Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!orion!houca!hogpc!houxm!hocda!spanky!burl!duke!unc!tim
From: tim@unc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Reagan"s Press Conference
Message-ID: <5496@unc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Jul-83 15:08:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.5496
Posted: Mon Jul  4 15:08:06 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Jul-83 02:53:53 EDT
References: hou5e.625
Lines: 100


    I could never vote for anyone who has repeatedly shown a lack of
commitment to the principle of freedom, as Reagan has.  Freedom to him
is just what makes us better than the Commies, not a thing that needs
to be practiced in real life.

    Let us not forget that this man was an eager participant in the
hysterical excesses of McCarthyism in the early fifties.  He
deliberately caused the black listing of many alleged "Communist dupes
and fellow travellers" in the entertainment industry.  "Evidence?
Hell, what are yuh, a Commie?  We don't go fer that nonsense round here."
What's more, he's still using the same overly-simplistic Commie-baiting
lines today!  The only thing that's changed is that he doesn't have HUAC,
but I hear they're reviving that one -- just rumors, though.

    Then of course there was his opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights
Act.  A charming thing, that.  I have little doubt that this man is
either a racist, or not inclined to disfavor racism.  Look at his
attitude towards Welfare.  Why is it that blacks are so strongly
against Reagan?  Because in his scheme, what happens to them is really
not that important.  And if you doubt still, look at the Bob Jones
University atrocity -- advocating tax-exempt status for practicing
racists.  It'll probably help with the laundry bills there.  Those
damn countoured sheets are hard to move around in, though....

    There was that amusing moment when he was being briefed by Jimmy
Carter on the critical issues facing his new presidency.  Reagan took
little interest except to admire the political climate in Korea that
allowed the President to respond to university striking by shutting
down the universities and drafting the protestors.  Shades of
Berkeley!  (By the way, whatever else you might say about Carter, I
don't think you would call him a liar.)

    I particularly like the way that he declared this National Bible
Year.  Great!  Now when is the year for MY scriptures, guy?  "Freedom
of religion" carries an implicit modifier of "provided it's Christian
(or Jewish) and not too strange" when charming folks like Reagan come
into town.  Or were you unaware that that the New Right is into making
the Bible an explicit and binding guidebook for legislators and
justices in this country?  Since when is it the government's business
to honor an establishment of religion?  Before answering that, you
might want to re-read the First Amendment.

    And lest we forget -- the Squeal Laws.  Yes, you too can cause great
and needless human suffering for no reason, and in the privacy of your
own government!  It was particularly warming to see Reagan justify this
by saying that NON-notification was an untoward meddling in family
affairs.  Say what, friend?  And if I don't give nuclear secrets to
the Russians, that is untoward meddling in international affairs,
right?  How about if I don't give your briefing books to the Democrats
-- is that untoward meddling in the campaign?  For Reagan and friends,
there is no place for rationality except to justify what they've
already decided to do.  The toll in teenage pregancies is an abstraction
to them -- what is important is Fighting The Rising Wave Of Sexual
Permissiveness, using ignorance and fear because that's all the little
sluts understand.  I find this genuinely appalling.

    I could go on for a while, but if these didn't convince you
nothing will.  This is a very frightening time for me.  I treasure my
freedoms above all else, and I see them eaten away slowly with each
passing month.  These new random "drunk driver" tests that lead to
less than a 1% conviction rate are very worrisome.  Since when do the
police have the right to stop cars and subject drivers to tests
without probable cause?  Since the New Right came into power.  When
will it stop?  Will it?

    The fact that this is America and we have this really neat
Constitution doesn't mean that "It can't happen here".  Americans are
human, and one human trait is the willingness of many people to trade
their freedoms, or even better other people's freedoms, for
conveniences without even thinking about the matter.  It happens in
other countries, and, yes, it happens here!  "The price of freedom is
eternal vigilance" -- this has become a war chant against the Russians
in the hands of the right-wing elements of this country.  The true
meaning has been swamped, but listen -- the one who has to be vigilant
is you.  Eternally.  You are not above flaw or suspicion any more than
I am.  When a new law is proposed, when the power of the police is
extended, think deeply on the matter.  Does the potential gain offset
the risks of yet more freedom loss?  Many small things sum to one
large thing, you know.

    There seems to me a very good chance that this country will become
much like Soviet Russia unless people start to speak out for their
freedoms.  This is not presented to scare you.  It is my honest
belief, and one of my greatest fears.  Look around you with an eye to
your freedoms.  How do you think they were lost elsewhere?  By
degrees; by human frailty; by lack of vigilance.  Don't let it happen
here.  Don't vote for Reagan in 1984 -- he has repeatedly and
unashamedly acted to destroy freedoms in the name of convenience, and
for the sake of archaic ideas about "proper" and "improper" behavior
(which, regardless of their value, should never be forced on any person).

    Freedom is fragile, but infinitely more precious than any other thing.

________________________________________
The hard-working keyboard of Tim Maroney

duke!unc!tim (USENET)
tim.unc@udel-relay (ARPA)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill