President
Bush's
Saturday Morning Radio Address
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Another
Perspective:
"Liberty Under God"
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THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend I'm
attending the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia, and I'm looking
forward to a great day of college football. But more importantly,
I'm looking forward to spending time with the brave men and women
of the United States military. |
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Throughout the past eight years, I've seen the
tremendous talent and courage of those who wear the uniform. Their
efforts have overthrown
tyrants, made our Nation safer, put terrorists on the run, and
opened the door to liberty for more than 50 million people.
And now, thanks to their work in Iraq and the courage of the Iraqi
people, a hopeful new era is dawning for their democracy and ours. |
Although Bush claims
to be Christian, and liberal atheists love to hold Bush up as an
example of Christian leadership (in order to mock true Christian
leadership), Bush does not have a distinctively Christian foreign
policy. Christianity
Compare Bush's anti-terrorist policies with
those of Thomas Jefferson. |
| Earlier this week, Iraq's
Presidency Council approved two landmark agreements that will
solidify Iraq's democratic gains, affirm its sovereignty, and put
its relations with the United States on a strong and steady
footing. |
What Bush describes
as "relations with the United States" would have been
described as an "entangling
alliance" by Jefferson and America's Founding Fathers. |
| The first agreement that America
and Iraq have signed is called a Strategic
Framework Agreement. This pact sets out a common vision for
U.S.-Iraqi relations in the years ahead. Under this agreement, we
will work together to bring greater stability to Iraq and the
region. We'll promote trade and investment between our nations.
And we will support Iraq's leaders and their citizens as they
strengthen their democratic institutions. |
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| Only a few years ago, such an
agreement was unimaginable. Chaos and violence were consuming
Iraq. Terrorists were seizing new ground and using violence to
divide the Iraqi people along sectarian lines. And the nation was
nearing the point of political collapse and civil war. |
This agreement was
completely imaginable before Saddam Hussein was overthrown by the
U.S. military. Hussein was once considered a U.S. ally, and was a
recipient of U.S. government aid, even though (or perhaps because)
he was known to be a brutal ("effective") dictator
("administrator"). Hussein was overthrown (and the Iraqi
people destroyed) not because he was a friend of terrorists, but
because he was a
friend of the Euro. |
| Today, violence is down
dramatically. Our forces have struck powerful blows against al
Qaeda. The Iraqi military is growing in capability, taking the
lead in the fight against the extremists, and working across
sectarian lines. Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish leaders are sitting
together at the same table to peacefully resolve their differences
and chart their country's future. And there is hope in the eyes of
young Iraqis for the first time in many years. |
Violence was
attracted to Iraq by the U.S. presence there. If violence is
really down, it may be headed elsewhere, as the
events in Mumbai suggest.
International rage against the U.S. is not down dramatically.
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| The second agreement that America
and Iraq have signed is a Security Agreement, known as a Status
of Forces Agreement. One of the primary purposes of this
agreement is to ensure protection for our troops
and Defense Department civilians as the Iraqi government
begins to exercise greater sovereignty. Our military commanders
have assured me that the agreement's provisions meet this purpose.
At the same time, it also respects the authority of the Iraqi
government. And it lays out a framework for the withdrawal of
American forces in Iraq -- a withdrawal that is possible because
of the success of the surge. |
Note the distinction
between "troops" and "Defense Department
civilians." If the "troops" are withdrawn from
Iraq, the "civilians" and "advisors" (to
resurrect a
term from the Vietnam "war") will never leave Iraq.
The U.S. has built permanent
bases in Iraq. |
| This withdrawal will take place
in two stages: The first stage will occur next year, when Iraqi
forces assume the lead for security operations in all major
population centers, while U.S. combat forces move out of Iraqi
cities and move into an overwatch role. After this transition has
occurred, the drawdown of American forces will continue to the
second stage, with all U.S. forces returning home from Iraq by the
end of 2011. |
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| As we enter this new phase in
America's relations with Iraq, we have an opportunity to adopt a
new perspective here at home. There were legitimate differences of
opinion about the initial decision to remove Saddam Hussein and
the subsequent conduct of the war. But now the surge and the
courage of brave Iraqis have turned the situation around. And
Americans should be able to agree that it is in our Nation's
strategic and moral interests to support the free and democratic
Iraq that is emerging in the heart of the Middle East. |
The United States
should make restitution to Iraq for U.S. destruction and murder. |
| The
American people have sacrificed a great deal to reach this
moment. The battle in Iraq has required a large amount of time and
a large amount of money.
Our men and women in uniform have carried out difficult and
dangerous missions and endured long separations from friends and
family. And thousands of
our finest citizens have given their lives to make our
country safer and bring us to this new day. The war in Iraq is not
yet over -- but thanks to these agreements and the courage of our
men and women in Iraq, it is decisively on its way to being won. |
For what? |
| Thank you for listening. |
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Kevin Craig's Platform:
The Democrat Party Radio Address:
The The
Democratic Radio Address was delivered by Barack Obama, the
President-Elect.
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Remarks of President-elect Barack
Obama
Radio Address on the Economy |
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Saturday, December 6, 2008 |
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| Good morning. |
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| Yesterday, we received another
painful reminder of the serious economic challenge our country
is facing when we learned that 533,000 jobs were lost in
November alone, the single worst month of job loss in over three
decades. That puts the total number of jobs lost in this
recession at nearly 2 million. |
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| But this isn’t about numbers.
It’s about each of the families those numbers represent. It’s
about the rising unease and frustration that so many of you are
feeling during this holiday season. Will you be able to put your
kids through college? Will you be able to afford health care?
Will you be able to retire with dignity and security? Will your
job or your husband’s job or your daughter’s or son's job be
the next one cut? |
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| These are the questions that
keep so many Americans awake at night. But it is not the first
time these questions have been asked. We have faced difficult
times before, times when our economic destiny seemed to be
slipping out of our hands. And at each moment, we have risen to
meet the challenge, as one people united by a sense of common
purpose. And I know that Americans can rise to the moment once
again. |
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| But we need action – and
action now. That is why I have asked my economic team to develop
an economic recovery plan for both Wall Street and Main Street
that will help save or create at least two and a half million
jobs, while rebuilding our infrastructure, improving our
schools, reducing our dependence on oil, and saving billions of
dollars. |
The above problems
were caused by government action.
We do not need more government action.
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| We won’t do it the old
Washington way. We won’t just throw money at the problem. We’ll
measure progress by the reforms we make and the results we
achieve -- by the jobs we create, by the energy we save, by
whether America is more competitive in the world. |
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| Today, I am announcing a few
key parts of my plan. First, we will launch a massive effort to
make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now
pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change
that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old
heating systems and installing efficient
light bulbs. That won’t just save you, the American
taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back
to work. |
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| Second, we will create millions
of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our
national infrastructure since the creation of the federal
highway system in the 1950s. We’ll invest your precious tax
dollars in new and smarter ways, and we’ll set a simple rule
– use it or lose it.
If a state doesn’t act quickly to invest in roads and bridges
in their communities, they’ll lose the money. |
Encouraging a
government bureaucracy to spend quickly is a recipe for economic
disaster. |
| Third, my economic recovery
plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and
upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen.
We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and
put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our
children compete in a 21st century economy, we need to send them
to 21st century schools. |
The best thing that
can be done for students is to abolish
government-run schools. |
| As we renew our schools and
highways, we’ll also renew our information superhighway. It is
unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in
broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the
internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and
they’ll get that chance when I’m President – because that’s
how we’ll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world. |
Where does the
Constitution give the President this authority? |
| In addition
to connecting our libraries and schools to the internet, we must
also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other
through the internet. That is why the economic recovery plan I’m
proposing will help modernize our health care system – and
that won’t just save jobs, it will save lives. We
will make sure that every doctor’s office and hospital
in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic
medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical
mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year. |
Undoubtedly
every dictatorship in the history of the world has said that it
is forcing people to do what's right, what's best. A government
that tells every doctor how to manage her client files is an
extraordinarily powerful dictatorship. |
| These are a few parts of the
economic recovery plan that I will be rolling out in the coming
weeks. When Congress reconvenes in January, I look forward to
working with them to pass a plan immediately. We need to act
with the urgency this moment demands to save or create at least
two and a half million jobs so that the nearly two million
Americans who’ve lost them know that they have a future. And
that’s exactly what I intend to do as President of the United
States. |
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| Thanks for listening. |
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What Would America's Founding Fathers Do?
The men who threw tea into the Boston Harbor over a tax of 3 pence
per pound would not be happy with a tax ten times greater on
every gallon of gas. Those who took up muskets over a total tax burden
of less than 3% would not be happy with the
fact that the federal government now takes more
than half of everything you earn.
Today it is illegal for public school teachers to teach their
students that the Declaration of Independence is really true (and not
just an outdated historical document). The federal government is clearly
at war with everything the Founding Fathers stood for.
America's greatest Americans would abolish
today's federal government.
Muskets are Not an Option
There are two reasons why we should not take up arms to pull off the
violent overthrow of the federal government, even if America's Founders
would surely do so. First, the feds have nukes. Second, violent
revolution is unChristian and unBiblical. We must beat our swords
into plowshares and use persuasion to
abolish tyranny. This is time for a revolution
of ideas.
Revolution Won't Come in a Day
John Adams once wrote that the American
Revolution began in 1761, when Massachusetts attorney James Otis
began legal challenges to the Writs
of Assistance. He lost the case, but "American
independence," Adams wrote, "was
then and there born." Now do the math. That means it took 15
years to convince the rest of America to declare Independence
(1776). Then another seven years of war was required before a
Peace Treaty was signed (1783), and then six years before the
Constitution was finally ratified (1789). That's almost 30 years. (And
Jefferson said we shouldn't go 20
years without another rebellion!) How can we hope to convince
Americans to fight for principles they were never taught in government
schools? We need to be in this battle for the long term. "Eternal
Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."
The Internet Can Speed up the Revolution
Here are ways you can help.
Support This Campaign
Send emails. Find out how this free tool can
change everything.
Revenge:
Vote Against Every
Politician Who Voted for the Bailout, No Matter What
Communicating with Government and Media
- Contact Congress -- this
is from the JBS website, powered by "CapWiz," from Capitol
Advantage. Lots of organizations use capwiz. If you don't want to go
through the JBS, search for capwiz
on Google and find another organization that uses it.
Notice that you can also contact media through this webpage.
- Action E-List
Sign up for the JBS Action E-List and be notified when you can
make a critical difference on important issues.
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Make
Congress Read Their Bills Before Voting
Make Congress read every word of every bill they create before
they vote on it.
Urge your Representative and your Senators to sponsor
DownsizeDC.org's “Read the Bills Act” (RTBA). |
TWIC
- A Backdoor Real ID Card
Real ID is dying. But the Department of Homeland Security has a
new plan to subject every American to a national ID card anyway.
They plan to pick off one occupational field at a time, starting
with the maritime industry. One man is fighting back. Meet him,
and help stop this backdoor Real ID plan.
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Stop
the Killer Horse Hormones
The FDA "outlawed" the use of Estriol, an estrogen
medication that's bio-identical to human estrogen. Doctors must
now prescribe animal-derived estrogen instead. Are bio-identical
hormones dangerous, while animal-derived hormones are safe? No.
The practice of medicine is moving to chemically identical to
human hormones and away from animal hormones. Learn why the FDA
decided to endanger women's health in this way, and take action. |
End
Asset Forfeiture
If the government suspects you used your house or car in a crime,
they can take it and sell it at auction. They don't even have to
prove your guilt. They call this practice civil asset forfeiture,
but it's really theft. It violates the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th and
14th Amendments. It also encourages law enforcement to put profits
before justice. Tell Congress to end civil asset forfeiture.
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Support
an Iraq Referendum
Americans keep debating when, how, or if to leave Iraq. Maybe we
should ask the Iraqi people what they want. After all, it's
their country. Tell Congress to request that the Iraqi
government hold a public referendum on the U.S. occupation. Learn
more »
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"Cap
and Trade" is not the way
The politicians seem to be unifying around "cap and
trade" as a way to cut CO2 emissions. If they take this
step it may be the largest increase in the size, scope, and
intrusiveness of government since the creation of Medicare.
Worse still, it may not even achieve its purpose. Please tell
Congress to oppose "cap and trade." Learn
more »
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Iraq
Waste
Big government prospers through failure. Each new failure is used
to justify more spending and new powers. Wasteful spending in Iraq
is the latest example. One way to change this is to hold
government accountable. A new bill in Congress seeks to provide
some of the needed accountability. Please support it. Learn
more »
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Stop
the War for Terror
U.S. policy has inflamed the Middle East. It has made
terrorism more likely rather than less. We seem to be fighting a
war for terror, rather than on
terror. This policy must stop. The place to start stopping is
with Iran. We must not attack Iran. War with Iran would
devastate our economy, disrupt world oil supplies, and recruit
more terrorists. Click
here to stop this war before it starts.
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Click here
for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual
Town Hall
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