The right wing is just apoplectic that apparently some people tried to ruin--ruin!--the great, big, gushing 100th birthday party the mainstream media just threw for the Sainted Ronald Reagan.
Reports are coming back from Heaven that Zombie Reagan cried right into the birthday cake the Baby Jesus baked him. His feelings are so hurt, he's even debating not running in 2012!
Singled out for a finger-wag by Laura Donovan at Tucker Carlson's the Daily Caller, are Salon’s Mary Beth Williams, film director Michael Moore, and activist and Sirius XM radio host Mike Signorile.
Oh, and me too.
Ms. Donovan begins by characterizing everyone on the left as a "civility advocate," whatever that means. Civility Advocates bash the late President on his birthday.
For those looking for a reason to poutrage she offers:
Pres. Ronald Reagan’s birthday did not go unremarked upon by civility advocates on the Left.
I imagine regular readers would be surprised to hear I've taken on the cause of advocating of us all talking more politely! I assure you, it is not the case.
If I must choose one end of the spectrum or the other, I'd certainly be more inclined to be counted among the DFH set than the propriety scolds.
Now, I must be fair to Ms. Donovan. I wrote her and told her I objected to that characterization. It was nice, and gracious and professional of her to update her post with my objections. Which I would have more carefully proof-read had I imagine it would be read, let alone reproduced. Well, lesson learned there.
No, I'm much more of the Alan Grayson school of "Let's not fear talking about things the same way as the GOP." I do draw the line at violent rhetoric, so you won't find in my history any words encouraging anyone to "reload" or insinuations that could be construed as a call to violence, like "second amendment remedies." And, I have taken pause at my keyboard, post Giffords, and thought, "Does this help?"
But unapologetic expression of my honest feelings? Not a problem.
Among the red meat served for the right wing was this uncivilized musing from Michael Moore:
"Reagan at 100. He loved America. He loved the rich more. He killed the middle class. Never forget."
And these from Michelangelo Signorile:
"Has anyone ever seen Reagan’s birth certificate? How do we know he’s 100?"
"And while we’re at it, I want to see the death certificate too. #Reagan."
I was singled out for this tweet I posted Sunday:
More gay people DIED under #Reagan than any other President. Is that why #GOP loves and reveres him so? #LGBT #tcot #p2 #HIV #AIDS
Like Glenn Beck is fond of say, "I'm just asking a question here!"
I can't say I hold myself to the same standard on Tweets that I do to my blog postings. My tweets are fleeting thoughts, snark, jokes. I tweet a lot, some (much?) of it is nonsense. Or open chatter with friends. Perhaps I should contemplate that people may actually pay attention to them? This is a new development.
Perhaps Sarah Palin has confused people, particularly those on the right, on the difference between a carefully crafted policy position or press release and ... a Tweet? I am not so confused.
Anyway, I'll stand behind that Tweet. Hatred of the gays is a driving force in the GOP. And it also makes it very easy for Reagan groupies to breeze right past that whole AIDS crisis debacle. They didn't care about gay people dying then, they don't care now either. It's just less fashionable to be so cavalier about it now.
Exception was also taken to my choice for title my post here: "Screw Reagan."
And I do appreciate Donovan linking to it. People who followed the link will find a very clear-eyed assessment of five years of the Reagan administration demonstrating nothing but apathy while tens of thousands of Americans died of AIDS.
It also clearly demonstrates that yes, many of Reagan's key supporters and friends considered AIDS a God send that shouldn't be interrupted by any big government interference. Like prevention or education programs, or granting money to look for treatments or cures, like how 50 deaths from Legionnaire's Disease prompted the CDC to spend more than 9 times as much as 1,000 deaths from AIDS. Facts are stupid things, indeed.
Dead or not, birthday or not, Reagan's legacy is still up for debate, but the conservatives do not like that one bit. The mainstream media may be helpfully airbrushing out any unflattering mentions of his epic failure to address AIDS, and all his other many crimes, corruptions and faults.
But I feel no such compunction and will not be intimidated by anyone's concern trolling about my "civility." Or pearl-clutching that "But it's his birthday!" My post was perfectly civil, beyond it's first two words.
But I don't care if the headline was impolite. The headline was the most diplomatic term I could come up with to describe my own feelings toward "Saint Ronnie." And in the 400 plus comments I received, there were many people--most especially from the gay community who deserves to be heard--that commended me for my restraint.
In fact, "Screw Reagan" seemed a very appropriate response to the GOP's attempt to canonize him into a venerate hero. The move to elevate Reagan from a historical figure whose legacy we can debate, into a revered saint, is movement many are clearly enthusiastically on board.
I, however, am not. I gladly speak heresy.
Ronald Reagan after all is the very man who inspired the rallying cry of "Silence = Death." He will no more silence our community from the grave than he was able to in life.
An ACT UP demonstration at the Reagan White House, in 1987.