l******a
发帖数: 3803 | 1 A news radio talkshow.
Hosts talked about buffoon like Odumba whose academic records never
got exposed - while media kept quiet on the issues. Guess the records
would reveal Odumba was a foreign student from Dumbland Africa.
Then this guy called in, apparently sounding "black". He asked hosts
to give President some respect...... whoa, they are begging for respect.
He forgot to mention his skillsets in the field of class war waging.
All he put in his speech, as funny as it sounded today but exciting then,
were all in all he can achieve in his imbecile dreams.
btw, when I re-read his 2009 Jan inaugural speech,
I am moved: a compulsive liar of all times.
___________________________________________
Inaugural Address
By President Barack Hussein Obama
My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us,
grateful for the trust you've bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by
our ancestors.
I thank President Bush for his service to our nation -- (applause) --
as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this
transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words
have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of
peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and
raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because
of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people,
have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our
founding documents.
So it has been; so it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation
is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our
economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on
the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and
prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed,
businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too
many -- and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy
strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.
Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our
land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next
generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are
serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span
of time. But know this America: They will be met. (Applause.)
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of
purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end
to the petty grievances and false promises(!!!!!!),
the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled
our politics. We remain a young nation. But in the words of Scripture, the
time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm
our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that
precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the
God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a
chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. (Applause.)
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation we understand that greatness
is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of
short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-
hearted, for those that prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures
of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the
makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in
their labor -- who have carried us up the long rugged path towards
prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled
across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops,
and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip, and plowed the hard
earth. For us, they fought and died in places like Concord and Gettysburg,
Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked
till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw
America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, greater than all
the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous,
powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this
crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no
less needed than they were last week, or last month, or last year. Our
capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting
narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has
surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves
off, and begin again the work of remaking America. (Applause.)
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our
economy calls for action, bold and swift. And we will act, not only to
create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the
roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our
commerce and bind us together. We'll restore science to its rightful place,
and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its
cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars
and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and
universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All
this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who
suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories
are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what
free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose,
and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the
ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that
have consumed us for so long no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or
too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a
decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where
the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no,
programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be
held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in
the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a
people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or
ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched. But
this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin
out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the
prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the
size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity, on
the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of
charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. (Applause.)
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our
safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers -- (applause) -- our Founding
Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter
to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the
blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not
give them up for expedience sake. (Applause.)
And so, to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today
, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born,
know that America is a friend of each nation, and every man, woman and child
who seeks a future of peace and dignity. And we are ready to lead once
more. (Applause.)
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not
just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring
convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor
does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead they knew that our power
grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of
our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and
restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once
more we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even
greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to
responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard-earned peace in
Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to
lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its
defense. And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror
and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger
and cannot be broken -- you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you. (
Applause.)
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-
believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every
end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war
and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united
, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that
the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our
common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in
ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual
interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to
sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your
people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. (
Applause.)
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the
silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but
that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. (
Applause.)
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make
your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and
feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative
plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside
our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to
effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the role that unfolds before us, we remember with humble
gratitude those brave Americans who at this very hour patrol far-off
deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the
fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are the guardians of our liberty, but
because they embody the spirit of service -- a willingness to find meaning
in something greater than themselves.
And yet at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is
precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government
can do, and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the
American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take
in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would
rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us
through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a
stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a
child that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may
be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- honesty and
hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and
patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been
the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded, then, is a return to these truths. What is required
of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition on the part of
every American that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world;
duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in
the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining
of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source
of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an
uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why
men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in
celebration across this magnificent mall; and why a man whose father less
than 60 years ago might not have been served in a local restaurant can now
stand before you to take a most sacred oath. (Applause.)
So let us mark this day with remembrance of who we are and how far we
have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a
small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy
river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was
stained with blood. At the moment when the outcome of our revolution was
most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words to be read to
the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when
nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country,
alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America: In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our
hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let
us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let
it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to
let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with
eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that
great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
(Applause.)
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