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| Posted By: Confused as uze... Posted On: Jun 9, 2004 Views: 343 | Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat What Do We Do with the Rage and the Fury This Time? By Eric Rofes It is easy for some to see the few sensible voices refusing to jump on the bandwagon that is dramatically rewriting the Reagan years as cantankerous malcontents raining on our nations patriotic parade honoring this national hero, great leader and greatest president. Call it a grudge steadfastly maintained by old timers who never learned know how to forgive and forget. Criticize it as a lack of respect for the dead. Condemn it as simply more Reagan-bashing from the Left. Or identify it for what it really is: bold truth-telling amidst a nation wrapping itself in the worst kind of denial masquerading as ultra-patriotic zeal. Finger it as an attempt to puncture the Bush administration opportunistic efforts to utilize Reagans death to revive a failing campaign for re-election. For the surviving victims of the conservative social and economic policies of the Reagan-Bush era, the past few days of all-Reagan-all-the-time television coverage by Stepford journalists have seemed oddly and horribly familiar. They remind us of the stark cultural divide that emerged ever more powerfully during the Reagan years between the privileged classes holding power and those who were marginalized, oppressed, and silenced. For queers, they hearken back to the first seven years of the Reagan administration, when the tidal waves of AIDS began washing over the shores of the U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Those of us who were out and involved in queer community life during the 1980s, watched as our friends and lovers dropped dead around us while America looked the other way. Reagans disgraceful and willful failure to speak out on AIDS and take action for those seven years mirrored much of the nations failure to acknowledge the terror visited on our communities. Like many gay men during these years, I felt a profound disconnect between the world I inhabited and mainstream America. I was working as director of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Community Center during these years as terrified gay men poured into our clinics, support groups, and counseling center. As our small and under-resourced communities struggled to educate the public, initiate the first prevention campaigns, care for our friends, and bury our dead, Reagan said nothing and did nothing. His medical and health leaders did nothing. His budget directors, attorney generals, and legal experts did nothing. While gay men wiped drool and **** off our lovers, read mounting obituaries in gay papers, and funneled into the ranks of volunteer caregiver organizations, mainstream America marched forward to the Reagan priorities of making money, protecting privilege, and creating a culture of greed. Am I the only one who is experiencing the current media love-fest of Reagan as a revisiting of the trauma of those early AIDS years? Am I the only one raging at the television screen, ripping the newspaper to shreds, cursing at my car radio? Am I the only one hungering for community leaders to create activism and rituals to disrupt and puncture this outrageous and insulting cultural amnesia? Just as our queer community was abandoned and left on our own to create the early responses to AIDS, I encourage us to immediately initiate community-based opportunities to express our outrage at the dishonest reinvention of the Reagan legacy and to link up with all the other communities that are experiencing similar fury. In particular I suggest we: o Urge our community centers to immediately organize speak-out and teach-in sessions that will take place on the same days as Reagan lies in state in Washington, D.C. or very soon after. These community forums can serve as a place to vent our rage, expose the truth about Reagan, educate younger activists, and commemorate those who died due to Reagans failure of leadership. o Create public shrines in queer neighborhoods that colorfully and creatively expose what Reagan and his conservative movement did to people with AIDS, queers, people of color, women, poor people, and children. If we use campy neighborhood shrines to honor queer icons and community leaders, lets also use them to vilify our greatest enemies, especially when the rest of the nation is honoring them as heroes. o Yank our Silence = Death tee-shirts out of storage, put them on, and explain what the slogan owes to Ronald Reagan or be sure to wear colorful bright and gay clothing on the national days of morning for Reagan. We should all interrupt and speak out when friends, work associates, and family members mimic the medias mindless commemoration of the Reagan years. Reagan could only bring his lips to form the word AIDS when hundreds of queer community leaders converged on Washington D.C. on June 1st, 1987, sat in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue, and got arrested and taken off to jail. I remember that day well. We organized this national direct action event at the moment our terror and exhaustion morphed into outrage and fury. Today, after just a few days of hearing repeated voices in the media discuss Reagan as the best president we ever had, a man who loved all Americans, and the man who brought the nation together and restored unity and pride, my outrage and fury are back. Im ready to take action. ************************************************************************ **** ** ************************** Eric Rofes is a professor of education at Humboldt State University in northern California and a long-time activist based in San Francisco. He can be reached at gmhs3@aol.com. |
| Posted By: legion Posted On: Jun 9, 2004 Views: 342 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat As Orwell prophesized, words no longer mean anything, and therefore do not matter to an enstupidated public. Politicians lie about EVERYTHING - they say all sorts of stuff to get elected, and then promptly go back on everything they said anyway. So, what's the point of voting? No president in history more exemplifies this psychosis than Raygun Ronnie, the Communist Crusader, the tax slashing, small government conservative who grew the government to leviathan levels via the Military Industrial Complex and more than quadrupled the national debt during his term. He's a fake. A creature of politics, bad actor turned professional liar because people for some reason 'liked him' and he looked good on TV. Not that much worse or better than any other politician, except he died recently and gave Yanks another excuse to wave the flag summore in a nationalistic outporing of bullshiate and self delusion, like always. Just another day in Murkinville. Don't forget not to 'waste' your vote. Heheh. (not that it's going to matter who you vote for anyway) |
| Posted By: Rough Posted On: Jun 9, 2004 Views: 331 | Reagan legacy and the Shrub Of course George Dubya is capitalizing on Reagan's death, just like he does with EVERYTHING! Bush learned a lot from the School of Reagan, but Dubya will NEVER match Ronald Reagan in the speech department. Bush really needs to take a few public speaking classes! Sheesh! I cringed the other night when he mispronounced "tyranny"...he's supposed to be fighting it and he can't even say it! The Reagan philosophy of "trickle down economics" has made the rich FILTHY rich...and the poor that much poorer. Eventually, there will no longer be a middle class in this country as we are slowly being squeezed to death and bled dry. They are now talking about putting Reagan's picture on the $10 or $20. Howsabout putting his face on food stamps? It would be more appropriate. I read a few days ago that, while President, Reagan visited my state ONE time. Even then, there were jobless mill workers protesting the "free trade" that started the flood of job outsourcing so prevelant now. Unfortunately, my state simply doesn't have enough rich slobs in that top 10-20%, the ones that really line the politicians pockets, so we generally get ignored! |
| Posted By: BASHER Posted On: Jun 9, 2004 Views: 323 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat I wonder if Eric Rofes spits or swallows? I'm sure Gay Eric was just as happy with how Carter and Ford delt with homos? AIDS wasn't at the center of attention until the mid 80's. It was looked at more of a lifestyle than a disease. No other nation delt with it better than the United States and until they began doing research lots of these infected people spread the disease more and more thoughout. I wish this rump ranger well but I really don't care what this fag has to say about someone who achieved more than he did. With his pants on. |
| Posted By: alfonsothefan Posted On: Jun 9, 2004 Views: 320 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat Yawn.... Yeah, yeah guys, the 'horrible years of Reagan', when America once again stood tall and when the 'evil empire' took a dive because -- well -- it was cushed by it's own weight, the weight of lies and deception. Oh and aids? In fact, proportionate to the number of people who had it it was very well funded; far more funds were alloted than for heart disease & cancer & MS, in fact! But, you guys quoting your collegiate butt-buddies appear to have made up your minds, so I'll leave it at that. Funny, too, that we had all those 'homeless' peeps from '81 to '92, then we never heard of them again until Bush was elected. Said it before & I'll say it again: Jealousy is a powerful and destructive character flaw. Just wait until one of your heroes like Tutu or Jane Fonda or Mike Moore or Pee Wee Herman or the caterwalling Babs Streisand assumes room temp! Oh, I'll be silent, don't worry. Killer & I won't stoop to your levels. Leege & The Prof: Queer eyes for the straight guys (and your secrets safe with us). Excelsior! atf |
| Posted By: Rough Posted On: Jun 9, 2004 Views: 318 | What?? A Republican admitting that the Soviet Union was crushed by its own weight? To hear the pundits tell it, I thought Reagan singlehandedly whipped those commie bastards! LOL, Fonz. I just want proper..er.."perspective" on Reagan. I think history will sort it all out. Far from being our "greatest President", I'll say again, he was average at best. The people who want to place his head on Mt. Rushmore seriously need to think about getting THEIR head examined! His BEST attribute was still the fact that he gave a damn good speech and he looked more Presiential than probably anyone's who's ever been in there. Like so many have said, it was the role of a lifetime. If only I would have been a big corporate CEO in the 80's, so that I could have really benefitted from the Reagan Presidency! DIO/ROUGH 2004 |
| Posted By: wiseguyly69 Posted On: Jun 10, 2004 Views: 308 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat http://users.jagunet.com/~disrael/weekly040609a.htm got this one from my 'Current Events' Bored at work; the one I caused a rucous with when I posted the flash cartoon link concerning Bush and Iraq. Hehe, old Ronnie's not a big fave at my work, no sirreebob. When he came around, he slashed the funds for the fluffy social programs upon which my company relied. The company took heavy casualties. So we did what the Marines do, adapt and overcome. Our current CEO helped create a dreaded private sector group; it's done OK, and respawned the private division I'm now in. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that cartoon. Wiseguy |
| Posted By: JSK Posted On: Jun 10, 2004 Views: 305 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat Jerry H Christ when they finally put Reagan in the ground why not go to his resting place so you can **** on his grave! Seriously you can't name a president or person for that matter who'll do everything to make everyone happy. G Washington was a slave owner. Lincoln couldn't stop a bullet. Kennedy couldn't stop a buller either and loved women just as much as Clinton. Carter loved peanuts, but I got a freind whos allergic to them and almost killed him when Jimmy was in office when his family attended a rally for him! G Bush SR was a wuss because when Reagan was shot Alexander Hauge and Nancy Reagan thought they'd take over the office because he wanted nothing to do with it ...FEAR!!! Then when he was in office he suddenly grew nuts and bombed those who needed it. (Sure go ahead and cut and paste the sentence above) My Dad lost his job during the Reagan years all because of Reagan's cutbacks. So what... theres pleanty more to do than just make bullets and bombs. Although he put an end to most of that and changed the world again he's not good enough. Ok, maybe his films were not, but he made good in my eyes as president and not only served one term, but two. He did a lot and was a people person. We had a strong economy and I don't think since Kennedy was the United States more together. He was a hero. The original poster of this post is a goat. Infact, the writter of the peice above sounded like a self centered person who's anger was originated due to his sexual orientation. Sorry Reagan didn't like to see guys make out in public. Look back at those who were in power in other countries before you go after a man who's main focus was to look after his counrty. You had drunks, thieves , murderers and terrorists. I'll take a guy who loved jellybeans and chimps anyday. JSK |
| Posted By: legion Posted On: Jun 10, 2004 Views: 298 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat That's really pathetic, that you guys would mostly focus on the faggism of the author, rather than what he has to say -how typical. Reagan farked everybody, not just gays, and funneled tons of taxpayer cash to his rich pals in big business and the military complex, all the while convincing the stupid Murkin public the money was going for 'defense' (just like now!) against the evil commies lurking under the bed. Moron: "Yahbut, Russia collapsed!" Me: So? There was no threat to us in N.America. No commies will be invading anytime soon, or ever, since the advent of the nuclear age. And IF they were using a worthless, corrupt system of government and economy (communism) then why do we have to "DO" anything at all? Won't it just naturally fail on it's own? And why would I care if they're a bunch of godless commies - I'm an atheist. I think everyone should be free to believe, or not believe, whatever they want. What are you going to do? Bomb everyone who doesn't accept YOUR fake god? Lies, all lies and Murkin warmongering jingoism. All those wars and all that money to the military accomplished exactly nothing. |
| Posted By: atf Posted On: Jun 10, 2004 Views: 293 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat Oh no Rough, you misunderstand: The USSR did collapse of it's lies and deceit but it was Reagan's brilliant Star Wars and military spending that drove the "peaceful" evil empire into bankruptcy. I really didn't think, in 1980, that he could have done it, but he did! As far as the 'prof' goes, I only touched on his affinity toward homosexuality because, well, that's all the boy seemed to be dwelling on. The 'fact' that Reagan hadn't mentioned AIDS didn't bother me nearly as much as the fact that Clinton & Bush never mentioned 'al-Qaeda' in th 90's or until 9/11/01. btw, What would the pc crowd want in addition to marriage, full civil rights and an affirmative action program for butt boys? Oh that's right...how about spending ourselves into oblivion because fudge packers can't remember the names of the last dozen guys they had sex with! Sounds good to fluffy.... atf |
| Posted By: Rough Posted On: Jun 10, 2004 Views: 290 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat Well (as Reagan used to say)..ole Ronnie was in the right place at the right time, historically speaking. I give him points for predicting the fall of communism in the USSR but it was going to happen sooner or later, anyway. Insofar as reforms and deals that we cut with the Russians, Mikhail Gorbachev deserves at least as much credit as Ronald Reagan...hey, it was Gorby whose head could have been on the chopping block (politically and literally). Gorbachev doesn't seem to get the credit he deserves and perhaps history will treat him better. I'm not too keen on the methods we used to beat the "evil empire". No, there wasn't a shot fired (as we all knew that stalemate would probably nix any real threat of a nuclear exchange) but Reagan basically engaged the rickety communist empire in an arms race to bankrupt them! It was as though he kind of coerced them into it, at least that's how it felt to me. We were just lucky that things went as smoothly as they did and there wasn't a bloody uprising in the Eastern Bloc. Of course, now with former KGB goon Putin in power, we may gradually see a lot of those democratic reforms undone. As for Bushie, he's made sure that he gets to mispronounce a few more words at the funeral (poor Nancy) and score some much needed political points. Despite the G8 Summit, he's still drastically behind Kerry in the polls. DIO/ROUGH 2004 |
| Posted By: atf Posted On: Jun 11, 2004 Views: 276 | RE: Rough, lets look again at history I vividly remember 1982 and 1983 when the left and many liberals in general said that 'mutually agreed distruction' was a horrible idea and so was star wars and that a 'Nuclear Freeze' was the only way. PBS last night even had a special with Reagans daughter -- who was part of the 'movement' -- who tried in vain to move her father away from his views and to accept the 'freeze' movement. As it played out, Reagan was right and his daughter even acknowledged this. It is NOT true that the Soviets were about to give up, any more than the North Vietnamese gave up after taking a series of defeats to the allies in the 60's. Truth is, many, many people (even some Conservatives) thought Reagan had lost his mind. There were tens of thousands of demonstrators. The Brit left asked that we remove nuclear weapons from their country, many in Europe were 'ready' to live with the thought of residing under the yoke of the Soviet Empire! Afghanistan, the rejection of Soviet expansion in South America and Africa were certainly also part of the final collapse, but believe me, if Jimmy Carter or Teddy K would have won in 1980 our world would be MUCH different. Belee dat. atf |
| Posted By: Rough Posted On: Jun 11, 2004 Views: 265 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat True enough, but if still takes two to tango. One reason why the Cold War ended was because we had someone we could actually deal with, for the first time. Poor Jimmy Carter wasn't a great President, but remember he and three of his predecessors had the charming Leonid Brezhnev to contend with! I just don't like this notion by the staunch Reaganites that Ronnie singlehandedly defeated the commies and brought down the Berlin Wall. A lot of it was damn good timing. No leader should get all the kudos for the good that happens on their watch. Conversely, they shouldn't get all the blame....well, with Dubya I might just make an exception. DIO/ROUGH 2004 |
| Posted By: JSK Posted On: Jun 16, 2004 Views: 249 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat What da ya mean Bush is behind in the polls? Or do you mean the Polish people are behind him? From what I heard just a day or two ago was much different. If your reading "better homes and gardens" and they have a poll do not believe it! REPEAT ... don't believe it Rough. The way you need to look at this is - GW is his worse enemy. Its not even if he's behind Kerry its approval ratings and generally if the country is liking what he's doing. At the moment I'm at a standstill at judgement, but can tell you the country still backs GW. Here in Mass Lurch/Kerry has been in the news. Why? Oh because he's only missed 90% of his senate meetings (yet gets paid!) His own state has now reported the MAJOR problems with education. Our schools are falling apart and for whatever reason we have no money for it. But, the democratic convention gets a couple million or should I say nearly billion? Oh yeah, and the cops and security are up in arms about the whole deal not to mention the other towns around that now see the whole thing as a mess!!! Yep John Kerry can't even for see a building going up correctly. A big highfive to senator John on the BIG DIG aswell. Not who I want running a country or my state anymore. Did I mention he's also a total pussy? JSK:)~ |
| Posted By: Rough Posted On: Jun 23, 2004 Views: 242 | RE: Ronald Wilson Reagen: hero or goat Believe me, whatever the Dems spend on their convention the Republicans will spend infinitely more. That's what they're best at! And yes, every poll I've seen (even the ones on dog and pony network Fox News) has Kerry ahead right now. WHO IS A PUSSY? Let's see...Kerry served his country in Vietnam, earned the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, still has shrapnel in him... And then there's our little Bushie, whose rich daddy got him out of going to where all the bullets were flying in 'Nam. Dubya went AWOL from the National Guard and his sorry ass was never anywhere near Southeast Asia. George does like to dress up like Navy pilots though, and make big melodramatic entrances. You see Bushie is a CHICKENHAWK, just like Cheney and Rumsfeld. They can talk abou the sacrifices of war til they're blue in the face, but they have no clue what war REALLY IS. So.....who's the REAL PUSSY? Uh huh. Thought so. DIO/ROUGH 2004 |