Mike Garcia Celebrates The Reagan Library’s 30th Anniversary Of Calling Simi Valley Home

It’s a vehicle to travel back in time to a period when we thrived as Americans and took pride in the American spirit. Took pride in American adventurism.

We faced challenges and challengers and overcame them with dignity and strength. And in doing so we evolved closer to a more perfect union.

The world was not a calm nor predictable one in the late 1970’s and late 1980’s under President Ronald Reagan. It was quite turbulent in fact. We fought an existential Cold War and shed American blood on our own soil and abroad.

The shadows of communism were long and dark. We fought a cultural war then as we do today.

And the prospects of a world war were real.

But under President Reagan’s leadership we navigated the rough seas with courage and with confidence. With a sense of duty towards not only our blessed nation but also for the entire planet, for the good of humanity. For the survivability and fate of the globe.

As we sit here today, in an era of our nation’s history that remarkably parallels the 1970’s going into the 1980’s, in a world where instead of the U.S.S.R. and the Soviet Union, we have the Chinese Communist Regime, in a world where the ICBM’s travel further and faster, and in a world where the cultural ills of socialism still behave like a cancer in our blood….

It is in this world today, that we struggle in our own current Cold War. It is in this world that I believe that what this library holds means more than it ever has in the last 30 years.

President Reagan once stated: “We cannot stop at the foothills when Everest lies ahead.” In geography, that is sometimes easy to define. It is a clear-cut line sometimes where the foothills end and where the mountains begin. But in geo-politics, the lines are less obvious and are sometimes blurred. You actually may be on Mt Everest and not know it.

You actually may be on one of your toughest climbs and challenges of your nation’s history while your gear is still back on the foothills and not know it. This is why we must always be prepared. This is why we must always be vigilant.

There are two giant bears still out there named China and Russia, and they are just outside our tent. We as a nation must behave and act like a benevolent dragon.

A dragon with a wide wingspan, focused eyes, sharp talons, and a long flame. We need to nourish the benevolent dragon and ensure the world knows our strength and our resolve. But you see the point of owning a dragon is ensuring you never have to use the dragon. A great nation with seasoned leaders, like President Reagan, understands that. He called it peace through strength.

This beautiful library isn’t just a Graceland for conservative values, it is a beacon of hope for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation.

Within these walls is a tribute to America’s finest President. Within these walls lays the recipe for continued American exceptionalism. And with our exceptionalism, our continued leadership of all humanity.

In our species’ long journey, from the time we were learning to walk upright in painted caves, to now learning to walk on other planets, no single entity has contributed more to the good of humanity than the United States of America.  

And no human being has done more for our country and the planet than President Ronald Reagan. And this library reminds us how he did it. And for 30 years now, we have gotten to enjoy this beautiful place.

May we never forget the words in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and may we never assume the survival and success of our country is pre-ordained. We must be willing to work together; and when necessary, we must be willing to fight together.

We must take pride in our victories and never be willing to be the victim.

We must know our history, but never turn our back on it.

And we must never forget our mission of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.