"Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley appeared on Fox News Monday afternoon to criticize Lee Daniels’ The Butler an Oprah Winfrey-produced biopic of the White House butler who served under numerous presidents, a film that is drawing heat from conservatives over its portrayal of Reagan.
Most objectionable to Shirley and others is the film’s take on Reagan’s refusal to sanction South Africa over Apartheid. “It’s a very complex issue, and it was presented in a very simplistic fashion,” Shirley said. “It’s accurate to the extent that Reagan opposed the sanctions, but not accurate as to why he opposed the sanctions.”
Shirley argued that Reagan was constrained by Cold War politics". [Source]
This is classic conservative speak. Rather than acknowledge that they were on the wrong side of history; they try to rewrite it.
Seriously, what could have been so "complex" about Apartheid? Ronald Reagan, the patron saint of the conservative movement, is the same guy who chose Philadelphia, Mississippi- a place where three civil rights activists were murdered- to give a speech on states rights, disparaged America's greatest African American hero, and tried to appeal to bigots in his base when he tried to paint African American women as "welfare Queens."
Nope, there was nothing "complex" about Apartheid. It was a racist policy("state sanctioned segregation") put in place by a racist government to hold down blacks in that country. Reagan knew that and he supported it. It's really that simple.
Finally, there is sad story out of Oklahoma. Three young thugs shot some poor dude from Australia to death just for fun and because they could. In case you Aussies didn't know, that's how we roll here in A-murder-ca. It's all about the guns.
There were a couple of killings last night in Philly as well, and three more in a little town 20 minutes from here called Chester. Just another typical summer night in Killadelphia.
Conservative radio and wingnuts in general are playing up the racial angle of the killing in Oklahoma, and there are even calls to label it a hate crime. Some idiot named Mike Gallagher was ranting on the radio about a white march for justice and a movement led by white people for this Aussie baseball player like there was for Trayvon Martin.
Not quite. Maybe, like Zimmerman, they thought that they could just kill someone and get away with it. But, unlike Zimmerman, they were all immediately arrested ---as they should have been--- and will be tried as adults for their alleged crime.
But still, I will be willing to march for justice with my white brothers and sisters, as long as we march against the NRA and their enablers as well.
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