Ronald Reagan a tribute to a Great President

SPECIAL REPORT Reagan quoations

On freedom: "We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free." "No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." On politics: "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." "I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress." "Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." "Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement." "What makes him think a middle-aged actor [Clint Eastwood], who's played with a chimp, could have a future in politics?""Politics is just like show business. You have a hell of an opening, coast for a while, and then have a hell of a close." "Status quo, you know, that is Latin for "the mess we're in." On the assassination attempt: "To Nancy Reagan: Honey, I forgot to duck." "To surgeons as he entered the operating room, March 30, 1981: I hope you're all Republicans." On the Republican party: "We're the party that wants to see an America in which people can still get rich." On government: "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." "Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." "No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!" "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." o On economics: "I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself." "Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his." "Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man." "The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination." On communism: "How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." On foreign affairs: "History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap." "I couldn't help but say to [Mr. Gorbachev], just think how easy his task and mine might be in these meetings that we held if suddenly there was a threat to this world from another planet. [We'd] find out once and for all that we really are all human beings here on this earth together." Speech near the Berlin Wall, 1987: "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" "Trust, but verify." "We cannot play innocents abroad in a world that is not innocent." On the future: "My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose — somehow we win out." "America is too great for small dreams." "I hope that when you're my age you'll be able to say, as I have been able to say: we lived in freedom; we lived lives that were a statement, not an apology." "I have seen the rise and fall of Nazi tyranny, the subsequent cold war and the nuclear nightmare that for fifty years haunted the dreams of children everywhere. During that time my generation defeated totalitarianism. As a result, your world is poised for better tomorrows. What will you do on your journey?" Click here to go to Home Page

In Memory of Ronald Reagan 1911 - 2004

I thought this would be a wonderful experience for my daughter, said Wendy Mattina, who visited the library with her 9-year-old daughter.

Weve loved President Reagan our whole family have known about him since I was just little, she told NBC News. We want to come pay our respects to him. He was truly the greatest president weve ever had, and a great American.

Comfortable in his own skin
Reagan, who is often credited for winning the Cold War and the hearts of countless Americans with his skills as the “Great Communicator,” died Saturday at 93 after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The cause of death was pneumonia.

In a piece written for Time magazine before Reagans death, Nancy Reagan said her husband felt that his greatest accomplishment was finding a safe end to the Cold War.

I think they broke the mold when they made Ronnie,” she wrote. “He was a man of strong principles and integrity. He had absolutely no ego, and he was very comfortable in his own skin; therefore, he didn’t feel he ever had to prove anything to anyone.”

President Bush paid tribute to Reagan during a D-Day commemoration Sunday in France that drew leaders from more than a dozen countries.

“Twenty summers ago, another American president came here to Normandy to pay tribute to the men of D-Day. He was a courageous man, himself, and a gallant leader in the cause of freedom. And today we honor the memory of Ronald Reagan,” Bush said, prompting applause.

Carriage procession to Capitol
From California, the former presidents casket will be flown Wednesday to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington. A horse-drawn carriage will carry the casket, accompanied by a single drummer, to the Capitol that evening.

Public viewing of the casket will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday after an arrival ceremony at 7 p.m. closed to all except the family, members of Congress, visiting heads of state and other government officials. The Capitol Rotunda will remain open 24 hours a day until early Friday morning.

A state funeral will follow late Friday morning at Washington National Cathedral, where Bush will deliver the eulogy. Bush proclaimed Friday a day of national mourning and closed the federal government for the day.

The business of the U.S. government was expected to be subdued for the rest of the week, as well. In the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said no votes would be held except for those related to resolutions honoring Reagan.

World leaders are expected to attend the funeral. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher confirmed that they would be there, as well. That event also is closed to the public.

And Sen. John Kerry, who has announced plans to briefly furlough his presidential campaign out of respect to Reagan's memory, will attend funeral services for the former president on Friday, a spokeswoman said.

RONALD WILSON REAGAN 1911-2004
Day-to-day chronology of events for Reagan’s funeral





Reagan and Gorbachev worked together to steer their superpower nations away from nuclear confrontation and toward the end of Moscows empire. He has already entered history as a man who was instrumental in bringing about the end of the Cold War, Gorbachev said Sunday.

More than 100,000 people are expected to pay their respects at the Capitol, the U.S. Capitol Police said Sunday. Cameras will be forbidden, and backpacks and other bags will be strongly discouraged. All those wishing to view the former presidents body will have to pass through metal detectors and will be subject to search.

NBC News Pete Williams reported that Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was designating the Washington parts of the services to be a National Special Security Event, which will put the Secret Service in charge of security.

After the funeral services, the body will be flown back to California for a sunset burial in a crypt beneath a memorial site at the presidential library. The memorial, a curved wall adorned with shrubbery and ivy lines, has a three-line inscription from Reagan:

I know in my heart that man is good.
That what is right will always eventually triumph.
And theres purpose and worth to each and every life.

Battle with Alzheimers
Almost five years after he left office, the nations 40th president told the world in November 1994 that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimers disease. He said he had begun the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life.

He lived longer than any other U.S. president, spending his last decade in the shrouded seclusion wrought by his disease, tended by his wife and the few closest to him.

Although fiercely protective of Reagan’s privacy, the former first lady let people know that his mental condition had deteriorated terribly. Last month, she said: “Ronnie’s long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him.”

The U.S. flag over the White House was lowered to half-staff within an hour of Reagans passing, and there were moments of silence at ballparks and at the Belmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y.

George H.W. Bush, Reagans vice president, told NBC News: I was honored to be at President Reagans side for those eight years. I learned so much from him.

Bush said Reagan would be remembered for his principled stand against totalitarianism, against communism.

Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are the other surviving ex-presidents.

NBC Newschannels Jay Gray, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Please Click here to read some more wonderful quotes by The Gipper President Ronald Reagan

GEORGE BUSH

THE RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTAL LIBRARY


Isaiah40:31 Those who wait upon the Lord will renew there strength they well mount up with wings as eagles they well run and not be weary they will run and not faint .




“Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way.”




MR. REAGAN AND HIS WIFE BY THE LAKE








THE WHITE HOUSE IN THE SPRING

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Originally Posted by JG This is a picture I made today for Nancy Reagan. I hope you guys like it.