Bill Clinton Becomes a Vegan

Pol Light Moment #67 is when Bill Clinton made public his decision to become a Vegan on August 18, 2011.  Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States and served from 1993-2001. He also served as the Governor of Arkansas from 1983-1992. A Vegan is a person who doesn't eat meat or fish or anything made from animals, such as dairy or eggs.

The following is a video of Bill Clinton talking about his vegan diet.

Bill Clinton described his diet this way: "I went on essentially a plant-based diet. I live on beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits... I drink a protein supplement every morning, no dairy, I drink almond milk mixed in with fruit, and a protein powder. It changed my whole metabolism and I lost 24 pounds, and I got back to basically what I weighed in high school (The Bill Clinton Diet)."

Clinton's journey with the Vegan lifestyle was precipitated by surgery for heart disease in 2004 and the desire to lose weight for his daughter Chelsea's wedding in the Summer of 2010. Regarding the reason he became a Vegan, Bill Clinton said, "I just decided that I was the high-risk person, and I didn't want to fool with this anymore. And I wanted to live to be a grandfather. So I decided to pick the diet that I thought would maximize my chances of long-term survival (Bill Clinton Reveals How He Became a Vegan, AARP)."

More Information: You can find more information on the Vegan diet that Bill Clinton follows at these pages on the Internet: 

• Bill Clinton Declares Vegan Victory, USA Today
• From Omnivore to Vegan: The Dietary Education of Bill Clinton, CNN
• Wait When Did Bill Clinton Become a Vegan, Mediaite.com

Quote Light: Bill Clinton has a page on the Quote Light blog.

Bill Clinton has been featured in other Pol Light moments and can be found by searching this blog with the Bill Clinton Label.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Bill Clinton is in the public domain.

Gerald Ford Pardons Richard Nixon

Pol Light Moment #66 is when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon on September 8, 1974. Gerald Ford was the 38th President of the United States serving from 1974 to 1977.  He served as Vice-President of the United States from 1973-1974 and prior to that represented the 5th District of Michigan in the United States House of Representatives from 1949-1973.

Richard Nixon resigned as President of the United States on August 9, 1974, and his Vice-President Gerald Ford became President. After a month in office, Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have done as President. Over the years Presidential Pardons have been opportunities to show mercy in unusual circumstances and the pardon of Richard Nixon was probably one of the most high profile pardons in history.

Gerald Ford addresssed the nation when he made his decision to pardon Richard Nixon. Here is a historical video of Ford giving the pardon to Nixon.

Ford said he issued the pardon primarily for what he felt in his heart was in the best interests of the country and to show mercy to Richard Nixon and his family. Gerald Ford said in his pardon speech, "But it is not the ultimate fate of Richard Nixon that most concerns me, though surely it deeply troubles every decent and every compassionate person. My concern is the immediate future of this great country (Watergate.info)."

Many historians believe that the pardon Ford gave Nixon cost him the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter. Gerald Ford knew that possibility when he issued the pardon, because his speech mentions that he felt he could not rely upon public opinion polls to tell him what was right. Knowing the consequences to his political career, he still did what he thought was in the best interest of the country.

One of the most courageous political lines is when Ford said in his pardon speech, "I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference (Watergate.info)."

You can read the full text of Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon at Watergate.info.

Gerald Ford has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all Gerald Ford posts search with the Gerald Ford label at Pol Light.
 

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Betty Ford Discloses Her Breast Cancer

A Pol Light Encore for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Original Post: February 17, 2012

Pol Light Moment #3 occurred in September, 1974, when Betty Ford shared about her diagnosis of breast cancer. Betty Ford (1918-2011) was the First Lady of the United States while her husband Gerald Ford served as the 38th President of the United States from August 9, 1974-January 20, 1977.

On September 28, 1974 (just a few weeks after becoming First Lady), Betty Ford had a mastectomy for breast cancer. She decided to go public with her health condition in order to raise public awareness of breast cancer. It should be noted that in the 1970's it was less common for political leaders to share this type of personal information. This event led the United States to greater public awareness of this cancer and the critical prevention screening.

Betty Ford lived into her 90's and became a 37 year survivor of breast cancer. Jody MacGready said, "By her mere survival, she showed that early detection keeps you alive and to pay attention to your own body (Breast Cancer Survivors Embrace Betty Ford's Legacy of Courage, Hope, MLive)."

Here is a video showing how Betty Ford's disclosure that she had breast cancer had a lasting influence on the medical treatment of the disease and specifically touched the life of Jane Boomstra who was one of the very first patients to use the Betty Ford Breast Cancer Services Center that is part of Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We apologize but this video is not available on mobile phones.

For more information on Betty Ford's survival and advocacy over breast cancer see a CNN article called Betty Ford Brought Breast Cancer Out Into the Open, that was written on July 12, 2011, around the time of Betty Ford's death.  

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo in this post is in the Wikipedia Commons and is not copyrighted because it is an official photograph of a White House official.

Steve King Helps Veterans Visit Their Memorial

Steve King

Pol Light Moment #65 is when Steve King helped Veterans visit the World War II Memorial on October 1, 2013. Steve King is a member of the US House of Representatives who has represented Iowa's 5th District from 2003-2013 and because of redistricting has represented Iowa's 4th District since 2013.

The World War II Memorial along with other open air memorials in Washington DC had been closed and barricaded on October 1, 2013, by the Obama Administration due to the federal government shutdown. Stephen King and other Congressional Representatives helped take down the barricades for veterans to visit the site of the World War II Memorial.

World War II honor vets from Iowa and a delegation from Mississippi arrived for their scheduled visit to the World War II Memorial on October 1, 2013. They were not able to get in because the government put up barricades around the open air memorial. Rep. Steve King reportedly distracted the police, while the barriers were removed (WWII Vets Storm Shut Down Memorial as GOP Congressman Reportedly Distracts Cops). Below is a new story on this moment in political history.

The following tweet on Twitter was an eye witness account of Rep. King's actions at the memorial.

Credit where due -- I watched Rep Steve King distract a park police officer while vets and staffers knocked down the fences here. #shutdown
— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) October 1, 2013

Rep. Steve King told CNN that he was disappointed that intervention was necessary at all. "We don't have guards around them at any other time," King said (Veterans Break Past World War II Memorial, CNN Blog).

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.


The photo of Stephen King is in the Public Domain.

Bill Clinton Keeps Memorials Open During Government Shutdown

Pol Light Moment #64 is President Bill Clinton keeping the war memorials and Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC open during his government shutdowns in 1995 and 1996. Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States and served from 1993-2001. He also served as the Governor of Arkansas from 1983-1992.

Due to budget disagreements between the Legislative and Executive branches of the government, the US Government was shutdown and all non-essential services suspended from November 14 through November 19, 1995 and then again from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996. Bill Clinton decided as President that the war memorials and Lincoln Memorial could remain open. There were no staff providing information services, but the public was still able to enter the grounds of these government memorials in Washington D.C. on their own.

For vintage photographs of war memorials being open during the 1995 and 1996 shutdown reference the article War Memorials Remained Open During Previous Shutdown in The Daily Caller.

Quote Light: Bill Clinton has a page on the Quote Light blog.

Bill Clinton has been featured in other Pol Light moments and can be found by searching this blog with the Bill Clinton Label.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Bill Clinton is in the public domain.