Reagan gets a state funeral 'cause he was President, not because he was some terrific sort of President. Contrary to some reports, he did not plan the funeral: a) he had Alzheimers and couldn't, but mostly, b) these things are done by a strict protocol.

The amount of misinformation coming out, though, is a tribute to his presidency. For instance, I always thought that the caissons were used to haul ammunition for cannons, not to haul the cannons themselves (although the cannons could be hooked to the caisson).

"Seven wealthy towns contend for Homer dead,
Through which the living Homer begged his bread."