120 President Reagan

Many memorials and retrospectives today. Seems just a little odd on some of the mainstream media--people who couldn't find a good word to say in the 80s. But that's what time and being over 90 will do for you. My Dad played against the President in football in college. They were sort of neighbors--Dad in Pine Creek, Illinois and Reagan in Dixon, Illinois.

I never had a chance to vote for him--was a Democrat back then. I suppose I could've crossed party lines, but didn't until Clinton's second term. I noticed the following over at Volokh Conspiracy [June 5]:

When it comes to its infallible teaching on abortion, the Democratic Party is more than willing to exercise its power of excommunication and anathema for heretics and apostates. "I'm a good Democrat, but I'm against abortion" are the words of a Democrat not long for her party. And this hypothetical person would be drummed out, to switch metaphors, for what? For being intolerant, of course.

And that's quite right. You really can't be both a good Democrat and oppose abortion rights.