Betty Ford on 60 minutes ..... Wow

I had forgotten just how really progressive she was and all
the really good things she has done.

Breast Cancer awareness, research, and compassion for it's victims.

Grown up view of sex ..... "Well my daughter is 18 and is healthy I would
expect that she has had sex."

Marijuana law reform movement .

Treatment for Alcohol and Drug addictions.

Pro Choice & Pro Birth Control.

Betty, America is better because you were alive. I hope you find peace and
contentment along with love from your family and friends .... you are class.

She was beautiful too. A lot of spark.

instead of her husband. She was great, and probably still is.

In addition to your wishes, I'll add a nice rest after that marathon funeral.

She helped bring about a tremendous shift of popular perceptions. If one considers how much more receptive people are now to women in public office -- plus the fact that it's now routine for political candidates and their spouses to discuss past issues such as addiction, and their treatment -- I wouldn't be surprised if ultimately she's credited with greater accomplishments.

Imagine a time when a politician's career would be over, if any stories (true or otherwise) surfaced about past drug or alcohol use. And if that person were a woman, talking about her stance on abortion, or having a normal healthy relationship with her partner -- regardless of what she said -- would probably result in her losing the election. That was actually the case, within living memory.

Re: a nice rest, I too hope she has a relaxing time with her family -- she looked so tired on TV.

are Night and Day compared to today's 14th Century Republicans.

Old enough to remember.

I think the Neocons have ruined the Republican Party...and I think you might see a Libertarian or something along the lines of Ross Perot emerge before '08.

W has annihilated the Republican Party....with help from Delay, Abramoff, and of course Cheney.

When you hear Betty Ford speak, one realizes what a Backlash has occurred regarding women's rights...thank you, Bible thumpers.

She seemed so very broken up at the services... She and Gerry were a breed of Republican that is going extinct, the 'loyal' opposition.

My heart goes out to Betty and her family.

I was raised among them here in this conservative area. Most are fine people who would not discriminate.

Their party was hijacked, and some are just now realizing it.

I am afraid that a small cadre of people who are neither Republican nor Democrat have hijacked both parties in the name of ideology and empire.

I fear there are just as many of them affecting the Democrats as there are affecting the Republicans now.

This is why so many of us are suspicious about not being allowed a voice in the party.

Betty Ford talked about cancer screening way back in 1974-75-my mom went in, had a cancer screening test, and they caught the cancer in time.

I love BF.

A great Lady.

I think she redefined First Ladies, for sure. To my mind she had a lot more courage than her husband did.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby.99319795

I'm not sure if I can join you in wishing her "peace and contentment". I would prefer she feel agitated and compelled to take a more public role and speak for her principles once again. It would be a great help to our country.

I'll understand if she doesn't, of course -- she's already paid plenty of dues, so I do not in the least begrudge her a peaceful retirement. It's just that I think we so sorely need principled public figures to speak up -- and I do consider her to be a principled woman.

sw

I know because I used to be one but I left when Raygun and his ilk took control of the party. :-(

Three issues did it for me:
1. Equal Opportunity - Equal rights
2. The Environment
3. Separation of Church and State.

I actually they're the same issue. Equal opportunity means support of the environment and separationof church and state. That's because power is not concentrated in one "kind" who can then dictate.

All Catholic Democrats, but enlightened and outspoken, like Betty Ford. Damned Reagan anyway. We would have been such a better country if he'd never been President.

today the fords would be a centerist democrats kind`a like hillary and bill

She was lovely to watch. ...so progressive. I hope all the right-wingers watched her.
Madspirit

She was and is a class act.

this family really is a great family. I think Betty Ford is and has always been a very admirable person.

Helen Milliken's husband, Bill, was a (very moderate) Republican governor of Michigan from 1969 to 1983.

In an interview of the Millikens that I saw this summer, Helen was asked about Hillary possibly running for president. She criticized Hillary for supporting the flag-burning amendment.

You wouldn't know the Millikens have been Republicans. The same is true with the Fords - at least Betty.

Very progressive and honest. Hard to believe he was a Rethug.

nt

I missed this replay of the program tonight, but I have vague memories of it from the '70s. People who are old enough to remember, might remember that because of her open and modern opinions--pro-ERA, etc.--there was actually a kind of a "Betty Ford craze" during the '70s, where she was a lot more popular than Gerald Ford was. This kind of attitude from that generation, where they were facing facts about the way the world was changing, and where so many of them supported feminism and equal rights, etc., was really popular, and not that unusual. You mentioned the Millikens--remember that both Bill and Helen Milliken supported the ERA, abortion rights, equal pay, and other issues during the '70s, when this was all very bi-partisan and mainstream. The PBS interview with them a few months ago was really great; they, and especially Helen Milliken, seemed very disturbed at what has become of the Republican Party since the extremists took it over, and even sounded as if she was thinking of leaving it, like so many others.

Just to show you how horrible things have gotten since then, just remember a situation that I remember from the 1970s, that would have been unthinkable today: Remember when Milliken appointed Sister Mary Agnes Mansour to head the Michigan Department of Health, which offered and paid for abortions for poor women as part of their medical care. Milliken refused to cut abortion services, and Sister Mansour kept the coverage under State medical care. Eventually, the Catholic Church ordered her to quit her job at the Dept. of Health, or resign as a Sister in the Church. She thought about it for a little while, then gave up her vows as a nun, keeping the Dept. of Health position. There were no protests, no threats, no media hate-campaigns, nothing; none of that existed yet. It was all so low-key and grown-up, so ordinary. I don't remember any hysterical reactions or opinions by anybody then...It makes you want to almost cry.

This type of mainstream moderate/liberal, non-corporate, non-archconservative Republican used to be kind of common, in the Northeast and Midwest, before they destroyed themselves.

Betty Ford was the 2nd celebrity to speak about having breast cancer.

The first one I remember was Happy Rockefeller (Nelson's wife) who had had it in the early 60s and talked about it, but Betty was the first to really bring the public's awareness to breast cancer and what a common and deadly disease it was.

Betty Rocks!!

I remember the interview where she was talking about sex and her daughter, and I remember other interviews where she talked about some of the other stuff. I have the book she wrote. If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend it.

And hubby wasn't 1/2 bad either talking about the alcoholism. He admitted to being an enabler, right out, and he's obviously loyal since he didn't abandon her.

She's a great person!