Hobnobbing with Stern.
Posted on 06/12/2004 6:48:35 AM PDT by phenn
On June 12, 2004, the Associated Press reported that disc jockey, Scott Hornyak was fired from his job at an Anchorage, Alaska radio station for celebrating the death of former President Ronald Reagan. Allegedly, Hornyak encouraged listeners to trample the dirt on Mr. Reagan?s new grave site.
Associated Press photographs from the June 11, 2004 funeral services for Mr. Reagan depicted a number of demonstrators lining the sidewalks of Washington, DC, holding signs emblazoned with such legends as "Reagan in Hell" and "God Hates America". Presumably, these demonstrators could be seen by Mr. Reagan?s family as their motorcade passed on its way to the National Cathedral, located in Washington.
According to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, these people had every right to express their opinions of former President Reagan and did so in such a way that no laws were broken.
But does having a right to do something make it the right thing to do?
After a 10 year bout with Alzheimer?s disease, Ronald Reagan died of complications on June 6, 2004. Alzheimer?s is a disease that robs approximately 4.5 million Americans of their brain cells, causing conditions such as dementia, anxiety and hallucinations. Alzheimer?s is a progressive disease that attacks cells in more regions of the brain as it advances, rendering the individual completely incapacitated and, eventually, causing death or fatal complications.
By its very nature, Alzheimer?s is a cruel and frightening disease, oftentimes taking away the patient?s happy memories and the ability to recognize their own loved-ones. With the loss of such faculties, surely some patients will also lose hope.
Contrary to popular opinion, Alzheimer?s is not exclusively an ?old folks? disease. Affecting many people under 50, early onset Alzheimer?s can tear apart families in every walk of life. Irrespective of the patient?s age or lifestyle, this is a disease that destroys lives.
No one can possibly imagine the private pain and dismay felt by families when a loved-one is subjected to such cruelties of life. Likewise, no one can fathom the personal pain that others feel when the process of such a degenerative condition establishes its stronghold in their lives.
Ask ten people to explain their views of Mr. Reagan?s presidency to you and you?re likely to receive ten different recollections. From fond approval to bitter contempt, a full range of feelings exist within the American collective. But this piece is not about politics. It?s about the human condition.
In his final years, a once healthy, keen and clever man had been devastated by a condition for which there is no cure and little respite. If not for the devotion of family and friends, Mr. Reagan?s situation could have been viewed as dismal. Having the comfort of a loving spouse and care within his own home most certainly had made Mr. Reagan?s final years easier for him and challenging for those who loved him.
This alone should probably give demonstrators and bawdy disc jockeys pause in their desire to use such a time as a political launching pad. However intelligent and nurturing we claim to be as a society, it is abundantly clear that we have a long way to go in treating one another with respect and compassion.
Not only was I embarrassed at the insensitivity towards Mr. Reagan?s family, I was reminded that such tactlessness is nothing new.
Mr. Reagan and his family are not alone when it comes to the callous nature in which they have been treated. Brain impaired and cognitively disabled people have long been looked down upon by others as burdensome bodies. Jokes about diapers and unsympathetic remarks about memory loss seem to be accepted discourse in our society when discussing such people.
Not often do we see the real heartbreak of such conditions or the very real toll such tragedies take on the families of the profoundly disabled person. We tend only to see our own fears of facing a similar fate. That fear of disability can oftentimes cause us to be less benevolent than we should be. Had Mr. Reagan been ravaged by cancer, would the same smarmy remarks or unfeeling jokes be so prevalent in our public discourse? Or can it be argued that his passing would have been seen as more of a sorrowful event?
Our willingness to dehumanize those amongst us with cognitive disabilities truly lessens our own worth as compassionate members of society. It is important to remember that disability in and of itself is not the tragedy. The barriers we create for others and the prejudice that we tend to take with those who live with disability are the real producers of tragedy.
Though disc jockeys and demonstrators have a right to express their opinions, it is MY estimation that the loathing rhetoric and epithets, at a time such as this, only serve to perpetuate the intolerance some feel towards members of our society with lesser abilities.
As with any passing, Mr. Reagan?s is marked by the grief his family feels for the loss of him in their lives. Unlike some passings, Mr. Reagan?s is also marked by the loss our country surely feels ? even if we feel it in different ways. However, it should also be a time to reflect upon our own compassion and kindness for others.
(Excerpt) Read more at pamelahennessy.com ...
His website is godhatesfags.com.
The best thing to do with these people is put a fence around 'em and call it a zoo.
"However intelligent and nurturing we claim to be as a society, it is abundantly clear that we have a long way to go in treating one another with respect and compassion."
Actually I think we have declined in these attributes in the last 20-30 years.
CAN WE ALL JUST LEARN ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT THE PROPER WAY TO SPELL "LOSE" IS L-O-S-E.
L-O-O-S-E IS WHAT YOUR PANTS BECOME AFTER YOU HAVE LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT.
SORRY TO SHOUT, BUT THIS IS A PET PEEVE OF MINE. THIS MISTAKE IS WAY TOO COMMON ON THIS SITE, AND REFLECTS BADLY ON THE CREDIBILITY OF THOSE WHO OTHERWISE HAVE WORTHWHILE THINGS TO SAY.
SORRY FOR THE RANT, BUT IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE SAID. SPELLING COUNTS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PERSUADE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE WORTH LISTENING TO.
I'll chip in a day to dig the postholes.
Sick b*******.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt and assumed the title was correct; as in "Let loose the hounds of the war against intolerance."
That sort of thing.
You know, I looked at that a hundred times this morning and it never even dawned on me. Stinking spell check. Have corrected. Thanks for the noote. ;-)
Hobnobbing with Stern.
It was misspelled in the original article title as well (although spelled correctly on the author's table of contents page for the same article). I've sent her a feedback on it, maybe she'll fix it.
Meanwhile, the Mods have corrected it here already.
SPELLING COUNTS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PERSUADE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE WORTH LISTENING TO.
I agree. Typos in posts are reasonably excusable (as long as there aren't too many), but typos in headlines look really bad on the "latest articles/posts" pages, and give a poor impression of FR to newcomers.
Common decency is a thing of the past in our country. We even have cartoon characters on TV Farting and burping without so much as an "excuse me". I am not all stunned or surprised at this blatant disregard for the feelings and respect of a family enduring a loss in their lives.
Be careful this might be taken to series around here...YES I know it should be TOO and serious...but this board is highly populated by "Publik skool edumacated peepel" and we don't want to hurt there (YES I KNOW their) feelings!
What a delightful photo. Check out the dead, feral eyes of that little hunk of flesh who is standing front and center. There is nothing in them - no intelligence, no feeling. Nothing.
Naaa. He just looks like a little kid.
The rest of them look remarkably normal.......excepting Stern, of course.
It would help too, if the death date was correct - it's June 5, not June 6.
These people are really pathetic (sad to find out I was right about that pix of the protest - it did indeed say "God Hates America"!). In so many ways. I am shocked that they even claim to be Christian? That's just ridiculous. No Christian ever believed God hates homosexuals, much less those other awful things.
Fred also runs this little gem. He must fancy himself an authority on who God hates.
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