Monday, February 7, 2011

Thank you, Mr. President

I'm a day late for Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday, but it's never too late to thank him for what he did for our country.

I was privileged to be old enough and politically aware enough to not only vote for him twice (1980--I was 22; 1984--I was 26) but to understand his importance in appearing on the national scene during those tumultuous years.

The country was weary from dealing with Vietnam, Watergate, and four years of Carter's inept Presidency. Here was an optimistic, patriotic leader who saw the good in America and helped us feel good about being Americans. He was villified daily in the newspapers and nightly on the news by the left, yet he dealt with them with grace and gentle humor and managed to speak over their heads to us directly.

President Reagan was not afraid to take on the liberal elites in the media or in D.C. And who can ever forget those brave, heartfelt words in his Berlin speech, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Those words thundered across the globe. We believed them because Reagan believed them. We trusted the man because he had conviction and stood by his conviction, showed it in his actions. He didn't just make up speeches full of words to placate people; his sincerity shone through and he proved his sincerity every single day of his Presidency.

In truth there is freedom. Thank you, President Reagan, for speaking the truth, even when it was difficult to hear, and for living the truth and showing us the way.

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