A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning Radio Address

Notes and Summary of the President's Address -- "Veterans Day"

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "This weekend, Americans mark two important dates in our Nation's history. On Saturday, we celebrate the 232nd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. And on Sunday, we celebrate Veterans Day -- and give thanks for all those who have worn the uniform of America's Armed Forces."

How the President Differs from the American vision of "Liberty Under God":

1. America is, on the one hand, a nation "under God."
2. America is, on the other hand, a nation that ignores God and commits idolatry.
3. Idolatry is when we fail to trust God (our national motto is "In God We Trust") and trust the Government to bring us "salvation."
4. In the Bible, the word "salvation" is by no means limited to something after death. In most cases the word refers to victory over enemies, and the peace, health, prosperity, and wholeness that results.
5. The Constitution was designed to limit wars by limiting the power of one man (the President) to take the nation into war.
6. The President repeatedly says we are at "war," though the Congress has never declared a state of war.
7. Americans must think about these issues, not just in terms of the Constitution, but in terms of the values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence -- the philosophy of "Liberty Under God."
8. If America's Founding Fathers could see America today, would they be celebrating on this "Veterans Day?"

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President's Radio Address	Liberty Under God
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, Americans mark two important dates in our Nation's history. On Saturday, we celebrate the 232nd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. And on Sunday, we celebrate Veterans Day -- and give thanks for all those who have worn the uniform of America's Armed Forces.	Last year's blog entry: Send the Marines?
The Marine Corps was born in a Philadelphia tavern in 1775. Since then, the Marines have become one of the world's premier fighting forces. Their courage and valor in battle have earned them the respect of friend and foe alike. And today, a new generation of Marines is writing another chapter in that proud tradition. Young Marines are serving on the front lines in the war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. As the Marines celebrate their birthday, we join them in recognizing what their sacrifice and service has meant for our freedom.	We can all agree that Americans in combat exhibit great courage, and in many cases those not in combat are models of service and dedication, especially those involved in replacing destruction with reconstruction. The question we must ask is, should Iraq have been destroyed? Second, America's Founding Fathers would probably agree that The Troops Don't Defend Our Freedoms
America owes a debt of gratitude to all those who have served in our Armed Forces. On Veterans Day, we remember those who have served in previous wars, those who are serving today, and those who did not live to become veterans.	Actually, those who did not live are remembered on Memorial Day. MemorialDay.VFTPeaceProject.com
Veterans Day also reminds us of our solemn responsibility to care for those who have fought our Nation's wars. Under my Administration, Federal spending for our veterans has increased by more than two-thirds. We have extended medical treatment to a million additional veterans, including hundreds of thousands returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. And we have expanded grants to help homeless veterans across the country.	If there's one legitimate function of government, it would appear to be that of taking care of those who fought the government's wars. Even if this is the case, private charitable associations should not pass by the veteran in need on the assumption that "that's the government's job." Government never does its job as well as private individuals and organizations do the same job. Veterans make up one out of every four homeless people. Council on Foreign Relations: The Price of Veterans’ Health Care
These are the generous actions of a grateful Nation -- and to build on them, I nominated a good man to head our Department of Veterans Affairs: Doctor James Peake. Doctor Peake is an Army doctor, a retired lieutenant general, and a combat veteran who was wounded twice in Vietnam, and decorated for his valor. When confirmed by the Senate, Doctor Peake will take on an important task -- continuing my Administration's work to implement the recommendations of the bipartisan Dole-Shalala Commission on Wounded Warriors. These recommendations are vital to ensuring better care for our veterans, and Congress needs to confirm Doctor Peake so he can lead the way in this crucial effort.
Some of the Commission's recommendations require legislative action, such as updating the disability system to fully meet the needs of our wounded warriors. So my Administration has sent Congress a bill that would enact all the legislative steps recommended by the Commission. This is a good bill, our wounded warriors and their families are counting on it, and I urge Democrats and Republicans to come together to pass it as quickly as possible.
Congress can also meet its responsibility to our veterans by passing a clean Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. Unfortunately, Congressional leaders let the fiscal year end without passing this bill they know our veterans need. So I urged Congress to pass this bill by Veterans Day -- and they still have failed to send me this vital legislation. The time to act is running out. There are now just four days left on the legislative calendar before Congress leaves town for their Thanksgiving break. The best way members of Congress can give thanks to our veterans is to send me a clean bill that I can sign into law.
On this Veterans Day, I urge every American to take time to thank one of our Nation's 24 million veterans. They come from different generations and different backgrounds. But they are united by a commitment to honor, duty, and love of country that has kept America free. They continue to strengthen and inspire our Nation. And we will never forget what we owe them.	Just as many veterans have different backgrounds, there are also many reasons why some of them became veterans. Some were forced by conscription. Others volunteered because of the benefits (college education, good pay, "see the world," etc.). Some sincerely believed they were killing other human beings for a good and justifiable cause. Every American should ask, Did we really need to "send the Marines?" In 1996 then-UN Ambassador Madeleine Albright was asked by 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, in reference to years of U.S.-led economic sanctions against Iraq, “We have heard that half a million children have died. I mean, that is more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?” To which Ambassador Albright responded, “I think that is a very hard choice, but the price, we think, the price is worth it.”
Thank you for listening.	The deaths of those children made possible the overthrow of a government that tolerated Christian missionaries and replaced it with an Islamic Theocracy hostile to Christian evangelism and reconstruction. Americans need to know that it's OK to say, "It wasn't worth it."

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Additional Resources:

• Kevin Craig's Platform
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Reclaiming the War Powers
  • Iraq
  • Security
  • Terrorism
  • The U.S./Islamic-Oil Connection
  • National Security
  • Afghanistan
  • Defense
  • Defense Budget
  • Sanctions
  • Violence
  • Peace
• Blog Posts
  • Cheney's Victory in Iraq
  • Holocaust Denial in the Service of War
  • "Do Violence to No Man"
  • War and Public Relations
  • Petraeus: America Safer? "I don't know."
  • Corruption in the Military
  • More on Military Corruption
  • Secret Military Intelligence
  • Inventions and "National Security"
  • Nagasaki, August 9, 1945
  • Hiroshima - Gulf of Tonkin
  • Letters of Marque and Reprisal
  • Vengeance vs. Self-Defense
  • Iraq: Lexington and Concord for Today
  • The Surgeon General
  • Second Cold War
  • Sibel Edmonds and Valerie Plame
  • Would Jesus Celebrate Memorial Day?
  • Ramsey Clark: Three Reasons to Impeach
  • Rendition
  • Pearl Harbor and 9-11
• Insurgency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Paying for the Wars' Wounded - by Colonel Daniel Smith, USA (Ret.)
• Two Sides:
  • The Few, The Proud, The Marines - Marines as noble, virtuous
  • "The Lust of the Eyes" - Marines as psychopaths
  • Both kinds of Marines are undoubtedly present
• Intel Vets Make 'Waterboading' Appeal
  • In a last-ditch effort to dissuade the Senate Judiciary Committee from clearing Mukasy’s nomination, 24 U.S. intelligence veterans sent the following memorandum to the panel’s top Democrat and Republican
• Veterans Day: In Memoriam - by David R. Henderson
• Ill-Equipped Soldiers Opt for 'Search and Avoid' - by Dahr Jamail

The Democrat Party Radio Address:

Congressman Joe Sestak Delivers Democratic Radio Address. The subject is again Veterans.

Libertarian Response to Democrats:

• The Democrats' bill is loaded with pork and unconstitutional spending.
• Murray says the "veterans" bill "funds other crucial American priorities, like education and Alzheimer’s’ research."
• Education is not a federal responsibility.
• Neither is "Alzheimer’s’ research." There are different corporations which are engaged in Alzheimer’s’ research; why should Washington bureaucrats take money out of your paycheck and give it to its own favored pharmaceutical corporations instead of allowing you to donate to the causes you prefer?

Click here for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall