LBJ's Speech on April 7, 1965

Does this not sound like the speech we heard June 28th? Bush's Speech here.

From E and P:

Tonight Americans and Asians are dying for a world where each people may choose its own path to change. This is the principle for which our ancestors fought in the valleys of Pennsylvania. It is the principle for which our sons fight tonight in the jungles of Viet-Nam.

Viet-Nam is far away from this quiet campus. We have no territory there, nor do we seek any. The war is dirty and brutal and difficult. And some 400 young men, born into an America that is bursting with opportunity and promise, have ended their lives on Viet-Nam’s steaming soil.

Why must we take this painful road? Why must this nation hazard its ease, its interest, and its power for the sake of a people so far away?

We fight because we must fight if we are to live in a world where every country can shape its own destiny, and only in such a world will our own freedom be finally secure.

This kind of world will never be built by bombs or bullets. Yet the infirmities of man are such that force must often precede reason and the waste of war, the works of peace.

We wish this were not so. But we must deal with the world as it is, if it is ever to be as we wish.

The world as it is in Asia is not a serene or peaceful place.

Of course, some of the people of South Viet-Nam are participating in attack on their own government. But trained men and supplies, orders and arms, flow in a constant stream from North to South. This support is the heartbeat of the war.

And it is a war of unparalleled brutality. Simple farmers are the targets of assassination and kidnapping. Women and children are strangled in the night because their men are loyal to the government. And helpless villagers are ravaged by sneak attacks. Large-scale raids are conducted on towns, and terror strikes in the heart of cities.

The confused nature of this conflict cannot mask the fact that it is the new face of an old enemy. The contest in Viet-Nam is part of a wider pattern of aggressive purposes.

Why are these realities our concern? Why are we in South Viet-Nam?

We are there because we have a promise to keep. Over many years, we have made a national pledge to help South Viet-Nam defend its independence. And I intend to keep that promise.

To dishonour that pledge, to abandon this small and brave nation to its enemies, and to the terror that must follow, would be an unforgivable wrong.

We are also there to strengthen world order. Around the globe from Berlin to Thailand are people whose well being rests in part on the belief that they can count on us if they are attacked. To leave Viet-Nam to its fate would shake the confidence of all these people in the value of an American commitment and in the value of America’s word. The result would be increased unrest and instability, even wide war.

We are also there because there are great stakes in the balance. Let no one think for a minute that retreat from Viet-Nam would bring an end to the conflict. The battle would be renewed in one country and then another. The central lesson of our time is that the appetite of aggression is never satisfied. To withdraw from one battlefield means only to prepare for the next. We must say in Southeast Asia -- as we did in Europe -- in the words of the Bible: "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further."

Our objective is the independence of South Viet-Nam, and its freedom from attack. We want nothing for ourselves-only that the people of South Viet-Nam be allowed to guide their own country in their own way.

We will do everything necessary to reach that objective. And we will do only what is absolutely necessary.

We do this in order to slow down aggression.

We do this to increase the confidence of the brave people of South Viet-Nam who have bravely borne this brutal battle for so many years with so many casualties.

We will not be defeated. We will not grow tired.

We will not withdraw, either openly or under the cloak of a meaningless agreement.

We hope that peace will come swiftly. But that is in the hands of others besides ourselves. And we must be prepared for a long continued conflict. It will require patience as well as bravery, the will to endure as well as the will to resist.

I wish it were possible to convince others with words of what we now find it necessary to say with guns and planes: Armed hostility is futile. Our resources are equal to the challenge.

Because we fight for values and we fight for principles, rather than territory or colonies, our patience and our determination are unending.

Privately Owned Freeways??

Not so sure this is a good idea.

FEC and blogging.

Hmm ... I may have to not call this a blog anymore.

More here and here

This does not seem to apply to us small time bloggers but we shall see.

There still are a few good hearted people in this world.

In Washington, A bride to be who called off her wedding. Instead of canceling the party her parents paid for, she threw it anyway. She invited a bunch of homeless people from a local shelter.

How awesome is that? Maybe there is hope for this world yet, we need more people like her around.

Another Commencement Address

I really hope when I graduate from Grad School I get a Speaker like this.

excerpts from Stephen King's commencement address at University of Maine.

Don't forget that you're a physical being with a power-plant to take care of and maintain. I'm talking about the bod under the blue gown. I'm not going to say that we're a lazy, overweight society, a fast-food eatin', SUV-ridin', soda-guzzlin', beer-chuggin', TV-watchin', size-XL-wearin', walk-don't-run generation...except I guess I just did.

***

Don't forget that you're a mental being, with a humongous trillion gigawatt hard-drive at your disposal. Most of you have been running it like crazy for four years, moaning about all the books you've had to read, the papers you've had to write, and the tests you've had to take. Yet thanks to that hard-drive and about a thousand cups of coffee, you made it. Just...let me put it this way. I can find out where you live. I have my resources. And if I show up at your house ten years from now and find nothing in your living room but The Readers Digest, nothing on your bedroom nighttable but the newest Dan Brown novel, and nothing in your bathroom but Jokes for the John, I'll chase you down to the end of your driveway and back, screaming "Where are your books? You graduated college ten years ago, so how come there are no damn books in your house? Why are you living on the intellectual equivalent of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese?"

***

Give away a dime for every dollar you make. Why not? If you don't give it, the government's just going to take it. You think you can't afford it, one lousy thin dime out of every dollar? If you think you can't, just look at the taxes you pay on every gallon of gas you buy. If you think you can't, look at all the sick, hungry, unhappy, uneducated people standing outside the fence America has constructed around herself, people who only want a little something for themselves and their families. For their children. Very few of them are suicide bombers. Very few of them are Mr. Bush's "enemies of freedom," whether he believes that or not. They might become enemies of freedom, but right now all they want is a little something to get by on. A little chance at the kind of joy most of us are feeling today. A dime out of every dollar. And here's a secret I learned six summers ago, lying in a ditch beside the road, covered in my own blood and thinking I was going to die: you go out broke. Everything's on loan, anyway. You're not an owner, you're only a steward. So pass some of it on. You may not have much now, but you're going to have a lot. And when you do, remember the ones that don't have anything. A dime out of every dollar. If everyone did it, maybe we could make Mr. Bush let go of the weapons he loves so well and give some of the money he spends on them back to the farmers, the unwed mothers, and the working poor.

***

Congratulations on your graduation. And after you've forgotten the rest of what I've had to say, remember this: acknowledge your good fortune by sharing it

blog move this weekend

So I'm planning on moving this blog over to my new server this weekend. I'm not a hundred percent sure if I will switch to movable type yet or not but I may. I'm still working with it.

Anyone have any suggestions to make this an easier transition?

President's Speech

Full Video and Transcript here

So I didn't watch the speech last night but I did Tivo it. I just got finished reading it and catching some reactions.

A few thing came to mind when I read it. First Within the first couple paragraphs he said:

The terrorists who attacked us -- and the terrorists we face -- murder in the name of a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent.

kind of sounds familiar doesn't it?

Anyway it seem that Bush is trying to justify a reason to be there. Repeating points that have been said over and over again since things started.

So no plan for an exit strategy even though questions of the handling have come up and Congress is starting to ask questions.

If this speech was supposed to make me feel better about what is going on there then it failed.

Bushes Speech By the Numbers (from Think Progress)

References to “September 11″: 5

References to “weapons of mass destruction”: 0

References to “freedom”: 21

References to “exit strategy”: 0

References to “Saddam Hussein”: 2

References to “Osama Bin Laden”: 2

References to “a mistake”: 1 (setting a timetable for withdrawal)

References to “mission”: 11

References to “mission accomplished”: 0

Some Links about the Speech.

John Kerry OP/Ed piece in the New York Times on what should be said.

An Article on Huffington Post by Hooman Majd on his take.

Bush uses Sept. 11 to rally U.S. for war

New York Times Editorial piece

Pacific Views take.

And annotated version of the Speech by Liberal Oasis.

Think Progress's coverage.

Front Pages From around the world and US

This is a cool Flash enhanced site brought to you by Newseum.org

You can see most front pages from all around the world and there are links included to take you to there websites.

Busy day..

I have yet to see or read the presidents speech yet. But as soon as I get time I will give my impressions and take on what was said.

Peter Jackson's King Kong Preview

Last Night NBC had the first viewing of the King Kong trailer. Thank Buddha for Tivo. I just watched it and holy crap its freaking awesome. Stars Jack Black, Adrian Brody, Naomi Watts and Gullom (Andy Serkis) as King Kong.

Trailer here at Volkswagen.com

Tim Robbins "Embedded" on DVD

Tim Robbins Stageplay Embedded has been released on DVD.

Looks as if Netflix has it.

I haven't seen it yet but I will probably buy is soon. The website has video clips.

First Karl Rove now Sen Rick Santorium?

That bastard ... in a article on Catholic Online he has called us liberals basically Pedophiles.

Like most American Catholics, I have followed the recent sex scandals in the Church with profound sympathy for victims, revulsion over priests who prey on minors and frustration at the absence of hierarchical leadership.



When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm.

First of all, DO NOT blame us liberals for anything that free willed adults have done and this has also happened in other places besides Boston. And the problem isn't Liberalism, it inside your church. Something is wrong and it needs to be fixed. Your church leaders seem to be doing very little to help other than just covering up stuff and protecteing those involved. Why are you not blaming them? It's like saying I need to take a shit cause it sunny outside.


Second why is this Senator writing for a religious publication? I personally thing you should leave you religious beliefs at the door once you enter "elected official" status. Seperation of church and state.


Found Via Americablog

Greatest American Reagan or Franklin?

So I guess I don't have any lost hope in the American public. I was a bit worries after seeing the top 100 nominees for the Discovery Channels Greatest American. Now I wouldn't have voted for the Winner, which was Ronald Reagan, but I could maybe argue as to why. Should he have been on my top 5, nope. I personally still think Benjamin Franklin should have been the winner but I am happy he made the top 5.

the Top 5 Are as follows in order of votes:

1) Ronald Reagan
2) Abraham Lincoln
3) Martin Luther King, Jr.
4) George Washington
5) Benjamin Franklin

Ben Franklin, a 300 lbs ladies man that loved beer ...what's more American than that? Anyway it a pretty good top 5. So I wont complain too much.

Calling for a ban on High fructose Corn Syrup.

An article today via Reuters talks about the growing cost of treating Obesity related problems:

Between 1987 and 2002, private spending on obesity-linked medical problems mushroomed from $3.6 billion, or 2 percent of all health spending, to $36.5 billion or 11.6 percent of spending, the study, published in the journal Health Affairs, found.

Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease. With about 30 percent of U.S. adults now obese, treating these conditions is a leading driver of double-digit health care insurance premium hikes.

"These are very expensive patients," said Ken Thorpe, professor at Emory University's public health school and author of the study. "If insurers and employers are serious about reining in health care spending, then obesity prevention should be at the top of their agenda."

No big surprise here. The incidence of adult onset diabetes (type II)and childhood obesity are on rapid upswing. Why? I think its because of 2 reasons: 1) if you look at the ingredients of just about everything you buy it has as one of the main ingredients High fructose Corn Syrup and 2) also if you notice things that are not good for you tend to be lower priced than that which is good for you. So poor people will tend to buy the cheaper food. (compare the price of canned fruit containing high fuctose corn syrup and fresh fruit).

So I'm going call for a FDA ban on High fructose Corn Syrup from all foods. On top of that and removing soda and snack food machines from public schools. This may not completely solve the problem but I bet it will put a big dent in it.

Now if we could just figure out how to get people up of the couch .........

No Ten Commandments in Courthouses.

Finally......Now shut up you damn Christian fanatics and quit trying to shove your beliefs on other people.

McCreary County v. ACLU, 03-1693 Via Findlaw.com

Oral Argument Transcript (PDF)

Scared???

Why is it that the news media pushes stories of things you really don't need to be scared of and blow off the ones you need to be scared of?

Example:

The shark attack stories are starting again, even thought the total number of shark attacks went down over the last few years.

And don't go camping any more ... or a damn grizzly bear will get you.

And then there is a real threat, Mad Cow Disease. Except people are not scared when they should be.


I guess the media gets to pick and choose what it is we are scared of. I reminded of a quote from Michael Moore's movie Bowling for Columbine, where Marilyn Manson is asked:

Michael Moore: Do you know that on the day of the Columbine massacre, the US dropped more bombs on Kosovo than any other day?

Marilyn Manson: I do know that, and I think that's really ironic, that nobody said 'well maybe the President had an influence on this violent behavior' Because that's not the way the media wants to take it and spin it, and turn it into fear, because then you're watching television, you're watching the news, you're being pumped full of fear, there's floods, there's AIDS, there's murder, cut to commercial, buy the Acura, buy the Colgate, if you have bad breath they're not going to talk to you, if you have pimples, the girl's not going to fuck you, and it's just this campaign of fear, and consumption, and that's what I think it's all based on, the whole idea of 'keep everyone afraid, and they'll consume.

Educate yourself, Mad Cow Links:

USDA Site

University of Maryland

MAD COWBOY: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat -- by Howard Lyman

A Must See Movie... before it leaves town.

I saw Howl's Moving Castle (trailer here) Friday. All I can say is this movie is amazing. Definitely a must see. It was directed by Hayo Miyazaki who did Academy Award winner Spirited Away (trailer) and Princess Mononoke (trailer) If you have seen either of them, go rent them. This guy has the most amazing imagination I have ever seen.

So in keeping with the Asian movie theme I am going to rent House of Flying Daggers (trailer) today on my DirectTV pay preview. It was directed by Yimou Zhang who directed Hero (trailer).

Also sometime this week I am planning on seeing a move called 3 iron (trailer on site) directed by Ki-duk Kim who did a wonderful movie called Spring Summer Fall Winter... and Spring (trailer on site).

I strongly recommend seeing Howl's Moving castle and all the rest mentioned here.

Friday Beer Blogging

Yes .. Yes. I broke down and joined the Boscos Beer Mug Club.

Friday Pre-Beer Blogging.

My work week is done and I will be leaving soon. I leave you with a post from pharyngula.org about Alcohol synthesis:

We need to appreciate beer more. Alcohol has a long history in human affairs, and has been important in purifying and preserving food and drink, and in making our parties livelier. We owe it all to a tiny little microorganism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which converts complex plant sugars into smaller, simpler, more socially potent molecules of ethanol. This is a remarkable process that seems to be entirely to our benefit (it has even been argued that beer is proof of the existence of God^*), but recent research has shown that the little buggers do it all entirely for their own selfish reasons, and they've been busily making alcohol that has gone undrunk by humankind for tens of millions of years.

[Continue reading "Evolution of alcohol synthesis"]

Karl Rove's Phone Number and a Salon Article

AMERICABlog published Karl Rove's Phone Number. (202) 456-2369 let him know just how you feel.

And Peter Daou response to Karl Rove as Salon.com

I'm devoting much of today's report to Karl Rove's vile comments denigrating half of the American public. My office overlooks Ground Zero, and I'm looking at the gaping footprint as I write this. My wife and I were in New York that day, on our way to the WTC for a morning meeting. A chance phone call dragged on a few minutes too long and most likely saved our lives. I lost friends in the towers, and when I walk past the site, as I do almost every evening, the pain is as real as it was on September 11th, 2001.

I spent my youth in Beirut during the height of Lebanon's civil war, and I fought the Syrian presence in Lebanon long before the "Cedar Revolution." I watched young boys give their lives and mothers cradle their dying children in blood-soaked arms. I've seen more bloodshed, war, and violence, and shot more guns than most of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists combined. I wouldn't presume to question the strength or dignity of a stranger, and I pity those who blithely push the right=strong, left=weak rhetoric. It says far more about their inadequacies than it does about the target of their scorn. Today, Karl Rove took that rhetoric to a new, filthy low.

Hmm ... No Draft?

So President Bush said October 5, 2004, "America's all-volunteer military is the best in the world, and reinstating the draft would be bad policy. We have increased pay and benefits to ensure that our troops have the resources they need to fight and win the war on terror. I want every American to understand that, as long as I am President, there will be no draft." Yet 3 years ago the Defence Department started a database of 30 million 16-25 year olds with GPA, Social Security numbers, email and phone numbers. With the recent decline in recrutment I would not be suprised if a draft would soon be enivitable.


Good thing the the people seem to oppose it.

How the White House really feels about us liberals

From the MSNBC.com:

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said there was no reason for Rove to apologize because he was "simply pointing out the different philosophies when it comes to winning the war on terrorism."

"Of course not," McClellan said when asked by reporters whether Bush would ask Rove to apologize.

"I think what Karl Rove said is accurate and reflects a big difference between the two parties," added Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman.

Oh, so the Republican Chair can say and agree to shit like this but when the Democratic chairmen Howard Dean says something that's basically true, then he get hammered. Where's is Mehlman's call to resign or retract? Where are the Republicans that are 'distancing' themselves away form this? And Mr. President, I thought you said you where a "uniter not a divider" yet you defend this?

Families of Sept 11 responds to Karl Rove

From familiesofseptember11.org:

As families whose relatives were victims of the 9/11 terror attacks, we believe it is an outrage that any Democrat, any Republican, any conservative, or any liberal stakes a "high ground" position based upon the September 11th death and destruction. Doing so assumes that all those who died and their loved ones would agree. In truth, some would and some would not. By definition the conduct is divisive and, because it is intended to be self-serving and politicizes 9/11, it is offensive. We are calling on Karl Rove to resist his temptations and stop trying to reap political gain in the tragic misfortune of others. His comments are not welcome.

He need to be fired... now ..

A call for Karl Rove to apologies but nooooo......

From American Prospect.

Transcript of Reporters questioning Scott McClellan about an apology (From AmericaBlog) :

Q So will the President ask Karl Rove to apologize?

MR. McCLELLAN: Of course not, Jessica. This is simply talking about different philosophies and different approaches. And I think you have to look at it in that context. If people want to try to engage in personal attacks instead of defending their philosophy, that's their business. But it's important to point out the different approaches when it comes to winning the war on terrorism. And that's all he was doing....

Q What I'm talking about is word choice.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that they are just trying to engage in partisan attacks. Karl was simply talking about different philosophies, and we should be talking about what we stand for and how we want to move forward. We should be talking about what the different visions are and what the different ideas are, and that's what he was doing....

Q Can I ask it in this way, Scott? Then if this is an issue, is this an expression in some manner that the White House is concerned that with the popularity of the war diminishing, the anti-war liberalism is beginning to take hold so the President and Karl are confronting it directly?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, he was speaking to the New York Conservative Party, and he was talking about different philosophies -- the conservative philosophy and the liberal philosophy and how we're approaching different priorities for the American people. That's all it is.

White House Chief of Staff Andy Card on CNN:

"Karl Rove's speech was a speech that I think reflected some of the rhetoric that a lot of people feel."

Bullshit. You Know what pisses me off the most about this. They went after Howard Dean for his statement and Sen Dick Durban for his to the staminate to the point that Dick Durban wusseyed out and apologists. DEMOCRATS DON'T HAVE A FUCKING BACKBONE. Stand up to this shit and don't let it happen. They are pushing you around to get their way.

Quit crying to the bully... they will stop if you stand up to them.

New artist making old songs.

I think they should pass a law that you have to at lest have been born when a song was released to remake it.

Jessica Simpson has done a remake of Nancy Sinatra's 1966 release, "These Boots are made for Walking". Total Crap.

Although I am kind of excited to see the new Dukes of Hazard Movie. It's Directed by the guy who did Super Troopers and Club Dred. And Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse? Come on how can you go wrong? (beside Jessica Simpson not dying her hair brown).

My God Man!!!! What wrong with you people...

Form Crooks and Liars

So says Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)

via Wonkette : "Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who joined Pryce at the press conference, told Cybercast News Service that it "is just inconceivable and truly incorrigible that in the midst of the war, that the Democratic leaders would be conducting guerrilla warfare on American troops..." there's more..read on"

These people have lost their minds!

What are they trying to do? First Karl Rove, now this assmunch? Aare we not divided enough already .. why make it worse?

Karl Rove is a .......

Fucker.

"Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers," Mr. Rove, the senior political adviser to President Bush, said at a fund-raiser in Midtown for the Conservative Party of New York State.
***
"I don't know about you, but moderation and restraint is not what I felt when I watched the twin towers crumble to the ground, a side of the Pentagon destroyed, and almost 3,000 of our fellow citizens perish in flames and rubble."
***
Mr. Rove also said American armed forces overseas were in more jeopardy as a result of remarks last week by Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, who compared American mistreatment of detainees to the acts of "Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others."

I wonder how much what Karl Rove said will put our troops in jeapoardy? Probably alot more than what Senator Durban said. Talk like that just pisses them off more and more.

UPDATE. A call to action here. Ask you elected officials if Karl Rove speaks for them.

The mind of a child.

Found a great post via Pharyngula

Kids Rock.

Videos to see.

The first I caught over at AMREICAblog. It's not the Dead Kennedys by it will do.

Video link at Punk Voter.com


The next is a video remix of the soon to be famous song from Team America, America Fuck Yea!

Hosted at Ifilm.com (will be ads sorry)

Lord, Save Me From Your Followers.

Today I saw an article from Reueters that said a Romanian Orthodox Priest and 4 nuns where charged in Bucharest for killing a schizophrenic nun by crucifixion in an exorcisim ritual. They tied her to a cross and left her in the cellar with out food and water. They also found injuries to her arms legs and body. And people wonder why I have a problem with religion.

Now I should clarify: I don't hate all religious people. My problem comes when people like this Romanian priest do stupid shit to hurt people because they think it the, "will of God". But this is just one example of the craziness that religion can bring. Here in the United States stupid shit happens like this all the time. For example, people like the Army of God who call Paul Hill, the guy who shot a Abortion doctor in Pensacola, Florida, a hero. A Killer a hero? I could go on and on.

I myself claim to be a Agnostic. I don't believe in a god that is a old man with a beard that can determine things and answer requests. I believe as Physicist Stephen Hawking said on Larry King Live on Dec 25, 1999:

KING: Do you believe in God?

HAWKING: Yes, I do, if by God you mean the embodiment of the laws that govern the universe.

I bound to catch shit for this but that is what I believe. Something controls the laws of nature, what it is, I do not know. I refuse to believe in a god that teaches hate and make people act selfishly. I refuse to believe in a god that is an asshole.

In my mind if God does exist like the Christians believe then I honestly believe he is not the gay hating, poor people shitting on, crusading murderer that he is portayed as. But its not god that is telling me this, it followers. The few ones that spew this crap out of there mouths. They are the problem. I fast growing problem.

If you believe in God that fine. It's not your beliefs I have the problem with. Ith the Actions that arise in some that have those views.

Bonnaroo Live Recordings

Like me if you didn't make it to Bonnaroo this year you in luck. The tapers that attended are starting to make their taped copies available via Bittorrent download at bt.etree.org. Just do a search for Bonnaroo. Most of the files will need to be decompressed but most of the tools can be found at the website www.etree.org.

may be able to find some over at the live music archive at www.archive.org although I haven't checked there yet.

Good luck.

House passed the flag burning amendment.

The US House passed an resolution (H.J. RES. 10) calling for a Constitutional Amendment to make it illegal to burn the flag even though the Supreme Court said in Texas v. Johnson that it is protected under the First Amendment. The Senate is expected to take it up a similar resolution after the Fourth of July. If it passes there it will have to be ratified by 2/3 of the States.

I personally don't have a problem with people burning the flag. If they want to feel free. I myself would have to be really really really pissed to do something like that. If people start taking things out from under the free speech 'umbrella' then what will stop them form pulling more and more till free speech isn't free anymore.

And those that oppose it why don't you also stop the KKK form "lighting" a cross, the symbol of your Christian faith? I equate flag burning and cross "lighting" as the same thing, symbol burning. I don't agree with the Klan either but I do accept that the are also protected under the First Amendment.

Commencement Addresses

When I graduated from MTSU in Dec 2001, Nashville's School Board Director Pedro Garcia's did the commencement speech. Why couldn't we have had someone liek this?

Illinois Freshman Senator Barack Obama's Speech at Knox College:

Saturday, June 4, 2005 — Good morning President Taylor, Board of Trustees, faculty, parents, family, friends, the community of Galesburg, the class of 1955—which I understand was out partying last night, and yet still showed up here on time—and most of all, the Class of 2005. Congratulations on your graduation, and thank you for the honor of allowing me to be a part of it. Thank you also, Mr. President, for this honorary degree. It was only a couple of years ago that I stopped paying my student loans in law school. Had I known it was this easy, I would have ran for the United States Senate earlier.

You know, it has been about six months now since you sent me to Washington as your United States Senator. I recognize that not all of you voted for me, so for those of you muttering under your breath “I didn’t send you anywhere,” that’s ok too. Maybe we’ll hold—what do you call it—a little Pumphandle after the ceremony. Change your mind for next time.

It has been a fascinating journey thus far. Each time I walk onto the Senate floor, I’m reminded of the history, for good and for ill, that has been made there. But there have been a few surreal moments. For example, I remember the day before I was sworn in, myself and my staff, we decided to hold a press conference in our office. Now, keep in mind that I am ranked 99th in seniority. I was proud that I wasn’t ranked dead last until I found out that it’s just because Illinois is bigger than Colorado. So I’m 99th in seniority, and all the reporters are crammed into the tiny transition office that I have, which is right next to the janitor’s closet in the basement of the Dirksen Office Building. It’s my first day in the building, I have not taken a single vote, I have not introduced one bill, had not even sat down in my desk, and this very earnest reporter raises his hand and says:

“Senator Obama, what is your place in history?”

I did what you just did, which is laugh out loud. I said, place in history? I thought he was kidding! At that point, I wasn’t even sure the other Senators would save a place for me at the cool kids’ table.

But as I was thinking about the words to share with this class, about what’s next, about what’s possible, and what opportunities lay ahead, I actually think it’s not a bad question for you, the class of 2005, to ask yourselves:

“What will be your place in history?”

In other eras, across distant lands, this question could be answered with relative ease and certainty. As a servant in Rome, you knew you’d spend your life forced to build somebody else’s Empire. As a peasant in 11th Century China, you knew that no matter how hard you worked, the local warlord might come and take everything you had—and you also knew that famine might come knocking at the door. As a subject of King George, you knew that your freedom of worship and your freedom to speak and to build your own life would be ultimately limited by the throne.

And then America happened.

A place where destiny was not a destination, but a journey to be shared and shaped and remade by people who had the gall, the temerity to believe that, against all odds, they could form “a more perfect union” on this new frontier.
And as people around the world began to hear the tale of the lowly colonists who overthrew an empire for the sake of an idea, they started to come. Across oceans and the ages, they settled in Boston and Charleston, Chicago and St. Louis, Kalamazoo and Galesburg, to try and build their own American Dream. This collective dream moved forward imperfectly—it was scarred by our treatment of native peoples, betrayed by slavery, clouded by the subjugation of women, shaken by war and depression. And yet, brick by brick, rail by rail, calloused hand by calloused hand, people kept dreaming, and building, and working, and marching, and petitioning their government, until they made America a land where the question of our place in history is not answered for us. It’s answered by us.

Have we failed at times? Absolutely. Will you occasionally fail when you embark on your own American journey? You surely will. But the test is not perfection.
The true test of the American ideal is whether we’re able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. Whether chance of birth or circumstance decides life’s big winners and losers, or whether we build a community where, at the very least, everyone has a chance to work hard, get ahead, and reach their dreams.

We have faced this choice before.

At the end of the Civil War, when farmers and their families began moving into the cities to work in the big factories that were sprouting up all across America, we had to decide: Do we do nothing and allow captains of industry and robber barons to run roughshod over the economy and workers by competing to see who can pay the lowest wages at the worst working conditions? Or do we try to make the system work by setting up basic rules for the market, instituting the first public schools, busting up monopolies, letting workers organize into unions?

We chose to act, and we rose together.

When the irrational exuberance of the Roaring Twenties came crashing down with the stock market, we had to decide: do we follow the call of leaders who would do nothing, or the call of a leader who, perhaps because of his physical paralysis, refused to ac