Rant #2,274: Lay It Down

Today is a national day of mourning for President George H.W. Bush, who will have his public funeral today.

As befits such rare occasions, numerous dignitaries, famous people and yes, ordinary folk, will attend his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

Flags have flown at half staff since Bush's passing, and they will continue to do so for a few more weeks.

Federal workers have been given the day off, so there will be no mail delivery, and many others have off to honor the President's memory, too.

My wife and I will honor the President Bush by working today; we do not have off, and will be at our respective salt mines today.

So today is going to be something of a strange day, as it seems that half of the workforce has off, while for others, it is just another day at the office.

For me, I deal with federal workers, so today, I won't be dealing with anyone, because they will all be off mourning in their own way.

That is fine, and such a mourning period is justified when a death occurs in such a unique club.

When was the last time we had such an event? I can't remember. Was it for President Gerald Ford? Since he died just about 12 years ago in 2006--on December 26--his public funeral must have extended into the New Year's celebrations, so you know what? I barely remember it.

And since he was not an elected President--you are sure to remember that he took over for Richard Nixon in the Watergate debacle--the occasion of his death simply could not carry the same level of emotion as that of an elected President's death.

President Ronald Reagan was the last elected President to pass away and have a public funeral. That was in June 2004, years after he served our country and years into his battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

The disease is itself the true walking dead disease, and the nation knew, through reports here and there, that Reagan was not well, so his death was almost a blessing. No one should have to go through what he--and his family--went through in his final years.

But with George Bush, whatever you thought about him as President, you almost had to admire him as a person.

This guy took his post-Presidency years by the horns, with both hands, and lived life to the fullest. His 95 years were jam-packed with extraordinary experiences, and his final years did not dilute his very being one iota.

He jumped out of airplanes, he was very vocal on various issues including those impacting the environment, and he was this country's true elder statesman.

I admit that I never voted for Bush during his runs for President. I never liked him as our commander in chief, but as he left the Presidency and moved on with his life, I grew to somewhat admire the man, who lived life as he wanted to do during his final years.

He only seemed to stumble when former first lady Barbara died. We started to see President Bush in his final days, and they were not pretty. He was accused of saying inappropriate things and pinching women from his wheelchair during his last days and months.

It was a sad finale for the 95 year old, and maybe his passing was a blessing, too.

But whatever the case, we put a President to rest today. He was a member of a very exclusive club, and hopefully, we won't be putting another one to rest for a long, long time.

R.I.P. Mr. President. Rest well.