Happy Reagan Centennial

One hundred years ago today, Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois. He was one of a rare few (even among men who have been elected president of the United States) who dramatically altered the course of human history, and for the better.

What occurs in this video is sometimes referred to as "The Speech." If you haven't seen it, or just haven't seen it for awhile, it's worth a half hour of your time.

Shortly after it aired, a group of California businessmen embarked on a long and (eventually) successful mission to convince Mr. Reagan to run for governor. Once he did, Americans began electing him to office as enthusiastically as they could. Over the following 25 years, Ronald Reagan saved the world.

Reagan Library pics

A wee bit of self-indulgence here. I visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley last weekend. A 'religious experience' doesn't even begin to cover it.

The landscape near the library. The site was chosen because it was near the Reagans' Rancho del Cielo. I can see why they liked it up here.

A piece of the Berlin Wall on display. Today the wall imprisons 0 people. (This is not an accident.)

Another shot of the scenery near the library. I never thought I'd see anything that rivaled Colorado, but some of southern California certainly does.

Ronnie's and Nancy's saddles. Ronnie's is the one on the left.

Mr. Reagan was given more than 350 belt buckles while he was president. These are some of them.

The burial site. I got goosebumps