doglover wrote:It is a sad commentary that some small minded people want to deny those who are mourning the loss of someone they consider a great leader and statesman the opportunity to express their loss.
Who's denying you the opportunity to express your loss, doglover? <curious>
Day Reagan died, there was a beautiful thread here, with even many liberals posting their respects. Many posters expressed their loss. Now, after a couple of days non-stop hagiography, some people are getting fed up with the media saturation. But I would assume that nobody told you that you shouldnt have the chance to express
your feelings about it? I mean, if there was anyone who did, he was an ass - but I haven't seen one single poster here, at least, telling someone else, oh, you shouldnt have been allowed to say you were sad!
What I do see now, eg in Fox's post above, is people saying that noone should "recount the man's sins" at this time. I find that strange. No, not "during the funeral", of course - its not like you should go to the graveyard with a banner saying "Reagan was a murderer". But isn't that what editorials upon important people's deaths do? They weigh someone's contribution to history, point out all the right things he did, and point out the flaws as well?
I don't think the standard for editors, politicians and other important public figures is to say nothing remotely bad about the guy. They just have to keep it respectful. If you're a Democratic Congressman and you're commemorating what Reagan meant to you, I dont think its disrespectful to mention the deficit ("on that, I thought he was wrong and I think he did harm") as well as the Cold War victory.
As far as us here on the bulletin boards are concerned ... <shrugs>. We get to speak our mind. Calling names to me is disrespectful and just stupid - and as for Fox's question whether any republicans/conservatives would do so, you can find some horrifying examples on the freerepublic boards from when Wellstone died - or compare
what they wrote about that Wisconsis woman who left her inheritance to fight Bush. Very yukky. But arguing here on the board why, to us as individual citizens, the guy was always bad news - <shrugs>