White House Portrait
The world lost one of the great leaders of recent history when Ronald Reagan passed away yesterday at the age of 93. Mr. Reagan's willingness to challenge politically-correct thought conformity was at the core of his role in winning the Cold War, stimulating economic growth and standing for cultural principles such as the dignity of every human life. A consistently optimistic attitude and demeanor enabled the 'Gipper' to advance his principles and policies.
Major speeches by the "Great Communicator" are linked in this CNN compilation. An excerpt from his first inaugural address is as timely today as it was then:
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors.
On this 60th anniversary of D-Day, it is timely to remember this address from twenty years ago on Omaha Beach:
Today, in their memory, and for all who fought here, we celebrate the triumph of democracy. We reaffirm the unity of democratic people who fought a war and then joined with the vanquished in a firm resolve to keep the peace.
And who can forget those words of comfort when the President addressed the nation on the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger and her crew:
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to touch the face of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment