FULL TEXT: Bush’s Katrina Speech
FULL TEXT: Bush’s Katrina Speech
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION
As Prepared for Delivery
Good evening. I am speaking to you from the city of New Orleans – nearly empty, still partly under water, and waiting for life and hope to return. Eastward from Lake Pontchartrain, across the Mississippi coast, to Alabama and into Florida, millions of lives were changed in a day by a cruel and wasteful storm.
In the aftermath, we have seen fellow citizens left stunned and uprooted … searching for loved ones, and grieving for the dead … and looking for meaning in a tragedy that seems so blind and random. We have also witnessed the kind of desperation no citizen of this great and generous Nation should ever have to know – fellow Americans calling out for food and water … vulnerable people left at the mercy of criminals who had no mercy … and the bodies of the dead lying uncovered and untended in the street.
These days of sorrow and outrage have also been marked by acts of courage and kindness that make all Americans proud. Coast Guard and other personnel rescued tens of thousands of people from flooded neighborhoods. Religious congregations and families have welcomed strangers as brothers and sisters and neighbors. In the community of Chalmette, when two men tried to break into a home, the owner invited them to stay – and took in 15 other people who had no place to go. At Tulane Hospital for Children, doctors and nurses didn’t eat for days so patients could have food, and eventually carried the patients on their backs up eight flights of stairs to helicopters. Many first responders were victims themselves – wounded healers, with a sense of duty greater than their own suffering. When I met Steve Scott of the Biloxi Fire Department, he and his colleagues were conducting a house-to-house search for survivors. Steve told me this: “I lost my house and I lost my cars, but I still got my family … and I still got my spirit.â€
Across the Gulf Coast, among people who have lost much … and suffered much … and given to the limit of their power, we are seeing that same spirit: a core of strength that survives all hurt … a faith in God no storm can take away … and a powerful American determination to clear the ruins and build better than before.
Tonight so many victims of the hurricane and the flood are far from home and friends and familiar things. You need to know that our whole Nation cares about you – and in the journey ahead you are not alone. To all who carry a burden of loss, I extend the deepest sympathy of our country. To every person who has served and sacrificed in this emergency, I offer the gratitude of our country. And tonight I also offer this pledge of the American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes … we will stay as long as it takes … to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives. And all who question the future of the Crescent City need to know: There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again.
The work of rescue is largely finished; the work of recovery is moving forward. In nearly all of Mississippi, electric power has been restored. Trade is starting to return to the Port of New Orleans, and agricultural shipments are moving down the Mississippi River. All major gasoline pipelines are now in operation, preventing the supply disruptions that many feared. The breaks in the levees have been closed, the pumps are running, and the water here in New Orleans is receding by the hour. Environmental officials are on the ground, taking water samples, identifying and dealing with hazardous debris, and working to get drinking water and waste water treatment systems operating again. And some very sad duties are being carried out by professionals who gather the dead, treat them with respect, and prepare them for their rest.
In the task of recovery and rebuilding, some of the hardest work is still ahead – and it will require the creative skill and generosity of a united country.
Our first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of those who had to flee their homes and leave all their possessions behind. For these Americans, every night brings uncertainty, every day requires new courage, and the months to come will bring more than their fair share of struggles.
The Department of Homeland Security is registering evacuees who are now in shelters, churches, or private homes – whether in the Gulf region or far away. I have signed an order providing immediate assistance to people from the disaster area. As of today, more than 500 thousand evacuee families have gotten emergency help to pay for food, clothing, and other essentials. Evacuees who have not yet registered should contact FEMA or the Red Cross. We need to know who you are, because many of you will also be eligible for broader assistance in the future. Many families were separated during the evacuation, and we are working to help you reunite. Please call 1-877-568-3317, that’s 1-877-568-3317, and we will work to bring your family back together, and pay for your travel to reach them.
In addition, we are taking steps to ensure that evacuees don’t have to travel great distances or navigate bureaucracies to get the benefits that are there for them. The Department of Health and Human Services has sent more than fifteen hundred health professionals, along with over 50 tons of medical supplies – including vaccines, antibiotics, and medicines for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes. The Social Security Administration is delivering checks. The Department of Labor is helping displaced persons apply for temporary jobs and unemployment benefits. And the Postal Service is registering new addresses so that people can get their mail.
To carry out the first stages of the relief effort and begin the rebuilding at once, I have asked for, and the Congress has provided, more than 60 billion dollars. This is an unprecedented response to an unprecedented crisis, which demonstrates the compassion and resolve of our nation.
Our second commitment is to help the citizens of the Gulf Coast to overcome this disaster, put their lives back together, and rebuild their communities. Along this coast, for mile after mile, the wind and water swept the land clean. In Mississippi, many thousands of houses were damaged or destroyed. In New Orleans and surrounding parishes, more than a quarter million houses are no longer safe to live in. Hundreds of thousands of people from across this region will need to find longer-term housing.
Our goal is to get people out of shelters by the middle of October. So we are providing direct assistance to evacuees that allows them to rent apartments, and many already are moving into places of their own. A number of states have taken in evacuees and shown them great compassion – admitting children to school, and providing health care. So I will work with Congress to ensure that states are reimbursed for these extra expenses.
In the disaster area – and in cities that have received huge numbers of displaced people – we are beginning to bring in mobile homes and trailers for temporary use. To relieve the burden on local health care facilities in the region, we are sending extra doctors and nurses to these areas. We are also providing money that can be used to cover overtime pay for police and fire departments while cities and towns rebuild.
Near New Orleans, Biloxi, and other cities, housing is urgently needed for police and firefighters, other service providers, and the many workers who are going to rebuild those cities. Right now, many are sleeping on ships we have brought to the Port of New Orleans – and more ships are on their way to the region. And we will provide mobile homes, and supply them with basic services, as close to the construction areas as possible, so the rebuilding process can go forward as quickly as possible.
And the Federal government will undertake a close partnership with the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, the city of New Orleans, and other Gulf Coast cities, so they can rebuild in a sensible, well planned way. Federal funds will cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems. Our goal is to get the work done quickly. And taxpayers expect this work to be done honestly and wisely – so we will have a team of inspectors general reviewing all expenditures.
In the rebuilding process, there will be many important decisions and many details to resolve, yet we are moving forward according to some clear principles. The Federal government will be fully engaged in the mission, but Governor Barbour, Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin, and other state and local leaders will have the primary role in planning for their own future. Clearly, communities will need to move decisively to change zoning laws and building codes, in order to avoid a repeat of what we have seen. And in the work of rebuilding, as many jobs as possible should go to men and women who live in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Our third commitment is this: when communities are rebuilt, they must be even better and stronger than before the storm. Within the Gulf region are some of the most beautiful and historic places in America. As all of us saw on television, there is also some deep, persistent poverty in this region as well. And that poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality. When the streets are rebuilt, there should be many new businesses, including minority-owned businesses, along those streets. When the houses are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent, those houses. When the regional economy revives, local people should be prepared for the jobs being created. Americans want the Gulf Coast not just to survive, but to thrive … not just to cope, but to overcome. We want evacuees to come home, for the best of reasons – because they have a real chance at a better life in a place they love.
When one resident of this city who lost his home was asked by a reporter if he would relocate, he said, “Naw, I will rebuild – but I’ll build higher.†That is our vision of the future, in this city and beyond: we will not just rebuild, we will build higher and better.
To meet this goal, I will listen to good ideas from Congress, state and local officials, and the private sector. I believe we should start with three initiatives that the Congress should pass.
Tonight I propose the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment … tax relief for small businesses … incentives to companies that create jobs … and loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises, to get them up and running again. It is entrepreneurship that creates jobs and opportunity … it is entrepreneurship that helps break the cycle of poverty … and we will take the side of entrepreneurs as they lead the economic revival of the Gulf region.
I propose the creation of Worker Recovery Accounts to help those evacuees who need extra help finding work. Under this plan, the federal government would provide accounts of up to five thousand dollars, which these evacuees could draw upon for job training and education to help them get a good job … and for child care expenses during their job search.
To help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act. Under this approach, we will identify property in the region owned by the federal government, and provide building sites to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery. In return, they would pledge to build on the lot, with either a mortgage or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity. Home ownership is one of the great strengths of any community, and it must be a central part of our vision for the revival of this region.
In the long run, the New Orleans area has a particular challenge, because much of the city lies below sea level. The people who call it home need to have reassurance that their lives will be safer in the years to come. Protecting a city that sits lower than the water around it is not easy – but it can and has been done. City and parish officials in New Orleans, and state officials in Louisiana, will have a large part in the engineering decisions to come – and the Army Corps of Engineers will work at their side to make the flood protection system stronger than it has ever been.
The work that has begun in the Gulf Coast region will be one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen. When that job is done, all Americans will have something to be very proud of – and all Americans are needed in this common effort. It is the armies of compassion – charities and houses of worship and idealistic men and women – that give our reconstruction effort its humanity. They offer to those who hurt a friendly face, an arm around the shoulder, and the reassurance that in hard times, they can count on someone who cares. By land, by sea, and by air, good people wanting to make a difference deployed to the Gulf Coast – and they have been working around the clock ever since.
The cash needed to support the armies of compassion is great, and Americans have given generously. For example, the private fundraising effort led by former Presidents Bush and Clinton has already received pledges of more than 100 million dollars. Some of that money is going to governors, to be used for immediate needs within their states. A portion will also be sent to local houses of worship, to help reimburse them for the expense of helping others. This evening the need is still urgent, and I ask the American people to continue donating to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, other good charities, and religious congregations in the region.
It is also essential for the many organizations of our country to reach out to your fellow citizens in the Gulf area. So I have asked USA Freedom Corps to create an information clearing house, available at usafreedomcorps.gov, so that families anywhere in the country can find opportunities to help families in the region … or a school can support a school. And I challenge existing organizations – churches, Scout troops, or labor union locals to get in touch with their counterparts in Mississippi, Louisiana, or Alabama, and learn what they can do to help. In this great national enterprise, important work can be done by everyone, and everyone should find their role and do their part.
The government of this nation will do its part as well. Our cities must have clear and up-to-date plans for responding to natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attack … for evacuating large numbers of people in an emergency … and for providing the food, water, and security they would need. In a time of terror threats and weapons of mass destruction, the danger to our citizens reaches much wider than a fault line or a flood plain. I consider detailed emergency planning to be a national security priority. Therefore, I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to undertake an immediate review, in cooperation with local counterparts, of emergency plans in every major city in America.
I also want to know all the facts about the government response to Hurricane Katrina. The storm involved a massive flood, a major supply and security operation, and an evacuation order affecting more than a million people. It was not a normal hurricane – and the normal disaster relief system was not equal to it. Many of the men and women of the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States military, the National Guard, Homeland Security, and state and local governments performed skillfully under the worst conditions. Yet the system, at every level of government, was not well coordinated, and was overwhelmed in the first few days. It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces – the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment’s notice.
Four years after the frightening experience of September 11th, Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency. When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I as President am responsible for the problem, and for the solution. So I have ordered every Cabinet secretary to participate in a comprehensive review of the government response to the hurricane. This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina. We are going to review every action and make necessary changes, so that we are better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of evil men, that could threaten our people.
The United States Congress also has an important oversight function to perform. Congress is preparing an investigation, and I will work with members of both parties to make sure this effort is thorough.
In the life of this nation, we have often been reminded that nature is an awesome force, and that all life is fragile. We are the heirs of men and women who lived through those first terrible winters at Jamestown and Plymouth … who rebuilt Chicago after a great fire, and San Francisco after a great earthquake … who reclaimed the prairie from the dust bowl of the 1930s. Every time, the people of this land have come back from fire, flood, and storm to build anew – and to build better than what we had before. Americans have never left our destiny to the whims of nature – and we will not start now.
These trials have also reminded us that we are often stronger than we know – with the help of grace and one another. They remind us of a hope beyond all pain and death – a God who welcomes the lost to a house not made with hands. And they remind us that we are tied together in this life, in this nation – and that the despair of any touches us all.
I know that when you sit on the steps of a porch where a home once stood … or sleep on a cot in a crowded shelter … it is hard to imagine a bright future. But that future will come. The streets of Biloxi and Gulfport will again be filled with lovely homes and the sound of children playing. The churches of Alabama will have their broken steeples mended and their congregations whole. And here in New Orleans, the street cars will once again rumble down St. Charles, and the passionate soul of a great city will return.
In this place, there is a custom for the funerals of jazz musicians. The funeral procession parades slowly through the streets, followed by a band playing a mournful dirge as it moves to the cemetery. Once the casket has been laid in place, the band breaks into a joyful “second line†– symbolizing the triumph of the spirit over death. Tonight the Gulf Coast is still coming through the dirge – yet we will live to see the second line.
Thank you, and may God bless America.
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speech, smeech... sanctimonious b.s. from a sanctimonious a-hole... if words could make a presidency, george would not be dying in the polls... let rove strategize until the cows come home... bush is a disaster and it's finally becoming clear to everyone... stick a sock in it, george...
September 15th, 2005 at 8:53 pm[...] Located here, summary here. [...]
September 15th, 2005 at 8:55 pmomigod, he's going to co-opt our greatest art form.
Louis Armstrong in Heaven Above - PLEASE HELP US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 15th, 2005 at 8:55 pmThe Meat of Bush's Speech
From the advance text:
Tonight I propose the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment Ã...
September 15th, 2005 at 9:04 pm[...] Here is the whole text. [...]
September 15th, 2005 at 9:09 pmToo bad the 'opportunies' will all go to cronies of bush. Too bad the people who need those opportunities will receive none, while Halliburton will receive yet more compensation for doing a crap job. Too bad merit won't matter, but ideology, and kickbacks to the corrupt and immoral GOP slime machine will determine what 'opportunies' you have. In otherwords very little will change for much of this 'zone' other than people getting rich who shouldn't and people getting poor who should be receiving opportunies...
For those who haven't read the book "wealth and democracy", it's a recommended read. The author is a republican, but ironically he's quite lucid and truthful unlike most members of the party. He lays out how this is a common practice throughout the history of america - Halliburton is but the latest of scam companies..
September 15th, 2005 at 9:12 pmThe President’s prime-time "Katrina Comeback" address was vintage Bush. Primarily designed to help him, and not the Gulf States, recover from his administration’s disastrous bungling of the Katrina response, Bush’s speech offered to shower money on the devastated South. But in his typical fashion, George W. Bush held no one accountable and shunned independent oversight of the response and the rebuilding. Most of all, the Free Lunch President refused to ask the American people to pay for it.
For the full story, see:
"Bush's Katrina Cop Out"
September 15th, 2005 at 9:29 pmI used to laugh, then I yelled, now I'm just scared...
September 15th, 2005 at 10:08 pm"broader role for the armed forces"
probably means soldiers searching, arresting, and/or prosecuting civilians.
September 15th, 2005 at 10:58 pm#8 - I'm with you Jackie. Oh. My. God.
September 15th, 2005 at 11:18 pmYou're right, 8 and 10. The days of laughing are over with this guy. He is clueless. He has power. He is dangerous. I sure hope there are tens of thousands in D.C. next week, so Congress and the rest of the nation know how many of us are determined to be rid of him.
September 15th, 2005 at 11:40 pmMarie, I REALLY wish I could be in DC next week, but it's impossible, so I'll be at our local demonstration. I'm SO looking forward to it! Everybody get out there and yell so loud we keep the media awake!
September 15th, 2005 at 11:49 pmOh please, give me a break, folks. Lets see, you're worried that he didn't do anything for awhile, and now you're worried because he is. Ryan, the author is also lucid and open minded, unlike virtually every Democrat I've come across.
September 16th, 2005 at 12:30 amPaul,
That's because he ISN'T doing anything, he's relying on 'corporatism' to do something. This 'fascist' method of governing puts the success or failure of citizenry in the hands of corporate interests, yet it sets no expectations, restrictions or requirements for the generosity. In otherwords, corporate welfare is NOT the way to solve this issue, and is yet another example of governing ineptitude.
What you don't seem to fathom is the nature of our complaints. It isn't so much that we complain that he 'didn't do anything', as his governing is inept. Some of the reichwing apologists claimed that the governor didn't 'allow' the national guard, federal government to do their jobs, yet it is clear that sat passively by without actively getting involved, screaming, ranting and making a nuisance about saving lives. Fema is supposed to both be trained to do this, but to also to both lobby and effectively 'manage' state governments to at least a political degree to help ensure issues are dealt with in an effective manner. That's the ROLE the agency and the government is supposed to fill - that's why it's called the 'federal emergency MANAGEMENT agency', it's job is to MANAGE, not to be managed by state agencies.
Similarly, instead of actually governing, now they effectively seem to want to hand over everything to corporate control. Didn't they learn anything from Iraq? Tens of Billions are gone there and they still don't have electricity!
September 16th, 2005 at 2:37 amBush, talking about his junta: "a cruel and wasteful storm."
So similar to the speech he gave at Gorey Island, Senegal:
"The spirit of Africans in America did not break. Yet the spirit of their captors was corrupted. Small men took on the powers and airs of tyrants and masters. Years of unpunished brutality and bullying and rape produced a dullness and hardness of conscience. Christian men and women became blind to the clearest commands of their faith and added hypocrisy to injustice. A republic founded on equality for all became a prison for millions." (July 8, 2003)
He loves talking about himself, and feeling superior to the people he's gulling.
September 16th, 2005 at 6:06 amI wish I could have hacked into his teleprompter and put in Nixon's resignation speech.....this man, the most powerful ruler on the planet, had to ask Condo-leeza if can go make boom-boom or weewee during a UN meeting...'opportunity zones' indeed! And he says they'll have to rebuild Nawlins on higher ground! WHAT higher ground? Maybe they can relocate Nawlins just outside of Denver.. If he would have seen fit to fund levee repair and maintain delta wetlands, damage would have been less severe.
September 16th, 2005 at 12:03 pmExcellent speech last night! Many of the commentators on this website need to purchase (or have someone donate) a thesaurus so they can clean up and infuse their rhetoric with some intelligence. This speech was firm, forward-looking, and responsible, without attempting to vilify or lay blame on an (incompetent or at least unprepared) mayor and governor. This is the inverse of everything I've seen, read, or heard from any liberal since the hurrican hit. Home run, Mr. President.
September 16th, 2005 at 2:14 pmDon't listen to Bradley, Mr. Prez. Run home to Crawford. "Firm," that's a nice empty critical term, better suited to compliment the Miss America finalists. "Forward looking"? Any speech about steps to be taken is forward looking, as "Smirk again, George, and I will smack you." That's forward looking speech. Handling the disaster of a class 5 hurricane striking a large city exceeds the authority of a state or local leader. National policy stipulates that an immanence of that degree calls on the national government to take control of the response. None of this has anything to do with what liberals say; it has to do with what the chief managers do, whatever their political bent. It is on him and the people he put in the big chairs. But they didn't pay attention and so they didn't do. I understand that taking sides passes for thought, but all it comes to is "Yeah"/"Boo," while people in the way of the tempest despair and die for want of assistance. I got your inverse right here, Sir.
September 17th, 2005 at 1:13 amI loved the way ABC tried to get negative responses to the speech from the hurricane evacuees and were completely foiled, as in the following exchanges:
REYNOLDS: Did you harbor any anger toward the president because of the slow federal response?
LONDON: No. None whatsoever, because I feel like our city and our state government should have been there before the federal government was called in. They should have been on their jobs.
REYNOLDS: And they weren't?
LONDON: No. No, no, no. Lord, they wasn't. I mean, they had RTA busses, Greyhound buses, school buses, that was just sitting there going underwater when they could have been evacuating people.
September 17th, 2005 at 4:51 pmAnd this one:
REYNOLDS: Do you blame anybody for this?
LONDON: Oh, yes. I mean they've been allocating federal funds to fix the levee system, and it never got done. I fault the mayor of our city personally. I really do.
September 17th, 2005 at 4:53 pmof course most of the readers of this sight are blinded by their own negativity and bias always overshadows what the generosity and PLANS that others have to try to rebuild something. Oh, and becuase it comes from Bush, means that you will hate it all the more and justify in your minds that his help isn't really help, but money making for someone else. Get over yourselves and start to make a real difference and get on board when everyone else is looking for someone to take responsibility and someone has. Fortunately for most of you it's not the Governor of LA or the Mayor of N.O., who both clearly lacked any ingenuity and idea of how to handle this kind of disaster, which is always a threat every hurricane season.
September 20th, 2005 at 5:06 pmi totally disagree with many of you, you are a disgrace to our country disobeying george w bush! i am going t a trip at the end of my highschool year to dc. there we wil see monuments and such and see everything. i ador what our president has done today. he changed our nation into a united states loving country! mny people put more flags up just becuase of what he has done. i just want to say that i respect our counry and the one who is ruling it. :)
November 27th, 2005 at 7:21 pmhttp://www.majorclick.com/home/members/stocks/hotss/matureladies/girls/mature-naked-moms.html sightstickysubmit
December 8th, 2005 at 10:03 amhttp://www.toronto-goth.com/denizens/nauchilsya/incestpics/diaries/life.html blousefacedhearted
December 26th, 2005 at 12:20 amhttp://listrak.do.sapo.pt/pages/vids.html complimentwhosewondered
January 1st, 2006 at 4:17 pmI live along the Mississippi Gulf Coast... we were the ones truly hit by the hurricane. I didn't believe a word of the presidents speach when he gave it and I don't believe him now. Massive government failure starting from the top and everyone blaming everyone else... The south shall rise again, with or without the help of Washington DC
February 19th, 2006 at 4:36 pmMy name is Ameerah Gillespie 18 yrs old Michigan State University undergrad...and Im a American
I was about five or six when I first remembered going to my grandfather’s church on Sundays. I dreaded it. I can clearly remember getting up for the distinct purpose of having a good breakfast in the morning. I scrambled out of the pile of blankets my mom would wrap me in the night before while I was sleep. We didn’t have much money, so I wore the oversized, shoulder padded, flower print dress my older sister wore when she was younger. I would rush downstairs so my brother wouldn’t tackle me down for his pick of the bigger piece of food. Sitting on the table was the warm smell of Pillsbury Grands Biscuits. I always liked the flakey kind because I could peel off each layer at a time to dip it in the syrup. We had to be up and ready to go when the sound of the long doorbell rang. Just like my father, grandpa wasn’t a very talkative man, so he would never come in the house to sit before church. He would always stand at the door just to say a few words, and then make his way to the car. He was very tall and skinny then. I remember when I hugged him my arms would wrap tightly around his thighs and my head would rest on his waist. He would laugh at me while trying to keep his balance so I wouldn‘t get hurt. Speaking very distinctively, he pronounced each word with precision. Many times going over it again to say it clearer. I guess having a PhD and being a Chemist professor made him do it more than the average person. He always wore a black suit with a red button down shirt.
March 27th, 2006 at 3:27 amIn fact everyone at that church wore black and red. I never really did quite understand it until I got older. The church was called The Shrine of the Black Madonna. It was a big white church, that had big white columns in the front that reminded me of a building out of Washington DC. The shrine of the Black Madonna believed in the temple of the black mother. They believed that Mary was of color, therefore Jesus was also born of color.
My dad was born and raised as a Christian. A very loving, very caring young man met my mother at a bus stop in downtown Detroit after a hard days work as a chef. On the flip side my mother was born and raised as a Muslim. The “cultural norm†is to marry another person of the same religion or to convert to the same religion as chosen. While growing up I had a hard time finding out where I should stand. Some people call my situation confused and universally unacceptable. I call it a gift. A gift that has brought me the knowledge and perspectives of both religions. I have been brought up in a situation to make a choice.
But the choices of this situation is hard for a young adult growing up in the United States of America. The power of religion is a very touchy subject in most cases because there are so many unanswered questions, and so many religions to choose from it’s almost impossible to know the right one to have a straight ticket to heaven. So what do I do? Unlike most kids in the world, I was taught to have a choice. A choice between not only Islam and Christianity, but a choice of what ever religion that I felt was best and suitable for me and my relationship with God. However this choice is not easy.
The idea of cultural fear through religion has been instilled in all of our minds without even knowing it. No matter how diverse America is, Christianity is and will always be the most dominant and the most powerful religion out of them all. I have yet to see the words “After Hanukah Sale†at the malls, nor have I seen a Kwanzaa special on television in place of the movies “A Christmas Story†or “The Grinch“. When walking through a pile of influence, how can you not like Santa Claus? As a young child, I was amazed at all of the bright lights, and color schemes they had going on for Christmas, and most of us have been through the awkward stage of finding out who the real Santa Claus was, and somehow letting your parents know at the same time. I waited in line with my mom to sit on Santa’s lap and ask for a wish. Although my mother grew up Muslim, and my dad Christian, she still had an open mind. In fact one of her favorite movies in her DVD collection is “The Ten Commandmentsâ€, and so was my father, taking me down to the Masjid to pray on Fridays, and always joining in himself.
After the attacks on America’s world trade center, the so called free and equal America no longer existed. I call it The Year of the “American†Flags. We cannot help that the ignorance of a particular group associated with the Islamic religion decided to hold an attack on America, but it hurt me to see the generalizations of all the people of the Islamic religion be claimed as terrorist attackers. To be fired from jobs, to have their homes and cars vandalized, to have their children embarrassed to the point that some were even afraid to go to school. Yes it is a matter of religion. Yes it is a matter of race.
So what is culturally accepted? America did not attack white man nor deny the faith of Christianity when Timothy McVey bombed Oklahoma. Not one American flag was raised. Not one vandalism, at least not for the killings of Columbine High School, and so that only leaves me to think what we “ Americans†stand for is not justice, peace, life, and the pursuit of happiness. Those flags during September symbolized the modern version of egocentric bigotries towards Muslims, and their religion. So until this day I believe in a higher power than all man. I believe in God, and have my own personal relationship with God. I’ve cried in church, I’ve prayed in Arabic, I’ve received and given away Christmas gifts, I know the seven days of Kwanzaa, and what they mean, I’ve been to Kingdom hall services, and passed out Jehovah witness pamphlets. But I question, who am I to judge the face of God? Our government is run by the strong Christian faith religion, but it confuses us all when you say not to abort a baby that has been conceived by a father’s raped daughter, and yes to kill a mistakenly innocent man on death row. A heated argument in Texas questions if the U.S Supreme court should publicly display the stone slab bearing the Ten Commandments out front. Rick Wingrove is the Virginia director for a group called American Atheists. He was asked what would happen if the Supreme Court ruled that the displays were legal; "It would mean that the court has done wrong," he said. "They have abandoned the Jeffersonian (President Thomas Jefferson) principles of the Constitution and that Christianity had gained official favoritism in this country, which will be very bad for people like me. People like me, atheists, who have come to a different conclusion about religion than these people have" (Jim Marlone, Supreme Court on Ten Commandments).
We call ourselves people, followers of God, any God that we have chosen for our own personal benefits, but are we really followers in the eyes of God or just followers of the power of mankind? Followers of the universally accepted crowd. Afraid of change, and afraid of standing out. As the idea of mainstream Christianity continually grows, an invisible force field is formed. Many individuals must associate themselves with an identity to distinguish them from other people, Christianity could be looked at as a way to achieve this goal. Many people also want to be looked at as a good person. A person of excellence and even more in today’s society, a person of perfection, flawless, powerful, and in control just as the image of God or Jesus has been pictured to be. This “goodâ€, “flawless†image is created and manipulated to somehow justify the actions, of the imperfect human being. But I choose not to be this way. Throughout all of my life I have been exposed to different religions, and even when I was a young child attending church with my grandfather I was brought up learning the ways and beliefs of Christianity in a far more different way than most. This taught me to view these same ideas and beliefs from a different perspective. Even though I dreaded waking up early on those Sunday mornings, there was a bigger plan in store for me to learn new things, and to be that special one to look beyond the superficial. I always wanted to know the answer to the many different religions around the world, but I’ll never get it. So I’m waiting for it to hit me one of these days. And if it happens to be something out of the cultural norms, I won’t be afraid.
“The “Great†Communicatorâ€
In Regan’s farewell address, he discusses how his time in office as President has made some of the greatest changes for the American people, while also stating what it is to be an American. He try’s to relate to the citizens of America to make them feel as if he and they are in the same boat. He uses the word “we†a lot throughout the address as if Regan was for the people, and only for the people’s best interest. In his address, he felt that “We the people†tell the government what to do…this belief has been the underlying basis for everything I‘ve tried to do these past eight years“, and sort of justifies his actions stating that he only did what “the peopleâ€, citizen of America, told him to do. Almost like blaming the people in a really, really nice way. Regan is also very patriotic in his speech, longing for the need to teach younger children of the modern world the importance of being an American. He feels as if “we forget what we did, we won’t know who we areâ€. As if knowing what it is to be an American defines each and every person of the culturally integrated America. One of the interesting statements Regan said was that “ if your parents haven’t been teaching you what it is to be an American, let ‘em know and nail it on it. That would be a very American thing to do. I felt a little uneasy about this statement, because there are so many different views for America, and neither two people are the same, to say exactly what an American is or what it stands for. But the “nail ‘em on it†statement made me feel that American want results fast, are demanding, pessimistic, always putting pressure on someone, and if they don’t get what they want, “pull the plugâ€, they are very cold, and non-feeling. Most of the Regan Revolution was using “common senseâ€. Cutting taxes to produce more for the country, building the economy, and to†become strong again after years of weaknessâ€. He makes his accomplishments sound like one of the best of them all, and applauds his influence through fear of other countries of turning their ideas and beliefs into the best one in his opinion, “the moral and practical way of governmentâ€. However, as Zinn explains the contrasting side of the real America, there is a dramatic difference. Most of what is written in Regan’s speech would make me feel like one of the best of people, if I were rich. Zinn argues that most of the speeches for the presidential elections are just filled with unfulfilling promises, hopes, and dreams. And that most politicians state all of these promises to win the hearts of most of the heavy populated voters that are of middle class, or poor class regions and then get their way in office Zinn shows how Regan’s eight year office stay was one of the worst decision the citizens made. He uses sympathy/ pathos towards the middle class for his reader. He speaks very much of President Carter, and his horrendous journey in office as president. The vast amount of “rhetoric, promises, and their major concern was their own political powerâ€, made the voters stay away from polls, and their desires for voting, plummeted. As Zinn gives examples of how the system works, he shows how Regan’s stay in office “would be more crass-cutting benefits to poor people, lowering taxes for the wealthy, increasing military budget, filling the federal court system with conservative judges, actively working to destroy revelatory movements in the Caribbeanâ€. He states that in fact Regan was not for†the people†or for what was “moraleâ€, and he proves this by showing how in “Regan and-Bush years the Rehnquist Court made a series of decisions that weakened Roe vs. Wade, brought back the death penalty, reduced the rights of detainees against police powers, prevented doctors in federally supported family planning clinics from giving information on abortions, and said that poor people could be forced to pay for public education (education was not a “fundamental rightâ€). Zinn gives the picture of the Regan-Bush administration to be selfish, as Regan continued to push the nation into “Corporate America†that was full of essential production and growth for the economy as Regan put it. But there was another side that Zinn addresses and that included that the “19 million†new jobs Regan’s stated in his address, produced great amounts of “poisoning in the air, the seas and rivers, and the deaths of thousands each year as a result of work conditionsâ€. He states that Regan was a “conservative president†and will continue to lean towards conservative things such as economic growth for political survival, rather than the health and safety for “we the American peopleâ€, and “business worries about regulation seemed to override the safety of the public. Regan proposed tax cuts of 190 billion dollars (most of this going to the wealthy. What was great in the eyes of president Regan was fatal to the Americans. “ By the end of Regan’s years, the gap between rich and poor in the United States had grown dramatically“…“30 million people were unemployed…16 million Americans lost medical insurance, and free school lunches were taken away for poor children who depended on it, as it might be the only source of nutrition they get for the entire day. Not even the most scholarly person could find a job because the jobs couldn’t afford to pay them any money. Unequal opportunities soared and “black children were four times as likely as white to grow up on welfareâ€. Regan’s used money for weapons and military force instead of using it to help people. He never wanted to show failure that the nuclear missile test for a shield in space had failed so he faked that the test had succeeded. Regan never wanted to look weak and made a weak attempt at blaming the Americans for his faults, but what was really made into victories in his address, and saying it was what the people wanted. I’m quite sure that that “we the people†did not sign up for the deaths of millions, or approved of being jobless, moneyless, unhealthy, and sick. Zinn addresses this situation, and continues to make the people aware that Regan’s years was not one for the American people.
IS THIS BUSH OR WHAT.....
March 27th, 2006 at 3:29 amGEORGE BUSH DOESNT LIKE BLACK PEOPLE!!!!.....HAHAHAHAHA SAD...BUT OH SO TRUE...
March 27th, 2006 at 3:31 amSORRY ITS SO MUCH YOU GUYS...I'M A FRESHMAN HERE AT STATE, ITS 2006, I GOT CALLED A MONKEY IN THE CAFETERIA A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND BUSH LIKES TO TAKE LUXURIOUS VACATIONS WHEN PEOPLE ARE DYEING...IM JUST BEARING THE IDEAS OF REAL LIFE IN "AMERICA"...IM GROWING...
March 27th, 2006 at 3:39 amP.S Ryan Neat you took the words right out of my mouth...Paul needs to wake up and smell the color copying machine, not the coffee, because obviously he has no idea his 5 dollar a gallon gas money is going right out the window...hahaha...awww poor tax dollars..hey p.s did anybody know that they are giving tours to see the disasters of New Orleans...and guess where the money is going....not to New Orleans i'll tell you that much...
March 27th, 2006 at 3:48 am[...] How about these quotes; [...]
August 24th, 2006 at 1:37 pmAny speech about steps to be taken is forward looking, as “Smirk again, George, and I will smack you.†That’s forward looking speech. Handling the disaster of a class 5 hurricane striking a large city exceeds the authority of a state or local leader. National policy stipulates that an immanence of that degree calls on the national government to take control of the response. None of this has anything to do with what liberals say; it has to do with what the chief managers do, whatever their political bent. It is on him and the people he put in the big chairs. But they didn’t pay attention and so they didn’t do.
November 20th, 2006 at 5:33 ambribers vileness?Castro bittersweet ambidextrous success swollen
December 9th, 2006 at 1:18 am