Can't let this day slip by without a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of America's most beloved presidents! A president whose legacy still resides with us, even today...
It has been 30 years since Ronald Reagan left the White House and nearly 15 since he died. As a second generation reaches adulthood since his time in Washington, it is important to remember what he meant to our country and how we still benefit. It was not yet “morning in America” when Reagan took office. His predecessor, Jimmy Carter, talked of a national malaise. The Iranians held American hostages, and OPEC had us over a barrel. Our economy was sclerotic, and America’s foes doubted our national will – our determination to stand up for our interests and principles around the world. Then came Reagan, a man of sunny disposition, can-do attitude and unshakeable belief in the goodness, ingenuity and determination of the American people.
His legacy is with us, even today. Communism is all but on the ash heap of history. Its last embers are dying in Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea.
Growth and prosperity have returned – thanks to the current administration’s Reaganesque tax cuts and deregulation. Once again, America is pursuing – and achieving – “peace through strength,” rebuilding our worn out military and dealing with ISIS just as the Gipper would have done.
Reagan faced no shortage of detractors in his day. Many on the left sought to dismiss him as nothing more than “a B movie actor,” an intellectual lightweight. But those who knew the man knew that was not the case at all.
He restored the federal system (though some of his efforts to devolve power to the states were overturned by later administrations).
He launched “privatization” of government – a practice that’s still saving taxpayers billions of dollars annually.
He appointed judges who respected the Constitution – just as President Trump is doing today.
He strengthened a military that been allowed to atrophy and decay – again, an area where Trump has had to follow Reagan’s example.
He knew how to deal with the Russians. He proclaimed the Reagan Doctrine – that American would come to the aid of freedom fighters to throw off Soviet tyranny – and ended the Brezhnev Doctrine, which claimed that all socialist countries would fight any effort to introduce capitalism to on their turf.
But Reagan’s legacy extended beyond policy matters. He challenged us to believe in ourselves, not government, to meet our challenges. He talked to Americans about the values we all hold dear – faith and family, work and community, peace and freedom. He urged them to aspire, to be creative and heroic and forward-thinking.
And he gave voice to a healthy skepticism about the notion that Washington can solve all the nation’s problems. “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Reagan said that in 1986, and it’s still being talked about.
A liberal Washington Post columnist recently complained that America’s “core problem is a dogmatic antigovernment attitude, reflected in Reagan’s quip. … This makes it impossible for us to have a constructive debate about what government is for, what tasks it should take on and what good it actually does.”
Actually, without Reagan, there might be no debate at all.
And without Reagan, the Soviet Union – in all its menacing malevolence – might yet exist. It was he who correctly assessed its economic and social vulnerabilities and saw a chance to end its reign of terror and tyranny.
Without Reagan, the notion that cutting taxes can lead to more growth, more prosperity and even more government revenue – the notion guiding our current economic resurgence – might never have been attempted.
Without Reagan, America’s place in the world – as the pre-eminent superpower no nation dares take on in a conventional war – might not be secure.
Ronald Reagan changed all that with commonsense policies, his unshakable faith in American ideals and the American people, and with boundless optimism. His legacy still lives, and America and the world are the richer for it.
AMEN! America salutes you, Mr. President. We thank you for your lasting legacy, and may we be so bold as to continue that pursuit of greatness.
"It was the best speech he has given and if he can consistently use the discipline he showed last night, he will be on track for re-election." ~ Erick Erickson
Trump's second SOTU speech may have been his best thus far. Every topic, every highlight, whether delivered perfectly or with a few awkward segues, whether crossing a faux pas here or a caveat there (yeah, I know, his tie was jacked #facepalm), all spoke to one centralized ideal: Greatness. And Americans took note with networks choking back their rage at both CNN and CBS polls showing 76% approval ratings! Unapologetically, Americans got it, guys.
These speeches are so peculiar to watch sometimes. I get that opposition parties are going to disagree with policies and stances of the party or president in power. I get that there's a significant partisan divide driven by the political classes and passed down to the country's citizens. Yet it still baffles me that Democrats simply don't want the common sense idea of greatness for our nation or its people.
When discussing the successes of employment being way up and more Americans off the government dole, particularly with regard to minorities...nothing from Dems. Not even applause. One of the few times Democratic hubris mustered a genuine will to vigorously celebrate came with Trump's acknowledgement of the freshmen sorority and general success stories of working women as of late (which is something of note, having Dem women who've otherwise displayed hatred for the man actually on their feet to his congratulatory pronouncements of 58% of women filling the new workforce and a bunch of them winning Congress! Oh, sweet irony). Otherwise... Tax reform? Historic regulation cuts? A leading exporter in energy for the first time in 60 years? Nope. They'd seem to rather tie up Congress with meaningless investigations leading nowhere and further keep the country and its people suppressed from true progress. Nonetheless, that didn't stop the President from trying to unite the room with these ideals of greatness.
The President really did a great job of delivering an uplifting speech. It was made more so by his careful use of guests to tell stories.
The President reminding us all of the nation’s great accomplishments while also saying our best accomplishments are still to come was a great moment. He found moments of bipartisanship that made a very divided room come together.
Nonetheless, Democrats were determined to display a divided state. Just with the hotbed of illegal immigration, where Dems demonstrate united support for the lawlessness of unfettered and unprotected open borders, and the repercussions resulting thereof, over the citizenry or those legally immigrating to our nation, becoming productive members of society and upholding the rule of law, consider the President's compelling remarks on the topic:
No issue better illustrates the divide between America’s working class and America’s political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards. Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration — reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net. Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate — it is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country. Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery. Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities — including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in 20 different American States, and they almost all come through our southern border. Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City. We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but until we secure our border they’re going to keep streaming back in.
These were compelling points by the President. They were not soundbites, but reasonable statistics and data that actually do back up his point. Then he made a reasonable compromise. It should be noted that when the President first suggested compromising, Nancy Pelosi leaned over to applaud as close to his ear as she could get. President Trump said
My Administration has sent to the Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall — but the proper wall never got built. I’ll get it built. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier — not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down.
That bolded part is the President’s reasonable compromise. Instead of a coast to coast wall or a major expansion, he’ll just take what the border patrol says it needs and it has said, since the Obama Administration, that it needs more.
Yet, as compelling as those points are, you've still got leaders of the I-gotta-be-against-him gang finding disagreement with the President's words to instead side with lawlessness?!
President Donald Trump calls on Congress to put "the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business"
President Trump should take this message to the campaign trail now to assure he'll have no problem running against and defeating Democratic candidates this radical.
An integral element, as well as a moral and ethical imperative, of greatness should always be Life. For without Life first, there can be no liberty, property or pursuit thereof. One would think that a cultural celebration of life in its most innocence would be a defining component of a successful society. The President attempted to bring the chamber's members together in this positive realization towards an agenda of Greatness. Unfortunately, Dems are still resistant to such an agenda. Why in hell would you not want to be Great in the celebration of Life together with Liberty? As my brother-in-law so succinctly stated, they can't celebrate life and liberty while murdering children at the same time. And make no bones about it: the utter insanity that the President called out with regard to NY and VA officials can no longer be sanitized with the mere coinage of 'reproductive rights' or even the word 'abortion'. This is infanticide. This is murder. And it is evil.
President Donald Trump gave a clear and forceful message on pro-life issues during the State of the Union Address.
He slammed the governors of New York and Virginia for promoting abortion up to birth and infanticide. And he called for Congress to pass a ban on late-term abortions on babies who are capable of feeling pain.
There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days.
Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world.
And then, we had the case of the governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb.
Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life.
And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth — all children — born and unborn — are made in the holy image of God.
Along with Erickson (and I'm certain Levin and a host of others), I applaud the President's strong stand on Life and calling out both that NY legislative abomination and VA Gov. Northam’s absurd remarks. Giving the Democrats’ infanticide position maximum exposure was paramount. We must seek to be a culture that cherishes innocent life!
There are of course many other moments to discuss, but one final point I wanted to highlight was the President's unequivocal repudiation of socialism, to the chagrin of Bernie's mug...
President Donald Trump took on socialism in his State of the Union address, noting its failure in Venezuela and promising America that our country will stay free.
Pres. Trump: "We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom, and we condemn the brutality of Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty" https://t.co/dBUcsFddFBpic.twitter.com/B9aQWovq2R
“Here in the United States, we are alarmed by the new calls to adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty and independence, and not government coercion, domination, and control,” Trump said. “We are born free, and we will stay free.”
"We are alarmed by the new calls to adopt socialism in our country," Pres. Trump says.
The cameras seemed to have purposefully kept their lenses off the freshman kook Ocasio-Cortez of the straight jacket brigade during the applause, but Noonan and Malliotakis took note...
And good natured with the white jackets, who I see some on twitter are calling the straight jackets. AOC had a rare bad night, looking not spirited, warm and original as usual but sullen, teenaged and at a loss. 2.
.@AOC looks like someone who just found out an MS13 gang member in our country illegally committed a murder on a subway platform in her district after she spent months calling for ICE to be abolished. Oh wait... https://t.co/VERZr37Leo
Seriously, though. Trump's address of these socialist efforts and encroachments needed to be addressed and compared to the continued failures that the world demonstrates time and time again when a culture embraces the primary tenants of socialism. It's a disaster for them, and it would be a catastrophe for the United States.
President Trump ended his speech with an elegant request for unity towards Greatness, in liberty, freedom and exceptionalism...
Everything that has come since -- our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice -- all of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before.
Think of this Capitol -- think of this very chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure civil rights, to face down an evil empire.
Here tonight, we have legislators from across this magnificent republic. You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California. Together, we represent the most extraordinary Nation in all of history.
What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?
I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to dream.
We must choose whether we are defined by our differences -- or whether we dare to transcend them.
We must choose whether we will squander our inheritance -- or whether we will proudly declare that we are Americans. We do the incredible. We defy the impossible. We conquer the unknown.
This is the time to re-ignite the American imagination. This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star. This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots.
This is our future -- our fate -- and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness.
No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together.
We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in America's destiny -- that one Nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise and the light and the glory among all the nations of the world!
So again, I'd repeat myself: President Trump should take ALL of these quintessential messages (National Sovereignty, Life, Liberty) onto the campaign trail NOW, demonstrating the Greatness they exemplify as he did last night, to both invigorate the American People and to insure the defeat of these unAmerican Democratic radicals who continue to flush the nation down a cesspool of fundamental transformation, resembling something we were never meant to be, nor ever should.
Since Pelosi and Schumer seem hellbent on unsecured borders and endlessly holding up government employees' pay with their Pravda-like media painting Trump as the cause of it all, the President turns to Plan B...
TRS: Trump announced an end to the government shutdown that will only last until February 15.
It will allow government workers to get paid AND will allow Congress time to fund the border wall.
But if they don’t get him a fair deal on the border wall, Trump says the government will shutdown again:
JUST IN: "We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier. If we don't get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shutdown on February 15 again or I will use the powers afforded to me...to address this emergency." https://t.co/w0K6ccMKt9pic.twitter.com/68gUwwiRHp
As you can see, Trump suggests the emergency option as well as another government shutdown. I think that’s because he wants to wait and see the political climate in three weeks.
But my expectation is if the Congress doesn’t give him a fair deal on the wall, he’ll shut the government down again. After having gone through this once, I don’t think anyone will want to go through it again, which means the pressure will be mounting quite heavily as we get closer to February 15th. And Trump will likely continue to hold that over the head of Democrats to use as leverage.
As I said in the comments, I think it’s a good strategy and I think it’s potentially a winning strategy.
My theory:
Trump reopens the government temporarily and tells Democrats that we’re gonna be right back here in another government shutdown in a few weeks if they don’t fund the border wall. I don’t expect a National Emergency order yet.
Pelosi's already basking in the glow of her media sycophants, as are neo-cons raving about Trump caving, but there is strategy here, folks, that plays out in just a few short weeks. Hang tight.
...it is the House that is responsible for appropriating funds, not President Trump. Therefore, it is the Democrats in the House who are responsible for keeping the government shut down.
“Nancy Pelosi effectively controls the appropriation process in the House of Representatives. It falls to the House. She rules the House like Kim Jong Un,” Levin started.
“So she controls whether or not the government will be funded fully. She controls whether or not we’ll get a measly 5.7 billion dollars to build barriers, among other things, in some of these gap areas on the … border. So she’s blocking the spending. She’s blocking the wall. She is blocking everything.”
[Mark] lit into the American media for their lack of standards and the blurred line between fact and opinion rampant in journalism today.
“Freedom of speech and freedom of the press go hand in hand. And when you have almost a monopolistic, pack mentality — groupthink — in the mass media and the major media, it undermines a republic. Look at it as free speech: If speech pretty much only went one way, you wouldn’t have a free society, now would you?” Levin said.
Levin pointed out that unlike lawyers, doctors, or other professionals, journalists are not held to rules of professional conduct.
“They’re the ones destroying freedom of the press. The mass media are committed, in this country, to sabotaging this presidency, and that undermines this republic. I’m not talking about tough, aggressive reporting, I’m talking about advocacy. ... And so you have the BuzzFeed situation. You have the Covington situation. You have the Kavanaugh situation. You have endless false reporting about the president and Russia; about his children and Russia. And so they issue their apologies and their corrections — if they issue their apologies and corrections — and they move on.”
“These people will self-servingly tell you that ‘we can still be objective.’ But as they say, the proof is in the pudding, and they’re not. ... And so we get what we get, and in my view, we’re back to yellow journalism.”
Put another way, as Levin finalized:
"The fourth estate (the media) has become the fifth column, undermining the country from within. That, in a thumbnail sketch, is what's taking place in the country."
[Mark] tore into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for disinviting President Trump from giving a State of the Union address in Congress during the government shutdown.
“Nancy Pelosi has hijacked the federal government; that’s why part of it is closed. She has unilaterally decided that our borders will be open, and now she has undermined this tradition of a president speaking before both Houses of Congress,” Levin said.
“The speaker of the House is an American fascist.”
CR: Although Pelosi was elected as one of 435 members of the House, representing only San Francisco, she climbed her way to the top of leadership only to hijack the government appropriations process and shut down part of the government; block the president from delivering the State of the Union address in the House for the first time ever; and obstruct border security to protect the American citizenry and immigrants alike and uphold national sovereignty. It is Pelosi, not Trump, who is the authoritarian.
Meet the faces of those whose families have been impacted by the utter lawlessness propagated on Capitol Hill by leftist Democrats, and crony capitalist Republicans alike, because those voices in highest opposition, namely Schumer and Pelosi, won't! And let me go ahead and preface this by stating what will be the obvious: these are legal immigrant mothers speaking out!
FNin: A mother whose son was killed by an illegal immigrant challenged top Democrats Monday on Fox News @ Night over their opposition to fund a border wall.
Sabine Durden's son, Dominic, was killed in 2012 when a truck slammed into his motorcycle. The truck’s driver, Juan Zacarias Tzun, was an illegal immigrant with two felonies and two DUIs.
"Meet me face to face. Give me five minutes," she asked of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "I just want to, mother-to-mother, look you in the eyes and ask you if you want to feel this way."
Durden said that the "crisis" at the country's southern border is not manufactured, the claim of many Democrats opposed to funding a wall.
Polls are now showing that people are beginning to understand the Humanitarian Crisis and Crime at the Border. Numbers are going up fast, over 50%. Democrats will soon be known as the Party of Crime. Ridiculous that they don’t want Border Security!
"I'm tired of being insulted and re-victimized by politicians who don't speak up for us," she said. "They speak up for illegals, for law-breakers."
She also criticized the "absolute insanity" of those who believe a border wall would make America less safe...
As an aside, so CATO's point is to continue compounding our nation's crime with illegal immigration?! Obfuscation and distraction from the issue at hand that we can absolutely prevent with enforcement and the rule of law!
Angel Moms attempted to speak on behalf of their lost loved ones to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who flagrantly offered a mere dollar towards border security efforts. Unfortunately, Nance couldn't be bother or even fake acknowledge their loved ones. Disgraceful.
BB: Angel Moms described the moment they confronted Pelosi’s congressional staff and tried to meet with her over her opposition to stopping illegal immigration.
Sabine Durden, who lost her son Dominic when he was murdered by an illegal alien, said Pelosi’s ignoring the American victims of illegal alien crime was nothing short of “hurtful.”
“The doors stayed closed, we got this bored look from her receptionist,” Durden described of the protest. “We just knew that she was somewhere in there and they just didn’t want to give us the time of day. We didn’t want to have a long meeting and at least have her acknowledge us, but nothing. Nothing, none of that.”
“It’s so disrespectful, it’s unbelievably hurtful, and you feel re-victimized by her because of her flippant statements and acting like this is not a serious problem,” Durden said.
By midweek, an Angel Mom spoke up when Chuck Schumer had the audacity to mock the moms' plight by carting out enlarged photos of furloughed federal workers, that he and Pelosi have put in such a state by the way, because THEY have shutdown the government in opposition to border security and lawful immigration enforcement! You can guess which effort the lib media covered...
BB: “Angel Mom” Agnes Gibboney blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Wednesday for a media event earlier in the day in which he and fellow Senate Democrats appeared before press cameras on Capitol Hill with large photographs of furloughed federal workers.
Sen. Schumer is leading delegation of Senators, holding pictures of federal workers affected by shutdown. “President Trump, look at the pain and suffering you are causing.” pic.twitter.com/5vRc1MYuZx
Gibboney and fellow “Angel Families” had visited Capitol Hill the day before, carrying similar photos of loved ones who had been killed by illegal aliens.
They had attempted to speak with Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-NY) — but as members of the group told Breitbart News, neither Democrat leader would speak with them.
Appearing on a Facebook Live video Wednesday afternoon, Gibboney — herself a legal immigrant — declared that she was “frustrated” that Democrats “bring attention to those missing a paycheck” but not “those missing a loved one.”
“How about the many stories about those of us that have been hurt by illegal aliens. … Is a paycheck more important than a life?” she asked.
“Schumer wants the president to see the faces of those affected by the shutdown. Oh, my God. … When have Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi looked at our faces? … Never.”
And the corporatists are right their alongside their Democratic colleagues. Angel Moms have taken note as well...
BB: Angel Mom Agnes Gibboney is blasting the hypocrisy of U.S. corporations who have vowed to help furloughed federal workers during the government shutdown, saying she “never” received an ounce of help when her son was murdered by an illegal alien.
Banks, wireless phone companies, and restaurants have set up hotlines where furloughed federal workers can call and receive help during the government shutdown as House and Senate Democrats refuse to fund a border wall to stop illegal immigration.
Gibboney — whose 29-year-old son Ronald Da Silva was killed by an illegal alien in 2002 in El Monte, California — says that help from corporate America was never extended to her when she lost her sons.
“Never, never,” Gibboney said when asked if any businesses had stepped in to help her pay for her son’s funeral services. “In fact, it was all a business. Buy a casket, make the funeral arrangements, and if you want to be present for the opening and the closing of the ground, they charge you $350.”
“Everything was charged,” Gibboney said. I was given nothing.”
Gibboney also slammed Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) after he appeared to mock Angel Families by holding up giant portraits of furloughed federal employees on Capitol Hill. Angel Families are known to protest and rally for immigration enforcement by carrying photos of their loved ones who have been killed and murdered by illegal aliens.
“Look, my son was murdered. He will never have a paycheck,” Gibboney said:
He will never get a back paycheck. And they’re complaining because this is the second or third week … how insane is that. America ought to be outraged with Congress, and I hope any Democrat out there would turn against [Democrat leadership] and say “You guys have gone too far. You do not mock families who have lost a loved one and compare them to someone who is losing a paycheck.”
“He’s mocking Angel Families,” Gibboney said. “He’s mocking those of us who have lost a child to an illegal alien. How condescending, how rude, how cold can a grown man, an old man, be and so childish at the same time. This was an insult, an insult. If they want to end this government shutdown, all [the Democrats] have to do is agree to something they agreed with before President Trump was the president.”
If you play anything on this post, make sure it's Agnes' FBlive message!
The vast majority of Americans should be standing alongside these brave women and DEMAND border security NOW!
This repeated battle to secure our border wasn't the bang we wanted to start out the New Year...
But Newt was right a few months back...
And Pres. Trump is right NOW...
TRS: President Trump just addressed the nation [last night] on the border crisis in an effort to explain to the American people why we desperately need both to secure the border and create border barriers on the southern border. And why Democrats who refuse to fund it, must do so.
BRAVO! Of course, Democrats care nothing for border security. Just anti-Trump, all the time, and they've shown it so much so that the left's own can't ignore the leadership's absurdity...
TRS: Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer didn’t win any awards last night for their ‘disappointing’ response to Trump’s Oval Office speech last night, not even from the left.
The border wall standoff exposes the Democrats’ vile hypocrisy, and the leftist propaganda is flowing like a river. Levin discusses and explains the important facts.
The news of an American president's passing, regardless of political persuasion, usually gives citizens pause to reflect on the individual, American living in general and perhaps one's own mortality, seemingly surpassing the bickering of the day, if but for a fleeting moment, to restore some semblance of civility above the common discord. And the loss of 41 has been no exception.
Late Friday night, shortly after 10:10pm, the country was alerted to the passing of President George H. W. Bush. Of course, from then and throughout the week, the flags have been lowered and the media has been somewhat at bay (ok, not really), as a nation mourns the passing of it's 41st president.
By now, with such a lengthy life of 94 years, many books have covered the presidency of Bush 41, and one can sift through any number of those to find a plethora of approval and criticism for the man. If I'm honest, I've found both admirable traits and undesirable decisions of either Bush's presidencies. Nonetheless, that doesn't diminish the character of either as good Americans who wanted the best for their country. Adding to that, we've bore witness to a historic presidential relationship of father and son. And it's upon that intimate bond that's been one of the more powerful images to behold throughout 41's final send-off...
WaPo: This is new. Americans have never watched a president say goodbye to another president who was also his father. And the moment proved to be as personal as it was historic.
As George W. Bush spoke before the casket containing the body of George H.W. Bush at Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday, his face was a map of pain. He held his composure until the end of his eulogy. Then his voice shook and, finally, he broke down and sobbed. ...
“Through our tears, let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man, the best father a son or daughter could have,” Bush said, tearfully slumping in his grief.
There has long been speculation about the relationship between the first father and son to reach the White House since John Adams and John Quincy Adams two centuries ago. (The younger Adams learned of the elder’s death only after his burial.) Historians have scoured the path both Bushes took...
But the reality was simpler, historians say, and was visible in George W. Bush’s grief, as the 43rd president remembered the 41st.
“We tested his patience," his oldest son told mourners. “I know I did.”
Rather than Greek drama, the Bushes had an ordinary father-son bond that played out in extraordinary settings, these scholars contend. There were good times and bad, periods of distance and rebellion, the pain of loss and the joy of triumph. But whatever the weather, the climate was always loving.
Watch this POWERFUL eulogy from a son to a father...
...and reciprocally, we see the love of a father for his son, his entire family, and undoubtedly his nation...
CP: The final words of President George H. W. Bush tell us a lot about the kind of man he was, and especially the kind of father he was.
At 94 years old and ailing from Parkinson’s and the pains of old age, Bush said he was ready to go. He told his family he wanted to be with Barbara, his wife of 73 years, and Robin, the child they lost long ago to leukemia. And in a final conversation, his oldest son, George W. Bush, told him he had been a “wonderful father.” His father’s reply—and final words—were: “I love you, too.”
These final sentiments from Bush were touching and not surprising.
The death of that little girl Robin 65 years ago was the enduring heartbreak of his and his wife’s life. ...
George H. W. Bush said he “learned the true meaning of grief when Robin died.” Though he firmly believed she was “in God’s loving arms,” the pain never went away. ...
In his final moments, George H. W. Bush was thinking about reunification with that three-year-old girl.
Also poignant was the fact that the parting words the elder Bush heard was that he had been a wonderful father. It was fitting that the oldest Bush child, now the family patriarch, would express that sentiment for the family.
George W. referred to his father as “the world’s greatest dad.” At the start of his Republican convention speech in Philadelphia in August 2000, in a subtle reference to President Bill Clinton allegedly calling him “daddy’s boy” two days earlier, George W. looked toward his father’s seat and proclaimed before a national audience, “I am proud to be your son.”
...the takeaway is this: George W. Bush considered his father his “hero.” And he certainly wasn’t the only Bush child that felt that way. And for a dad, even one of so many great achievements, that’s a pretty good way to go.
May George be reunited with his beloved Barbara and daughter Robin, glorifying the Lord God Almighty.
REMEMBER thy servant, O Lord, according to the favour which thou bearest unto thy people, and grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, he may go from strength to strength, in the life of perfect service, in thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. ~ 1 Timothy 4:4-5
Despite our constant inundations, we have a lot to be thankful for in this great nation, namely the blessings bestowed on us by God Almighty. And it is with that truth that we're reminded of the real story of Thanksgiving...
A very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! God Bless.
Yesterday, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, which in the U.S. later became known as Veterans Day, yet many observe the latter today. Here's why...
SL: On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as “the Great War.” Though the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, marked the official end of the war, the American public still viewed November 11 as the date that marked the end of the Great War. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson commemorated November 11 as Armistice Day.
Unfortunately, “the war to end all wars” did not, and the United States was soon embroiled in World War II and then the Korean War. In 1954, after lobbying efforts by veterans’ service organizations, the 83rd U.S. Congress amended the 1938 act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the word “Armistice” in favor of “Veterans.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954. From then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
In 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill. By celebrating Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day, (all celebrated on Mondays) this ensured that federal employees would receive four three-day weekends. The observation of Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday in October, and the first Veterans Day under the new law was Monday, October 25, 1971. Many states disapproved of this change and continued to observe the holiday on its original date of November 11. Recognizing that the actual date of Veterans Day carried historical and patriotic significance to many Americans, in 1975 President Gerald Ford signed legislation returning the observation of Veterans Day back to November 11.
Regardless of the slight discrepancy in commemoration and observance, Veterans Day, as we've come to recognize it, honors the service of ALL American veterans, living or deceased. We especially thank our living veterans who've served honorably during times of war or peace. So despite the politics of the day, the vast majority of our grateful nation say, "THANK YOU and GOD BLESS!"
