Foreign Mind; Ronald Reagan: An Appreciation (Sort Of)

Summary

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Domestically, [Ronald Reagan] was a polarizer, never as popular as the mainstream media now suggests. In many ways he was a backlash President, ushered in by sentiment that the country had been weakened by the excesses of the 60's and 70's. Many Americans had suffered psychic wounds throughout these decades, when apparently for the first time they were told that their continent was land ruthlessly seized from Natives, sowed with African blood, and when their television sets occasionally showed their sons mercilessly executing Asian peasants. Mr. Reagan was like a great shaman absolving guilt, and confidently assuring the expanding suburbs that only bad people said bad things about America. That's his legacy here.

Take Grenada. At the time, somehow or another this 7th or 8th Grade dunce picked up the instructions that we in the Caribbean were to be appalled at Reagan's tidying-up operation there. But as even dunces sometimes question what they were told, now I can't understand what was so wrong with it. In fact, it's quite the opposite: now I think the Caribbean should be grateful that Reagan (and Seaga) stopped the people who murdered Maurice Bishop from setting up a cozy little outpost for another Cuban nightmare.

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Foreign Mind; Ronald Reagan: An Appreciation (Sort Of)

NEW YORK -- The Reagans always knew how to put on a show. That isn't to say that the Administration of Bush II and a fawning press corps didn't do their bit. But the Hollywood know-how in the elaborate 300 page funeral plans alread...

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