There are a surprising number of Hollywood stars who have made their conservative views known. Many are now actively challenging the liberals who have wormed their way into tinsel town and tightened their grip on many aspects of hiring, production and financing. The slow, agonizing death of Hollywood over the past several decades has almost certainly been hastened by these liberals who criticize the United States and attack everything it stands for, never mind the many personal benefits they have reaped from the opportunities made available to them by this great country. One cannot help but have pity for these and the many other unfortunate individuals suffering from that strange malady known as ‘liberal guilt syndrome’.
With the help of our readers we are compiling a list of Hollywood stars, past and present, who love America and courageously speak out about its greatness. For the purposes of this listing we will use a loose interpretation of ‘Hollywood stars’ to include entertainers of the stage, movies and television. Please help us add to this list by submitting the names of conservative stars directly as a comment on this posting. We salute the following Hollywood stars from the past and the present who unabashedly love this country and contribute to What Makes US Great.
It’s difficult to pinpoint the actual year that the Golden Age of Hollywood ended. Nonetheless, most astute observers today would agree that there are but a few remaining signs of the halcyon days of this uniquely American institution, other than perhaps the Hollywood sign itself. At one time there were hundreds and hundreds of stars of the stage and screen, each a unique personality with their own special talents. Sadly, the movie industry in Los Angeles today has been reduced to a second-rate summer stock theatrical team of about twenty mediocre players who seem to be recycled through every movie that is being cranked out.
The Iconic Hollywood Sign
In recent years it has been painful to see who has been dubbed as the greatest actor or actress (we still prefer to make this gender distinction) or the most beautiful woman or the best looking man (Julia Roberts and George Clooney? Give me a break!). The new players suffer greatly when being compared to those from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Who is the Bette Davis of today? Or the Jimmy Stewart or the Ethel Merman, Red Skelton or Donald Meek of today? We could go on and on!
Thankfully, there are yet a few of the greats still living and we are privileged to share the air with these towering icons of entertainment. With the help of our readers, we are compiling a list of these stars to which we will add as more are brought to our attention. For the purposes of this listing we will use a loose interpretation of ‘Hollywood star’ to include all entertainers of the stage, movies and television.
Please help us add to this list by submitting the names of living stars directly as a comment on this posting. Sadly, we lost one of the great entertainers of the 40’s and 50’s, Jane Russell, as we were preparing this initial list. Now there was a real beauty! Her performance as Calamity Jane with Bob Hope in Paleface will live on as a classic forever. We salute the following Living Stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood (golden stars of Hollywood indicated accordingly) and thank them for the years of great entertainment they have provided us. They are truly part of What Makes US Great!
February 22, 2011: The 279th Anniversary of Washington’s Birth
George Washington was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732, which makes this the 279th anniversary of his birth. As the Father of Our Country, Washington deserves to have his birthday set aside as a special day for all freedom loving Americans to celebrate and to reflect on the tremendous impact this man had not only on this country, but the entire world.
Washington was a surveyor, soldier and planter who went on to become the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, which he led to victory over the British in the Revolutionary War. He presided over the writing of the U.S. Constitution in 1887 and served as the young nation’s first president from 1789 to 1797. George Washington was married to Martha Custis in 1759, a successful union that lasted 42 years until his death in 1799 at the age of 67. Their home at Mount Vernon has been preserved for posterity and has been maintained without government support by the Mount Vernon Ladies’Association since 1858.
Sadly, students in public schools today are not given the same opportunity to learn about George Washington as children were in years past. Instead, they are subjected to ‘the new curriculum’ with a political agenda and a liberal focus. At one time, portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were displayed in every classroom in the country. These have now largely been replaced by posters of Che Guevara, Malcolm X and similar characters revered by the liberals who have taken over our public schools. School textbooks now barely provide 10 percent of the coverage that was given to Washington’s life and his many contributions to our nation just a few short years ago.
We must make it a point to keep the history alive and pass on to future generations information about the incredible nature of George Washington’s courage and character, as well as the incalculable contributions he made to our country and our way of life. Make it a point to visit your local public schools and inspect the classrooms. As a taxpaying citizen, it is your right to do so. Ask the teachers and principals why the portraits of Lincoln and Washington are no longer displayed. Check out the curriculum of your child’s class and ask for more coverage of great Americans like George Washington if you deem it insufficient. You can make a difference by getting involved in your local public schools and by supporting the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association!
In the late 1960’s during his first term as Governor of California, Ronald Reagan was not afraid to challenge the liberals who were trying to hijack the state’s university and college system. While chancellors and regents capitulated to the demands of disruptive rowdies bent on closing down the campuses, Reagan courageously stood up to them and exposed their motives. At one point, the Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) decided that it might be inappropriate to hold the annual ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) graduation ceremony that year, considering the anti-war protests and unrest taking place on the campus at the time. Acquiescing to the demands of the pusillanimous (see WOW) sluggards who were afraid to go into the military, the chancellor decided to cancel the graduation ceremony that was to honor the individuals who not only had the courage to serve their county, but who had also bravely endured the taunts of those same cowards, simply because they worn a uniform on campus.
When Governor Reagan heard about the decision to cancel the ROTC graduation ceremony, he immediately dispatched a message to the chancellor. The message went something like this. “Oh No You’re Not! Not only will there be an ROTC graduation ceremony on the UCLA campus this year, but I’m going to be there and I’m going to bring John Wayne with me!” And so he did. The chancellor was put in his place and the protesters were rebuffed. A huge crowd showed up to honor the ROTC graduates and hear the future president give one of his signature inspirational speeches. That was classic ‘Ronald Reagan’, the Ronald Reagan we yearn for today!
Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois and it was there, growing up in Middle America, that the framework for his character was formed. Later he would have a successful career in radio, television and movies and he would serve his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II. In 1952 Reagan married actress Nancy Davis, a union that would evolve into a dynamic team on a much bigger stage in the years to come. Early on, Reagan began warning his country about the dangers of communism and its quest for world domination. Many will remember his 1950 documentary illustrating the creeping influence of communism on a large world map.
After serving two eventful terms as Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, Reagan emerged as a leader who could unite both sides of the political spectrum and actually get things done. Elected President of the United States in 1980 by a landslide, Reagan would revive the U.S economy with his common sense approach that came to be known as Reaganomics and he would eventually bring down the Soviet Union with his unwavering belief that all people should live in freedom. Millions of individuals were liberated and millions of lives were improved, all because of the resolve of one man. No wonder Ronald Reagan is revered as one of the greatest U.S. presidents and is considered by his many admirers across the globe to be one of the greatest world leaders of the Twentieth Century. Happy Birthday, President Reagan, and thank you for all that you have done.
