Today, at the Superbowl, there will be a special video played. 

No, it won’t be a music video from Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Usher, Paul McCartney, or The Who.  It won’t even be a self-congratulatory proclamation from the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

It will be a tribute to a man who was born in 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, the son of a shoe salesman and a devout Christian Mom, just a regular American guy, who wound up becoming a sports announcer in the Midwest after washing dishes to pay for his college education.

However, that was just the beginning for this fellow.  His good looks, engaging manner, and quick wit got Hollywood interested in him.  He made several movies, in which he played the dashing leading man, like the role of “The Gipper” in The Knute Rockne Story.  He had the privilege of playing a young George Custer to Errol Flynn’s Jeb Stuart, and the adventure of playing second banana to a chimpanzee.

At the age of 50, after serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild, he entered the arena of politics.  He subsequently became Governor of California.  Then, at the age of 69, he became the President of the United States of America, after failing twice to win the Republican Nomination.

I’m sure, by now, that you’ve figured out that I’ve been writing about Ronald Wilson Reagan.   This week, Americans have been celebrating the life and legacy of the greatest American President in our lifetime.

President Reagan has gone down in history as “The Great Communicator”, because of quotes like this:

On Government:

Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.

Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.

Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.

If the federal government had been around when the Creator was putting His hand to this state, Indiana wouldn’t be here. It’d still be waiting for an environmental impact statement.

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away.

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.

On America and his own Christianity:

Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.

Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.

 We are never defeated unless we give up on God.

We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.

We have the duty to protect the life of an unborn child. 

There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.

There are no easy answers’ but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.

Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. 

If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.

In researching the occasion of his 100th birthday,  it has been interesting to read all the Liberal sites.  They are still feverishly trying to “debunk” the “Reagan Mythology”. 

Unfortunately for them, and the Moderate Republicans who carry their water, Americans have all the wonderful speeches that President Regan made, and the memorable quotes, like those listed above, that he left us to refer to, which repudiate their flimsy efforts in trying to recast President Reagan to fit their political ideologies.

It’s only fitting that he be honored tonight during the biggest American sports event of the year.  As The Gipper himself once quipped:

Going to college offered me the chance to play football for four more years.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.  You are missed.