FOLLOW US
D. Rohrabacher: Address to World Summit 2020
Written by Dana Rohrabacher, US Congressman 1989-2019, Former Speechwriter for President Reagan
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Address to World Summit 2020, Seoul, Korea, February 3-8, 2020
It is a pleasure and an honor to be with you today, a pleasure to see old friends and make new ones and it is an honor to participate in a world summit of activists who are dedicated to values that transcend politics and are a bulwark against tyranny and corruption. What brings us here is a shared faith in family, a respect for God, a commitment to truth, and a love and concern for our fellow human beings whoever they are. And yes, what unites us is an uncompromising commitment to freedom, personal and political. We seek peace and prosperity and champion human rights and freedom.
I appreciate the hard work and commitment of resources that a gathering such as this requires, so let me express my appreciation to those who brought us together. If you saw my bio you know that I was a speech writer for seven years when President Reagan was in the White House. He had a little story for every occasion and this is one that may fit today.
A wealthy businessman decided he would host a reunion at his mansion for the street gang he hung out with in his younger days. When they got outside next to the pool, he pushed a button and the pool’s cover pulled back and there was a swimming pool filled with alligators, crocodiles, sharks, etc. He then told his old buddies he would give $250,000 cash to anyone who would swim across his pool.
No one stepped up so he suggested they head to the BBQ and as they did there was a splash and when they looked back there was one of the old gang swimming his way across the pool, beating back the sharks and alligators as he went. The rich businessman rushed to him as he got out of the pool, “Where do you want me to send the money?” he asked. His friend replied, “I don’t want your money. I want to know who pushed me in that pool.”
Well, when I look at what’s going on now on Capital Hill in Washington and think about the 30 years I spent in Congress, I wonder who pushed me in that pool. Well, in reality that is easy. It was God. He has a plan for us all. And as Reagan used to say, there is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.
Well, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be on Reagan’s team when we were able to defeat the primary force of evil on the planet: the communist Soviet Union, and we did it without a major war that would have slaughtered millions. How did we do that? We championed the same values that have brought us here today and we helped those fighting for their freedom. We made the enemy of our enemy our friend. It became known as the Reagan Doctrine.
Today the major forces that threaten the future of freedom on this planet are those forces that proclaim a right to suppress the religious faith of others and end up killing Christians. The other great threat is China, run by a gangster clique that is corrupting their government and holding power by suppressing freedom, especially the freedom of religion that we hold dear. We must not see these evil forces as a target for war, but instead let us support the enemy of our enemy. The people of Russia were not our enemy and today the freedom-loving people of China are not our enemy. They are our allies and friends. And Islam is not our enemy. It is the fanatics who believe they can destroy other religions, which includes killing Christians.
Let us try to make enemies into friends. Let us help friends who are suppressed by their own governments rather than deploying troops and making war. Let us make peace and freedom instead. With courage and God’s help, we can make it a better world.
To go back to the IAPP Assembly Schedule page, click here.
To go to the World Summit 2020 Schedule page, click here.