Words to Live By Since 1993 A SPIFF Publication Vol. 1, No. 18 One for the Gipper 'Tis the nonsectarian, generic holiday season everywhere in the media but here. At Spiff it's Christmas, the celebration of the Savior. In the tradition of Christmas, here is our gift to you, the loyal followers of Spiff... A Tribute to The President Why was Ronald Reagan a wildly successful president? Why is he the political guiding light of Spiff? Beside the fact that he is right, it can be said in two words: principle and conviction. Since he can say it far better than we ever could, these are some of our favorite pictures, quotes, and statements. Enjoy! "I, Ronald Reagan, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God." "America itself is no accident of geography or political science but a part of God's plan." "Our enemies are largely within ourselves. Indifference, passiveness, a lack of standards and values about right and wrong, good and bad. Though these things are often excused as universal or are even extolled as virtues, broad-mindedness, tolerance, or sophistication, they can be as deadly and destroy us just as surely as any nuclear device or missile or other hardware." "Let it be clear. We maintain this strength in the hope that it will never be used, for the ultimate determinant in the struggle that's now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets, but a test of wills and ideas, a trial of spiritual resolve, the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, the ideals to which we are dedicated." "Let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all the peoples of the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world." "I grew up in a town where everyone cared about one another because everyone knew one another, not as statistics in a government program, but as neighbors in need. Is that nostalgic? I don't think so. I think it still is what sets this nation apart from every other nation on the face of the earth. Our neighbors were never ashamed to kneel in prayer to their Maker, nor were they ever embarrassed to feel a lump in their throat when Old Glory passed by. No one in Dixon, Illinois ever burned a flag. No one in Dixon would have tolerated it." "You know when I was in college I spent quite a bit of my time in activities, sports, and campus dramatics. I sometimes wonder if I had worked harder and devoted more time to my classwork...how far I would have gone." "The poet called Miss Liberty's lamp 'the light beside the golden door.'" The glistening hope of that lamp is still ours. Every promise, every opportunity, is still golden in this land. And through that golden door, our children can walk into tomorrow with the knowledge that no one can be denied the promise that is America. Her heart is full. Her future still bright. She has arms big enough to comfort and strong enough to support. For the strength in her arms is the strength of her people. She will carry on in the '80s unafraid, unashamed, and unsurpassed. In this springtime of hope, some lights seem eternal. America's is." "A federal program, once started, no matter how badly it fails, is the nearest thing to eternal life you'll ever see on this earth." "I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said, 'If ever someone could take public office and bring to public office the teachings and the precepts of the Prince of Peace, he would revolutionize the world and men would be remembering him for a thousand years.' I don't think anyone could ever take office and be so presumptuous as to believe he could do that and think he could ever follow those precepts completely. I can tell you this: I'll try very hard. I think that it is needed in today's world." "Though my pronunciation may give you difficulty, the maxim is, 'Dovorey no provorey,' trust but verify." "For us family, work, faith, neighborhood, freedom, and peace are not just words, they are expressions of what American means, definitions of what makes us a good and loving people. the heart of America is strong, it is good and true. The cynics were wrong. America never was a sick society. I've never felt more strongly that America's best days and democracy's best days lie ahead. We are a powerful force for good. With faith and courage, we can perform great deeds and take freedom's next step. Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race, we kept them free, we kept the faith. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America." Words to Live By is published every week at about this time by Spiff. You can send a fax to us here in the Spiff Executive Plaza, towering over beautiful downtown Donelson, Tennessee at 615-883-0435.