If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Obama's acceptance speach after the nomination
The following is the transcript of Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, as recorded by CQ Transcriptions.
OBAMA: Thank you so much.
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Thank you very much.
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Thank you, everybody.
To -- to Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin, and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation, with profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States.
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Let me -- let me express -- let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest, a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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To President Clinton, to President Bill Clinton, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it...
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... to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service...
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... and to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you.
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I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.
To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama...
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... and to Malia and Sasha, I love you so much, and I am so proud of you.
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Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
It is that promise that's always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women -- students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.
We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.
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America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.
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This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.
We're a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment that he's worked on for 20 years and watch as it's shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.
We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty...
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... that sits...
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... that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.
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Tonight, tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land: Enough. This moment...
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This moment, this moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.
Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third.
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
And we are here -- we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight.
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On November 4th, on November 4th, we must stand up and say: Eight is enough.
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Now, now, let me -- let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and our respect.
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And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.
But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.
Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but, really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time?
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I don't know about you, but I am not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.
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The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives -- on health care, and education, and the economy -- Senator McCain has been anything but independent.
He said that our economy has made great progress under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong.
And when one of his chief advisers, the man who wrote his economic plan, was talking about the anxieties that Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a mental recession and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."
(AUDIENCE BOOS) A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made.
Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third, or fourth, or fifth tour of duty.
These are not whiners. They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know.
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Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans; I just think he doesn't know.
(LAUGHTER)
Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies, but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans?
OBAMA: How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
It's not because John McCain doesn't care; it's because John McCain doesn't get it.
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For over two decades -- for over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy: Give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.
In Washington, they call this the "Ownership Society," but what it really means is that you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck, you're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don't have boots. You are on your own.
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Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America. And that's why I'm running for president of the United States.
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You see, you see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.
We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage, whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma.
We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president...
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... when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000, like it has under George Bush. (APPLAUSE)
We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job, an economy that honors the dignity of work.
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great, a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.
Because, in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the G.I. Bill.
In the face of that young student, who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree, who once turned to food stamps, but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.
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When I -- when I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.
And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business or making her way in the world, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman.
She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight and that tonight is her night, as well.
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Now, I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine.
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These are my heroes; theirs are the stories that shaped my life. And it is on behalf of them that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.
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What -- what is that American promise? It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have obligations to treat each other with dignity and respect.
It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, to look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.
Ours -- ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools, and new roads, and science, and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.
That's the promise of America, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation, the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper.
That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now.
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So -- so let me -- let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.
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Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
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You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
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I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
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I will -- listen now -- I will cut taxes -- cut taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class.
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And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
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We will do this. Washington -- Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years. And, by the way, John McCain has been there for 26 of them.
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And in that time, he has said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil than we had on the day that Senator McCain took office.
Now is the time to end this addiction and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution, not even close.
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As president, as president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America.
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I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.
OBAMA: And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power, and solar power (OTCBB:SOPW) , and the next generation of biofuels -- an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced.
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America, now is not the time for small plans. Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.
You know, Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance.
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I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries, and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability.
And we will keep our promise to every young American: If you commit to serving your community or our country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
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Now -- now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American.
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If you have health care -- if you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.
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And -- and as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.
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Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their job and caring for a sick child or an ailing parent.
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses, and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.
And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons.
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Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime: by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow.
But I will also go through the federal budget line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less, because we cannot meet 21st-century challenges with a 20th-century bureaucracy.
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And, Democrats, Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our intellectual and moral strength.
Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient.
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Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents, that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework, that fathers must take more responsibility to provide love and guidance to their children.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility, that's the essence of America's promise. And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad.
If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament and judgment to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.
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For -- for while -- while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face.
When John McCain said we could just muddle through in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights.
You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives.
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And today, today, as my call for a timeframe to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has $79 billion in surplus while we are wallowing in deficit, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.
That's not the judgment we need; that won't keep America safe. We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.
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You don't defeat -- you don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances.
If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice, but that is not the change that America needs.
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We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe.
The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans, Democrats and Republicans, have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.
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As commander-in-chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
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I will end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against Al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts, but I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression.
I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation, poverty and genocide, climate change and disease.
And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.
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These -- these are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.
But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes, because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and each other's patriotism.
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The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain.
The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together, and bled together, and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America; they have served the United States of America.
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So I've got news for you, John McCain: We all put our country first.
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America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices. And Democrats, as well as Republicans, will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past, for part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose, and that's what we have to restore.
We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.
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The -- the reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
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I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in a hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.
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You know, passions may fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.
But this, too, is part of America's promise, the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer, and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values.
And that's to be expected, because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters.
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If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things.
And you know what? It's worked before, because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping and settle for what you already know.
I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.
But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me; it's about you.
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It's about you.
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For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said, "Enough," to the politics of the past. You understand that, in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same, old politics with the same, old players and expect a different result.
You have shown what history teaches us, that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.
(APPLAUSE)
Change happens -- change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments.
I believe that, as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming, because I've seen it, because I've lived it.
Because I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work.
I've seen it in Washington, where we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans, and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists.
And I've seen it in this campaign, in the young people who voted for the first time and the young at heart, those who got involved again after a very long time; in the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did.
(APPLAUSE)
I've seen it -- I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day, even though they can't afford it, than see their friends lose their jobs; in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb; in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.
You know, this country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
Instead, it is that American spirit, that American promise, that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.
That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night and a promise that you make to yours, a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west, a promise that led workers to picket lines and women to reach for the ballot.
(APPLAUSE) And it is that promise that, 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.
(APPLAUSE)
The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustrations of so many dreams deferred.
But what the people heard instead -- people of every creed and color, from every walk of life -- is that, in America, our destiny is inextricably linked, that together our dreams can be one.
"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."
America, we cannot turn back...
(APPLAUSE)
... not with so much work to be done; not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for; not with an economy to fix, and cities to rebuild, and farms to save; not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend.
America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone.
At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
www.nytimes.com
OBAMA: Thank you so much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you, everybody.
To -- to Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin, and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation, with profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
Let me -- let me express -- let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest, a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
To President Clinton, to President Bill Clinton, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it...
(APPLAUSE)
... to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service...
(APPLAUSE)
... and to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.
To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama...
(APPLAUSE)
... and to Malia and Sasha, I love you so much, and I am so proud of you.
(APPLAUSE)
Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
It is that promise that's always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women -- students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.
We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.
(APPLAUSE)
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.
(APPLAUSE)
This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.
We're a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment that he's worked on for 20 years and watch as it's shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.
We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty...
(APPLAUSE)
... that sits...
(APPLAUSE)
... that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land: Enough. This moment...
(APPLAUSE)
This moment, this moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.
Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third.
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
And we are here -- we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight.
(APPLAUSE)
On November 4th, on November 4th, we must stand up and say: Eight is enough.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, now, let me -- let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and our respect.
(APPLAUSE)
And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.
But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.
Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but, really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time?
(APPLAUSE)
I don't know about you, but I am not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.
(APPLAUSE)
The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives -- on health care, and education, and the economy -- Senator McCain has been anything but independent.
He said that our economy has made great progress under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong.
And when one of his chief advisers, the man who wrote his economic plan, was talking about the anxieties that Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a mental recession and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."
(AUDIENCE BOOS) A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made.
Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third, or fourth, or fifth tour of duty.
These are not whiners. They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans; I just think he doesn't know.
(LAUGHTER)
Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies, but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans?
OBAMA: How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
It's not because John McCain doesn't care; it's because John McCain doesn't get it.
(APPLAUSE)
For over two decades -- for over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy: Give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.
In Washington, they call this the "Ownership Society," but what it really means is that you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck, you're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don't have boots. You are on your own.
(APPLAUSE)
Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America. And that's why I'm running for president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
You see, you see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.
We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage, whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma.
We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president...
(APPLAUSE)
... when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000, like it has under George Bush. (APPLAUSE)
We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job, an economy that honors the dignity of work.
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great, a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.
Because, in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the G.I. Bill.
In the face of that young student, who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree, who once turned to food stamps, but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.
(APPLAUSE)
When I -- when I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.
And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business or making her way in the world, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman.
She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight and that tonight is her night, as well.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine.
(APPLAUSE)
These are my heroes; theirs are the stories that shaped my life. And it is on behalf of them that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
What -- what is that American promise? It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have obligations to treat each other with dignity and respect.
It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, to look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.
Ours -- ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools, and new roads, and science, and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.
That's the promise of America, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation, the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper.
That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now.
(APPLAUSE)
So -- so let me -- let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.
(APPLAUSE)
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
(APPLAUSE)
I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
(APPLAUSE)
I will -- listen now -- I will cut taxes -- cut taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class.
(APPLAUSE)
And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
(APPLAUSE)
We will do this. Washington -- Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years. And, by the way, John McCain has been there for 26 of them.
(LAUGHTER)
And in that time, he has said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil than we had on the day that Senator McCain took office.
Now is the time to end this addiction and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution, not even close.
(APPLAUSE)
As president, as president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America.
(APPLAUSE)
I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.
OBAMA: And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power, and solar power (OTCBB:SOPW) , and the next generation of biofuels -- an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced.
(APPLAUSE)
America, now is not the time for small plans. Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.
You know, Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance.
(APPLAUSE)
I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries, and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability.
And we will keep our promise to every young American: If you commit to serving your community or our country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
(APPLAUSE)
Now -- now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American.
(APPLAUSE)
If you have health care -- if you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.
(APPLAUSE)
And -- and as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.
(APPLAUSE)
Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their job and caring for a sick child or an ailing parent.
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses, and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.
And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime: by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow.
But I will also go through the federal budget line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less, because we cannot meet 21st-century challenges with a 20th-century bureaucracy.
(APPLAUSE)
And, Democrats, Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our intellectual and moral strength.
Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents, that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework, that fathers must take more responsibility to provide love and guidance to their children.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility, that's the essence of America's promise. And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad.
If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament and judgment to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.
(APPLAUSE)
For -- for while -- while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face.
When John McCain said we could just muddle through in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights.
You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives.
(APPLAUSE)
And today, today, as my call for a timeframe to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has $79 billion in surplus while we are wallowing in deficit, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.
That's not the judgment we need; that won't keep America safe. We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.
(APPLAUSE)
You don't defeat -- you don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances.
If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice, but that is not the change that America needs.
(APPLAUSE)
We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe.
The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans, Democrats and Republicans, have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.
(APPLAUSE)
As commander-in-chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
(APPLAUSE)
I will end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against Al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts, but I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression.
I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation, poverty and genocide, climate change and disease.
And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.
(APPLAUSE)
These -- these are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.
But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes, because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and each other's patriotism.
(APPLAUSE)
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain.
The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together, and bled together, and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America; they have served the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
So I've got news for you, John McCain: We all put our country first.
(APPLAUSE)
America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices. And Democrats, as well as Republicans, will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past, for part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose, and that's what we have to restore.
We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.
(APPLAUSE)
The -- the reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
(APPLAUSE)
I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in a hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, passions may fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.
But this, too, is part of America's promise, the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer, and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values.
And that's to be expected, because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters.
(APPLAUSE)
If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things.
And you know what? It's worked before, because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping and settle for what you already know.
I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.
But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me; it's about you.
(APPLAUSE)
It's about you.
(APPLAUSE)
For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said, "Enough," to the politics of the past. You understand that, in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same, old politics with the same, old players and expect a different result.
You have shown what history teaches us, that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.
(APPLAUSE)
Change happens -- change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments.
I believe that, as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming, because I've seen it, because I've lived it.
Because I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work.
I've seen it in Washington, where we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans, and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists.
And I've seen it in this campaign, in the young people who voted for the first time and the young at heart, those who got involved again after a very long time; in the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did.
(APPLAUSE)
I've seen it -- I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day, even though they can't afford it, than see their friends lose their jobs; in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb; in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.
You know, this country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
Instead, it is that American spirit, that American promise, that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.
That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night and a promise that you make to yours, a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west, a promise that led workers to picket lines and women to reach for the ballot.
(APPLAUSE) And it is that promise that, 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.
(APPLAUSE)
The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustrations of so many dreams deferred.
But what the people heard instead -- people of every creed and color, from every walk of life -- is that, in America, our destiny is inextricably linked, that together our dreams can be one.
"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."
America, we cannot turn back...
(APPLAUSE)
... not with so much work to be done; not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for; not with an economy to fix, and cities to rebuild, and farms to save; not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend.
America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone.
At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
www.nytimes.com
Friday, August 1, 2008
BLACK IN AMERICA: With an Accent
Written by Timothy K. Ndegwa
On July 23rd and 24th of this year, millions of people worldwide - most of them African Americans (read Blacks) - were glued to their television screens watching a prime time special investigation report “Black in America” hosted by Soledad O'Brien on CNN.
According to Nielsen Media Research, more than 4.5 million viewers watched the well-researched report. This report explored the experiences of the black woman and family and the state of the black man in America.
O’Brien covered the wealthy, the middle class and the poor black living in the same America whereby some are living the American dream and others are not. She covered all the obstacles at length.
Like most of the viewers, considering myself black and in America, I figured out I may as well jump in the band wagon and watch it and I am pretty sure that most of those reading this article watched the show.
Soledad O'Brien, born María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien from a father who is Irish Australian and mother who is Afro-Cuban is a senior reporter with CNN special investigations unit. So, this makes her a second generation of immigrants just like Barack Hussein Obama, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in this year’s presidential election, whose father came from Nyang’oma Kogelo, Siaya District, Kenya.
Now, this means being born in America, it’s hard to detect an accent. Yes, I said an accent. Consider the first generations coming from other countries and the accent that lands in the USA ports daily.
This makes you fall under Black in America with an accent category and everytime you open your mouth, it’s easy to tell you aren’t from here.
In the few (read many) years I have lived in the USA, I still carry my accent and you know what, I might try to twist or roll my tongue in a particular way, form or shape to hide my accent but a good listener will detect it.
Assuming we live in the same America, everytime you open your mouth you have heard things close to, where are you from? or I detect an accent? or what is your origin? or I can not understand what you are saying or Can you speak slowly?or can I speak with someone who speaks english (if you have penetrated in the call center world answering phone calls) or are you from Nigeria? (does that make everyone from Africa a Nigerian?). Some even try to teach you how to pronounce Kenya like you just saw that word for the first time.
Some main networks even translate to listeners or viewers even when you are speaking pure queens english or translate by rolling captions at the bottom of your screen.
With such questions, you better be in good books with the authorities before you take your hard earned education creditial to look for a job or position that you are academically qualified.
This makes you wonder why is Onyango or Kamau or Ngeno always working in such and such a place after all the graduation ceremonies he has invited us to where he is always graduating with honors.
If all immigrants could write books of what they have gone through or not achieved because they are not only black in America, but with an accent some of which are deep depending with which area of Africa they were born or where they were brought up, the shelves in Barnes and Nobles will never run dry in the accent section.
Yes I know some have excelled with deep accent accompanied with the right makaratasi which you can figure out by yourself. Even this group has obstacles which come with the accent they carry. Like the report by O’Brien, many immigrants have been knocked out on the promotion line when they show up for interviews because they have an accent or their names tell they are not from here (that’s a whole topic for another day).
On July 23rd and 24th of this year, millions of people worldwide - most of them African Americans (read Blacks) - were glued to their television screens watching a prime time special investigation report “Black in America” hosted by Soledad O'Brien on CNN.
According to Nielsen Media Research, more than 4.5 million viewers watched the well-researched report. This report explored the experiences of the black woman and family and the state of the black man in America.
O’Brien covered the wealthy, the middle class and the poor black living in the same America whereby some are living the American dream and others are not. She covered all the obstacles at length.
Like most of the viewers, considering myself black and in America, I figured out I may as well jump in the band wagon and watch it and I am pretty sure that most of those reading this article watched the show.
Soledad O'Brien, born María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien from a father who is Irish Australian and mother who is Afro-Cuban is a senior reporter with CNN special investigations unit. So, this makes her a second generation of immigrants just like Barack Hussein Obama, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in this year’s presidential election, whose father came from Nyang’oma Kogelo, Siaya District, Kenya.
Now, this means being born in America, it’s hard to detect an accent. Yes, I said an accent. Consider the first generations coming from other countries and the accent that lands in the USA ports daily.
This makes you fall under Black in America with an accent category and everytime you open your mouth, it’s easy to tell you aren’t from here.
In the few (read many) years I have lived in the USA, I still carry my accent and you know what, I might try to twist or roll my tongue in a particular way, form or shape to hide my accent but a good listener will detect it.
Assuming we live in the same America, everytime you open your mouth you have heard things close to, where are you from? or I detect an accent? or what is your origin? or I can not understand what you are saying or Can you speak slowly?or can I speak with someone who speaks english (if you have penetrated in the call center world answering phone calls) or are you from Nigeria? (does that make everyone from Africa a Nigerian?). Some even try to teach you how to pronounce Kenya like you just saw that word for the first time.
Some main networks even translate to listeners or viewers even when you are speaking pure queens english or translate by rolling captions at the bottom of your screen.
With such questions, you better be in good books with the authorities before you take your hard earned education creditial to look for a job or position that you are academically qualified.
This makes you wonder why is Onyango or Kamau or Ngeno always working in such and such a place after all the graduation ceremonies he has invited us to where he is always graduating with honors.
If all immigrants could write books of what they have gone through or not achieved because they are not only black in America, but with an accent some of which are deep depending with which area of Africa they were born or where they were brought up, the shelves in Barnes and Nobles will never run dry in the accent section.
Yes I know some have excelled with deep accent accompanied with the right makaratasi which you can figure out by yourself. Even this group has obstacles which come with the accent they carry. Like the report by O’Brien, many immigrants have been knocked out on the promotion line when they show up for interviews because they have an accent or their names tell they are not from here (that’s a whole topic for another day).
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
I have a Dream-Kenyan version
I Have A Dream
by kimani wa Wanjiru
It is thirty-eight years since Dr Martin Luther King Jr., delivered his most famous speech— “I Have A Dream,” on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Kimani wa Wanjiru, a Kenyan journalist with Kymscorpio Media Network (Kymsnet) revisits this unforgettable speech and wonders how he would have said it if he was in Kenya at the famous Kamukunji grounds.
Over three decades ago, a great Kenya in whose symbolic shadow we stand today the Independence Charter. This momentous decree came as a great beacon of hope to thousands of Kenyans who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.
It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their colonisation. But over three decades later, Kenyans live on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. Three decades later, Kenyans are still languishing in the underdeveloped corners of our society and find themselves to be refugees in their own land. So we have here today to dramatise a shameful condition. In a sense, we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a cheque. When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of our Constitution— that has been amended severally, they were signing a promissory note to which every Kenyan was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men— yes, rich men as well a poor men— would be guaranteed the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that Kenya has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens are concerned. Instead of honouring this sacred obligation, Kenya has given the Mwananchi a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we’ve come to cash this cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind Kenya of the fierce urgency of now. This is not the time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquillising drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of Democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of injustice, nepotism, ten percent, corruption, kickbacks and all other vices; to the sunlit paths of justice, fairness, transparency and accountability. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of tribal hatred and disunity to the solid rock of brotherhood.
Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering hot spell of our legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating turn of freedom and equality— two thousand and one is not an end but a beginning.
Those who hope that Kenyans needed to blow off steam and that this quest for proper governance is just a passing cloud and will afterwards get content, will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.
There will be neither rest nor tranquility in Kenya: no peace, love and unity until all brothers and sisters are granted their citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt and change will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice and fairness dawns.
But that is something I must say to people who stand on the warm threshold, which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrong deeds. Let us not seek to justify our thirst for freedom of drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy and desire for fairness which has engulfed our people out of oppression and intimidation must not lead us to distrust leaders, for some of our leaders as evidenced by their presence here today have come to realise that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.
They have come to realise that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking activists and advocates of fairness, transparency and accountability, “when will you be satisfied?”
We cannot be satisfied as long as our people are victims of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality and hired thugs. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies heavy with the fatigue of working in the farms harvesting coffee, tea, sugarcane or pyrethrum, cannot be fairly remunerated.
We cannot be satisfied as long as we continue to pay taxes for services not rendered and our streets and estates are unsafe. We cannot be satisfied as long as we continue to hear and read about the looting and high level corruption that continues to make our local and foreign debts to swell.
No, no we are not satisfied, and will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. I am not mindful that some of you have come here out great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from their poorly maintained prison cells. Some of you have come from areas where the quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and even some killed along tribal, religious lines and staggered by the winds of police brutality and hired thugs. You have been the veterans of creative suffering.
Continue to work with the faith that undeserved suffering is redemptive. Go back to Western, go back to the Coast, go back to Nyanza, go back to North Eastern, go back to the rural areas and slums in our towns knowing that somehow, this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the continent’s dreams and aspirations at the time of the struggle for independence. I have a dream that one day this country will rise and live up to the true meaning of freedom, liberty and equality.
I have a dream that one day on the fertile hills of Molo, Burnt Forest, Kapenguria, Mt Elgon, Olenguruone, the sons of former agitators and the sons of former victims of the politically agitated ethnic cleansing will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day every corner of the country now sweltering with the heat of injustice, insecurity and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by their tribe or sex but by the continent of their character and abilities.
I have a dream that one day in Narok, Kapenguria, Kericho, with its vicious tribalist leaders, leaders who have their lips dripping with words of incitement and animosity, one day right there in Narok or even Kapenguria, little “foreigner” boys and girls will be able to join hands with little “native” boys and girls as brothers and sisters.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain and crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is hope. This is the faith I will go back with. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, pray together, struggle together, be imprisoned together, stand up for freedom together knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning the beautiful, uplifting and insightful words contained in our anthem.
And if Kenya is to be a great nation, this must become true. So, let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of Iveti and Tugen. Let freedom ring from the eight hills of Ngong. Let freedom ring from the coastal strip. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Mount Kenya to the expansive shores of Lake Victoria. But not only that, let freedom ring from North Eastern. Let freedom ring from the border Mount Elgon. Let freedom ring every posh and slum areas of our towns and cities. Let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring— when we let it ring every village and every location, from every rural and urban area, we will be able to speed up that day when all God’s children, rich and poor, urban dwellers and rural dwellers, Christians and Muslims, will be able to join hands and sing in one voice, “Free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”
by kimani wa Wanjiru
It is thirty-eight years since Dr Martin Luther King Jr., delivered his most famous speech— “I Have A Dream,” on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Kimani wa Wanjiru, a Kenyan journalist with Kymscorpio Media Network (Kymsnet) revisits this unforgettable speech and wonders how he would have said it if he was in Kenya at the famous Kamukunji grounds.
Over three decades ago, a great Kenya in whose symbolic shadow we stand today the Independence Charter. This momentous decree came as a great beacon of hope to thousands of Kenyans who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.
It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their colonisation. But over three decades later, Kenyans live on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. Three decades later, Kenyans are still languishing in the underdeveloped corners of our society and find themselves to be refugees in their own land. So we have here today to dramatise a shameful condition. In a sense, we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a cheque. When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of our Constitution— that has been amended severally, they were signing a promissory note to which every Kenyan was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men— yes, rich men as well a poor men— would be guaranteed the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that Kenya has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens are concerned. Instead of honouring this sacred obligation, Kenya has given the Mwananchi a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we’ve come to cash this cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind Kenya of the fierce urgency of now. This is not the time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquillising drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of Democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of injustice, nepotism, ten percent, corruption, kickbacks and all other vices; to the sunlit paths of justice, fairness, transparency and accountability. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of tribal hatred and disunity to the solid rock of brotherhood.
Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering hot spell of our legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating turn of freedom and equality— two thousand and one is not an end but a beginning.
Those who hope that Kenyans needed to blow off steam and that this quest for proper governance is just a passing cloud and will afterwards get content, will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.
There will be neither rest nor tranquility in Kenya: no peace, love and unity until all brothers and sisters are granted their citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt and change will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice and fairness dawns.
But that is something I must say to people who stand on the warm threshold, which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrong deeds. Let us not seek to justify our thirst for freedom of drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy and desire for fairness which has engulfed our people out of oppression and intimidation must not lead us to distrust leaders, for some of our leaders as evidenced by their presence here today have come to realise that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.
They have come to realise that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking activists and advocates of fairness, transparency and accountability, “when will you be satisfied?”
We cannot be satisfied as long as our people are victims of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality and hired thugs. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies heavy with the fatigue of working in the farms harvesting coffee, tea, sugarcane or pyrethrum, cannot be fairly remunerated.
We cannot be satisfied as long as we continue to pay taxes for services not rendered and our streets and estates are unsafe. We cannot be satisfied as long as we continue to hear and read about the looting and high level corruption that continues to make our local and foreign debts to swell.
No, no we are not satisfied, and will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. I am not mindful that some of you have come here out great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from their poorly maintained prison cells. Some of you have come from areas where the quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and even some killed along tribal, religious lines and staggered by the winds of police brutality and hired thugs. You have been the veterans of creative suffering.
Continue to work with the faith that undeserved suffering is redemptive. Go back to Western, go back to the Coast, go back to Nyanza, go back to North Eastern, go back to the rural areas and slums in our towns knowing that somehow, this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the continent’s dreams and aspirations at the time of the struggle for independence. I have a dream that one day this country will rise and live up to the true meaning of freedom, liberty and equality.
I have a dream that one day on the fertile hills of Molo, Burnt Forest, Kapenguria, Mt Elgon, Olenguruone, the sons of former agitators and the sons of former victims of the politically agitated ethnic cleansing will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day every corner of the country now sweltering with the heat of injustice, insecurity and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by their tribe or sex but by the continent of their character and abilities.
I have a dream that one day in Narok, Kapenguria, Kericho, with its vicious tribalist leaders, leaders who have their lips dripping with words of incitement and animosity, one day right there in Narok or even Kapenguria, little “foreigner” boys and girls will be able to join hands with little “native” boys and girls as brothers and sisters.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain and crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is hope. This is the faith I will go back with. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, pray together, struggle together, be imprisoned together, stand up for freedom together knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning the beautiful, uplifting and insightful words contained in our anthem.
And if Kenya is to be a great nation, this must become true. So, let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of Iveti and Tugen. Let freedom ring from the eight hills of Ngong. Let freedom ring from the coastal strip. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Mount Kenya to the expansive shores of Lake Victoria. But not only that, let freedom ring from North Eastern. Let freedom ring from the border Mount Elgon. Let freedom ring every posh and slum areas of our towns and cities. Let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring— when we let it ring every village and every location, from every rural and urban area, we will be able to speed up that day when all God’s children, rich and poor, urban dwellers and rural dwellers, Christians and Muslims, will be able to join hands and sing in one voice, “Free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”
Defination of Atlanta
This is for anyone who lives in Atlanta, who has ever lived in Atlanta, has ever visited Atlanta, ever plans to visit Atlanta, knows anyone who already lives in Atlanta, or knows anyone who has ever heard of Atlanta, Georgia.
Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way streets. The
only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn
around and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina.
All directions start with, "Go down Peachtree" and
include the phrase, "When you see the Waffle House."
Except that in Cobb County, all directions begin with,
"Go to the Big Chicken."
Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is
not to be confused with:
Peachtree Circle
Peachtree Place
Peachtree Lane
Peachtree Road
Peachtree Parkway
Peachtree Run
Peachtree Terrace
Peachtree Avenue
Peachtree Commons
Peachtree Battle
Peachtree Corners
New Peachtree
Old Peachtree
West Peachtree
Peachtree-Dunwoody
Peachtree-Chamblee
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Atlantans only know their way to work and their way
home. If you ask anyone for directions they will
always send you down Peachtree.
Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. That's all they
drink there, so don't ask for any other soft drink
unless it's made by Coca-Cola.
Gate One at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport
is 32 miles away from the Main Concourse, so wear
sneakers and pack a lunch.
The 8am rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM.
The 5pm rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:30 PM.
Fridays rush hour starts Thursday afternoon and lasts through 2am
Saturday.
A native can only pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so
do not attempt the Spanish pronunciation. People will
simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you.
The Atlanta pronunciation is "pawns duh LEE-on".
The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to
immediately forget all traffic rules. If a single
snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days
and it's on all the channels as a news flash every 15
minutes for a week. All grocery stores will be sold
out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and
beer.
I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta that has a
posted speed limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain
80 mph just to keep from getting run over), is known
to truckers as "The Watermelon 500."
Don't believe the directional markers on highways.
I-285 is marked "East" and "West" but you may be
going
"North" or "South". The locals identify the
direction
by referring to the "Inner Loop" and the "Outer
Loop".
If you travel on Hwy 92 North, you will actually be
going southeast.
Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta. Just go to
one of the interstates and you will soon find one in
the middle of the road.
The last thing you want to do is give another driver
the finger, unless your car is armored, your trigger
finger is itchy and your AK-47 has a full clip.
Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their
feet in the air.
There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in
Georgia.
There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus a
couple no one has seen before.
If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites.
It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.
"Fixinto" is one word (I'm fixinto go to the store).
Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start
drinking it when you're 2 years old.
"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
"Life may not always be the party we hoped for...
but while we are here we might as well dance!"
Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way streets. The
only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn
around and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina.
All directions start with, "Go down Peachtree" and
include the phrase, "When you see the Waffle House."
Except that in Cobb County, all directions begin with,
"Go to the Big Chicken."
Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is
not to be confused with:
Peachtree Circle
Peachtree Place
Peachtree Lane
Peachtree Road
Peachtree Parkway
Peachtree Run
Peachtree Terrace
Peachtree Avenue
Peachtree Commons
Peachtree Battle
Peachtree Corners
New Peachtree
Old Peachtree
West Peachtree
Peachtree-Dunwoody
Peachtree-Chamblee
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Atlantans only know their way to work and their way
home. If you ask anyone for directions they will
always send you down Peachtree.
Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. That's all they
drink there, so don't ask for any other soft drink
unless it's made by Coca-Cola.
Gate One at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport
is 32 miles away from the Main Concourse, so wear
sneakers and pack a lunch.
The 8am rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM.
The 5pm rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:30 PM.
Fridays rush hour starts Thursday afternoon and lasts through 2am
Saturday.
A native can only pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so
do not attempt the Spanish pronunciation. People will
simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you.
The Atlanta pronunciation is "pawns duh LEE-on".
The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to
immediately forget all traffic rules. If a single
snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days
and it's on all the channels as a news flash every 15
minutes for a week. All grocery stores will be sold
out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and
beer.
I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta that has a
posted speed limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain
80 mph just to keep from getting run over), is known
to truckers as "The Watermelon 500."
Don't believe the directional markers on highways.
I-285 is marked "East" and "West" but you may be
going
"North" or "South". The locals identify the
direction
by referring to the "Inner Loop" and the "Outer
Loop".
If you travel on Hwy 92 North, you will actually be
going southeast.
Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta. Just go to
one of the interstates and you will soon find one in
the middle of the road.
The last thing you want to do is give another driver
the finger, unless your car is armored, your trigger
finger is itchy and your AK-47 has a full clip.
Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their
feet in the air.
There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in
Georgia.
There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus a
couple no one has seen before.
If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites.
It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.
"Fixinto" is one word (I'm fixinto go to the store).
Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start
drinking it when you're 2 years old.
"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
"Life may not always be the party we hoped for...
but while we are here we might as well dance!"
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