June 7, 2004

Ronald Reagan - Simple Truths

Ronald Reagan, a man of great love, character and accomplishments, will be front and center in all our minds as the country mourns his death for the rest of this week culminating in the first state funeral in 30 years in Washington, D.C and then with a sunset burial in California on Friday.

We remember and recall him all the better because we can listen to his voice, hear the stories and see the videos and pictures again, and many younger people will connect to him for the first time. Sound and images can revivify in an extraordinary way. Will your family, your grandchildren and great grandchildren be able to see and hear you?

What I most admired about President Reagan was his ability to speak clearly, confidently and without embarassment about simple truths, giving hope to many millions of people, here and abroad. These are my favorite three stories culled from the media torrent

Natan Sharansky, the Soviet dissident turned Israeli official, tells a story of Reagan in today's Jerusalem Post.

    In 1983, I was confined to an eight-by-ten-foot prison cell on the border of Siberia. My Soviet jailers gave me the privilege of reading the latest copy of Pravda. Splashed across the front page was a condemnation of President Ronald Reagan for having the temerity to call the Soviet Union an "evil empire." Tapping on walls and talking through toilets, word of Reagan's "provocation" quickly spread throughout the prison. We dissidents were ecstatic. Finally, the leader of the free world had spoken the truth--a truth that burned inside the heart of each and every one of us.

Michael Novak wrote in the Wall Street Journal in 2002. via Vodkapundit

    Some years [after the revolutions of 1989], in fact, U.S. arms negotiators, reminiscing over the bad old days with their now-no-longer Soviet counterparts at a happy dinner, were interrupted by a fist slamming down upon the table. "You know what caused the downfall of the Soviet Union? You know what did it?" demanded a senior general, a little flush with vodka.

    Some racked their brains with thoughts of missile defense, perpetual shortages of everything from soap to vodka, the U.S. military buildup. The general banged his fist again.
    "That damn speech about the evil empire! That's what did it!" The general was standing now, and to the questioning eyes of one American he added: "It was an evil empire. It was."

Will Collier, writing for Vodkapundit recalls a long train ride he shared as a college student with a Yugoslavian.

    One thing I did understand, and remember vividly today, was his visceral reaction to the name "Reagan." His eyes lit up at its mention, and he spoke in great animation of the portrait of a former American President that hung in a place of honor in his home. "People say, ‘he was just actor,'" he said, "but I know—WE know. Reagan..." his English failed for a moment, and finally he pounded a fist into his other hand in pantomime.

    "Beat?" I offered.

    "Beat! Yes, beat!" He cried. "Reagan BEAT Communism! We know! And we will never forget!"”

Posted by Jill Fallon at June 7, 2004 4:10 PM | Permalink