OT: Obama in Afghanistan, not a joke

[Doc Hudson]

I got this in an e-mail from a friend.

Read it and see what kind of man wants to be our president.

Doc



http://www.blackfive.net/main/2008/07/f ... -afgh.html

From G.I. In Afghanistan - "We got more thanks from the Dallas cowboy Cheerleaders" than from Senator Obama
Posted By Blackfive

This is from a USAF friend in Afghanistan:

Hello everyone,

As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to ' The War Zone ' . I wanted to share with you what happened.

He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.

As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand, he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.

So really he was just here to make a showing for the Americans back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States . I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,

CPT J
Bagram, Afghanistan

[Mich Hunter]

I am not political either. As a military member in uniform, you keep your opinion to your self and do what is asked of you. Here is my 2 cents.

He blew allot of troops off that were just excited to have someone visit them from home. Most have the understanding that he was just traveling to check off a box on the his to "do list". He never made his way down to the south part of the country where things are actually happening. He stayed at Bagram. He knows squat about whats going on. Unfortunately, the bias media is trying to make him look and act "presidential" which in my opinion he is not. It seems they are trying to force feed this stuff to everyone. As a matter of fact, this particular topic came up last night while I was sharing a pot of coffee with some of my Danish counterparts. Well, I don't discuss U.S. politics or policies with foreigners but they simple asked why they always hear about Obama and not McCain in our news. I told them we are trying to figure that out also.

[bigbore442001]

He is the mass media darling. That is it plain and simple. The media of today has a political agenda and Obama is part of it. Whenever my Dad and I talk politics usually comes up and there isn't a day that goes by when he'll comment about how can such a man with no experience and left wing ideologies be considered presidential material.

[octagon]

All hat & no cattle.

[Ysabel Kid]

Not a surprise to anyone here!

[rjohns94]

"All hat & no cattle". +1

[Blackhawk]

"All hat & no cattle". +1

+2.

[Blackhawk]

He is the mass media darling. That is it plain and simple. The media of today has a political agenda and Obama is part of it. Whenever my Dad and I talk politics usually comes up and there isn't a day that goes by when he'll comment about how can such a man with no experience and left wing ideologies be considered presidential material.

bigbore,

Maybe to answer your dad's question, "Those who trade liberty for security have neither." It is the thinking of most today. Unknowing that they are giving up both in order to achieve what they think is a safer world.

Johnny

[Griff]

As a friend of mine, who's the sole Republican in an extended family of all Democrats, related to me... "My step-father just called me (right after the Democratic Convention), and told me that for the first time in his 62 year voting history he will be checking the box next to a Republican's name." That sorta tells me how low the Democratic Party has valued the esteem of their loyal constituency. However, the character that parades around as Sen. B. Obama has the hearts of the sheeple. I don't think anyone that can think for themselves doesn't see thru the charade. And yes, I mean that... if you don't see thru the charade he and the media has created, you probably don't think for yourself.

[44LVR]

"All hat & no cattle". +1

44

[Old Savage]

And the hat is not real either.

[KirkD]

All hat & no cattle.

If Obama were just all hat and no cattle, I'd sleep in peace. But that man is entirely the wrong hat and instead of driving cattle, the hounds of hell are driving him. I watched him giving his speech in Berlin today and the hair on the back of my neck bristled and all sorts of red flags went up. Obama is exactly the kind of president that USA must have to take a major step forward toward a one-world government, and that is NOT a good thing. Those who know the ancient biblical prophecies of the one world government know that the one-world centralized power will fall into hands of just one 'man', if you can call It a man (I'm not talking about Obama here .... Obama is just a lacky. The real 'It' is yet to appear in the spotlight.). Obama will be the nail in the coffin of the USA and all its past glory. Obama has a plan, and it is a plan that no true, patriotic American would ever want to see. When you look into Obama's face, you are looking at the face of the death of America.

Pray that he does not get elected.

[Doc Hudson]

All hat & no cattle.

If Obama were just all hat and no cattle, I'd sleep in peace. But that man is entirely the wrong hat and instead of driving cattle, the hounds of hell are driving him. I watched him giving his speech in Berlin today and the hair on the back of my neck bristled and all sorts of red flags went up. Obama is exactly the kind of president that USA must have to take a major step forward toward a one-world government, and that is NOT a good thing. Those who know the ancient biblical prophecies of the one world government know that the one-world centralized power will fall into hands of just one 'man', if you can call It a man (I'm not talking about Obama here .... Obama is just a lacky. The real 'It' is yet to appear in the spotlight.). Obama will be the nail in the coffin of the USA and all its past glory. Obama has a plan, and it is a plan that no true, patriotic American would ever want to see. When you look into Obama's face, you are looking at the face of the death of America.

Pray that he does not get elected.

From the keyboard of a man with no dog in the fight comes the clearest, most concisely worded analysis of Obama.

Thank you Kirk. I ought to introduce you to some Canadians so you can educate them in the dangers of socialism.

[Hobie]

I know I'm going to open up a big can of worms with this one but...

He's popular for no real reason except that many want an easy life. He's lied about everything and he gets away with it because others are lying for him. He hates this country and those that defend it. Today he said he was a citizen of the world and belittled the USofA. He's down on everything good and holy. He had campaign posters in Hebrew at the Wailing Wall! A good point against him is that so many Germans were obviously for him (although I heard laughing in the audio). He's a socialist and socialism can only work (although it doesn't because of human nature) if absolute control is exerted over people.

I've been thinking something else, too. I can't put my finger on why but he sure strikes me as the anti-christ. I've been thinking that all week.

[ByronG]

All hat & no cattle.

If Obama were just all hat and no cattle, I'd sleep in peace. But that man is entirely the wrong hat and instead of driving cattle, the hounds of hell are driving him. I watched him giving his speech in Berlin today and the hair on the back of my neck bristled and all sorts of red flags went up. Obama is exactly the kind of president that USA must have to take a major step forward toward a one-world government, and that is NOT a good thing. Those who know the ancient biblical prophecies of the one world government know that the one-world centralized power will fall into hands of just one 'man', if you can call It a man (I'm not talking about Obama here .... Obama is just a lacky. The real 'It' is yet to appear in the spotlight.). Obama will be the nail in the coffin of the USA and all its past glory. Obama has a plan, and it is a plan that no true, patriotic American would ever want to see. When you look into Obama's face, you are looking at the face of the death of America.

Pray that he does not get elected.

I am no fan of Obama, nor McCain for that matter, but this needs some clarification IMO.
1. I for one would like to know what the ancient biblical prophesies say on one world government.?
2. Who or what is the 'real it' that will appear for whom Obama is only the lackey?
3. Though only a lackey you go on to say that Obama has a plan. What is he planner or lackey?
4. What is his plan?
5. I wonder if you might highlight the parts of the speech that caused your britling hairs and red flags to appear?



Obama speech in Berlin

Last update: 1:49 p.m. EDT July 24, 2008WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Here is the text of speech delivered by Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday in Berlin.

"A World that Stands as One"
Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.
I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen - a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.
I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father - my grandfather - was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.
At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning - his dream - required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.
That is why I'm here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom. And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.
Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.
On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade.
This is where the two sides met. And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.
The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin.
And that's when the airlift began - when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city.
The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.
But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. "There is only one possibility," he said. "For us to stand together united until this battle is won...The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your duty...People of the world, look at Berlin!"
People of the world - look at Berlin!
Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.
Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.
Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.
People of the world - look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.
Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall - a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope - walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.
The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers - dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.
The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.
As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.
Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.


In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we're honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny.
In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth - that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.
Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.
That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.
The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.
We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid.
So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.
That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations - and all nations - must summon that spirit anew.
This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.
This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.
This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.
This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century - in this city of all cities - we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.
This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.
This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.
This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations - including my own - will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one.
And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust - not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.
Now the world will watch and remember what we do here - what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?
Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur?
Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?
People of Berlin - people of the world - this is our moment. This is our time.
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.
But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us - what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores - is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.
These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of these aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of these aspirations that all free people - everywhere - became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of these aspirations that a new generation - our generation - must make our mark on the world.
People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again.

[ByronG]

I know I'm going to open up a big can of worms with this one but...

I've been thinking something else, too. I can't put my finger on why but he sure strikes me as the anti-christ. I've been thinking that all week.

If he is the Anti-Christ would not that be the fulfillment of biblical prophesy? It might also be seen as a time of celebration for Christians for after seven years (unless I misunderstand the scripture) under the Anti-Christ a millennial new world order under Jesus will begin.

[KirkD]

I am no fan of Obama, nor McCain for that matter, but this needs some clarification IMO.

1. I for one would like to know what the ancient biblical prophesies say on one world government.?

There is quite a bit said about it both in the Old and New Testaments. Perhaps the single best book of the Bible to get an idea of what is prophesied is the book of Revelation. Some highlights are as follows: A person referred to by various titles such as 'the man of lawlessness', 'the despicable person', 'the Beast', and 'the Anti-Christ' takes power under a one-world government. His power lasts 42 months (three and a half years, also spoken of as 1,290 days). This one-world government initiates the most heinous time in the history of man, a complete unleashing of evil that is unrestrained that culminates in what is often referred to as 'the Battle of Armageddon'.

2. Who or what is the 'real it' that will appear for whom Obama is only the lackey?

A person referred to by various titles such as 'the man of lawlessness', 'the despicable person', 'the Beast', and 'the Anti-Christ'. It is not a normal human, as the Bible states that this Beast was, is not and will be. By 'was', it once was here. By 'is not' it states that the Beast is currently held in a place called the 'Abyss'. By 'will be' the Beast is to be released from the Abyss and will impress the entire world's population to such a degree that they actually 'wonder' after it and worship this so-called man.

3. Though only a lackey you go on to say that Obama has a plan. What is he planner or lackey?

Obama's plan is to make a major step forward in uniting the world and bringing peace to the world. This would be a wonderful thing... if it were not for the ancient prophecies that tell us what happens when this occurs. This plan, however, is playing into the hands of the Beast and Obama is being used by certain forces to accelerate this. In the sense that Obama is being used, he is a lackey. He has a plan that he thinks is a good one, but it leads to Armageddon. He is playing with something that he has no idea of.

4. What is his plan?

I guess I covered this above.

5. I wonder if you might highlight the parts of the speech that caused your britling hairs and red flags to appear?

Done, albeit quickly. I want to underscore two things that I have very large red flags over. First, is his motivational speech that has already brought us yet one step closer to one world. Part of this is the global, one-world, united language he incorporated into his speech, some of which I highlighted below. Second, I am very concerned about the charisma he seems to have with so many people. I was very concerned that 200,000 people showed up in Berlin to hear his speech. He has what it takes to sell a one-world agenda. Normally, if it were not for the prophecies, this would seem like a tremendous thing. However, even a non-believer in the prophecies has to feel queasy about too much centralization of power when he looks at the kind of people that have arisen in history and seized power. The second thing in his speech that gets me nervous is his veiled references to a united global security system. Again, this sounds good since he is selling it as a solution to terror. But I already have great reservations about the loss of liberties that have occurred since 9/11. The prophesies indicate that the one world government under the Beast will be a police state such as the world has never seen. It is prophesied that the catch phrase will be 'peace, peace!' when there is no peace, just a world under iron shackles and brutal enforcement.

Having said all this, I fully realize that there may be many on this forum that do not put any stock in the ancient biblical prophesies. Just remember, the first set of ancient prophesies about the Messiah did come true. The second set appear to have started, beginning with the ancient prophesy that Israel would one day become a nation again, which it now is. At least you know my perspective on this.

Here is my highlighted version. It is not merely the highlighted phrases and words, they are merely the blood that gives life to the speech, but a life that I find disturbing. The end result, is that the entire speech becomes charged with a motivational idea that points in a direction that, in the end, spells disaster for the world. There is much else in this speech that disturbs me, but it would require inserting comments and highlighting broader sections. As you look at what I highlighted, they all seem to be good things ... one world .... global security. Who could possibly not like that? But then there are the prophesies. The funny thing is, the Beast somehow convinces the world that it is the Christians who are the problem, and they are killed by the hundreds of millions until 'the power of the holy people is destroyed.' The very fact that we (Christians, that is) are very unenthusiastic about a one-world government actually sets us up to appear to be the threat. Interesting. Jesus said, 'when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?'

Obama speech in Berlin

Last update: 1:49 p.m. EDT July 24, 2008WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Here is the text of speech delivered by Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday in Berlin.

"A World that Stands as One"
Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.
I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen - a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.
I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father - my grandfather - was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.
At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning - his dream - required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.
That is why I'm here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom. And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.
Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.
On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade.
This is where the two sides met. And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.
The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin.
And that's when the airlift began - when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city.
The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.
But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. "There is only one possibility," he said. "For us to stand together united until this battle is won...The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your duty...People of the world, look at Berlin!"
People of the world - look at Berlin!
Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.
Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.
Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.
People of the world - look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.
Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall - a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope - walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.
The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers - dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.
The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.
As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.
Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.


In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we're honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny.
In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth - that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.
Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.
That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.
The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.
We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid.
So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.
That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations - and all nations - must summon that spirit anew.
This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.
This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.
This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.
This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century - in this city of all cities - we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.
This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.
This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.
This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations - including my own - will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one.
And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust - not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.
Now the world will watch and remember what we do here - what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?
Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur?
Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?
People of Berlin - people of the world - this is our moment. This is our time.
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.
But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us - what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores - is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.
These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of these aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of these aspirations that all free people - everywhere - became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of these aspirations that a new generation - our generation - must make our mark on the world.
People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again.[/quote]

[Hobie]

My great aunt was a proponent and supporter of the one-world government movment back in the 60s and 70s. We, as a family, would discuss this and many other subjects over coffee icecream rootbeer floats when visiting. My take is that she KNEW that it would require absolute domination of people but felt that she and her class would fair well because they'd be controlling while all the other ignorant people would be controlled by the leaders. I always thought she was just a crackpot, eccentric aunt (and my Godmother...) and that what she proposed contradicted all the other things she believed. Now less naive than I was then, I see a lot of this stupidity in vogue with certain people including BHO.

[ByronG]

Thank you for that.

I did think that the speech contained much that was desireable.

[Ysabel Kid]

Kirk -

Excellent analysis. I only wish that more voters here would take the time to consider just what a disaster we are about to unleash on the world if Obama is voted into office.

Bottom line, BHO, like all other leftists, is interested in power and control. This is a perfect example of one of the claring faults with our system - that anyone over the age of 18 can vote. No intelligence required; no understanding of history or current issues; no stake in the future. The reality is that young, historically and economically-illiterate Americans, combined with the lazy and greedy, as well as the socialist movement, will foist this fool not only on us but upon the rest of the world. It is a shame that the legacy of the freest country on earth - the country that has spread freedom to more peoples than any other in history, will probably end up being the force that denies freedom to more people in history before it is all said and done...

[bunklocoempire]

First on the New World Order/one government. Just who exactly has paved the road for this? Democrats and Republicans alike, NAFTA, WTO ring a bell? Bush senior ring a bell? How about the drive to export the U.S. dollar abroad which both parties love to do. The World Bank? The UN? The CFR? Both parties have continuously aided/benifited from these organizations and "think tanks". And both parties "keeping the world safe for democracy", that plays a major part as well. There is no lesser evil here folks, theys all evil.

Obamas little speech brings it to the fore front of course, but it's not where it started, don't think for a minute the current Republican "presumptive candidate" will work to undo any of the U.S. "friendly world policies". Follow the money. Study the voting records and bills sponsored.

Obamas speech had me throwing up in my mouth a little also, not because of what he said, but that he actually said it, where as Bush senior mentioned it but didn't go on about it -but the policies that followed.... Learn about how they work, or perpetuate the lie.

And speaking of lies...

The devil is the father of all liars/deceivers and God has allowed him many times to deceive and so shape history for Gods plan. Due to free will, the men deceived are ultimately responsible for their own actions.

As a Christian I know God is in control, the anti-Christ will come if he aint here already. In my little Bible study group we just finished up the book of Daniel, another book dealing with empire history and prophecy, Persians, Egyptians, Alexander the Great and his generals and far beyond, with a little world history under our belts it makes for an interesting study, giving us comfort and always showing us God is in control. Almost a cake walk compared to Revelations. "Let him who hath understanding..." I try to understand the best that I can.

As I understand the topic of the anti-Christ it goes something like this:

The anti-Christ is exactly that, an anti-Christ. That means (to me and others) someone who has/will/continues to point folks away from the message of eternal life and forgiveness of sins through faith alone in Christ's death & resurection and triumph over death and the devil.

Through holding an office/position there is possibly more than one anti-Christ.

There is a possibility the anti-Christ comes from/has come from within the "Christian" church. (and I aint talkin' about Rev. Wrights.)

World governments have/will prop up the anti-Christ(s) and vice versa.


Obama the anti-Christ? I don't believe so. Time being right for one world government? You betcha, courtesy of a lot of sin and a lot of deceiving.

Romans 5:17 "For if, through one man, death ruled because of that man's offense, how much more will those who receive such overflowing grace and the gift of righteousness rule in life because of one man, Jesus the Messiah!"

Bunkloco

[Idahoser]

Don't be dissing the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. I had the privilege of seeing their show in Korea, and they're sincere.

[Old Ironsights]

I'm almost too tired to care any more.

Bring it on Beasty Boy. I could use a good fight.

Ragnarok & Roll...