Now that we have a new President, and he speaks quite differently from the previous one, maybe we should consider these excerpts from Obama’s farewell speech on January 10, 2017
“We say America is exceptional.”
“If I had told you eight years ago that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history …if I had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, take out the mastermind of 9/11… if I had told you that we would win marriage equality, and secure the right to health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow citizens… if I had told you all that, you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But that’s what we did. That’s what you did.”
“I committed to President-elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition…”
“To begin with, our democracy won’t work without a sense that everyone has economic opportunity. And the good news is that today the economy is growing again. Wages, incomes, home values, and retirement accounts are all rising again. Poverty is falling again.”
“Health care costs are rising at the slowest rate in 50 years.”
“Race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society. Now, I’ve lived long enough to know that race relations are better than they were 10, or 20, or 30 years ago, no matter what some folks say.”
“Take the challenge of climate change. In just eight years, we’ve halved our dependence on foreign oil; we’ve doubled our renewable energy; we’ve led the world to an agreement that has the promise to save this planet.”
“Because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform, because of our intelligence officers, and law enforcement, and diplomats who support our troops, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years.”
“The global coalition we’re leading against ISIL has taken out their leaders, and taken away about half their territory.”
“I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans, who are just as patriotic as we are.”
“ISIL will try to kill innocent people. But they cannot defeat America unless we betray our Constitution and our principles in the fight.”
“Our Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift. But it’s really just a piece of parchment.”
“Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, girl of the South Side, for the past 25 years, you have not only been my wife and mother of my children, you have been my best friend. You took on a role you didn’t ask for and you made it your own, with grace and with grit and with style and good humor. You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And the new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. So you have made me proud. And you have made the country proud.”
“…this generation coming up, unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic, I’ve seen you in every corner of the country. You believe in a fair, and just, and inclusive America.”
From the Cairo speech, June 4, 2009
“I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles.”
“As the Holy Koran tells us, “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.”
“I’m a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.”
“As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam — at places like Al-Azhar — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities… it was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality. “
“I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, “The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims.” And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.”
“I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”
“…the United States government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab and to punish those who would deny it.”
“So let there be no doubt: Islam is a part of America.”
“The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all of its forms. In Ankara, I made clear that America is not — and never will be — at war with Islam. We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security — because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women, and children. And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people.”
“The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as — it is as if he has killed all mankind.”
“America’s strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable.”
“The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable.”
“Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and it does not succeed. For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America’s founding.”
“…a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra — when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, peace be upon them, joined in prayer.”
“America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.”
“Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. “
“…the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls…”
Tags: Barack Obama ISIS
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