Why I Love Ronald Reagan--Part 3

This is my 3rd and final post on Ronald Reagan. I hope you have been as inspired by his life as I have been to learn and be a better person as a result. When it comes to his humor and optimism I aspire to be more like him. 

Reagan was by no means perfect since none of us are. It was actually encouraging to see that he was human. In my opinion his biggest failure was in his role as Dad. I think most of it was a generational thing and that he just didn't know how to be a great dad. His own father had been an alcoholic. But one only needs to look at Ron Jr. and the way he carries himself (like he has a chip on his shoulder) to see that Reagan was not able to translate some of his powerful lessons to his own kids. And thus we see he was only human. Now back to the positive stuff :-).


His Convictions: One of the most inspiring things to me is a person with convictions who doesn't compromise on their core principles. This is the essence of Ronald Reagan. He didn't care if he was criticized for something he believed in. If he believed in it he did it no matter what the polls said. 

Reagan refused to give into Gorbachev's early deals even though he was pressured by many to do so. If he hadn't stuck to his convictions the cold war may still be going on today and the Berlin Wall might never have come down.

One of my very favorite stories is one that Bill Bennett likes to tell because it involves him. Bennett was the Secretary of Education in Reagan's administration and right from the start he became controversial because he was blunt in how he presented his views. He had been getting a lot of bad press and was under a tremendous amount of heat for things he had said. There were even papers calling for his resignation. When the next cabinet meeting came Bennett was very nervous and even felt that the others in the meeting were distancing themselves from him. Here is Peggy Noonan quoting Bennett's account of what happened:

"And we finally got to the last item: Bennett. And the president--I was pretty isolated at this point, and the president started to read aloud just the headlines. 'BENNETT, A DUNCE IN THE CLASSROOM,' 'BENNETT, THE JAMES WATT OF THE SECOND TERM,' 'BENNETT MUST BE FIRED.'

"And I was sinking farther and farther in my seat as the president read aloud. And my colleagues were drawing farther away. Reagan put the last clipping in and folded it up, and he said, 'Now, that's Bill Bennett's first three weeks in office. What's wrong with the rest of you?'

"It was a great moment--it was an exhale moment, too .... But it was also one of the kindest and most considerate things anybody ever did for me .... It was a moment I'll never forget, and it taught me what a leader can do, and what it can mean to the morale of people to have done that."

When the meeting was over, Bennett went to the president and said, "Boss, thank you. Thank you very, very much."

And Reagan told him, "You know, they like to criticize me for being in show business. But one thing you learn in show business, there's a difference between the critics and the box office. Don't worry about the critics; just keep doing your job."

Bennett later summed up Reagan this way: "He was a man in possession of his own soul."

Reagan didn't care that Bennett was getting attacked and how that would reflect on his administration. He didn't ask him to tone things down because he agreed with Bennett and knew he was doing the right thing. So Bennett was unpopular with the papers, Reagan didn't care because they were doing what was right.

His faith: Reagan was a great man of faith. He admitted that he wouldn't have gotten through his presidency without the help of prayer. "I've prayed a lot throughout my life. Abraham Lincoln once said that he could never have fulfilled his duties as president for even fifteen minutes without God's help. I felt the same way."


Mike called Margaret Thatcher Reagan's "conservative soulmate" and I couldn't think of a better way to describe their relationship. I am posting this picture and a quote of hers from his funeral to set up my last topic. "We have lost a great president, a great American, and a great man. And I have lost a dear friend." Margaret Thatcher was Reagan's soulmate when it came to their belief in freedom.


His belief in freedom: Peggy Noonan said that Reagan's foreign policy could be boiled down to 3 words: "Peace through strength." That sounds a lot like Teddy Roosevelt's famous saying of "Speak softly and carry a big stick." If you show strength and resolve and that you mean what you say you sometimes avoid war. 

The Reagan doctrine was described like this: "Commitment to support 'those fighting for freedom and against communism wherever we found them.'"
Here are some quotes from his "Westminster Speech" that he made on June 8, 1982:

"It would be cultural condescension, or worse, to say that any people prefer dictatorship to democracy. Who would voluntarily choose not to have the right to vote, decide to purchase government propaganda handouts instead of independent newspapers, prefer government to worker-controlled unions, opt for land to be owned by the state instead of those who till it, want government repression of religious liberty, a single political party instead of a free choice, a rigid cultural orthodoxy instead of democratic tolerance and diversity?

...given strong leadership, time and a little bit of hope, the forces of good ultimately rally and triumph over evil.

I've often wondered about the shyness of some of us in the West about standing for these ideals that have done so much to ease the plight of man and the hardships of our imperfect world.

So, let us ask ourselves, ``What kind of people do we think we are?'' And let us answer, ``Free people, worthy of freedom and determined not only to remain so but to help others gain their freedom as well.''

For the sake of peace and justice, let us move toward a world in which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny."

Here are some from his "Evil Empire Speech" that he made on March 8, 1983:

"At the same time, however, they must be made to understand we will never compromise our principles and standards. We will never give away our freedom. We will never abandon our belief in God. And we will never stop searching for a genuine peace.

But if history teaches anything, it teaches that simpleminded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom."

And of course Reagan's famous words: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

As you can see by these quotes George W. Bush is truly Reagan's "Conservative Son". W carries Reagan's torch for freedom and he does it well. W isn't the "great communicator" like Reagan but he has the same heart and ideas which are making this world safer and freer.

And speaking of W it is fitting to conclude my series on Reagan with a quote from him. This is a little of what W had to say about Reagan: "Some achievements fade with the years. Ronald Reagan's achievements grow larger with the passing of time." 

Sources:
"When Character Was King" by Peggy Noonan

"Westminster Speech"

"Evil Empire Speech"

Why I Love Ronald Reagan--Part 2

I will always remember the day that Ronald Reagan died. I usually have Fox News on 24/7 because you never know when a "breaking news" story might happen and I wouldn't want to miss it :-). But on this saturday I had been gone all day. I came home and got on the computer and thats when I saw the headline. Tears started streaming down my face and I went to turn on the TV to watch the coverage. I cried off and on the whole week after his death as I watched the people who knew him tell their stories and as I witnessed his funeral. It hit me how much I had grown to love him through my odyssey of learning about him. I realized the world was losing a great man but his message would live on. Here is some of that message:


His Humor: Peggy Noonan said, "I think he thought everyone was too serious." Ronald Reagan was always known for his jokes and his ability to make people laugh. Its not that he wasn't a man of depth or that he didn't understand the seriousness of life. He had a lot of setbacks in his life. He just realized that nothing was accomplished by being a negative and unhappy person.

Two months into his presidency an assassination attempt was made on his life. He almost died and yet his response was that he forgot to duck and he hoped all the Doctors were Republicans.

The biggest and most impressive way he used humor was to deflect criticism from his critics. To me it is awe-inspiring. I'm trying to get better but when someone criticizes me my natural response is to get angry and lash back. But it is so much more effective to use humor and beat them at their own game. And thats one of the reasons why Reagan was so successful.

When he was continually attacked for being too old during his run for re-election he said this to Mondale in a debate, "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." When reporters criticized him for not getting his facts straight he admitted in a speech that even though he was quoting George Washington he hadn't actually heard him say it. And according to Peggy Noonan one of his ways of dealing with criticism was, "not to get mad but to undermine his critics by agreeing with them. When they said he was lazy he didn't deny it, he said, 'I know hard work never killed anyone, but I figure why take a chance?'"

To me it takes a strong person to laugh at yourself and agree with your critics when you know what they are saying isn't true. To be above the fray and to use humor to do it takes a strong person. And Ronald Reagan was just that.


His Optimism: The more I live life the more I see how important it is to be optimistic. Ronald Reagan was known for being an optimist and everyone loves to spend time and be around an optimist. One of his favorite stories he loved to tell was about 2 boys. One was too optimistic and the other was too negative. In order to cure them they were each put in a different room. The negative one was put in a room full of brand-new toys. This didn't cure him and he started to cry because he was sure that somehow he would break all of them. The positive one was put into a room full of dung. The boy started happily jumping in and digging through the dung. When asked what he was doing he said that with all this dung there was sure to be a pony in there somewhere.

His optimism never let him give up. When he barely lost the Republican nomination in 1976 he gave a speech to his loyal, teary-eyed supporters. He said: "Don't give up your ideals. Don't compromise. Don't turn to expediency. And don't for heaven's sake, having seen the inner workings of the watch, don't get cynical." Think of what could've happened had Reagan given up or compromised. Ford may have won the nomination that year but it wasn't because he was a better person or had better ideas. Reagan was right in his message not to give up.


His heart: Michael W. Smith sang a song in the 80's that had Reagan's voice interspersed throughout it with his words that he spoke the day the Space Shuttle Challenger crashed. The words were always very comforting and inspiring to me. They showed his heart and that he cared. Here they are: "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 their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to touch the face of God."

There are many stories of Reagan doing things for people and specifically making sure the cameras were turned off while he was doing it.

Peggy Noonan tells a story that shows his heart and that wasn't done for the cameras about a woman named Frances Green. She was an 83 yr. old lady that had very little money but gave small amounts to the Republican party because she loved Ronald Reagan. She was invited to the Whitehouse but needed to RSVP. She spent all she had to take a 4 day train trip to the Whitehouse. When she got there they wouldn't let her in because she hadn't rsvped. A Ford executive was in line behind her and heard her story. He talked to the right people and had it set up for her to meet the President the next day. But the next day some serious events were taking place and it looked like she would only get to take a tour. While she was taking the tour the Ford Executive passed by the Oval Office and Reagan urged them to come in.

This is what Noonan had to say about the encounter: "This," I said in the speech about Reagan's character, "is why Reagan is Reagan. He knows Mrs. Green is a little old lady all by herself in the world, she's no one, with nothing to give him, and Reagan is behind his desk and he rises and calls out, 'Frances!' He says, 'Those darn computers, they fouled up again! If I'd known you were coming I would have come out there to get you myself.'" He asked her to sit down and they talked about California and he gave her a lot of time, and if you say on a day like that it was time wasted, there are a lot of people who'd say, Oh no it wasn't. No it wasn't. He had a big heart, a kind of liquid heart that flowed out to others."

Stay tuned for the 3rd and final part tomorrow. It would've been too long to get it all in today. This has been a labor of love for me. I hope it is inspiring to others and please share any Reagan stories that you have in the comments.

Sources:
"When Character Was King" by Peggy Noonan
"How Ronald Reagan Changed my Life" by Peter Robinson
"Challenger Disaster" Speech

"Let Freedom Ring"

I had a neat day today homeschooling my kids. First of all we read a book about Martin Luther King, Jr. and talked about who he was and why he was so great.

Then we read his famous speech "I Have a Dream" that he gave on August 28, 1963. I was so inspired as I read it. I realized that one of the bonds that brings all people together is the yearning for freedom. William Wallace fought and died for it in Scotland, the Colonists fought and died for it so we could have the United States of America, the Civil War was fought in part so African Americans could be free and Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and many others fought and died so African Americans could achieve freedom and equality. We will fight and die for freedom. It is an inspiring cause!!
I remember the Elian Gonzalez controversy. Many people had different takes on what should happen to the little boy. His mother died bringing him to a country so he could be free. I couldn't fathom sending him back to the prison that would be his life in a communist country.

Martin Luther King's speech was about Freedom and dreams. It was and is an inspiring cause. We have not achieved perfection in this country but we have come a long way. For the most part men and women no matter their color or station in life are free to pursue the American Dream. So much so that we have an immigration problem of people wanting to flood into our country to experience this dream.

One of my very favorite stories of all time is Alex Haley's story of his family in his book "Roots". When I was in junior high my whole family stayed up late during the summer and watched the re-airing of the mini-series "Roots". I don't know what it was about that but it is still one of my favorite family memories. Because of that I sought it out on video once I was an adult. Since then I've watched both series many, many times. Then I read the book and found it to be easy reading even though it was a huge book.

I was fascinated by the story of his family and especially Kunta Kinte. Kunta never gave up on freedom. He was whipped, he had part of his foot caught off and he lost a lot but he knew what it was like to be free and he didn't give up on it. He passed that on to his children and they passed it on to their children after him and generations later Alex Haley was able to trace his roots and his family's fight for freedom.

The cause of Freedom is inspirational. As I write this George W. Bush's voice echoes in my head as I remember a speech he gave to the troops. He thanked them for their "sacrifice for the cause of peace and freedom".

Why I Love 24

I'm going to diverge a little from politics today and talk about the TV show 24. Although as always, politics is interwined. If you are a fan of the show you will relate and if you aren't, you need to be. Rush says he hardly watches any TV and he loves this show. He says he doesn't think liberals would like it and I would tend to agree. But my favorite liberal, James, is a fan of the show too which goes to show you it is popular across all demographics.


The show is about a place called CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit). Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is an agent who has run CTU before but is usually out in the field getting the bad guys. I highly recommend the show. The season starts this sunday night where they will have a special 2 hour episode followed by another 2 hour episode on monday night.


First of all it needs to be said I love 24 because Kiefer Sutherland is hot!!  A lot of it is how Sutherland portrays the main character Jack Bauer. He protects his family and the country from terrorists and the bad guys at all costs.

He always does the right thing when it comes to justice (although that doesn't mean he always does things by the book :-)). He doesn't wait for warrants, he doesn't believe in political correctness and he kicks butt! No one gets past him. He is awesome!! The men that are like him in real life are the ones who keep our country safe. A guy from Blogs4Bauer said: "Jack Bauer is the hero that this nation desperately needs." And I agree!!

Second, I have loved the show because one of the other main characters is a black president named David Palmer. In the first 3 seasons he works hand in hand with Jack Bauer to save the country from the bad guys. He is portrayed as a man of integrity who almost always makes the right choices. Even though he is surrounded by people who are trying to pressure him to do the wrong thing. In season 4 although he is no longer the president he is called in to save the day and I cheered when they brought him back :-). If we could have a man like that in real life I would vote for him in a heartbeat.

To sum it all up I love the show because justice prevails. You have flawed men and women who are dedicated to protecting our country and standing up for what is right. There are casualties along the way and they aren't perfect but they fight for a cause that is worth pursuing. That is the essence of what we hope that most of our men and women in public service are trying to do.

I have mentioned it before but make sure you check out the Blogs4Bauer site. It has been a lot of fun discussing the show before it has even started. Happy viewing!!

P.S. I snagged my quote of the week from Mark's blog.

Conservative Profile #1---John Ashcroft

Ever since I started this blog I wanted to do profiles on Conservatives that I respect and admire. Once I figured out how to put pictures on my blog I knew I had to put up this picture. This is a picture of my congressman,Sam Graves, me and John Ashcroft. So I figured John Ashcroft would be an awesome person to start with.

At one of the Republican fundraisers I got to volunteer at, John Ashcroft was there. I was very excited. Ever since I first moved to Missouri in '92 I have been a big fan of his. He is one of those men who has firm principles and never deviates from them. And as we all know that is a rarity in today's world let alone in D.C. I had always viewed him as humble, honest and a man of integrity. When I met him I am proud to say that he came across as just that. I was very nervous and yet I mustered up my confidence and introduced myself to him. He was so great. He was very nice and said his name when he shook my hand. I was cracking up because, like I didn't know who he was. He was very kind and humble. In his speech he made jokes at his own expense and was very gracious. It was a great day for me.

So I had a lot of fun doing research on him for this profile. One of the most positive pieces about him was written by the BBC.

He was born in 1942 in Chicago but grew up in Springfield, Missouri. His father was an Assembly of God minister and he grew up in the church. He is a born again Christian and his faith has always been an integral part of his life. He graduated with honors from Yale and went to law school at the University of Chicago where he graduated in 1967. He taught business law at Southwest Missouri State University before entering politics. In the 70's he held several positions in Missouri state government. He went from being state auditor, to assistant attorney-general to the attorney general where he served until 1985. In '85 he became Governor of Missouri and stayed there until '93. In 1994 (when I finally got to vote for him) he was elected to the U.S. Senate and started his term in '95. He was a great senator and I was never disappointed in decisions that he made or votes that he cast. He was a solid conservative with core values.

Then in 2000 we had a historical senate race. Ashcroft was ahead in the polls and I wasn't worried about his re-election at all. I'm sure on the Beltway Boys on Fox News that they rated him in the safe column to win. But then there was a freak accident. His opponent Democrat Mel Carnahan (the Governor of Missouri at the time) died in a plane crash just 2 weeks before the election. Ashcroft being the man of integrity that he is stopped campaigning out of respect. Then the Lieutenant Governor who had replaced Carnahan as Governor announced that Carnahan's widow would serve if Carnahan won since it was too late for his name to be removed from the ballots. Then between the sympathy vote and the corruption spun by Jesse Jackson in St. Louis where the polls were illegally kept open hours later than 7:00, Carnahan (a dead man) won the election. I was crushed. But as always Ashcroft graciously accepted the defeat and was kinder to Jean Carnahan than I ever would've been. My other senator, Republican Kit Bond, was spitting fire over the injustice of the corruption in St. Louis which cost us the Governorship and the senate seat.

And then it was amazing to see the irony of how it all worked out. John Ashcroft was nominated by W to be Attorney General. (I was a very happy camper the day that was announced.) A Republican won the senate seat against Jean Carnahan in a special election in 2002 and Republican Matt Blunt won the Governorship in 2004. So all Jesse Jackson's corruption ended up giving the democrats very short-lived victories.

Anyway, all that to say Ashcroft has been a wonderful public servant and a man to look up to. Even the Associated Press article about him admitted that his public life was scandal-free. The White House bio of him quoted W as saying this about him: "a man of great integrity, a man of great judgment and a man who knows the law". 

Ashcroft was known for being unashamed of being a strong conservative and would say, there are two things you find in the middle of the road: "a moderate and a dead skunk", and that he didn't want to be either.

The Wrong Shall Fail, The Right Prevail- Bush's speech December 18, 2005

The President gave an awesome speech last night. Bill Kristol said it was similar to FDR's fireside chats. I agree. I'm soooo glad the President has finally gone on the offensive instead of letting the anti-war zealots define him and the war.

My quote of the week was the words he said at the end of the speech. My title for this post also came from there. It was so well said. He was so honest in this speech. He took responsibility for his decisions and actions and yet called his critics to task. I printed the speech out to read it and highlight the good parts. Most of the speech is highlighted. I'm going to put a bunch of excerpts from the speech in this post but I thought one of the most critical lines was this one:

"We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them."

I so wish liberals could understand this. And I hope liberals and moderates were listening last night. I don't know how you criticize W after this heartfelt speech. He made several pleas to realize what is at stake especially in this line:

"Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom."

The speech was so good that the liberal who was complaining about W after the speech just made me laugh. No matter what he says or does it will never be good enough. I felt like I was watching a Charlie Brown special and the democrat chic was the teacher and everything that came out of her mouth sounded like, "Wa, Wa, Wa..."

If you want to read the entire speech go here. Below I have posted some of the great excerpts.

"This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the beginning of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East. And this vote -- 6,000 miles away, in a vital region of the world -- means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight against terror.

He (Saddam)was given an ultimatum -- and he made his choice for war. And the result of that war was to rid a -- the world of a murderous dictator who menaced his people, invaded his neighbors, and declared America to be his enemy. Saddam Hussein, captured and jailed, is still the same raging tyrant -- only now without a throne. His power to harm a single man, woman, or child is gone forever. And the world is better for it.

I see a global terrorist movement that exploits Islam in the service of radical political aims -- a vision in which books are burned, and women are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed. Terrorist operatives conduct their campaign of murder with a set of declared and specific goals -- to de-moralize free nations, to drive us out of the Middle East, to spread an empire of fear across that region, and to wage a perpetual war against America and our friends. These terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield -- and they seek to attack us wherever they can. This has attracted al Qaeda to Iraq, where they are attempting to frighten and intimidate America into a policy of retreat.

The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and elsewhere, they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if we were not fighting them in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Southeast Asia, and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens, they would be on the offense, and headed our way.

September the 11th, 2001 required us to take every emerging threat to our country seriously, and it shattered the illusion that terrorists attack us only after we provoke them. On that day, we were not in Iraq, we were not in Afghanistan, but the terrorists attacked us anyway -- and killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in our own country. My conviction comes down to this: We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them. And we will defeat the terrorists by capturing and killing them abroad, removing their safe havens, and strengthening new allies like Iraq and Afghanistan in the fight we share.

We continue to see violence and suffering, caused by an enemy that is determined and brutal, unconstrained by conscience or the rules of war.

The terrorists will continue to have the coward's power to plant roadside bombs and recruit suicide bombers. And you will continue to see the grim results on the evening news. This proves that the war is difficult -- it doesn't mean that we are losing. Behind the images of chaos that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains with a clear objective in view.

Three days ago, more than 10 million Iraqis went to the polls -- including many Sunni Iraqis who had boycotted national elections last January.

One Iraqi, after dipping his finger in the purple ink as he cast his ballot, stuck his finger in the air and said: "This is a thorn in the eyes of the terrorists." Another voter was asked, "Are you Sunni or Shia?" And he responded, "I am Iraqi."

Today in Iraq, seven in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the year ahead. Despite the violence, Iraqis are optimistic -- and that optimism is justified.

Yet there is a difference between honest critics who recognize what is wrong, and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right.

Defeatism may have its partisan uses, but it is not justified by the facts. For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of rebuilding and hope. For every life lost, there are countless more lives reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the war in Iraq.
It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi friends and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word. We would undermine the morale of our troops by betraying the cause for which they have sacrificed. We would cause the tyrants in the Middle East to laugh at our failed resolve, and tighten their repressive grip. We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous than ever before. To retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor, and I will not allow it.
Our forces in Iraq are on the road to victory -- and that is the road that will take them home.

And tonight, I ask all of you listening to carefully consider the stakes of this war, to realize how far we have come and the good we are doing, and to have patience in this difficult, noble, and necessary cause.

And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance. I don't expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom.

And I have never been more certain that America's actions in Iraq are essential to the security of our citizens, and will lay the foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren.

Next week, Americans will gather to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. Many families will be praying for loved ones spending this season far from home -- in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other dangerous places. Our nation joins in those prayers. We pray for the safety and strength of our troops. We trust, with them, in a love that conquers all fear, in a light that reaches the darkest corners of the Earth. And we remember the words of the Christmas carol, written during the Civil War: "God is not dead, nor [does] He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on Earth, goodwill to men." Thank you, and good night."

P.S. Brit Hume did an awesome special on the separation of church and state last night. If they re-air it, it is a must-see.

"A Day to Be Proud"

First, I want to revel in yesterday's huge victory. It was truly a day to be remembered and a day to be proud.

The turnout was large and for the most part peaceful. An article that describes how things went is: "Polls Close After Iraqi Voters Turn Out in Droves". For those of you liberals that have been asking why Iraq? I think this Iraqi man gives a good answer: "I am proud as an Iraqi because our country is becoming a center of attraction for all Arab countries," said Mohammed Wadi, a 50-year-old Shiite schoolteacher casting his ballot in the capital's Karada district. The new situation in Iraq, the democratic system, is starting to put pressure on the Arab systems to make some changes toward democracy."

Ben Elliott, former director of speech writing in the Reagan Administration, writes a good article entitled, December 15th Is a Day To Remember. He says that it "is a day in history that will change the world." And on the Power Line blog they describe it as "A Day To Be Proud". They tell an inspiring story of a Vietnam Vet and then conclude by saying, "It seems to me that we are witnessing the legacy of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have served and sacrificed like Rescorla to make this day possible."

It was a day of great victory, an awesome day for the cause of freedom and a day to be proud. And to all the naysayers you will be forgotten but W will be remembered as a man who protected America and the world and brought Freedom to Afghanistan and Iraq and possibly the Middle East.

P.S. Also read Oliver North's inspiring column entitled E-day in Iraq.

P.P.S. Rich Lowry has written a great article on the democrats' response to Iraq in "Dazed and Confused on Iraq".

Iraqi Update

My post yesterday was a little long so I will make this short and sweet. If you haven't had the chance to read yesterday's you might take the time because I had some good and encouraging articles in it.

Today I just HAD to post the comments of this awesome Iraqi woman. Rush played her comments several times on his show and I thought, now that is great. Her name is Betty Dawisha and this is what she said: “Anybody who doesn’t appreciate what America has done and President Bush, let them go to hell.” Can't say it much more eloquently than that :-).




On another unrelated note Brit Hume interviewed W yesterday. It was a fairly good interview. And I was once again proud of him for not being afraid to speak his mind. Brit asked him what he thought about Tom Delay and his situation. W didn't even hesitate and said he likes Tom Delay and wants to see him stay majority leader. Politics might've dictated W keeping his distance but if W likes you he's loyal. And I was glad to see it because I like Tom Delay and I'm not afraid to say it even though he's been demonized by the MSM. He has a backbone and principles and there's a lot of Republicans (we won't even mention democrats) who can't say that.

Iraq

Since the Iraqi Elections are tomorrow I thought I would highlight some of the positive things that are happening there. The MSM keeps us up to date on all the negatives and even makes some up so this blog will err on the side of being encouraging and postitive.

The first item I have is a personal story that is from a friend of a friend. I got permission to post it here as long as there were no names mentioned.

"Because I can't stop smiling. . .
. .I have to tell you all the most awesome thing I've heard in months. Today I had breakfast with my friend who is Iraqi. She and her family fled Iraq when she was very young because her uncles and a bunch of other relatives had already been killed in an ethnic cleansing campaign. She hasn't seen her country in twenty years, but she still loves it very much. This morning she was late to breakfast, which is totally not like her, and when she came in she was grinning from ear to ear and her index finger was purple. That's the symbol of support for voting in Iraq because, in order to prevent voter fraud, the poll workers dip your finger in purple ink once you've received a ballot. When she walked in this morning, she grabbed my arm (which is way strange for her--she's even less touchy-feely than I am), shook me and said, "I did it! I voted!" And then she hugged me and both of us burst into tears.

Guys, this is SO huge. For her to be allowed to vote in a free election for the first time in her life is so amazing I can't even express it. She went to the polling place at 6:30 this morning because she wanted to be there when the doors opened, and at 8am both she and her 57-year-old mother voted for the very first time in their lives.

Last time, more than 60% of the country turned out to vote, and they expect numbers to be even higher this time because the promised attacks from last time fell so short. Those of you who pray, please keep the Iraqi people, and the Iraqi and coalition soldiers who will guard the polling places in your prayers for the election on Thursday."

Apparently people in the U.S. and all over the world were allowed to vote in the Iraqi elections yesterday as long as they are still Iraqi citizens. Very cool story.

The second item is some positive things that were reported by ABC News of all places.

Dec. 12, 2005 —"Surprising levels of optimism prevail in Iraq with living conditions improved, security more a national worry than a local one, and expectations for the future high. But views of the country's situation overall are far less positive, and there are vast differences in views among Iraqi groups — a study in contrasts between increasingly disaffected Sunni areas and vastly more positive Shiite and Kurdish provinces.

An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.

Campaigning Stops a Day Ahead of Iraq Vote
Iraq's Wolf Brigade Said to Be Effective, at Times Brutal
Securing the Election
Surprisingly, given the insurgents' attacks on Iraqi civilians, more than six in 10 Iraqis feel very safe in their own neighborhoods, up sharply from just 40 percent in a poll in June 2004. And 61 percent say local security is good — up from 49 percent in the first ABC News poll in Iraq in February 2004.

Nonetheless, nationally, security is seen as the most pressing problem by far; 57 percent identify it as the country's top priority. Economic improvements are helping the public mood.

Average household incomes have soared by 60 percent in the last 20 months (to $263 a month), 70 percent of Iraqis rate their own economic situation positively, and consumer goods are sweeping the country. In early 2004, 6 percent of Iraqi households had cell phones; now it's 62 percent. Ownership of satellite dishes has nearly tripled, and many more families now own air conditioners (58 percent, up from 44 percent), cars, washing machines and kitchen appliances.

Life In Iraq: Percent Saying Good

In Your Life 70%
For Country 44%

There are positive political signs as well. Three-quarters of Iraqis express confidence in the national elections being held this week, 70 percent approve of the new constitution, and 70 percent — including most people in Sunni and Shiite areas alike — want Iraq to remain a unified country.

Interest in politics has soared.

Preference for a democratic political structure has advanced, to 57 percent of Iraqis, while support for an Islamic state has lost ground, to 14 percent (the rest, 26 percent, chiefly in Sunni Arab areas, favor a "single strong leader.")

Whatever the current problems, 69 percent of Iraqis expect things for the country overall to improve in the next year — a remarkable level of optimism in light of the continuing violence there. However, in a sign of the many challenges ahead, this optimism is far lower in Sunni Arab-dominated provinces, where just 35 percent are optimistic about the country's future."

Ofcourse the article went on to list a bunch of negatives also. It wouldn't be an article from the MSM if they didn't. If you would like to read the whole article go here.

The third item is a good article by Thomas Sowell. Here are some excerpts:

"Our troops can kill ten times as many of the enemy as they kill and it just isn't news worth featuring, if it is mentioned at all, in much of the media. No matter how many towns are wrested from the control of the terrorists by American or Iraqi troops, it just isn't front-page news like the casualty reports or even the doom-saying of some politicians.


The fact that these doom-saying politicians have been proved wrong, again and again, does not keep their latest outcries from overshadowing the hard-won victories of American troops on the ground in Iraq.

The doom-sayers claimed that terrorist attacks would make it impossible to hold the elections last January because so many Iraqis would be afraid to go vote. The doom-sayers urged that the elections be postponed.


But a higher percentage of Iraqis voted in that election — and in a subsequent election — than the percentage of Americans who voted in last year's Presidential elections.


Utter ignorance of history enables any war with any casualties to be depicted in the media as an unmitigated disaster.
Even after Nazi Germany surrendered at the end of World War II, die-hard Nazi guerrilla units terrorized and assassinated both German officials and German civilians who cooperated with Allied occupation authorities.


But nobody suggested that we abandon the country. Nobody was foolish enough to think that you could say in advance when you would pull out or that you should encourage your enemies by announcing a timetable.


There has never been the slightest doubt that we would begin pulling troops out of Iraq when it was feasible. Only time and circumstances can tell when that will be. And only irresponsible politicians and the media think otherwise."

Calvin & Hobbes & Snowmen

I love Calvin & Hobbes and that is where I got another one of my children's names from. Sometimes he acts too much like Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes and I think, what was I thinking?:-). Anyway now that I know how to do the picture thing I thought it would be fun to post some snowmen cartoons.