America, Prepared for Peace Pt 3 – Veterans of Foreign Wars – #RonaldReagan 1984 * PITD August 24, 1984 (Remarks at the National Convention) Excerpt a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. And that's why we've put forward and will continue to pursue one of the most extensive arms control programs in history. During the months that the START and INF talks were underway, we proposed seven different initiatives, and none of these were offered to the Soviets on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Indeed, we made a number of adjustments to respond to the stated concerns of the Soviet side, and that's why we've put forward new proposals on reducing the levels of conventional forces in Europe, on a worldwide ban on chemical weapons, on ways to help reduce the possibility of conflict in Europe, and why we're working to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Ours is the pursuit of a stable and enduring peace, but at the same time, it would have been indefensible and immoral to allow the deterrent posture we need to protect the peace to continue deteriorating as it was. Now, some may insist they're just as committed to a strong deterrent even as they would cancel the B-1 bomber and the Peacekeeper missile. They may deny that a nuclear freeze would preserve today's high, unequal, and unstable levels of nuclear weapons, and they may deny a freeze would reduce any incentive for the Soviets to return to the negotiating table and resume the search for equitable and fair reductions. But that way of thinking only reminds me of what Sam Rayburn, a very wise Democratic Speaker of the House, once said: Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one. [Laughter] When I took office, our newest long-range strategic bomber was 19 years old. Early next month, the first B-1 bomber will roll off the production line. In 1981 our newest strategic submarine was 14 years old. Today three new Trident submarines are at sea; a fourth was delivered in January, 6 weeks ahead of schedule; and seven more are under construction, on schedule and within budget. When I took office, the debate on modernizing our aging, land-based missiles had gone on for more than a decade. Today we've completed five successful tests of the Peacekeeper, and deployment plans are on schedule. And let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for your much-needed support in our battle for the Peacekeeper. We must make sure that no adversary ever has reason to misjudge our deterrent posture or question our resolve to protect the peace, and we couldn't have gotten this far without your help. I've said before many times; I'll say it again, where you've been of help is, there are many in Washington that you do not need to make them see the light, just make them feel the heat. [Laughter] Now let me say a word about one of our most important safeguards of peace and freedom, and I'm not talking about bullets or guns, but about heart and spirit. Once again, young Americans wear their uniforms and serve their flag with honor and pride. From the NATO lines to the Demilitarized Zone of Korea and at bases and ports all across America and all over the world, young Americans are carrying on in your footsteps, in the courageous footsteps of those who stood in harm's way so that others might have a chance to find freedom, peace, and happiness. In fact, no improvement in our military readiness has been more dramatic or more important than the improvement in the quality and retention of our service men and women. You know, the critics kept telling us that the all-volunteer military would never work and, as soon as the economy turned around, we'd be faced with severe enlistment and retention problems. Well, forgive me, but those are the same people who were wrong on inflation. They were wrong on unemployment. They were wrong on interest rates. They were wrong on the recovery. And there they go again. If you have any suggestions, questions or concerns please leave them below. Thanks for watching and make it an outstanding day! *** I am a proud American, blessed father, a staunch 2A activist and a Marine Corps Veteran that just happens to be 100% blind. This is a look at the Second Amendment, firearms, self Defense, Constitutionally protected rights, Liberty and Freedom from the perspective of a Visually Impaired, Blind American. #PatriotInTheDark If you like what you have seen here, please consider showing your support on: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@PatriotInTheDark:0 https://gunstreamer.com/PatriotInTheDark https://twitter.com/patriot_itd https://www.instagram.com/patriot_in_the_dark/ PatriotInTheDark@gmail.com Disclaimer: No purchase necessary, must abide by all state and federal laws. Void where prohibited. No Puppies or sighted people were hurt during the filming of these videos. Reagan Presidential Library: www.reaganlibrary.gov President Reagan's Foundation: http://www.reaganfoundation.org ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a-I7mm-ALM

Tear Down This Wall – The Brandenburg Gate Berlin Wall Speech Pt 2 – #RonaldReagan 1987 * #PITD June 12, 1987 Excerpt We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. 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. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! I understand the fear of war and the pain of division that afflict this continent—and I pledge to you my country's efforts to help overcome these burdens. To be sure, we in the West must resist Soviet expansion. So we must maintain defenses of unassailable strength. Yet we seek peace; so we must strive to reduce arms on both sides. Beginning 10 years ago, the Soviets challenged the Western alliance with a grave new threat, hundreds of new and more deadly SS-20 nuclear missiles, capable of striking every capital in Europe. The Western alliance responded by committing itself to a counterdeployment unless the Soviets agreed to negotiate a better solution; namely, the elimination of such weapons on both sides. For many months, the Soviets refused to bargain in earnestness. As the alliance, in turn, prepared to go forward with its counterdeployment, there were difficult days—days of protests like those during my 1982 visit to this city—and the Soviets later walked away from the table. But through it all, the alliance held firm. And I invite those who protested then—I invite those who protest today—to mark this fact: 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. As I speak, NATO ministers are meeting in Iceland to review the progress of our proposals for eliminating these weapons. At the talks in Geneva, we have also proposed deep cuts in strategic offensive weapons. And the Western allies have likewise made far-reaching proposals to reduce the danger of conventional war and to place a total ban on chemical weapons. While we pursue these arms reductions, I pledge to you that we will maintain the capacity to deter Soviet aggression at any level at which it might occur. And in cooperation with many of our allies, the United States is pursuing the Strategic Defense Initiative—research to base deterrence not on the threat of offensive retaliation, but on defenses that truly defend; on systems, in short, that will not target populations, but shield them. By these means we seek to increase the safety of Europe and all the world. But we must remember a crucial fact: East and West do not mistrust each other because we are armed; we are armed because we mistrust each other. And our differences are not about weapons but about liberty. When President Kennedy spoke at the City Hall those 24 years ago, freedom was encircled, Berlin was under siege. And today, despite all the pressures upon this city, Berlin stands secure in its liberty. And freedom itself is transforming the globe. In the Philippines, in South and Central America, democracy has been given a rebirth. Throughout the Pacific, free markets are working miracle after miracle of economic growth. In the industrialized nations, a technological revolution is taking place—a revolution marked by rapid, dramatic advances in computers and telecommunications. In Europe, only one nation and those it controls refuse to join the community of freedom. Yet in this age of redoubled economic growth, of information and innovation, the Soviet Union faces a choice: It must make fundamental changes, or it will become obsolete. ** If you have any suggestions, questions or concerns please leave them below. Thanks for watching and make it an outstanding day! *** I am a proud American, blessed father, a staunch 2A activist and a Marine Corps Veteran that just happens to be 100% blind. This is a look at the Second Amendment, firearms, self Defense, Constitutionally protected rights, Liberty and Freedom from the perspective of a Visually Impaired, Blind American. #PatriotInTheDark PatriotInTheDark@gmail.com Disclaimer: No purchase necessary, must abide by all state and federal laws. Void where prohibited. No Puppies or sighted people were hurt during the filming of these videos. Reagan Presidential Library: www.reaganlibrary.gov President Reagan's Foundation: http://www.reaganfoundation.org ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMtot8zJGW8