in Uncategorized |

Reagan

While there are plenty of things to say about Reagan, I found this one perhaps the most terrifying. In late 1983, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. came extremely close to World War III. And the world never knew just how close it was until years later.

All that tough-talk Reagan loved had the Soviets convinced that the bubble was going to go up any minute. They reacted accordingly, going so far as to put a number of nuclear-capable planes on standby alert at East German airfields. One should not play such games with cornered bears. Especially ones armed to the teeth with nukes.

Reagan lived in a different world than the one we live in now. Some would rightfully argue that Reagan lived in a different world then – his own. It’s insane how willing America was to accept global nuclear war as an option – the kind of thinking which seemed to dominate during Reagan’s tenure. I only hope we’ve turned that corner for good, though I won’t breathe easier until the Reagan leftovers populating the current White House have moved on.

So long, Ronnie. There’ll never be another like you. Some of us sleep easier because of that.

Published

16 Comments

  1. Mark,

    dammit, the dude just died. Have some respect for yourself and be gracious. You may disagree with his politics and his views but it’s wrong to use his death as a launching point into your own political statements.

    You just sound bitter and cruel and I know you better than that. You’re a good person with a big heart. However, this is not a flattering side of you.

    Scott

  2. I could not have said it better myself. There are times you need to put partisan politics aside and show respect for your country and its traditions.

    Mom

  3. BTW: My comment was supporting Scott’s statement, not Mark’s!

  4. The biggest problem is you completely ignored your support of him during his presidenency. Well, that and your Reagan impersonation. 🙂

    Really, it’s admirable to reach a different ideology in your old age but to not even mention this really discredits your post.

    It’s also convenient that there’s no mention that he ended the Cold War without conflict. Not bad for a war mongering President.

  6. Reagan was a great head of state. He restored pride in America at a time when the country needed it. His long journey into the darkness of Alzheimer’s was heartbreaking. I was pleased to see Nancy become such an advocate of research into this terrible disease.

    But Reagan was not a monarch. He was human, just like you and me. His record should stand alone from the myth that’s grown up around him.

    If you’ll avoid the knee-jerk reactions and re-read what I wrote, I did not insult the man. There’s no “invective.” All I took issue with was his almost nuking us out of existence. Getting nuked out of existence, I think you’ll agree, is one of those things that crosses party lines.

    Reagan was a Cold Warrior. We don’t live in a Cold War world anymore. For that I am most thankful. If anyone has a problem with that, so be it.

  7. Reagan’s game of nuclear brinkmanship with the Soviets was a danger to the entire human race. He still had that 1950’s mentality (read: delusion) that surviving a nuclear war was no big deal. Nevermind the lingering, nasty side effects of radiation, the damage to the environment, the changes to the climate, etc. Reagan was definitely living in his own fantasy world, and we’re better off without him.

    RIP.

  8. If you read my statement, it has to do with you sounding bitter, nasty and cold. Nothing against your politics.

    It’s about timing….You sound like Al Franken. Ugh.

  9. Why is it that when someone dies, all of the sudden you’re supposed to live in a “lala” land where the deceased was a perfect person, who made no mistakes, and had no flaws? I always find it humorous that death is supposed to be muzzle, keeping anyone from speaking the truth about the person who has died. To do so robs the deceased of their humanity and turns them into a work of fiction. We all have our flaws, and our strengths and when my day comes and I pass away I hope that people remember me for the way I trully was, and not based on a fluffy fiction concocted (sp) out of “respect for the dead.” Sheesh.

  10. ^^^^ we’ll only remember you as an anonymous poor speller since you didn’t sign your post. 🙂

    MM, d00d you are such a straw man arguer you’re becoming caricature. Your post is titled “His death doesn’t change the facts” yet is filled with vague references to nuclear holocaust. Maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention in the 80’s when Reagan led us into nuclear war. Wha?

    And it’s comical how you guys are quietly stepping around how JFK almost got everyone really, really killed. I guess since he was young and good looking and something else, it was ok.

    “..we’re better off without him”

    classy statement, btw.

  11. …this is a MT blog record? 11 quotes for one blog post?

  12. Mark,

    I couldn’t have said it better myself … everybody is willing to give Reagan a pass for all the wrongs he did to this country just because he was like the country’s Grandfather … my tour with the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) was during his second term … he was like a puppet during those years … he didn’t think for himself … that’s for sure … once in Tokyo I was delivering a fax to one of his aides and I happened to get stuck in the room with all of the higher-ups and the German President … once the German President left in his motorcade and the doors of the embassy were closed you could see the energy and life drain out of Reagan … he looked like a very old man … when the cameras were on Reagan played his role … I could write about one of America’s worst Presidents for ever but I have to get back to work.

    Matt

  14. that’s really what it comes down.

    Again, it’s not about politics, it’s about tact. No, we shouldn’t rewrite history just because he died but we should also be gracious and kind. Is that only accorded to people we agree with or like?

  15. Make sure you include some stuff about Jimmy Carter. Man I can’t wait until he’s dead. He really sucked.

    Sincerely,
    Your shallow moral fiber that makes you sound like you’re about 10 years old and have never had a chance to say anything important in your whole life.

  16. we’ll only remember you as an anonymous poor speller since you didn’t sign your post.

    Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Mr. Peanut Gallery.

    Maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention in the 80’s when Reagan led us into nuclear war. Wha?

    Try reading my posting without your blinders. I said “Reagan’s game of nuclear brinkmanship with the Soviets”. I didn’t say that he started a nuclear war; I said that he came damn close to it. Here are some of the details that you missed:

    Doomsday Clock
    Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
    http://www.thebulletin.org/clock.html

    1981 – Four minutes to midnight
    Both superpowers develop more weapons for fighting a nuclear war. Terrorist actions, repression of human rights, and conflicts in Afghanistan, Poland, and South Africa add to world tension.

    1984 – Three minutes to midnight
    The arms race accelerates. “Arms control negotiations have been reduced to a species of propaganda…. The blunt simplicities of force threaten to displace any other form of discourse between the superpowers.”

    See anything familiar about those dates? Try Ronald Reagan’s terms in office as President.

    One minor detail that many politicians can’t seem to remember is that nuclear weapons are for political use, not for military use. They’re for bluff and bluster; having to actually use them is a sign of failure (or desperation). When you’re dealing with an opponent who is as well armed as you are, backing him into a corner is a very dangerous idea. He’s likely to let you have it with both barrels, regardless of the consequences. If that had happened, we wouldn’t be here to debate the issue….

Comments are closed.