pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann) (01/29/88)
Never thought I'd write a flame... I guess there's a first time for everything! In article <2598@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> lazarus@athena (Michael Friedman) writes: >In article <158@octopus.UUCP> pete@octopus.UUCP (that's me) writes: >>...Raygun... >Whenever I see anyone consistently call the president of the United >States 'Raygun' I think of a rather infantile person who in his/her >own spoiled brattish way is protesting the will of the American >people. Most of the 'ideas' that come from the oval office where Raygun sits make me think of a rather infantile person who in his/her own spoiled brattish way is destroying the future of America. >Yes, Pete, WE voted him into office. You know, the PEOPLE!!! WE the PEOPLE can be extremely stupid. We are greedy, overoptimistic, short- sighted and selfish. The fact that we are a majority doesn't make us right. The fact that we elected Reagan president makes him president. It doesn't make him a good president. (I could bring in silly comparisons to how the people of Germany brought Hitler to power, but previous logic experts have pointed out that comparisons of this sort are dirty-fighting. I guess I agree with that. Reagan can't be compared with Hitler. But I think it is valid to point out that you CAN fool a majority for a long time!) >And, Pete, calling him 'Raygun' isn't cute. It doesn't even serve as a >good method of displaying your liberal credentials. It just makes you >look stupid. It is a brief way to make a point. Political cartoonists use caricature for the same reason. Reagan has *earned* the name 'Ronnie Raygun'. He is not living in the real world. Maybe the movie world of the 50's, I don't know. Perhaps that's why people liked him so much- lots of Americans *wish* that life was as simple, wholesome, clean, etc as old-time-TV showed it. I find him a likeable guy too! But that doesn't make him worthy of being President. I should probably note that calling him 'Raygun' doesn't make me a liberal, any more than calling him 'Reagan' makes you conservative. The fact that I am an Evangelical Christian (One of *them*!) who is opposed to abortion (my oh my!) doesn't make me conservative; my opposition to officially-led school prayer or opposition to Contra support doesn't make me liberal either. Life just isn't that simple! I hope that your worldview isn't that simple. Reagan fits my idea of a 'Ronnie Raygun' kid who lives in a comic book world. If it needs to be spelled out for you, then you have been reading the news with Reagan-colored glasses: Some not-verbatim quotes (he said it, but I don't have the wording right here in front of me. You want references? Get a copy of the gift-calendar for '88 that celebrates his last year in office. *I* was amazed at how ignorant and pie-in-the-sky he is! It is all there in funny-if-it-weren't- true detail) just from memory. No particular order. Maybe the ones that come to mind are the ones that irk me the most: - "Catsup is a vegetable" Remember that one? I am *sickened* by what now passes for a 'school lunch'! (Catsup is no more a nutritional vegetable than chocolate-chip cookies are whole-wheat bread) - "If you've seen one tree, you've seen them all" Reagan does *not* appreciate the environment. Watt, Hodel, etc have simply been carrying out his policies. - "SDI will provide a shield to protect the people of America from nuclear attack" No expert anywhere believes this. The most optimistic believe that SDI will protect our missiles enough to retaliate. If nuclear war occurs, the PEOPLE are DEAD. Compared to the present situation of MAD, this is no better, less reliable, and much more expensive. - "Firing the traffic controllers has had no effect on air traffic safety" Hah! (I'm not saying he was wrong to fire them. He just doesn't have any grasp of reality!) - (pre-election) "These ($30? Billion) budget deficits are a disgrace!" No comment needed. The interest paid on the Reagan deficits will be comment enough for many decades! - "I call for a balanced budget amendment. Congress can't control itself, so let the President do the job" If he believed this, he would submit a fiscally responsible, balanced budget to congress. He has done exactly the opposite. The presidency is not immune from fiscal irresponsibility in the least! (And a purely balanced budget of the type Reagan is requesting is not wise anyway- there are *good* reasons to borrow money! Few people would own houses, otherwise) - Appointments. Either he has little understanding of reality as it applies to people, or he's a crook. How else to explain the record number of indictments, etc? 'Detached management style'? That's equivalent to saying he doesn't keep tabs on reality! You may not agree with me, but in my opinion, 'Raygun' is about the nicest thing I can apply to him! Reagan is childish; he is not a statesman. The recent INF treaty stuff doesn't change a thing- He didn't have much to do with it! Other people have finally surrounded him with a pretty good set of protective people (Baker is key, methinks) who have been able to get some good things done. They try to keep him quiet as much as possible. When he opens his mouth without lots of rehearsal, he ends up jamming his foot in knee-deep (as far as reality is concerned- he always makes everything sound wonderful whilst doing it). Reagan's main asset is his winsome public ways - he makes you feel *good* right now. That makes good TV and good politics and even wins elections. It has cost us a Trillion dollars that we don't have and has mortgaged my children's future. In that light, I can't say he has been a good president. I can't say he's a good statesman. I can't say he has kept the good of our country in mind. It doesn't say much for the PEOPLE of our country either, and that's why we are becoming the laughingstock of the world for having elected this guy! People in Europe laugh at our habit of electing people who look good on TV rather than electing Statesmen (tm Mattel Inc, or something like that! :-)) >Take a look at Barry Shein's and Tim Sevener's postings. I don't >think much of their opinions or of them, but at least they do not >regress to childhood when they post on the net. It is only necessary to regress to childhood when attempting to understand a child. I do it when playing with my 3 year old daughter, and I do it with Ronnie Raygun. Fortunately, my conversation with you has been more grown up, at least until this point! >These are the official opinions Mike Friedman >of my organization. So, TOUGH!! Pete -- OOO __| ___ Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises OOOOOOO___/ _______ USPS: 19611 La Mar Court, Cupertino, CA 95014 OOOOO \___/ UUCP: {hpda,pyramid}!octopus!pete ___| \_____ Phone: 408/996-7746