BY GEORGE BERES
The Reagan Years
Justice demands both sides
of Reagan be remembered.
M
uch though it was dreaded by many,
the day had to come. Ronald Reagan,
40th president of the U.S., one of two
presidents with an Illinois identity, died, June 5.
My roots are in Illinois. So the blind adulation of
most Illinoisans for Reagan is familiar to me.
The dread diminished as the public realized con-
tinued life was a meaningless existence for a man
stricken years ago by Alzheimer’s disease. Reagan was 93,
and his last years brought struggle, no joy. That is the tragic legacy of the ill-
ness that has taken captive an aging population.
Eulogies were sure to be many and expansive. On the lighter side, they
note his Illinois identity, as he was born in Dixon to the north, and went to col-
lege in Eureka in the middle of the state. Sports were big in his public per-
sona. He once broadcast baseball for a radio station in Des Moines. His long
acting career included the role of the Gipper, the Notre Dame football player
who died during his time playing under Coach Knute Rockne.
There was another side that in justice needs to be described. It is seen in
the effusive praise certain to come from a Republican Party Reagan served so
well. In recognition of his policies that satisfied the rich, members of his
party have proposed various ways to recognize his actions consistently in
their behalf. Once it was suggested the actor-president’s profile appear on a
coin or bill of the treasury. Then there was the proposal, likely given half in
jest, his visage be added to that of honored presidents on Mt. Rushmore.
S
uch praise reflects what has become an all-too-familiar characteristic
of recent GOP presidents: service to the party first, the nation sec-
ond. Have Democratic presidents been free of that partisan short-
coming? Of course not. But never has that out-of-kilter priority been more
evident than in the past quarter century among Reagan and two presidents
named Bush, all flaunting the GOP tattoo.
Their economic policies in all areas expanded the gap between the wealthy
“haves” and poverty-stricken “have nots.” Reagan began the pattern of serv-
ing the rich at the expense of all others. It has been taken to a blatantly high
level by extreme tax policies of the younger Bush that have bloated corporate
wealth while teasing the rest of us with meaningless income tax rebates.
Along the way, the health of the federal treasury under a Democrat, Bill
Clinton, was revived by replacing the danger of a deficit with a giant surplus.
Now that has been squandered by a Bush flying the deficit-spending flag that
billowed under Reagan.
Even Reagan’s ascent to the presidency was achieved — in the views of
some who chronicled the 1980 race — by diminishing the interests of the
nation for the benefit of the party. The story, still but an allegation, is that the
GOP arranged for sabotage in the desert of helicopters President Jimmy
Carter planned to use for the rescue of 52 U.S. hostages in Iran.
“An outlandish allegation!” said some. But it took on greater credence
when it was later learned the Iranians had been contacted by the GOP to
delay release of the hostages until after Reagan was in office. They agreed,
not so surprising in light of Iran’s place in the foulest U.S. scandal of the late
20th century: the massive illegalities of Reagan’s Iran-Contra dealings.
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O R E G O N B A C H F E S T I VA L
Quasthoff
“Unforgettable”
-The New York Times
Swing hard, get down
low with jazz tales told
in bass-baritone
Thomas Quasthoff’s
American Songbook.
Wednesday, June 30
T
he name Oliver North became a byword for the underhanded
exchange of money for weapons to sustain U.S. support for tyrants in
Nicaragua and El Salvador. In the second Bush presidency, another
Iran-Contra name has been revived, as John Negroponte became U.S. ambas-
sador to the U.N., and now is preparing to become our first ambassador to
the possible new government of Iraq. In Oregon, Negroponte’s name is rightly
vilified. He was Reagan’s Iran-Contra point man, operating out of Honduras.
His approval made possible the murder of Oregon social worker Ben Linder in
Nicaragua, along with many others.
Contrast between Ronald Reagan and the other president from Illinois,
Abe Lincoln, should be self-evident. It is understandable and proper the
nation honor the death of a former president, as it does this week for Reagan.
But when his legacy is measured, it will come up far short because of his Iran-
Contra crime.
Flags may fly at half-mast in Dixon and Eureka, Ill. But instead of honoring
Reagan, they should commemorate the many who died in Central America
because of policies their “favorite son” pursued.
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George Beres is a longtime Eugene resident and writer and former director of UO sports information.
JUNE 25 - JULY 11
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JUNE 10, 2004 7