Thursday, January 20, 2005
A Between-The-Lines Reading of Bush's Inaugural Address
Blue Text is Mine
Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:
The Elite, The High Priests of the New World Order, The Rich…and oh yeah, everybody else…
On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.
On this day, engineered by voter fraud and paid for by the Insurance and Investment Interests, we shit upon the constitution and whore ourselves to big business, the de facto Governors which divide our country. I have been chosen by God to lord over you, oblivious to the consequences of my re-ignition of the flames of Fascism and religious hatred and determined to ignore International Law, The Bill of Rights and my oath to uphold the Constitution, but that was really a Betty Crocker Cookbook I took the oath upon, plus I had my fingers crossed.
At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half-century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical -- and then there came a day of fire.
Since my last inauguration, America was attacked by 19 Saudi Arabian guys. They flew some planes into some of our buildings. For 50 years our military budget shrunk because we had no wars to fight. The military-industrial complex suffered huge losses of revenue. The failure of Communism led to a steep decline in the value of severance pay, stock options and bonuses for the CEOs of many of America’s largest weapons manufacturers, and then those 19 Saudi guys got on those four planes.
We have seen our vulnerability, and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny -- prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder -- violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders and raise a mortal threat.
We should try to figure out how to keep that kind of stuff from happening. We should probably take over the entire Middle East, except Israel, and then most of Southeast Asia. Pretty much everywhere Muslims live. This will allow the richest 1% of our population to maintain their lifestyles. Everybody except Saudi Arabia…those tyrants rock!
There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant. And that is the force of human freedom.
Yep, that’s what we’ll do all right…take over the whole Middle East. That’ll teach people that 19 guys can’t come over here and swipe a couple of planes and crash them into our buildings. I know most of the 9/11 guys were Saudis, but Iran…you are next buddy!
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.
The easiest way for us to maintain the lifestyles of our rich and famous is to just conquer any country which disagrees with us, install our puppet regimes and just sit back and pull the strings. It probably won’t help with terrorism that much, but man, can’t you just see the ink drying on those big fat oil contracts. Not to mention telecommunication, entertainment, fast-food, cheaper sources of slave labor. I’m getting a woody.
America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this Earth has rights, and dignity and matchless value because they bear the image of the maker of heaven and Earth.
Oil is now your religion. Bow before Exxon-Mobile, Texaco and BP. Kneel before the High Priests of Smith/Barney, Genworth, State Farm and Smith/Kline.
Across the generations, we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security and the calling of our time.
When Bill Clinton wanted to help the Muslims of Yugoslavia escape persecution and genocide, we Republicans said we don’t want to be the “World Police”. We changed our minds. It’s just good business.
So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
We’re going to invade any country we want, destroy them, and then award fat contracts to our buddies to “rebuild” them.
This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen and defended by citizens and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own.
America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom and make their own way.
Where it’s not economical to send American soldiers to die for our military-industrial complex, we’ll just do some Iran-Contra stuff. My dad showed my how to do it….and we won’t be caught this time!
The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.
If 49% of you didn’t hate my guts, I bet we could take over the world! Man, that would be cool. Oh well, maybe next time. Maybe we could put all of the young black men in jails…that would trim that percentage a bit. Maybe make homosexuality a crime?
My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve and have found it firm.
Don’t mess with Texas.
We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation -- the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.
We will decide what is best for you and the rest of the world. Resistance is futile. We will add your Cultural distinctiveness to our own, then package it and sell it on the open market.
We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies. Yet, rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.
We will continue to ignore the human rights violations of China, Wal-Mart’s fifth-largest trading partner, in order to keep prices and wages low worldwide, enriching the Elite further. We will keep populations evenly split against each other as a distraction from our rape of the world. We will allow only what we are forced to allow in order to maintain this delicate balance.
Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty -- though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.
Now is the time for world domination. Only China can stop us, and we already bought them off.
Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know: America sees you for who you are -- the future leaders of your free country.
The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."
The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.
“Evildoers” beware!
And all the allies of the United States can know: We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.
If you ain’t with us, you’re against us. But it is a big pie, so if you’d like a slice just let us know.
Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:
From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom.
I know I said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that they posed an immediate threat to us, and that turned out to be false. I know I said “Mission Accomplished” over a year ago and hundreds of American soldiers have died in the time being. Believe me, as soon as we get our guy elected we are out of there and hitting up Iran. We’re already right next door. Besides, Iran has weapons of mass destruction and they pose an immediate threat to us.
And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well -- a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.
Insurgents can kill whoever they want after we pull out…we’ll just put our next guy in charge. You see, it’s all about controlling the elections and purse strings….
A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause -- in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives, and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.
I don’t care how many American lives it takes to achieve my goals.
All Americans have witnessed this idealism and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself, and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country but to its character.
So we're all dog-faces. We're all very very different. But, there is one thing we all have in common. We were all stupid enough to enlist in the army. W're mutants. There's something wrong with us. Something very very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us. We're soldiers. But, we're American soldiers, and we've been kicken' ass for 200 years. We're ten and one! Pick a service, pick a challenge, set yourself apart. Army! Navy! Air Force! Marines! What a great way…It’s a great way to feed your family without having to work in fast food. Join a "Bush-Youth" camp near you, kiddies. Let us know if your parents say anything critical of the government...
America has need of idealism and courage because we have essential work at home -- the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.
In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act and the GI Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time.
We need to pass my initiative to privatize social security. Hell, this whole inauguration ceremony was paid for by an insurance and investment industry that is dying to get its hands on your money. Wouldn’t you rather have your money now to play the lottery of the stock market rather than sitting in some bank somewhere, insured by the U.S. government?
To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance -- preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society.
We will set goals for schools that they cannot achieve, withdraw their funding when they fail to achieve them, and finally shut down the public school system entirely. We will then use your tax dollars to fund Christian schools, and even better, private schools! We’ll just sell my buddies the old public school buildings and bring Pepsi and Taco Bell in for food service. Vouchers for everybody! I bet we can cut teacher salaries and break up that pesky teachers union too!
By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.
You are on your own. If you haven’t started hoarding, you better get to it.
In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character -- on integrity and tolerance toward others and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self.
We shouldn’t waste tax dollars trying to put people like Ken Lay in jail. I’m sure he feels pretty crappy about what he did.
That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards,and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before -- ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever.
It’ll be just like those awesome 1950’s! Gay people will stay in the closet, your neighbors will report you for unpatriotic conduct, the Ten Commandments can go back up in public spaces and minorities will stick to their own neighborhoods. How I long for those simpler times. Things sure were better then, weren’t they?
In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service and mercy and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love.
Don’t expect the government to help the poor, the disaffected, the huddled masses. If it bothers you, you do something. I live in a gated community. I don’t have to see it. Welfare, school lunches, social security…all out of here. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.
Kiss Roe v. Wade goodbye. Oh yeah, Affirmative Action too.
From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
Maybe they’ll call us the “second-greatest generation” in the History books. I read one of those once. It’d be cool to have a big chapter about me in one of those.
These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes -- and I will strive in good faith to heal them.
You’re either with us or against us.
Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.
What we really need is another war or attack….maybe you’ll be too scared to elect a Democrat.
We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as he wills.
We are God’s chosen ones. If you have not been “born-again”, you have no place in Heaven. The Bible is infallible and it says it is ok to own slaves, as long as they are from a different country.
We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages, when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty, when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" -- they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled.
History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction set by liberty and the author of liberty.
When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still.
America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength -- tested, but not weary -- we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
May God bless you, and may he watch over the United States of America.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
^somadude
Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:
The Elite, The High Priests of the New World Order, The Rich…and oh yeah, everybody else…
On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.
On this day, engineered by voter fraud and paid for by the Insurance and Investment Interests, we shit upon the constitution and whore ourselves to big business, the de facto Governors which divide our country. I have been chosen by God to lord over you, oblivious to the consequences of my re-ignition of the flames of Fascism and religious hatred and determined to ignore International Law, The Bill of Rights and my oath to uphold the Constitution, but that was really a Betty Crocker Cookbook I took the oath upon, plus I had my fingers crossed.
At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half-century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical -- and then there came a day of fire.
Since my last inauguration, America was attacked by 19 Saudi Arabian guys. They flew some planes into some of our buildings. For 50 years our military budget shrunk because we had no wars to fight. The military-industrial complex suffered huge losses of revenue. The failure of Communism led to a steep decline in the value of severance pay, stock options and bonuses for the CEOs of many of America’s largest weapons manufacturers, and then those 19 Saudi guys got on those four planes.
We have seen our vulnerability, and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny -- prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder -- violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders and raise a mortal threat.
We should try to figure out how to keep that kind of stuff from happening. We should probably take over the entire Middle East, except Israel, and then most of Southeast Asia. Pretty much everywhere Muslims live. This will allow the richest 1% of our population to maintain their lifestyles. Everybody except Saudi Arabia…those tyrants rock!
There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant. And that is the force of human freedom.
Yep, that’s what we’ll do all right…take over the whole Middle East. That’ll teach people that 19 guys can’t come over here and swipe a couple of planes and crash them into our buildings. I know most of the 9/11 guys were Saudis, but Iran…you are next buddy!
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.
The easiest way for us to maintain the lifestyles of our rich and famous is to just conquer any country which disagrees with us, install our puppet regimes and just sit back and pull the strings. It probably won’t help with terrorism that much, but man, can’t you just see the ink drying on those big fat oil contracts. Not to mention telecommunication, entertainment, fast-food, cheaper sources of slave labor. I’m getting a woody.
America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this Earth has rights, and dignity and matchless value because they bear the image of the maker of heaven and Earth.
Oil is now your religion. Bow before Exxon-Mobile, Texaco and BP. Kneel before the High Priests of Smith/Barney, Genworth, State Farm and Smith/Kline.
Across the generations, we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security and the calling of our time.
When Bill Clinton wanted to help the Muslims of Yugoslavia escape persecution and genocide, we Republicans said we don’t want to be the “World Police”. We changed our minds. It’s just good business.
So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
We’re going to invade any country we want, destroy them, and then award fat contracts to our buddies to “rebuild” them.
This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen and defended by citizens and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own.
America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom and make their own way.
Where it’s not economical to send American soldiers to die for our military-industrial complex, we’ll just do some Iran-Contra stuff. My dad showed my how to do it….and we won’t be caught this time!
The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.
If 49% of you didn’t hate my guts, I bet we could take over the world! Man, that would be cool. Oh well, maybe next time. Maybe we could put all of the young black men in jails…that would trim that percentage a bit. Maybe make homosexuality a crime?
My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve and have found it firm.
Don’t mess with Texas.
We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation -- the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.
We will decide what is best for you and the rest of the world. Resistance is futile. We will add your Cultural distinctiveness to our own, then package it and sell it on the open market.
We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies. Yet, rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.
We will continue to ignore the human rights violations of China, Wal-Mart’s fifth-largest trading partner, in order to keep prices and wages low worldwide, enriching the Elite further. We will keep populations evenly split against each other as a distraction from our rape of the world. We will allow only what we are forced to allow in order to maintain this delicate balance.
Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty -- though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.
Now is the time for world domination. Only China can stop us, and we already bought them off.
Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know: America sees you for who you are -- the future leaders of your free country.
The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."
The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.
“Evildoers” beware!
And all the allies of the United States can know: We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.
If you ain’t with us, you’re against us. But it is a big pie, so if you’d like a slice just let us know.
Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:
From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom.
I know I said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that they posed an immediate threat to us, and that turned out to be false. I know I said “Mission Accomplished” over a year ago and hundreds of American soldiers have died in the time being. Believe me, as soon as we get our guy elected we are out of there and hitting up Iran. We’re already right next door. Besides, Iran has weapons of mass destruction and they pose an immediate threat to us.
And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well -- a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.
Insurgents can kill whoever they want after we pull out…we’ll just put our next guy in charge. You see, it’s all about controlling the elections and purse strings….
A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause -- in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives, and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.
I don’t care how many American lives it takes to achieve my goals.
All Americans have witnessed this idealism and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself, and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country but to its character.
So we're all dog-faces. We're all very very different. But, there is one thing we all have in common. We were all stupid enough to enlist in the army. W're mutants. There's something wrong with us. Something very very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us. We're soldiers. But, we're American soldiers, and we've been kicken' ass for 200 years. We're ten and one! Pick a service, pick a challenge, set yourself apart. Army! Navy! Air Force! Marines! What a great way…It’s a great way to feed your family without having to work in fast food. Join a "Bush-Youth" camp near you, kiddies. Let us know if your parents say anything critical of the government...
America has need of idealism and courage because we have essential work at home -- the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.
In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act and the GI Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time.
We need to pass my initiative to privatize social security. Hell, this whole inauguration ceremony was paid for by an insurance and investment industry that is dying to get its hands on your money. Wouldn’t you rather have your money now to play the lottery of the stock market rather than sitting in some bank somewhere, insured by the U.S. government?
To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance -- preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society.
We will set goals for schools that they cannot achieve, withdraw their funding when they fail to achieve them, and finally shut down the public school system entirely. We will then use your tax dollars to fund Christian schools, and even better, private schools! We’ll just sell my buddies the old public school buildings and bring Pepsi and Taco Bell in for food service. Vouchers for everybody! I bet we can cut teacher salaries and break up that pesky teachers union too!
By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.
You are on your own. If you haven’t started hoarding, you better get to it.
In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character -- on integrity and tolerance toward others and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self.
We shouldn’t waste tax dollars trying to put people like Ken Lay in jail. I’m sure he feels pretty crappy about what he did.
That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards,and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before -- ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever.
It’ll be just like those awesome 1950’s! Gay people will stay in the closet, your neighbors will report you for unpatriotic conduct, the Ten Commandments can go back up in public spaces and minorities will stick to their own neighborhoods. How I long for those simpler times. Things sure were better then, weren’t they?
In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service and mercy and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love.
Don’t expect the government to help the poor, the disaffected, the huddled masses. If it bothers you, you do something. I live in a gated community. I don’t have to see it. Welfare, school lunches, social security…all out of here. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.
Kiss Roe v. Wade goodbye. Oh yeah, Affirmative Action too.
From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
Maybe they’ll call us the “second-greatest generation” in the History books. I read one of those once. It’d be cool to have a big chapter about me in one of those.
These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes -- and I will strive in good faith to heal them.
You’re either with us or against us.
Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.
What we really need is another war or attack….maybe you’ll be too scared to elect a Democrat.
We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as he wills.
We are God’s chosen ones. If you have not been “born-again”, you have no place in Heaven. The Bible is infallible and it says it is ok to own slaves, as long as they are from a different country.
We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages, when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty, when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" -- they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled.
History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction set by liberty and the author of liberty.
When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still.
America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength -- tested, but not weary -- we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
May God bless you, and may he watch over the United States of America.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
^somadude
# posted by David @ Thursday, January 20, 2005 
