Easter Message From President Reagan
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 41 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
A wonderful address … made all the more painful when you consider the prospect of 4 more years of Obama.
$5.00 gas, three wars, and the continuation of the Great Recession may shorten that timespan considerably! (I hope! :))
It was a wonderful address 🙂
@Donald
“$5.00 gas, three wars, and the continuation of the Great Recession may shorten that timespan considerably! (I hope! 🙂 )”
I hated this kind of comments when President Bush (e.g. wished for the economy got worse so a democrat got in , guess what it did and we have a democrat in office. who won? not the American people ) was in so you would want America to fail to push your political agenda right or left? I feel comments like this does not move us forward as a country, but its this mindset that is part of the problem for the last 30 years.
I will instead pray for our country to maybe one day remove all the corruption on both left and right. And maybe have completely new parties in the future.
“I feel comments like this does not move us forward as a country, but its this mindset that is part of the problem for the last 30 years. ”
Hilarious. No, the main problem for this country at the present time is that we are saddled with a President who is completely clueless. He represents a wing of the Democrat party that sincerely believes that the government can legislate prosperity, and that chanting “bring the troops home” will solve our foreign policy problems. His nostrums on the economy have made a bad situation worse, and his foreign policy illustrates the same ham handedness. Criticizing Obama is not the probem, keeping mum about the fact that he is the worst President since James Buchanan is.
Alex,
Please pray strenuously. If Obama gets re-elected, this country (if in November 2012 anything survives) will need a MIRACLE. Hope and change: the end of the World as we knew it.
Obama is purely and simply a demagogue. Everything he says and does is either a lie or an act meant to tear down certain citizens and wreck the (he believes) evil, unjust American way of life. Either that or he and his hundreds of “geniuses” are complete idiots. And, want to you compare our communications of the evil he is doing to us to eight years of dishonest, vicious attacks on a decent man.
Reagan was invited to Princess Di’s (she improved that inbred gene pool 10,000%) wedding. Obama no. Class shows.
Juxtaposed to Lincoln, of course, Buchanan comes off badly, but, given time, Obama will prove to be the worst ever. At least Buchanan had a much better resume than Obama going into the White House and actually believed in restraint of government. Don’t laugh, but I think Pat Buchanan would have made a good president because isolationism sounds awfully good right now.
Might I remind people that President Reagan’s foreign policy supported murderous regimes in Central and South America, leading to the deaths and/or torture of thousands of Catholics, including backing the government in El Salvador responsible for the martyrdom of Archbishop Romero, along with other Catholic clergy and layworkers. He supported bloody insurgent groups, like the Contras in Nicaragua and UNITA in Angola. He provided support to the apartheid regime of South Africa.
And yet, he is held in high esteem here.
He was probably napping at the time. : )
Actually David you need reminding that Reagan was fighting against movements that planned to create carbon copies of Cuba throughout Central America. Many Catholics on the left in this country supported these movements, ignoring their human rights abuses and the miserable treatment of the Catholic Church by all Communist regimes. Under Reagan the Communist insurgeny in El Salavador was ultimately stimied, with the insurgents laying down their arms and agreeing to participate in elections. In Nicaragua the Sandinistas were forced by the pressure of the Contras to agree to a fair election which they lost in 1990. Of course John Paul II was a dedicated foe of the Sandinista regime as he made clear in his visit in 1983 and rejoiced in their electoral defeat.
In regard to Unita, the MPLA were kept in power by Cuban military intervention. US support for Unita allowed for an eventual negotiated settlement leading to the withdrawal of the Cuban troops and the Angolan government moving away from its Communist roots. Unita is now a political party in Angola and recognized the 2008 elections as fair.
Reagan did not support the South African regime. He called for constructive engagement with it, which actually was quite similar to the policy he followed with the Soviet Union under Gorbachev.
Donald, you need to catch up on your history. The El Salvador conflict started when there was a coup, which we supported. A leftist insurgency was put together in response, but the right-wing authoritarian government set up paramilitary groups and death squads–sometimes associated with the School of the Americas–which murdered civilians, most of whom were Catholic. The truth commissions that have been established since have found that about 85% of the killings were done by government forces.
Similar situations took place in Guatemala and Honduras.
Reagan’s support of Savimbi, who led a right wing insurgency in a civil war costing 500,000 lives, is well documented. For the record, UNITA won all of 16 seats out of 220 in the past election.
Obama sound bite at pre-Easter prayer breakfast: “…there’s something about the Resurrection …”
Can’t quite put his finger on it, can he?
David, you need to catch up on your history.
Every US president from Truman through Bush the elder, pursued the consistent foreign policy known as “Containment.” The Reds (Cuba and the USSR), aided and abetted by nuns and priests preaching “LIBERATION THEOLOGY”, armed and organized the peasants, who waged desultory terrorism against anyone with property.
Of course, useful idiots (parroting the comintern script) called US foreign policy “imperialism.”
David,
WWII started when the objectively pernicious leaders of Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland and divvied it up. Hitler turned on Stalin and they became enemies. FDR and the US gave massive amounts of aid to Stalin and the Soviet Union even to the point of becoming allies. Do you suppose FDR was generally fond of Stalin and his policies of mass extermination and imprisonment of Russians and wanted to assist him for those reasons? Or do you suppose FDR simply made the calculation that helping Stalin maintain power and his war effort against the common enemy that was more of an immediate risk to the US and her primary allies was in the US and world’s best interest?
For the most part I think the latter and I think that is how the American people largely viewed it. Though I confess to being disappointed with FDR in that I think he was somewhat indifferent to the nature of Stalin and his regime and enabled him far too much.
I don’t see much of a difference w.r.t. Reagan. Reagan was a champion of justice and freedom and it’s not like he could just jump in and rule these various countries. What he could do however, is help prevent a worse regime, especially those that would be under the influence of Moscow, from establishing itself. We can only help influence bad regimes for the better if they fall under our sphere of influence.
Although Obama and Reagan may seem light years apart, consider the following:
1. Under Reagan, the national debt tripled from $1 trillion to $3 trillion. Under Obama, went up from $11 trillion to $14 trillion.
2. Reagan bombed Tripoli, Obama bombed Tripoli. Reagan bombs killed Khaddafi’s adopted daughter; so far Khaddafi’s family not hit (as far as we know).
3. Reagan once fell asleep during an audience with the Pope. Obama reportedly stayed awake but might as well been asleep.
4. Reagan ordered military actions to suppress social and political changes in Afghanistan. Ditto Obama.
5. Reagan was known as “The Great Communicator.” Obama has become “The Great Prevaricator.”
6. Reagan read from a cue card while hosting GE’s TV Theater; Obama reads every speech from a TelePrompTer.
RL…the problem is that every president since FDR has intervened either directly or indirectly in unjust ways, often justifying these actions in the name of the Cold War or the so called War on Terror.
Often times, these actions led to the deaths of thousands, if not millions. Vietnam is the epitome of such actions. However, it is not alone. In Central and South America, the US has an atrocious record. This is one of the reasons why many Catholics protest at the School of the Americas every year.
David,
I’d agree about all the presidents intervening in unjust ways with qualifications. I’d include FDR and many presidents prior to him as well. I’d also probably have some serious disagreements with you about which interventions were just and which weren’t – as well as the how.
I know there are a number of people, Catholics included, who think the Korean and Vietnam wars were unjust, but I disagree. In both those wars the injustice was on part of the North and the Soviet Union. I do not believe it is unjust for one nation to come to the defense of another who is fighting a just war or resisting injustice. It matters not to me if they are poor or look different, they are innocent people with dignity. How anyone can look at North Korea today and contrast that with South Korea and not see the justice in defending the South is baffling to me. The real shame is that for generations, millions of innocent people are oppressed and suffering, the bright side is that millions more aren’t suffering that plight – in large part due to the US. Also consider the horror in Vietnam. Why do you suppose all those people risked the lives of their families on makeshift rafts? FTR, it’s not that I think our government executed those wars correctly and didn’t do injustices during them, but I believe they were just causes.
I have no doubt that people who went through the SOA participated in great evils and killed innocents. However, it seems to me that that must have been a very small minority and I would seriously doubt that the SOA’s mission is to teach people how to slaughter innocents. I couldn’t care less about the SOA really, but that there are a small number of Catholics who protest it doesn’t carry much weight in regard to the justice/injustice of the US with Latin America. Frankly, I would say the greatest commonality of the the SOA protesters is leftism.
The Reds (Cuba and the USSR), aided and abetted by nuns and priests preaching “LIBERATION THEOLOGY”, armed and organized the peasants, who waged desultory terrorism against anyone with property.
Hawkish Cold War Democrat that I am, I’ve never been ashamed to support “exporting democracy.” And while that has at times led me to common cause with anti-communists on the Right, I guess I do need the occassional reminder that some on the Right do see these situations as the peasants vs. the property owners, and are ideologically and without question with the later.
@Donald
Hilarious. No, the main problem for this country at the present time is that we are saddled with a President who is completely clueless. He represents a wing of the Democrat party that sincerely believes that the government can legislate prosperity, and that chanting “bring the troops home” will solve our foreign policy problems. His nostrums on the economy have made a bad situation worse, and his foreign policy illustrates the same ham handedness. Criticizing Obama is not the probem, keeping mum about the fact that he is the worst President since James Buchanan is.
I didn’t indicate I was for or against the current administration, but rather we have an issue in both parties. After seeing this response I now know that this blog is not about viewing the world from a catholic perspective but instead a tool for the Republican Parity. Much like those pundit sites for the democrats. Please stop just taking peoples comments out of context like it or not both parties are just tools to destroy America and this has been happening for the last 30+ years. It will not change until we have some kind of unity on some issues to get this Anti-Americans from both parties out of office. We need “change” from both sides and by continuing with this binary thought process is what the powers that be want to continue to divide everyone instead of coming to a middle ground. The true middle ground is what all politicians are fearful. People like you play into this grand game of Shepard and sheep. Thanks for continuing to be sheep because that is what the right likes.
@Shaw
Obama a Demagogue? What told you that? For that matter you can say the same with Bush Jr.,Clinton,Bush,… etc. The last good president was probably Dwight D. Eisenhower. If you see after Dwight D. Eisenhower the great society started to fall apart. I think like @Donald you are a nicer tool, but a tool ,none the less, for the party system. We need to throw this evil/good, good/bad mentality and see that we are all as Americans getting screwed.
I will be praying that people will wake up. Don’t you think it is interesting that the republican party does not have any ‘real’ contenders to win the white house? Why because Mr. Obama like Mr. Bush are just Manchurian candidates and you are the tools the find no fault in Bush, but every fault with Obama. So please stop.
@ David
You are just a tool for the democrats if you look at all your arguments you are really no different then the Republican tools of this blog.
“After seeing this response I now know that this blog is not about viewing the world from a catholic perspective but instead a tool for the Republican Parity.”
I have never made any secret of the fact Alex that I am a conservative Republican, as all faithful readers of this blog know. Catholicism doesn’t give us a political road map, being rightly concerned with higher things. The Church speaks forcefully on a few issues, like abortion, but usually, and wisely, leaves her sons and daughters free to forge their own political paths for themselves.
I disagree with your “pox on both their houses position.” I believe you indicated in another thread that you voted for Obama. I sincerely hope you are now feeling a severe case of buyer’s remorse, as his truly incompetent administration makes a complete hash of their attempt to lead this country. I believe that Obama is the worst President since James Buchanan, and by the time he is done he may be giving “Old Buck” a run for the top spot. These views do not make me a “Republican tool”, but rather someone with political views that differ markedly from yours.
Donald, your second paragraph was well said, but then you throw it away in your third.
By arguing that President Obama is the worst president ever merely incites. I will admit to having argued George W. Bush was the worst ever in different forums. Both are probably closer to the middle of the spectrum, given that each faced serious difficulties that many presidents manage to avoid. We could both spend time arguing about accomplishments or failures, but the end is polarization.
If you truly wish to have a dialog which emphasizes Catholic teachings, then you will have to drop the partisan rhetoric. I promise to try to do so as well (though I’ve been trying to be polite since joining these discussions).
After all, we’re trying to discuss religion AND politics at the same time!