January 13, 2020 – Click here to listen
A reader sent me the following quote and rendering of one of the greatest stars of all time, John Wayne:
“COURAGE . . . is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway . . .”
I’ve always admired John Wayne on and off screen. He was totally transparent and called it the way he saw it. Throughout most of his life, Wayne was a vocally prominent conservative Republican in Hollywood, supporting anti-communist positions. He made patriotic movies such as the Alamo, Green Beret and others. He was quite outspoken in his beliefs and in one interview said: “I know all about that. In the late Twenties, when I was a sophomore at USC, I was a socialist myself — but not when I left. The average college kid idealistically wishes everybody could have ice cream and cake for every meal. But as he gets older and gives more thought to his and his fellow man’s responsibilities, he finds that it can’t work out that way — that some people just won’t carry their load . . . I believe in welfare — a welfare work program. I don’t think a fella should be able to sit on his backside and receive welfare. I’d like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living. I’d like to know why they make excuses for cowards who spit in the faces of the police and then run behind the judicial sob sisters. I can’t understand these people who carry placards to save the life of some criminal, yet have no thought for the innocent victim.
As one might imagine the Woke culture called for the removal of his name from the airport in Orange County CA. for saying the following: “With a lot of blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so. But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks.”
In March 2019, the interview resurfaced, which resulted in calls for John Wayne Airport to be renamed. John Wayne’s son Ethan defended him, stating, “It would be an injustice to judge someone based on an interview that’s being used out of context.” The call for changing the airport back to Orange County Airport were renewed during the George Floyd protests in June 2020, but the measure failed.
Similarly, in October 2019, USC student activists called for the removal of an exhibit dedicated to the actor, citing the interview. In July 2020, it was announced that the exhibit would be removed.
His most famous line was: “Talk low, Talk slow, and Don’t say too much – A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. We’re burnin’ daylight.” He called it the way he saw it and didn’t mince words.
His view of people who didn’t like him was not what Jesus recommended: “All the screen cowboys behaved like real gentlemen. They didn’t drink, they didn’t smoke. When they knocked the bad guy down, they always stood with their fists up, waiting for the heavy to get back on his feet. I decided I was going to drag the bad guy to his feet and keep hitting him.” – Lol – I like that one . . .
John Wayne has gone on to glory and I can assure you that the effort expended to change the airport name or remove the exhibit honoring his body of work doesn’t bother him one iota. In fact I would imagine if he was still alive, he would have laughed at them.
Later in life, Wayne increasingly spoke out on national issues, and played a central role in helping to get the United States Senate to ratify the Panama Canal Treaties in 1977, shortly before his death. No doubt, he would have kept going if he hadn’t been struck down with stomach cancer in 1979, finally succumbing to the disease that year at the age of 72.
Posthumously, John Wayne was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I imagine the well-educated idiots would love to remove those honors as well for calling it like it is.
The “Duke” as he was called was a reader and loved books. He was rather philosophical later in life and was quoted as saying.“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”
My favorite quote from John Wayne, and there are many, is: “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I require the same from them.”
I just wish more people in this country had the backbone to speak what is REALLY on their minds. If so, just maybe, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in.
Matt. 5:37
Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.