Reagan is STILL Dead!

I wrote last year that I believed Ronald Reagan was already dead, and as a result, I was among the top Google results for "Ronald Reagan died" and variations on that search just after the Gipper kicked it, hence the ridiculous traffic of recent days. See, I knew good could come of my hairbrained ideas.

I have always said I would throw a party when Reagan died, because I despised the man so much. Until about 3 years ago, he had done more damage to this country than any other president. Shrub has since taken over the lead in that respect. However, he did help make the 80s about the scariest decade ever to grow up in, all of us certain of imminent vaporization by nuclear armageddon. He destroyed the mental health system in this country. He gutted the economy with his "trickle down" theory that has been completely discredited since. He busted up the air traffic controllers' union. He tried to make ketchup a vegetable for school lunches. He argued that trees caused pollution. He sold arms to Iran and let other people take the fall. He was a dangerous, charming, evil bastard.

When he got Alzheimer's I was torn. Having had a grandfather die of the disease, I realized I actually couldn't wish that on my worst enemy (and Reagan was probably my worst enemy at the time).

But am I happy he's dead? Sort of. I am nauseated by the beatification of the asshole. I am sickened by the way the media has participated in the rewriting of history. When Reagan left office, the country was lukewarm, at best, about his presidency. Now we are to believe he was the greatest president ever. The right is awfully good at this - repeating a falsehood until it becomes truth. Saddam has WMDs, tax cuts for the rich help the economy, George W. Bush was elected president, Ronald Reagan was a saint.

Reagan's dead. Political hay will be made. Monuments will be erected. I'm not sure which I prefer. But I might have the party anyway, as my own answer to the fiction about the man I'm being bombarded with.

Comments

[Gary Fusco]

Brooke,

You are one of my new heroines! I have been visiting your site religiously since the New year party.I am very impressed!

Throw any guilt away. You should absolutely have the party, a giant festive celebration of the fact the evil simpleton is dead. He was , and is becoming more so with each minute of this nauseous display of " morning" , a complete fabrication of the fucks that run this country.

His death should be marked with something other than the hysterical media masturbation we are now enduring. We should dance and party to the point of exhaustion. No vile decadence is good enough. All stops should be pulled.

Every time one of these guys dies, I actually hope there is a god, just so I can dream of the visual of a higher power laughing his or her ass off as these fucks are sent to hell.

Keep up the good work.

Gary, FOH (Friend of Heather)

[obsoletepostergrrrl]

Since every time anyone has mentioned Reagan the song “Ding Dong the witch is dead” pops into my head, I plan on celebrating by watching the ‘wizard of oz.’

[jason]

When I told my beloved the news of Ronnie's demise her response was, "Go get a bottle of bubbly! We're celebrating!" Which we proceeded to do.

Brooke, live it up. Have your party. The most destructive American leader of the 20th century is dead. What's not to celebrate?

"We should dance and party to the point of exhaustion. No vile decadence is good enough"

“Ding Dong the witch is dead”

"Go get a bottle of bubbly! We're celebrating!"

Damn! You assholes are some seriously sick fuckers! How many of you pricks are against the death penalty, quoting the "value of human life", and then you act like this when someone succumbs to a horrific disease. (Especially YOU Brooke, who has experienced it FIRSTHAND with a relative). Rally in defense of the life of a pedophile, serial rapist, or murderer, but celebrate when Reagan finally goes??

Throw thought and substance out the window, and act like sick, gleeful children?

Seek help.

[Disgusted]

"We should dance and party to the point of exhaustion. No vile decadence is good enough"

“Ding Dong the witch is dead”

"Go get a bottle of bubbly! We're celebrating!"

Damn! You assholes are some seriously sick fuckers! How many of you pricks are against the death penalty, quoting the "value of human life", and then you act like this when someone succumbs to a horrific disease. (Especially YOU Brooke, who has experienced it FIRSTHAND with a relative). Rally in defense of the life of a pedophile, serial rapist, or murderer, but celebrate when Reagan finally goes??

Throw thought and substance out the window, and act like sick, gleeful children?

Seek help.

[ANON]

Yeah, that's right, partying over someone's death is going to make the world a better place.

Celebrating the passing of someone who has succumbed to a hideous fate such as Alzheimer's will truly help us all to feel better as a human community! (And YOUR attitude Brooke, after seeing it happen to a relative!)

Go out Liberals, and defend the rights of the pedophile and the serial killer to avoid the "horror and atrocity" of the death penalty, but "party in the streets" when a former (and that's TWO-TERM, like your beloved Clinton) President finally loses his battle with a crippling and life-shattering disease.

Brooke, what happened to the thought and substance of your blog? What happened to "Easter in Fajulla" and "Angola Three"? Instead we're treated to hate mongering and childish glee?

[Carpenter]

Sorry, but there's an enormous difference between being glad someone's dead and actually killing them. The law CERTAINLY draws a distinction between murder and mere schadenfreude, and so should all a y'alls.

[jessica~]

I'd definitly go to that party!! Guilt, what guilt? The guy was an a*hole.

[ANON]

"Sorry, but there's an enormous difference between being glad someone's dead and actually killing them."

You are certainly correct, but why the gluttony of celebration? What purpose will it serve other than to dillute the credibility of this forum? I've seen criticism of the media circus that the "honoring" and "mourning" has been, but what purpose is served in acting like giddy schoolchildren over the death of a national leader? Like him or hate him, he still battled a crippling disease, and lost.
Hate mongering of this type is the same thing both side accuse each other of every day. Why does this blog need to stoop to that level?

[Sven Heinicke]

Throw your party Ms. Biggs! Will it bring joy to you and your friends with little or no harm to others? Yes (I said little!). Play pin the tail on the elephant; serve jelly beans; brush of the Michaes Jackson zipper jacket; rent _Bed time for Bonzo_. It's not about celebrating him dyng of Alzheimers. It's knowing he will not have any more bright ideas to save the world.

I wish I stopped having bright ideas years ago.

[donna]

Now if we could only remove your president, Mr Lie of America Bush, then life would be safer for the people.

[Amanda]

Don't forget Bitburg! That's my personal favorite. And always a good one to bring up when people say you're gloating over Reagan's death. That and the way that he laughed at a joke Bob Hope made about Rock Hudson's death--which is worse, since unlike you or I, he was personal friends with the person whose death he thought was so funny.

[Rachael]

I love how the vitriolic commenters never have the balls to sign their damn names. And I love that you'll be getting hits to your site from the right-wingers because of the Reagan-died thing. Have the party, darlin'. I wanna dress up.

[brooke]

You want some good reality checks on reagan? Go check out Democracy Now and Alternet today. Damn i wish i'd written some of those.

Wake UP right wing chicken bastard who won't sign your names. You've been DUPED. Ronald Reagan was an dangerous fuck and the world is better off without him.

[Rachel]

I'm not dancing in the streets at anyone's death, but I do not have fond memories of Reagan. I too grew up under the shadow of worry, just certain that I wasn't going to be able to grow up and get married because our leader would lead us right into a nuclear war. I remember crying about it. Frequently. Watching "The Day After" and worrying like crazy. But my husband still doesn't understand why I don't like Reagan.

I haven't watched any of the funeral ceremonies, but did watch few months'old interview footage with Nancy Reagan and wonder how that woman looks so young. My grandmother is 80 and resembles a raisin. Nancy could have stepped off the pages of Vogue yesterday. I guess that's what money and privilege get you. However, it is interesting how time obliterates the controversy that surrounded Reagan's presidency, the Iran-Contra hearings, the fallacy of trickle-down economics, just to name a few. I'll always be baffled how he could be considered one of our best presidents. Just 'cause he didn't kill us all when he had the power to, boy he's super.

[alyssa ettinger]

have the party, and please invite me

[UncleBob]

Here's a festive recipe I wrote up this morning in a culinary salute to the Wonders of the Reagan Years: Fresh Gipper Ketchup. Please feel free to make up a big batch for the party.

And remember: Ketchup is a vegetable.

[Mr. bill]

WE aren't throwing a party, but we did go out for sushi.
I find the hagiography of this middling politician, and the attempt to wrap the current occupant of 100 Pennsylvania in the fabricated mantle of Reaganism disgusting. The scary part is that the facts of the Reagan era are being ignored for the myth.
I think his face should be carved on Yucca Mountain.

[Mr. bill]

should be "1600". Carry on.

[Wyatt]

This is a copy of an email I sent to my daughter.It's about an article by Ted Rall, which the link is at the bottom.

Boy this article refreshed my memory at LOT....hooo EEE
The guy ( Rall ) is pretty much right on target, too, as I remember things....sheesh - I hate to bash the recently departed, but I see this article as necessary, in a way. The truth is difficult, but in this case, it was a
wakeup call for me to be kind, but not to overreach in my estimation of Reagan's legacy as good, simply b/c he was a charmer. Lessons, lessons,
I get so many, sigh :)
Love,
Dad

REAGAN'S SHAMEFUL LEGACY
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ucru/reagansshamefullegacy

[Wyatt]

...my memory A LOT.....

[lori mcdonald]

back in college i lived with reagan dogma and always said id piss on his grave.i hope to head to
calif next year

[lori mcdonald]

back in college i lived with reagan dogma and always said id piss on his grave.i hope to head to
calif next year

[Chloe]

What do you mean when he GOT Alzheimer's? Didn't he always have it?

[Mr. bill]

I saw a bumper sticker circa '82, that said "Jane Wyman was right". I heard no mention of her as Ronnie's first wife, but plenty about the "love story of the century" of Ronnie and Nancy.
Gotta give the old girl her due, however. I remember a time when the Reagans shambled off Air Force One, and Ronnie was asked what was the government doing to recover to recover journalists held hostage (in Lebanon, at least, I thnk that was the question). He froze, and Nancy whispered out of one side of her mouth "We're doing the best that-" ANd Ronnie picked up the cue:
"Well, we're doing the best that we can." And waved on.