Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Three Quotations

“He took words and sent them out to fight for us.” ~ Margaret Thatcher on Ronald Reagan and the Cold War

“The Founding Fathers knew a government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing.” ~ Ronald Reagan

“They keep talking about drafting a constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over two hundred years, and we're not using it anymore.” ~ Anonymous

Monday, April 14, 2008

John Podhoretz on Ronald Reagan

In PoliGazette - Speechwriter John Podhoretz on Ronald Reagan:

"I discovered, reading through the archives of his addresses, was that he was never hortatory. He never told his audience what they “must” do; he did not even say what “we must do.” It was not his place to do so; he worked for the American people, he was not their boss. He did talk about what politicians must do or should do to fulfill their compact with the people who elected them, but he did not place himself in a position superior to his employers. It was his view, rhetorically, that the American people were the repository of wisdom and he was just trying to discern what they believed and act according to it."

Sunday, April 06, 2008

From Reagan's First Inaugural

SouthCoastToday.com

'In this present crisis,' President Reagan said, 'government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.'

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

The Wrong Path

It isn't the homecoming they planned - Los Angeles Times:

'I see these protesters in California and elsewhere on TV, talking about pulling out of Iraq, and it makes me furious,' said Barb Bruner, co-owner of the Batavia Heights Christian Child Care center. 'I hear these politicians come here to Ohio, wanting our votes and talking about how Iraq was such a mistake. We've sacrificed too much to protect our country for you to tell me this was a mistake.'

Remember this piece of advice:

"No matter how far down the wrong path you've gone, when you discover your mistake, turn back."

By Barb Bruner's reasoning, no war could be a mistake, because every war involves a huge sacrifice. By her reasoning, you could never end any futile conflict until you had exhausted - sacrificed - all of your resources.

Ultimately, what soldier wants fight in a conflict where you throw good lives after bad, where you stubbornly compound mistakes because you have already sacrificed so much?

Opponents of the war may make you furious, Barb Bruner, but you are still mistaken in your reasoning.