Gerald R. Ford, Mass Murderer

Imagine the following entry in a history book:

INDONESIA invaded East Timor on December 7, 1975, after receiving the green light from Soviet Prime Minister Leonid Brezhnev and KGB Chairman Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, who visited Jakarta on the eve of the Indonesian invasion. Indonesia ruled the tiny half-island territory through terror and mass murder, killing some 200,000 Timorese, nearly a third of East Timor's population, thanks to several billion in military and economic support from the Soviet Union. This state of siege lasted until 1999, when a U.N.-organized plebiscite resulted in an overwhelming vote for independence. The Soviet Union under Boris Yeltsin continued to finance the Indonesian military as it committed more atrocities in a last-ditch attempt to stem Timorese independence. As the Soviet Ambassador to Jakarta told reporters at the time, "Indonesia matters, East Timor does not." International pressure and instability in the Politburo finally forced President Yeltsin to halt military aid on September 10, 1999. Yeltsin was replaced by Vladimir Putin on December 31, 1999.

During the 1980's, President Ronald Reagan doubtless would have engaged the U.S. Military in opposition to the Soviet Invasion of East Timor, just as he did the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.

But it was not the USSR that promoted genocide in East Timor. It was the USA. Here is a more accurate entry for our history books:

INDONESIA invaded East Timor on December 7, 1975, after receiving the green light from then-U.S. President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who visited Jakarta on the eve of the Indonesian invasion. Indonesia ruled the tiny half-island territory through terror and mass murder, killing some 200,000 Timorese, nearly a third of East Timor's population, thanks to several billion in military and economic support from the United States. This state of siege lasted until 1999, when a U.N.-organized plebiscite resulted in an overwhelming vote for independence. The Clinton administration continued to finance the Indonesian military as it committed more atrocities in a last-ditch attempt to stem Timorese independence. As U.S. Ambassador to Jakarta, Stapleton Roy, told reporters at the time, 'Indonesia matters, East Timor does not.' International pressure and outrage in Congress finally forced President Clinton to halt military aid on September 10, 1999.

President Gerald R. Ford was a "moderate," as any fan of Ronald Reagan will tell you. "Moderates" are usually pawns of extremists; those with little passion are usually orchestrated by those with greater devotion and energy.

Jesus said:

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit thee out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).

If anyone heard the Christmas story three days ago, they heard about the Wise Men and king Herod. Herod and the Wise Men were both "extremists." The Scholars made a long hard journey from the East to Bethlehem to worship the Babe, the True King, and gave Him expensive gifts of Frankincense, Gold, and the even more costly Myrrh. Everyone else in the East apparently stayed home and gave each other "Happy Holidays" cards from Hallmark. Herod, also an extremist, attempted to kill the Infant King, and wasn't afraid to murder thousands of innocent children in the attempt. Herod issued a royal request to the Wise Men to inform the false king of the True King's location, but the Wise Men -- those extremists -- defied the king's decree and emigrated without reporting to Homeland Security. (Read the account in Matthew 2.)

Herod, of course, didn't do all the murdering himself. Herod stayed in Washington D.C. Herod had helpers. These loyal assistants would be the "moderates." They were just doing their job. They had families to feed. "If I don't do it somebody else will."

Gerald R. Ford was no Herod. But neither was he a Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, Geo. Washington, and Sam Adams were all "extremists." Gerald Ford was a "nice guy," and virtually no Democrats will have anything bad to say about Ford between now and his burial on Wednesday in Grand Rapids, MI. To be effective for the cause of good is often to receive the attacks of the architects of evil, so nobody will be attacking Gerald Ford.

I hope you'll join me during 2007 in trying to be an extremist that Sam Adams would be proud of.