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Destiny’s Child

Seen at the Crime

Rehab efforts continue at the Nixon Library.

Hundreds gathered to mark Nixon’s 95th birthday, the Navy sent a wreath, and Admiral Raymond Berube identified the Disgracedformerpresident as that fail-safe superlative, a difference maker.

“He inherited a country weighed down with war and political instability,” the Orange County Register quotes Berube, implying Nixon in some way moderated these phenomena.

One Register reader ain’t buying it:

“He woul dhave been 95 and if there was justice in this country he would just now be eligible for parole.”

From the Journal of vikisu202:

“the last few days have been essentially uneventful

monday: I went to the Richard Nixon Library with Neel, oliver, and michael. Michael was making completely inappropriate sexual jokes as usual. We only went for the extra credit for gov. Ironically, the only exhibit we wanted to see was watergate and it was “under construction”. It was one of the most boring museums ive ever been to. There were a billion random christmas trees everwhere though. At night, we went to austins house and ate a lot of food. We watched some tennis and hannah montana. then onto 2008!”

Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off?

Hey! It’s Lyndon Johnson’s 100th birthday!

Who can resist round, and somewhat large numbers? The Johnson Centennial folks hope you can’t.

To the extent there is a unified theme it appears to be a version of get ‘er done-ish hymns to his domestic labors. Recent events may have made competence in execution a hot selling point, but they are conspicuously silent on Vietnam.

Johnson is but the beginning of what we can only hope becomes known as the Centennial Century.

First up is Lincoln, technically coming back for seconds at his bicentenary in 2009. Reagan looms in 2011, and by golly maybe they’ll get him slapped on Rushmore by then.

The Nixon Library is already marking his 95th birthday, so look out in 2013. I’ve been unable to detect any Kennedy 2017 activity, but a boy can dream.

Ghost Walker

Only a year ago, America’s New Years Celebrations were sandwiched around a very different send-off, America’s Gerald Ford.

California

Capitol Hill

National Cathedral

Michigan

If you slept through it all, were under a rock, or had better things to do, endless retrospectives are available via the internets. Or order CSPAN’s compilation tape for $24.95.

Lessons were offered and conclusions drawn.

Henry Kissinger offered a spectacularly rosie and utterly false portrait of Ford’s alignment with South Africa in the 70s. Dick Cheney watched too much television coverage and learned that Ford was a spirited amalgam of Truman, Roosevelt and Reagan on their good days.

And did you know, he was “our most athletic President“?
Ford memorializing rumbles along, albeit at a slower pace then the Reagan juggernaut. Michigan hopes to dump a long-time Capitol Hill statue to make room for Ford, and in real estate Gerry Ford brings the swank. The long time Alexandria Virginia resident and beloved deceased President will be honored by a “President Ford Lane” and a park in an exciting new “mega mansion” development. But there’s more. The park is to be marked by “appropriate signage, historical and informational plaque, and, hopefully, a three dimensional statue or bust of President Ford.”