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gov-info · 4 years ago

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President Joe Biden Delivers Inaugural Address

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris. Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, McConnell, Vice President Pence, my distinguished guests and my fellow Americans, this is America's day.

This is democracy's day. A day of history and hope of renewal and resolve through a crucible for the ages. America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.

We've learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.

From now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago, violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible to carry out the peaceful transfer of power, as we have for more than two centuries.

As we look ahead in our uniquely American way: restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we can be and we must be.

I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know, I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke with last night, who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.

I've just taken the sacred oath. Each of those patriots have taken. The oath, first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us, on we the people who seek a more perfect union.

This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we've come so far. But we still have far to go. We'll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities, much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain.

Few people in our nation's history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we're in now. Once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country. It's taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice, some four hundred years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.

The cry for survival comes from planet itself, a cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.

To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity, unity.

In another January, on New Year's Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, “if my name ever goes down into history, it'll be for this act. And my whole soul is in it.”

My whole soul was in it today. On this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment, hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward, reward work and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.

I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we're all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never assured.

Through civil war, the Great Depression, world war, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward. And we can do that now. History, faith and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos.

This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we've acted together.

And so today at this time in this place, let's start afresh, all of us. Let's begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.

My fellow Americans. We have to be different than this. America has to be better than this. And I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome, as was mentioned earlier, completed amid the Civil War, when the union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet we endured, we prevailed.

Here we stand looking out in the great mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago, at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today we marked the swearing in of the first woman in American history elected to national office: Vice President Kamala Harris. Don't tell me things can't change.

Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace. And here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground.

It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever.

To all those who supported our campaign, I'm humbled by the faith you've placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this. Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree so be it. That's democracy. That's America. The right to dissent, peaceably, the guardrails of our republic is perhaps this nation's greatest strength.

Yet hear me clearly: disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you, I will be a president for all Americans. All Americans. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.

Many centuries ago. Saint Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote to the people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love, that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and yes, the truth.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.

Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand, like my dad, they lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering, can I keep my health care? Can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you, I get it.

But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don't look like look like you or worship the way you do, or don't get their news from the same sources you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we're willing to stand in the other person's shoes, as my mom would say, just for a moment, stand in their shoes. Because here's the thing about life. There's no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days, when you need a hand. There are other days when we're called to lend a hand. That's how it has to be. That's what we do for one another. And if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree.

My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we're going to need each other. We need all our strength to to persevere through this dark winter. We're entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as One Nation. One Nation.

And I promise you this, as the Bible says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” We will get through this together. Together.

Look, folks, all my colleagues I served with in the House of the Senate up there, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today. So here's my message to those beyond our borders. America has been tested and we've come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday's challenges, but today's and tomorrow's challenges. And we’ll lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.

We'll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress and security. Look, you all know, we've been through so much in this nation. And my first act as president, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those who we lost this past year to the pandemic. Those four hundred thousand fellow Americans, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors and coworkers. We will honor them by becoming the people and the nation we know we can and should be. So I ask you, let's say a silent prayer for those who've lost their lives, those left behind and for our country.

Amen.

Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth, a raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America's role in the world. Any one of these will be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is, we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we've had. Now we're going to be tested. Are we going to step up? All of us? It’s time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And this is certain, I promise you, we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era.

Will we rise to the occasion, is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must. I'm sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we'll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America. The American story. A story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It's called American Anthem. There's one verse that stands out, at least for me, and it goes like this:

The work and prayers of a century have brought us to this day.

What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?

Let me know in my heart when my days are through.

America, America, I gave my best to you.

Let's add. Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children's children will say of us: They gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land.

My fellow Americans, I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath before God and all of you. I give you my word, I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I'll defend our democracy. I'll defend America and I will give all, all of you. Keep everything I do in your service, thinking not of power, but of possibilities, not of personal interest, but the public good. And together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice did not die on our watch, but thrived. That America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forbearers, one another and generations to follow.

So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasks of our time. Sustained by faith, driven by conviction, devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America.

#Inauguration #BidenInauguration #PresidentBiden #Potus

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spadyblog · 6 years ago

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Remembering Emancipation

“This Day” - May 20, 1865

The Historic Knott House Museum - Tallahassee, Florida

Clifton P. Lewis, May 20, 2019

“…And upon this Act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice – warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity – I invoke the considered judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of almighty God.”

As he closed the Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln asked for our “considerate judgment.”

And yet, 150 years later - the late Dr. John Hope Franklin wrote that “the Emancipation Proclamation is seldom remembered and widely misunderstood.”

Today, we are here to remember – and to seek a better understanding.

The Proclamation’s evolution is deeply ingrained within the cauldron of the American Civil War. Any understanding the essence of Lincoln’s Proclamation requires an understanding of its relationship to that awful war.

My aim here today is to unpack events relating to that bloody war - and paint a broad-brush story highlighting Lincoln’s shift toward emancipation, his decision to issue the Proclamation, and - most importantly – the significance of this day.

During the time when Lincoln was elected in November 1860 - and nearly six months later when he was sworn into office in March of 1861- seven slave states had already left the Union and formed a new Confederation.

Why did they leave? Well, in the Confederate’s Articles of Secession, they wrote… “Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery… the greatest material interest in the world.” The reason was clear.

President Lincoln explained that his Inaugural Address was devoted “entirely to saving the Union – without war.” And to save it, he was even willing to straddle the fence and tolerate slavery where it already existed

Lincoln closed that 1st Address with a plea for reconsideration, he said: … we are not enemies but friends… and he called upon the mystic chords of memory and… upon their better angels.

But, the Confederates would not reconsider

And so… those mystic chords snapped - a fateful shot was fired - and secession became war.

Soon, a total of 11 of the 15 slave states left the Union. The imperative to keep the other 4 Boarder states within the Union greatly influenced the strategy of the war and Lincoln’s path to issuing the Proclamation.

The fierce, no-holds-barred, incendiary fighting - caused Lincoln to realize that even if the fighting stopped, there could be no lasting peace – not as long as the Nation remained a part-slave / part-free polarized hybrid.

And so, Lincoln’s tolerance of slavery began to tilt toward emancipation. Recalling his earlier statement that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” - he insisted that “the house will become all one thing - or all the other.

Lincoln’s decision to pursue the bloody war based on freedom - seemed to reflect the words of Julia Ward Howe, which says: “…as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.”

And later, in his Gettysburg Address - Lincoln confirmed his shift toward emancipation when he said that he was “highly resolved that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom.”

Lincoln came to realize that the only way to end the bloody war - and save the Union – was by ending slavery. Lincoln’s transformation was not based solely on moral principles; no, the horror of the war pushed Lincoln to his new position.

As an example of his transformation, Lincoln signed legislation in April 1862 – which freed over 3,000 slaves in the District of Columbia. Interestingly, the slaveholders in Washington received compensation of approximately one million dollars for those freed slaves.

That was 7 months before Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and Washington, D.C. was the only jurisdiction where monetary compensation was actually paid for emancipation.

“Gradual and Compensated Emancipation” was the means by which Lincoln wanted Congress to end slavery. But, Congress would not pass the legislation

Consequently, Lincoln turned to his executive power; he informed his cabinet in July 1862 that he planned to issue an order emancipating the slaves.

Lincoln said that his decision was firm - because “he had a talk with his Maker – and God decided the question in favor of the slaves.”

One cabinet member warned that freeing the slaves and allowing them to join the Union Army – at a time when the momentum of the war was not in favor of the Union - might be seen by foreigners as an act of desperation – as if “the Union was reaching out to Ethiopia, instead of Ethiopia reaching out to the Union.

Accepting the wisdom of that advice, Lincoln agreed to delay the order until the momentum of the war was more favorable to the Union.

The momentum shift that he had been waiting for occurred on September 17, 1862, that was when the North and the South engaged in a vicious battle near Sharpsburg, Maryland - at a creek called Antietam.

The Battle of Antietam resulted in over 23,000 casualties, and was the bloodiest one-day battle of the entire war; it produced the momentum shift Lincoln had been waiting for

Five days after Antietam - on September 22, 1862 – as promised, Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

Stripped of all legalism… plain and simple, Lincoln’s proclamation amounted to an ultimatum to the Confederates… stop fighting and rejoin the Union within 100 days - or he would free the slaves in all areas that remained in rebellion.

Lincoln wrote that his Proclamation was “issued upon military necessity.” And, because it applied to states that were in rebellion, he was compelled to exclude the 4 border states of Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware - because those 4 slave states remained in the Union.

Just a few weeks before the January 1st deadline – Lincoln sent a lengthy message to Congress – wherein he asked - one more time - to pass legislation. The President again explained his “Gradual and Compensated Emancipation” proposal.

The tone of that December 1862 message was far different from his previous message of appeasement – this new message left no doubt about his determination

Lincoln said in part, “…The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate for the stormy present. The occasion is piled HIGH with difficulties, and we must RISE with the occasion. As our case is new - so we must THINK anew, we must ACT anew; WE must DIS-ENTHRALL ourselves, and then we can save our country.

Lincoln continued – “We know how to save the Union, and the world knows that we do know how to save it; …by giving freedom to the SLAVES, we preserve freedom to the FREE. Honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve, we shall NOBLY save - or MEANLY lose the last best hope of earth…”

In spite of that plea, Congress still refused to pass legislation ending slavery.

The night before the January 1st deadline – Frederick Douglas and others – gathered in Boston on New Year’s Eve “to watch - for the dawn of a new day.”

Today, many churches commemorate that 1862 New Year’s Eve event – in a church service known as Watch Night.

This suggests that Watch Night may be the oldest continuing celebration of emancipation.

The next day following that Watch meeting, January 1, 1863, word arrived that Lincoln had signed the Proclamation; there was great joy and jubilation!

Lincoln said that his Proclamation was “the principal Act of my Administration, and the main event of the 19th Century.”

Frederick Douglass called the proclamation “a momentous decree” - a Maryland slave holder said that “news of Mr. Lincoln’s proclamation, struck the nation like a thunderbolt from a cloudless sky”, an elderly preacher sang “sound the loud trumpets over Egypt’s Red Sea, Jehovah has triumphed His people are free”, another person warned “may God forget my people - if they forget this day.”

Such was the jubilant reaction to the Proclamation.

Of course, we know that the proclamation did not free all slaves on January 1st – but in spite of its nuances – it was indeed Lincoln’s Proclamation - that unlocked slavery’s door - and in doing so, it tilted the moral arc toward emancipation.

Over the next two and one half years - wherever Union troops were present to provide protection – it is estimated that as many as 3 ½ million - of the 4 million slaves – walked out into an uncertain freedom.

And, nearly two hundred thousand eagerly joined the Union Army and Navy.

In places such as Florida and Texas - where there were no Union troops to provide protection – slavery remained intact for another two years.

The astounding casualty rate estimated to have been some 700,000, finally caused General Lee to surrender to General Grant - that was on April 9, 1865, and, the war was essentially over.

It is ironic that a war that was started to preserve slavery – ended up destroying it.

Five days following General Lee’s surrender - tragedy struck; Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. “Father Abraham” – as Frederick Douglass called him - died on Friday, April 14th; on the Christian calendar – that was Good Friday.

In response to Lincoln’s murder the grief-stricken, and re-energized Union troops – including the United States Colored Troops – set out to ensure that the slaves were freed, and they did so under the authority of Lincoln’s 2-year old Emancipation Proclamation.

Now, we come to this day…

One month following Lincoln’s murder, Union General Edward McCook and his troops – including the USCT - arrived at Tallahassee, Florida to accept the surrender - and on May 20th General McCook read the Proclamation – as was so beautifully reenacted here today at the Knott House Museum.

But, General McCook did more than just read the Proclamation he - in fact - began to enforce emancipation in Florida.

One month after Florida’s May 20th event, another Union General – by the name of Gordon Granger – began to likewise enforce the Proclamation in Galveston, Texas. Today, that June 19th Texas emancipation event is celebrated as Juneteenth.

May 20th is to Florida what June 19th is to Texas; those were the dates when emancipation began to be enforced in the last two Confederate states of Florida and Texas.

Eight months following Lincoln’s tragic murder, and seven months after Florida’s May 20th emancipation event – any question about the Proclamation’s legitimacy became null and void – because in December 1865 - the 13th Amendment to the Constitution ending slavery was finally ratified.

Ladies and gentlemen, freedom from slavery was not a simple event; no, emancipation was greatly influenced by the Civil War - causing the slaves to be set free on different dates in different places, and under varying circumstances.

And until slavery was abolished, it was not possible for this nation to live out its creed of liberty. Along with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation is that proverbial third leg that makes up freedom’s foundation.

As I close, let us recall that the great Frederick Douglass suggested… that emancipation day should be remembered as if it was a thousand years.”

And, in order to underscore the significance of this day; Mr. Douglass said…

“Slavery, the sum of all villainies, like a vulture, was gnawing at the heart of the Republic;

until this day there stretched away behind us an awful chasm of darkness and despair - of more than two centuries;

until this day the American slave, bound in chains, tossed his fettered arms on high - and groaned for freedom’s gift - in vain;

until this day the colored people of the United States lived in the shadow of death… and had no visible future;

until this day it was doubtful whether liberty and union would triumph, or slavery and barbarism;

until this day victory had largely followed the arms of the Confederate army;

Until this day the mighty conflict between the North and the South appeared to the eye of the civilized world - as destitute of qualities;

This is the significance of this day – Florida Emancipation Day - May 20, 1865

Rev. 5-19-2019

Reprinted with permission from Clifton Lewis

#juneteenth #emancipation

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fewfavoritethings · 4 years ago

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Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris. Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a Crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause. The cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I know-- And I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, as does President Carter who I spoke with last night who cannot be with us today but whom we salute for his lifetime of service. I’ve just taken a sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not in any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On we, the people who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we’ve come so far, but we still have far to go. We’ll press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain. Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we are in now. Once in a century virus that silently stalks the country has taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. The cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy. Unity. Unity. In another January, on New Year’s Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and quote, “If my name ever goes down into history, it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it." My whole soul is in it. Today on this January day, my whole soul is in this. Bringing America together. Uniting our people. Uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment, and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward — reward work and rebuild the middle class and make healthcare secure for all. We can deliver racial justice, and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world. I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep, and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured. Through Civil War, the Great Depression, world war, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward, and we can do that now. History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury, no progress, only exhausting outrage; no nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge and unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have never ever ever ever failed in America when we have acted together, and so today at this time in this place, let’s start off fresh all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again, hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war, and we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured. My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this, and I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome as was mentioned earlier completed amid the Civil War when the Union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet we endured, we prevailed. Here we stand, looking out on the great mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand where 108 years ago, at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote, and today we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. Don’t tell me things can’t change. Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace, and here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen; it will never happen, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever. To all of those who supported our campaign, I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. To all of those who did not support us, let me say this hear me out as we move forward, take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it, that’s democracy, that’s America. The right to dissent peaceably within the guardrails of our Republic is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly disagreement must not lead to disunion, and I pledge this to you I will be a president for all Americans, all Americans. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, and yes, the truth. In recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit, and each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens, as Americans and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies. Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand like my dad they lay at bed staring at the night — staring at the ceiling wondering can I keep my healthcare, can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you I get it, but the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like — look like you or worship the way you do or don’t get their news from the same source as you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban or rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts if we show a little tolerance and humility and if we are willing to stand in the other person’s shoes as my mom would say just for a moment stand in their shoes because here’s the thing about life, there’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand, there are other days when we are called to lend a hand. That is how it has to be, and that is what we do for one another, and if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future, and we can still disagree. My fellow Americans in the work ahead of us, we are going to need each other. We need all of our strength to preserve--to persevere through this dark winter. We are entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation. And I promise you that this as the Bible said weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. We will get through this together, together. Look, folks, all of my colleagues I have served with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today, so here is my message to those beyond our borders. America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. And we’ll lead not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security. Look, you all know we’ve been through so much in this nation. And in my first act as president, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer, remember all those who we lost this past year to the pandemic, those 400,000 fellow Americans, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We will honor them by becoming the people in the nation we know we can and should be. So, I ask you let’s say a silent prayer for those who’ve lost their lives and those left behind and for our country. Amen. Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth, a raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America’s role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways, but the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with a — one of the gravest responsibilities we had. Now we’re going to be tested. Are we going to step up, all of us? It’s time for boldness for there is so much to do. And this is certain. I promise you we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. We will rise to the occasion is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must. I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America, the American story, a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called American Anthem. There’s one verse that stands out at least for me, and it goes like this. “The work and prayers of century have brought us to this day. What shall be our legacy? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through America, America, I gave my best to you.” Let’s add — lets us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through our children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best. They did their duty. They healed a broken land. My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you, I give you my word I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America. And I will give all, all of you, keep everything you--I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal interest but the public good. And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear; of unity, not division; of light, not darkness; a story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us, the story that inspires us, and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice did not die on our watch but thrived, that America secured liberty at home and stood once again is a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forbearers, one another, and generation to follow. So, with purpose and result, we turn to those tasks of our time, sustained by faith, driven by conviction, devoted to one another in the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America.

President Biden, Inaugural Address

#inauguration2021 #bidenharris #president biden

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go-redgirl · 5 years ago

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Pinkerton: On This Fourth, Let’s Remember the United States Is a Great Country!

Every Fourth of July commemorates a great moment in American history, and yet not every Fourth of July comes at a happy time for the country. And this Fourth is one of those unhappy ones. According to the RealClearPolitics rolling average of public opinion, the percentage of Americans who think the nation is going in the right direction is in the low 20s, while the percentage thinking we’re on the wrong track is in the high 60s. In other words, public sentiment is 3:1, negative.

Yet in both good times and bad, we must look at the situation head-on, because only an honest assessment justifies the hope that we can identify problems and fix them.

For instance, July 4, 1942, came in the early days of World War Two—and that was a time for straight talk, not happy talk. Just eight months previously, the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, sinking or disabling much of our Pacific fleet. And then in the weeks that followed, Japan had overwhelmed American forces from the Philippines to Wake Island. Yes, the U.S. Navy had won a marginal victory at the Coral Sea in May 1942, as well as a major victory at Midway the following month. And yet the U.S. had yet to launch an on-the-ground offensive; the first American landing at Guadalcanal would not take place until August.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic war against Hitler’s Germany, Nazi U-boats had sunk more than 500 American cargo ships from January to June 1942, and nearly 1200 more would be destroyed in the second half of that year. Meanwhile, the first American landings in North Africa would not take place until November.

In other words, on that particular July 4, our commander-in-chief, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, didn’t have much good news to report. Yes, he had pledged ultimate victory in his “date which will live in infamy” speech, delivered to Congress and the nation after Pearl Harbor; as he stated on December 8, 1941, “With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounded determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God.”

Yet in his radio address to the nation on July 4, 1942, Roosevelt struck a stoic note. He began by recalling crucial historical moments: “For 166 years this Fourth Day of July has been a symbol to the people of our country of the democratic freedom which our citizens claim as their precious birthright.” And yet, he continued, 1942 was proving to be a “grim anniversary,” as the U.S. and its allies “are now engaged in deadly war.”

Indeed, he continued, setting a stark tone, “Never since it first was created in Philadelphia, has this anniversary come in times so dangerous to everything for which it stands. We celebrate it this year, not in the fireworks of make-believe but in the death-dealing reality of tanks and planes and guns and ships.”

FDR concluded with words about the Fourth that were simultaneously somber and uplifting: “The tough, grim men who fight for freedom in this dark hour take heart in its message—the assurance of the right to liberty under God—for all peoples and races and groups and nations, everywhere in the world.”

Indeed, over the next three years, those “tough, grim men”—some 16 million in uniform—won a great victory against both Japan and Germany; they were joined, of course, by some 350,000 women who also wore uniforms, and by the home front population which worked in war production, bought bonds, and paid the taxes to make the war effort a success.

In other words, Americans showed something that seems in short supply today: a sense of national teamwork. Nevertheless, the cost was high: more than 400,000 Americans lost their lives during World War Two.

Yet still, it was worth it—we won and saved not only ourselves, but also the world.

So that’s why the first Fourth of July after the fighting was over, in 1946, was a happy occasion. Indeed, on July 4 of that year, FDR’s successor in office, Harry Truman, granted independence to the Philippines. We might note that the U.S. had spent almost 40,000 lives on that island nation during the war, first in a valiant-but-doomed effort to defend it in 1941-2, and then in a glorious liberation in 1944-5. It’s that bloody sacrifice, followed by political magnanimity, that makes the Philippines a close ally of the U.S. to this day.

So now to our time: The U.S. is not engaged in a foreign war, at least not anywhere close to the level of World War Two. Yes, there is that forlorn military engagement in Afghanistan. To be sure, it’s a conflict in which Americans have fought bravely—and some 2,372 have given it their lives—and yet few Americans understand the mission or think it’s a good idea. Yet we stay anyway, despite having no obvious purpose and no evident end goal.

And as for that murky Russian-bounty story, which the Trump administration firmly disputes, it’s readily apparent that plenty of people in Afghanistan—not all of them Afghans—want to see America bleed. So the one sure-fire way to stop the bleeding is to get U.S. troops out. Afghanistan will be about the same, no matter what.

Yet even if we’re not fighting much abroad, we do seem to be fighting a lot—over everything from the Trump presidency to the police to face masks. And we shouldn’t kid ourselves about what could happen if we can’t pull ourselves together; as Abraham Lincoln observed a century-and-a-half ago, a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Thus we might pause over a headline atop a recent column by Bloomberg News’ Noah Smith: “Coronavirus Brings American Decline Out in the Open: Without fixes for infrastructure, education, health care and government, the U.S. will resemble a developing nation in a few decades.” Smith starts out by assessing the terrible impact of COVID-19, spreading the blame far and wide:

The most immediate cost of U.S. decline—and the most vivid demonstration— comes from the country’s disastrous response to the coronavirus pandemic. Leadership failures were pervasive and catastrophic at every level–the president, agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration, and state and local leaders all fumbled the response to the greatest health threat in a century.

We might add that the 20th-century British historian Arnold Toynbee, in his magisterial 12-volume A Study of History, concluded that almost all of the civilizations he chronicled had fallen as a result of internal decay and civil war. In other words, in the cold light of history, there’s no reason to think that the U.S. is exempt from the same sort of historical cycles of rise and decline that have confronted past realms and empires.

So what can we do to stave off such a dolorous fate? How to save the once-soaring American eagle and keep it from thudding to earth?

We should all take time this July 4th to think on this question, and yet in the meantime, we might pay heed to a 2018 survey of Americans’ civic knowledge. According to the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, only 36 percent of Americans could pass a basic test on American history, including such questions as which war it was in which Dwight Eisenhower led our troops.

Oh, and by the way: Just last month the foundation voted to remove Wilson’s name–it’s now just the WW Foundation.

One might point out the irony that an organization, dedicated to furthering American historical knowledge, is choosing to “cancel” a man as consequential as Woodrow Wilson. Even if he is out of fashion today, Wilson was elected twice as president of the United States, and he led it to victory in one of our most important conflicts, World War One.

Such are the times in which we live.

So in this troubled Fourth of July, we should be mindful, even respectful, of our past. Warts and all, it’s our shared history, across these 244 years. And so we’re better off knowing about it—and not trying to destroy it.

In fact, if we choose to learn about our history, all of it, we will discover that we do, indeed, have a great foundation for better Fourths to come.