I miss Ronald Reagan!
You know why? It’s down right depressing out there. And nobody … nobody … is saying anything positive. CNN’s homepage right now simply says: “Nightmare.” Fox: “Nations gas prices top $3.” … Iraq … Shehan … Floods … Oil Crisis … it’s all bad news. There is a “Positivity Vacuum” in our culture right now. We need some good news!
Even the normally uplifting Peggy Noonan - the lady who wrote some of President Reagan’s best speeches – has a depressing column regarding why we should keep military bases open. Granted, it may be prophetic – I do not doubt that – I’m just saying that we need to hear something positive right now.
In case you missed it, here’s some light reading:
Imagine (terrorists are) planning that on the same day in the not-so-distant future, they will set off nuclear suitcase bombs in six American cities, including Washington, which will take the heaviest hit. Hundreds of thousands may die; millions will be endangered. Lines will go down, and to make it worse the terrorists will at the same time execute the cyberattack of all cyberattacks, causing massive communications failure and confusion. There will be no electricity; switching and generating stations will also have been targeted. There will be no word from Washington; the extent of the national damage will be as unknown as the extent of local damage is clear. Daily living will become very difficult, and for months-food shortages, fuel shortages.
Who knows? Maybe she is dead-on right. But do we need one more thing to fear right now? I’m sick of hearing of “wars and rumors of wars” from the media. I miss Ronald Reagan. And if nobody is going to say or write something positive, I’m going to lean on “The Gipper” for some words to pull me through.
My friends, I urge you to read and think about the next few paragraphs …
Now let's not dismiss our current troubles, but where they see only problems, I see possibilities - as vast and diverse as the American family itself. Even as we meet, the rest of the world is astounded by the pundits and finger pointers who are so down on us as a nation.
Well I've said it before and I'll say it again - America's best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead. America remains what Emerson called her 150 years ago, "the country of tomorrow." What a wonderful description and how true. And yet tomorrow might never have happened had we lacked the courage in the 1980's to chart a course of strength and honor.
Here’s another one:
A fellow named James Allen once wrote in his diary, "Many thinking people believe America has seen its best days." He wrote that July 26, 1775. There are still those who believe America is weakening; that our glory was the brief flash of time known as the twentieth century; that ours was a burst of greatness too bright and brilliant to sustain; that America's purpose is past. My friends, I utterly reject those views. That's not the America we know. We were meant to be the masters of our destiny, not victims of fate.
My friends, I echo the thoughts of President Reagan. They are just as true today as they were in 1775 – or 1985 – for that matter. America’s best days are ahead. There, I said it.
