Text of Ron Reagan Jr.'s Remarks at Father's Burial Service

AP ^ | june11, 2004

[nuconvert]

Text of Ron Reagan Jr.'s Remarks at Father's Burial Service

The Associated Press

Jun 11, 2004

Text of remarks by Ron Reagan Jr. at Friday's burial service for former President Reagan, as transcribed by eMediaMillWorks Inc.:

RON REAGAN JR.: He is home now. He is free. In his final letter to the American people, Dad wrote, "I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life." This evening, he has arrived.

History will record his worth as a leader. We here have long since measured his worth as a man. Honest, compassionate, graceful, brave. He was the most plainly decent man you could ever hope to meet.

He used to say, "A gentleman always does the kind thing." And he was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. A gentle man.

Big as he was, he never tried to make anyone feel small. Powerful as he became, he never took advantage of those who were weaker. Strength, he believed, was never more admirable than when it was applied with restraint. Shopkeeper, doorman, king or queen, it made no difference, Dad treated everyone with the same unfailing courtesy. Acknowledging the innate dignity in us all.

The idea that all people are created equal was more than mere words on a page, it was how he lived his life. And he lived a good, long life. The kind of life good men lead. But I guess I'm just telling you things you already know.

Here's something you may not know, a little Ronald Reagan trivia for you, his entire life, Dad had an inordinate fondness for earlobes. Even as a boy, back in Dixon, Ill., hanging out on a street corner with his friends, they knew that if they were standing next to Dutch, sooner or later, he was going to reach over and grab hold of their lobe, give it a workout there. Sitting on his lap watching TV as a kid, same story. He would have hold of my ear lobe. I'm surprised I have any lobes left after all of that.

And you didn't have to be a kid to enjoy that sort of treatment. Serving in the Screen Actors Guild with his great friend William Holden, the actor, best man at his wedding, Bill got used to it. They would be there at the meetings, and Dad would have hold of his earlobe. There they'd be, some tense labor negotiation, two big Hollywood movie stars, hand in earlobe.

He was, as you know, a famously optimistic man. Sometimes such optimism leads you to see the world as you wish it were as opposed to how it really is. At a certain point in his presidency, Dad decided he was going to revive the thumbs-up gesture. So he went all over the country, of course, giving everybody the thumbs up.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE) and I found ourselves in the presidential limousine one day returning from some big event. My mother was there and Dad was, of course, thumbs-upping the crowd along the way, and suddenly, looming in the window on his side of the car, was this snarling face. This fellow was reviving an entirely different hand gesture. And hoisted an entirely different digit in our direction. Dad saw this and without missing a beat turned to us and said, "You see? I think it's catching on."

Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man. But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency, he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference.

Humble as he was, he never would have assumed a free pass to heaven. But in his heart of hearts, I suspect he felt he would be welcome there. And so he is home. He is free.

Those of us who knew him well will have no trouble imagining his paradise. Golden fields will spread beneath a blue dome of a western sky. Live oaks will shadow the rolling hillsides. And someplace, flowing from years long past, a river will wind toward the sea. Across those fields, he will ride a gray mare he calls Nancy D. They will sail over jumps he has built with his own hands. He will, at the river, carry him over the shining stones. He will rest in the shade of the trees.

Our cares are no longer his. We meet him now only in memory. But we will join him soon enough. All of us. When we are home. When we are free.

[F16Fighter]

"You have a very bizarre mind that made that connection. Trust me, healthy minds did not see that."

In your naiviety, you underestimate the theatrical, liberal, malcontented son, and ex-ballerina -- Ron Jr.

[Hildy]

See post 122, I agree with you and made the same point.

[Netizen]

You can have any thought you'd like - just don't expect the rest of us to refrain from pointing out the fact that's it's rather disturbed.

You can have any thought you'd like - just don't expect the rest of us to bury our heads in the sand or pretend we didn't hear him talk about a (mandate).

[ontos-on]

OK, you wont let it go.

In case you do not know, Ron Reagan has been married for 20 years to the lady who was with him at the funeral yesterday. He was a professional dancer in ballet who is a liberal and opposed to his father's most fervent political efforts that formed the foundation of his fahter's life. Despite the fact that he loves his father, he is his own man and has his own views as to what is real and important in life.

At a crucial point, in his elegant eulogy, in which every word and manner of delivery was exquisitely chosen and then polished to just short of perfection in achieving its intended effect, Ron said: after he was shot, his father felt God had saved him "in order to do good". Ron knew that he was conflating what his father really thought God saved him for, but he would not honor his father's true feeling, because that is anathana to Ron.

Now to the earlobe. This was very carefully chosen. Of course, Ronal Wilson Reagan was not a homosexual and there is not hint of that. He was a man comfortable in his skin becuase he used his brain to figure out what was real and important to him. The earlobe thing was just an eccentricity that is fine in the family and in Hollywood, but it really is too foolish to splash in front of a national audience, perhaps the greatest national audience there would ever be.

One has to ask why then did Ron Reagan reveal this particular piece of "Ronald Reagan trivia" at this particular point in time? Why indeed? He was goofing on you all. Given his background, he is exquisitely sensitive to the homosexual culture and Ron thought he would dance along a particular line which is rich in ambivalence and ambiguity, just in order to have fun and have lots of private jokes to share offstage at the expense of the great unwashed and uptight.

It was done with a smirk, an arrogance and a slickness, just to play with people's minds.

If you think I am making this up, and he did not know exactly what he was doing, you go right ahead. But in my view, Ron Reagan was playing around with his father's name, just to be prim and slick and to needle people, at a very inappropriate time. But so what, it does not really matter, that's who Ron is, his fahter would not have really minded and who cares? Cepting you, because I commented on what he did.

But really, don't get too upset about it. OK?

[shield]

But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency, he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference.

NO THIS WAS PUTTING DOWN PRESIDENT BUSH......he was slamming him BIGTIME.

[TracyPA]

The one family member I missed was Maureen. At least her brother Michael mentioned her name. I miss her big beautiful smile-so like her father. They are together now.

[bigeasy_70118]

Don't need no stinking degree in Psychology to figure this one out.

Very true and these were my same thoughts.

I think it was fairly obvious, considering his past body of work, that RR, Jr. was taking a shot at Dubya and maybe even Michael. That being said, it was one line in a beautiful week. This week was vindication of everything we as Republicans stand for. I am willing to let it go.

What I am not willing to let go, is Chris Matthews, Howard Finkelstein and the heinous Pat Buchanan using this line to resume their 24/7 Bush Bash.

[shield]

But we will join him soon enough. All of us. When we are home. When we are free.

Ron is a very stupid man; he's a liberal and a non believer. He is delusional, as all liberals....thinking he'll see his Dad again without belief in Jesus Christ.

Michael on the other hand gets all of it and is actually his Dad's prize. The apple of his Dad's eyes. Michael never had a Mom that raised him as a believer or a conservative. Which is the responsibility of a good Mom. Michael has such respect for his Dad; he was smart enough to follow his principles.

Not to put Nancy down...but she did a lousy job raising her own kids....neither are believers or conservatives. Maybe Patti is smart enough to get it some day. I doubt it. Ron and Patti are spoiled rich kids. They are both a shame to their Dad.

[HairOfTheDog]

The thought police have arrived.

Thought police? - I am only responding to the twisted frap you have actually ~said~ here. You are the one who is actually telling us what you have interpreted of a grieving man's ~thoughts~. You've mapped out a whole thesis on his evil thoughts and motives from a couple fairly benign sentences in his words to his family. They laughed real laughter at the ear lobe story. You think it meant something weird. It meant something nice and funny and affectionate to the ones that really know.

[ontos-on]

What I am not willing to let go, is Chris Matthews, Howard Finkelstein and the heinous Pat Buchanan using this line to resume their 24/7 Bush Bash.

That's right. Chris and Howard were both tipped off to what Ron would be doing vis -a vis Bush in his speech. Ron works at MSNBC and I think the tipoff was the reason that Fineman was even there at that point in time. Otherwise, there would be no point, it was so late, the ceremony was already over before he got on the air.

It killed them to have to say the positive an dtrue things about President Reagan and his administration--all week long. So, they had to find a way to twist it to attack GW Bush.

It is interesting that they were in league with Ron Reagan in this, they were clearly tipped off and who know if they did not have some other role.

I am sure we have not seen the last of Ron Reagan commenting on our present president.

[cyncooper]

I didn't watch Chris Matthews (I didn't stray from CSPAN for literally hours--I didn't want to hear talk), I knew what Ron was saying all by myself. It was very obvious.

Now, does that mean it ruined the event for me? No.

Does that mean I want to make a big issue of it? No.

Does that mean we should organize against Ron Reagan? No!

There is nothing wrong with saying, "Wow, Ron slammed GWB in his eulogy to his father".

And that's all that is being said. It has nothing to do with Chris Matthews except he knows Ron Reagan and so some are using his comments to show their interpretation is correct, not relying on them to interpret the meaning for them.

I will add, I am disturbed by the desire of some to turn away from what was said and meant and ignore it. That is not good or noble or honorable. I understand people wish to adopt this attitude in an "extend the olive branch" type of way, but I do not think that is the wise course to take.

I wouldn't make a huge deal of it, but don't pretend it wasn't said, either.

[AndrewC]

he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate.

I guess Ron Jr. really is not a Christian. He does not realize that we are mandated to do good.

Jhn 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Mat 22:36 Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Jhn 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

[TracyPA]

Sure they wanted to entertain-why else tell funny stories about their father? They knew this ceremony was seen by the world. The goldfish story Patti told was sweet and funny-Ron's earlobe was a flop.

[eddie willers]

ontos-on...you and the post that CaptainK made has made it very clear that Ron's, all too subtle statement, was indeed directed at GW.However, as Chuzzlewit later said:

I was so moved by the ceremony, I did not even "catch" the jab at GWB, which it clearly was.. And trust me, most of America, who are a heck of a lot less political than those of us who spend time here,didn't catch it either.. And I doubt whether they spend much time watching Chris Matthews.

Nothing to worry about as far as the jab to GWB, folks...

I will repeat a little of what Chuzzie said ...Here we are... some of the most politically astute people in America.... people who were watching the weeks proceedings with rapt attention, in respect, yes...but also with our minds never far away from how this will "play" in November and with our ears perked for any small slam against our heroes.

And here, right here on Free Republic, half of us missed it...myself included!

I had just figured that Ron Jr. had grown as his sister Patti had. When he made his "religion on his sleeve remark", the LAST person I thought of was GW.

So let us not worry about Chris (.03%) Matthews and Howard Fineman. They are totally unknown outside of their cocktail circuits, here, DU and a few little read blogs.

I suggest we treat this as one would a loud fart in Church.
Maybe wrinkle our noses a little but keep absolutely silent.

The children and the simpleminded may giggle, but no one ever listens to them anyway.

[pctech]

OOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKK, now I remember that statement.

I don't think he was singling out any one individual person, unless someone has insider knowledge of an all consuming hatred he had for someone. I hope he wasn't speaking of Bush.

I believe he was speaking in generalities. In a way he's right! A lot of them do wear it on their sleeves. I take it to mean folks like Kerry, Kennedy, and their ilk.

[bigeasy_70118]

That's right. Chris and Howard were both tipped off to what Ron would be doing vis -a vis Bush in his speech. Ron works at MSNBC and I think the tipoff was the reason that Fineman was even there at that point in time.

I am hopeful that in mourning his father, Ron Jr. had better things to do than tip off the ego-centric host of a low rated cable news program that he was going to bash a man who not hours before eulogized his father with dignity and grace. But if Ron, Jr. really is the hard core leftist that he appears, I would not be surprised.

[projectile]

"I'm going to heaven" is not arrogant. God does not choose who accepts his gift of enternal life. The choice is yours and yours alone.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life...

He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God...

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our lord..

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved...

[cyncooper]

I am tired of people saying we are "angry" or "offended" by correctly interpreting Ron Reagan's remarks.

Just noting what he said is not "being angry", it is being sensible.

[i are a cowboy]

I would have liked to hear what my favorite Reagan child Maureen would have had to say. I miss her a great deal.

[cyncooper]

It is not a movie, it is not for us, it is what it is. It belongs to the Reagan family.

It was for the us and the world, too. That is why the lights and cameras were allowed.

People choose what their message will be. Ron chose and some of us heard. I am not "knocking" him. I think he might be upset if you guys don't get what he was saying, actually. And he did deliver his message very well, from a stylistic angle, I think. And I was pleased to see he and Michael and Patti swiftly move to Nancy's side shortly after, when she had to bid her farewell. That was extremely loving and moving.

Observing all of these events correctly does not cancel each other out and it doesn't mean we must ignore or pretend something wasn't said when it was.