NEWS AND OPINION:
Friday marks what would have been Ronald Reagan’s 104th birthday — not forgotten by those who continue to revere and appreciate what he stood for.
“Reagan continues to hold a tight grip on the American imagination and he is steadily moving into a place in history occupied by FDR, Lincoln and a few select others,” historian Craig Shirley tells Inside the Beltway. “He does benefit from the lackluster presidents who succeeded him — the both H.W. and George Bush, Bill Clinton and the poorest comparison of all, Barack Obama, who many Americans regard as more of a lightweight celebrity than a real president. No one remembers their birthdays — but many Americans remember Reagan’s.”
Reagan is also remembered for his prowess on the world stage, and his willingness to deem the Soviet Union an “evil empire” in a speech over three decades ago, The 40th president told his audience, “If history teaches anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.”
Such thinking still resonates as global alarm escalates.
“Do we live with the never-ending threat that a nuclear Iran and the savage Islamic State of Iraq and Syria represent, or do we confront them and roll them back as Reagan did the Soviet Union?” asks longtime conservative maven Richard Viguerie. “Ronald Reagan was right in many things. The only way to win this war is to communicate about radical Islam as Reagan and conservatives did about the Soviet Union; with honesty and with clarity about the threat and about what it will take to win.”
Meanwhile, there are big doings at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Friday; A birthday ceremony includes a U.S. Marine Corps division band, color guard, a chaplain’s prayers, a brass quintet and a 21-gun salute. Multiple local events are also planned this weekend in Virginia, Illinois, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Nevada and New York — and Britain. Former California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring will deliver the first Ronald Reagan Lecture at the Margaret Thatcher Centre in London. Also on the podium: Ed Meese and conservative columnist Katie Pavlich.
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“California gave the world Ronald Reagan. Britain gave us Thatcher. These leaders continue to inspire us today with the examples they set in tenacity, commitment to principle, and confidence that freedom will prevail over tyranny,” says Mr. Nehring.
ADVICE FOR THE AGE
“The vital first step to survival is realizing that your strongest and most reliable resource isn’t the government. It isn’t Hollywood and the media. It’s you,” advises historian James Jay Carafano, a former Army officer, now vice president for foreign and defense studies at the Heritage Foundation. Personal safety doesn’t take a cellar full of canned goods or battlefield combat training, the author says.
To be released next week: “Surviving the End: A Practical Guide for Everyday Americans in the Age of Terror,” a new e-book from the Freedom Academy, a division of PJ Media. Mr. Carafano explains that how people react within the “golden hour,” or first 60 minutes of a disaster, determines their fate. Alternatively, he also explains why the best way to survive a nuclear blast and its radiation may be “to do nothing.”
Government reactions during crises, the use of federal tax dollars and the prospects of a “new Dark Age” following an electromagnetic pulse attack from unseen enemies is also in the mix.
“Are you prepared?” the author asks. “The average American each year will spend infinitely more time planning for a week-long vacation — which for the average person runs about $1,700 — than they will preparing to keep their family safe from disasters. That’s a terrible, even deadly mistake.”
SEE ALSO: Rick Santorum echoes Reagan’s call for religious freedom with new film
CPAC: 20 DAYS AWAY
The countdown for CPAC 2015 continues. Now less than three weeks away, the Conservative Action Political Conference — the annual spring rite for conservatives of many persuasions — begins Feb. 25 at the bodacious National Harbor south of the nation’s capital.
The extensive list of speakers is also getting bodacious. Sarah Palin and media kingpin Brent Bozell are now among the luminaries who will appear at the four-day event. They join Sens. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Tim Scott; Rep. Marsha Blackburn; Govs. Scott Walker and Bobby Jindal; and Rick Perry, Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, John Bolton, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Carly Fiorina.
“Sarah Palin possesses a unique ability to speak directly to the American people. She has been enthusiastically received by the conservative grassroots activists and students, and I know her involvement this year will be even more exciting than her past appearances,” says American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: The Pulver-Bird House, Hunns Lake Road, Stanford, New York. Greek Revival estate built in 1839; 6,000 square feet, five bedrooms, six bathrooms on 18 acres. Totally restored, grand entrance with four columns, established trees and gardens, guest house, horse barn, historic barn, in-ground pool, extensive landscaping. Mural in formal dining room, original woodwork, three fireplaces, state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen, custom cabinetry “fabulous views of the surrounding protected hillsides.”
Priced at $3.75 million through KCDunloprealestate.com; listed under “Houses” heading.
A WEEKEND DEBUT
Longtime conservative columnist and broadcast journalist Armstrong Williams debuts a new half-hour, live talk show Saturday. “The Right Side Forum” offers an ever-changing cast of thoughtful and/or provocative guests; uber-security analyst Frank Gaffney is among them.
“The central theme of our first show is welfare, and the threat of terrorism that now preoccupies America. But we also want some optimistic content, and we intend to highlight the success stories of young people who are determined to make it in life,” Mr. Williams tells the Beltway.
The show airs live at 10:30 a.m. on News Channel 8, a local Washington outlet; beginning next week, it will repeats on Sinclair Broadcast channels in multiple states. For information, check SBGI.net. Mr. Williams also writes a weekly column for The Washington Times.
POLL DU JOUR
• 64 percent of Americans do not want Sarah Palin to run for president; 54 percent of Republicans, 65 percent of independents and 74 percent of Democrats agree.
• 17 percent say she should run for president; 24 percent of Republicans, 16 percent of independents and 12 percent of Democrats agree.
• 49 percent say Mrs. Palin “says what she believes”; 75 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents and 30 percent of Democrats agree.
• 30 percent overall say Mrs. Palin “says what people want to hear”; 14 percent of Republicans, 26 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats agree.
• 42 percent overall say the media has been harder on Mrs. Palin when compared to other public figures; 71 percent of Republicans, 41 percent of independents and 23 percent of Democrats agree.
• 33 percent overall have a favorable opinion of Mrs. Palin; 66 percent of Republicans, 31 percent of independents and 13 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 31-Feb. 2
• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin, and thanks.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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