Happy Birthday, Uncle Ronnie!

Ronald Reagan wasn't really my uncle. He was, however, the greatest president of my lifetime and the only man under God whom I didn't really know but truly loved as if he were a family member.

My parents were born in the same decade as Reagan and of the same history that forged their similar characters. Like Reagan, they were FDR Democrats who reluctantly came to accept that their party and its political values failed them. In the 1950s, my parents became Republicans and embraced the new conservative movement articulated by William F. Buckley.

I was born and raised in California where Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were colossal figures of immeasurable influence. As a young child, my mother took me to meet Nixon at the Van Nuys Airport when we lived in the San Fernando Valley during his unsuccessful 1962 gubernatorial campaign. My parents wanted to believe that Nixon was conservative, but he disappointed them repeatedly.

In 1964, we moved to famously conservative Orange County. That year Reagan officially entered politics when he campaigned passionately for his friend Barry Goldwater. My parents had Goldwater campaign buttons and a Barry bobblehead doll. Here is Reagan's legendary speech for Goldwater in which he established himself as a conservative heavyweight, "A Time for Choosing."



My mother had observed and admired Reagan's parallel path from liberalism to conservatism. She was a stay-at-home mom, a political news junkie who routinely talked back to the liberal radio and TV commentators. I started reading her National Review magazines before the 1964 election, always with a dictionary at my side, but Reagan communicated the same principles in language that an 8-year-old could more easily comprehend. During the Goldwater campaign, Ronald Reagan became more than an actor to us. Always the smart aleck, I started calling him Uncle Ronnie because there were more pictures of Reagan adorning the walls and furniture of our new home in Westminster than of family members. When he decided to run for governor, it was a turning point in Republican politics, in American history, and in my life.

On a stereotypically sunny and warm California day in 1966, Ronald Reagan had a campaign bus stop in front of a shopping center in Garden Grove a mere 3 miles from our house. There my parents got to shake his hand and tell him how much he meant to them. He flashed that perennially optimistic smile and patted me on the shoulder in passing. Later that afternoon, we joined thousands of supporters at a rally featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr., aka the Clampett family from TV's "The Beverly Hillbillies." The rally was held at Santa Ana Stadium, which is adjacent to the Orange County courthouse that was renamed in Reagan's honor in 1992.

I turned 18 shortly after Nixon resigned and it was a devastating time for a young Republican. That year I volunteered in a Congressional campaign for a former POW whose bracelet I had worn throughout my teenage years. The candidate had been rushed into politics before he was ready and while he was still dealing with personal trauma from Vietnam. As a candidate, he was MIA and the local pols were not always kind to him. But for the heartening example furnished by Reagan, my naïveté about the idealism of politics would have hardened into cynicism.

In 1976, the year of the American bicentennial, I cast my first presidential vote for Uncle Ronnie in the California primary. That August Mom and I were glued to the Republican convention, hoping against hope that Reagan would emerge triumphant as the GOP nominee. As in 2008, it was painfully obvious in 1976 that a moderate Republican would lose to a Democrat who offered little but personal assurances and the result would be a national and international calamity.

During the disastrous Carter years, Reagan honed his message through radio commentaries in which he displayed his deep understanding of economics and world affairs. He also enjoyed dabbling in show business on his own terms. Here he displays his irrepressible wit and gift for public speaking at a Dean Martin TV roast of George Burns.



More often than not, I vote with one hand while holding my nose with the other. But my 5 votes for Uncle Ronnie as presidential candidate and nominee were a privilege and an honor. Once elected, Reagan did not always act as I expected or preferred. But I trusted him and the unprecedented success of his record defends itself. After two terms as leader of the free world, he left it more prosperous and peaceful than he found it. His implementation of tax rate reductions became such a national fixture that not even the Obama era Democrat majority dared to undo them. His dedication to individual liberty and unshaken faith in American exceptionalism dominate his unique legacy. His alliance with Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II freed millions of hostages from communism and socialism without a single bullet being fired.

My only child Christopher was born in 1983 and I would have named him Reagan had I not been inspired by an even higher authority. During the 8 years of the Reagan presidency, it was an exhilarating time for this young conservative woman to be alive. My most severe disappointment is that, in George H.W. Bush, Reagan selected a successor who was not a keeper of the flame. Neither Bush nor any of the GOP presidential nominees since 1992 has been a genuine Reagan conservative. None defended Reagan when Democrat opponents made outrageously false claims about his record. 

Ever since Uncle Ronnie retired to his California ranch, conservatives have searched in vain for The New Reagan as though the experiences of his lifetime that forged his character can be duplicated. When I remember my dear mother and father, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, I know we will never see their like again. Reagan remained humble, gracious and wise throughout his public life. He said in one of my favorite quotes, "There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."

Conservative values endure and are making a comeback in the wake of spectacular liberal failure. Today conservatism has its best opportunity to revolutionize the world since the Reagan era successes. But it will take a more enduring commitment from the political class than words of tribute on the occasion of Uncle Ronnie's 100th birthday.

2010 in Review: My Favorite Videos of the Year

Marco Rubio: A Generational Choice

In his flawless campaign ad titled A Generational Choice, Senator-Elect Marco Rubio showed why he is the most promising and exciting conservative politician in a generation and shot to the top of the list of 2012 GOP vice presidential candidates.




24 Series Finale

Like his loyal sidekick Chloe, I blubbered as we bid a sad farewell to Jack Bauer and the must-watch experience that was 24.  The film version of 24 won't come soon enough for me.



Red Eye Favorite Intros of 2010, Part 1

Red Eye became my favorite TV show in 2010 thanks to its unique blend of humor, political irreverence, libertarian sensibility, and entertaining cast of panelists. Host Greg Gutfeld controls the mayhem with such a light touch that it is easy to underestimate his contribution to the show's success and growing popularity. As of this writing, Red Eye is the third most discussed TV show on Twitter.The cheeky guest intros must test the limits of the Fox News Channel censors.




Red Eye Favorite Intros of 2010, Part 2



Bedbugs Take Over the USA
 
The clever Taiwanese animators from NMA World Edition are plugged into American news and culture. They seem to be watchers of Fox News and fans of Red Eye as evidenced by the bedbugs video below.



Dennis Miller on Jimmy Carter's Presidency

Dennis Miller's regular segments on The O'Reilly Factor provide the funniest TV moments outside of Red Eye. Miller finally made his first Red Eye appearance on my birthday in August.

   

Best Commercial of 2010: Jack in the Box



This Drummer Is at the Wrong Gig 

Wrong gig and the wrong band. Dude.



Favorite Pet Video #1

A singing parrot? If you don't recognize the song, it is Let the Bodies Hit the Floor.



Favorite Pet Video #2

A talking cat? Is this video real or fake?



Favorite Pet Video #3

A talking dog? Maybe.



Favorite Pet Video #4

Cats are easily amused as are cat lovers like me.



     

2010 in Review: My Favorite Songs of the Year

Here are my favorite songs of 2010.

Beautiful, Beautiful by Francesca Battistelli

Quite simply, my favorite new worship song of 2010.

 

Sweet Disposition by the Temper Trap

I fell in love at first listen. My love burned brightly for weeks until it suddenly flamed out. The album was disappointing, but this is still a great song.



All of Creation by Mercy Me 

Mercy Me has become my favorite Christian contemporary band. Lead singer Bart Millard is one of the most charming personalities in all of CCM.



Crossfire by Brandon Flowers

On his first solo single, Killers' lead singer/songwriter Brandon Flowers eschewed his trademark New Wave quirks for a straightforward melody and vocal that are just lovely. With his charisma and talent for drama, Flowers could have a career in film or TV. The camera loves him.



Born Again by the Newsboys

Michael Tait, formerly of DC Talk, made a strong debut as the new frontman for the Newsboys.



Solitude Is Bliss by Tame Impala

Tame Impala is the third act from the Australian continent to appear on this list. Unlike the Temper Trap, Tame Impala's debut album was well crafted and memorable, sounding at times like the Beatles in their psychedelic period. Like the album, this video is also memorable and well crafted.



Our God by Chris Tomlin

Chris Tomlin remains the most prolific composer of worship music and this new song is already becoming a staple in churches that favor Christian contemporary songs. 



Forget You by Cee Lo Green

Clean version or profane, Cee Lo Green is an infectious performer of insanely catchy tunes that appeal to a variety of radio markets. As half of Gnarls Barkley, he helped create my favorite song of 2006, Crazy.



Blink by Revive

It happens in a blink. True dat.



Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

Florence sounds like a cross between Siouxsie Sioux of the Banshees and Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde. 

Merry Christmas 2010: He Is Come

Have you ever received a gift so generous that it humbled you, made you feel unworthy? You have. All you need to do is accept it and let the Lord do the rest.

Here are my favorite versions of two exquisite worship songs that fill me with joy and gratitude.

I Wonder As I Wander performed by Jubilant Sykes at Grace Community Church 



Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant set to The Nativity Story



Here is my favorite secular Christmas song. Enjoy!

This Christmas by Donny Hathaway

Geoduck: Neither Gooey Nor Duck

If you are a regular viewer of the Food Network or the show Top Chef, you may be familiar with geoduck, a large saltwater bivalve in the clam family that has become an exotic delicacy. Mysteriously, geoduck is pronounced "gooey duck" and can be found in the Pacific waters off of Washington and British Columbia.

Geoducks have a long tube-like siphon that performs a variety of functions. The siphon gives the geoduck its phallic appearance and, as my son says, proves that God has a sense of humor. Although geoduck is popular in Asia, its name is derived from early Native Americans of the northwest coast. You can see and learn everything you ever wanted to know about geoduck in this humorous video from Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs.