On the anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s passing
From the announcement of Reagan’s candidacy for President:
To me our country is a living, breathing presence, unimpressed by what others say is impossible, proud of its own success, generous, yes and naive, sometimes wrong, never mean and always impatient to provide a better life for its people in a framework of a basic fairness and freedom.
Someone once said that the difference between an American and any other kind of person is that an American lives in anticipation of the future because he knows it will be a great place. Other people fear the future as just a repetition of past failures. There’s a lot of truth in that. If there is one thing we are sure of it is that history need not be relived; that nothing is impossible, and that man is capable of improving his circumstances beyond what we are told is fact.
[...]
But there remains the greatness of our people, our capacity for dreaming up fantastic deeds and bringing them off to the surprise of an unbelieving world. When Washington’s men were freezing at Valley Forge, Tom Paine told his fellow Americans: “We have it in our power to begin the world over again,” we still have that power.
[...]
We who are privileged to be Americans have had a rendezvous with destiny since the moment in 1630 when John Winthrop, standing on the deck of the tiny Arbella off the coast of Massachusetts, told the little band of Pilgrims, “We shall be a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.”A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and–above all–responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.
Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way.
Ronald Reagan spoke for me, inspired me, from the time I first knew of him as more than just a former Governor of California, when I was just barely 13 years old. I’ve spoken before about when I first “realized” I was a conservative/Republican–it’s something I already was in spirit, but realized with Ronald Reagan. The optimism, the love for America, the sense of responsibility that we have as Americans as well as the blessed freedom we have. We ARE that shining city on the hill.
Thank you, President Reagan. May you rest in peace in the shining city in Heaven.
Tags: Ronald Reagan
sierrahome says:
Several years ago a house that the Reagans owned in Sacramento came on the market. We REALLY wanted to buy it but it was not in our price range…we did go through it with the realtor and I kept thinking…”I gotta have this house”.
About a week later Tom Sullivan (who sometimes fills in for Rush) mentioned the house on his radio show and an old member of Reagan’s Governor’s office called in and related a story about being at a pool party at the Reagans and Ron was grilling and then all of a sudden jumped into the pool, swam to the bottom and rescued a young child that was drowning. Ron brought the little (Black BTW)boy on deck and gave him mouth to mouth.
…Ronald Reagan is my hero and the day he died I knew I lost someone special.
Theodore's World says:
The President of Greatness Ronald Reagan
He walked the high ground and stayed the course.
Wild Thing says:
I really love what you wrote Beth.
I agree we really are the shining city on the hill.
Common Sense Runs Wild » Ronald Reagan 1911 - 2004 says:
[...] Beth of My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has a salutle to President Reagan. [...]
Janette says:
It’s a wonderful salute Beth. I think you and I are very much alike in our feelings about President Reagan and how we got there.
Losing him was very much like losing a mentor or a father figure. I’ll always be sad that he’s gone but I’ll also be very proud to have “known” him.
Martin says:
What Beth said.
I knew Reagan mostly as the unstinting friend and confidante of my beloved Margaret Thatcher, a great judge of people. She adored the man, as did I. A truly colossal figure.
I have his portrait in my office, much to the annoyance of my liberal colleagues.
It’s staying there as long as I do.
Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » In Remembrance 2006 says:
[...] My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy [...]
JohnDewey says:
“Losing him was very much like losing a mentor or a father figure.”
Thanks to Beth and a few others we haven’t really lost him. His spirit is still here, occasionally revived in those of us who loved the man.
JohnDewey says:
“I have his portrait in my office, much to the annoyance of my liberal colleagues.”
So do I, with the same effect.
When I was a child in the early 60’s, I couldn’t understand the reverence of the older generation for Franklin D. Roosevelt. How could they retain such strong feelings for a president gone nearly two decades? Now I do understand.
Elvis says:
Hello again, Dear Beth,
I was in my early twenties during Reagan’s first term, and more tied up with surviving a near-death motorcycle wreck than politics. I did know then that we were blessed to have Ron instead of Dhimmi Cahtah. It wasn’t until Clintshnyev that I really began to appreciate Reagan’s brilliance.
The wife unit came home with a calandar from the Reagan Ranch that has all sorts of great photos and comments about Ronnie. I think I miss him more with each day of moonbattery that I see.
He deserves the accolade, Great Man.
Blue Star Chronicles says:
In Memoriam: Ronald Reagan
Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of President Ronald Reagan. The ladies of The Cotillion have honored the memory of President Reagan with some excellent posts.