Sorry but I'll be washing my hair then.

osso is a Nice Person.


Roger is a RAT!!!!



And he will pay!



Seriously, though, a president NOT attending a former president's funeral is pretty bad form in anyone's book. Yes?

You could say rude & insulting.

I mean it's part of the job description. Right?

What's up with this Bush person?

msolga wrote:

But I am!

He WAS an ass, fercrissake!!!!!

Eeyore is a donkey, aka ass.

Is your hatred of Bush such that you condemn him for not attending something that hasnt occurred?

There was a private funeral service in Palm Springs that the President did not attend,but that was for family members,and was not open to anyone.

mysteryman wrote:

There was a private funeral service in Palm Springs that the President did not attend,but that was for family members,and was not open to anyone.

A private funeral service for family members, that was attended by Dick Cheney, Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez? What am I missing here?

mysteryman wrote:

There was a private funeral service in Palm Springs that the President did not attend,but that was for family members,and was not open to anyone.

A private funeral service for family members, that was attended by Dick Cheney, Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez? What am I missing here?

The state funeral was on Saturday. Much of the government leadership, i.e.,"The State" chose not to attend.

The state funeral was on Saturday. Much of the government leadership, i.e.,"The State" chose not to attend.

JPB wrote:

The state funeral was on Saturday. Much of the government leadership, i.e.,"The State" chose not to attend.

Thanks for the additional info. Yes, true, the "arrival ceremony" I mentioned where Cheney spoke is identified in many other reports as the actual state funeral.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney [..] attended the brief arrival ceremony and was one of the honorary pallbearers. The arrival opened the Washington portion of Ford's state funeral, with a route taking his casket [..] over the Memorial Bridge to the U.S. Capitol for the first service and a lying in state that continues until Tuesday.

Funeral arrangements

The Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR)/Military District of Washington (MDW), which oversees state funerals, retains the funeral plans written out by Ford prior to his death. Ford requested a state funeral and a burial in the courtyard of his presidential museum, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The state funeral took place at the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, December 30, 2006, with a further service on 2 January at Washington National Cathedral.

Upon the death of U.S. Presidents, the nation's flags are ordered flown at half staff for 30 days after the death. President George W. Bush declared a national day of mourning for President Ford on Tuesday, January 2, 2007, to mark the funeral service.

Vice President Dick Cheney will accompany the Ford family to Grand Rapids for the interment.[7]

Army Major General Guy C. Swan III, commanding general of the MDW (CG MDW) and JFHQ-NCR, will escort Betty Ford.

[..]

Events in Washington

The events in Washington, D.C., began on December 30, when Ford's body arrived at Andrews Air Force Base that evening. From there, it was driven by hearse in a simple procession, passing through Alexandria, Virginia, to pay tribute to where he lived when in the House, into the capital city, pausing by the National World War II Memorial to pay tribute to his service in the Navy during World War II, and onto Capitol Hill. [..]

Capitol Hill events

On arrival at the Capitol, the casket was carried up the steps to the House chamber for a brief period of repose before being taken to the rotunda to lie in state on Abraham Lincoln's catafalque.

The Rev. Daniel Coughlin, the House of Representatives' chaplain, gave the invocation. Eulogies were delivered by Senate President pro tempore Ted Stevens, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and Vice President Dick Cheney.

After the eulogies, the eulogists laid a wreath, the Rev. Barry Black, Senate chaplain gave the benediction. The dignitaries, which included members of Congress, the United States Supreme Court, and members of the diplomatic corps and others, paid their respects during the next half hour.

Public viewing

The doors were opened to the public after the dignitaries filed by. The Capitol Rotunda remained open until midnight EST.

Viewing continued through Sunday, December 31 and Monday, January 1. People visited the rotunda at a rate of 2,500 an hour.

State funeral

The Capitol Rotunda will be closed early on Tuesday morning, January 2, 2007 to allow preparations for the second half of Washington ceremonies, to be held at the Washington National Cathedral. Ford's casket will be taken from the Rotunda to the Senate side of the Capitol, signaling his time as Vice President (who, according to the Constitution, serves as President of the Senate). The casket will be taken down the Senate steps and to a waiting hearse for the trip to the National Cathedral for a mid-morning service. [..]

On Capitol Hill, Reagan's casket was carried up the west front steps, mainly because Reagan was first inaugurated there and he wanted to face west, toward California. Additionally, construction work was being done on the Capitol Visitors Center on the East side.

Two teams of military body bearers carried the coffin up the steps of the Capitol, straining at the weight of the coffin and the steepness of the steps. They would do the same thing when the coffin was brought out two days later.

The casket was placed under the rotunda, where it lay in state on Abraham Lincoln's catafalque. The Rev. Daniel Coughlin, the House of Representatives' chaplain, gave the invocation. Eulogies were delivered by Senate President pro tempore Ted Stevens, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and Vice President Dick Cheney.[4]Normally the service would have been presided over by the president, but Bush was hosting the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia.

After the eulogies, the eulogists laid a wreath, the Rev. Barry Black, Senate chaplain gave the benediction. The dignitaries, which included members of Congress, the United States Supreme Court, and members of the diplomatic corps and others, paid their respects during the next half hour.