Cold Warriors: President Roland Reagan, Blessed John Paul II, & Baroness Margaret Thatcher. The Blaze
Three Who Saved The West -- William Kristol, Weekly Standard
And now the last of them is gone. Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II—three who won the Cold War and, it isn't too much to say, saved the West (at least for a while!)—are no longer with us. Their examples remain.
They knew what they believed but also knew they had to justify their beliefs, and that one could adjust prudently to circumstances without yielding on principle. They stood firm when in power, and they took risks to get there, challenging the conventional wisdom and the respective establishments of their nations or institutions. They were conservative but not nostalgic, and would counsel us today against excessive nostalgia for their deeds and their days. They would rather, I suspect, urge that we act in their spirit—what one might call a spirit of unapologetic but reformist conservatism.
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My Comment: Growing up in the former Soviet Union I was in awe of all three individuals. I knew even then that they were on the right side of history .... and with time I had the opportunity to see with my very own eyes how these three leaders transformed the Europe that I grew up with into something better. And what is even more remarkable is that t
They knew what they believed but also knew they had to justify their beliefs, and that one could adjust prudently to circumstances without yielding on principle. They stood firm when in power, and they took risks to get there, challenging the conventional wisdom and the respective establishments of their nations or institutions. They were conservative but not nostalgic, and would counsel us today against excessive nostalgia for their deeds and their days. They would rather, I suspect, urge that we act in their spirit—what one might call a spirit of unapologetic but reformist conservatism.
Read more ....
My Comment: Growing up in the former Soviet Union I was in awe of all three individuals. I knew even then that they were on the right side of history .... and with time I had the opportunity to see with my very own eyes how these three leaders transformed the Europe that I grew up with into something better. And what is even more remarkable is that they did it not with guns or brute force .... but with logic, reason, morality, conviction, and the will to persevere against those who wanted to maintain the status quo and their privilege.
I cannot express enough my gratitude and thanks for what they did. They put into motion events that helped to set me free from the shackles of a regime that had no place for me and what I wanted to do in my life. And while problems and difficult times still exist in Eastern Europe .... they pale in comparison to what life was like during the height of the Cold War .... for now we have hope that the future will not only get better .... but more importantly ..... also be more free.
They are all gone now .... but they will be remembered for the ages.
Read more ....
My Comment: Growing up in the former Soviet Union I was in awe of all three individuals. I knew even then that they were on the right side of history .... and with time I had the opportunity to see with my very own eyes how these three leaders transformed the Europe that I grew up with into something better. And what is even more remarkable is that they did it not with guns or brute force .... but with logic, reason, morality, conviction, and the will to persevere against those who wanted to maintain the status quo and their privilege.
I cannot express enough my gratitude and thanks for what they did. They put into motion events that helped to set me free from the shackles of a regime that had no place for me and what I wanted to do in my life. And while problems and difficult times still exist in Eastern Europe .... they pale in comparison to what life was like during the height of the Cold War .... for now we have hope that the future will not only get better .... but more importantly ..... also be more free.
They are all gone now .... but they will be remembered for the ages.