Haven't been able to decide what aspect of Reagan's passing I wanted to comment on until I saw the funeral in Washington D.C. this evening.
Watching Nancy Reagan as the pallbearers carried her beloved husband's casket broke my heart.
All the anger I felt towards Reagan for ignoring the AIDS crisis is still there, in my heart, and is a valid anger.... but I was also able to see the sadness and heartbreak reflected in Nancy's face and the sadness on the faces of her children.
And it dawned on me, that's what we have to focus on. We have to focus on the people. We have to focus on the disease and NOT that the owner of the disease is gay, Republican, Democract, poor, rich, Black, White...we have to start seeing everyone as equal and deserving of help.
I will admit to feeling disgusted when Nancy Reagan implored for stem-cell research last week. How ironic, given Ronnie cut spending to special needs programs while he was in office. He and the so-called Religious Right (oxymorism at its finest) IGNORED the AIDS crisis that resulted in so many people feeling what Nancy Reagan and the Reagan family felt today....incredible sadness at the passing of their loved one. And the very cynical and snarky part of me wished I could decree that stem-cell research be put on the back burner for the same amount of years that the AIDS epidemic was ignored....tit for tat, you might say.
But that is mean-spirited, and more importantly, it's just not right.
So this is what I propose. Let's move ahead full-force with stem-cell research...and match it dollar for dollar with additional funding for AIDS prevention and research...and have them both honor Reagan's legacy. The past is the past...we need to look towards the future.
Focus on the person and realize that each person is unique and special and equal. And no one should have to watch a loved one die due to a disease that could have been prevented.
My deepest sympathies to the Reagan family on their loss.
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