G:asa (07/30/82)
Had I known that McGeer was a Canadian, I would never have risen
to the bait of his initial reproof -- after all, one can't expect
citizens of a civilized country (Canada) to relish the gallows humor
of a country (U.S.) that has only in the last twenty years abandoned
lynching as an adjunct to voter registration, and in whose public
schools an increasing percentage of students carry weapons. Still, at
the risk of trampling further on Mr. Reagan's "humanity," I'm going to
continue this exchange.
One is insane in the "acceptable" sense if so many people share
one's delusions that the illness is either unrecognized or is accepted
under the rubric of religious, political, or other beliefs. A prime
example might be Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. I don't know how to
classify a belief, say, that the world would be a better place if only
one could kill enough Jews, or the notion that a nuclear first strike
is an acceptable strategy, but "insane" is the word that comes to my
mind. Whether this "insanity" can be diagnosed or treated is
obviously debatable. In any event, the consequences of this condition
-- whatever we call it -- is far greater than the actions of any
individual nut.
McGeer sneers at what he calls my "expert diagnosis." I'm
probably as well-equipped to discuss Reagan's sanity as the host of
folks who feel qualified to judge Hinckley's sanity.
Hinckley, lost in his obsession with Jodie Foster, shoots the
President. The President, to divert attention from the failure of his
domestic and economic policies, heats up the Cold War and beefs up the
already-bloated military budget. I see these actions as fundamentally
the same; I leave it to McGeer to decide whether they're "insane" or
not.
Ah, America! Where a grade-B movie actor can become Commander-
in-Chief of the greatest military power in the world, and an
unbalanced rich kid with a crush on a jailbait actress can still throw
a sinker into him in a scene right out of "Gunsmoke". (Hey!
Hinckley's no Ed McGivern, but five aimed shots in two seconds isn't
bad.) Plenty of ironies here: a president opposed to even minimal gun
control shot (despite his Secret Service bodyguards and police escort)
by a mentally ill young man who had no difficulty in obtaining
weapons...and said president, a staunch opponent of social services,
being taken to a trauma center made possible by federal funding...and
the parents of said president's assailant, wealthy members of the
president's own party, spending an enormous sum to obtain a light
sentence for their undoubtedly guilty son. One might even say that
Ronnie was hit by the very elements of society he represents -- but I
suppose that's waxing a bit poetic....
The CHRONICLE snip was included as simply the latest example of
what happens when Our Glorious Leader deviates from his prepared
script and speaks his own mind. McGeer goes to great lengths to point
out the obvious, viz., that it is not "proof" of anything. (Note,
however, that none of McGeer's objections PROVE that Reagan did NOT
make the statement. One would not expect a pro-Reagan paper like the
CHRONICLE to give front-page coverage to the fact that His Highness
has his foot in his mouth again....)
Given that the USSR can vaporize most of the cities in North
America in a matter of hours should it choose to do so, I'm not
particularly inclined to excuse such saber rattling as "rhetorical
excess" -- what may be "poor judgement" in an ordinary citizen becomes
utterly reprehensible coming from the man who the world regards as
having his finger on The Button. International relations are not a
scene from "Death Valley Days." The time for Cold War braggadocio is
over. The USSR (for whatever motives) has pledged not to make a first
nuclear strike -- it is time we cut the crap and followed suit.
Remember, nothing destroys the "precious societal thread" faster than
accidental nuclear war....
As for my sense of humanity, I expect to use most of it up on the
dozens who will die in California this year because a handgun is
easier to acquire than a driver's license...and on the folks who will
pay increased taxes for the useless MX missile while schools,
libraries, and hospitals close for lack of funds...on the unemployed
trying to make it against voodoo economics...and people on fixed
incomes, to name but a few. Actually, when you come right down to it,
it really doesn't matter whether Ronnie's crazy or not, does it --
crazy or not, he's still lousy at his job.
--JTR
ucbvax!g:asalaura (08/01/82)
Just before anyone gets the mistaken opinion that all of Canada is sweetness and love, at two high schools and one grade school where my mother has taught in the last twelve years, the students were required to 'check their guns at the door' and one of the great fears in the classroom was being stabbed while writing at the blackboard. Granted, this is not normal behavior for the average Canadian student, (my mother specializes in teaching 'disturbed' children and teens), but then I dont think that it is standard behavior in the US either. Violence in schools in the Toronto area is definitely on the rise, though.... laura creighton decvax!utzoo!laura