Blog 629 – 05.11.2017
Apologies To Pete Rose And Richard Nixon

I think it is high time that we the citizens of The United States of America apologized to Pete Rose and while we are at it to Richard Nixon. Pete Rose was banned from Baseball and from ever being inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame because he bet on games. There was to my knowledge no evidence that he ever threw a game or otherwise profited from gambling or modified his performance in any game he participated in. During the years Pete has been banned we have knowingly allowed players to take performance enhancing drugs and have allowed them to break the records of those who did not and yes even allowed these cheaters to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Since the infamous White Sox’s betting/cheating sandal over a hundred years ago baseball has supposedly watched it’s image as far as player gambling is concerned. Do players gamble? Yes. Is it an isolated incident? No. Why, was Pete Rose singled out for such harsh punishment? Baseball needed a scapegoat, to make an example of someone. And so they did but was it fair? Did it cause baseball players to stop gambling? No, it was not and it did not.

But, why, you ask should we apologize to Dick Nixon? Well, maybe his refusal to cooperate with a Congressional investigation precludes an apology. But it should be noted that Nixon was the last moderate Republican to be elected President (Gerald Ford was not elected President nor even Vice President – he was appointed by Richard Nixon to replace Spiro T. Agnew as Vice President) accomplished a great deal during his Presidency.

Domestic Policy

Launched initiatives to fight cancer and illegal drugs
Imposed wage and price controls to curb inflation
Enforced desegregation in the Southern schools
Introduced legislation to reform health care and welfare
Established EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
Established OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Organization)
Signed into law the Clean Air Act and National Environmental Policy Act

Foreign Policy

Although initially escalating the Vietnam War ended U.S. involvement in 1973 through the Paris Peace Accords
Opened diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1972
Initiated detente with the U.S.S.R. leading  to SALT I  Antibalistic Missile Treaty
Supported Israel during Yom Kippor War which lead to Israeli victory and retaliation by Arab OPEC nations who refused to sell oil to U.S. during 1973 Oil Crisis
Covertly supported military coup of Chilean Marxist President Salvador Allende

Makes you wonder what else his Presidency might have accomplished had the second term not been consumed with Watergate and ended early due his resignation to avoid impeachment for obstructing justice. Maybe Richard Nixon does not deserve an apology just a little appreciation for the good his administration did as perhaps the last moderate Republican administration.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White