Sunday, February 6, 2011

Ronald Reagan Day...Happy 100th Birthday...A Personal Remembrance

Image by sweetkate12
Rush Limbaugh says in his article The Era of Reagan is Back, published in the February issue of The Limbaugh Letter, :
What a difference a midterm shellacking makes.  No thanks to the establishment forces within the GOP---but thanks indeed to the powerful, passionate insistence of the grassroots, especially those in the Tea Party movement---Reaganesque pro-freedom, smaller-goverment ideals are once again driving American politics.  Reaganism has roared back to full vigor---a fitting tribute to the enormous living legacy of Ronaldus Magnus, born 100 years ago this month, on February 6, 1911.
Rush is exactly right.  Thanks to the awakening of the "sleeping giant", people like Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty and Jeb Bush and rags like Time Magazine must eat their words.  Americans held the same ideals as President Reagan deep in their hearts all of these years, it just took the Obama Administration to make them realize it was time to finally take a stand. 

With the re-emergence of Reagan's popularity, now Time Magazine has the audacity to compare President Obama to President Reagan.  Talk about opportunistic BS.  We will not be fooled into letting Obama ride the coat tails of President Reagan...there is no comparison---they are polar opposites.

Today we celebrate the 100th Birthday of a great man, President Ronald Wilson Reagan.  A group of bloggers have decided to call today "Ronald Reagan Day" and are doing posts to honor President Reagan.  My post will focus on a place where those who were alive during the Reagan Presidency and where those who weren't even born yet, can relive the life and the Presidency of this wonderful man.

On March 13, 2006, TCGuy and I had the honor of visiting The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA.  We had been wanting to visit the Library for a long time, and a trip to California for a friend's wedding was the perfect opportunity to take a free day for the trip up to Simi Valley.

If you've never had the pleasure of visiting The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, I would suggest you put it on your bucket list.  It's located in a beautiful setting, it's filled with history and you will experience an inspiring day that you'll remember forever.  I've included some personal photos from our trip later in the post.

The video below is a great introduction to the Library.  Take a few minutes, if you can, to watch it.  Gary Sinise hosts the short tour and history of the Library.  It may spark your interest in visiting one day.


A Video Tour of the Reagan Library with Host Gary Sinise.

Here are some photos we took on our visit to The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.  Click on the photos to maximize.
This statue of President Reagan is called After The Ride and is at the front entrance of the Library.  The plaque below is posted at the base of the statue.
This is a piece of the Berlin Wall.  A photo of the plaque is below.
The picture of Ronald Reagan (above) is made out of jelly beans.
A Reagan quote:  
"You can tell a lot about a fella's character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful." -explaining why he liked to have a jar of jelly beans on hand for important meetings
Above is Ronald Reagan's birth certificate.  No question about where he was born.
The photograph above is of Ronald Reagan (with "Dutch boy" haircut) Neil Reagan (brother) and Parents Jack and Nelle Reagan. (Circa 1914)
Above is a photo of President Reagan's Air Force One plane.  It is set up just as it was when he was President and you can walk through it.  What a thrill.  This was a highlight of the trip for me.  No photos allowed inside, though.
The Gipper's Limo.


This is the beautiful view from the property.  


President Reagan's grave site.  

I'll leave you with two Ronald Reagan quotes written in a book I own called, "The Uncommon Wisdom of Ronald Reagan:  A Portrait in His Own Words":
Reagan once commented on the changes he had seen in the Democrat Party from the time he voted for F.D.R. to the present, and on why he had become a Republican in between:

"What the Democrats had done to this country reminds me of the little girl who said to her mother, 'You know that beautiful jug you told me had been handed down in our family from generation to generation?'  And her mother said, 'Yes, what about it?'  She said, 'Well, this generation just dropped it.'"
The second quote is one President Reagan said to the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 20, 1981.   We need to keep this one in the forefront of our minds and remember it, especially in these difficult times:

"When our struggle seems hard, remember what Eric Liddell, Scotland's Olympic champion runner, said in Chariots of Fire.  He said, 'So where does the power come from to see the race to it's end?  From within.  God made me for a purpose, and I will run for His pleasure.'  If we trust in Him, keep His word, and live our lives for His pleasure, He'll give us the power we need---power to fight the good fight, to finish the race, and to keep the faith."


Happy Birthday, President Reagan.
Thank you for your service to our country.  
We certainly miss you.


For more information on the ongoing works of President Reagan's Foundation, go to http://www.reaganfoundation.org

6 comments:

  1. A man, a patriot, and a leader for the ages -- no doubt about it.

    We will never have another Ronald Reagan at the helm of our nation. But maybe, just maybe, we can elect someone willing to follow in his footsteps.

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  2. AOW:
    The question is who? I hope someone surfaces to the top soon.

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  3. Thanks Lady ... I drive by the Library (10 miles) once a year or so, and have never stopped in. Thanks for planting that idea in my head.

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  4. lovely post CL about an awesome leader!

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  5. Odie:
    I sure hope you decide to make the visit. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. You are lucky to live so close by. They also feature exhibits that change (at least they did when I was there several years ago). I know you will enjoy it.
    If you flip to Fox News during the day, they will be covering the birthday celebration at the Library.

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  6. Hi Angel:
    Thanks. He certainly was an awesome leader. We can learn a lot from him.

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