Maine July 4th Parade Spectators Speak Out on Reagan Coffin Float of Bobbing Head:"Nancy Who?"

July 10, 2004 | fight_truth_decay

[fight_truth_decay]

Letters to the Editor of The Lincoln County News in Damariscotta, Maine speak out in July 8th weekly edition on "anonymous[4th of July]parade float" depicting former President Reagan bobbing in and out of his coffin with a reference to his Alzheimer's disease, "Nancy who"?

GOOD TASTE NOT CENSORSHIP

To the Editor:

I attended the 4th of July parade in Rond Pond this year for the first time. Even though I don't agree with their politics, I found the anti-Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld floats quite amusing. But the float showing Ronald Reagan in a coffin with a headstone was in extremely poor taste. Also the attached sign that said "Nancy who?", mocking Reagan's Alzheimer's disease was disgusting! In a nation of rapidly declining morals people not standing up/talking/wearing hats during the Star Spangled Banner and general disrespect for our country and what it stands for, I suppose one must not be offended. Whoever ran the parade should have had the decency to ban this flaot. That is not censorship, just good taste!

Jack Corson Pemaquid Lake

APPALLED BY UNPATRIOTIC PARADE ENTRIES

To the Editor:

It is always exhilarating to come back to Maine for the summer and see Mainers celebrating summer with such verve. To me this means houses being painted, gardens planted, flags displayed and the Round Pond 4th of July parade.

Yesterday I took friends from Florida to the parade, wanting to show them the wonderful spirit of the people of Maine. Instead I was terribly embarrassed and disappointed. Whas has always been such a fun, positive event was marred by serious negative attacks on the President of the United States.

Parades in the past have had positive political advertising and even fun political mockery. But yesterday, rather than positive or fun political floats, I was stunned by deeply negative and serious attacks on our president. These anonymously produced attacks were distasteful, inappropriate and unpatriotic. I was appalled as were my guests.

Betsy Kinkle Walpole

EDITORIALLY SPEAKING FREE EXPRESSION AND RESPONSIBILITY

Freedom of speech means allowing someone you disagree with to state their opinion. This is difficult if the ideology is the antithesis of what you believe.

Freedom of speech also means choices. Do you want to put things a certain way in order to elicit the most intense reaction to your words?

Suppose you area at a 4th of July parade, a very public venue, intending to celebrate the hard fought birth of American independence and these United States. Imagine your surprise that one flat depicts former President Ronald Reagan bobbing in and out of this coffin and there is a reference to his Alzheimer's disease, "Nancy who?"

The anonymous parade float creator has the right to promote a demean depiction of the moving and stirring national eulogy to Pres.Reagan last month. However, the right to free expression comes with the responsibility for good taste and acceptable behavior. The opposite is true in this case.

Those who temper their statements and opinions with less shock and stridency are much more likely to strike a chord with someone with a dissenting viewpoint. Exhibitionism for the sake of making a point is an immature affront to a very serious freedom we all share. (The editor)

Following the parade a crowd of about 100 (locals and tourists) took in the hard rock band -the Round Pond Rangers, ate blueberry pie and attended an art display on the pier.

Round Pond

[Nowhere Man]

Well the 1960s and 1970s radicals blew up buildings, police cars, and homes. This current breed is cut of the same cloth.

Hmmm, true come to think of it. I vaguely remember The Weathermen setting off a bomb here in Pittsburgh, I think it was the USS Steel Building, it was in 1974. When you factor in the eco-terrorism from the enviroweenies, you're right, they are up to their same schenanigans. Hopefully they will overplay their hand and get some backlash against them as some have stated here.

[DoctorMichael]

WTF?!

[cubreporter]

On the contrary. They are operating with a full deck and they know they can get away with it cause no one will stand up against it. they are so full of hatred and bitterness inside their souls I pity them.

[zip]

How disgusting. Hey, Ron Jr.....NOW how do you feel???

He probably loved it. He has totally thrown in with the dims. As a matter of fact, he is going to speak at the dimocRatic Nominating Convention. Is that a conversion or becoming a traitor and will he wear his tutu?

[fly_so_free]

"Reagan Coffin float of Bobbing Head:Nancy who?"

Yep, that's a laugh riot...-Making fun of people with Alzheimer's disease and a grieving widow.

Gee, what's next democRAT'S? How about a float that makes fun of AIDS patients? How about a comedy skit with people dying of Cancer? Or people in Wheel Chairs? That should be good for a few chuckles huh?...

Liberals= NO CLASS (as usual)

Can someone please tell me again why it would be a good idea to give these people political power? Explain how voting for a political party whose members fundamentally hate our country, would be beneficial to us? I don't get it.

I hope the public is made aware of this (by the talk shows, Fox, exc), and also of the soldier who was called "baby killer" at the other 4th parade. People need to know about both these incidents. They have to wake up.

[ladyinred]

This really happened? My God, this country is worse off than I thought if this sort of thing happened during a 4th of July parade! I am stunned. The left is really an enemy of the USA.

[quietolong]

sick!

[Mr. Silverback]

While it is true that we are afforded "free speech" in this country, such displays from the left (and the near riotous protests after the 2000 election) have shown that we may not have a peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next for very much longer.

Clean and practice, clean and practice.

[Mudboy Slim]

"It's like the leftist idiots are itching for some sort of fight."

And the Right must be prepared to give it to them, in spades!! The Left is made up of weak and sniveling whiners, who couldn't defend themselves outta a wet, paper bag. Shout them down, and when they try to bully you, be prepared to put them on the ground!!

Lib'ralism in America is more dangerous to this Nation than Communism ever was...Lib'ralism must be defeated and its supporters demoralized and disempowered!!

Right is Right and Left is Wrong...MUD

[Redbob]

"Methinks that "WE" are better prepared for such and eventuality than "THEY" are?"

Just so...

[Taxman]

Yup!

[Nowhere Man]

He probably loved it. He has totally thrown in with the dims. As a matter of fact, he is going to speak at the dimocRatic Nominating Convention. Is that a conversion or becoming a traitor and will he wear his tutu?

No disrespect for the Reagan Family or to Nancy but to me, I always considered Michael Reagan to be the true son of Ronald Reagan. I don't know a lot about the late Maureen Reagan but I feel the same about her as well. I always found Ron and Patty to be questionable at best. I'm sure they loved their father but I'm mainly focusing on the Reagan legacy in a political light so that's why I feel this way about Michael Reagan.

[TruthNtegrity]

I guess the float with the depiction of Bubba grabbing the bosom of our Statue of Liberty explains why morality has gone downhill because of the 8 years of that idiot in the White House.

He did the things he did because he could, the worst excuse I've ever heard of, and once again, he just can't take responsibility for his actions.

As the leader for morality, BillybobboyBubba did us so much harm, that I fear that even four more years of a righteous, God-Fearing, America-loving President Bush won't undo the harm that the amoral one did to our Country and to our youth.

I pray every day that the leadership of President Bush provides the moral and values leadership that our youth need, and that it turns around the minds of those who were impressionable during the 8 years of Clintoon, turning their hearts and minds back to Godly things.

I also pray for the day that the dysfunctional Duo, Bill and Hitlery are indicted for their crimes - pick one: Travelgate, Landgate, Chinagate, CampaignMoneygate, Pardongate, FBIrecordsGate, NuclearSecretsgate, and on and on - the list is almost endless of the damage they did here at home and abroad.

And I solicit your prayers for the Senate to become strongly Republican so that President Bush's judges are approved, that bills that President Bush wants to be passed as law are voted in, and that we can get rid of Activist Judges by overwhelming them with strict Constitutionalists.

Prayer is the answer. We must stay active in our local politics while at the same time, staying on our knees before God for this election: Presidential and Senatorial.

Lord, in your mercy. Turn our hearts toward those things that are righteous. Help us work to ensure President Bush's re-election, and to also work hard to vote in Republican Senators, that President Bush's leading of this Country back to the founding Father's principles will happen with ease, and that should he have the opportunity to nominate one or two Supreme Court Justices, they will be confirmed with ease. Amen.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Amen, TruthNtegrity...AMEN!

[auzerais]

I wonder just how loud the leftists would holler when at next year's 7/4 parade [if Kerry wins -God forbid, pfteh] someone entered a float with 5 actors as Kerry, Chirac, Kofi, Saddam and Osama, all hand-in-hand dancing in a circle singing "Les Marseilles"?

I'm sure it would be on the front page of the NY Times the next day with the entire DNC legal teams coming down on their and the town's heads.

-

[zip]

No disrespect for the Reagan Family or to Nancy but to me, I always considered Michael Reagan to be the true son of Ronald Reagan

This expresses the feelings of most of my friends who are politically knowledgeable. I agree with you totally.

[MeekOneGOP]

bump!

[jwalburg]

And the more of this the mainstream regular (sometimes undecided) folks see of this, the more it nudges them to the right. Post it all at your local laundromat.

[john_virtue]

My problem isn't with the old bird, it's with that prancing fairy.

Li'l homo uses his father's death as a blatant career move. Sick thing is, it worked!

[Noah Mayers]

Howdy, Noah Mayers here, just wanted to straighten things up about this conversation. although this event was 2 months ago.
My mother Natasha Mayers, and I had nothing to do with the Reagan float in Round Pond, Me. That is a 45 minute drive from Whitefield, ME where we did our float in the parade. Our float had a cardboard maneating S.U.V. in which was fed, various civil rights, freedoms, manequins, to illustrate how our over-zealous use of petroleum has certain costs, that if we were aware of we might not choose to pay. There was also a statue of petroleus, god of grease and war, and 10 people with SUV masks doing various dances. All in all a wholesome time had by all, with some people in the crowd picking up their kids and almost feeding them to the S.U.V.
I know I jump to conclusions when I hear loose bits of news, I can be reactionary too, but some of the posts on this site were getting a little scary, especially all the posting of the information about my mom. So before we jump to conclusions, lets get all the information.
Thanks for Listening,
Noah Mayers
respond to publicartnow@yahoo.com
if you wish to continue this dialog.