As we celebrate the Day of Prayer, here is a look back at President Ronald Reagan’s remarks on May 6, 1982, at the White House in observance of this tradition originally begun by the Continental Congress.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” -1 Chronicles 7:14
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan passed away Sunday morning at age 94 of congestive heart failure. Wife of former President Ronald Reagan, she lived twelve years after he died in 2004.
In all the tributes that are beginning to show up in the media, the best I’ve read so far is from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (George W. Bush administration) who wrote:
Nancy Reagan was a remarkable woman of strength and character. Her love for her dear Ronnie was inspiring and beautiful. And her devotion to America was unfailing.
I am so grateful for the privilege of having known both her resolve and her gentleness. She was a dear friend. I will miss her but never forget all that she meant to me. Her spirit will live on in all who learned from her and loved her. And she will forever be in the consciousness of the country she served and loved.
Rest well Nancy.
More information is available in the statement released from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation.
Photo from the Library
By Lynn R. Mitchell
“Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.”
–Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
When Germany invaded Europe, it was America that brought the people freedom. When Communists built a wall, it was America that brought the people freedom. When Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein tortured and butchered thousands of their own people, it was America that brought the people freedom.
Ronald Reagan clearly understood freedom and the role America plays in preserving it throughout the world.
When America preserves the freedom of others, it preserves its own freedom.
Freedom is the spirit of America, and it is this spirit that Ronald Reagan communicated so well.
Thank you, President Reagan, for keeping the torch burning. You will be remembered as one of the greatest leaders of all time.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Has it really been 30 years since the Challenger shuttle exploded in mid-air? Seven lives were lost, the tragedy was caught live on TV, and Americans were shocked at the disaster that had taken place in front of their eyes.
Space launches had become so routine to most people by the time Challenger came around that it rarely caused much excitement. Indeed, on that fateful day of January 28, 1986, it was cold and wintry in rural North Carolina, just as it was cold at the site of the launch in Florida. At home with my one-year-old son, I remembered the NASA launch was taking place that morning so turned on the television to see how it was going.
By Tony Pham
General Counsel, Richmond Sheriff’s Department
Maybe it’s personal for me. My life has been shaped by the sacrifices of veterans who picked up arms and gave of themselves. From our entry to this great nation 40 years ago to becoming citizens 30 years ago, these opportunities were secured by men and women in our armed forces who fought for our country.
Maybe it’s the 58,000 who did not come home or the many others who went missing in action or how our veterans were treated when they did come home, all while I enjoy freedom that makes this personal for me. Maybe it’s the understanding that these brave men and women leave their families to fight so we can enjoy ours.
Ronald Reagan once said that “freedom is never more than a 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, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” I, for one, am grateful we have our veterans fighting for our nation’s freedom so we don’t have to one day tell our kids what it is like to live in the United States.
So to all of my veterans, today and every day, is your day. The Pham Phamily sincerely appreciates each of you. Without you, there would be no us. I cannot speak for others, but Veterans Day is everyday for us.
#Leadership#Commitment#Courage
—
Tony Pham, a General Counsel for the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office and the GOP nominee for the Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, lives with his family in Henrico, Virginia. Born in South Vietnam, he and his family immigrated to the United States at the fall of Saigon in 1975, and became American citizens in 1985. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, he earned his J.D. from the University of Richmond’s School of Law. In 1999, Mr. Pham was initiated into the Upsilon Nu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, a historically African American fraternity founded on the campus of Howard University. He was named as one of Style Weekly Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” and Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” for his work in criminal law and the Asian community.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
On Tuesday evening, centrist members of the U.S. House flexed some muscle and overwhelmingly cast a bipartisan vote of 313-118 to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank (see WSJ’s House votes to reauthorize U.S. Import-Export Bank). Its charter had lapsed on July 15, 2015, after tea party members had targeted it, calling it “corporate cronyism.”
Immediately after the vote, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA 6th CD) posted on Facebook:
By Lynn R. Mitchell
In the midst of the contentious debate over the Common Core State Standards, many critics have lost perspective on its purpose.
Why did so many governors, educators and policymakers across both parties join together to create the standards in the first place? A brief look at Common Core’s history would help explain its significance and counter some of the criticisms.
In 1983, then Secretary of Education Terrel Bell commissioned the seminal report, “A Nation at Risk,” which highlighted American students’ falling SAT scores and awakened the nation to its educational malaise. Among many of the report’s recommendations, which eventually became a platform for modern education reforms, were calls for “more rigorous and measurable standards.” American students were victims of low expectations and inconsistent learning goals.
William Bennett explains Common Core in an op-ed that lays out the what and why of this misunderstood educational tool (see Common Core has no better alternative). He further explains that not much has changed since 1983 despite billions of dollars spent on education and adds, “Thanks to benchmarked national and international exams, like the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), we know that American students continue to fall short.”
Photo compliments of CarterCenter.org
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter, 90, held a press conference Thursday morning with details of his cancer battle, revealing the cancer in his liver has spread to his brain. His remarks and candor with the press was reminiscent of President Ronald Reagan’s “long goodbye” speech when he left public life due to Alzheimer’s.
The one-term president who served from 1977-81 was adamant that treatment for the cancer would take precedent in the days ahead, and said he was at peace although, he joked, more so than his wife Roslyn. He noted that his brother and sisters had died of pancreatic cancer.
He said his message is hope and acceptance of the hand he has been dealt as he and his family now move forward. Expressing disappointment if not allowed to take part in a mission trip to Nepal in the near future, he joked with reporters that one of the best things in his life was marrying Roslyn, as they celebrate 69 years of marriage. He spoke and took questions for 40 minutes in Atlanta.
We wish him well as he embarks on cancer treatment and healing.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Ronald Reagan, Feb. 6, 1911- June 5, 2004
When Germany invaded Europe, it was America that brought the people freedom. When Communists built a wall, it was America that brought the people freedom. When Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein tortured and butchered thousands of their own people, it was America that brought the people freedom.
Ronald Reagan clearly understood freedom and the role America plays in preserving it throughout the world.
When America preserves the freedom of others, it preserves its own freedom.
Freedom is the spirit of America, and it is this spirit that Ronald Reagan communicated so well.
Thank you, President Reagan, for keeping the torch burning. You will be remembered as one of the greatest leaders of all time.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
“Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.”
–Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
When Germany invaded Europe, it was America that brought the people freedom. When Communists built a wall, it was America that brought the people freedom. When Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein tortured and butchered thousands of their own people, it was America that brought the people freedom.
Ronald Reagan clearly understood freedom and the role America plays in preserving it throughout the world.
When America preserves the freedom of others, it preserves its own freedom.
Freedom is the spirit of America, and it is this spirit that Ronald Reagan communicated so well.
Thank you, President Reagan, for keeping the torch burning. You will be remembered as one of the greatest leaders of all time.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Has it really been 29 years since the Challenger shuttle exploded in mid-air? Seven lives were lost, the tragedy was caught live on TV, and Americans were shocked at the disaster that had taken place in front of their eyes.
Space launches had become so routine to most people by the time Challenger came around that it rarely caused much excitement. Indeed, on that fateful day of January 28, 1986, it was cold and wintry in rural North Carolina, just as it was cold at the site of the launch in Florida. At home with my one-year-old son, I remembered the NASA launch was taking place that morning so turned on the television to see how it was going.
By Daniel P. CortezIt will be difficult depending on which political blowhard one chooses to listen to, as to how exuberant independent voters should be in the New Year.
Like many, I remain jaded when Democrats and Republicans firmly suggest they exclusively remain “the light and the way.” Especially if they suggest divine providence ordered their political involvement … and some have.
But I acknowledge some exceptional folks on both sides of the aisle. Presidents John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and father and son Bush are at the top of my chart. Plus former Senator George Allen and Senator Diane Feinstein remain two of the more civil and dedicated politicians I’ve had the honor to work with closely.
Sadly, their ability to reach across the aisle is not shared by their contemporaries. And the collective political failure of both parties has allowed the once dominant U.S. military to be decimated by an administration bent on unilateral appeasement through sequestration.
Continue reading
By Lynn R. Mitchell
In the midst of the contentious debate over the Common Core State Standards, many critics have lost perspective on its purpose.
Why did so many governors, educators and policymakers across both parties join together to create the standards in the first place? A brief look at Common Core’s history would help explain its significance and counter some of the criticisms.
In 1983, then Secretary of Education Terrel Bell commissioned the seminal report, “A Nation at Risk,” which highlighted American students’ falling SAT scores and awakened the nation to its educational malaise. Among many of the report’s recommendations, which eventually became a platform for modern education reforms, were calls for “more rigorous and measurable standards.” American students were victims of low expectations and inconsistent learning goals.
Dr. Rob Marsh
By Lynn R. Mitchell
An unassuming man walked to the middle of the stage in front of a room of 300 military veterans and their guests who stood and applauded the Desert Storm veteran, now in his mid-50s. He paused and seemed to take in the faces before him, humbled at the reception. As guests sat down, Dr. Rob Marsh began his story by noting that he doesn’t often speak but, when he does, his priority is with military groups, veterans groups, and medical gatherings that may offer new medical and surgical techniques that can help our soldiers at war.
Then he paused, kind of bowed his head, and quietly said that he would talk with groups if he felt his message could honor the Lord. He went on to add that it was an honor to recognize veterans and their families who sacrificed for America, and noted that he was not speaking as Rob Marsh the soldier but, rather, as Rob Marsh the Christian.
Kay Coles James
By Lynn R. Mitchell
The announcement by Pat Mullins last week that he will step down as State Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) on January 31, 2015, has begun the usual flurry of telephone calls and email messages that range from “Who will run for RPV Chairman?” to outright requests for support for one candidate or another.
Before the RPV State Central Committee rushes to promote from within, Virginia Republicans should step back and make an honest assessment of whether to stick with the status quo, in which case promoting a current RPV leader to State Chairman is a no-brainer. Or, if the decision is that RPV needs the political equivalent of an injection of adrenalin, then a dynamic, articulate, and experienced conservative from outside of the status quo is needed.
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