Letter to the Editor
The Madison Courier
Madison IN 47250
Dear Editor:
In this letter I comment on your editorial and Councilman Rick Berry’s statement taking Baron Hill to task for using the term "political terrorists" to describe people who disrupt healthcare town hall "debates."
I appreciate your newspaper as a forum to participate – I hope civilly – in the health care debate. As I write for this forum, I am not being shouted down, jeered at, or – chilling to contemplate – intimidated by people carrying guns and bearing the message that Timothy McVeigh bore the day he murdered 168 innocents at the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
On the August 10 Sean Hannity show, Dick Morris urged viewers to "terrorize" Blue Dog Democrats. If you missed it, you can see the video at http://www.newshounds.us/ There it is, "terrorize" and Blue Dog Democrats, of which Baron is one.
A strategy memo circulated by the Web site Tea Party Patriots urged people to "pack the hall" and "rock-the-boat early in the Rep's presentation." It added, "Yell out and challenge the Rep's statements early…Get him off his prepared script and agenda…Stand up and shout ..."
These people don’t want a debate. They want to shut down the debate. And the Republicans in Congress don’t want health care reform. Period. Certainly not the absolutely essential public option. Should they have all the say?
I regret that Rick took "great offense" from Baron’s "quote." I am not offended by what Baron said, because it is the fact that people have been whipped into a fury and given license to "terrorize" by manipulators.
Those town hall meeting so-called "grassroots" disruptions have been abetted by corporate lobbyists led by the likes of FreedomWorks, headed by Dick Armey. Armey and his army of kindred lobbyists represent pharmaceutical and health insurance interests, which stand to lose if genuine health care reform comes.
Yes, many people are "scared." But who scared them? I say the terrorists are the people who could forfeit some of their enormous profits and lose their sweetheart status with our government which, to now, has been the last wealthy nation lacking universal health care for its citizens.
They have propagated the lies and distortions about "socialism," "government takeover," "taking away choice of physicians," "funding abortions," and "pulling the plug on grandma." These are lies. The lying has taken on monstrous dimensions from the mouths of Rush Limbaugh and the people of Fox "News," to mention only a few of the liars.
The hatefest has been tinged if not broadly smeared outright with racism, among other things. Barney Frank – a Jew, for God’s sake! – was associated with Hitler. President Obama has had a Hitler mustache painted on his image. The "wrong people" are in charge, the opponents say, and a woman sobs, "I want my government back!" (It's not your government, lady, it's everybody's government.)
No, the crying lady is not a terrorist, but she is being duped by terrorists. That scenario has always been the case. In the South, Jim Crow was instituted to divide and conquer – in that case, the rich whites fomented racial hatred among the poor whites and the poor blacks in order to keep both groups from hating - and overthrowing - their rich oppressors.
And then, to top it all in the present debates, the real terrorists show up with guns and with the attitude of domestic – that’s right – terrorists. At Bush "town halls," people who were merely not pro-Bush were forcibly excluded, but people with guns show up at Obama gatherings and nothing is said or done.
In Phoenix, not one but many showed up sporting pistols and assault rifles. They were incited by right-wing radio talk show host Ernest Hancock, who defended the Viper Militia, which stockpiled materials for bombs such as the one that McVeigh murdered with.
I would at least hope that the Republicans – and the Democrats, Rick! – would denounce people who are disrupting political discourse. Yes, speaking –even shouting – is freedom of speech. But all have the right to be heard, and we must be informed if there is to be a genuine debate.
I would hope that our leaders would publicly denounce bringing guns to public meetings. Yes, "the right to bear arms shall not be infringed," but the sight of a gun is intimidating. Shall the Second Amendment, proclaimed by bullies who are "packing," take precedent over the First?
I think that political discourse in our nation is in serious trouble. Greed and hate have put it there. God help us.
John T. Evans
*Addendum: The Courier did print this. They cut out a few paragraphs but didn't gut it or distort it. I initiated this blog because I believed that the Courier wouldn't give me a forum. I was misinformed. Thanks to the Courier.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Souls Raised from the Dead
Just finished an excellent novel by Doris Betts, Souls Raised from the Dead. It's about a girl of 13, Mary Grace Thompson, and her family. She goes into renal failure and that is the crisis the story is built around. Her father is a North Carolina state police trooper, her mother a slut who abandoned her daughter and husband, and the father has two women who love him. The grandparents round out the characters in the novel. People struggle with their faith and there is a Christian slant, I think, but there's no preaching. Some characters are religious and some are not, and Ms Betts treats every one with sympathy, "inhabiting" each of her characters, writing scenes that alternate between each character's viewpoint, a technique that was used by John Gardner to good effect a lot.
It kind of gave me a boost in faith, of sorts. Or at least I thought about mortality and what might be waiting for me when I die.
It's a good read.
It kind of gave me a boost in faith, of sorts. Or at least I thought about mortality and what might be waiting for me when I die.
It's a good read.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
July 2009 Weather News
For this town and the WAVE3-TV viewing area, two remarkable events occurred in the month of July:
(1) The daily high temperature never reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit on any of the 31 days. This is a record. Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who thumps the tub for the case against global warming when he isn't chastising Sonia Sotomayor for being a "wise Latina," was so happy he crapped his pants.
(2) Our very excellent meteorologist, Tom Wills, retired today. After 40 years! He will be missed.
(1) The daily high temperature never reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit on any of the 31 days. This is a record. Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who thumps the tub for the case against global warming when he isn't chastising Sonia Sotomayor for being a "wise Latina," was so happy he crapped his pants.
(2) Our very excellent meteorologist, Tom Wills, retired today. After 40 years! He will be missed.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Al Franken In His Greatest Venue
I love this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/opinion/10navasky.html?_r=2&th&emc=th
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/opinion/10navasky.html?_r=2&th&emc=th
Friday, July 03, 2009
Whooee and Hot Damn!
It is the eve of Independence Day and Sarah Palin has done the most patriotic act of her life!
Now if Mark Sanford would just get patriotic.
(P.S.: Maybe they'll shut up for a few minutes about Michael Jackson now. I thought the passing of Karl Malden was more newsworthy myself.)
Now if Mark Sanford would just get patriotic.
(P.S.: Maybe they'll shut up for a few minutes about Michael Jackson now. I thought the passing of Karl Malden was more newsworthy myself.)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind)
(1) Opposes the President's health plan (and everything else).
(2) Looks like the albino killer, Whitey,* in Foul Play.
*Apologies to Whitey.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tiananmen Square or the Berlin Wall?
Or will it end not with a bang but a whimper? Oh may the Iranian demonstration not die a slow death!
Here is praying that Iran will creep toward democracy. At least let's hope that the rigged election will be thrown out and the voters can go to the polls again. Moussavi might not be that much better than Ahmadinejad, but at least the former, not the latter, is the choice of the people -- vox populi. Iran is a sort of democracy -- even though it is a theocracy.*
(* Could it be that Allah wants the will of the people as His will?)
And I guess I'm sold on democracy, sloppy and imperfect as it is. The Ayatollah might be regretting not making it an absolute dictatorship, letting the people think they really have a say in their government.
Kurt Vonnegut, in Mother Night, writes, "We are what we pretend to be, so we ought to be careful what we pretend to be."
Let it be so. May Iran "fake it to make it."
Here is praying that Iran will creep toward democracy. At least let's hope that the rigged election will be thrown out and the voters can go to the polls again. Moussavi might not be that much better than Ahmadinejad, but at least the former, not the latter, is the choice of the people -- vox populi. Iran is a sort of democracy -- even though it is a theocracy.*
(* Could it be that Allah wants the will of the people as His will?)
And I guess I'm sold on democracy, sloppy and imperfect as it is. The Ayatollah might be regretting not making it an absolute dictatorship, letting the people think they really have a say in their government.
Kurt Vonnegut, in Mother Night, writes, "We are what we pretend to be, so we ought to be careful what we pretend to be."
Let it be so. May Iran "fake it to make it."
Friday, June 05, 2009
Generic Post
Another beautiful Friday. Wife sleeping on sofa, wakes up, sits up, looks at me, shakes head, laughs, says, "I'm going to bed."
"I thought that's where you were," I say.
"I certainly was sleeping." She pads off to take her nighttime meds. Jacob is coming tomorrow, although not early. He went to the doc in Louisville the other day to begin a new regimen for his medical condition; the regimen needs to take into consideration that he's now rapidly entering adolescence.
Rudy, at foot of sofa, is zonked, grinning in his sleep.
Boob tube's off. No Van De Graaff either. Yet.
It was a gorgeous sunny day, blue and gold and green, warm in the sun, cool in the shade. I remarked again that weather like this all the time (instead of mostly humidity and rain) would cause the Californicators to descend upon us like the Mongol hordes. We have enough as it is. I mean from California. We used to get urban refugees from such exotic places as Cincinnati.
My perspective on the immigration of big city swells here is of a native, born before WW II at that. I sat in front of a store this evening next to the Ohio Theater with a friend, Kevin, passing the time of day, and I thought about how many, many times I have walked these not-so-mean streets over a half-century plus a score of years. We were really provincial when I was a kid.
Had a sandwich with another friend, Sam, at the Downtowner across the street just before the visit with Kevin. Leisurely evening. Came home then and got the wife for another commune with nature. We drove downtown, along the river and along Main Street. By the time we got downtown it was deep dusk and most of the downtown strollers -- what's that French word? flaneur -- had vanished. The riverfront teemed with people. They're adding several observation points, extending the excellent brick walkway in both directions. Next week the city's beginning its bicentennial (200 years) celebration.
That's all.
Good night.
"I thought that's where you were," I say.
"I certainly was sleeping." She pads off to take her nighttime meds. Jacob is coming tomorrow, although not early. He went to the doc in Louisville the other day to begin a new regimen for his medical condition; the regimen needs to take into consideration that he's now rapidly entering adolescence.
Rudy, at foot of sofa, is zonked, grinning in his sleep.
Boob tube's off. No Van De Graaff either. Yet.
It was a gorgeous sunny day, blue and gold and green, warm in the sun, cool in the shade. I remarked again that weather like this all the time (instead of mostly humidity and rain) would cause the Californicators to descend upon us like the Mongol hordes. We have enough as it is. I mean from California. We used to get urban refugees from such exotic places as Cincinnati.
My perspective on the immigration of big city swells here is of a native, born before WW II at that. I sat in front of a store this evening next to the Ohio Theater with a friend, Kevin, passing the time of day, and I thought about how many, many times I have walked these not-so-mean streets over a half-century plus a score of years. We were really provincial when I was a kid.
Had a sandwich with another friend, Sam, at the Downtowner across the street just before the visit with Kevin. Leisurely evening. Came home then and got the wife for another commune with nature. We drove downtown, along the river and along Main Street. By the time we got downtown it was deep dusk and most of the downtown strollers -- what's that French word? flaneur -- had vanished. The riverfront teemed with people. They're adding several observation points, extending the excellent brick walkway in both directions. Next week the city's beginning its bicentennial (200 years) celebration.
That's all.
Good night.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
T.G.I.F. -- C.Y.B
Thank God it's any day, as far as that goes. I just happen to feel pretty good now and want to say so. To whomever might happen to read this. I often feel well when I'm up late at night like this.
My friend David is 59 today. Considering that, several years ago, he was nearly dead from drinking, smoking, and weighing twice as much as he does now, his having reached this age as a nondrinker, nonsmoker, careful eater, and an ardent fitness disciplinarian -- it's a modern miracle.
My friend Larry got a Toyota this week, a cream puff, and I'm very glad for him. He does home health work and needs a reliable car and his Toyota has a lot fewer miles on it than mine does and mine is a reliable car. Even if it doesn't have air-conditioning or an outside door handle on the driver's side. (Got to get exercise somehow.)
Friends Sam, Lee, Joe and I had a meeting together this evening in the college boardroom. It was swank and we didn't let it intimidate us. We have the place all to ourselves this summer. It has been a gorgeous day after a lot of humidity and rain and it was sweet standing outside schmoozing in the beautiful outdoors after the meeting.
Last night I brought home four quarts of strawberries grown around Lexington, Indiana, about the prettiest strawberries I've ever seen. Rosie made a dessert with ice cream and angel food cake with some of them and sure enough they were delicious. And we have more!
This morning I bought a vinyl terlet seat at Lowe's and replaced the wooden one. The nurse in the house likes to bleach things and the paint on wooden seats bubbles and blisters. I like the new seat better too. Before the meeting this afternoon we planted two tomato starts in a hanging arrangement. I hope they make it.
Listening to Peter Van De Graaff's show ("Beethoven Satellite Network"). Need to get to bed.
Reading Elmore Leonard's Road Dogs. Good read.
If we meet again, we'll smile. If not, this parting was well made.
Gentlemen -- good night.
My friend David is 59 today. Considering that, several years ago, he was nearly dead from drinking, smoking, and weighing twice as much as he does now, his having reached this age as a nondrinker, nonsmoker, careful eater, and an ardent fitness disciplinarian -- it's a modern miracle.
My friend Larry got a Toyota this week, a cream puff, and I'm very glad for him. He does home health work and needs a reliable car and his Toyota has a lot fewer miles on it than mine does and mine is a reliable car. Even if it doesn't have air-conditioning or an outside door handle on the driver's side. (Got to get exercise somehow.)
Friends Sam, Lee, Joe and I had a meeting together this evening in the college boardroom. It was swank and we didn't let it intimidate us. We have the place all to ourselves this summer. It has been a gorgeous day after a lot of humidity and rain and it was sweet standing outside schmoozing in the beautiful outdoors after the meeting.
Last night I brought home four quarts of strawberries grown around Lexington, Indiana, about the prettiest strawberries I've ever seen. Rosie made a dessert with ice cream and angel food cake with some of them and sure enough they were delicious. And we have more!
This morning I bought a vinyl terlet seat at Lowe's and replaced the wooden one. The nurse in the house likes to bleach things and the paint on wooden seats bubbles and blisters. I like the new seat better too. Before the meeting this afternoon we planted two tomato starts in a hanging arrangement. I hope they make it.
Listening to Peter Van De Graaff's show ("Beethoven Satellite Network"). Need to get to bed.
Reading Elmore Leonard's Road Dogs. Good read.
If we meet again, we'll smile. If not, this parting was well made.
Gentlemen -- good night.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Hail* to the Spokesman for Fear and Hate and Greed
While a member of the U. S. House of Representatives as the at-large congressman of Wyoming, 1979-1989, Richard B. Cheney:
* Repeatedly voted against programs designed to provide assistance to displaced workers.
* Voted against legislation requiring factory owners to notify employees before closing their plants.
* Cast 10 separate votes against funding nutrition programs for children, including one vote opposing a move to protect food programs for women and infants from budget cuts.
* Repeatedly voted against maintaining funding for Head Start programs.
* Voted against a measure that granted time off for federal employees to care for sick family members.
* Voted against the Hunger Relief Act, which expanded eligibility for the federal food stamp program.
* Voted against providing mortgage assistance for low income home buyers.
* Opposed college student aid programs contained in the Higher Education Act.
* During the recession of the early 1980s, voted to block extension of unemployment benefits, including a provision that would provide health insurance for unemployed workers and their families.
* Voted against the Equal Rights Amendment.
* Voted for Ronald Reagan’s veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act.
* Voted to limit Social Security cost-of-living adjustments for retired Americans living on fixed incomes.
* Was one of only eight members of the House to vote against renewing the Older Americans Act, which provided nutritional and other support services for elderly Americans. (If Cheney’s opposition had succeeded, the entire nutritional program would have effectively been shut down).
* Voted against limiting out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare recipients, most of whom were senior citizens. His votes were so consistently counter to the interests of the elderly that a Cox News Service headline declared, “Senior Groups Call Cheney’s Voting Record a Disaster.”
* Not only did Cheney’s votes tend toward unfairness on domestic issues, he actually voted against sanctioning South Africa’s apartheid regime for its repressive policies. He was also a vocal opponent of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.
from "Dick Cheney’s Contempt for Americans," a post on the blog, God's Politics, by Obery M. Hendricks, Jr. Mr. Hendricks is the author of The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus’ Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted.
(*Did I say "hail"? That's the way we Madisonians pronounce H-E-double-hockey-sticks.)
* Repeatedly voted against programs designed to provide assistance to displaced workers.
* Voted against legislation requiring factory owners to notify employees before closing their plants.
* Cast 10 separate votes against funding nutrition programs for children, including one vote opposing a move to protect food programs for women and infants from budget cuts.
* Repeatedly voted against maintaining funding for Head Start programs.
* Voted against a measure that granted time off for federal employees to care for sick family members.
* Voted against the Hunger Relief Act, which expanded eligibility for the federal food stamp program.
* Voted against providing mortgage assistance for low income home buyers.
* Opposed college student aid programs contained in the Higher Education Act.
* During the recession of the early 1980s, voted to block extension of unemployment benefits, including a provision that would provide health insurance for unemployed workers and their families.
* Voted against the Equal Rights Amendment.
* Voted for Ronald Reagan’s veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act.
* Voted to limit Social Security cost-of-living adjustments for retired Americans living on fixed incomes.
* Was one of only eight members of the House to vote against renewing the Older Americans Act, which provided nutritional and other support services for elderly Americans. (If Cheney’s opposition had succeeded, the entire nutritional program would have effectively been shut down).
* Voted against limiting out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare recipients, most of whom were senior citizens. His votes were so consistently counter to the interests of the elderly that a Cox News Service headline declared, “Senior Groups Call Cheney’s Voting Record a Disaster.”
* Not only did Cheney’s votes tend toward unfairness on domestic issues, he actually voted against sanctioning South Africa’s apartheid regime for its repressive policies. He was also a vocal opponent of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.
from "Dick Cheney’s Contempt for Americans," a post on the blog, God's Politics, by Obery M. Hendricks, Jr. Mr. Hendricks is the author of The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus’ Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted.
(*Did I say "hail"? That's the way we Madisonians pronounce H-E-double-hockey-sticks.)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A Little Hard News
"Half-past eight. The Jefferson County Courthouse in downtown Madison is badly damaged by a fire which started in the cupola at the top and, by the time I saw it, at least an hour after it started, was still raging. The roof was ablaze then.
"I took pictures with THE DIGITAL CAMERA I BOUGHT YESTERDAY (The Canon, Chip!) and then came back home with Rosalie. I’ve barely learned to take a picture in the automatic mode and I’ve barely learned to upload it into the computer. I could go so far as to try to make a post on my blog."
The preceding has lost its immediacy because I've waited until I've seen programs and studied the iPhoto tutorial in hopes I might be able to learn how to move photos from iPhoto to here. Given up at ten. My learning curve...
Anyhow, I've emailed one of my photos to family members.
The courthouse is pretty much toast. (11:12p.m.)
Picture was just added. (4:00 p.m. 5/21/2009)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Godzilla's Back!
Hard drive crashed a while back, as most readers of this occasional drivel know. Got a few things back, lost a lot more. So it goes.
Saturday night. We're watching Miracle of the White Stallions, recommended by a friend who is a student of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. (We go way back.) It's a Disney movie. No flying nannies or superhero Volkswagens yet.
Two beautiful spring days back-to-back. Sunshine, balmy air, buds, bloom, feeling like getting out of bed in the morning. We have two tomato plants we're going to set pretty soon and maybe there will be more vegetables and flowers.
Tomorrow I cook part of a heart-healthy breakfast for my comrades. Afterwards we all go on a strict vegan diet.
Bono wrote a nice op-ed in the New York Times. Take a look.
Saturday night. We're watching Miracle of the White Stallions, recommended by a friend who is a student of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. (We go way back.) It's a Disney movie. No flying nannies or superhero Volkswagens yet.
Two beautiful spring days back-to-back. Sunshine, balmy air, buds, bloom, feeling like getting out of bed in the morning. We have two tomato plants we're going to set pretty soon and maybe there will be more vegetables and flowers.
Tomorrow I cook part of a heart-healthy breakfast for my comrades. Afterwards we all go on a strict vegan diet.
Bono wrote a nice op-ed in the New York Times. Take a look.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Thinking of You
I get the urge every now and then to use this venue -- the World Wide Web, mind you -- to write something. I generally look to see what my circle of family and friends have written so that my current scribblings might have some relevance to our own little Zeitgeist. Last I looked, nobody has posted anything this year so far. OK. Now what?
I wonder what the silence might mean. It might have to do with the harsh reality that practically every one of my circle who blogs also works, and the work situation is becoming increasingly perilous. It would be reasonable to surmise that these loved ones are too busy trying to stay employed at the moment and have little time left over for the frivolity of blogging.
My care and concern are there for you, in case you don't know it. Just wanted to let you know.
I wonder what the silence might mean. It might have to do with the harsh reality that practically every one of my circle who blogs also works, and the work situation is becoming increasingly perilous. It would be reasonable to surmise that these loved ones are too busy trying to stay employed at the moment and have little time left over for the frivolity of blogging.
My care and concern are there for you, in case you don't know it. Just wanted to let you know.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Stimulus Package
Thanks to the Washington Post
The Action Americans Need
By Barack Obama
Thursday, February 5, 2009; A17
By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring.
What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives -- action that's swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis.
Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.
That's why I feel such a sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress. With it, we will create or save more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, provide immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and take steps to strengthen our country for years to come.
This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, health care and education. And it's a strategy that will be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability, so Americans know where their tax dollars are going and how they are being spent.
In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.
I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long. And because we have, our health-care costs still rise faster than inflation. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. Our children still study in schools that put them at a disadvantage. We've seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.
Every day, our economy gets sicker -- and the time for a remedy that puts Americans back to work, jump-starts our economy and invests in lasting growth is now.
Now is the time to protect health insurance for the more than 8 million Americans at risk of losing their coverage and to computerize the health-care records of every American within five years, saving billions of dollars and countless lives in the process.
Now is the time to save billions by making 2 million homes and 75 percent of federal buildings more energy-efficient, and to double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy within three years.
Now is the time to give our children every advantage they need to compete by upgrading 10,000 schools with state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries and labs; by training our teachers in math and science; and by bringing the dream of a college education within reach for millions of Americans.
And now is the time to create the jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding aging roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.
These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They're patient enough to know that our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide.
So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.
The writer is president of the United States
The Action Americans Need
By Barack Obama
Thursday, February 5, 2009; A17
By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring.
What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives -- action that's swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis.
Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.
That's why I feel such a sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress. With it, we will create or save more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, provide immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and take steps to strengthen our country for years to come.
This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, health care and education. And it's a strategy that will be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability, so Americans know where their tax dollars are going and how they are being spent.
In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.
I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long. And because we have, our health-care costs still rise faster than inflation. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. Our children still study in schools that put them at a disadvantage. We've seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.
Every day, our economy gets sicker -- and the time for a remedy that puts Americans back to work, jump-starts our economy and invests in lasting growth is now.
Now is the time to protect health insurance for the more than 8 million Americans at risk of losing their coverage and to computerize the health-care records of every American within five years, saving billions of dollars and countless lives in the process.
Now is the time to save billions by making 2 million homes and 75 percent of federal buildings more energy-efficient, and to double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy within three years.
Now is the time to give our children every advantage they need to compete by upgrading 10,000 schools with state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries and labs; by training our teachers in math and science; and by bringing the dream of a college education within reach for millions of Americans.
And now is the time to create the jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding aging roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.
These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They're patient enough to know that our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide.
So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.
The writer is president of the United States
Friday, January 23, 2009
Where Is Their Patriotism?
In early 2008, just as Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain was preparing to slash expenses, cut thousands of jobs and exit businesses to fix the ailing securities firm, he was also spending company money on himself, senior people at the firm say.
According to documents reviewed by The Daily Beast, Thain spent $1.22 million of company money to refurbish his office at Merrill Lynch headquarters in lower Manhattan. The biggest piece of the spending spree: $800,000 to hire famed celebrity designer Michael Smith, who is currently redesigning the White House for the Obama family for just $100,000.
The other big ticket items Thain purchased include: $87,000 for an area rug in Thain's conference room and another area rug for $44,000; a "mahogany pedestal table" for $25,000; a "19th Century Credenza" in Thain's office for $68,000; a sofa for $15,000; four pairs curtains for $28,000; a pair of guest chairs for $87,000; a "George IV Desk" for $18,000; 6 wall sconces for $2,700; six chairs in his private dining room for $37,000; a mirror in his private dining room for $5,000; a chandelier in the private dining room for $13,000; fabric for a "Roman Shade" for $11,000; a "custom coffee table" for $16,000; something called a "commode on legs" for $35,000; a "Regency Chairs" for $24,000; "40 yards of fabric for wall panels," for $5,000 and a "parchment waste can" for $1,400.
***
It turns out that we the taxpayers have paid for this extravaganza.
Where is this man's patriotism?
According to documents reviewed by The Daily Beast, Thain spent $1.22 million of company money to refurbish his office at Merrill Lynch headquarters in lower Manhattan. The biggest piece of the spending spree: $800,000 to hire famed celebrity designer Michael Smith, who is currently redesigning the White House for the Obama family for just $100,000.
The other big ticket items Thain purchased include: $87,000 for an area rug in Thain's conference room and another area rug for $44,000; a "mahogany pedestal table" for $25,000; a "19th Century Credenza" in Thain's office for $68,000; a sofa for $15,000; four pairs curtains for $28,000; a pair of guest chairs for $87,000; a "George IV Desk" for $18,000; 6 wall sconces for $2,700; six chairs in his private dining room for $37,000; a mirror in his private dining room for $5,000; a chandelier in the private dining room for $13,000; fabric for a "Roman Shade" for $11,000; a "custom coffee table" for $16,000; something called a "commode on legs" for $35,000; a "Regency Chairs" for $24,000; "40 yards of fabric for wall panels," for $5,000 and a "parchment waste can" for $1,400.
***
It turns out that we the taxpayers have paid for this extravaganza.
Where is this man's patriotism?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Barack Hussein Obama, 44th President - And US - the USA
It's a fait accompli. Barack Obama is the President, even as I write. Thanks, USA, and thanks, Higher Power.
January 20, 2009
Text
Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you.
CROWD: Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama!
My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
I thank President Bush for his service to our nation...
(APPLAUSE)
... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.
The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.
(APPLAUSE)
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
(APPLAUSE)
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.
It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.
Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
(APPLAUSE)
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality...
(APPLAUSE)
... and lower its costs.
We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.
Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.
But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
(APPLAUSE)
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.
And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
(APPLAUSE)
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.
With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.
And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
(APPLAUSE)
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.
And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
To those...
(APPLAUSE)
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
(APPLAUSE)
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.
And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.
And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.
It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.
It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.
These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
(APPLAUSE)
So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.
In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river.
The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.
At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you.
(APPLAUSE)
And God bless the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
January 20, 2009
Text
Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you.
CROWD: Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama!
My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
I thank President Bush for his service to our nation...
(APPLAUSE)
... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.
The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.
(APPLAUSE)
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
(APPLAUSE)
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.
It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.
Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
(APPLAUSE)
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality...
(APPLAUSE)
... and lower its costs.
We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.
Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.
But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
(APPLAUSE)
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.
And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
(APPLAUSE)
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.
With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.
And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
(APPLAUSE)
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.
And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
To those...
(APPLAUSE)
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
(APPLAUSE)
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.
And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.
And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.
It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.
It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.
These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
(APPLAUSE)
So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.
In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river.
The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.
At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you.
(APPLAUSE)
And God bless the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
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