I'm trying to be the first blogger on this, on the web, so this will be short. :)
Google is no longer flagging pages with the "This site may harm your computer" designation.
It's going to be a PR nightmare, but Google knew it was coming.
I'm a bit late on this one- but I did watch some of it live. Our school's internet is patchy though, so I missed probably 95% of it. Oh well.
Here it is. Go watch it if you haven't.
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 forbearers, 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 short-cuts 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 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.
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. And 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 - 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, 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 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 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 today, 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.
4 more days. We're almost here- and history is about to be made.
There's lots of speculation about Tuesday- but one thing is sure- it's going to be big.
The list of VIP's reads like a who's who of American stardom. If you haven't heard by now, Obama is swearing on Abraham Lincoln's bible- it's first use since 1881.
Many bookies are beginning to solicit bets on these kind of things, and Lincoln is a 10 to 11 bet for the first president Obama is likely to reference in his speech.
There's only been ~247,000 official invitations issued for the event- and they're flying off eBay at ridiculous prices. Interest is so high- one ticket seller listed the price at $20095. Yesterday, Congress passed a bill forbidding scalpers from hawking illegal tickets, but a quick trip to eBay reveals that
I got my english essay back today with a big fat "61" on the front. I thought my essay deserved better, so my teacher told me to redo it. I didn't have time, but I made some minor revisions. Still, a second set of eyes is better than one. Please, help me :).
I actually thought my initial essay was better, stylistically, but this one is chock full of quotes, which is what the teach wants. *sigh.
Please ignore the lack of italics for quotes. They're on the original, but it doesn't go well when I copy and paste it.
ESSAY BEGINS HERE
Recent events have served as a powerful testament to love’s lack of influence in our cruel reality. Every day, our world is torn apart by the madness of humanity. Love is powerful in theory, but woefully weak in practice. Romeo was an idealist, more concerned with the principles of love, rather than its application. Instead of pausing to consider the implications of Tybalt’s death, he let fire ey'd fury be [his] conduct (III,I,125), and consequently, proceeded to rashly kill his wife’s cousin. “True” love would not have let that happen. If love’s depth was as great as Shakespeare had suggested, Romeo would have paused before undertaking a crime as heinous as murder- especially within his own family. Love made him blind, and during the famous balcony scene- he was willing to die for Juliet before he had gotten to know her. "Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye / Then twenty of their swords," "let them find me here. / My life were better ended by their hate / Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love," (II,ii,71-72,76-78). On the same note, Juliet was also overtly dramatic. She had a tendency to threaten death, indicating an apparent disregard for her life. “Myself have power to die” (III, v, 242) and after consummating her marriage with Romeo, she begs him to stay, "Let me be ta’en; let me be put to death. / I am content," (III.v.17-18) seemingly caring little for her, or her husband’s livelihood. Such things are not the hallmarks of a supposedly perfect, powerful emotion. Lovers may be infatuated with each other, but it shouldn’t be at the risk of losing your self-preservation instinct. Love in Romeo and Juliet is not perfect, and its consistent failure was been demonstrated in a variety of circumstances because of its inherently fragile nature, inability to affect the families of the betrothed, and Romeo and Juliet’s refusal to petition those close to them.
Ultimately, love’s strength became its own weakness, because its inherent fragility limited its own actions, and it eventually became the undoing of both Romeo and Juliet. The love of the two did nothing to prevent their deaths. When contemplating the cause of their deaths, it is crucially important to consider what love did to the couple. It was so overwhelming, that it drove them to a romantically driven madness. Their love was emotionally powerful, but in the grand scheme of things, it was immature and unstable. Even Juliet agreed that Romeo’s initial proposal was premature. I have no joy of this contract to-night:It is too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden (II,ii,117-118). Love should have been able to prepare the couple for their deaths. They both knew it was bound to happen, eventually. The circumstances of their union should have made it expected. And yet, it failed to do a task so simple. Even still, Romeo and Juliet failed to consider the other’s wishes. If their love were truly as powerful as it appeared, would they not have considered the other’s desires? Independent of each other, both partners would have wanted the other to survive. If they had, which is probable, then by committing suicide, both Romeo and Juliet intentionally disrespected the legacy of each other’s lives. If they had not, it brings into question the scope of the partner’s relationship. Faithful partners certainly would not want each other dead. It is also important to remember that in the time that Romeo and Juliet was written, the Bible was viewed as a definitive source for moral information. By committing suicide, both Romeo and Juliet placed their immature emotions over their likely religions. They both killed themselves with no consideration of the results of their deaths towards their already fragile families, neither acknowledging that suicide would not bring back the dead. Both understood the finality of their suicide, but decided to pursue it nevertheless. And never from this palace of dim night Depart again: here, here will I remain (V, iii, 109). They did not even speak about being with each other in the afterlife, but only of ending their own sorrow. Although the act may have seemed noble, their intentions definitely were not. Love should not be selfish. Romeo and Juliet are dead- their deaths certainly are not disputed, and it is probably one of the strongest cases against love’s power.
The case for love is weakened also because it had no effect on any members of either family until the very end. Love’s power was able to affect Romeo and Juliet, to the point of death, but its inability to work in others is a demonstration of its failings. Most salient of these points, is when considering the family rivalry. Although the feud had by then already grown old, with Capulet ready to make peace, “But Montague is bound as well as I, in penalty alike; and 'tis not hard, I think, for men as old as we to keep the peace”. (I, ii, and 1-3) the families did not reconcile until the final act. Ultimately, their conditional reconciliation was due to the death of loved ones, not love’s supposed omnipotence. Additionally, despite Juliet’s insistence that she marry Romeo, the Nurse still recommended that she break her vows in order to marry Paris. “Then, since the case so stands as now it doth, I think it best you married with the County. O, he's a lovely gentleman!” (III,v, 226-229). It is a prime example of the powerlessness of love. There are reasons aside from the obvious for Romeo’s lack of romantic speech to his friends. Early in the play, (notably in II,i), Romeo’s friends show a complete lack of relational maturity “If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark”(II,I,35). Romeo likely knew that his “authentic” love would do little to stop his friends from ridiculing him, and consequently, decided to keep his relationship a secret. Romeo’s friends, Juliet’s nurse, the families of the betrothed- nearly no one was affected in any way by love until Romeo and Juliet’s untimely deaths.
Love’s power is further discredited by Romeo and Juliet’s fear of petitioning their families. Dissidence gives humanity a voice, and Romeo and Juliet clearly lacked it. Romeo and Juliet, despite their seemingly infallible love, found it necessary to hide from their families “I would not for the world they saw thee here” (II,ii,78) Their love, however faithful, could not overcome an emotion as basic as fear. On that same note, neither even attempted to convince their families of the authenticity of their bond. That simple failure to act almost contradicts the concept of Romeo and Juliet’s “unconditional love”. A couple as devoted as they were should have at least attempted to persuade their families of the legitimacy of their bond. Romeo was prepared to disown his family in the name of love. “Call me but love, and I shall be new baptized; henceforth I will never be Romeo.” (2.2 50-51) Family bonds should not be so easily broken. By doing so, Romeo disrespected the very people who brought him into the world, and in that, proved that love can be easily overridden by itself. Something so “powerful” should be indestructible. Juliet, in the same theme, went as far as to trick her parents in order to be back with her lover. Again, it could be argued here in favour of love’s undying power, but realistically, Juliet’s actions indicated exactly the opposite. Her faked death not only scarred, and greatly saddened her family; O me, O me! My child, my only life, Revive, look up, or I will die with thee! (IV,v, 22-23) & “Death, that hath ta'en her hence to make me wail, Ties up my tongue and will not let me speak.” (IV,v, 35) -it acted as a testament to her lack of courage. Her love for Romeo should have conquered her fear of her parents. It is questionable that she did not even inform Romeo of this plan beforehand, nor consulted with him prior to taking action, which in the end, resulted in their premature deaths. It also gives us further reason to doubt her love for her parents. They, after all, were the people who so lovingly raised her. If love is so easily deferred, from one person, to another, perhaps it has less strength than we think. Love has separated countless couples from their families. It is a common theme in today’s modern dramas. But Romeo and Juliet were too afraid to risk adversity. It is not the hallmark of a powerful emotion. Romeo and Juliet’s love failed to provide resistance to their parents, even in spite of their prejudiced judgments, displaying love’s clear inability to conquer other factors.
It has been repeatedly proved that love’s strength fails under careful examination. A variety of contradictory factors have effectively dismantled it credibility. Romeo’s love changed, twice, despite his vows not to. Speaking of Rosaline- One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun / Ne’er saw her match since first the world begun," (I,ii.94-95), he vows never to see another woman. A few scenes later, however, he instantly becomes infatuated with Juliet. “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand .Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!” (I,v,43-52)
His words directly contradict his previous obsession with Rosaline. Love does not, cannot, and will not ever conquer all. Both in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and in the real world, it can be proven time and again that it is not as invulnerable as it may seem. Just like everything else, love fails in the face of adversity.
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