liberalhistorian (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:09 PM
Original message
"Alzheimer's was too good for Reagan as far as I'm concerned"
I overheard this little gem just now at a local restaurant where I was having lunch and was really disgusted. Now, those of you who know me here know that I'm certainly no fan of Reagan at all, quite the contrary. I believe he did incalculable damage to the country, although he was a far better president than the current WH occupant (like that's really hard!) I absolutely hated it when he was president, as did the majority of my family.
HOWEVER. Reagan was not just a president and a politician, he was also a man and a human being. Alzheimer's is a horrible, nasty, insidious disease, a horrible way to die, and not just because it's so long and drawn-out even though that's certainly part of it. NO ONE deserves to have it and to die like that, I don't care WHO it is. And NO ONE deserves to see their spouse, parent, etc., slowly waste away from it and become a shadow of what they once were, either. NO ONE. To be the spouse, child, sibling of someone with Alzheimer's is almost as bad as suffering from the disease.
I know this personally, my stepdad has early Alzheimer's. He's only 63, but had to retire from teaching eight years earlier than normal, at the age of 57, because it was just starting then and, even though we didn't know what it was yet, he simply was not able to handle the rigorous duties his job required. Mom had to do most of his lesson plans and grading for him. The day he took my son out to a movie and couldn't remember how to get back home even though it was only ten minutes away and he'd lived there for thirty years was the day we really had to start to face reality.
He is just a wispy shadow of his former vibrant, alive, intelligent, funny self. The man who once taught Shakespeare, Yeats and Hemingway and who could argue the merits of Hemingway vs. Fitzgerald for hours at a time can no longer even understand anything he reads, even simple stuff. The man who used to write the most beautiful, thoughtful poetry and who won several poetry contests throughout the years can no longer even put two or three words together that make sense. The man who used to have a quick, improvisational sense of humor and who could make anything funny now no longer understands the simplest joke. He now has to have help to shower and dress. I could go on, but it's too depressing to even think about at times.
Yes, I agree with most of you about Reagan and I always will. But let's separate the president and politician from the man and the human being. What's truly insidious about this horrible disease is that the victim actually knows for several years what is happening to him or her and has to deal with that. I have no doubt that Reagan knew as did his family. It didn't and doesn't matter how old he was, he and his family still suffered terribly. How many times have we rightfully slammed freepers for rejoicing in the diseases/deaths of certain people? Let's not do the same thing ourselves. Let's show some humanity.
Okay, so liberalhistorian gets it right. Let's see what her fellow DUmmies have to say:
OhioBlues (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:11 PM
Response to Original message
1. I agree with you, have a heart and some class.
Edited on Wed Dec-06-06 02:12 PM by OhioBlues
insane_cratic_gal (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:13 PM
Response to Original message
2. I agree as well
My Great Grandmother had it.. I've seen several people (work in a hospital) who suffer from it.
Wishing any sickness not matter how much of a scum that person may be, is certainly not an enlightened way of thinking.
Oops. How'd they get in there? Just want to make sure no one's saying I'm just taking a few posts.
BOSSHOG (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:13 PM
Response to Original message
3. My father died of Alzheimer's
It is an incredible strain on a family. I'm not sure what I would do if I were ever diagnosed with it but I wouldn't want my wife to go through what my stepmom did.
I still believe that those who oppose stem cell research should be locked in an Alzheimer's Ward of a nursing home for at least six months.
Ronald Reagan was an evil republican in my mind but he would have been better off dying peacefully in his sleep at a younger age.
How compassionate of you.
LisaM (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:14 PM
Response to Original message
4. No one deserves AIDS either
and many people died from it because Reagan refused to acknowledge it, and to fund early research (I have two friends whose brothers died right before the newest batch of drugs were available). It's really really hard for me to have sympathy for Ronald Reagan. BTW, my mother-in-law died of Alzheimer's last year, and now my father-in-law also suffers from it. THEY did not deserve it. Did Reagan? I don't know, I really don't. It's a tough call for me.
Reagan certainly deserves to have the truth told about his AIDS policies.
ComerPerro (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:58 PM
Response to Reply #4
39. hell, he didn't simply refuse to fund research. He and a lot of RWers
figured that it was a gay plague, and that the victims deserved it
Nothing could be further from the truth, DUmmie.
hlthe2b (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:15 PM
Response to Original message
5. I refuse to believe that many lib/progressives would feel this way
To wish a horrendous disease like Alzheimers on anyone is a betrayal to humanity--much less progressive ideals or the tenets of any religion I am familiar with.
I'm sorry for the pain, liberalhistorian that overhearing this comment has caused you.
Then you obviously haven't read around enough on what exactly is said in DUmmieland on a daily basis. Seriously, I could make every last word I type lead to DUmmie thread after DUmmie thread with endless cruelty towards others simply because of political disagreements, if I weren't too lazy.
chimpsrsmarter (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:15 PM
Response to Original message
7. thats awful. I had a similar experience at a board i moderate at, it went something
like this--"arlen Spector looks like shit these days, is he drinking or something haha?" Um no asshole he has cancer.
Sounds like your troublemaker needs a transplant of a bit of basic humanity. Too bad there are no medical procedures for that.
ComerPerro (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-06-06 02:59 PM
Response to Reply #8
40. I think its funny as hell, and I am not ashamed to say it
And there you have it. To a DUmmie, your political opponents suffering is hilarious.
novalib (898 posts) Wed Dec-06-06 03:10 PM
Response to Reply #33
50. Nancy Reagan "Suffered"???!!!!!
Your comment is predicated on the notion that Nancy Reagan is somehow capable of suffering emotionally.
Of course, that is absurd, since Nancy Reagan has no emotions -- ICE WATER flows through her reptilian veins!!
It would be nice to think that Nancy Reagan suffered emotional distress, but I fear it is just not possible.
Yeah, right...
I think you're the one with ice water flowing through your veins.
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