I Cannot Mourn Her

[ruggerson]

I lived through the AIDS crisis in NYC.

I lived through a period when two or more friends of mine were dying each month. I remember the terror on their faces as if it were yesterday. i remember the deafening silence from that barbaric administration as citizens pleaded with their government to do something. Just DO something.. I remember Surgeon General Koops autobiography published well after this administration had marched out of Washington and into the history books. I remember that Koop outlined in simple, damning prose about how there was an organized, long running effort and understanding to ensure that Ronald Reagan would never talk about HIV, much less take governmental action to prod researchers and physicians into organizing a response to, what was by then, an enormous world wide calamity.

I remember the names. The Patrick Buchanans, the Phyllis Schlafllies,the Gary Bauers, and others, none of whom have ever been asked to testify before an inquiry. None of whom have ever been held accountable for their actions.

And the President's wife. The woman who watched this all take place and gave it her moral blessing. Silently. the woman who mimicked her husbands monstrous homophobia and did not mention the word AIDS until 1987. 1987. SIX LONG YEARS after AIDS had crept into our countries life.

The woman who turned down a plea from Elizabeth Taylor to give her help during the first critical years of AMFAR's life.

So forgive me for being cold hearted. This one is too tough to forgive and forget.

Perhaps in her later years, she became remorseful about her role in an administration so rife with hate.

Perhaps in her later years, she put pen to paper and voiced her regrets.

Perhaps.

But unless and until someone comes forth with credible evidence of a change of heart, you'll just have to overlook my inability to forgive.

I cannot mourn her.

[FarPoint]

1. I will for Ron Junior...

It's his mum.

[Xipe Totec]

2. I could do it for 5 minutes but Jesus Christ it's been going on for hours! nt

[valerief]

3. I wonder how many young, black, unarmed American men get to live well to age 94.

Or 20.

[30Draw]

12. Exactly

Police execution is far and away the leading cause of death of our young, unarmed African American brothers. This is approaching genocide. Every week I hear about another unarmed child being murdered by police. I can't take it anymore

[SickOfTheOnePct]

17. Too many unarmed black men are killed by police

But "far and away the leading cause of death of our young, unarmed, African American brothers."?

Highly unlikely.

[daleanime]

4. ......

[Thinkingabout]

5. I applaud her efforts on stem cell research.

[LiberalFighter]

6. She is not worthy.

[hobbit709]

7. I won't miss her.

There are a lot of people I miss but she was not one of them.

[Macattack1]

8. jeepers...she was 94, can't we give her a break?

hate to think that we lose all our humanity over politics..she was who she was, rip Nancy.

[Laughing Mirror]

9. Lived through it too

and in some ways and still living through it. No mourning her from me either. Nor for the Bushes nor the Clintons, when their time comes.

[LeftofObama]

10. Same here. I can't mourn her passing either.

Don't forget during the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986 when Bob Hope said that Miss Liberty has AIDS. He went on to say, "Nobody knows if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Ferry." The Reagans laughed and guffawed like it was the funniest thing in the world while the French president and First Lady sat there appalled.

[dembotoz]

11. amazing how much damage that hag and her senile spouse did

do i seem bitter?

[bvf]

13. Nope. If anything,

yours is one of the more rational responses here, IMO. Do I feel bad for Ron Jr.? Of course, but that's as far as I'll go.

I hope the worms enjoy their meal.

[Paladin]

14. Do yourself a favor and avoid MSNBC today.

Since they don't have a political debate to prep for (as do Fox and CNN), they've transformed themselves into the Nancy Reagan Deification Channel. Like I say, avoid if possible.

[ruggerson]

19. thanks

for the heads up. This one looks it might have a lifespan of a few days.

[awoke_in_2003]

15. I won't grave dance

(Not saying you are)- there are only a few that I will do this for (like Cheney and Kissinger). She chose to keep her mouth shut on the matter. And to those who say she couldn't have done anything are probably not married- wives can greatly influence their husbands. That she came around later in life is akin to convicts finding Jeebus in prison. They are covering their ass. I do feel for Ron, though. It is tough to lose a parent.

[Ken Burch]

16. I think we all understand.

Worst case scenario is that Nancy's passing triggers ANOTHER new round of homophobic rhetoric. I'd say be prepared, but you no doubt already are.

Sorry for all those you lost in those times.

[kwassa]

18. Nancy was the enforcer behind Ronnie.

She was seen as the power behind the throne, at the time. She controlled many things.

Unless one loves the Reagan era, one can not love Nancy.

[Orsino]

20. She helped kill a lot of people whom she wouldn't have touched with a ten-foot pole. n/t