Are you sick of both "hate Reagan" AND "don't hate Reagan" threads?

[Whitacre D_WI]

Both kinds are really starting to annoy me.

The man was a traitor and a mass-murderer. Now he's not. Does that make me do the happy-dance? No, because the damage he did to my country and my world will last long after today.

On the one hand -- no, we shouldn't be relishing this the same way the Freepers relished Wellstone's death. One, because we're better than they are, blah, blah, blah... but two, like I said -- THE HORROR REAGAN UNLEASHED LIVES ON. The man that died today was not the same man whom I hated -- that man died years ago; this "Ronald Reagan" didn't remember any of that.

On the other hand -- no. I will not show respect. I will not "piss on his grave," I will not go cursing his family as they attend his funeral. But I WILL NOT respect the legacy of a man who caused so much suffering and death in America and around the world.

Be glad if you must, be sad if you must -- but no matter what you feel about this, please remember the most important thing: the millions of people worldwide who were killed, made destitute, and imprisoned because of Ronald Wilson Reagan.

I understand the calls for restraint. Some of the Reagan-bashing has been downright bizarre. I also understand the calls to respect the man's family. Nonetheless, that does NOT mean that one should respect Ronald Reagan or his policies.

Anyway, it all boils down to this. The guy that died today was a sad old man who didn't recognize his family, didn't know who he was. It's kinda sick to celebrate his death. That said, please do not assume that those who do feel some sort of vindication are monsters -- because there are people in this world, PEOPLE RIGHT HERE AT DU who were directly, acutely, and permanently harmed by Reagan. There may be DUers who lost loved ones in the Central American purges. There may be DUers who became impoverished in the '80s. Those who have suffered personal loss due to Reagan's crimes are entitled to whatever feelings they have.

I'm not gonna beg for this or that -- no "please show restraint," no "fuck restraint, I'm glad the bastard's dead." Just that I remembered today why I don't go to GD often. This is a strange and offputting place. ;)

BTW -- mods, you've done a great job today consolidating threads. I'm sure it's been a nightmare. I hope this little poll-thingy doesn't add to the nightmare; but I ask that you don't lock until I can get a general idea of whether I'm alone in this or not -- that both sides have kinda gone off the deep end. :hi:

[mopinko]

1. one of those days

where a small dose of du is plenty.

[liberalhistorian]

2. I'm getting sick of ALL

Raygun threads! I'm sick to death of Raygun, period, just the way I'm sure most freepers are sick of Clinton and Carter. He was nothing and he did nothing, (except damage our country horrendously, that is); he was a bad actor and a far worse president and I'm sick to death of him. I'm already sick to death of all the media adoration and worship and saturation, and it's only been a few hours. And the very republicans ocmplaining about that kind of attitude are the ones who cheered (albeit many secretly) at Kennedy's assassination, at MLK's assassination, at Wellstone's death, etc., etc.

[physioex]

3. Turn out television off....It's sickening to watch...EOM

[Skittles]

16. watching revisionist history on the news

:puke:

they must think a lot of us don't remember that asshole

[napi21]

4. I can here from the TV to get away from Reagan.

I don't think he was a great Pres. Didn't think so when he was in office. I'm actually happy for him and Nancy that this awful wasting away is over. I understand why the networks feel they have to pay tribute to a former President. But....EVERY CHANEL?????

I can here to DU because I was tired of the same clips on every chanel on TV, and what do I find here? Hundreds of threads of similar stuff.

Enough already!

[Cleita]

5. I have plenty to say about Reagan after the funeral, but not before.

He's dead. He can do no more harm. It will be better to pursue the live destroyers of our democracy.

[benburch]

6. I posted this in another thread;

Here is my take on it;

A lot of people really hated Reagan's guts for a lot of really valid reasons. Reagan committed crimes against this country and against the people of the world that were never brought to justice during his lifetime.

Many people who did hate him so much are frustrated by the smug gloating of the Right Wingers, and that frustration overmans their mature judgment and good taste when things like this happen, especially when they hear the Beatification of Reagan that his happening in the media right now. They come here to blow off steam in a "friendly" environment.

I am personally not gleeful at his death, which in reality happened quite some time ago when his disease destroyed the last vestiges of his mind.

However, I feel regret that he was not tried for his crimes against humanity, that he was allowed to run up a debt that we have not even begun to repay to this day, and that the history books are likely to paint him as much more than he was.

So, I am not glad that he is dead, I am just sorry that he did not die in jail.
 

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

15. Excellently put!

He should have died in prison.

Thanks for putting it like that. I don't believe in the death penalty so I think dying, as he did in the confines of an international prison would have made me feel alot better about it. But thats just my opinion.

[benburch]

17. Thank you.

Obviously, he would have been released to die at home for compassionate reasons, but he should have been incarcerated.

[Tellurian]

7. It would be good to consolidate all the Reagan threads into two

The pro and cons of it all-

We've got more important things to do
then to get hung up with the past.

Our future is a stake with a
mad man at the helm of our country.

To me, Reagan was the genesis
of Bush's Shadow Government.

[Rowdyboy]

8. Talk about a total waste of bandwidth..."DU's pro-Reagan" thread...

We should just concentrate on the "post-Bush era"

[Tellurian]

9. You're right, I know..

But denying someone free speech is not a laudable action.
Hoping in the end, this forum serves as a venting place
for dumpimg hate into the cyber circular file of outer space.

[Mountainman]

10. Turn off the computer and TV and take a walk or go to a movie

Have a sandwich or a glass of milk. Do something else. No one is forcing anyone to be here. This will all die down in a week or two.

To every thing there is a season. A time for love and a time for hate.

Boy this is the season.

[Forkboy]

11. Outside of the one thread comparing DUers to Fred Phelps

I've been enjoying both.

[NoPasaran]

12. No

Keep 'em coming.

I've been waiting for this for a long time. Six hours is not enough time to vent.

[qanda]

13. I haven't commented on Reagan's death in any thread

My momma taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. So,






(This space intentionally left blank)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

14. What are you doing out of the lounge?

I think most of the discussions here can get very polarized - this is a very nuanced thing. I hated his presidency, liked his speeches, was apathetic about him as a person, loved the inspiration he gave to Berke Breathed.

[RebelOne]

18. Yes, I am becoming totally annoyed.

It's bad enough that it is all there is on TV. Why don't we all just give it a rest.

[FlaGranny]

19. Your post reminded me of a recent

controversy here over the arrest of the Nazi WWII war criminal with Alzheimer's disease and the wisdom of prosecutiving a senile old man who didn't even remember who he was.

Anyway, I voted "yes."

[mumon]

20. I think it's important to bring out the nasty stuff...

To keep us sane in the next week with the saccharine "Ronald Reagan" tributes that will make us vomit.

Reagan was pretty evil- no doubt about it.

Let's remember why to counter Repug propaganda.

[UTUSN]

21. There's No Bucking the Media Frenzy OR the Lashing Out Against Us

As respite, there have been BookTV and Mad. I've kicked NON-d-day/RAYGUN threads.

The tide of "restraint" vs. "free speech" threads here is just as insurmountable as the media frenzy. Will the media burn itself out on RAYGUN? There's just so much anybody can take----just ask the Iraqi tortured or torturers! The media whores have to come up with a new angle, so after they drum the Saint RAYGUN to death, so to speak, they have to get a "fresh" take. Heck, by the end of the week they might be calling him the anti-Christ.

Brace, brace, brace--------for the Tweety puke-fest and the onslaught against us of LIMBOsevic, HANNITY, and the hate-filled dittoheads.

Taking a break. Am going to clean the toilet and mop the ceramic tile/depleted uranium floor.

[bullimiami]

22. Not sick....

But Ive had enough of them so I stopped reading them.
Let the others carry on as they want.

[takebackourjobs]

23. Yes, but

I'm even sicker of all the revisionist history being played out in the media at the occasion of his death.