Saturday
(1)When Ronnie wrote his letter to the people telling them that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I didn't really know or understand what that meant. I really didn't. But I found out. Those with Alzheimer's are on a rocky path that only goes downhill. Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him. We can't share the wonderful memories of our 52 years together, and I think that's probably the hardest part. And because of this, I'm determined to do what I can to save other families from this pain. And now science has presented us with a hope called stem cell research, which may provide our scientists with many answers that have for so long been beyond our grasp. I just don't see how we can turn our backs on this.
- Nancy Reagan, speaking last month.
It would be a nice tribute to Reagan for Bush to follow Nancy's advice. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea politically either, given the number of Republicans already pushing in that direction.
Posted by chthus at June 5, 2004 11:46 PM
I loved this letter when I first read it, I like it just as much today.
Andy Smith, a seventh-grader in Irmo, S.C., wrote the President in 1984, "Today my mother declared my bedroom a disaster area. I would like to request federal funds to hire a crew to clean up my room."
Dear Andy:I'm sorry to be so late in answering your letter but as you know I've been in China . . .
Your application for disaster relief has been duly noted but I must point out one technical problem; the authority declaring the disaster is supposed to make the request. In this case your mother. However setting that aside I'll have to point out the larger problem of available funds. This has been a year of disasters, 539 hurricanes as of May 4th and several more since, numerous floods, forest fires, drought in Texas and a number of earthquakes. What I'm getting at is that funds are dangerously low.
May I make a suggestion? This administration, believing that government has done many things that could better be done by volunteers at the local level, has sponsored a Private Sector Initiative program, calling upon people to practice voluntarism in the solving of a number of local problems.
Your situation appears to be a natural. I'm sure your mother was fully justified in proclaiming your room a disaster. Therefore you are in an excellent position to launch another volunteer program to go along with the more than 3,000 already underway in our nation—congratulations . . .
Sincerely,
Ronald Reagan
Posted by Mark Holland at June 5, 2004 11:49 PM
Let's hope she can shame the religious right-wingers (or should that be whingers?) to get off their morality and behind the research that'll have real impact in peoples' lives.
Posted by James at June 6, 2004 12:05 AM
Mark:
I like Andy Smith's letter much better than the steaming pile of crap by Samantha Smith.
Posted by Ted Schuerzinger at June 6, 2004 12:30 AM
Samantha Smith sounds like a real little pill. If she'd lived, she'd have ended up working for Tony Blair.
Posted by Verity at June 6, 2004 08:15 AM
Well if you think Samantha Smith is bad, just imagine how bad it is for Mainers who have to hear about that little twirp ad nauseum.
That is a great letter for RR...very clever and rather funny.
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at June 7, 2004 01:26 PM
So what do the three of you have against Samantha Smith?
Posted by Ken Hagler at June 8, 2004 02:51 PM
