Word to LIve by & Reagan Forum

Words To Live By – 4th of July

Ronald Reagan always said his favorite holiday was the 4^th of July….oh and that the Democrats’ favorite was April 15. We know what a dedicated patriot he was, and he used his bully pulpit to celebrate everything wonderful about America. And of course, the 4^th of July provided the perfect opportunity to do so. Over the years, his messages were pretty consistently patriotic but depending upon the current climate in Washington, he would choose to insert a little personal color.

A Reagan Forum – Labyrinth Screening

Marian Kolodziej was on the first transport into Auschwitz on June 14, 1940. He was given number 432. He survived and never spoke of his experience for 50 years. After a serious stroke in 1993, he began rehabilitation by doing pen and ink drawings depicting the experiences he and others endured in the concentration camp. These drawings, in their skeletal detail, are a gripping depiction of the pain, death, and horrors of the camp. While most of the drawings represent the memories of a young man’s hellish experiences in Auschwitz, some tell stories of small acts of kindness and dignity. Marian’s story of survival, of persistence, of life before, during, and after Auschwitz are a testament to the human spirit. Marian’s drawings and art installations, which he called The Labyrinth, fill the large basement of a church near Auschwitz and draw visitors into the horrific reality of the Holocaust. On June 14, 2023, we held a documentary screening for The Labyrinth. Following that screening we were joined in conversation with the film’s producer, Fr. Ron Schmidt. Today’s Reagan Forum podcast is of that conversation.

Words To Live By – Education

In March this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Parents’ Bill of Rights intended to reform American public schools. Perhaps you’ve heard about it. Essentially, this bill follows states like Florida that have also sought to give parents more control. The bill has headed to the Senate for consideration. But it’s highly unlikely, that the Democratic-controlled chamber will take up the measure, with House Democrats dubbing the bill the “Politics over Parents Act.” In this podcast, we’ll hear how our 40^th president felt about education. First, let’s listen to a radio address that Ronald Reagan delivered in 1976 – almost 50 years ago. And in the second half, we’ll get his presidential views on the subject, particularly as it pertains to a national report on education along with federal spending.

A Reagan Forum – Mayor Francis Suarez

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast, we go back one week to June 15, 2023 for our in-person event with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who was a speaker in the Reagan Foundation’s Time for Choosing Speaker Series, a forum for leading voices in the conservative movement. Mayor Suarez was first elected with a mandate of 86 percent and then re-elected with a mandate of nearly 79 percent. Under his leadership, Miami has cut crime and cut taxes to one of their lowest points in over fifty years, spurring a broad-based economic expansion across Miami. His father, Xavier Suarez, was Miami’s first-ever Cuban-American mayor. During his Time for Choosing speech at the Reagan Library, Mayor Suarez addressed additional critical issues facing the future of the Republican Party.

Words To Live By – Ronald Reagan the Environmentalist

In today’s podcast, we’ll focus on Ronald Reagan the environmentalist. So let's start by going back to California from 1967-1975 when he was Governor. Actually, he had an admirable record of safeguarding the environment, to the surprise of some of his critics. You see, Governor Reagan’s administration added 145,000 acres of park land, more than any other modern California governor. He enforced new, tougher measures on air and water quality. He stopped plans for dams on two rivers, the Feather and the Eel, despite intense pressure from commercial interests and signed into law a bill to protect California’s wild and scenic rivers. So let’s first listen to Governor Reagan – and in the second half we’ll catch his thoughts as President.

A Reagan Forum – Marcus Brotherton

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to our virtual event with bestselling authors Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee for their latest book, The Long March Home, a riveting coming of age tale of friendship, courage and sacrifice set in the true story of WWII, the Bataan Death March, and the life as a POW. This is our third event with Marcus – we’ve previously held events with him for his books A Bright and Blinding Sun and Blaze of Light which were both biographies of war veterans. In The Long March Home, Marcus and Tosca remind readers that freedom isn’t free.

Words To Live By - The Soviet Union and Anti-Semitism

Today, despite our belief in religious freedom, people of various religions feel bias and persecution. In particular, a wave of antisemitism has arisen. So in this podcast, we’ll look back at President Reagan’s support of religious freedom. In particular, we’ll listen to a speech he delivered 40 years ago at the National Convention of the Anti-Defamation League of B’Nai B’rith. But first, let’s hear what he said to Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev as he explained in his autobiography when the issue of human rights was discussed. You’ll hear the President’s particular focus on the Jewish refuseniks who were not given permission to leave the Soviet Union.

A Reagan Forum – Memorial Day

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to our in-person event held on Memorial Day – a day to honor and mourn our service men and women who have died while serving in the United States. Last year, the Reagan Foundation held its first ever program on Memorial Day and the feedback from the community was so positive, that we knew we needed to make it an annual event. This year’s program included live musical entertainment, an honor guard, and remarks by Major Cole Lapierre of the US Marine Corps, Captain Michael Meno, Jr., the Commodore of Naval Construction Group One, and remarks by Gold Star Family Members Melanie House and Michelle Carranza.

Words To Live By – Stagnation on Immigration Reform

Like you, we’ve been watching news coverage of the crisis at our borders. Some outlets report record numbers crossing, others report diminished numbers, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that our system is broken. Democrats, Republicans, Independents – for once they agree that our current immigration policy is a mess. Do you realize that Reagan’s 1986 Immigration Reform Act, 37 years ago, was the last time our legislators finalized a policy? Pretty disturbing isn’t it? So today, let’s try to cut through all the mixed messages and look at what Reagan tried to do and how it might apply to today.

A Reagan Forum – Larry Loftis

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we back to our in-person event with bestselling author Larry Loftis, for his book, The Watchmaker’s Daughter. In 1953 Israel’s Parliament unanimously passed the Yad Vashem Law, which established the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, in order to document and record the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust as well as to acknowledge the countless non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to save Jews. In 1963, Yad Vashem began to award the title “Righteous Among the Nations” which awards non-Jews who risked their lives, liberty or positions to save Jews during the Holocaust. Since that time, over 22,000 rescuers from 44 countries have been acknowledged for their efforts. On December 12, 1967, Corrie Ten Boom was recognized with this award for her efforts in saving nearly 800 Jewish lives during WWII, as well as for her arrest and deportation into the camps, for which not everyone from her family survived. Enter New York Times and international bestselling author Larry Loftis. His book tells the story of the Ten Boom family, who risked lives – their free lives – to do what they could to save the people who were being targeted by the Nazi Regime.