Posted on 06/10/2004 2:28:07 PM PDT by alisasny
Alot of dignataries are now showing up to pay respects. McCain, Guiliani, Gorby, Karzai, etc.
Cspan has live coverage. Bush expected at 7 but could be earlier? He is then going to visit with Mrs. Reagan.
Guard changes about every half hour at .28 and .58 of the hour. One is going on right now.
I am on leave and have nothing to do that is pressing. Otherwise, I would be sleeping.
But this is cool.
My favorite President is being honored. I could not be there, so I am here. It is working for me. ;-)
I've had two. Ronald Reagan and George Walker Bush. The similarities are tremendous.
And on that, I'm gonna pull myself away from here and try to get some sleep before starting over tomorrow.
God bless you all!!!
Take care Grammie!
You too, my friend.
they are moving 50 people every 20 seconds through at this point. I counted twice and averaged.
RAY CHARLES and RONALD REAGAN
When Republicans met in Dallas in 1984 to re-crown Ronald Reagan for his second term as President, Democrats sneered that his "New Morning for America" sales pitch fed the rich, starved the poor, abolished hard-won civil rights and excluded blacks altogether.
Looking out over the sea of smiling, pink, prosperous faces in the huge, packed Dallas auditorium it wasn't difficult to believe they were right.
Only one thing spoiled the story.
A famous black man, with his trademark sunglasses, was led on stage, and he sat down at a piano.
Ray Charles then brought the proceedings to a sensationally emotional close - the floor a tumult of waving American flags - with his bluesy version of the hymn, America The Beautiful.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
The verses, written by Katherine Lee Bates in 1911, are uplifting to the point of delirium: they speak of 'amber waves of grain;' 'purple mountain majesties' and 'alabaster cities;' of nobleness and human souls which 'wax fair as earth and sea.'
For those who were there, it was a gut-wrenchingly emotional experience.
Ray Charles's marvellously expressive voice caressed Bates's limpid lyrics. America The Beautiful never sounded so beautiful.
It seemed as if he was conveying all the pain about being poor, black and blind - and what might be done about folks so afflicted - to the richest and most influential people in America.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!
Would you mind re-posting at this thread. We fell off the board and I had to repost
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1151651/posts
I agree. How awful for him that he is STILL on the "outside" of the family. God give him peace.
This is so much like the image of the majority of Americans. I feel the same way.
I think they know .. but as usual, they believe the sheep are too stupid to know so they can twist it to appear as though the Bush admin had purposefully excluded them.
Petty little scum.
For a civilian (or a serviceman out of uniform) --that is the proper salute.
Exactly!
I believe it is VERY telling that the same people who were on the losing side duirng Reagan's watch are making the exact same criticism 16 YEARS later as if they were still fresh and valid.
It only shows them for the fools they are because they make the identical condemnation against Bush.
Peggy Noonan must be right, it is some kind of Cowboy had fobia.
should be Cowboy HAT fobia
Mexico is represented by Foreign Secretary Derbez and First Lady Marta Sahagun, Russia by former premier Gorbachev (and June 12th is the new Russian Independence day Putin should be home, would you expect Bush to be out of the country on July 4th ?) Japan is sending Reagan's contemporary former PM Nakasone. Canada will be represented by her head of state: Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson and former PM Mulroney.
Beside the cheese-eating SM, every nation that matters seems well represented.
Part of it is just elite snobbery.
But .. you make a great point about it being the same people and they're making the same complaints. Rush has been pointing that out a lot lately - reading the statements they made about Reagan and how they're the same statements about Bush; dunce, cowboy, etc.
Newt said Japan actually thought out about sending Reagan's contemporary. I believe Mexican and France actually are making a conscious decision to to not appear.
I belive france's not appearing is an intentional disrespect. My best suggestion is to ignore them. If chirac was form an important country in the world I would consider it significant.
Seriously france has only ONE place of power in the world arena, the UN security counsel. That was a mistake. What does france reeeeeealy have to offer that would be missed if gone?
I'll wait 'til the ceremony for the Mexicans. My bet is they'll be there.
I belive france's not appearing is an intentional disrespect.
I concur. I'm just a little surprised at the many FReepers that who imagine insults because "prime minister so-n-so" will not be at Reagan's funeral. The US is the odd-ball and combines the political leader as the head of state, most other nations do not.
What does france reeeeeealy have to offer that would be missed if gone?
Well, Somebody has to buy those old Jerry Lewis re-runs and ...
no wait. I'm thinking ...
Hey, thanks ! Me too. I saved it to my desktop to upload later.
Pics on that source tend to 'go away' after a while.
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040610/capt.nyet15006102109.obit_charles_reagan_nyet150.jpg
"YIMG" .... That is Yahoo! Image.
France is of the opinion that the USA is the odd man out in the arena of world affairs. France is in for a rude awakening. Next thing you know france will be saying with insane wide eyes "I'm ready for my closeup Mr. Demil"
ok you have to be an old movie fan...
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