The 'War on Drugs' is a war that should have never been fought. Hindsight is 20/20, and while President Ronald Reagan had good intentions in implementing the war in the early 1980s, he was enough of a pragmatist to recognize that a policy had failed, even his own.
While Reagan exhibited a remarkable and admirable ability to adhere steadfastly to broad principles, such as limited government, low taxes, a strong defense, and maximized personal liberty, he could also demonstrate a sometimes surprising flexibility that led him to reverse some of his earlier decisions.
The war on drugs has been an abject failure, and had Reagan lived to see its effects, I have absolutely no doubt that he would say so and support changing the policy.
The U.S. has spend billions of dollars fighting this war that has proved to be an exercise in futility, resulting in a massive crime-and-violence plagued black market and a powerful gang of drug lords in this country and outside this country who are rolling in dough.
If the U.S. were to end the war on drugs and de-criminalize simple possession and use, upwards of 60% of the prison beds in the nation today would be freed up for the incarceration of violent criminals. As it stands, non-violent drug offenders occupy an estimated 60% of prison space at a time when we are bombarded with stories of 'prison overcrowding.'
That overcrowding would end immediately if we were to release from prison non-violent drug offenders. Our streets would be safer due to the fact that the truly violent criminals would stay locked up rather than be subject to early release or parole due to prison overcrowding.
But the single most telling example that American culture's handling of drugs is flawed rests in the manner in which we deal with pain control.
Many physicians within the U.S. have been slow to adopt adequate pain control measures for their patients. The stories are many, and some of them are frightening.
Yet hospitals within the U.S. have for years insisted that pain control is perhaps the central issue in adequate medical care, apart from a competent, accurate, and timely ability to address the immediate medical issue at hand.
This is why at each interval along the continuum of care a patient receives at a hospital, beginning at admission and ending at discharge, a regular assessment is made to determine the patient's pain level.
If you have had surgery in the past seven years, one of the very first questions you were asked upon awaking from surgery--if you remember those moments--is, 'Describe your pain level on a scale of one to ten.' And if your pain level is determined to be moderate to severe, based upon the scale, you are immediately given medications to control your pain.
Yet with some doctors and nurses across the land, the ability to release archaic notions about pain medications has been painfully slow. One of the most often expressed concerns is the notion that giving pain control medications will make addicts out of patients who have shown absolutely no history or propensity for becoming addicted to anything at all.
In spite of the problem of drug addiction in this country, the fact remains that the vast majority of Americans never exhibit the slightest hint of addiction to pain medications, which are dispensed liberally each day.
Further, there is a vast difference between addiction and dependence. A patient with rheumatoid arthritis, for example, is no doubt dependent on NSAIDs, i.e. nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which control pain and inflammation. Their very lives depend on a daily regimen of these medications. Yet few in the medical community would dare suggest that these patients are addicted to such medications.
Addiction is an entirely different animal, involving the overwhelming desire for more and more of the drug whether one needs it or not, and a downward spiral of being totally consumed by that drug to the neglect of life's necessities.
The mere fact that pain returns to an excruciating and unmanageable level when the drug is withdrawn is evidence that the patient is not addicted to that drug, but that the drug is needed to control the pain, or else the patient's quality of life reaches an intolerably low level.
America's phobia concerning pain medications is gradually abating, but there are still pockets of resistance. There is the true anecdote, for example, that a terminal cancer patient was refused pain medication, within one week of his death, for the fear that he would become an addict before he died.
Such antiquated views have no place in modern medical care. And to a great degree, our antiquated views toward 'the war on drugs' are also out of place in modern society.
Perhaps it is time for us to graduate up to the 21st century.
NOTICE! The opinion-editorial piece above is in no way intended to be used for medical advice or to provide guidance on the consumption of any drug for any purpose. For such advice or guidance, consult with a certified, competent medical professional.
Showing posts with label President Reagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Reagan. Show all posts
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Reagan Adviser Michael Deaver, RIP
He once stated in a television interview that he loved Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The look in his eyes, the body language, the facial expressions as he spoke those words had a congruence that told us that what he was saying was the absolute truth.
And his actions were entirely consistent with his expression of devotion.
Michael Deaver, former top aide to President Ronald Reagan, died Saturday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 69.
Deaver was part of an elite group--the inner circle that managed the political affairs of President Reagan. That inner circle was very small, consisting of Deaver, Edwin Meese III, and James Baker III.
But it was Deaver alone who had been with the President the longest and who was counted by the Reagans not only as a trusted adviser but as a very close friend.
Deaver was one of only a handful of non-family members to be allowed visits with the former President as Alzheimer's Disease had robbed him of most of his memory. One such meeting in particular was during the late-1990s. By then Reagan had lost his memory of everyone except for Nancy.
Mindful that the former President loved horses, Deaver brought Reagan a gift that day--a large book containing photographs of horses. As the frail Reagan opened the book and looked at one of the pictures, he looked up at Deaver, eyes shining, as he pointed to the picture and said, merely, 'Horse!'
It was the only thing Reagan said during the entire visit.
Michael Deaver joined the Reagan team very shortly after Reagan was elected as Governor of California in 1966. It was there that he met the woman who would become his wife, who was also a Reagan staffer.
From 1966 forward, Deaver was a key player in Reagan's political career. As a former Hollywood actor Reagan believed that public perception and image were just as important as words and substance...not that Reagan's pronouncements were in any way lacking in substance.
'The Great Communicator,' as he was called, delivered some of the most eloquent and memorable speeches in the history of the Republic.
But it was Deaver who made sure that the backdrop and settings of these magnificent speeches were every bit as memorable.
For example, when Reagan went to the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Allied Invasion during WWII, it was Deaver who insisted that the speech be given against the backdrop of that breathtaking overlook that peered downward to the shores where the troops landed that day.
Reagan proceeded to deliver one of the most moving speeches ever given in the history of the free world.
Deaver left the Reagan White House in 1985 to pursue his own business interests, establishing Michael K. Deaver and Associates as a major public affairs firm. The pressures of life in Washington, however, took their toll on Deaver, who began drinking heavily. Although he got sober later that same year, he was convicted of perjury in 1986 and was sentenced to community service in an recovery-based organization.
Many wondered why President Reagan did not issue Deaver a pardon. When the Reagan Diaries were released for the first time earlier this year, we found the answer.
Reagan kept copious notes and was a prolific writer. In the diary we find an entry penned by Reagan which noted that a Presidential pardon was indeed offered to Deaver. But Deaver refused to accept it. He preferred instead to serve out his sentence.
And this was perhaps the glimpse into the true character of the man. Deaver had dropped the ball and made some mistakes. When he got sober he took responsibility for those mistakes. And for the next 20 years he remained involved with the recovery program in Washington called 'Clean and Sober Streets.'
For the last 14 years of his life, Deaver was prominent in Edelman, a public relations firm. He became Chairman of Edelman's Washington office in 2006, the same year he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Without exception friends and career associates of Michael Deaver attest to the character, sincerity, and loyalty of the man.
Presidents need trusted advisers with those qualities. Deaver served Mr. Reagan and his country admirably. May he truly rest in peace.
And his actions were entirely consistent with his expression of devotion.
Michael Deaver, former top aide to President Ronald Reagan, died Saturday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 69.
Deaver was part of an elite group--the inner circle that managed the political affairs of President Reagan. That inner circle was very small, consisting of Deaver, Edwin Meese III, and James Baker III.
But it was Deaver alone who had been with the President the longest and who was counted by the Reagans not only as a trusted adviser but as a very close friend.
Deaver was one of only a handful of non-family members to be allowed visits with the former President as Alzheimer's Disease had robbed him of most of his memory. One such meeting in particular was during the late-1990s. By then Reagan had lost his memory of everyone except for Nancy.
Mindful that the former President loved horses, Deaver brought Reagan a gift that day--a large book containing photographs of horses. As the frail Reagan opened the book and looked at one of the pictures, he looked up at Deaver, eyes shining, as he pointed to the picture and said, merely, 'Horse!'
It was the only thing Reagan said during the entire visit.
Michael Deaver joined the Reagan team very shortly after Reagan was elected as Governor of California in 1966. It was there that he met the woman who would become his wife, who was also a Reagan staffer.
From 1966 forward, Deaver was a key player in Reagan's political career. As a former Hollywood actor Reagan believed that public perception and image were just as important as words and substance...not that Reagan's pronouncements were in any way lacking in substance.
'The Great Communicator,' as he was called, delivered some of the most eloquent and memorable speeches in the history of the Republic.
But it was Deaver who made sure that the backdrop and settings of these magnificent speeches were every bit as memorable.
For example, when Reagan went to the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Allied Invasion during WWII, it was Deaver who insisted that the speech be given against the backdrop of that breathtaking overlook that peered downward to the shores where the troops landed that day.
Reagan proceeded to deliver one of the most moving speeches ever given in the history of the free world.
Deaver left the Reagan White House in 1985 to pursue his own business interests, establishing Michael K. Deaver and Associates as a major public affairs firm. The pressures of life in Washington, however, took their toll on Deaver, who began drinking heavily. Although he got sober later that same year, he was convicted of perjury in 1986 and was sentenced to community service in an recovery-based organization.
Many wondered why President Reagan did not issue Deaver a pardon. When the Reagan Diaries were released for the first time earlier this year, we found the answer.
Reagan kept copious notes and was a prolific writer. In the diary we find an entry penned by Reagan which noted that a Presidential pardon was indeed offered to Deaver. But Deaver refused to accept it. He preferred instead to serve out his sentence.
And this was perhaps the glimpse into the true character of the man. Deaver had dropped the ball and made some mistakes. When he got sober he took responsibility for those mistakes. And for the next 20 years he remained involved with the recovery program in Washington called 'Clean and Sober Streets.'
For the last 14 years of his life, Deaver was prominent in Edelman, a public relations firm. He became Chairman of Edelman's Washington office in 2006, the same year he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Without exception friends and career associates of Michael Deaver attest to the character, sincerity, and loyalty of the man.
Presidents need trusted advisers with those qualities. Deaver served Mr. Reagan and his country admirably. May he truly rest in peace.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Reagan's War
President Ronald Reagan will forever be remembered in American history for four basic things: bringing back a sense of pride, hope, optimism, and patriotism to the American experience; ushering in a sweeping change in government that repudiated Liberalism and affirmed the founding Constitutional principles of our forefathers; building up the U.S. military that had been gutted under Jimmy Carter; and winning the Cold War and breaking the back of Communism.
All of these components were central to the success of the Reagan Presidency. However, it was winning the Cold War outright and ending the Communist domination of Eastern Europe that perhaps best defines how Reagan will be remembered.
Another war, however, was initiated during the Reagan years that has not had such smashing success. It is the U.S. Government's 'war on drugs.'
Two ironic truths stand out concerning the Reagan Presidency. One, in spite of Reagan's insistence on small government, lower government spending, and balanced budgets, the budget deficit skyrocketed during his Presidency, and government actually continued to grow. Two, in spite of Reagan's belief that 'government should get off the backs of the citizens,' some contend that government actually increased its intrusion into our lives with the launching of the so-called 'war on drugs.'
The first of these has a very simple explanation. Reagan was forced to deal with a Democratic-controlled Congress during most of his Presidency, with the exception of a couple of years when Republicans controlled the Senate. It was common practice for Democrats during those days to operate out of a deficit. Balanced budgets were only a dream. And thus, Reagan had to deal with reality in working with a Congress that was oppositional and sometimes openly hostile to his views.
The second, the war on drugs, was an ill-conceived plan when hindsight is taken into consideration. Yet, during the time in question, the war on drugs was entirely understandable.
This was the early 1980s. Drugs had already ravaged an entire generation of young Americans, many of whom died or whose lives were permanently hampered by their use of dangerous substances.
The mindset at the time was, 'do something to stop it.' And that usually meant banning whatever the offending substance happened to be.
While the rationale for the war on drugs is understandable when one considers the times and the context, the campaign launched a dangerous chain of events that led to more government intrusion into our lives, massive government spending, making criminals out of those whose only crime was being terribly addicted to bad substances, and an ever-expanding police state to reign in a problem that continues to this day to rage out of control.
This has led Reagan supporters such as venerable conservative William F. Buckley to call for an end to the war on drugs, a legalization of simple possession and use, and an emphasis on rehab for addicts.
In short, the war on drugs failed. It is a continuing failure to this very day.
Part of Reagan's success was his ability to make mid-course adjustments when needed. He was refreshingly flexible for someone who held so strongly to his core conservative principles. But when something didn't work, he could see it and make changes.
Like Prohibition during the early part of the 20th century, the war on drugs has only resulted in higher crime, a huge and uncontrollable black market, and an increase in use resulting from the desire to do the forbidden. Americans were smart enough to see the failure of Prohibition and repealed it.
It is time to end the war on drugs. Reagan would have it no other way.
All of these components were central to the success of the Reagan Presidency. However, it was winning the Cold War outright and ending the Communist domination of Eastern Europe that perhaps best defines how Reagan will be remembered.
Another war, however, was initiated during the Reagan years that has not had such smashing success. It is the U.S. Government's 'war on drugs.'
Two ironic truths stand out concerning the Reagan Presidency. One, in spite of Reagan's insistence on small government, lower government spending, and balanced budgets, the budget deficit skyrocketed during his Presidency, and government actually continued to grow. Two, in spite of Reagan's belief that 'government should get off the backs of the citizens,' some contend that government actually increased its intrusion into our lives with the launching of the so-called 'war on drugs.'
The first of these has a very simple explanation. Reagan was forced to deal with a Democratic-controlled Congress during most of his Presidency, with the exception of a couple of years when Republicans controlled the Senate. It was common practice for Democrats during those days to operate out of a deficit. Balanced budgets were only a dream. And thus, Reagan had to deal with reality in working with a Congress that was oppositional and sometimes openly hostile to his views.
The second, the war on drugs, was an ill-conceived plan when hindsight is taken into consideration. Yet, during the time in question, the war on drugs was entirely understandable.
This was the early 1980s. Drugs had already ravaged an entire generation of young Americans, many of whom died or whose lives were permanently hampered by their use of dangerous substances.
The mindset at the time was, 'do something to stop it.' And that usually meant banning whatever the offending substance happened to be.
While the rationale for the war on drugs is understandable when one considers the times and the context, the campaign launched a dangerous chain of events that led to more government intrusion into our lives, massive government spending, making criminals out of those whose only crime was being terribly addicted to bad substances, and an ever-expanding police state to reign in a problem that continues to this day to rage out of control.
This has led Reagan supporters such as venerable conservative William F. Buckley to call for an end to the war on drugs, a legalization of simple possession and use, and an emphasis on rehab for addicts.
In short, the war on drugs failed. It is a continuing failure to this very day.
Part of Reagan's success was his ability to make mid-course adjustments when needed. He was refreshingly flexible for someone who held so strongly to his core conservative principles. But when something didn't work, he could see it and make changes.
Like Prohibition during the early part of the 20th century, the war on drugs has only resulted in higher crime, a huge and uncontrollable black market, and an increase in use resulting from the desire to do the forbidden. Americans were smart enough to see the failure of Prohibition and repealed it.
It is time to end the war on drugs. Reagan would have it no other way.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Part of the Reagan Legacy--A Piece of the Wall
Washington, DC (TLS). For millions of Americans born after the last world war, and yet old enough to remember much of the 2nd half of the 20th century, Ronald Reagan is THE quintessential American President by whom all others are judged.
As for me, NO ONE has even come close to Reagan's greatness.
But then, I am not exactly totally unbiased in this assessment. I began working for Reagan's ascendancy to the White House in the early 1970s--when most people still knew him only as the former Governor of California and a former Hollywood actor.
I joined Young Americans for Freedom, an organization that William F. Buckley founded at least a decade earlier, but by the time I came around the organization had two distinct purposes: one, to promote conservative values among America's college students, and two, to elect Ronald Wilson Reagan to the White House.
I have written at length in past posts concerning Reagan. Yet I never cease to be amazed and dazzled by the manner in which his legacy continues to live on.
The Reagan Library has an artifact that is a lasting legacy to the Reagan Presidency. It is a piece of the Berlin Wall. I still remember to this day my eyes filling up with tears as Reagan stood at that Wall--a symbol of oppression, murder, Communism, anti-freedom--and demanding, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!'
Cap'n Bob and the Damsel have written a moving testimonial of a trip they made to the Reagan Library and seeing that piece of the Wall, which by the way, DID, indeed, come down.
Be sure to click on the link and read it. You will find a picture of that piece of the Wall, and you will also find the full text of Reagan's history-making speech at the Berlin Wall.
Read all about it here:
http://capnbob.us/blog/2007/06/12/a-piece-of-the-wall/
As for me, NO ONE has even come close to Reagan's greatness.
But then, I am not exactly totally unbiased in this assessment. I began working for Reagan's ascendancy to the White House in the early 1970s--when most people still knew him only as the former Governor of California and a former Hollywood actor.
I joined Young Americans for Freedom, an organization that William F. Buckley founded at least a decade earlier, but by the time I came around the organization had two distinct purposes: one, to promote conservative values among America's college students, and two, to elect Ronald Wilson Reagan to the White House.
I have written at length in past posts concerning Reagan. Yet I never cease to be amazed and dazzled by the manner in which his legacy continues to live on.
The Reagan Library has an artifact that is a lasting legacy to the Reagan Presidency. It is a piece of the Berlin Wall. I still remember to this day my eyes filling up with tears as Reagan stood at that Wall--a symbol of oppression, murder, Communism, anti-freedom--and demanding, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!'
Cap'n Bob and the Damsel have written a moving testimonial of a trip they made to the Reagan Library and seeing that piece of the Wall, which by the way, DID, indeed, come down.
Be sure to click on the link and read it. You will find a picture of that piece of the Wall, and you will also find the full text of Reagan's history-making speech at the Berlin Wall.
Read all about it here:
http://capnbob.us/blog/2007/06/12/a-piece-of-the-wall/
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Surprise! Hunter 3rd in Important Straw Poll
Washington, DC (TLS). South Carolina has become an extremely important destination for candidates in both Parties this year, as Party leaders designated the early South Carolina primary as a pivotal first test that could make or break a candidate. The state has received multiple visits from Republican and Democrat presidential candidates such as Duncan Hunter, R-CA, John McCain, R-AZ, Rudy Giuliani, R-NY, Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY, Barack Hussein Obama, D-Ill., and Chris Dodd, D-CT.
A dark horse candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination is well on his way to receiving a major boost from this week's straw poll of the Spartanburg County Republican Party. U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, R-CA, has emerged from the back of the pack to take third place in the important Republican straw poll.
Only a few months ago pundits had totally written off the candidacy of Duncan Hunter as a long-shot at best. Lacking in the name recognition and campaign funds of front runners Giuliani and McCain, Hunter was viewed as hardly a blip on the radar screen.
Hunter's sudden rise to the top three in the Republican race has raised eyebrows among the Party elite and enlivened the hopes of conservatives who feared that there would be no one in the race to represent them in either Party. As we have reported previously on The Liberty Sphere, Duncan Hunter has resonated with the voters in the upstate of South Carolina.
As a conservative Republican stronghold, the Greenville-Spartanburg area of South Carolina is beginning to embrace the message of Duncan Hunter, who speaks of peace through strength, the sanctity of human life, including the unborn, the need for a secure border and tough immigration reform, fair trade with countries such as China which have used the millions we send their way to oppose us, and low taxes. These 'Reagan Ideals' appeal to a broad cross-section of voters in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, who still consider President Ronald Reagan as perhaps the best U.S. President of the 20th century.
Hunter was first elected to Congress during the 'Reagan Revolution' in 1980, when Reagan trounced Jimmy Carter in a landslide and swept dozens of conservative Senators and Congressmen into office with him. Reagan turned right around the did the same thing in 1984, pummeling Walter Mondale in one of the largest landslides in the history of American politics.
Since that time, Duncan Hunter has not wavered from his conservative values.
While Hunter at this point stands in third place in the Spartanburg County Straw Poll, the count is not over. Bad weather in the area Thursday and Friday forced a cancellation of the vote count before all precincts were counted. The remaining 10 precincts will be counted next week.
Here are the results of the straw poll so far, with 81 out of 92 precincts counted:
John McCain--164
Rudy Giuliani--162
Duncan Hunter--158
Sam Brownback--85
Mitt Romney--80
Newt Gingrich--33
Mike Huckabee--21
Tom Tancredo--10
John Cox--4
Ron Paul--4
Condoleeza Rice--2
Several candidates tied with one vote.
As you can see by the results, Duncan Hunter is now competitive with both Giuliani and McCain, in spite of the previous lack of name recognition and the lack of a deep war chest of campaign donations. This will most definitely change.
The Liberty Sphere was impressed early-on with Duncan Hunter. He is one of the very few in either the U.S. House or Senate that has received a perfect grade of A+ from Gun Owners of America, which rates candidates and politicians based upon their support for Second Amendment rights.
We are pleased to see Mr. Hunter come from behind and move into a position of prominence. As we have said before, Hunter may well be THE candidate around whom conservatives and 'Reagan Democrats' can rally.
A dark horse candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination is well on his way to receiving a major boost from this week's straw poll of the Spartanburg County Republican Party. U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, R-CA, has emerged from the back of the pack to take third place in the important Republican straw poll.
Only a few months ago pundits had totally written off the candidacy of Duncan Hunter as a long-shot at best. Lacking in the name recognition and campaign funds of front runners Giuliani and McCain, Hunter was viewed as hardly a blip on the radar screen.
Hunter's sudden rise to the top three in the Republican race has raised eyebrows among the Party elite and enlivened the hopes of conservatives who feared that there would be no one in the race to represent them in either Party. As we have reported previously on The Liberty Sphere, Duncan Hunter has resonated with the voters in the upstate of South Carolina.
As a conservative Republican stronghold, the Greenville-Spartanburg area of South Carolina is beginning to embrace the message of Duncan Hunter, who speaks of peace through strength, the sanctity of human life, including the unborn, the need for a secure border and tough immigration reform, fair trade with countries such as China which have used the millions we send their way to oppose us, and low taxes. These 'Reagan Ideals' appeal to a broad cross-section of voters in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, who still consider President Ronald Reagan as perhaps the best U.S. President of the 20th century.
Hunter was first elected to Congress during the 'Reagan Revolution' in 1980, when Reagan trounced Jimmy Carter in a landslide and swept dozens of conservative Senators and Congressmen into office with him. Reagan turned right around the did the same thing in 1984, pummeling Walter Mondale in one of the largest landslides in the history of American politics.
Since that time, Duncan Hunter has not wavered from his conservative values.
While Hunter at this point stands in third place in the Spartanburg County Straw Poll, the count is not over. Bad weather in the area Thursday and Friday forced a cancellation of the vote count before all precincts were counted. The remaining 10 precincts will be counted next week.
Here are the results of the straw poll so far, with 81 out of 92 precincts counted:
John McCain--164
Rudy Giuliani--162
Duncan Hunter--158
Sam Brownback--85
Mitt Romney--80
Newt Gingrich--33
Mike Huckabee--21
Tom Tancredo--10
John Cox--4
Ron Paul--4
Condoleeza Rice--2
Several candidates tied with one vote.
As you can see by the results, Duncan Hunter is now competitive with both Giuliani and McCain, in spite of the previous lack of name recognition and the lack of a deep war chest of campaign donations. This will most definitely change.
The Liberty Sphere was impressed early-on with Duncan Hunter. He is one of the very few in either the U.S. House or Senate that has received a perfect grade of A+ from Gun Owners of America, which rates candidates and politicians based upon their support for Second Amendment rights.
We are pleased to see Mr. Hunter come from behind and move into a position of prominence. As we have said before, Hunter may well be THE candidate around whom conservatives and 'Reagan Democrats' can rally.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Poland to Memorialize Ronald Reagan
Washington, DC (TLS). The European country of Poland gets it. They understand the truth. Thus, the nation has unveiled plans to erect monuments in memory of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, paying tribute to the man they view as the driving force behind the ultimate defeat of the Soviet Union and the decimation of the Iron Curtain.
With staunch anti-Communists in the country who remember very well the decades of grueling oppression at the hands of the Soviet Communists, a move is underway in the nation's capital of Warsaw and in at least one other Polish town to erect Ronald Reagan memorials. Reagan is viewed as the man who is most responsible for the final disintegration of Soviet domination. It was Reagan who gave his public support to the worker's union called 'Solidarity,' which was led by Lech Walesa. Under the leadership of Walesa, the union resisted Soviet domination and demanded that not only concessions be made to workers but that their freedoms be restored.
Reagan used the 'bully pulpit' of the U.S. Presidency to lend aid to Solidarity and pressure the Warsaw Communists to give in to their demands.
Ultimately, Solidarity crushed Communist rule in the country, and the country held its first free elections in over 50 years. The Soviet Union would also disintegrate due to the relentless pressure of Reagan, not only with his staunch anti-Communist rhetoric, but with his determination to build up America's armed forces and weapons arsenal to the point that the Soviet Union was driven to the brink of economic ruin attempting to keep up.
By that time a very wise Russian President, Michael Gorbachov, saw the handwriting on the wall and began to make concessions to Reagan in the arms race and work toward granting the Soviet people more human rights. With the taste of freedom on the tongues of an impoverished and oppressed nation, even the reforms of Gorbachov were not enough. This was the beginning of the complete collapse of the Soviet Union as we knew it, and the ushering in of free elections. The Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain came crashing down.
The Polish people correctly observe that had it not been for Ronald Reagan, who faced relentless criticism at home and abroad for his unwavering fight against the scourge of Communism, Poland would probably have never been freed from their oppressors.
Thus, in Poland, what was once a monument erected to the Soviets in what ironically was named 'Freedom Square,' will become known as 'Ronald Reagan Freedom Square.'
As for Lech Walesa, he would go on to be elected President of Poland in 1990.
A tip of the hat goes to Poland for this very fitting tribute to the man who almost single-handedly brought down Soviet Communism. America can be very proud that we had the good sense to twice elect this stalwart patriot as President of the United States.
Read the details here:
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/02/09/070209181018.i9acjrf8.html
With staunch anti-Communists in the country who remember very well the decades of grueling oppression at the hands of the Soviet Communists, a move is underway in the nation's capital of Warsaw and in at least one other Polish town to erect Ronald Reagan memorials. Reagan is viewed as the man who is most responsible for the final disintegration of Soviet domination. It was Reagan who gave his public support to the worker's union called 'Solidarity,' which was led by Lech Walesa. Under the leadership of Walesa, the union resisted Soviet domination and demanded that not only concessions be made to workers but that their freedoms be restored.
Reagan used the 'bully pulpit' of the U.S. Presidency to lend aid to Solidarity and pressure the Warsaw Communists to give in to their demands.
Ultimately, Solidarity crushed Communist rule in the country, and the country held its first free elections in over 50 years. The Soviet Union would also disintegrate due to the relentless pressure of Reagan, not only with his staunch anti-Communist rhetoric, but with his determination to build up America's armed forces and weapons arsenal to the point that the Soviet Union was driven to the brink of economic ruin attempting to keep up.
By that time a very wise Russian President, Michael Gorbachov, saw the handwriting on the wall and began to make concessions to Reagan in the arms race and work toward granting the Soviet people more human rights. With the taste of freedom on the tongues of an impoverished and oppressed nation, even the reforms of Gorbachov were not enough. This was the beginning of the complete collapse of the Soviet Union as we knew it, and the ushering in of free elections. The Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain came crashing down.
The Polish people correctly observe that had it not been for Ronald Reagan, who faced relentless criticism at home and abroad for his unwavering fight against the scourge of Communism, Poland would probably have never been freed from their oppressors.
Thus, in Poland, what was once a monument erected to the Soviets in what ironically was named 'Freedom Square,' will become known as 'Ronald Reagan Freedom Square.'
As for Lech Walesa, he would go on to be elected President of Poland in 1990.
A tip of the hat goes to Poland for this very fitting tribute to the man who almost single-handedly brought down Soviet Communism. America can be very proud that we had the good sense to twice elect this stalwart patriot as President of the United States.
Read the details here:
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/02/09/070209181018.i9acjrf8.html
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