Ronald Racist?

   He is always known as "The Great Communicator." People revere his "values" his "courage" and his tenacious attitude towards those pesky Soviets. But there is a side to Ronald Reagan that people forget. Luckily for those interested, history has one hell of a memory. 

     Reagan tried to impede the societal progression of blacks at all crossroads. It all started when he ran for governor of California. He promised that he would "wipe the fair housing act off the books." He explained his opposition to the law by saying that "if an individual wants to discriminate against Negroes or others in selling or renting his house...he has a right to do so." 

    Then came the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Finally black schools were desegregated and water fountains were no longer "whites only." Reagan opposed the act. Apparently he enjoyed the fact that blacks didn't drink in his water fountain. 

   Then came his bid for the presidency. Reagan traveled to Philadelphia, Mississippi where he boldly declared his predilection for "states' rights." At that point, he might as well have been wearing a Klan uniform. Honoring states' rights in the racist hotbed of Philadelphia, Mississippi means honoring Jim Crow laws and other unspeakable means of degradation. Oh, and it doesn't end here. 

     Reagan's presidency was littered with overly racialist policies. He refused to impose sanctions on the Pretorian government in South Africa that had been instituting apartheid. If Reagan had a backbone, millions of blacks could have been saved from inexpressible suffering. 

    It is no surprise that Reagan opposed honoring the achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. by creating a holiday in his memory. That would be like Evander Holyfield honoring Mike Tyson's boxing career shortly after his ear fell off.