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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Great American: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have spent the last few weeks trying to think of another Great American. Ronald Reagan is a tough act to follow! I firmly believe, though, that no list of Great Americans could ever be complete without the great Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


I deeply admire this man: the Reverend, the politician, the philosopher, the catalyst of social change. King was a man all Americans can embrace as a hero. In the face of injustice and intolerance, King chose the higher road. Dr. King sought peaceful resolution to disputes by working within the system to bring about change.

Learn more about this Great American.

And here.

Dr. King delivered one of the finest speeches our nation's history. The following speech was delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963:
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hoped that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends - so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi - from every mountainside.

Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring - when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Amen, brother.


The Sore of Gore

The Sore of Gore

Their gluteus maximus bears a sore,
A festering furuncle named Al Gore.
A six year old deep down infection,
Contagion caused by close election.
Party doctors can’t decide just what,
Will cure this boil upon their butt,
Knowing only that it pains their tush,
A fearsome bug, georgicoccus bush.

In political pain they lose their touch,
To reason well or think too much;
Their pain is throbbing every nerve,
Leaving unto them no will to serve,
To support their nation and its needs,
They care not that their nation bleeds.
Political pus in a suppurant sore,
Has made them worthless anymore.

They have no leaders, have no class;
Just fools who spool and show their ass.
Who endlessly just spin and spin,
Proclaiming that we cannot win.
With traitorous, foul and fetid breath,
Increase our losses, bring more death;
And all because they cannot heal,
The Sore of Gore they’ll always feel

Russ Vaughn


Cheesey Savages

From the inbox:
Oh no! The madness and carnage over insensitive cartoons has spread to our own shores; worse, to the breadbasket of our nation. Those cheesey savages!
I rate this somewhere between mildly amusing and funny.


Friday, February 10, 2006

Risking Your Life For A Quart of Milk

I was shocked this morning while reading through the news. I came across an interesting story about the growing popularity of the Internet in Iraq. It seemed wildly different than most coverage of Iraq because the focus seems to be positive in nature. The article reads "Three years ago, the Internet was virtually unknown in Iraq. Today, Baghdad has dozens of Internet cafes...." I was thinking to myself, "Wow, some good news from Iraq!" It was then that I realized this article was from the NYT's, then I was really shocked. Shocked until I read the following
Few people on earth have more incentive to communicate online (and indoors) than Iraqis, who risk their lives every time they go out for a quart of milk.
And this:
He has been luckier than many Baghdad business owners: no robberies, no violence.
COME ON!!!! Was that really necessary? Don't AMERICANS risk their lives every time they get behind the wheel to drive to the store? They could get hit by a drunk driver, or carjacked, or the store could be robbed.

Shoot, (no pun intended) I live 20 minutes from a place that doesn't look all that different than a warzone, and it is every bit as dangerous. There are places in Youngstown, Ohio where NO journalist would feel safe walking alone, especially at night.

Robberies are also common in the United States. I'll bet a robbery takes place at least every hour in the united states... probably every minute. Doesn't this make all the other establishments who haven't been robbed, "luckier than many."

I was really disappointed that these lines were jammed into an otherwise informative and positive piece of journalism. The lines were not necessary and were just as true of MANY other places in the world, including America, as it was of Baghdad.

Then again, this was the NYTs.


Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Weighing the Options

Weighing the Options

Every time I hear some liberal Democrat ranting about our not providing enough armor to protect the troops I just shake my head and tell myself, that idiot’s obviously never humped a ruck in combat. Hell, most combat infantrymen in my day didn’t want to wear a steel helmet even though they knew it offered significant protection from head wounds. I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to say, “Put that steel pot on, soldier! Now!” I knew fellow NCO’s who volunteered for Special Forces just because those guys never had to wear pots, even into combat.

For an infantryman, who must carry not only the weapons, ammunition and communications gear with which to fight, but also the food, water and clothing to sustain his fighting ability for up to several days, everything has a weight to value ratio as well as a weight to mobility ratio. In Vietnam, every paratrooper in my battalion was issued a gas mask in a canvas, carrying bag. After several months in country, I was instructed by the battalion CO to inventory all the chemical protection equipment in our unit. Guess what? While nearly all of the troops still had the carriers strapped to their legs when they went out on operations, most contained changes of socks and underwear or candy or smokes, all things which were of greater value to them than a bulky, heavy, rubber, seldom-if-ever used gas mask.

Unless the infantry has changed a great deal from my time, which this article makes me doubt, (among the subjects interviewed are a truck driver, a graves registration marine and a military police officer) the actual groundpounders, who need to be fleet of foot when the balloon goes up, don’t want to be inordinately weighed down when the ability to move may be the most important factor in surviving a firefight. When the shooting starts, you want to be able to jettison that rucksack or whatever else you’re carrying that isn’t essential to the immediate situation at hand. You can always come back for that gear once the shooting stops. Conversely, and by necessity, body armor must be worn all through the fighting and may in fact encumber some individuals to the point their combat skills are degraded.

If you read the comments following the article, you will see that others who have been there agree. The most astute comment is the one observing that intelligent local command discretion should be used in making the determination as to whether additional armoring up contributes to or takes away from the success of the immediate mission. If this sort of mission-specific logic is applied to the use of body armor, I will wager that infantry units, when involved in foot operations, where they have always gone into battle with minimal protective gear, will consider that weight to value/mobility ratio and opt for less weight and more mobility. It is significant that even some of the non-infantry personnel are complaining of armor-induced constraints.

Believe me, if the troops doing the fighting really need something badly in this email- connected age, you can bet they’ll be letting their families and their politicians back home know about it. As for the combat-deprived, reality-challenged, liberal Democrats attacking the administration over this issue at every opportunity, I would remind them there is a reason for the military designation, Light Infantry:

It’s the weight, Stupid!

Russ Vaughn


Sunday, February 05, 2006

Going to the Dogs (edited)

Editor's Note: I took some editorial liberties with this post. This is not a true representation of Russ Vaughn's work. Click here to see the original post or you can view it at the American Thinker
Going to the Dogs

In response to the Toles’ cartoon published by the ***Tasteless Unpatriotic Rag, depicting a grievously wounded, quadruple amputee soldier being designated by a “Dr. Rumsfeld” as “battle-hardened” and fit for return to duty, I wrote a poem, venting my anger at the cartoonist and the Post entitled “WaPo Weasels.” In my usual way, I employed strong language and terms, not uncommon among military types, to convey the intense feelings that this contemptible cartoon had evoked in me.

Not unexpectedly, Thomas Lifson, editor of The American Thinker, my home on the Internet, declined to post my poem for its depiction of implied violence directed at the cartoonist; that is, delivering upon him an old fashioned, lesson-teaching, butt whippin’ which would leave him chastised and unconscious in that literary sewer in which this particular example of his art most definitely belongs. Thomas rightfully pointed out that while my poem is indeed filled with righteous passion, he could not endorse my images of violence while simultaneously posting numerous articles decrying the violence being advocated by Islamists around the world towards Danish and other European press institutions for their cartoon depictions of Mohammed. I agreed with this wisdom and said I would go to the milblogs where I expected a better reception.
I disagree. To equate the images of Muslim extremests rallying in the streets screaming for blood, praying for jihad, calling for war with the west and 'death to the infidels'... to equate that with a poem.... A POEM that reads

You wanna draw pictures of fighting men?
Just tell me where and tell me when.
I’ll give you a pose to impress any viewer,
Your punk arty ass comatose in the sewer.

I am sorry, but that is just rediculous. I will concede that there is an element of violence is both; however, I do not for a second believe Russ was actually threatening Toles. Poets attack with the pen, not the sword. Now I have conceded the element of violence, now lets look how they are different.

First, Russ was not actually threatening Toles. He used the image of violence in a figurative sense to convey his disdain for Tole's cartoon. This differs from the Muslims rallying in the streets because they literally want to commit acts of violence against the west. So the fact that one image of violence is figurative and the other is literal immediately disqualifies any form of equivalence between the two.

Second, Russ's figurative image of violence targets a single man with a non-lethal attack. Russ did NOT leave the image of the cartoonist dead in a sewer. The Muslims rallying in the streets of the Arab world are targeting the entire Western culture with a literal threat of lethal violence.

Seriously, the two images of violence are not equivalent; in fact, they are more different than they are the same. Shame on the American Thinker.

Enough with my rant, back to Russ:
Sure enough, Blackfive and several others picked it up and the ensuing comments were generally in the tone of, “Hooahh, Russ, you gave ‘em a can a whoopass, boy! Keep it up!” I received many emails expressing these sentiments.
I believe my comment went something like:

Thank you, Russ. You made my day. This is one of your best.

I stand by that.
I had to remind some of the more excitable that these were merely literary blows being rained upon this insensitive cartoonist and in no way was I endorsing actual retribution, much as I am sure Toles would not advocate the actual return of a quadruple amputee to combat duty. His purpose had been to incite outrage at what he sees as an inept war effort; mine had been to incite a countering outrage against his clueless, insensitive cartoon.

However, there were also replies from those of a liberal bent who responded with their own outrage at my typical, militarily simplistic, primitive savagery, my condoning of violence against an artist, my desire to suppress free speech, artistic expression, etc.
A liberal emailed me the following: There was absolutely nothing wrong with the Washington Post cartoon of the quadruple amputee in which Rumsfeld called his condition 'battle-hardened.' In fact, had I written it, I would have had Rumsfeld say something like; 'Y'know with the G.I.Bill, we can train you for a new life as a 'Teddy Bear'... I'd considered a post on that email, but that just encourges them
The diametric differences in the responses from military readers and liberal readers made me, once again, all too aware of the curious relationship that exists between those who protect and defend and those who are defended.

The seminal description of this relationship, at least for those of us on the warriors’ side, is in an essay I first read on the Blackfive site, “On Sheep, Sheepdogs and Wolves,” by LTC, Ret. Dave Grossman, USA, in which the author described the inherent differences and the problematic relationships between those docile, woolly members of the flock and the domestic canines who protect them from those other, feral canines, who would, left unchallenged, gratuitously slaughter the entire flock.

What Grossman makes clear is that, while it is the ability of the normally placid sheepdogs to match the violence of the wolves that enables them to successfully defend the flock, that selfsame flock will never cease to be dismayed by this capacity for mayhem and bloodshed that secures their well being. Knowing the dogs’ aptitude for lethal ferocity, many members of the flock are forever fretting about these fighting canines in their midst. LTC Grossman’s essay so moved me that I wrote a poem, “The Sheepdogs,” which was widely disseminated on milblogs and is my own personal favorite. Much to my delight, the good colonel, himself, liked it, high praise indeed.

Toles’ cartoon, the responding letter from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the responses to my own clumsy poetic contribution serve to demonstrate how keenly insightful the colonel truly is. To those liberal members of the flock, the letter from the Joint Chiefs was an ominous, intimidating growl from the biggest of the sheepdogs, delivered not to the wolves but to members of their flock, threatening them, not any would-be attackers. And to the few liberals who read my poem, I was the typically rabid canine defender who had turned and viciously attacked a member of the flock, snarling and biting, attempting to destroy that which I was sworn by oath to protect: free speech.

What the liberals fail to understand is that the Chiefs, the milbloggers and old soldiers like me all detect a fetid, lupine odor emanating from the shabby wool coat of the ***Tasteless Unpatriotic Rag. If there isn’t a wolf under that smelly rag, there damned sure is a critter sympathetic to ‘em and this time he seemed to be reveling in the wounding of our pups. To milbloggers and their readers, the Chiefs’ letter is recognized, just as it correctly is by the liberals, as a warning growl from the biggest dogs. But it is the difference in perceptions that evidences the validity of Grossman’s sheepdog thesis: while the liberals are baa, baaing in fear of losing their rights, the milbloggers welcome those growls, recognizing that the big dogs are showing their distinct displeasure with a tasteless representation of their wounded, a despicable depiction that has no other purpose than political gain for the liberal side. A further difference between sheepdogs and the flock they guard is the dogs know that even though they may occasionally growl at a suspect member of the flock, warning them back into communal safety, the dogs will never falter in their mission to defend the flock. The liberals in the flock are always fearful that the dogs will turn on them.

And finally, I want to thank all the milblog readers who cheered my more prosaic and far less authoritative, (but vastly more satisfying to one with sheepdog instincts) impetuous attempts to nip at the haunches of those wolf-smelling muttonheads at the ***Tasteless Unpatriotic Rag. I’m still licking my chops and savoring the strange taste of whatever that critter is hiding under that rag; you know, it tastes a lot like chicken to this old dog.

To paraphrase another wise, retired Army lieutenant colonel, columnist Ralph Peters,

“You don’t dogfight big dogs; you poison them.”

Perhaps that’s what Toles, the ***Tasteless Unpatriotic Rag and their ilk are trying to do.
Russ Vaughn
*** Original test read: Washington Post.


Going to the Dogs (original)

Going to the Dogs

In response to the Toles’ cartoon published by the Washington Post, depicting a grievously wounded, quadruple amputee soldier being designated by a “Dr. Rumsfeld” as “battle-hardened” and fit for return to duty, I wrote a poem, venting my anger at the cartoonist and the Post entitled “WaPo Weasels.” In my usual way, I employed strong language and terms, not uncommon among military types, to convey the intense feelings that this contemptible cartoon had evoked in me.

Not unexpectedly, Thomas Lifson, editor of The American Thinker, my home on the Internet, declined to post my poem for its depiction of implied violence directed at the cartoonist; that is, delivering upon him an old fashioned, lesson-teaching, butt whippin’ which would leave him chastised and unconscious in that literary sewer in which this particular example of his art most definitely belongs. Thomas rightfully pointed out that while my poem is indeed filled with righteous passion, he could not endorse my images of violence while simultaneously posting numerous articles decrying the violence being advocated by Islamists around the world towards Danish and other European press institutions for their cartoon depictions of Mohammed. I agreed with this wisdom and said I would go to the milblogs where I expected a better reception.

Sure enough, Blackfive and several others picked it up and the ensuing comments were generally in the tone of, “Hooahh, Russ, you gave ‘em a can a whoopass, boy! Keep it up!” I received many emails expressing these sentiments.

I had to remind some of the more excitable that these were merely literary blows being rained upon this insensitive cartoonist and in no way was I endorsing actual retribution, much as I am sure Toles would not advocate the actual return of a quadruple amputee to combat duty. His purpose had been to incite outrage at what he sees as an inept war effort; mine had been to incite a countering outrage against his clueless, insensitive cartoon.

However, there were also replies from those of a liberal bent who responded with their own outrage at my typical, militarily simplistic, primitive savagery, my condoning of violence against an artist, my desire to suppress free speech, artistic expression, etc. The diametric differences in the responses from military readers and liberal readers made me, once again, all too aware of the curious relationship that exists between those who protect and defend and those who are defended.

The seminal description of this relationship, at least for those of us on the warriors’ side, is in an essay I first read on the Blackfive site, “On Sheep, Sheepdogs and Wolves,” by LTC, Ret. Dave Grossman, USA, in which the author described the inherent differences and the problematic relationships between those docile, woolly members of the flock and the domestic canines who protect them from those other, feral canines, who would, left unchallenged, gratuitously slaughter the entire flock.

What Grossman makes clear is that, while it is the ability of the normally placid sheepdogs to match the violence of the wolves that enables them to successfully defend the flock, that selfsame flock will never cease to be dismayed by this capacity for mayhem and bloodshed that secures their well being. Knowing the dogs’ aptitude for lethal ferocity, many members of the flock are forever fretting about these fighting canines in their midst. LTC Grossman’s essay so moved me that I wrote a poem, “The Sheepdogs,” which was widely disseminated on milblogs and is my own personal favorite. Much to my delight, the good colonel, himself, liked it, high praise indeed.

Toles’ cartoon, the responding letter from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the responses to my own clumsy poetic contribution serve to demonstrate how keenly insightful the colonel truly is. To those liberal members of the flock, the letter from the Joint Chiefs was an ominous, intimidating growl from the biggest of the sheepdogs, delivered not to the wolves but to members of their flock, threatening them, not any would-be attackers. And to the few liberals who read my poem, I was the typically rabid canine defender who had turned and viciously attacked a member of the flock, snarling and biting, attempting to destroy that which I was sworn by oath to protect: free speech.

What the liberals fail to understand is that the Chiefs, the milbloggers and old soldiers like me all detect a fetid, lupine odor emanating from the shabby wool coat of the Washington Post. If there isn’t a wolf under that smelly rag, there damned sure is a critter sympathetic to ‘em and this time he seemed to be reveling in the wounding of our pups. To milbloggers and their readers, the Chiefs’ letter is recognized, just as it correctly is by the liberals, as a warning growl from the biggest dogs. But it is the difference in perceptions that evidences the validity of Grossman’s sheepdog thesis: while the liberals are baa, baaing in fear of losing their rights, the milbloggers welcome those growls, recognizing that the big dogs are showing their distinct displeasure with a tasteless representation of their wounded, a despicable depiction that has no other purpose than political gain for the liberal side. A further difference between sheepdogs and the flock they guard is the dogs know that even though they may occasionally growl at a suspect member of the flock, warning them back into communal safety, the dogs will never falter in their mission to defend the flock. The liberals in the flock are always fearful that the dogs will turn on them.

And finally, I want to thank all the milblog readers who cheered my more prosaic and far less authoritative, (but vastly more satisfying to one with sheepdog instincts) impetuous attempts to nip at the haunches of those wolf-smelling muttonheads at the Washington Post. I’m still licking my chops and savoring the strange taste of whatever that critter is hiding under that rag; you know, it tastes a lot like chicken to this old dog.

To paraphrase another wise, retired Army lieutenant colonel, columnist Ralph Peters,

“You don’t dogfight big dogs; you poison them.”

Perhaps that’s what Toles, the Washington Post and their ilk are trying to do.

Russ Vaughn


Friday, February 03, 2006

WaPo Weasels

WaPo Weasels

Wanna draw a soldier, Toles? Here I am,
Back with all four limbs from Vietnam.
You wanna draw pictures of fighting men?
Just tell me where and tell me when.
I’ll give you a pose to impress any viewer,
Your punk arty ass comatose in the sewer.
Like all of your kind you don’t have a clue
Who fightin’ men are and what fightin’ men do.

That you, your kind, you effete panty waists,
With Hollywood morals, metrosexual tastes,
Would taunt a brave warrior’s fight for life,
Mock his loss, his pain, deride his strife;
And use his sorrow to support your screed,
With no concern for the warrior’s need,
Tells me you are clueless of the facts of war,
You’re a cut ‘n run, spineless, media whore.

Go to Walter Reed hospital, smug Mr. Toles,
To see those you’ve mocked, grave injured souls
View wounded warriors with bodies so broken
And think again of the message you’ve spoken,
So abysmally ignorant, so smug condescending
That even most liberals won’t waste time defending.
So Toles it’s a fact that your most famous work
Will proclaim you forever as a pitiless jerk.

And Washington Post you’re as bad as this weasel
You gave him the forum, provided his easel.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66


Thursday, February 02, 2006

WashPost: Tasteless Unpatriotic Rag

If this:

boils your blood, then add...

Tasteless Unpatriotic Rag
To your online journal, blog, or site and post it on messageboards and forums.


I'm still mad about it.

Tasteless Unpatriotic Rag


From the Inbox:
This is intolerable. ... They have become as despicable as the NYT. Suggestions?

Russ Vaughn
----- Original Message -----
From: "xxxx xxxxx"
To: "xxxxxx"
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 3:50 PM
Subject: 24 Star Letter (Tasteless Political-Toon))

The Washington Post featured a Tom Toles political cartoon that drew the attention and ire of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Here it is:

These good men on the JCS didn't let this tasteless cartoon pass w/o a response.

See the attached PDF document containing a scanned copy of their letter that was delivered to the Washington Post.

Note that ALL signed. Most likely SECDEF Rumsfeld wishes he could have. As I wish I could have.

NOTE: The Washington Post has responded saying they are processing the the JCS letter and will respond. It should be interesting to see their response which is expected to be in their Thursday edition.

This insult to our nation's warriors deserves wide dissemination. PLEASE consider passing it on.



If the Tom Toles and the Washington Post have you fired up over this one, Esoteric * Diatribe suggests the following:
1. Cancel your subscription
2. Write an angry letter to the editor
3. Write about this story to your friends via email
4. Write a post in a blog, journal, etc
5. Leave a comment on blogs that write about it
6. Trackback to to others who write about it.
7. GoogleBomb the Washington Post labeling it
a tasteless unpatriotic rag
If that doesn't make you feel better, just do some push-ups or go jogging. How will that make you feel better? It probably won't, but at least you'll get some excercise.


Wednesday, February 01, 2006

2006 State of the Union Address Transcript

STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT
United States Capitol
Washington, D.C.



THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, members of the Supreme Court and diplomatic corps, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Today our nation lost a beloved, graceful, courageous woman who called America to its founding ideals and carried on a noble dream. Tonight we are comforted by the hope of a glad reunion with the husband who was taken so long ago, and we are grateful for the good life of Coretta Scott King. (Applause.)

Every time I'm invited to this rostrum, I'm humbled by the privilege, and mindful of the history we've seen together. We have gathered under this Capitol dome in moments of national mourning and national achievement. We have served America through one of the most consequential periods of our history -- and it has been my honor to serve with you.

In a system of two parties, two chambers, and two elected branches, there will always be differences and debate. But even tough debates can be conducted in a civil tone, and our differences cannot be allowed to harden into anger. To confront the great issues before us, we must act in a spirit of goodwill and respect for one another -- and I will do my part. Tonight the state of our Union is strong -- and together we will make it stronger. (Applause.)

In this decisive year, you and I will make choices that determine both the future and the character of our country. We will choose to act confidently in pursuing the enemies of freedom -- or retreat from our duties in the hope of an easier life. We will choose to build our prosperity by leading the world economy -- or shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity. In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting -- yet it ends in danger and decline. The only way to protect our people, the only way to secure the peace, the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership -- so the United States of America will continue to lead. (Applause.)

Abroad, our nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal -- we seek the end of tyranny in our world. Some dismiss that goal as misguided idealism. In reality, the future security of America depends on it. On September the 11th, 2001, we found that problems originating in a failed and oppressive state 7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country. Dictatorships shelter terrorists, and feed resentment and radicalism, and seek weapons of mass destruction. Democracies replace resentment with hope, respect the rights of their citizens and their neighbors, and join the fight against terror. Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer -- so we will act boldly in freedom's cause. (Applause.)

Far from being a hopeless dream, the advance of freedom is the great story of our time. In 1945, there were about two dozen lonely democracies in the world. Today, there are 122. And we're writing a new chapter in the story of self-government -- with women lining up to vote in Afghanistan, and millions of Iraqis marking their liberty with purple ink, and men and women from Lebanon to Egypt debating the rights of individuals and the necessity of freedom. At the start of 2006, more than half the people of our world live in democratic nations. And we do not forget the other half -- in places like Syria and Burma, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran -- because the demands of justice, and the peace of this world, require their freedom, as well. (Applause.)

No one can deny the success of freedom, but some men rage and fight against it. And one of the main sources of reaction and opposition is radical Islam -- the perversion by a few of a noble faith into an ideology of terror and death. Terrorists like bin Laden are serious about mass murder -- and all of us must take their declared intentions seriously. They seek to impose a heartless system of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East, and arm themselves with weapons of mass murder.

Their aim is to seize power in Iraq, and use it as a safe haven to launch attacks against America and the world. Lacking the military strength to challenge us directly, the terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear. When they murder children at a school in Beslan, or blow up commuters in London, or behead a bound captive, the terrorists hope these horrors will break our will, allowing the violent to inherit the Earth. But they have miscalculated: We love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it. (Applause.)

In a time of testing, we cannot find security by abandoning our commitments and retreating within our borders. If we were to leave these vicious attackers alone, they would not leave us alone. They would simply move the battlefield to our own shores. There is no peace in retreat. And there is no honor in retreat. By allowing radical Islam to work its will -- by leaving an assaulted world to fend for itself -- we would signal to all that we no longer believe in our own ideals, or even in our own courage. But our enemies and our friends can be certain: The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil. (Applause.)

America rejects the false comfort of isolationism. We are the nation that saved liberty in Europe, and liberated death camps, and helped raise up democracies, and faced down an evil empire. Once again, we accept the call of history to deliver the oppressed and move this world toward peace. We remain on the offensive against terror networks. We have killed or captured many of their leaders -- and for the others, their day will come.

We remain on the offensive in Afghanistan, where a fine President and a National Assembly are fighting terror while building the institutions of a new democracy. We're on the offensive in Iraq, with a clear plan for victory. First, we're helping Iraqis build an inclusive government, so that old resentments will be eased and the insurgency will be marginalized.

Second, we're continuing reconstruction efforts, and helping the Iraqi government to fight corruption and build a modern economy, so all Iraqis can experience the benefits of freedom. And, third, we're striking terrorist targets while we train Iraqi forces that are increasingly capable of defeating the enemy. Iraqis are showing their courage every day, and we are proud to be their allies in the cause of freedom. (Applause.)

Our work in Iraq is difficult because our enemy is brutal. But that brutality has not stopped the dramatic progress of a new democracy. In less than three years, the nation has gone from dictatorship to liberation, to sovereignty, to a constitution, to national elections. At the same time, our coalition has been relentless in shutting off terrorist infiltration, clearing out insurgent strongholds, and turning over territory to Iraqi security forces. I am confident in our plan for victory; I am confident in the will of the Iraqi people; I am confident in the skill and spirit of our military. Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning. (Applause.)

The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels -- but those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

Our coalition has learned from our experience in Iraq. We've adjusted our military tactics and changed our approach to reconstruction. Along the way, we have benefitted from responsible criticism and counsel offered by members of Congress of both parties. In the coming year, I will continue to reach out and seek your good advice. Yet, there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. (Applause.) Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy. (Applause.)

With so much in the balance, those of us in public office have a duty to speak with candor. A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison, would put men like bin Laden and Zarqawi in charge of a strategic country, and show that a pledge from America means little. Members of Congress, however we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in this vital mission. (Applause.)

Our men and women in uniform are making sacrifices -- and showing a sense of duty stronger than all fear. They know what it's like to fight house to house in a maze of streets, to wear heavy gear in the desert heat, to see a comrade killed by a roadside bomb. And those who know the costs also know the stakes. Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay was killed last month fighting in Fallujah. He left behind a letter to his family, but his words could just as well be addressed to every American. Here is what Dan wrote: "I know what honor is. … It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to…. Never falter! Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting."

Staff Sergeant Dan Clay's wife, Lisa, and his mom and dad, Sara Jo and Bud, are with us this evening. Welcome. (Applause.)

Our nation is grateful to the fallen, who live in the memory of our country. We're grateful to all who volunteer to wear our nation's uniform -- and as we honor our brave troops, let us never forget the sacrifices of America's military families. (Applause.)

Our offensive against terror involves more than military action. Ultimately, the only way to defeat the terrorists is to defeat their dark vision of hatred and fear by offering the hopeful alternative of political freedom and peaceful change. So the United States of America supports democratic reform across the broader Middle East. Elections are vital, but they are only the beginning. Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law, and protection of minorities, and strong, accountable institutions that last longer than a single vote.

The great people of Egypt have voted in a multi-party presidential election -- and now their government should open paths of peaceful opposition that will reduce the appeal of radicalism. The Palestinian people have voted in elections. And now the leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism, and work for lasting peace. (Applause.) Saudi Arabia has taken the first steps of reform -- now it can offer its people a better future by pressing forward with those efforts. Democracies in the Middle East will not look like our own, because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens. Yet liberty is the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and hope of all humanity. (Applause.)

The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people. The regime in that country sponsors terrorists in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon -- and that must come to an end. (Applause.) The Iranian government is defying the world with its nuclear ambitions, and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons. (Applause.) America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats.

Tonight, let me speak directly to the citizens of Iran: America respects you, and we respect your country. We respect your right to choose your own future and win your own freedom. And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran. (Applause.)

To overcome dangers in our world, we must also take the offensive by encouraging economic progress, and fighting disease, and spreading hope in hopeless lands. Isolationism would not only tie our hands in fighting enemies, it would keep us from helping our friends in desperate need. We show compassion abroad because Americans believe in the God-given dignity and worth of a villager with HIV/AIDS, or an infant with malaria, or a refugee fleeing genocide, or a young girl sold into slavery. We also show compassion abroad because regions overwhelmed by poverty, corruption, and despair are sources of terrorism, and organized crime, and human trafficking, and the drug trade.

In recent years, you and I have taken unprecedented action to fight AIDS and malaria, expand the education of girls, and reward developing nations that are moving forward with economic and political reform. For people everywhere, the United States is a partner for a better life. Short-changing these efforts would increase the suffering and chaos of our world, undercut our long-term security, and dull the conscience of our country. I urge members of Congress to serve the interests of America by showing the compassion of America.

Our country must also remain on the offensive against terrorism here at home. The enemy has not lost the desire or capability to attack us. Fortunately, this nation has superb professionals in law enforcement, intelligence, the military, and homeland security. These men and women are dedicating their lives, protecting us all, and they deserve our support and our thanks. (Applause.) They also deserve the same tools they already use to fight drug trafficking and organized crime -- so I ask you to reauthorize the Patriot Act. (Applause.)

It is said that prior to the attacks of September the 11th, our government failed to connect the dots of the conspiracy. We now know that two of the hijackers in the United States placed telephone calls to al Qaeda operatives overseas. But we did not know about their plans until it was too late. So to prevent another attack –- based on authority given to me by the Constitution and by statute -- I have authorized a terrorist surveillance program to aggressively pursue the international communications of suspected al Qaeda operatives and affiliates to and from America. Previous Presidents have used the same constitutional authority I have, and federal courts have approved the use of that authority. Appropriate members of Congress have been kept informed. The terrorist surveillance program has helped prevent terrorist attacks. It remains essential to the security of America. If there are people inside our country who are talking with al Qaeda, we want to know about it, because we will not sit back and wait to be hit again. (Applause.)

In all these areas -- from the disruption of terror networks, to victory in Iraq, to the spread of freedom and hope in troubled regions -- we need the support of our friends and allies. To draw that support, we must always be clear in our principles and willing to act. The only alternative to American leadership is a dramatically more dangerous and anxious world. Yet we also choose to lead because it is a privilege to serve the values that gave us birth. American leaders -- from Roosevelt to Truman to Kennedy to Reagan -- rejected isolation and retreat, because they knew that America is always more secure when freedom is on the march.

Our own generation is in a long war against a determined enemy -- a war that will be fought by Presidents of both parties, who will need steady bipartisan support from the Congress. And tonight I ask for yours. Together, let us protect our country, support the men and women who defend us, and lead this world toward freedom. (Applause.)

Here at home, America also has a great opportunity: We will build the prosperity of our country by strengthening our economic leadership in the world.


Our economy is healthy and vigorous, and growing faster than other major industrialized nations. In the last two-and-a-half years, America has created 4.6 million new jobs -- more than Japan and the European Union combined. (Applause.) Even in the face of higher energy prices and natural disasters, the American people have turned in an economic performance that is the envy of the world.

The American economy is preeminent, but we cannot afford to be complacent. In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors, like China and India, and this creates uncertainty, which makes it easier to feed people's fears. So we're seeing some old temptations return. Protectionists want to escape competition, pretending that we can keep our high standard of living while walling off our economy. Others say that the government needs to take a larger role in directing the economy, centralizing more power in Washington and increasing taxes. We hear claims that immigrants are somehow bad for the economy -- even though this economy could not function without them. (Applause.) All these are forms of economic retreat, and they lead in the same direction -- toward a stagnant and second-rate economy.


Tonight I will set out a better path: an agenda for a nation that competes with confidence; an agenda that will raise standards of living and generate new jobs. Americans should not fear our economic future, because we intend to shape it.

Keeping America competitive begins with keeping our economy growing. And our economy grows when Americans have more of their own money to spend, save, and invest. In the last five years, the tax relief you passed has left $880 billion in the hands of American workers, investors, small businesses, and families -- and they have used it to help produce more than four years of uninterrupted economic growth. (Applause.) Yet the tax relief is set to expire in the next few years. If we do nothing, American families will face a massive tax increase they do not expect and will not welcome.

Because America needs more than a temporary expansion, we need more than temporary tax relief. I urge the Congress to act responsibly, and make the tax cuts permanent. (Applause.)

Keeping America competitive requires us to be good stewards of tax dollars. Every year of my presidency, we've reduced the growth of non-security discretionary spending, and last year you passed bills that cut this spending. This year my budget will cut it again, and reduce or eliminate more than 140 programs that are performing poorly or not fulfilling essential priorities. By passing these reforms, we will save the American taxpayer another $14 billion next year, and stay on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. (Applause.)

I am pleased that members of Congress are working on earmark reform, because the federal budget has too many special interest projects. (Applause.) And we can tackle this problem together, if you pass the line-item veto. (Applause.)

We must also confront the larger challenge of mandatory spending, or entitlements. This year, the first of about 78 million baby boomers turn 60, including two of my Dad's favorite people -- me and President Clinton. (Laughter.) This milestone is more than a personal crisis -- (laughter) -- it is a national challenge. The retirement of the baby boom generation will put unprecedented strains on the federal government. By 2030, spending for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid alone will be almost 60 percent of the entire federal budget. And that will present future Congresses with impossible choices -- staggering tax increases, immense deficits, or deep cuts in every category of spending.

Congress did not act last year on my proposal to save Social Security -- (applause) -- yet the rising cost of entitlements is a problem that is not going away. (Applause.) And every year we fail to act, the situation gets worse.

So tonight, I ask you to join me in creating a commission to examine the full impact of baby boom retirements on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This commission should include members of Congress of both parties, and offer bipartisan solutions. We need to put aside partisan politics and work together and get this problem solved. (Applause.)

Keeping America competitive requires us to open more markets for all that Americans make and grow. One out of every five factory jobs in America is related to global trade, and we want people everywhere to buy American. With open markets and a level playing field, no one can out-produce or out-compete the American worker. (Applause.)

Keeping America competitive requires an immigration system that upholds our laws, reflects our values, and serves the interests of our economy. Our nation needs orderly and secure borders. (Applause.) To meet this goal, we must have stronger immigration enforcement and border protection. (Applause.) And we must have a rational, humane guest worker program that rejects amnesty, allows temporary jobs for people who seek them legally, and reduces smuggling and crime at the border. (Applause.)

Keeping America competitive requires affordable health care. (Applause.) Our government has a responsibility to provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility. (Applause.) For all Americans -- for all Americans, we must confront the rising cost of care, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and help people afford the insurance coverage they need. (Applause.)

We will make wider use of electronic records and other health information technology, to help control costs and reduce dangerous medical errors. We will strengthen health savings accounts -- making sure individuals and small business employees can buy insurance with the same advantages that people working for big businesses now get. (Applause.) We will do more to make this coverage portable, so workers can switch jobs without having to worry about losing their health insurance. (Applause.) And because lawsuits are driving many good doctors out of practice -- leaving women in nearly 1,500 American counties without a single OB/GYN -- I ask the Congress to pass medical liability reform this year. (Applause.)

Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources -- and we are on the threshold of incredible advances.

So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative -- a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research -- at the Department of Energy, to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas. To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear energy. (Applause.)

We must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. We'll also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips and stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years. (Applause.)

Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. (Applause.) By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past. (Applause.)

And to keep America competitive, one commitment is necessary above all: We must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity. Our greatest advantage in the world has always been our educated, hardworking, ambitious people -- and we're going to keep that edge. Tonight I announce an American Competitiveness Initiative, to encourage innovation throughout our economy, and to give our nation's children a firm grounding in math and science. (Applause.)

First, I propose to double the federal commitment to the most critical basic research programs in the physical sciences over the next 10 years. This funding will support the work of America's most creative minds as they explore promising areas such as nanotechnology, supercomputing, and alternative energy sources.

Second, I propose to make permanent the research and development tax credit -- (applause) -- to encourage bolder private-sector initiatives in technology. With more research in both the public and private sectors, we will improve our quality of life -- and ensure that America will lead the world in opportunity and innovation for decades to come. (Applause.)

Third, we need to encourage children to take more math and science, and to make sure those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations. We've made a good start in the early grades with the No Child Left Behind Act, which is raising standards and lifting test scores across our country. Tonight I propose to train 70,000 high school teachers to lead advanced-placement courses in math and science, bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in classrooms, and give early help to students who struggle with math, so they have a better chance at good, high-wage jobs. If we ensure that America's children succeed in life, they will ensure that America succeeds in the world. (Applause.)

Preparing our nation to compete in the world is a goal that all of us can share. I urge you to support the American Competitiveness Initiative, and together we will show the world what the American people can achieve.

America is a great force for freedom and prosperity. Yet our greatness is not measured in power or luxuries, but by who we are and how we treat one another. So we strive to be a compassionate, decent, hopeful society.

In recent years, America has become a more hopeful nation. Violent crime rates have fallen to their lowest levels since the 1970s. Welfare cases have dropped by more than half over the past decade. Drug use among youth is down 19 percent since 2001. There are fewer abortions in America than at any point in the last three decades, and the number of children born to teenage mothers has been falling for a dozen years in a row. (Applause.)

These gains are evidence of a quiet transformation -- a revolution of conscience, in which a rising generation is finding that a life of personal responsibility is a life of fulfillment. Government has played a role. Wise policies, such as welfare reform and drug education and support for abstinence and adoption have made a difference in the character of our country. And everyone here tonight, Democrat and Republican, has a right to be proud of this record. (Applause.)

Yet many Americans, especially parents, still have deep concerns about the direction of our culture, and the health of our most basic institutions. They're concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage. They worry about children in our society who need direction and love, and about fellow citizens still displaced by natural disaster, and about suffering caused by treatable diseases.

As we look at these challenges, we must never give in to the belief that America is in decline, or that our culture is doomed to unravel. The American people know better than that. We have proven the pessimists wrong before -- and we will do it again. (Applause.)

A hopeful society depends on courts that deliver equal justice under the law. The Supreme Court now has two superb new members -- new members on its bench: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito. (Applause.) I thank the Senate for confirming both of them. I will continue to nominate men and women who understand that judges must be servants of the law, and not legislate from the bench. (Applause.)

Today marks the official retirement of a very special American. For 24 years of faithful service to our nation, the United States is grateful to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. (Applause.)

A hopeful society has institutions of science and medicine that do not cut ethical corners, and that recognize the matchless value of every life. Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research: human cloning in all its forms, creating or implanting embryos for experiments, creating human-animal hybrids, and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos. Human life is a gift from our Creator -- and that gift should never be discarded, devalued or put up for sale. (Applause.)

A hopeful society expects elected officials to uphold the public trust. (Applause.) Honorable people in both parties are working on reforms to strengthen the ethical standards of Washington -- I support your efforts. Each of us has made a pledge to be worthy of public responsibility -- and that is a pledge we must never forget, never dismiss, and never betray. (Applause.)

As we renew the promise of our institutions, let us also show the character of America in our compassion and care for one another.

A hopeful society gives special attention to children who lack direction and love. Through the Helping America's Youth Initiative, we are encouraging caring adults to get involved in the life of a child -- and this good work is being led by our First Lady, Laura Bush. (Applause.) This year we will add resources to encourage young people to stay in school, so more of America's youth can raise their sights and achieve their dreams.

A hopeful society comes to the aid of fellow citizens in times of suffering and emergency -- and stays at it until they're back on their feet. So far the federal government has committed $85 billion to the people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. We're removing debris and repairing highways and rebuilding stronger levees. We're providing business loans and housing assistance. Yet as we meet these immediate needs, we must also address deeper challenges that existed before the storm arrived.

In New Orleans and in other places, many of our fellow citizens have felt excluded from the promise of our country. The answer is not only temporary relief, but schools that teach every child, and job skills that bring upward mobility, and more opportunities to own a home and start a business. As we recover from a disaster, let us also work for the day when all Americans are protected by justice, equal in hope, and rich in opportunity. (Applause.)

A hopeful society acts boldly to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, which can be prevented, and treated, and defeated. More than a million Americans live with HIV, and half of all AIDS cases occur among African Americans. I ask Congress to reform and reauthorize the Ryan White Act, and provide new funding to states, so we end the waiting lists for AIDS medicines in America. (Applause.) We will also lead a nationwide effort, working closely with African American churches and faith-based groups, to deliver rapid HIV tests to millions, end the stigma of AIDS, and come closer to the day when there are no new infections in America. (Applause.)

Fellow citizens, we've been called to leadership in a period of consequence. We've entered a great ideological conflict we did nothing to invite. We see great changes in science and commerce that will influence all our lives. Sometimes it can seem that history is turning in a wide arc, toward an unknown shore. Yet the destination of history is determined by human action, and every great movement of history comes to a point of choosing.

Lincoln could have accepted peace at the cost of disunity and continued slavery. Martin Luther King could have stopped at Birmingham or at Selma, and achieved only half a victory over segregation. The United States could have accepted the permanent division of Europe, and been complicit in the oppression of others. Today, having come far in our own historical journey, we must decide: Will we turn back, or finish well?

Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage. Like Americans before us, we will show that courage and we will finish well. We will lead freedom's advance. We will compete and excel in the global economy. We will renew the defining moral commitments of this land. And so we move forward -- optimistic about our country, faithful to its cause, and confident of the victories to come.

May God bless America. (Applause.)


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