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CELEBRATING RONALD REAGAN |
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Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler
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Friday, 04 February 2011 |
This Sunday,
February 6, 2011, is the centennial of the birth of the Greatest
American of the 20th Century, Ronald Reagan.
Annually on this day, TTP runs our ode to him, The Great-Souled Man. For his 100th birthday, however,
we thought that it's worth spending time watching him and listening to his
words.
Yes, it's Super Bowl weekend, but taking a break now and
then to watch one of the following will give you such an appreciation for this
extraordinary human being. It will
commemorate him in your mind in a special way.
We begin the celebration with his hilarious appearance on
the What's My Line television show in
1953 - yes, 1953.
The speech that made him politically famous and vaulted him
into running for Governor of California was in support of Barry Goldwater in
1964. Entitled A Time For Choosing, it is eerily amazing how he could give it
today, updating the numbers for inflation.
Here's how he handled a heckler in 1980 running for
president:
His great Inaugural Address in 1981
His Evil Empire Speech that launched the downfall of the Soviet
Union in 1983:
The most famous moment of all: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." The full speech in Berlin
at the Brandenburg Gate, 1987
Lastly, his Farewell Address from the Oval Office in 1989
America
was truly blessed by Providence
with Ronald Reagan. He was sui generis. There will never be another, and it is
useless to pine for his or his like's return.
Today we are cursed with his antithesis in the White
House. Yet he will be replaced, in
November next year, with a man or woman who will look to Ronald Reagan as their
inspiration. When faced with a crisis,
they will ask, What would Reagan do?
With that inspiration, America's
greatest days, as Ronald Reagan always believed, will be ahead of her, not
behind. God bless Ronald Reagan.
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