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Obama's Inaugural Address


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#1 Lazarus Long

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 01:07 PM


There are actually many keynotes of the speech which should interest us here at Imminst but stand out as a repudiation of Bush policy too. One significant item is the strong commitment to science and developing technology another was the first indirect mention of atheists as deserving of respect in our society too.

What follows will be the text of the speech but also here is a nice website with all the inaugural speeches by all US presidents in history.
http://www.nytimes.c..._ADDRESSES.html

and here is a transcript with crowd response
http://www.nytimes.c...text-obama.html

here is the video of the event.
http://www.hulu.com/...naugural-speech

http://www.hulu.com/...DbbxzSRxP7qt8xw

I am looking for the intended text still that was delivered to the newspapers before the speech was given but I have heard he stuck pretty close to the script. If anyone finds it feel free to post it here too.

*********************************************************

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as delivered.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, 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, and 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.

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.

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 shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who 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 Sanh.

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.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the 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 will 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. 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 — and that a 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 our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils 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's sake. 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 that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with 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 will 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.

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. 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.

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 road 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 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 — hard work and honesty, 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 sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

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 a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words 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.

#2 Cyberbrain

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 02:38 PM

Excellent speech and I really hope Obama keeps his word. At the very least we don't have Bush's religious ultra-conservative cronies to hamper the advancement of science anymore. It was beyond me how half of the Bush administration were from Bible colleges.

Neat Link: Scientists optimistic over Obama

Edited by Kostas, 21 January 2009 - 02:44 PM.


#3 Connor MacLeod

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 04:51 PM

I was momentarily encouraged by the subtitle of this thread as I thought "nonbelievers" referred to people who didn't vote for Obama. :-D

Edited by Connor MacLeod, 21 January 2009 - 04:59 PM.


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#4 modelcadet

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 04:57 PM

"We will restore science to its rightful place" I cheered so hard here, but I was the only one... haha. When Obama mentioned "non-believers" a significant portion of the crowd roared!
"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, and 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."

We should rise to meet these challenges as well. Can we make a push to cooperate/collaborate with state-run health programs? Or do we have in our mission a strong desire to be non-governmental?

When I was at the inauguration, I was reading this literature a professor gave me regarding setting up this Undergraduate Research Initiative. Basically, this professor believes, at the rate we are going, our unsustainable lifestyles will come to an end. Obama, I hear in these words, thinks, like most of us, that science and technology can save the day. If we invest in it!

Edited by modelcadet, 21 January 2009 - 05:01 PM.


#5 Cyberbrain

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 05:40 PM

"We will restore science to its rightful place" I cheered so hard here, but I was the only one... haha. When Obama mentioned "non-believers" a significant portion of the crowd roared!
"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, and 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."

We should rise to meet these challenges as well. Can we make a push to cooperate/collaborate with state-run health programs? Or do we have in our mission a strong desire to be non-governmental?

When I was at the inauguration, I was reading this literature a professor gave me regarding setting up this Undergraduate Research Initiative. Basically, this professor believes, at the rate we are going, our unsustainable lifestyles will come to an end. Obama, I hear in these words, thinks, like most of us, that science and technology can save the day. If we invest in it!

Indeed, our current lifestyles may come to an end, but what matters and what will save us is science and technology!

#6 niner

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Posted 22 January 2009 - 05:02 AM

I was momentarily encouraged by the subtitle of this thread as I thought "nonbelievers" referred to people who didn't vote for Obama. :-D

"Non-believers" are people who don't need an imaginary friend to get through life. :~ <-- lookee, a smilee! That makes divisiveness OK.

#7 Connor MacLeod

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 12:36 AM

I was momentarily encouraged by the subtitle of this thread as I thought "nonbelievers" referred to people who didn't vote for Obama. :)

"Non-believers" are people who don't need an imaginary friend to get through life.


President Obama seems to have done pretty well despite his need for an "imaginary friend." Perhaps you should consider getting one of your own? You and your pal could hang out together and tell jokes. Who knows, with time you might even eventually acquire the bare rudiments of a sense of humor.

:) <-- lookee, a smilee! That makes divisiveness OK.


Come on, lighten up.

#8 niner

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 12:53 AM

I was momentarily encouraged by the subtitle of this thread as I thought "nonbelievers" referred to people who didn't vote for Obama. :)

"Non-believers" are people who don't need an imaginary friend to get through life.


President Obama seems to have done pretty well despite his need for an "imaginary friend." Perhaps you should consider getting one of your own? You and your pal could hang out together and tell jokes. Who knows, with time you might even eventually acquire the bare rudiments of a sense of humor.

:) <-- lookee, a smilee! That makes divisiveness OK.


Come on, lighten up.

You have learned well from Rush Limbaugh. Whenever he's called on his attempts at sowing division, he chuckles "I'm just an entertainer". Jokes are supposed to, ya know, make people laugh. Yours always tilt in the same ideological direction, and they aren't funny to many of us. You know, Connor, this wasn't even a very bad one. It was kind of funny, but it's the pattern that I don't like. You guys are always sniping at the left, and if we call you on it, it's "just a joke". Think how you feel when it goes the other way. I'd like to see less of it around here, from both sides. If you want to make points, then just make them, but don't pretend they're jokes. Lose the smilies.

#9 Connor MacLeod

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 01:40 AM

I'd like to see less of it around here, from both sides.

Did you make it a point of refraining from poking fun at Republicans/conservatives during the past 8 years? If not, then isn't it a tad hypocritical for you to be calling for a new civility now? In any case, the least you could do is ask nicely and start setting an example. And have patience - it may take some time for people react positively to your reformed behavior.

If you want to make points, then just make them, but don't pretend they're jokes.

It was a joke - one which I considered to be fairly good-natured.

Lose the smilies.

No. :)

Edited by Connor MacLeod, 23 January 2009 - 01:59 AM.


#10 niner

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 05:03 AM

I'd like to see less of it around here, from both sides.

Did you make it a point of refraining from poking fun at Republicans/conservatives during the past 8 years? If not, then isn't it a tad hypocritical for you to be calling for a new civility now? In any case, the least you could do is ask nicely and start setting an example. And have patience - it may take some time for people react positively to your reformed behavior.

The incivility in modern American politics really ramped up in about 1992. I rarely start political threads, but spend way too much time responding to posts from the Right, usually in an attempt to correct the record. Since there's been 16 years of fighting, 8 with a Democratic administration and 8 with a Republican Administration, and now we have a new administration that seems to be making a serious attempt at unification, I don't think calling for a new civility now is hypocritical. I'll start setting an example, but I may be asking some of you for help.

#11 forever freedom

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 05:43 AM

Greater respect for science is one of the few things i like about democrats.




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