Bourbon Pundit

A catholic nun...

Reuters Photo
A South Korean nun holds a sign and a candle at a protest to mourn the late South Korean hostage Kim Sun-il as police surround her in front of U.S. embassy in Seoul June 28, 2004. Kim was decapitated in Iraq (news - web sites) after South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun rejected militants' demand to pull military medics and engineers out of Iraq and drop plans to send more troops. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won

A catholic nun in South Korea...holding such a sign... You'd think the crossroads of her station in life would have taught her something. Maybe she's stuck in the morass of the catholic church's inability to ever fall on the right side of history; maybe she's just a freaking idiot, either way, I'm disgusted.

I guess she's pissed she couldn't make it to the NATO protests in Turkey.

Another icon of a generation passes

Ray Charles Dies at 73
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040610/D834E06O0.html

United States Departing

Naval tradition dictates that when a superior officer boards a captain's ship, he is "rung aboard" by ringing the ship's bell and announced. Tradition also dictates the number of rings in proportion to their rank.

Before the rededication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986, President Reagan boarded a Naval vessel stationed in the harbor and was rung aboard by no less than 10 bells (an obviously over-the-top count) and announced as "United States arriving."

This was the President we grew up under. The man who saw that the end of Communist expansion could end within our lifetimes; a view few held. A man, so respectful of the dignity of the high office of the President, that he would not take his jacket off in the Oval Office. A man who knew America was great and was unapolagetic for it. He guided the country through difficult times and we all grew up the better for his leadership.

I can't say enough about the honor guard in his attendance. Every officer carried himself with the honor deserved for the reflection of the last journey of their past commander in chief. Their pefection shows the honor they bestowed upon such a great leader. Times like these, I wish I had jonied the military if only to bestow a proper salute.

United States Departing or United States Arriving...I can't really tell. As Reagan said, America's brightest days are ahead of us. I suppose, if we're doing things right, that will always be true. It's morning in America, and it's bright.

Ronald Wilson Reagan 1911-2004

Thank you sir.

On this 60th anniversary of D-Day, we also mourn the passing of our Nation's 40th President and these two days are forever connected.

June 6, 1944, and the invasion of Europe by the Allies signaled the coming of the end of WWII with Germany. Had the invasion failed, Germany would not likely have won the war, but Russia would have eventually defeated Germany leaving Europe looking much different than today. The liberation of Europe by the Allies in actuality only liberated half of Europe as many countries fell under Soviet rule as the spoils of war were devided.

Immediately, the Cold War began. Berlin was blockaded and the United States found itself in the position of airlifting everything a whole city needed to survive in the attempt to keep Russia from advancing it's post-war holdings. That ended in a stalemate and the Russian's stayed on their side of Berlin and eventually split the city and country in two. Soon, Russia acquired "the bomb" and the United States was forced into further development of it's nuclear "deturrent" force and we witness the beginning of the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction as both sides ramp up development and production. Along the way, both countries fought a number of proxy wars with eachother, each tempting the release of nuclear weaponry.

1980: The Cold War raged on under the premise of Mutually Assured Destruction, the United States' economy was faltering, and a general malise had blanketed the country. Reagan won the White House, not so much on the strength of his candidacy; however, it was very strong, but moreso under the mandate that the Nation was tired. Tired of falling incomes, tired of increasing interest rates, and tired of 10% unemployment.

A dawting task to fix the economy, no doubt; but couple that with a weakening country, a hollow military, and the prospect of a war that would end humanity, Reagan had everything to lose. Yet...there was an upside. Having eveything to lose meant also having everything to gain. It was a time for a great man to take great risks and Reagan saw the opportunity. Leading from conviction rather than finger-in-the-air polling, he set about a plan to crush the Soviet Union and discredit Communism; and, at the same time, re-invigorate the United States.

From his speaches as Brandenburg Gates in Germany extoling Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" to his firm stance on SDI (Star Wars) in talks at Reykjavik, he pushed the Soviet Union to levels fo engagement and spending that Reagan knew they would be unable to sustain. In retrospect, Reagan laid the groundwork for the surrender of the Soviet Union at Reykjavik. This event was the single watershed moment that proved MAD was unsustainable, that a larger nuclear stockpile was not greater protection in the face of a similarly large stockpile. It also proved that bargaining from a position of strength is possible. It pushed the Soviets into an untenable position from which the only way out was dialogue. Reagan knew they'd come to this realization too late and that would be financially disasterous to their country.

In the late 80's as the Soviet Union crumbled financially from within, the satellite nations under the Soviet Empire were spun off out of financial necessity. Mother Russia had little interest in funding the hands as the body died. This marked the completion of the work begun on June 6, 1944. Germany was reunited and the rest of the Soviet-Bloc countries gained their liberty from oppression and Communism.

The Reagan Revolution changed this country from it's depressed and anorexic state to a country that was vibrant and forward looking and in turn, it changed the world. The concepts of democracy and liberty were validated and capitalism showed it's strength and agility. The prosperity we enjoy today is a direct result of President's Reagan's handiwork and his governance by conviction.

It is with great sadness that we accept the death of Ronald Wilson Reagan; yet, we need to celebrate his life and his works. He stood proud for this Nation and the Nation remembered it's strength and purpose under his leadership.

Godspeed to you Sir, and thank you for your service.

Memorial Day

What's it really about? Most everyone already knows it's a 3-day weekend, some know it's a day to honor and remember our war dead, and fewer know it's stretches back to the civil war. But why?

Ronald Reagan sums it up pretty well:
"Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again."

If you've lost the true meaning of this day, you've got a good week here to think about it and remember. June 6, marks the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the Normandy invasion, marking the beginning of the end of Word War II in Europe. Get yourself a little D-Day education here.

The soldiers of World War II bought and paid for freedom and liberty with their lives, not for themselves, but for us. Today, the war on terrorism and it's extension conflicts are paying the price for freedom for the next generation. As a people, we need to make sure we're paying for it in full and not simply buying our freedom on credit or we're leaving the next generation a debt they cannot repay.