Ronald Reagan’s funeral reminded me so much of the opening number in the stage hit, Evita:
Oh what a circus, oh what a showArgentina has gone to town
Over the death of an actress called Eva Peron
We've all gone crazy
Mourning all day and mourning all night
Falling over ourselves to get all of the misery right
Oh what an exit, that's how to go
When they're ringing your curtain down
Demand to be buried like Eva Peron
It's quite a sunset
And good for the country in a roundabout way
We've made the front page of all the world's papers today.
That the passing of the mass parade through the South American banana republic was an effort to “get all of the misery right,” it cannot be evidence that the wife of Juan Peron, who robbed the country blind, was nonetheless somehow worthy of sainthood.
But Mike Williams (BulldogMW), in a 2-10-2008 response to my “Debra Craig . . . Get a grip on reality, Reagan was a disaster!” blog issued two remarks, one, a silly suggestion, and the other an extraordinarily important question, that I’m going to answer. The first will be terse, the latter rather extended.
That Mike stood in line with hundreds of thousands at the Reagan Library to pay his respects to the late president is not necessary evidence that he was in fact a great president; no more than would the fact of the millions of Argentineans who fell over themselves “to get all of the misery right” be proof the wife of Juan Peron was worthy of sainthood.
All either of the gatherings might prove is that millions perceived something that may or may not be factual; factual along the same lines of perceiving an illusionist saw a woman in half.
In a follow-up comment, concerning the number in the Reagan administration who were “convicted felons,” Mike demands, “Where are the facts?”
However I’m an ardent admirer of the teachings attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, I’m an atheist — As I don’t believe in some ethereal god, I cannot believe in an ethereal Jesus deity — because I demand evidence. I’m a skeptic, not a cynic; a position I heartily recommend for everyone with an intellect above that of a parrot. Mike has a right to ask for the evidence. So, here goes.
Prefatory Note: I am not going to post here all 138 of the “high crimes and misdemeanor” trespasses alluded to in my cited blog. I doubt OpEdNews would provide the space. What follows, however is a sampling from which those whose eyes open to attributed facts can decide for themselves the extent of the calumny and the actual greatness of our 40th president.
EPA: EPA head, Rita Lavelle was convicted of lying to Congress, and served three months of a six-month prison term, for her role in the toxic waste Superfund scandal; directed funds to local GOP officials, to enhance their reelection prospects. (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E3D8143BF93AA25752C0A963948260)HUD Grant rigging:
Secretary of the Interior, James Watt was indicted on 24 felony counts of perjury and obstruction of justice, and was sentenced to 5 years probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. (http://www.cnn.com/US/Newsbriefs/9603/03-12/index.html).
Philip Winn, Assistant HUD Secretary, pled guilty to steering department subsidies to GOP donors. (