Here is a snippet from a speech given by Ronald Reagan at the 40th Anniversary of D-Day at the American Cemetary near Omaha Beach:

"Those men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They felt in their hearts that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4:00 a.m. in the morning. In Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell. And they knew that God was an ally in this great cause. That night General Ridgeway was listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua; 'I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee'. Let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died. We will always remember. We will always be proud."

Eric The(Wow!)Hun[>]:)]

That's a great snip. I really like Ronald Reagan, no matter what anybody else says. (he's the first President that I can actually remember[:)])

Me and my daughter sent him some jelly beans for his birthday a couple of years ago.

Greatest President of 20th Century, IMO. An interesting thing about Reagan though, he did not have a whole lot to say about 2nd Amendment issues or RKBA.

Me and the Gip share the same B-day.  I wrote a letter to him when I was six.  Got one back from him personally signed.  Been a fan ever since.

Then there's this little item:

Nov. 5, 1994

My fellow Americans,

I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.

Upon learning this news, Nancy and I had to decide whether as private citizens we would keep this a private matter or whether we would make this news known in a public way. In the past, Nancy suffered from breast cancer and I had my cancer surgeries. We found through our open disclosures we were able to raise public awareness. We were happy that as a result, many more people underwent testing. They were treated in early stages and able to return to normal, healthy lives.

So now we feel it is important to share it with you. In opening our hearts, we hope this might promote greater awareness of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clearer understanding of the individuals and families who are affected by it.

At the moment I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this Earth doing the things I have always done. I will continue to share life's journey with my beloved Nancy and my family. I plan to enjoy the great outdoors and stay in touch with my friends and supporters.

Unfortunately, as Alzheimer's disease progresses, the family often bears a heavy burden. I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience. When the time comes, I am confident that with your help she will face it with faith and courage.

[b]In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that day may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future.

I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.[/b]

Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you.

Sincerely,

Ronald Reagan

Eric The(Saddened)Hun[>]:)]

[url]http://www.quickchange.com/reagan/1985.html[/url]

From: [size=3]Gun Shows in America
Tupperware® Parties for Criminals[/size=3]

[u]Introduction[/u]

The 1980s were the glory days of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). The organization's golden era began in 1980 with the election of NRA Life Member Ronald Reagan as president. Reagan's victory was described by the New York Times as "one of the darkest hours for handgun control advocates." In Congress, after two decades of fighting—and often losing—a defensive battle over gun control,1 the NRA was prepared to launch its first offensive effort in decades. And although gun control took a back seat to economic issues in 1981, the Times warned, "The New Right and its Congressional allies...will be demanding action [in 1982] on their priorities—including gun control."

And they got it. The NRA unveiled legislation that was nothing less than a pro-gun wish list: the "Firearms Owners' Protection Act." Commonly known as "McClure-Volkmer" for its congressional sponsors, then-Senator James McClure (R-ID) and Representative Harold Volkmer (D-MO), it was designed to roll back broad sections of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA).  Early versions even removed restrictions on the mail-order sale of firearms. (Throughout this study the bill and law will be referred to as McClure-Volkmer.)

NRA direct mail heralded the bill as legislation "every American gun owner and hunter need [sic] passed into law." According to Congressman Volkmer, the importance of the bill to gun owners was surpassed only by the Second Amendment itself. The bill, said Volkmer, would:

"...protect you, the honest citizen, who might not know every single line and provision of the 23 pages of the Gun Control Act, the 20,000 firearms laws already on the books and thousands of pages of gun regulations. With the...bill as law, we will have taken away from the government bureaucrats the opportunity to punish, harass and entrap America's law-abiding firearms owners."

The NRA and the bill's supporters portrayed McClure-Volkmer as a gun owners' relief act. In reality, the bill did much more to advance the interests of gun sellers—both Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders and unlicensed individuals—than those of the average gun owner.

After a long, bitter debate that pitted the NRA and the firearms industry against gun control advocates and national police organizations, McClure-Volkmer passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Reagan on May 19, 1986.

- continued -

McClure-Volkmer:

- Allowed Federal Firearms License holders to sell guns at gun shows located in their home state.

- Allowed individuals not federally licensed as gun dealers to sell their personal firearms as a "hobby."

- Restricted the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to conduct inspections of the business premises of federally licensed firearms dealers.

- Reduced the recordkeeping required of federally licensed firearms dealers, specifically eliminating recordkeeping of ammunition sales.

- Raised the burden of proof for violations of federal gun laws.

- Expanded a federal program that restored the ability of convicted felons to possess firearms.

Despite the controversy generated by McClure-Volkmer, little attention has been paid to its effect in the 10 years since the law's enactment. This study is the first in a series in which the Violence Policy Center (VPC) will analyze the real-world impact of the NRA's McClure-Volkmer legislation and gauge the law's effect on public safety.

One legacy of McClure-Volkmer is the uncontrolled proliferation of gun shows—events at which private citizens and federally licensed gun dealers congregate to buy and sell firearms and related paraphernalia. Although the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms maintains no historical records as to the number of gun shows that occur annually and can only offer rough estimates as to the number that occur today, for this study the Violence Policy Center conducted interviews across the country with law enforcement personnel and gun show organizers to gauge the effect of the law on the volume of gun shows. The VPC's research reveals that the law has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number and size of shows, which occur in auditoriums, fairgrounds, and other outlets in almost every state on virtually every weekend of the year. The VPC's research also reveals that this dramatic increase is due largely to two little-noticed changes McClure-Volkmer made in the way that federally licensed firearms dealers are regulated—

- The law made it legal for Federal Firearms License holders to sell at gun shows.

- The law expanded the opportunities for private citizens to buy and sell firearms at gun shows by raising the threshold of what constituted being "engaged in the business" of selling firearms.

The result is a readily available source of weapons and ammunition for a wide variety of criminals—including street gangs, white supremacists, would-be presidential assassins, and domestic terrorists.
--------------------------------------------
The preceding is from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) a liberal anti-gun group. They sure seem to think Reagan was a hopeless tool of the NRA!

Eric The(JustAReminderOfHowThingsUsedToBe)Hun[>]:)]

Theres always a nattering nabob. Rock on Ronnie!
[:D]

ETH, actions speak louder than words I suppose.

"My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that I have signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever.  We begin bombing in five minutes."

God how I miss Reagan.  Bush is close and time will tell, but I dearly Love Reagan.  I liked living in Reagans America, I liked living in Bushs America for the most part.  I knew Clinton was a lier within 5 minutes of hearing him speak for the first time. I hate Clinton.  I like Bush Jr.  RKBA is more important now then ever before.  It is all more important and as I get older I feel the responsibility far more then I use to.  Its up to US!!!! Because we are the only ones who can do it.  We may very well be the last generation who knew America the way that our fathers new America and their fathers new America.  My children will be raised the way I was raised , but for the most part I don't see that as being the norm anymore.  In fact their being raised the way I am doing it seems down right rare.  MOst kids never join the scouts, never go hunting, fishing, camping, nor read what we read.  Our house is fully Libertarian but votes republican.  Reagan will always be the man, he showed me when I was growing up what my father was showing me.  I loved Reagan for it.  He was like my dad was.  Remember in the early eighties when Reagan went to the tomb of the Unkown soldier.  

Me and my Dad watched that and my dad said one sentence the whole time it was one.  He said
"That is the clearest horn sounding Taps I have ever heard". Its odd but that is when I knew Reagan was special.  Because the Horn was clear and loud.  That is when I learned some respect for American Soldiers, that is when I learned the dearest love that Americans must have for the men who die for them.  And Reagan and my Dad showed that to me.

Benjamin

God Bless you, your Father and family, Benjamin! I see that in 'A Time for Choosing', ya'll have chosen the right course.

That was a wonderful post about Reagan, 'cause it described your family as illuminated by the light eminating from this one man.

That is true greatness - not only that Reagan was great, but that he had what every true leader possesses, the ability to make others great as well!

Eric The(WeWereAllGreatInThoseDays)Hun[>]:)]

As a military/NFA collector, it boils down to:
- Reagan: no new MG's
- Bush (Sr): no new foreign semi-auto military-style guns

Reagan was a great president. Bush just happened to be in office during Desert Storm and got the glory.

I actually have never blamed Pres. Reagan for the NFA problem that came with passage of the FOPA of 1986. That particular item was inserted by a Democrat congresscritter from NJ, IIRC, and was a last-minute deal-breaker for the entire FOPA.

Fortunately for us, the amendment didn't kill the FOPA, but it did kill new NFA weapons for a certain segment of the RKBA community.

The good thing about it was that a flat ban on all NFA weapons was proposed and turned down!

Now that might have been worth ditching the entire FOPA over, I suppose.

I believe that the entire NFA area of gun laws and regulations would be over in a heartbeat if the American People actually 'knew' that some folks [u]can[/u] own actual machine guns!

It's just their ignorance of these weapons that permits the NFA to continue.

And all it would take for the immediate demise of the NFA and the elimination of all NFA weapons in civilian hands would be for one of those registered weapons to be used in a mass shooting of some sort!

Isn't it comforting to know that your RKBA, at least regarding NFA weaponry, is absolutely at the mercy of the next madman! If some elderly gent with a few 'war trophies', or a 'punk' with his daddy's legally registered Thompson, were to open up at the mall, for whatever reason, the end of the NFA would come quickly.

Eric The([u]Very[/u]QuicklyIndeed!)Hun[>]:)]

Peggy Noonan

This letter was hand-written by President Reagan. There was a word or two simply lined-out and spelling corrected.  No effort was made to produce a perfectly 'appearing' document.

President Reagan was a man of quality, class and finally incredible bravery.

For me this letter still brings tears to my eyes.