I do not want to grave dance, but

[DonCoquixote]

It is hard for me to mourn people who worked very hard to enslave or kill people like me. I will grant that Nancy Reagan may have been misguided, but the fact is she did a LOT of harm. Granted, not as much harm as Scalia did, but she was still on the side of the badguys (barring any new revelation.)

I have to confess, there are a bunch of "funerals" that will happen as the last of the Boomers and WW@ generation grow old. Some of them, like David Bowie, will reduce me to tears, because they were doing good things with their literal last breath. There are some, and Scalia and Nancy were them, who frankly I have NO pity for.

[hlthe2b]

1. Well, she did raise two who ended up excellent progressives in Ron JR and Patty...

so, there is some argument to be made to place the major blame on Ronald Reagan and his cabinet for the ugly policies of that era. Granted she had undue influence, but there is at least some evidence that she (and especially Ron, Patty and others more progressive in views) may have finally turned him around on a handfull of his worst policies (including failure to act on HIV/AIDS) and later, bringing Alzheimers into the light. Once Ronald was no longer a factor, she seemed to come into her own, particularly with her taking on the RW over stem cell research. So, it isn't clear how much of the far RW philosophy she, herself adhered to. She was a woman of her very early era, for whom "defending/protecting" her husband was everything and she clearly did so rather blindly at times.

There is plenty to criticize this woman for, but I still think we let Ronald off too readily when we assume he was not to blame for the harm of his policies. I don't believe he was Alzheimer's-impacted throughout his early Presidency, at least.

So, I'd leave it that she was flawed, but clearly loved by her family.

[etherealtruth]

2. What I have said: my condolences to those that loved her

i leave it at that

[restorefreedom]

9. simply perfect. agree completely. nt

[Mbrow]

3. Telling the truth isn't grave dancing,

This is fine, grave dancing is over the top celebrating, quietly pointing out their evil isn't.

[ileus]

4. I don't know why we pretend not to celebrate deaths like this.

I'm tired of not being able to show joy when someone on the enemies side starts pushing up daisies. It's often the only time in their time on earth they've done something constructive.

[ebayfool]

5. Nancy Reagan was the epitome of how the right likes their women:

vacuous and submissive - forever in service to a man. I'll give Nancy respect for her devotion to her husband (caring for someone with Alzheimer's is not an easy or pleasant thing to do). She had done some work for Alzheimer's, but that's not being a decent person, that's following her selfish interests. She had no interest in stem cell research until it affect her personally.

That woman caused a lot of suffering to those with AIDS, and for entire families with her war on drugs, so I can't conjure up heartfelt sympathies for someone who cared little about anyone else.

Nancy Reagan was America's Imelda Marcos .... from her $400,000 china services (remember that one? while they were cutting school lunches and categorizing relish and ketchup as vegetables?), 10's of thousands on wardrobes she demanded to be given for free - just because of who she was?, pushing the Carters to get out of the WH 3 months early so she could get her free redecorating done before they moved in?, it goes on and on. I was an adult at that time. I remember it all. She was not some sweet old lady with a love story for the ages. Yes, she produced 2 remarkable children. They turned out that way in spite of their parents - not because of them. Her daughter at 24, fearful of passing on her parents genes, she says, underwent a tubal ligation. Patti wrote a book detailing the mental and physical abuse she grew up with.

Her vapid "Just say no" campaign was a public relations smokescreen for Reagan SLASHING drug abuse treatment, drug abuse research and drug education funding in his savage-to-the-poor early budgets.

When she helped cover up his mental health issues, she damaged the republic. Covering up her husband's dementia (during his !st term in office!) while he emptied the mental institutions and overnight created the beginnings of the homelessness epidemic. That he and she refused to say AIDS, joked about AIDS - let alone make an effort to take care of the afflicted, while he and Oliver North were allowing the Iran Contra to sell drugs in our country to fund their war.


In a picture-taking session at the Reagan ranch in California earlier this month, Mr. Reagan was asked a question about American-Soviet talks on space weapons. When he hesitated, Mrs. Reagan could be heard saying, ''Tell them we are doing everything we can.''

In short: Bette Davis

"You should only speak good of the dead."
"Joan Crawford is dead."
"Good."

[bigwillq]

10. Great post.

[laundry_queen]

15. +1 nt

[Snarkoleptic]

6. She damaged the future prospects of a great many children with her WOD push.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/03/06/3757056/nancy-reagan-just-say-no/

Instead of convincing kids not to use drugs, the hysteria around drug use by young people helped create some of the most destructive mechanisms of mass incarceration.

Fears of children getting addicted to drugs gave rise to the school-to-prison pipeline. Shortly after the First Lady launched her Just Say No campaign, Congress passed the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act in 1986, mandating zero tolerance for any drugs or alcohol found on public school grounds. That brought police officers into schools. Those police officers then started arresting students not only for drug possession but also for minor school code infractions, such as throwing Skittles or violating the dress code.

Reminds me of this Vietnam era quote "'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,' a United States major said today."

[Wounded Bear]

13. 'Just say no' is to the drug war...

what abstinence education is to teen age pregnancy.

[marmar]

7. I definitely don't grave dance, I don't celebrate anyone's death.....

...... but when I hear these media eulogies about Scalia -- he was an originalist and a great mind and a consistent constructionist -- I want to scream, because it's such bullshit. He was an agenda-ist. He was a "strict constructionist" as long as those benefiting were straight, white and male.

[bvf]

8. If Scalia's death was what it took to prevent him

from doing any further damage to this country, you can damn well bet I celebrated it.

[dembotoz]

11. i will grave dance and i even included a song

[GOLGO 13]

12. She was the enemy

Dance away Lord of the dance, dance away.

[Skittles]

14. you don't want to grave dance

you're just sickened hearing accolades for someone who was very much complicit in President Regan's dismal legacy

I hear you

[Albertoo]

16. Closing one's heart to pity and mercy is rather dangerous IMHO

Demonizing 'the other side' is always dangerous. Whatever the sides.