"FAST AWAY THE OLD YEAR PASSES"
I am remembering Ron on the last day of this chaotic political year that marked the one year milestone of his departure from this mortal coil and recalling this line from Hamlet, Act I, Scene 2:
"He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."
— William Shakespeare
“Anon Ron Listener” is remembering Ron, too, He said, “Ron could piece current trends together and analyze them with a historical perspective.
“History does repeat itself.
“Hegel wrote that ‘The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history’.
“Anyone who listened to Ron’s shows over a long period of time would hardly be surprised at the events which have taken place since the beginning of the year 2001 to the present moment.”
As we gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home with family and friends, at social gatherings, watching fireworks or the Times Square “Ball” drop, let us hope that the Gregorian calendar ushering in the New Year brings us good health, happiness, government reform and true leadership.
We do not have “The Voice of Reason” to sort out the events of 2013; however, here are some “Smithian” things you may recall from his brilliant career, many years in print, and on the airwaves:
-Ron was aware of Orwell's dictum that "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
-Ron was billed as “The Voice of Reason” for obvious reasons and received numerous awards, including the 70th National Headliner Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, the Associated Press “Regional Broadcasting Award and in late September, 2011, received the Maryland Public Policy Institute’s Charles Carroll of Carrollton Award for best advancing “the cause of liberty for the betterment of all Marylanders and Maryland.”
-He wrote 148 Op-Ed Columns for the Baltimore Sun and wrote and posted more than 1100 commentaries on WBAL.com. (www.wbal.com Shows/The Ron Smith Archives)
-His basic conviction: “The times are changing and people should know how and why.”
-Ron said, “The powers-that-be are protecting people from the things that don’t harm them and subjecting them to the things that do.”
-He was passionate about history, politics, and the constant struggle between various theories and the hard, cold, facts of reality. He often said, “Reality always wins in the end”.
-His favorite quote was Fred Reed’s definition of Congress: “535 commoditized temple monkeys pawing through the ruins of America in search of bribes.”
-One of his favorite quotes on war was Barbara Tuchman’s “War is the unfolding of miscalculations.”
-“Listen up liberals…”
-“If you want to know who’s really in charge, ask yourself who can’t be criticized.”
-“Follow the money…”
-“All things end badly.”
-“We need a Ministry of Truth”
-Ron understood that people are tribal.
-He was a truth teller who followed the truth regardless of where it led him.
-He didn’t want people to think like he did, he just wanted them to think.
-“There is no dark side of the June.”
-“You can’t smoke dope every day and make change.”
-Responding to an invitation: “I will not join in their folly merely to be polite.”
-About his vocabulary: “I swallowed a lexicon as a child and I’ve been spitting it out, word by word, ever since.”
-About Talk Radio: “Whatever you talk about, someone out there knows more than you do.”
-“Ah, the penalties of a value oriented upbringing and a high IQ!”
-Ron knew death is the intended consequence of life.
-He was humbled by the many, many, emails, cards, calls, visits and other acts of kindness during his illness. He said, "If this public outpouring were put up for a Referendum, it would pass resoundingly.”
-His comment on all the recognition near the end of his life: “My life has been completely ratified by affirmation.”
-And his thoughts in general about Big Government: “Boowah, bushway, blah blah brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”.
Ron may no longer be broadcasting on the “Mighty 1090” but his voice, wisdom and wry wit will forever be in my thoughts and memories.
June Smith founded this tribute website in honor of her late husband, Ron Smith, WBAL Talk Show Host, Emmy Award winner, and Baltimore Sun Columnist. Smith was a media titan in Maryland and beyond for almost forty years. Mrs. Smith is working diligently to raise one million dollars for the Ron Smith Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at Johns Hopkins. She blogs for Red Maryland www.RedMaryland.Blogspot.com; her email is june@friendsofronsmith.com.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Reader Comments (2)
June, God Bless you & the torch you're keeping lit! Happy (if possible!), 2013, everybody!
Unfortunately, because all of Ron's shows are legally the intellectual property owned by the Hearst Corporation, I am not permitted to put those things from my personal collection of Ron's works on this website.
It's going to be a busy year for me. Although we ended the first year of fundraising for the Ron Smith Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at Hopkins with a quarter of a million dollars honoring Ron, there is much more work to be done.
The Charles T. Bauer Foundation has offered me a 2013 $100,000 Challenge Match from January-October, 2013. They will match any money raised up to $100,000 and if I am successful, this time next year, the Fund would be close to half a million dollars to help Hopkins find a cure for the deadly disease.
Thank you for your kind words. May Gol bless you and your family and you and those you love have a new year of good health and much happiness.
Best - June