The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

I've only been to California once—a trip to the L.A. area in 2008. One of the things I definitely wanted to do during the three-day trip was to visit the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. It is located atop a mountain (Simi "Valley" seems a bit ironic) and was worth the drive up to the top.

Most attentive people realize today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan. He was unquestionably the greatest president of my lifetime, and I sure do wish someone of his caliber and convictions occupied the White House right now. It saddens me to think that nobody below the age of 25 remembers him as president. The Reagan Library helps to preserve his legacy.


My wife and I had a great visit, and would strongly recommend it to anyone traveling through that region of the country. In addition to many excellent momentoes and reminisces of his presidency, the actual Air Force One of his era (it was replaced by a 747 about a decade ago) was moved to the Museum and placed in a special pavilion for everyone to see.


It is also interesting to note that Reagan loved California. The "land of," that is. I think he would be angered and/or horrified if he could witness the political and social scene now, along with the contempt displayed toward our immigration laws.

More importantly (to me), Reagan loved the United States of America, and was dedicated to keeping it the greatest, freest, strongest country in the world. For that, we should thank God that we could have such a leader at such a time as we did.

I Samuel 8, and Our Present Day

In the eighth chapter of I Samuel, the people of Israel come to Samuel and demand that they be given a king to rule over them, so that they might be like the nations around them. [They apparently wanted a "change."] Samuel, realizing that this was neither the will of God nor a particularly good idea, gives them ample warning about the king they would receive, in these verses:

11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

Notice the italicized and bold print words...and think about the "king" [i.e., president] we have in Washington D.C. today! He will take what's yours, and give it to his servants. Scary! And in verse 12, notice the phrase "his chariots," which reminded me of certain auto companies. Even the mention of taking "the tenth" sounds ominously like a national sales tax somehow....

Book Review: "John Tyler" by Gary May

John Tyler was the 10th President, the 1st to become President after the death of another president (William H. Harrison), and the 23rd president whose book in the American Presidents Series I have read [Times Books].

I have found it amusing that, in general, the best-written books in this series are the ones about the most obscure presidents. This one is an easy-to-read, concise, and insightful look at a president nearly no one knows.

Given the current political climate, with its massive government spending and interference in the private sector, reading President Tyler's thoughts (and those of his father and his contemporaries of all parties) is delightful. Although a democrat with a southerner's tendency toward states' rights—he became a member of the Confederate Congress shortly before his death in 1862—Tyler's thoughts on the limits of government and on the Constitution are often refreshing and timeless.

Surely, every single president of the pre-Civil War era of our history would be appalled—nay, horrified and shocked—at what our national government looks like today. In Tyler's case, this is easy to understand.

Like the other books in the American President Series, it is about 150 pages and written at a level that any amateur U.S. historian (or historian wannabe) should easily digest. Gary May's work is, overall, one of the better volumes I have read so far.

Vice-Presidential Trivia: Who Am I?

In the panorama of American History, who am I?


I was nominated to be the vice-president on the Republican ticket.


At the time I was nominated to be vice-president, I was the very popular governor of an important state.


Prior to that, I had a meteoric rise in my state's politics.


I was below the age of 45 when nominated.


I loved the outdoors, and spent a key period of my life in the far-northwestern, sparsely populated portion of my country.


I was happily married with a large family.


My eldest daughter occasionally caused a degree of embarrassment.


Who am I? Sarah Palin? Actually, I was...



Theodore Roosevelt, 1900

Book Review: "Gerald R. Ford" by Douglas Brinkley

This is yet another book in the American Presidents Series by Times Books (and completes my reading of the volumes I got for Christmas!). As with the other books, it is a biography which focuses on the presidency of the man and important issues relating to this presidency.

Of course, in Ford's case, he came to the presidency without the benefit of a vote of the people of all the states. Ford's background in Congress is covered, and his rise to minority leader detailed, giving insights as to why he was selected in 1973 upon Agnew's resignation as vice president. The Watergate matter is also covered in some detail.

The single biggest issue covered in the book is the decision to pardon Nixon a month after he became president. At the time, the decision was widely (and bipartisan-ly) condemned as anything from a mistake to a sinister deal. Brinkley takes the position—taken in 1974 by Ford—that the pardon was a necessary step of healing for the country, and anyway implied guilt by virtue of its acceptance by Nixon. He also spends some time detailing how the public perception of the pardon changed by the time of Ford's death last year. Other significant issues of his presidency are detailed, generally in a positive light, as are the challenge Reagan mounted for the Republican nomination in 1976 and his eventual loss in the 1976 election to Carter.

One thing to note is that Ford was not a conservative in the sense described today. He was pro-choice on the abortion issue (as was his wife). There is some debate as to whether he took a sufficiently hard stance against communism during his 29-month presidency. Due to the large democratic majorities in Congress at that time, he would have had difficulty getting any significant conservative legislation through, which, of course, gives some to believe that he was too cozy with the democrats in Congress.

The book is readable, informative, and generally evenhanded (Brinkley, like most of the biographers in this series, usually describes his subject as positively as objectivity will allow). If you want a basic overview of the Ford presidency, you will get a good one here.

Book Review: "Calvin Coolidge" by David Greenberg

Calvin Coolidge is one of those presidents who, to most, is deemed to have been a trivial president. The slightly more astute will realize that he is the only president to have the birthdate of July 4, 136 years ago today.

But he was neither a trivial president nor as "silent" as many believe. He was indeed a reserved man, but his contributions were important in their day. He may not have led the country through war or other great trial, but he did lead, and was an immensely popular leader.

Greenberg's book is a well-written look at the life of this man. For those who want a scholarly but not cumbersome look at him, this is the book to get. The book gives a well-balanced view of his life, neither overly favorable nor critical; and focusing neither on the 1920's alone nor exclusively on our day.

Coolidge was a Republican, and what we today would call a conservative. Ronald Reagan hung his portrait in the White House (note: Reagan was a teenager while Coolidge was president). Toward the end of this book comes this interesting quotation:

"In his fourth annual address to Congress, on December 7, 1926, he issued a call 'for reducing, rather than expanding, government bureaus which seek to regulate and control the business activities of the people.' To the objection that workers, consumers, and other citizens needed safeguards, the president replied, 'Unfortunately, human nature cannot be changed by an act of the legislature....It is too much assumed that because an abuse exists it is the business of the national government to remedy it.'" (p. 131)

Some things never change.

Book Review: "James Garfield" by Ira Rutkow

Here we have yet another installation of the American Presidents Series. This one was both readable and interesting—a look at one of our more "trivial" presidents. Garfield was shot just four months after he took office, and after seventy-nine days of dreadful suffering, passed into eternity, making Chester A. Arthur president.

Garfield's early years are concisely described, as are his years in the U.S. Congress as a representative from northeast Ohio. Garfield is one of the few men ever to become a college president, general, and congressman before the age of 32. And that, without much formal education before the age of 16 or so.

He became the Republican "dark horse" candidate for president in 1880 when the party couldn't settle on a nominee. In a very close election, hinging primarily on New York, he became president. His brief presidency was burdened by the onslaught of office-seekers who expected him to bestow some job upon them as a reward for their party participation.

One of them was a deranged man named Charles Guiteau. He eventually deluded himself into thinking that assassinating the president would win him the admiration of his countrymen (and Garfield's political opponents, including Arthur). He shot the president at the train station as Garfield was on his way to a vacation with his wife in New Jersey.

The author of this book is a medical doctor, and his most obvious thesis (and it is most obvious) is that Garfield's death could have been prevented, but for the pride and ineptitude of doctors who ignored recent discoveries in the field of antiseptic medicine. If you are interested in the medical history of Garfield's slow and painful demise, this is a most readable book, even if you are not steeped in medical knowledge.

And in an interesting epilogue, he compares the treatment of President Reagan, shot in 1981 (one hundred years after Garfield's 1881 shooting), with what Garfield received. Reagan was 20 years older and had a far more dangerous wound than Garfield had, yet was back to work within a couple weeks. He suggests that had Garfield been shot a century later, he could have been out of the hospital in 24 hours, recuperating at the White House, with excellent prospects of complete recovery. Of course, a century later, things like x-rays, CT scans, and latex gloves would have been universally available....

A very interesting book. I can recommend it highly.

Book Review: "Thomas Jefferson" by Joyce Appleby

This book is yet another in the American Presidents Series which I have read in the past few years. On the whole, the series is great. But this book will not go down as one of my favorites.

As with other books in the series, this one does a good job of looking at the significant moments in the man's life and presidency. Where it goes a tad overboard is the disproportionate share of the book which discusses the moral conundrum of the man: One of the foremost promoters of freedom and democracy for white men, who held slaves and had (at best) a politically incorrect view of women.

This is a legitimate topic, of course. Thomas Jefferson's contributions to our nation are obvious and of great merit. He also had his shortcomings, in politics (a thorn in the side of both Washington and Adams at times), morality (fathering children by one of his slave girls), and personal judgment (racked up substantial debt in his adult life). He certainly owned slaves and made it clear that he thought both slaves and Indians were incapable of matching white men's accomplishments within the foreseeable future.

Of more interest (to me, at least) is Jefferson's views on the Constitution, politics, and the role of democracy in our country. Perhaps the single most interesting thing in the book was a comparison of John Adams, the Federalist, and Thomas Jefferson, the democrat. As described by Appleby, Adams belonged to the school of thought that discouraged all those "common men" from voting—or at least believed that they should defer to their "betters." Jefferson, in contrast, believed in the right, and in the encouragement of that right, of all [white] men to vote.

Today we experience Jefferson's vision...and look who our political leaders are! Maybe Adams was on to something....

Book Review: "George Washington" by James Burns and Susan Dunn

This installment of the American Presidents Series features our first president, and is also the only one in the series (so far) to be co-authored. (Click here for a review of the biography of John Adams, and click here for the review of Andrew Jackson's biography.) The thesis of the book is that Washington's greatest achievement is the way he shaped the presidency and consolidated executive power.

Although the book is biographical, the book focuses, not surprisingly, on George Washington's shaping of the presidency itself. As the first president, and as the hero of a nation, Washington had the power and influence to shape the presidency in many ways—and he did. Where the Constitution did not "seem" to grant the president a lot of power (prevailing thought back then vested much of the power in legislative bodies), Washington used it to the full extent he could, while still being very respectful of his constitutional limits. The book is generally complementary on his presidential service, and why not? He was a fine president, and did a commendable job. It also speaks highly of his overlooked brilliance at selecting a first-rate cabinet.

The authors apparently felt obliged to take an almost-gratuitous politically-correct jab at Washington for being a slaveowner, and also minimize the influence of religion on Washington's life. The epilogue also seems to give a lower regard (than most people have, or than I think he should) for his moral legacy. Despite these weaknesses, the book does an overall good job of portraying President Washington as president, and can be recommended as a useful perspective on his life and presidency.

Book Review: "John Adams" by John Patrick Diggins

Most of the volumes in the American Presidents Series have an emphasis on the biography of the subject: What he did, his major life events, significant accomplishments, etc. Adequate background of the time and context of the presidency is usually provided.

John Patrick Diggins's book on John Adams is somewhat different. It is by far the most philosophical of the seventeen books that I have read in this series. Of course, when studying John Adams, philosophy is a major component. Adams was a deep thinker, more a philosopher and statesman than a politician. Some biographical information is given, but as I read the book, it seemed more like an analysis (and a very favorable one) of his philosophies and presidency than a typical biography.

If you are looking to read a good biography of John Adams, I would highly recommend David McCullough's book—although it is a lot longer than this book. McCullough, like Diggins, shows Adams in a very positive light. Considering all of Adams' accomplishments as a founder of our country, that is appropriate. If you are looking for an analysis of where Adams stood on issues and why, this is your book.

This biography is one volume in The American Presidents Series, published by Times Books (Henry Holt & Co.). This is now the 17th book I have read in the series. Most, but not all, of the presidential biographies have already been written, each by an author who is well acquainted with the subject. Perhaps 1/4 remain to be published. The overall series of books is great. Each biography averages about 150 pages of scholarly, yet readable, writing. Each assumes that the reader knows a little of the background of the period of history during which the president served. I have been collecting them for four years and now have eighteen of the books (I have not yet read the volume on Washington).

Most portray the subject in a positive light, yet do not overlook the foibles and mistakes the executive may have made. Even relatively obscure presidents like Van Buren, Arthur, or Harding get their due. If you enjoy biographies and you enjoy American history, I can heartily recommend that you find the volume on a favorite president (or even one you know little about) and enjoy yourself.

Book Review: "Washington's God" by Michael Novak and Jana Novak

This is a must-read book.

The core of the book is this: What did George Washington, deep down in his own heart, think about God? What "kind" of God did he worship (or did he worship at all)? Was he really a "Christian"?

The book focuses its effort on three central questions: 1) Was Washington a deist? 2) What was Washington's understanding of the term "Providence," a term which he used frequently? 3) Did Washington use Christianity only for civil and political purposes, while secretly maintaining a skepticism toward religion?

The Novaks (father and daughter) do an excellent and thorough job of answering all three questions. First of all, Washington was most certainly not a deist, in any understanding of the term. He believed that instead of God being aloof and "uninvolved" in the affairs of men, that instead God was actively interposing in history, and particularly in the affairs of the nascent United States. Washington appears to have understood "Providence" (perhaps his most frequent term for God) as being the sovereign God Jehovah described in the Bible and believed on by both Christians and Jews. He believed that Providence acted through men and circumstances to attain His Own will on earth. Last, he certainly seemed to be exceptionally consistent between his public and his private lives in his faith, beliefs, and actions, demonstrating fidelity and character in all that he did.

Part of the difficulty of researching the subject and obtaining a solid answer is that George Washington was exceptionally hesitant (by nearly any standard) to share what he believed—doctrinally, at least—in any public way, or even in most of his correspondence. His wife Martha destroyed all of their correspondence after his death, so that avenue of research is nonexistent. Furthermore, it seems that Washington took great pains to keep his religion in the background, so as not to offend any of the various religions in the new country (he, like most Virginians of his time and status, was Anglican); at the same time, he was to all a model "Christian" citizen, exemplifying virtue and upstanding character.

There is a great deal of background given into the religious atmosphere of Washington's day, especially the Anglican faith, and how followers of different denominations did or did not typically display their faith. There are also many quotations from Washington used to give weight to the Novaks' points of view. For those reasons alone, the book is useful.

Most of all, we see Washington as a model Christian, regardless of the specific doctrinal beliefs in his heart (which we will never know here on earth). His virtue and character were observed by many, and even his enemies, like Daniel's, could find nothing with which to accuse him. If we each modeled his character, our country would be so many times better off for it.

Get the book and read it. The Novaks did a great job.

Book Review: "Andrew Jackson" by Sean Wilentz

Sean Wilentz does an excellent job writing this biography of President Andrew Jackson. He gives a fair assessment of the man, his times, and the context in which he made some of the most momentous antebellum political decisions. President Jackson was, and still is, a highly controversial figure. He was adored by many and despised by many others. Regardless of one's view, he is unquestionably an important president, and set a number of significant precedents in the office of the presidency. Yes, President Jackson is the man on the $20 bill.

This biography is one volume in The American Presidents Series, published by Times Books (Henry Holt & Co.). This is now the 16th book I have read in the series. Most, but not all, of the presidential biographies have already been written, each by an author who is well acquainted with the subject. Perhaps 1/4 remain to be published. The overall series of books is great. Each biography averages about 150 pages of scholarly, yet readable, writing. Each assumes that the reader knows a little of the background of the period of history during which the president served. I have been collecting them for four years and now have eighteen of the books (I have not yet read the volumes on Washington and Adams).

Most portray the subject in a positive light, yet do not overlook the foibles and mistakes the executive may have made. Even relatively obscure presidents like Van Buren, Arthur, or Harding get their due. If you enjoy biographies and you enjoy American history, I can heartily recommend that you find the volume on a favorite president (or even one you know little about) and enjoy yourself.