Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches
by Ronald Reagan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ronald ReaganEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-08-03
ISBN: 0743271114
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book Reviews of Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches
Book Review: The Conservative Bible
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is an amazing collection of the classic speeches of the founder of modern Conservatism, Ronald Reagan. One of the great things about this book is each speech is proceeded by his own words in hindsight and after the fact. One of my favorite prologue statements of his points to how amazing a man he really was when he says, "People often found it odd that an actor would be concerned with such things [politics]. I guess they forgot I was also a citizen." Too often the media, intellectuals, and academics forget that "citizens" like Ronald Reagan are the heart and soul of this country, and to be a great leader and public official you do not need a law degree from Harvard University.
The book also contains my favorite speech titled, "Time for Choosing". This book is worth the price for the transcript of this speech alone. This speech is the rallying cry against big government waste and spending. Reagan states, "We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one! So they are going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning." Remember this speech was given in 1964, and its words still holds true today! The last two pages of this speech are so powerful that it makes you want to jump up in your seat. "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness."
The second best speech in this book is his Inaugural Address in 1981. Reagan says it best when he states in the prologue to the speech, "You have to keep pounding away with your message, year after year, because that's the only way it will sink into the collective consciousness." I am afraid since he left office very few were able to do this, which brings us into the state of affairs this country currently finds itself in. Remember this was written in 1981! "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time, we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price."
The third best speech in terms of power is his remarks at the Brandenburg Gate, West Berlin, June 12, 1987. This speech points to the power of strong leadership; we forget how close this country was to all out nuclear war with the Soviet Union. How terrorism today is nothing compared to the threat of nuclear holocaust, yet one man - one man - was able to bring the Soviet Union to its knees. That man was Ronald Reagan, and it was with words like these, "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbechev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!" Many times whenever you hear this speech it ends there, but the greatness of this speech continues when Reagan says, "Because we remained strong, the Soviets came back to the table. And because we remained strong, today we have within reach the possibility, not merely of limiting the growth of arms, but of eliminating, for the first time, an entire class of nuclear weapons from the face of the earth." It is amazing to be able to look into the future and see how amazing this statement would become.
This book is so amazing; it gives insights into how Ronald Reagan viewed the world from abortion, to national security, to the economy. The only issue he does not speak of in the book is health care; however, he does go into detail about the destruction of government entitlements. His words on abortion are classic and point to things that I have never heard anywhere else in reference to the subject. He states, "the unborn have property rights protected by law. A man can will his estate to his wife and children and any children yet to be born of his marriage. Yet the proposed abortion law would deny the unborn the protection of the law in preserving its life." He also states, "an abortion is justified when done in self-defense. My belief is that a woman has the right to protect her own life and health against even her own unborn child. I believe also that just as she has the right to defend herself against rape, she should not be made to bear child resulting from the violation of her person and therefore abortion is an act of self-defense." He goes on to say, "I can find no evidence whatsoever that a fetus is not a living human being with human rights." I have never heard anyone make these points before, very enlightening.
I would suggest that anyone claiming to be a Conservative or anyone that loves freedom and liberty needs to OWN this book. Keep it with you as a weapon against anyone that tries to say freedom and liberty are old and failed policies of the past, Ronald Reagan proved this is false and continues to prove it even in his death. His words live on in our hearts and on the pages of this book! God Bless him and God Bless America!
Summary of Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches
A collection of speeches chosen and introduced by Ronald Reagan. The speeches date from his days as an actor, to his 8-year term of office. Political, historical and personal speeches are included, on Gorbachev, the U.S airstrike on Libya, and tributes to friends and his wife Nancy.Political Books
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