I’m reading a speech then U.S. President Ronald Reagan gave at Moscow State University in 1988.
Here’s some excerpts:
Every 4 years the American people choose a new president, and 1988 is one of those years. At one point, there were 13 major candidates running in the two major parties, not to mention all the others, including the Socialist and Libertarian candidates—all trying to get my job. About 1,000 local television stations, 8,500 radio stations, and 1,700 daily newspapers—each one an independent, private enterprise, fiercely independent of the Government—report on the candidates, grill them in interviews, and bring them together for debates. In the end, the people vote; they decide who will be the next president.
Because the popular vote has always been the same as the electoral vote.
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Go into any schoolroom, and there you will see children being taught the Declaration of Independence, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights—among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—that no government can justly deny; the guarantees in their Constitution for freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion.
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In that court, the accused is innocent until proven guilty, and the word of a policeman or any official has no greater legal standing than the word of the accused.
I know from fucking personal experience that shit is not true.
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Turn on the television, and you’ll see the legislature conducting the business of government right there before the camera, debating and voting on the legislation that will become the law of the land.
Being a Michigander I am reminded of this video from last year, a T.V. broadcast of Michigan’s legislature, that got quite a lot of attention. There was no opportunity for a debate, nor a vote.
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March in any demonstration, and there are many of them; the people’s right of assembly is guaranteed in the Constitution and protected by the police.
Oh, they protect us when we assemble?
Huh.
WHAT FUCKING COUNTRY DO YOU THINK YOU RAN?
Now, I will say I’m not an expert on Reagan’s presidency. I know that he declared a “War on Drugs” and passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, two things that I greatly disagree with.
All the same, I can’t imagine our country being that different twenty-five years ago. Maybe it was better than it is now, but only slightly.
I also really did not like the tone of this speech either. It seemed incredibly patronizing towards Russia.
@2 months ago with 1 note#politics #america #united states #united states of america #ronald reagan #moscow #russia #1988 #freedom #liberty #bullshit #police #police state #constitution #bill of rights #truth #michigan #history
