President
George H.W. Bush Joins the 25th Anniversary of The
Washington Times
On May 17, 2007 the 25th
anniversary gala for The Washington Times was held in
the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.
More than 1,100 leading figures in politics,
international diplomacy, culture, and journalism
representing 82 nations took part in the celebration.
On hand to commemorate the occasion that
evening were George H. W. Bush, the 41st
president of the United States, The Washington Times
founders, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Moon;
their 3rd son, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon; and Mr. Douglas Joo,
chairman of The Washington Times Corporation.
Current U.S. president George W. Bush,
U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki Moon, and Lady Margaret
Thatcher were among those who sent their messages
congratulating The Washington Times for 25 years of
excellence in journalism.
In his message U.N. secretary general Ban
Ki Moon congratulated the Washington Times for being a
champion of democracy and the free press and for
contributing to peace.
Lady Margaret Thatcher, former prime
minister of the United Kingdom emphasized that
"conservative views will never be drowned out. And, if
they are heard, they will prevail" and asked that The
Washington Times continue its work in strengthening the
Anglo-American relationship.
Times chairman, Mr. Douglas Joo spoke of
his expectations for the next 25 years and his hopes to
build upon the successes The Washington Times achieved
by overcoming the Cold War and Cultural War during the
past 25 years.
In his keynote address, former U.S.
president George H.W. Bush noted how "The Washington
Times was not shy about challenging the more established
media outlets--along with what many of us felt was a
prevailing liberal bias," and thanked the founder, Dr.
Moon "for his vision in launching this newspaper" and
reminded the audience that "without him, there would be
no Washington Times." The 41st president also
emphasized the unique role of The Washington Times
during the Reagan Presidency:
"The editors and the
editorial writers of The Washington Times understood the
stakes of the Cold War and were not the least bit shy
about voicing their support for national leaders in the
two great political parties who were trying to end the
threat posed by the Soviet Union."
Dr. Sun Myung Moon delivered
the founder's address entitled, "A Providential View of
the Pacific Rim Era in Light of God's Will." In his
address he warned that "powerful nations such as China
and Russia are constantly on the lookout for
opportunities to aggressively pursue their own interests
with the powerless and small island nations" and
emphasized that "the small island nations dispersed in
both the northern and southern regions of the Pacific,
on either side of the equator, as well as Japan, Taiwan,
the Philippines, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands,
Australia, New Zealand and other countries, should
become as one country and form one union to sustain
peace throughout the Pacific Rim civilization."
Four community leaders--Robert L. Woodson
Sr., Douglas M. Johnston, Gregory H. Stanton and Michele
Weiner-Davis--received the newspaper's inaugural
Founding Spirit Awards, recognizing their work in
community activism.
Founder's Keynote
Address
