REAGAN REMEMBERED

I have been reading the "Reagan Diaries." The recent passing of the 20th anniversary of the speech at the Brandenberg Gate on June 12th got me thinking about how much Reagan meant as the president of this country. In his diary he did not mention the content of his speech; he merely noted the size and enthusiasm of the crowd. He also didn't talk about the controversy surrounding what he was going to say.

As I read the book I was constantly reminded of the humility of Reagan regarding his part in history. He continually noted in everyday fashion how he arrived at decisions and the justification for those decisions in his mind. The overriding feeling you get reading the book is the steadfastness of his thinking that was rooted in a set of values and ideals he held and that he refused to compromise. He didn't allow them to go by the wayside for political expediancy. That is the definition of leadership.

Reading this book was like talking to Reagan about the decisions he made throughout his presidency. He made no attempt to cover up the Contra scandal although as was later proven, he and Bush were exonerated. Poindexter and North took the fall and were found guilty of several crimes. I personally was not overexcited about the scandal. I think it was about as important as the prosecutor's scandal is today. In other words, more political that anything else. Many liberals or Reagan-haters always try to portray Gorby as a partner is the downfall of the Soviet Union. I think that is ridiculous. For Gorby to get power he had to be an idealogue to rise to the top. He was not interested in the downfall of the Soviet Union and did everything in his power to keep it afloat as any leader would. He was just confronted with a leader who understood the inherent moral bankruptcy of communism and who had the moral courage to take on the Soviets despite the continual domestic drumbeat of appeasement in this country. He stood tall and steadfast in his convictions and this country and the world are better off.

One thing that can not be underestimated was the presence of two other anti-communist leaders who were of great help to Reagan in his dealings with Gorby, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II. The world was fortunate indeed to have three leaders of that stature come to power at approximately the same time. History has been kind to Reagan so far and I think George W. Bush and Tony Blair will likewise be treated kindly in the future. Both showed real leadership in the face of strong opposition at home and abroad. When it's all said and done I think they will be judged to have done what was necessary in Iraq. It has taken an enormous toll on both, but they stood fast. A historic precedent can be found in Harry Truman whose popularity was in the low 20s when left office. The Korean War was his toughest decision but it turned out to be the right one. Strangely enough, Truman professed to not losing a wink of sleep over his decision to drop the atomic bomb.

Reagan's diary shows that all decisions are ultimately those of the president and it must be awfully lonely at times for them. But if they, as Reagan did, never let go of their principles and values they,too, can sleep at night.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I read where the Duke lacrosse players have settled with Duke University for an undisclosed sum. That's fine, but I wouldn't have let them off the hook as easily as these guys did. Check out this quote from Duke University,

"We welcome their exoneration and deeply regret the difficult year they and their families had to endure."

They didn't have to endure anything. They were made to endure this "difficult" year because the gutless administration at this university allowed a group of their professors to jump all over these students and publicly convict them without any evidence. Instead of exercising some leadership and telling these jerk professors to shut up about something they didn't have information about, they allowed them to publish a letter filled with vicious, unfounded information and slurs against innocent students at their university. A privilege they paid over $30,000 to enjoy. The president and the rest of the administration at this university have no business being allowed to continue in their jobs, jobs that they miserably failed to do.

The adminstration at a university must protect the rights and safety of its students. This group failed to do so and allowed a group of their professors to attack three students thereby subjecting them to verbal attacks, ridicule, and threats.

Instead of allowing the university to buy its way out of their responsibility, they should fire the administration and the professors for malicious conduct. I always looked at Duke as a top shelf university. I now look at it as a sewer infested by viscious idealogues and gutless adminstrators who are afraid to make their employees at least maintain some semblence of decency and fairness. The fact that these people are getting a pass for this atrocity is sickening. Where is the mainstream media in calling for an accounting from this landfill of a university. Could it have to do with the race of the victims in this case? Surely not!

North Carolina Governor Mike Easley said it best "This was much more than a mistake."

Here's wishing a nice prison cell for Nifong and a very special friend named Bubba for a cellmate. Somehow I don't think they'll be very nice to a prosecutor in prison. They're loved about as much as the police.

ROLE MODELS

I have been watching a show on ESPN that is called "5 Reasons You Can't Blame." This particular episode has to do with Charles Barkeley's commericial in the early 90s in which he said "I am not a role model." When he said it he was crucified for that statement. In retrospect it seems he was correct. We have so celebrated celebrity some parents have abrogated their responsibility as parents, teachers, and adult role models to athletes and celebrities. I was always appalled to see young kids wearing Dennis Rodman jerseys. What were their parents thinking. Oh, they probably weren't. I think Barkeley was trying to say it isn't the job of celebrities and athletes (aren't they the same?) to raise anyone's kids. You made 'em you raise 'em. Being a parent isn't just a biological function. Quit doing what you want all the time and spend some time with your kids.

I think he had a point. You spend the time with your kids and it will be time well spent. Give the guidance they need and they will respond in a positive way. Being a good athlete in the scheme of life doesn't mean crap. Raising good kids, going to work to support your family, and doing the things a good person does are more important than hitting .300, dunking a basketball, or gaining a thousand yards rushing. These are small, small things compared to being a good parent. Being a good parent is a hell of a lot harder. I remember telling parents at DARE culmination ceremonies that if their kids aren't angry at them 90% of the time they aren't doing their jobs. It means you're giving in too much.

NEW ADVENTURE!

I applied to be the girl's varsity soccer coach at my high school. The previous coach had to step down. Today the AD called and offered me the job! I accepted and I am now the head coach. I'm excited to start my new job. For the last 15 years I have been an assistant coach at another high school. I turned down other opportunities, but this seemed a good fit for me at this time in my life. I'll have two assistants who are other teachers. Both played soccer in college and will be a great help to me. One of them is a young teacher who wants to be a head coach. I told her I will help her learn to run a program and when she feels ready I can step down and give her the job. She'll be a great coach. We start conditioning (a nice word for running mostly) on Monday. I talked to a lot of the players that are in my classes and they were happy I got the job. What prompted me to go for it was the number of players who asked me to apply. It's gratifying that the players wanted me for their coach. I'm excited and ready to go!! This was of course after I talked to my wife who was kind of lukewarm towards the idea. She came around after a discussion. Damn I'm lucky she is tolerant of my wild ideas.

JOSHUA CHAMBERLAIN

Isn't it amazing that there can be heroes in wars that we have never heard of before. Joshua Chamberlain would be one, but there are so many others. The movie "Gettysburg" follows up with Chamberlain's exploits. He won the Medal of Honor for his actions in the "Devil's Den" at "Little Round Top" at Gettysburg. He became a war hero for his actions that saved the left flank of the Union Army on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. But it is a real life fact that "war heroes" oftentimes are not heroes but people who are pushed to the brink and make a final life and death decision.

During this period in history, most politicians were almost required to have served in war. If you check with our history of presidents this is even more prevalent:

Washington: We know his history.

Adams, Jefferson, Madison: Patriots who put their lives on the line.

Monroe: Revolutionary War

John Q. Adams: Son of a President

Andrew Jackson: Revolutionary War as a child, War of 1812

We had many more including:

Zachary Taylor: Mexican War

Abraham Lincoln: Black Hawk War

U.S. Grant: Mexican War, Civil War

Rutherford B. Hayes: Civil War

James A. Garfield: Civil War

William McKinley: Civil War

Theodore Roosvelt: Spanish-American War

Harry S Truman: First World War (On his lapel you will see the lapel pin of the victory medal for the First World War. He wore it everyday.)

Dwight Eisenhower: Mexican Expedition, Second World War

John F. Kennedy: Second World War

Lyndon B. Johnson: Second World War

Richard M. Nixon: Second World War

Gerald R. Ford: Second World War

Ronald Reagan: Second World War

George H.W. Bush: Second World War

That is not to say, however, that those who did not serve are in some way deficient. They have become the Commander-in-Chief and that is in keeping with the U.S. Constitution. It is just interesting that it seems military service is such a catapult to the presidency.

The presidency is a very interesting office and the people who have occupied it are interesting as a result. I know I am a geek for being able to write a post like this, but I love thinking about things like this.

GREAT HISTORY MOVIE

I have been showing my A.P. History classes the movie "Gods and Generals." I love this movie but it is really long about 4 hours. I didn't show them the whole thing but concentrated on the parts that talked about the thinking of the southern soldiers and their reasons that made them fight. I also showed them some battle scenes including the battle at Fredericksburg. What a debacle. In the movie is quite possibly the greatest speech about battle ever made. Jeff Daniels, playing Joshua L. Chamberlain, of the 20th Maine, a college professor, recites Caesar's speech as he contemplates crossing the Rubicon during the Roman civil wars. I told my students that if this doesn't make the hair stand up on the back of their neck they are dead. The Civil War was an incredible moment in American History. It is a constant source of historical conjecture to contemplate the psychology of this war. I think about it a lot. We all should.

Give it a listen at this website: www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechgods&generalschamberlainsrome.html

HISTORY TRIP

I enjoyed the trip to no end. The most impressive of the the houses and libraries was the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio. It is amazing to know that these guys that we disrespect as "accidental presidents" were so heroic. They had easy lives and could have stayed home and lived comfortably. In Hayes's case he went into the Civil War in May 1861 and stayed until September 1865. Hayes was wounded five times and had four horses shot out from under him. With his fourth wound he was told to stay home. He stayed home long enough to heal and returned to finish the war.

Garfield enlisted in the army in 1861 and rose to the rank of Major General. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1862 and resisted entering the congress. He sought advice from President Lincoln. Lincoln told him that he had enough generals. He needed congressmen to help him pass his agenda. Garfield resigned his commission and the rest is history. He was elected president in 1880 and was assassinated in 1881 by a frustrated office seeker. What a waste! His house and library were great to tour. Interesting fact. Garfield was the best speaker of his time and he conducted his campaign from the front porch of his home in Mentor, Ohio. Crowds flocked to his front yard including the media. The media camped out in his yard during the campaign of 1880 and they eventually named his home "Lawnfield" which stuck. The general public listened to his speeches from his front yard, sometimes numbering in the thousands. He probably would have been a very fine president, but we will never know.

McKinley was also in the Civil War, having enlisted at the age of 18. He rose from private to sergeant to captain. He became the governor of Ohio and was a seriously good statesman. He was assassinated in 1901 by an anarchist jerk-off nobody. T.R. became the president.

I could go on for hours, but it is time to sign off. Remember, no normal men become President of the United States.