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About The North Coast times-eagle. (Wheeler, Oregon) 1971-2007 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1987)
T im » EHGIE MARCH 1987 [W AP e W é M T o C elebrate W B i C e HT e WAL- OF W C^STiTuW ? ALL THE KING’S MEN "W H E N A M A N A S SU M E S L E A D E R S H IP , H E F O R F E IT S T H E R IG H T T O M E R C Y ." G E N N A R O A N G U IL O , B O S T O N M A F IA B O S S T h e T o w e r R e p o r t t i p t o e s a r o u n d th e c e n t r a l q u e s t i o n : S h o u ld th e P r e s i d e n t b e i m p e a c h e d ? If h e h a s c o m m i t t e d " h ig h c r i m e s a n d m i s d e m e a n o r s " a s P r e s i d e n t , th e C o n s t i t u t i o n s p e c i f i e s t h a t h e s h o u ld be i m p e a c h e d . If h is c o n d u c t is th e r e s u l t o f p h y s i c a l o r m e n t a l i n c a p a c i t y , h e s h o u ld b e r e m o v e d in a c c o r d w ith th e 2 5 th A m e n d m e n t , w h ic h d e t a i l s th e p r o c e d u r e s to be f o llo w e d w h e n " th e P r e s i d e n t is u n a b le to d i s c h a r g e th e p o w e r s a n d d u t i e s o f h is o f f i c e . " " I k n o w o f n o la w t h a t s a y s a P r e s i d e n t is e x e m p t f r o m d u t i e s t h a t d e v o lv e u p o n o t h e r c i t i z e n s , " S e n a t o r S a m E r v i n s a i d d u r i n g W a t e r g a t e . " T h e W h ite H o u s e p e o p le a r e n o t n o b i l i t y a n d r o y a l t y . T h e y w ill g iv e s w o r n t e s t i m o n y o r be a r r e s t e d . " R i c h a r d N ix o n e v a d e d i m p e a c h m e n t o n ly by r e s i g n i n g a n d h e m a d e a d e a l w ith h i s s u c c e s s o r to p a r d o n h i m . If a P r e s i d e n t a n d h i s m e n c a n b r e a k la w s t h e y f in d i n c o n v e n i e n t , w h a t r e s t r a i n t i s t h e r e f o r a n y o n e e l s e w h o w i s h e s to s k i r t t h e la w f o r p e r s o n a l b e n e f i t ? W hy s h o u ld a n y o n e r e s p e c t th e la w ? N ix o n a n d R e a g a n h a v e b o th p r e s i d e d o v e r a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s t h a t a r e r e p r e s s i v e l y la w a n d o r d e r , b u t o n ly in r e g a r d to w o r k in g p e o p le , o t h e r r a c e s a n d th e p o o r . H ig h s o c i e t y c r i m e is l i g h t l y p u n i s h e d . P r e s i d e n t i a l c r i m e is t r e a t e d a s if it d id n o t o c c u r . " , . . W h e r e v e r t h e r e i s a n i n t e r e s t a n d p o w e r to d o w r o n g , w r o n g w i l l g e n e r a l l y be d o n e ," J a m e s M a d is o n w r o t e . T h e T o w e r C o m m i s s i o n c h o s e to p o r t r a y th e P r e s i d e n t a s a m a n w h o d o e s n o t k n o w w h a t h e is d o i n g . S o f o r th e s h o r t r u n h e i s n o t b e in g c h a r g e d w ith b r e a k i n g th e la w . T h e e m p h a s i s is o n h i s p h y s i c a l c a p a c i t y to r e m a i n in o f f i c e ( h is m e n w is h to r e m o v e h i s b r a i n o u t o f p u b lic v ie w ): H u m p ty D u m p t y 's b r o k e n r e m a i n s a r e b e in g p u t b a c k t o g e t h e r . R e a g a n i s s u r v i v i n g a t th e e x p e n s e o f h i s h i s t o r i c a l r e p u t a t i o n . R i c h a r d N ix o n i s a l r e a d y k n o w n to p o s t e r i t y a s a c r o o k ( h is d e n i a l , "1 a m n o t a c r o o k , " r e m a i n s h i s m o s t f a m o u s s t a t e m e n t ) . R e a g a n , w h o e v e n in m o v i e s , w i s h e d to b e m i s c a s t a s a h e r o , h a s c h o s e n th e r i d i c u l e of h i s t o r y , a b u m b l e r , a n i n e p t w e l l - m e a n i n g m a n o v e r h i s h e a d . He h a s s o u g h t in p o l i t i c s th e h e r o i c r o l e s he w a s d e n ie d in m o v i e s , a n d f o r a n u m b e r of y e a r s h e s e e m e d to b e a r o u t h i s p r e t e n s e . In th e a f t e r m a t h o f th e I r a n - C o n t r a a f f a i r ( " C o n t r a - i n t e r ru p tu s " is a c a n d id a te fo r a W a te r g a te - lik e n a m e ), i t is b e in g r e a l i z e d t h a t th e f i l m p r o d u c e r s w h o r e f u s e d h is b id f o r J o h n W a y n is m k n e w t h e i r a c t o r . A A V W A ssault S ecret WAR, C p NT e WT of ON6PFS5, ABUSE of FA irly r ?W ek laui 4 deri H6 of A COMPANY OF FOOLERS W e a r e n o w w i t n e s s i n g t h e r a p i d u n d o in g of R e a g a n an d h is a d m in is tr a tio n . O u r P r e s id e n t h a s w o r k e d h i m s e l f in to a c u l - d e - s a c in w h ic h h e h a s p r o v e n b e y o n d d o u b t t h a t h e is e i t h e r i n c o m p e t e n t o r a l i a r . W h ic h i s b e t t e r , o r w o r s e ? It d o e s n 't r e a l l y m a t t e r . I f e e l no s y m p a t h y f o r h i m , th o u g h . H e y , i t ' s s h o w b i z . S o m e t i m e s y o u b o m b . It w a s a g o o d p a y in g g ig w h i l e it l a s t e d . W h a t's s a d i s th e a p p a r e n t f a c t t h a t m a n y o f u s in t h i s n a t i o n a r e s o a d d i c t e d to i l l u s i o n a n d m a g i c t h a t w e c o n s t a n t l y b e g to b e f o o le d — by th e T .V . G u y , w h o a l w a y s s e e m s to h a v e a l l th e a n s w e r s t o o u r p r o b l e m s : " B u y t h i s , b u y M E I " a n d w e d o . We e v e n e l e c t e d a n a c t o r — a tr a in e d p r o f e s s io n a l s ta g e illu s io n is t — w h o s e p u r p o s e in l i f e is to b e p a id f o r f o o lin g u s i n t o t h in k i n g h e 's s o m e b o d y h e 's n o t; to " p l a y d a d d y " a n d t e l l u s t h a t e v e r y t h i n g 's b e i n g t a k e n c a r e o f. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , w e c o m m o n c i t i z e n s s e ld o m p e rc e iv e s u p e rp o w e r p o litic s a s a " so a p o p e r a " p u t on f o r o u r b e n e f i t b y g o v e r n m e n t s to j u s t i f y t a k i n g a n i n c r e a s i n g l y l a r g e c h u n k o f o u r h a r d e a r n e d c a s h e a c h y e a r . W a s h in g to n t e l l s u s th e R u s s i a n s a r e e v i l a n d w i l l g e t u s if w e d o n 't h a v e a lo t o f t h i n g s w ith w h ic h to b lo w t h e m u p ; a n d s u r e l y M o s c o w t e l l s th e S o v i e t p e o p le th e s a m e th in g a b o u t u s . I t 's s tu p id . B ut now s e v e r a l s ta g e p ro p s h av e fa lle n o v e r o n th e R e a g a n s e t , a n d w e c a n c l e a r l y s e e t h a t a l l a lo n g t h e r e w a s r e a l l y n o th in g t h e r e . T h e r o c k s a r e n 't r e a l , th e s t o r e f r o n t w a s j u s t a b r a c e d - u p p i e c e o f p a i n t e d p ly w o o d , a n d th e t r e e w a s r e a l l y o n ly h a l f a t r e e . We a r e l i k e D o r o th y a n d h e r f r i e n d s , w h o d i s c o v e r t h e W i z a r d of O z is r e a l l y j u s t a f r i g h t e n e d o ld m a n , h i d in g b e h in d a n i m p r e s s i v e p r o p . It w a s a l l j u s t a n i l l u s i o n , a l i t t l e t r i c k p la y e d o n u s by t h a t o ld r a s c a l R o n a n d h i s c o m p a n y of f o o le r s . W ho w ill th e p e o p le e l e c t n e x t . . . N ix o n a g a in ? — PA UL BA RRETT — M IC H A E L P A U L M c C U S K E R P a u l B a r r e t t l i v e s in A s t o r i a .