No Oscar for Reagan

* I read with great amusement the bit by Jeffrey Lord (Commentary, March 18) on Ronald Reagan’s slighting by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

I believe as a nation we need to create a very, very special award for former President Reagan. Reagan needs, finally, to be recognized as the “Father of Homelessness”; under his presidency the ranks of the homeless swelled to exceed the populations of many small nations.

Reagan needs to be singled out for his efforts at containing the AIDS epidemic; nearly 250,000 dead Americans and millions at risk today would want it that way.

Further, the “Gipper,” if I may be so bold, warrants notice for his role as the “Education President.” It’s downright criminal that Reagan has not been recognized for his contributions to math and science--well, trajectories and ballistics anyway. Carping liberals just can’t see past such trivialities as the worst decline in American schools in history, the birth of a nation of illiterates, and the banning of books his good buddies of the religious right found offensive.

MICHAEL TIDMUS

Los Angeles

* It’s not often I agree with a Republican, but regarding Lord’s article on Ronald Reagan, I find myself in happy agreement. Reagan certainly deserves this recognition and I have the perfect special category in mind: best comedic actor in the role as President.

JEFF MARKS

Santa Ana