Anyone heard of this guy?

March 2, 2009 Blog

Although Paul H. Aurandt was more popular than any of the big name news anchors, few people have heard of him.  His complete name was Paul Harvey Aurandt and he never used his last name in public. Paul passed away Saturday. He was 90.

The eleven Harvey siblings, of whom I am one, were constantly being asked if we were related to Paul Harvey. If I had a Dollar for every time someone called me Paul, I would be rich. A few decades ago, in Meadville, Pennsylvania, I was billed as Paul Harvey and a good crowd showed up to hear me speak! Paul had spoken the week before and whoever was in charge of changing the name in the marquee saw the name "Harvey" and decided it had already been done.

Paul Harvey is credited for coining terms such as "skyjacker," "Reaganomics" and "guesstimate."

His many quotes will live on indefinitely.
"In times like these, it is helpful to remember that there have always been times like these."
"Golf is a game in which you yell "fore," shoot six, and write down five."
"I've never seen a monument erected to a pessimist."
"There is not much difference between a "church hopper" and a "church shopper."
"If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con' what is the opposite of 'progress'?"
"If there is a 50-50 chance that something can go wrong, then 9 times out of ten it will."
"When your outgo exceeds your income, the upshot may be your downfall."
"They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?"

Paul Harvey was 100% American and 100% conservative, which means he used good common sense and believed in a good work ethic. And he was not shy about voicing his political and religious convictions. You can find a number of video clips of Paul Harvey on YouTube (like this one<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD1MQUPC8bE>).

I liked what he said about the United Nations a number of years ago. Today, the word "communists" could be replaced with "radicals" or some better word that only Paul Harvey could conjure up.

"One would think by listening to all the propaganda about the United Nations that they are some sort of benevolent, peaceful organization. Never in the history of the United Nations has it stood for anything but killing and violence. They have never kept peace anywhere on this globe. Their sole function is to replace the U.S. military - dissolve all four branches of our armed forces. Their allegiance is only to the United Nations Charter which does not recognize the U.S. Constitution. This body is made up almost exclusively of communists and leaders of the bloodiest regimes on this globe. Their history and operating agenda is apparent to anyone who takes the time to sincerely and with an open mind, research the facts of this organization, separating truth from myth. Bilderberger participants (another group committed to one-world domination) in 1992 called for 'conditioning the public to accept the idea of a U.N. army that could, by force, impose its will on the internal affairs of any nation."

Paul Harvey will long be remembered for the good things that he stood for and reported. Most TV news broadcasts remind me of the weather in Austria. If you are patient, you can shoot a Sound of Music hit in a few hours, but you may have to wait months for that special day. I wrote a letter on March 22, 1997 in which I described Austrian weather:
"We have many D-days in Austria: damp, drippy, dreary, dull, dark, dismal, depressing, deplorable, dreadful, demoralizing, despicable and disgusting!"

You could use the same words and many more that start with "D" to describe most of the news you hear today. We will certainly miss Paul Harvey!

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