1.
Barack
Obama Inaugural Address 2013: full text
(21 Jan 2013)
Vice
President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress,
distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
Each
time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring
strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall
that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the
tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional –
what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a
declaration made more than two centuries ago:
“We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Today
we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with
the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be
self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift
from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776
did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or
the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for
the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.
For
more than two hundred years, we have.
Through
blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded
on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and
half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
Together,
we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed
travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.
Together,
we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure
competition and fair play.
Together,
we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its
people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.
Through
it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor
have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through
government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence
on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.
But
we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to
our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that
preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For
the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting
alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism
with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science
teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads
and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our
shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation,
and one people.
This
generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and
proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has
begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities
that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and
openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow
Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we
seize it together.
For
we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few
do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America’s
prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know
that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their
work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of
hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest
poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because
she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God
but also in our own.
We
understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We
must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax
code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to
work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our
purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every
single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real
meaning to our creed.
We,
the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of
security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of
health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America
must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and
investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the
lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of
a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this
country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We
recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at
any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a
terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and
Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they
strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the
risks that make this country great.
We,
the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to
ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate
change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future
generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none
can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and
more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long
and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must
lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new
jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will
maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and
waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our
planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the
creed our fathers once declared.
We,
the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not
require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the
flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by
the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for
liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against
those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace
and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and
we must carry those lessons into this time as well.
We
will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule
of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other
nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but
because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will
remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will
renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for
no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation.
We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle
East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of
those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the
sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but
because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles
that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and
justice.
We,
the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are
created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all
those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great
Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim
that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul
on Earth.
It
is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our
journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a
living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay
brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are
truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be
equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait
for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we
find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see
America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are
enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is
not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills
of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and
cherished, and always safe from harm.
That
is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of
Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American.
Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every
contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the
same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not
compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all
time – but it does require us to act in our time.
For
now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake
absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat
name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be
imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial,
and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years,
and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to
us in a spare Philadelphia hall.
My
fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited
by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party
or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of
our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath
that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes
her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag
that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.
They
are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.
You
and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.
You
and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not
only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most
ancient values and enduring ideals.
Let
each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting
birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication,
let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that
precious light of freedom.
Thank
you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.
2. Algeria
crisis is a wakeup call for America
Special to CNN January 19, 2013
(CNN)
-- The news that a large number of Westerners, including several Americans, had
become hostages in North Africa shook the U.S. once again out of the delusion
that it is possible to turn away from the world's problems.
Many
Americans would like nothing better than to forget about the rest of the planet
and focus on all the challenges crying for attention at home. After more than a
decade of fighting costly and painful wars in faraway lands, people have grown
weary, tired of worrying about complicated conflicts that seem to have no
connection to their own lives.
But
then bad things happen.
On
Wednesday, in a dramatic operation in Algeria's portion of the Sahara, Islamist
militants in the desert attacked a convoy of oil workers -- the people who work
to satisfy the world's need for fuel. The jihadists claimed to have captured
more than 40 hostages, including Americans, British, French and others. The
U.S. called the incident a "terrorist" attack, and what followed has
been the typical flurry of confusion -- possible escapes, killings. Without a
doubt, the families of the hostages are suffering unbearable anxiety.
Meanwhile,
there is a war raging in Mali, neighbor to Algeria. Until recently a democratic
state, landlocked Mali is becoming home to terrorism, as Islamist militants
affiliated with al Qaeda and its allies have been conquering the country and
brutally subjugating the population in the process. France has just sent
military forces to the country after a desperate plea from its president.
Fortified
with weapons seized from the Libyan war and emboldened by their unstoppable
march across Mali, these militant groups have been growing stronger.
The
hostage emergency is only the most recent in a dramatic series of events
occurring in North Africa over many months. In this chaotic and fluid crisis,
we hope the hostages will return safely to their families. But that will not
end the bigger crisis in the region.
