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No man loves this great country of ours more than I do. I have a great sense of patriotism that swells from my belief that our country is still a beacon for democracy around the world, and that the best of our country lies not in Washington DC but in the hearts of its citizens. However the lights of that beacon have grown dim; and, therefore, I shall speak my thoughts freely and without reservation. The time for sitting idle has ended and it is time that we rise to defend the honor and integrity of this great nation which has given us so much and yet has asked so little in return. The question before this great nation is one of the utmost importance. To use the words of Patrick Henry, “I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate.” It is only through the discourse that we can preserve freedom and democracy for future generation of Americans yet unborn. Some would say that I should keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving the President the ammunition needed to retain his stranglehold on power. But I question the validity of those beliefs; if I do not speak out then I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country and do not deserve the citizenship which I was given.
It is natural for people to believe in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the words of fools in order to make ourselves believe that there are no problems with the great nation. Is this the role that patriotic Americans are to play? Are we disposed to be someone who, having eyes, cannot see the truth, and, having ears, have lost the ability to hear, the things which concern the future of this great nation? For my part, whatever it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the Bush administration for the last three years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves that the have earned the right to lead this nation for another four years. Is it his use of the word values with which the President attempts to appease the American people that he is not a dangerous man? I urge my fellow Americans not to trust that for it is the gateway to slavery. Is it the fear tactics that he uses to distract us from the economic peril which faces the poor and middle class in this nation? We should not allow ourselves to sell our liberties and freedom for the delusion of safety. We must ask ourselves are we willing to sell the future of our children in order to obtain an small sense of security. Are we willing to leave to our children a heritage of deficits and broken promises? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be counted and heard that are will to accept another 4 years of this despotic regime? Let us not deceive ourselves, war has started and it is not one that will be fought on the battlefield of some foreign land, but rather it will be fought the hearts and mind of the American people? There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free -- if we mean to preserve those invaluable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not to abandon the righteous struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until we have obtained victory over the ones who wish to enslave us then we must fight! An appeal to take up the responsibility of preserving our democracy is all that is left for us!
The President says that John Kerry is weak; and unable to cope with such a formidable security issues such as Iraq and the “War on Terrorism”. But really who is stronger? Is it a sign of strength to destroy our alliances and go to war with a nation who did not pose a direct threat to the national security of our nation? Can the character of a leader be determined by what they did when it was there time to put their lives on the line? Shall we rest in the comfort of our strength alone? I say, that we are not weak if we make a proper use of our allies to defend the people of this world against the terrorist who threaten our way of life. Before we can expect to defeat this enemy we must first be able to identify the enemy and know how to defeat it. We must not fight this battle alone. The first battle of this war will take place on November 2, 2004 when we decide who will lead us for the next four years.
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