Ronald Reagan Dies at 93

[Lady Jag]

Here are some more quotes

Some quotations from Ronald Reagan
By Associated Press
Saturday, June 5, 2004

Some quotations from Ronald Reagan:

     "This is the issue of this election: whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan for ourselves." - Oct. 27, 1964, televised speech for GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.
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     "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Breen." - When someone tried to turn off his microphone at a Reagan-sponsored debate during 1980 New Hampshire primaries.
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     "We have to move ahead, but we are not going to leave anyone behind." - Republican National Convention, July 1980
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     "There you go again." - Responding to criticism during debate with President Carter, October 1980.
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     "Government is not the solution, it's the problem." - Inaugural address, Jan. 20, 1981
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     "All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states, the states created the federal government. ... Steps will be taken aimed a restoring the balance between the various levels of government." - Inaugural address, Jan. 20, 1981.
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     "Honey, I forgot to duck." - To Nancy Reagan in the emergency room after he was shot by a would-be assassin, March 30, 1981.
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     "It's just plain common sense that there be a waiting period to allow local law enforcement officials to conduct background checks on those who wish to buy a handgun." - Endorsing the Brady handgun control bill, at a March 1991 event commemorating 10th anniversary of assassination attempt.
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     "Some argue that we should encourage democratic change in right-wing dictatorships, but not in Communist regimes. Well, to accept this preposterous notion - as some well-meaning people have - is to invite the argument that once countries achieve a nuclear capability, they should be allowed an undisturbed reign of terror over their own citizens. We reject this course." - June 1982 speech to British Parliament.
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     "I was pleased last year to proclaim 1983 the year of the Bible. But, you know, a group called the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) severely criticized me for doing that. Well, I wear their indictment like a badge of honor." - January 1984.
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     "I've always stated that the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth is a government program." - April 1986
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     "A (nuclear weapons) freeze now would be a very dangerous fraud, for that is merely the illusion of peace. The reality is that we must find peace through strength. ...
     "I urge you to beware the temptation of pride, the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil. ...
     "I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages even now are being written." - Speech to the National Association of Evangelicals, March 1983. (He wrote six years later that "I could not in good conscience today call the Soviet Union an evil empire.")
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     "If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate ... open this gate ... tear down this wall." - June 1987 speech at Brandenberg Gate in Berlin. Remarks addressed to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
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     "By 1980, we knew it was time to renew our faith; to strive with all our strength toward the ultimate of individual freedom, consistent with an orderly society.
     "We believed then and now: There are no limits to growth and human progress, when men and women are free to follow their dreams. And we were right to believe that. Tax rates have been reduced, inflation cut dramatically and more people are employed than ever before in our history.
     "We are creating a nation once again vibrant, robust, and alive. There are many mountains yet to climb. We will not rest until every American enjoys the fullness of freedom, dignity, and opportunity as our birthright. It is our birthright as citizens of this great republic." - Second inaugural address, Jan. 21, 1985
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     "The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge - and pray God we have not lost it - that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest." - On 40th anniversary of Normandy invasion, June 6, 1984.
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     "Sending the Marines to Beirut was the source of my greatest regret and greatest sorrow." - About the Lebanon bombing that killed 241 servicemen in 1983, from his 1990 book, "An American Life"
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     "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 the journey and waved goodbye and `slipped the surly bonds of earth' to `touch the face of God.'" - After shuttle disaster, Jan. 28, 1986.
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     "A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that is true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not." - March 4, 1987, speech acknowledging dealings with Iran had deteriorated into an arms for hostages deal
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     "You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You put things in perspective. You pull your energies together. You change. You go forward. My fellow Americans, I have a great deal that I want to accomplish with you and for you over the next two years. And, the Lord willing, that's exactly what I intend to do." - March 4, 1987, speech acknowledging dealings with Iran had deteriorated into an arms for hostages deal
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     "I did not see it as trading arms for hostages because we were dealing with Iranian intermediaries, not the kidnappers themselves. I know it may be a fine line to most people, but it's what I believed then and what I still believe." - About the Iran-Contra affair, from his 1989 book, "Speaking My Mind"
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     "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." - Joke while testing microphone, Aug. 11, 1984
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     "So, you can see why, to me, the story of these last eight years and this presidency goes far beyond any personal concerns. It is a continuation, really, of a far larger story, a story of a people and a cause. A cause that, from our earliest beginnings, has defined us as a nation and given purpose to our national existence. The hope of human freedom, the quest for it, the achievement of it, is the American saga." - Last weekly radio address as president, Jan. 14, 1989.
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     "If I ache, it's because we are apart and yet that can't be because you are inside and a part of me, so we really aren't apart at all. Yet I ache but wouldn't be without the ache, because that would mean being without you and that I can't be because I love you." - 1963 letter to his wife, Nancy, quoted in 2000 book "I Love You, Ronnie."
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     "In closing let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead." - Nov. 5, 1994, announcing he had Alzheimer's disease.
     

[blam]

One of my heroes died today. RIP good buddy.

[Grenada]

yikes! He started out fine, but I agree..he keeps on with the memory question, even when everyone tells him they say no signs. Shep is begining to annoy me a little as well.

[Grenada]

say=saw

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thanks.

[Aracelis]

Our beloved President is free at last from infirmity...but oh, how we will miss him!

[Torie]

You two might enjoy this post of mine. As an aside, I am one of those who almost always underestimated the Gipper during his career. I just got it all completely wrong. They is just no other way to characterize it. :)

[faithincowboys]

I love Ollie and I Love Reagan-- I wish I had seen Ollie's interview.

[Lauren BaRecall]

He began the process of liberating millions of Americans from the tyranny of the welfare state.

He also began the process of liberating millions of Americans from the tyranny of liberalism.

[Frank_2001]

Ronald Reagan had my first presidential vote as well.

RIP

[MattGarrett]

I thought my fellow freepers would love to read the outpouring sentiment from our friends at linkfilter.net:

...for the deluge of tributes and tacky memorabilia. TV specials, monuments, parks, streets named after him. And of course, George W. Bush finding a way to make it work in his favor politically.

The guy's been dead for years, the rest of him just caught up is all. Nothing to see here, move along.

Or, perhaps from our friends at Craigslist:

Good riddance to Reagan and every politician who has darkened the future of this planet's inhabitants. This means ALL politicians and power crazed selfish destroyers of every stripe.

"Reagan hired over 100 crooks to run our government, and broke several laws himself. His policies were almost uniformly self-defeating, wrong-headed, immoral and unfair. Reagan was an actor playing the part of the president. He was style over substance; lucky, not good. And once the myths are stripped from the "legacy", the truth becomes obvious: Reagan was by far the most overrated man in American history."

the wrong republican died today. that chimp in office now should have been dead a long time ago. oh well, one republican down and 100's more to go...


aren't you touched by the outpouring of brotherhood and affection by left?

[Alberta's Child]

Bump.

Great post, Victoria. This is a sad day for America, but also a joyful recognition of a life lived well.

[txradioguy]

" aren't you touched by the outpouring of brotherhood and affection by left?"


The way I'm thinking of "touching" these hateful idiots...is anything BUT in a gentle way.

[samantha]

Thank you for posting that address, I already utilized it,and sent it on to others.

[Wampus SC]

"How are you doing? sad ping."

Doing better, still not 100%, but will recover. Thanks for asking.

Sad bump back.

[Semper Paratus]

RR would have liked a Irish Wake but it would have been hard to find a living room to accomodate 200 million and enough Jameson to do it right.

[samantha]

I was a 911 police dispatcher,and handled that,but this is with a TV camera right up close and personal,yikes....Some times you just feel all too human.

[dougherty]

I love what Drudge has up. A title of 'The Gipper is Gone' a single photo of RR and absolutely no other stories. Nice tribute from Drudge.

[Klein-Bottle]

God so loves this country that he provides a wise, strong, compassionate leader when we are in danger and desperately require one.

Before Ronald Regan, America had a dark hour. Communism was on the march. Afghanistan, Nicaragua were recently captured. Our enemies laughed at us at took American diplomats hostage. The topic of conversation was Jimmy Carter’s misery index…

…and then entered President Regan and our enemies laughed no more.

Thank you Mr. President, you will be missed.

[drwiii]

My condolences to the family. Truly an American icon.