« More On Rumsfeld v FAIR | Main | New Orleans' Pathetic Public Schools »
March 08, 2006
Reagan vs. The Left: Same As It Ever Was
Back in the early '80s I was just on the cusp of developing any sort of political awareness; my parents were working class children of the Depression, classic FDR Democrats. Gradually, and mainly through the inestimable influence of the late Houston Post columnist Donald R. Morris, I realized that I was utterly ignorant about the real machinations of diplomacy and current events. I've been learning ever since.
I still remember Morris' series of articles in which he explored all the facets of the NATO deployment of Pershing missiles in Europe in response to the threat posed by the new Soviet SS-20 missiles. I was especially struck by Morris' dissection of the Leftist forces arrayed to stop the strong response that Reagan proposed.
This month is the twentieth anniversary of the publicity war over the US missile deployment, and Austin Bay has written an insightful article commemorating the event. Twenty years ago there was no internet, no blogosphere, no concept of the MSM as an enemy to the truth--the mainstream media was the truth for most Americans. Austin Bay writes:
Angry Euro-protestors attacking an American warmonger president?Yawn. In the American idiom, "Been there, done that." Translation for Euro-sophisticates: "Passe, pal."
It's 2003, and the president is George W. Bush, but the teeth-gnashing rhetoric is right of out 1983 and the "Euro-missile protests" against Ronald Reagan.
This month is the 20th anniversary of the Great Euromissile Crisis. Oh, the accusations! Reagan was stupid. Reagan was dangerous, a warmonger seeking the nuclear destruction of the USSR. Reagan was -- good heavens -- a unilateralist. Today, the mayor of London calls Bush "the greatest threat to life on the planet."
Twaddle. The current crop of Axis of Neville (Chamberlain) leftish pundits and leaders are thus exposed, recycling 20-year-old insults.
Bay continues with the story of how Reagan steadfastly refused to be swayed by the powerful anti-American propaganda unleashed against him, and the US. Bay makes the point--one that should be obvious--that just as in 1938 or 1983, there is only one way of dealing with repressive dictatorships:
However, themes from 1983 remain relevant in 2003, a key one being the absolute necessity that democratic leaders demonstrate to tyrants and thugs that the consequences of testing a free people's will to defend themselves are deadly sure and certain. It's a sad fact of human existence: There will always be another tyrant who'll need convincing.
Just so. It's staggering to imagine Reagan's single-minded vision from the distance of twenty years, knowing that he had no help from any kind of new media.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.thebernoullieffect.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/578
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Reagan vs. The Left: Same As It Ever Was:
» heart attack symptom from heart attack symptom
shit-happens 1875365 This site is about heart attack symptom. [Read More]
Tracked on June 14, 2007 04:08 AM
