A Great Celt Passes On, Ronald Reagan Dies 6/5/2004

A great descendant of Celtic ancestors, a great American, and a great Man went on to meet his maker today. God Bless Ronald Reagan and comfort his family in their time of need.

My condolences go out to the family of Ronald Reagan. My whole family knows how painful it is to watch Alzheimer's slowly kill a loved one. That disease claimed my grandmother and is claiming my uncle.

President Bush's Remarks Upon the Death of President Ronald Reagan

Ambassador's Residence
Paris, France

THE PRESIDENT: This is a sad hour in the life of America. A great American life has come to an end. I have just spoken to Nancy Reagan. On behalf of our whole nation, Laura and I offered her and the Reagan family our prayers and our condolences.

Ronald Reagan won America's respect with his greatness, and won its love with his goodness. He had the confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that comes with character, the grace that comes with humility, and the humor that comes with wisdom. He leaves behind a nation he restored and a world he helped save.

During the years of President Reagan, America laid to rest an era of division and self-doubt. And because of his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny. Now, in laying our leader to rest, we say thank you.

He always told us that for America, the best was yet to come. We comfort ourselves in the knowledge that this is true for him, too. His work is done, and now a shining city awaits him. May God bless Ronald Reagan.

He will be missed

I've really debated myself as whether to post this or not. Personally I thought Reagan did a great job as President. And I don't want to do anything that will cast a negative light on his passing.

But...

The Democrats, and Liberals, claim themselves to be the more compassionate group. They generally denounce war, and they uphold the rights of every niche group in America, while at the same time calling Conservatives racist, fascists, and generally evil people. Nice.

So I decided to venture over to DemocraticUnderground.com to see their take on Reagan's death. Here's a sample from http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...d=1726149&page=

- I've waited for this day for 24 long years, now i'm celebrating. i don't care what killed him, alzhiemers or the black plague, i'm glad he's dead and i don't care how many times i'm scolded or chastised for it. the day he took office was the most depressing day of my life, and i swore, that on the day he died, i'd drink a toast of celebration and figuratively p--- on his grave and have said so to several gingrich sucking reagan worshipping d--kheads. f--- ronald reagan, and i hope in some small way my f--- you counteracts all the b------ we are going to be hammered with for a f---ing month after the fall of this 'greeeeeaaaaaat human being'. f--- you ronnie, here's to ya pal. see ya in hell.

Wow. Here's others (titles only):

- woo woo!
- Raise my glass too!
- Yup, one less Nazi terrorist in the word, w. the death of Ronald Raygun.
- I second that!
- I third it!
- I agree with this statement
- Goes double for me.
- Well said
- Amen!!!
- Did the fam euthanize the old Nazi?
- I am partying right along with you
- ya i agree
- Time for a toast!
- couldn't agree more...
- Raising a can of Mountain Dew
- only the good die young, the evil just keep living & living & living...
- i p--- on your precious reagan's grave
- PARTY!!!!!!!
- Putting on my dancing shoes!
- hell is one citizen richer today
- I love it..my thoughts excatley!!! Lets toast!!!!
- Celebrate folks!!! F--- all republican fascist!!!!
- Well-said!

There also is a similar opinion by Greg Palast of the UK Guardian at
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=336&row=0
(although the link appears to be overwhelmed).

Were you listening to 'Prairie Home Companion' your local public radio station on Saturday? It's a live broadcast, you know. In the middle of that broadcast Garrison Keillor told the audience that Ronald Reagan had died. You could hear liberals in the audience cheering and clapping.

This morning CNN's Candy Crowley said that Reagan was the president who cut taxes but almost doubled the deficit. Not one mention of the tremendous economic growth that followed Reagan's tax cuts.

Perhaps Reagan's greatest accomplishment was his ending of the Cold War. Now this is one accomplishment the left will never give Reagan credit for. The very moves he made to bring the Soviet Union to its knees were moves that were vehemently opposed by the left. Stationing Pershing nuclear-tipped missiles in Western Europe would be a prime example. Reagan did this to answer threatening Soviet moves. The left said Reagan was going to hasten a nuclear war with the Soviets. The Soviets saw it differently. They saw it as resolve. It also became clear to them that this president would match them move for move. The Soviet Union soon spent itself into insolvency.

Just last week Thomas Friedman at the New York Times wrote an article giving credit for setting in motion the chain of events that brought down the Soviet Union to George Bush (41), to Brent Scowcroft and James Baker, and to European leaders such as Margaret Thatcher and Francois Mitterrand. There was no mention of Ronald Reagan. Why? Did any Democratic president ever ask the Soviet Union to tear down the wall in Berlin?

Even actor Danny Glover, speaking at an anti-war rally in Los Angeles this weekend, said, "People want to elevate him to some mythic level; they have their own reason for doing that." Typical liberal. Everyone has an agenda but them.

I guess the Liberal/Democrat stance can best be summed up like this: "Now it's 'Downtime for Bonzo'. My friend always said that he would die on a liberal holiday. Any day he died would be a liberal holiday!"; tony jones - http://www.democrats.org/blog/comment/00010708.html

Nice.

Just imagine the media outrage, worldwide, if anything approaching this was said at Clinton's death.

I'm moving this thread up to the general discussion area for the next week since we will be having the first state funeral in over 30 years in the U.S.

What is amazing about Ronald Reagan is that he appealed not only to republicans, but also to democrats and independents. I think todays politicians could learn a bit from studying this man. Forever the optimist, good hearted and a bringer of people together. He did not engage in attacks and negative ad campaigns. A true diplomat.

For better or worse, he changed the landscape of America even to this day. Made us proud to be Americans again and restored hope and confidence in a nation after the bitter memories of Vietnam.

Above all else he was a leader, and right or wrong, he believed in what he was doing and did not base his thoughts or ideas on the polls.

My most vivid recollection of Reagan is when he was shot by John Hinkley, his thoughts after the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, Jelley Beans, how devoted he was to his wife, and his famous speech "Mr. Gorbochev, tear down this wall".

I am sorry for Ronnie's family and I am sorry for his suffering but, and I hate to say this, my most vivid memory of Ronald Reagan is a bad one.

My father died in '78 when I was still a freshman in high school. I was able to draw Social Security benefits. My mom put it in a bank account for me hoping to keep it to help me with my college education, but she ended up having to use quite a bit of it just to make ends meet at the house. Her single income just wasn't enough to take care of all of the bills as well as 3 kids at home.

Any way, my senior year of high school was '81-'82. That year, Ronnie Reagan signed a law into effect that said if you were 17 and drawing Social Security beneftis you had to be enrolled as a full-time college student or you would lose your benefits. I was still a senior in high school! That meant I had to go to full-time high school calsses during the day and leave straight from high school to go to our local community college for full-time night classes! And I wasn't the only one! There were about 8 kids in my senior class who had the same dilemma! This took just about all of SS money, which meant things were even tighter at home for my mom.

My high school grades plummeted and my college grades suffered tremendously! I didn't have enough time to get all of my homework done much less find time to study! And I lost right around 40 pound during this time because I didn't have time to eat! I had avoided getting my driver's license simply because I didn't have need of it before, but I had to go get it just for my trips to school!

Anyway, this kinda put a damper on my feelings toward Ronnie as a president.

Even so, rest in peace big guy. At least now you're not suffering any more!

P.S I wouldn't dream of saying some of the things that were posted in that other post accredited to democrats! How disrespectful and horrible! Whether or not you agreed with his politics, he still deserves a little human kindness! Some people just have no couth or taste whatsoever!

It is very sad when anyone suffers with Alzheimers. Sad when people loose their compassion for someone just because they don't agree with their politics. I didn't agree with all that Reagan did but he was a person who suffered tremendously, not only him but his whole family. Regan's race is done upon this earth and now he will rest.

maggiemahone1

If you have ever looked at pictures of any president before they took office and after they left office, I am sure you will have noticed how much they all aged. The pressure has to be unbelievable. I personally would not want a loved one to have the job to lead our great country. Regardless of what our country does, we are criticized. Whether or not I agree with the actions of any president while in office, I honestly believe that they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. Maybe I am naive, but I think every presidrent has done some good while in office.


My prayers go out to the entire Reagan family.

I spent most of my active duty under Carter, suffice it to say he and some of his advisors were tremendously naive. Maybe someday I'll relate the less than gallant duties we had to perform on specific orders that were derived in Foggy Bottom and Carter gave to the Navy to perform. Then he couldn't even get us paid a couple of years, no passed budget, he couldn't even get a continuing resolution to at least pay the troops. Ms. Sea Dog had a job so we could get by until the Eagle flew again but the junior enlisteds had some real tough times.

Then President Reagan came on board and the morale and spirit in the Armed Forces just skyrocketed. We knew things were going to get better and they did. We had had to live with politicians, pundits, pusillanimous pedants and professors that espoused the doctrine of moral relativism, that the Soviet Empire was the moral equal if not moral superior to the United States. That to survive we had to appease and surrender to the progressive empire to avoid nuclear annihilation, that Reagan would have us crisped immediately. We had a Commander-in-Chief that was a realist, he knew who and what the enemy was, who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. And he wasn't afraid to stand up and say it.

He took this country and the world and got them turned around and pointed in the right direction and we are all the better for it.

I am not the least bit sad at the passing of Ronald Reagan. No, I'm very greatful that he died. The reason for my joy? In my estimation, never has there been a man more deserving of final rest from all his work. After years of suffering, on the heels of such a life, I'm so glad the pain and anguish is all over, for Ronald Reagan, and his entire family. I pray that God has taken him with angels of mightily swift wings to his mansion in Glory.






Ronald Reagan took a nation that was greatly devided, and united it. He took a people that were downhearted, and lifted them. He took a military that lacked "umph" and umphed it. He took me, a young man with little direction and zero political sense, and made a patriotic soldier out of him. I proudly served under Ronald Reagan. In Grenada, I fought tyranny with him as my leader, and did so with much honor. Not the honor, duty, country type of honor, no, I WAS HONORED to represent him on the battle field. For eight years I watched as our country became stronger, and greatly more confident. I saw him end over 2 decades of fear with the craftiness and nobility of a dyed-in-the-wool leader, seemingly single-handedly dissolving the tug-of-war that held two nations tetering on the brink of dissaster. I have great respect for the memory of this wonderful human, and can only pray that some day, our nation will once again be BLESSED with a leader of this calibre.

I love you Ronald Reagan, rest now with your God and Saviour. Peace be yours forever.

well met scshamrock.... what a great man he was! what a great man he was

I agree with dundee, SCShamrock. You expressed it very eloquently.

I agree with BluegrassLady and dundee, what a great post!!!

During my stint in the US Navy I served under four Presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. I was never more proud of my uniform, my Country, or my Commander in Chief than under Ronald Reagan.

God Bless and keep Ronald Reagan, God Bless the United States of America,

MacE

PS: Thanks Macfive for moving this thread to the General Discussion Forum!