Reagan Cartoon Was Inappropriate

Anyone who steps into the political arena has to expect a certain amount of ribbing for his policies and bloopers. Dan Quayle will forevermore be known for his potato problems, President Bush has to contend with announcing Pearl Harbor Day on September 7th and Bill Clinton will always be dogged by his bevy of beauties. Politics and peccadilloes are all subject to ridicule, and we all enjoy the spectacle.

However, Sebastian Conley crossed the line in his comic strip "Seth Lives" when he portrayed former president Ronald Reagan as forgetting his lines at the re-naming ceremonies of North House (Editorial Cartoon, Opinion Page, Dec. 12). The character Seth leaned into the frame and informed Reagan. "That's Pforzheimer House, not Alzheimer's House!"

What possible political or other purpose does it serve to ridicule President Reagan for having a deadly disease afflicting millions of elderly Americans? How does that in any way reflect on his politics, his actions or even his personality? One can well imagine the hue and cry on this campus if Conley ridiculed homosexuals with AIDS; I would go so far as to assert that the editors of The Crimson would refuse to run it. Why, then, is there a double standard for Ronald Reagan, particularly when he suffers from an ailment which he developed through no fault of his own.

I ask every student on this campus who possess even an ounce of decency to join with the Harvard Republican Club in denouncing this kind of hate mongering. Whether you agree with Reagan's politics or not, there is no moral justification for jeering at a dying man. As for Mr. Conley and the editors who printed his strip, we suggest that you send a letter of apology to President Reagan and print it in these pages. I am not sure to what audience you thought you were appealing; I can easy think of one man who would have laughed if he saw your piece. But than, we all know Hinckely was insane. -- Bradford P. Campbell '95   President, Harvard Republican Club