so I've been beating up on the conseravtives alot but today I will become one...but I'll need need to use my imagination and pretend, like actors do..Today's Open House at the Reagan Ranch Center is competing with the SBIFF and Ron was an actor so that's cool..the only thing worthwhile at this year's fest is Rachel McAdams..what a babe and so funny in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" with Owen Wilson
but this isn't Paris, it's Santa Barbara and I gotta attend the open house...without prejudice although I know I won't see a thing about the Iran contras or Beirut massacre of 200 US troops under Ron's watch..or the inexplicable invasion of Grenada (???)
but it's Ron birthday so I say let's celebrate!
it's hot like 80 degrees again ...I need to step in the warm glow of yesterday and Ron's country charm and Nancy's no-nonsense "just say no" policy on drugs...that is the most brilliant thing any First Lady has ever said (except Elenore Roosevelt, she was nonstop brilliant)
I reach the Reagan Ranch Center and Wendy's nonprofit the Young Miss America Foundation is hosting..everyone is wearing blue jeans...I wait outside with some creepy conservatives..I check out State Street...WTF are they doing to it..used to be a casual street that leads to the beach, now it's tore up with giant weird-ass looking high-rises being erected...I guess those good old days are over...
11:00 AM rolls around and in we go..greeted by some old guy who stinks of booze!! guess he's celebratin' early..haha..I'm not surprised..then I had to sign in on a little computer...
I see no signs of Wendy or Nipper or the little stuffed monkey Bonzo which is good..so I take the self-guided tour...it's a nice building inside with good exhibits...the little chapel upstairs and leather-bound bible that Ron used to pray..and there's the ranch Jeep and a really super cool huge old Nikon camera used by the news crews back in the day...
there's a chain saw from Ron working on the back forty cutting wood.. I used to do that up on Rancho Monte Alegre...Ron and I both knew the spirit ain't worth spit without a little exercise
then this nice old lady was eager to talk to me about Ron as I pondered a simple wooden chair and table exhibit...there's a picture of Ron sitting at it with the news crews cordoned off...on the table is a tax bill..it's huge and thick...there's two stacks of paper...the bigger stack is the bill and the smaller pile is what Reagan removed from the bill..he said he wished the smaller pile was actually the bill...that's a cool story...and to this day the tax code has not been simplified...
this table and chair are original; the ones up at the ranch are copies she tells me
I can agree with Reagan on a few things....the first role of elected officails is to simplify gov't, religion, and everything else will follow....
and there's no need to wear anything on your sleeve...except a little sweat from hard work
No comments:
Post a Comment