The Billiken's Bluff

I was a little vexed this morning when I scoped out Billiken and realized that during my hiatus a major oversight had been made. It just doesn't seem right that our aspiring journalistic enterprise would continue to report on Larry Bird and spelling bees with nary a word on the passing earlier this week of our 40th president, Ronald Reagan. So without too much of an interruption of the usual Billiken business - and in keeping to a promise to Zwill not to fawn over the man - let me just give a quick shout out to the Gipper on the eve of his passing.

See, I myself had a number of issues I wanted to post on before this happened. Al Gore was here at NYU spewing lies like some sort of mendacious Mount St. Helens. I had seen the ridiculous movie The Day After Tomorrow. And, of course, John Kerry has been annoying the hell out of me flying around in that jet that says "John Kerry, President" (that's a little bit ahead of yourself isn't it John?). But the death of President Reagan makes any negative post I wanted to do silly, irreverant, and somehow out of place. Negativity and cynicism simply were not in the spirit of the man; when I heard Reagan was failing, I just lost interest.



I think that was the nature of #40. I could go on for days in salute to his resoluteness and his vision, his legacy of ending the Cold War and reviving a dying economy. But I think in our time the part of Reagan's legacy that is most important to remember is the fact that he didnt have a cynical bone in his body. He had an unfailing optimism through a dark period for the US, believing and speaking of a great America, and finally giving us one. And although he had political opponents and "enemies," as any strong leader naturally will, the ways he debated them and took their criticism were the truest examples of courtesy, humility and humor the last half century of American leadership has offered.

Many called him the "Great Communicator," but Reagan himself denied this truth, and said only that he had a great message to deliver. During his time many of the academics told him and us that the Soviet Union and a spreading threat of Communism was just something the US was going to have to live with. But Reagan never bought the idea that freedoms and the principles of democracy were only for certain people, within certain borders. He went to Berlin and told Gorby to "tear down this wall!" - and wouldn't you know it, not long after that son-of-a-bitch came tumbling down.

Well, anyways. Just wanted to pour out a little of my 40 on the sidewalk for the man, for he remains of the most popular leaders our country has ever had, and for many of us Billikens the first American president we lived under. Certainly one of the greats, the dollar bill kind. Then Secretary of War Stanton said at the deathbed of Lincoln, "Now he belongs to the ages." So we'll have to say about Reagan, I guess. Other media have and will continue to spend days sharing the many great stories, speeches, writings, debates, and ideas that have come from the man and his era, as his supporters will continue to honor him and his detractors attempt to slander his memory. On Billiken, let us just say this: Peace Out, #40 - you were a hell of a president.