May 5. 2010 Il!t }J o rtla n î» (O b s tru e r Page AI5 BUSINESS Directory Horace S. Simpson Keep Grant on the $50 Bill Reagan doesn’t compare D onald K ai l T here's yet a n ­ o th e r m o v e m e n t a fo o t to put R onald R eagan's face on the $50 bill, replacing that o f U lysses S. G rant. A num ber o f R e­ publicans in C ongress have been beating the drum s in support o f the idea. "O n e d e c a d e in to th e 21 st c e n ­ tu ry , it's tim e to h o n o r th e last g re a t p re s id e n t o f the 2 0 th and g iv e P re s id e n t R eag an a p la c e b e sid e P re sid e n ts R o o se v e lt and K e n n e d y ," s a id R e p . P a tr ic k M cH en ry , R -N .C . T h e re are se v e ra l th in g s w ro n g w ith th is idea: R o n ald R ea g a n a lre a d y h as his n am e on W a sh in g to n 's N a tio n a l A irp o rt, as w ell as an e n o rm o u s fe d e ral o ffic e b u ild in g in the c a p i­ tal. In a d d itio n , th e re 's so m e nu t- -a fo rm e r c o n g re ss m a n , I th in k — w h o has m ad e it his life m issio n to g et R eag an 's n am e on so m e m o n u ­ m e n t o r p u b lic fa c ility in e v ery c o u n ty in the U n ited S tates. T h a t's e n o u g h h o n o r fo r a n y o n e. N o t o n ly w as M r. R ea g a n no t "the last g re a t p re s id e n t o f the 2 0 th c e n tu ry ," he w a sn 't g re a t at all. N o t e v en v e ry g o o d . M o re on th a t later. T a k in g G ra n t o f f th e $5 0 h ill w o u ld be y et a n o th e r in su lt to a g reat A m erican hero w ho h as been u n ju s tly m a lig n e d th ro u g h th e y e a rs. by G ra n t w as p e rh a p s th e g re a te st U n io n g e n e ra l o f th e C iv il W ar. L in c o ln had b een sa d d le d w ith in ep t and in e ffectiv e g e n erals w h o w ere o u tm an eu v ered by the lesser- e q u ip p e d S o u th e rn e rs at e v e ry tu rn —u n til G ra n t sh o w e d up. H is v ic to ry at V ic k sb u rg (a lo n g w ith R o b ert E. L ee's v irtu a lly s im u lta ­ n e o u s d e fe a t at G e tty s b u rg ) s e a le d th e C o n fe d e ra c y 's fate. A s h is to r ia n S e a n W ile n tz p o in te d o u t re c e n tly in T he N ew Y o rk T im es, G ra n t as p re sid e n t b e ca m e a g re a t c h a m p io n o f c iv il rig h ts, n o t o n ly for freed slav e s b u t fo r N a tiv e A m e ric an s. It w as he w h o e n d e d th e reig n o f te rro r th at th e Ku K lux K ian v isited upon th e S o u th a fte r th e w ar. H e a lso a c h ie v e d ra tific a tio n o f th e 1 5 th A m e n d m e n t, w h ic h b a n n e d d is e n f ra n c h is e m e n t on th e b a sis o f race, as w ell as p a s ­ sag e o f th e C iv il R ig h ts A ct o f 1875, w h ic h p ro h ib ite d ra c ial d is ­ c rim in atio n in all public acco m m o ­ d a tio n s . "R ea g an w as a c ip h e r." A c c o r d in g to H a ig , J a m e s B aker, E dw in M eese, and M ich ael D e a v e r w e re th e o n e s w h o ran the sh o w . H aig e v e n d is m is se d the f o r e ig n p o lic y tr i u m p h s th a t R e a g a n a u ts lo v e to c e le b ra te . R ea g a n , he sa id , had "th e g o o d fo rtu n e o f h a v in g b e en p re s id e n t w h en the E vil E m p ire b e g an to u n r a v e l, b u t to c o n s id e r th a t s ta n d in g tall in G re n a d a o r b u ild ­ ing S ta r W ars b ro u g h t th e E vil E m p ire to its k n e e s is a d is to rtio n o f h isto ric re a lity . T h e in te rn a l c o n t r a d i c t i o n s o f M a r x is m b ro u g h t it to its k n e es." W h at R eagan b ro u g h t to the presidency w as the realization that you didn't have to be a good p resi­ dent so long as you could act like one. H e hadn't been all that good an acto r in the m ovies, but as president he found the role o f his life. He looked like a president and he talked like one ( if you didn't pay attention to content, w hich few did). H e w as also had the good fortune early in his first term to be shot in a bizarre assassination attem pt by a d isg ru n tled Jodie Foster fan. It w as a very serious w ound and R eagan played the scene perfectly, as Jim m y Stew art m ight have. "I hope you're all R epublicans," he is said to have told the doctors as they w heeled him into the operating room . A nd he m ay actually have said it. In any case, the story w on o u r hearts. Som e o f them . N ot m ine. • F o r th a t he w as v ilifie d by h is ­ to ria n s w h o fe lt th a t th e w ro n g sid e h ad w o n th e C iv il W ar. H is p re s id e n c y w as e v e n tu a lly b ro u g h t low by c o rru p t a d v ise rs an d h is n a iv e tru st in th em . M o st o f his le g isla tiv e a c h ie v e m e n ts w e re w ip e d aw ay . S till, c o m p a re d to R eag an he w as a g ian t. T h e la te A l e x a n d e r H a ig , Minuteman Media columnist R e a g a n 's first S e c re ta ry o f S tate, Donald Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, had th is to say a b o u t h is old boss: Mich. better to the (Editor Textured Hair Specialist/Designer Beautyfirst & Salon C lackam as Prom enade 8946 SE Sunnyside Road Clackamas, OR 97015-7778 503.654.4656 o r 503.654.5357 Relaxer • Cut-Style • C olor Availability: Thurs. 9-3 (after 3 by Appt.) Saturday 9-3 Stop by or call for Appointment For an appointm ent, call: (503)734-5312 222 N. K illingsw orth A ve. Portland, O r 97211 Mizani Professional Hair care products used and sold at this salon u p scaleb arb ersp a@ y ah o o .co m L State Farm® J boyds Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office. Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Picture Perfect Lawn Landscape Michael E Harper Agent PH (503) 970-5743 Licensed and Bonded LCB6165 W e m o ved to o ur new location: 9713 S.W. Capitol, Portland, OR JAMES BOYD 503-221-3050 Fax 503-227-8757 3535 N. Vancouver Ave. Portland, OR 97218 I nterstate D ental C linic State Farm* Providing Insurance and Ftriijoc.-ul Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 51 710 5835 N Interstate Ave, P ortland, O R 97217 Ernest J. Hill, Jr. Agent watch video at http:// www.yellowpages.com/info- 2668891/lnterstate-Dental-Clinic 4946 N. Vancouver Avenue. Portland, OH 97217 503 2861103 Fa* 503 ¿661146 erme lull nsmfo&siatfc’arm com 24 Hour Good Neighbor Servicep (503)946-6273 edw arw ard2 @ aol.com «TATI » A t« Portland can learn from other Cops Several weeks ago Forest Grove police offic­ ers successfully subdued a man in the street with a gun, waving and yelling at a police officer- a potential "suicide by cop" situation. The entire event was over in two hours. Apparently the police there don't feel threat­ ened by an armed- not to mention unarmed- citizen. Why don't we then try a real easy solution? Instead of Portland's meetings, marches, and newly formed organizations which, while well- meaning, effect little real or timely change to police behavior, let's get the Portland police to meet with the Forest Grove police and let them tell them how they de-escalated a tense situa­ tion- a man with a gun- without any loss of life. Maybe our police could learn something. One can always hope. Linda S. Kanzinger Northeast Portland O L. c p r i k p f Fill Out & Send To: n,e sportiani» (Obsm n-r I O l l U b U l U C ' 503-288-0033 Attn: Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 I subscriptions are ju st $60 per year (please include check with this subscription form) N ame :__________________________ T elephone :_______________ ' A ddress :______________________________________ or email subscriptions@portlandobserver.com ABEL Barber iM tU tA M C I V— website: www.cosmeticdentalportland.com/ Default.htm fSeila L >