David wrote: > What is frustrating to me is the strength of the venom coming from the > Falwell types, and their seeming stranglehold on the Republican domestic > agenda.
>From what I've been reading and hearing on the Republican side the past few years, they want complete dissasociation from the Falwell types. This may surprise some people here, but I refused to vote for any Republicans on the national level, including Reagan, during the Reagan years precisely because I felt that the party had been hijacked by those types who stood for everything I stood against. It was my "vote" of protest against them. > I reply: In New York, I personally saw hundreds die in the early 80s. Many, > many local rabbis and priests were nothing less than gleeful and smug when > aplauding the growing number of deaths. Sadly, Falwell was not an isolated > case. That is horrific. I did not see that here in L.A. so thought it was isolated to the fringe. > I reply: I met Reagan and briefly talked with him in 1987. He was very > charming and friendly, but by my estimation his Alzheimers was already in > evidence by then, so maybe you are right. Yes. My father is the same age as Reagan and has Alzheimers-like dementia that started in around 1987. You could see his charm and friendliness on the surface, but those who knew him better, could see the rapid deterioration in many areas early on. Like Reagan, my dad has detereroiated severely at this point but remains in fairly strong health and glimpses of the old charm still shine through from time to time ;-) Kakki
