EVER!

Back in 2004, the CBC decided to undertake the process of determining ‘The Greatest Canadian’. Since the CBC is quintessentially Canadian, they seem to be the best people for the job. They conducted a survey via email, telephone, website and mail to figure out the top fifty Canadians. They then took the top ten and those individuals all faced off head to head to determine which was the ‘Greatest’. The list was a mix of politicians, athletes, and personalities who have been well known in Canada. Each individual on the list was assigned a ‘celebrity’ who argued for their case, as to why they were the ‘Greatest Canadian’. The final vote was conducted and the winner was… Tommy Douglas. Huh?

On a list that included Prime Ministers Macdonald, Pearson, and Trudeau, hockey personalities Wayne Gretzky and Don Cherry, national hero Terry Fox, inventor Alexander Graham Bell, environmentalist David Suzuki, Nobel Prize winner Sir Frederick Banting and Douglas, he somehow came out on top. I for one was surprised. Now obviously, this was not a serious, scientific poll. Only those who actually watched the CBC and furthermore watched the show, would have voted. There was no input from French Canada, and the ‘celebrities’ who argued for each person easily could have influenced voting one way or another. It doesn’t take an academic genius to know this was not going to be a perfect decision.

I personally thought Douglas would be lucky to place in the top five. Knowing Canada’s love for hockey, I figured Gretzky or Cherry was a lock. Or surely Terry Fox would tug at enough hearts to propel him to the top spot. But somehow Douglas won the competition. Did the CBC rig it? Not likely, but it’s still odd. Canada has never had a strong love for the NDP, which Douglas was the first federal leader of (it had existed previously as the CCF). He had been a premier of Saskatchewan, which as we all know, is not one of Canada’s most populous provinces. It was obviously not the NDP crowd or support from Saskatchewan that propelled him to the top. So what was it?

Well I believe it was Douglas’ legacy as the father of medicare. Canadians are extremely proud of their healthcare system, which (despite its problems) is touted around the world. There is no doubt in my mind that this fact played significantly into Douglas’ victory. The only other reason I can come up with would be that Douglas was simply a very nice man. He was well loved, in Saskatchewan, and throughout the country. Even though Canadians have never been in love with the NDP, they did love Douglas quite a bit more. Had Douglas run for the Liberal party, we might see his name in the history books as a Prime Minister. But all speculation aside, he was a genuinely kind man, and that was evident no matter which party you belonged to.

So all thanks to the CBC, we can now rest easy knowing the ‘Greatest Canadian’ has been determined (regardless of the criteria they used to determine it). I am sure there are many out there that would beg to differ. What I would like to know is who do you think is the ‘Greatest Canadian’? Is it Douglas, or someone else on the list? Or is it someone else all together? Is it possible to determine the ‘Greatest’ Canadian? What does that even mean?

All of the Greatest Canadian videos can be seen here.

Flashback Friday – Gerald R. Ford

On New Year’s Day 2006 I was reading my local newspaper and one of the features was a psychic’s predictions for the coming year. One of the things she included was a list of people who were going to die in 2006. At first I found this quite disturbing, but quickly pushed that aside to read who was on the list. It was nothing more than a list of most of the old(er) famous people of the world, many of whom did not stick out for me. The one name which did peak my interest was Gerald R. Ford. I knew President Ford was in his 90’s, but I hoped for his sake that this psychic was not good. All year I kept my eye on the news for any mention of the former president. Nothing came up all year, and I was feeling relieved that by Christmas he was still around. Then on Boxing day 2006, the news broke the President Ford has passed away. In the end, she had unfortunately been right, and the next week of my life was consumed with watching every tribute, memorial and funeral service held for him. I do happen to remember some of the other names which were on the list, who happen to still be living, so obviously her predictions were not one hundred percent accurate. Nevertheless, today’s Flashback Friday is dedicated to President Ford, a president that history largely forgets about.

Gerald R. Ford is the only president to have served unelected as both president and vice president. His succession to the vice presidency was as a result of Spiro Agnew’s scandal driven resignation. Then less than one year later, Richard Nixon’s scandal driven resignation put him in the presidency. His loss to Jimmy Carter in 1976 meant that he was never elected as president, something that pained him deeply, and caused many to refer to him as the ‘Accidental President’. While his decisions as president were controversial, and ultimately cost him reelection in 1976, looking back Ford was doing the country a favour, even if it hurt any political future he wished to have.

Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr in 1913. He was named after his father Leslie Lynch King, who by most accounts was not a good man. Ford’s mother and Mr. King separated weeks after Ford’s birth, later divorcing. Ford’s mother remarried Gerald Rudolff Ford in 1916. From that point on, his mother and stepfather referred to him as Gerald Rufolff Ford. It was not until he was an adult, that Ford learned of his birth name, and changed the spelling of his middle name to Rudolph to make it more conventional.

A very athletic man, Ford was involved in football from a young age. He attended the University of Michigan, then went on to graduate from Yale Law School. He also courted offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, but turned those down. Upon graduation from Yale, Ford served in WWII in the Navy. When he returned to Michigan, he became involved in local politics, which eventually led him into the House of Representatives. He was first elected in 1948, and spent most of his honeymoon campaigning. He had earlier married Elizabeth “Betty” Warren in October 1948. Ford was elected in November of that same year and later went on to serve thirteen terms as a congressman.

He competently worked in the House with other members and earned a reputation for being an honest and down to earth guy. He became House Minority Leader in 1965, which he served in until he was selected as vice president. Nixon’s current vice president, Spiro Agnew, was forced to resign as part of a scandal which alleged he had committed tax evasion in his home state of Maryland. Ford was seen as the only agreeable choice, due to the integrity and respect he had earned. He quietly slipped into the position, unaware of the turmoil that Nixon was getting himself into. The Watergate scandal was in full swing, and Nixon did not inform Ford of just how serious the situation was. It was not until Nixon called Ford into his office to let him know he was resigning, that Ford truly understood what was going on. Nixon announced to the nation his resignation via live television, and on August 9, 1974 Ford became the 38th president of the United States. Since Ford succeeded to both the vice presidency and presidency and was never elected to his own term, he is the only president to never have been elected on a national ticket by the American people.

Ford inherited quite a mess from Nixon. The country was gripped by Watergate, and the media was set on getting Nixon’s head on a platter. Ford was a very common sense man, but unfortunately this common sense did not necessarily translate well to president. He was not helped by his decision to give Nixon a “full, free, and absolute pardon” on all the charges he had. This let Nixon go a free man. It completely enraged people, who were set on seeing Nixon punished. Looking back, Ford did an amazing thing for the country. He had spared the country a long, drawn out trial which would have left Watergate on their minds for years. Ford had realized this was the best thing for the country, even though it cost him greatly. People saw this as a backroom deal and it hurt Ford’s credibility.

Ford also had to deal with many other issues prevalent during the late 1970’s. The economy was not in good shape, as inflation continued to hurt many families. Ford was unable to effectively deal with this. He also continued to pursue many of the policies of Richard Nixon with regards to international relations. During his short presidency, Ford even faced two assassination attempts, both of which were fortunately unsuccessful.

When 1976 arrived, and Ford had to face an election, he was well behind his Democratic opponent, Jimmy Carter. Carter skillfully tapped into the anti-Washington sentiment which was present thanks to the Watergate scandal. Ford was unable to distance himself from this, as he had served in Washington for over two decades. Ford also blundered during the debates, and the images of him tripping, and bumping his head made him seem like a clumsy buffoon and not a president. Ford’s booming oratory was also notoriously boring and he was unable to inspire any confidence in the American people about their future. Of course, nobody can deny that the Watergate pardon was fresh on everyone’s minds still. While Carter’s own stumbles narrowed the polls by election day, Ford still lost and was unable to secure his own term.

Another problem that Ford faced in 1976 was a man named Ronald Reagan. We all know Reagan himself was president in the 1980’s, but in 1976 he challenged Ford for the Republican nomination. This was very damaging, as Ford had to fight off Reagan, before he could fight off Carter. The decision went all the way to the Republican convention, where Ford narrowly won. In an awkward moment, Ford called Reagan up on stage to make some remarks after he secured the nomination. Reagan (who had prepared nothing) made some very inspirational remarks, and it was clear to many in the room that they had nominated the wrong person.

When Jimmy Carter took the oath of office in 1977, the first words of his inaugural address were “for myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.” Those words could not be more true. Although it had cost him his political life, Ford had saved the country by pardoning Nixon. Ford essentially retired after leaving the White House, although the idea of him being on the ticket with Ronald Reagan in 1980, as the vice presidential nominee was floated. However, it was decided that would not be a good idea, as it would be more like having two presidents, than a president and vice president. It likely did not help that Ford and Reagan never did forgive each other for the events of 1976, despite what media reports said.

Ford went on to enjoy retirement in California with his wife Betty. He was an avid golfer, who was active well into his nineties. He often conferred with other presidents, who appreciated his point of view. Interestingly enough, Ford and Jimmy Carter later became very good friends. Carter states there has been no closer bond between two former presidents. They made a promise to each other that one would give a eulogy at the other’s funeral. Thus at Ford’s funeral, Carter gave a very emotional eulogy, which he closed with the words “for myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.” At his death, Ford is the oldest president, living to be 93 years old.

His legacy has not been very kind to him. The unfortunate reality is that Ford was in office for such a short time, that he was unable to make a lasting impression on it. He was anchored down by the shadow of Watergate and was never afforded the luxury of a fresh start as president. But through it all, it was evident that Ford was a plain, humble and honest man, who was perhaps too kind for the job he inherited.

I will admit that I have a soft spot for Gerald Ford. The three presidents that served in the 1970’s (Nixon, Ford and Carter) are among the most interesting to me. Don’t ask me why, as I don’t know the reason, but I have written several papers, watched countless documentaries and read dozens of books on these three men. Something about this time period and how that affected their presidencies provides me hours of entertainment. Some of you early readers might remember that Richard Nixon was the first individual featured on Flashback Friday. I resisted the urge to devote the next two weeks to Ford and Carter. However, I felt this an appropriate time to cover President Ford, as each Boxing Day, I think back to the day in 2006 when I learned of the passing of Gerald R. Ford.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/geraldford