I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impel. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.

More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply. Primarily this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind’s goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

True they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit they have proposed only the lending of more money. Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence. They know only the rules of a generation of self-seekers. They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.

The money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.

Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit; and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing. Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, on unselfish performance; without them it cannot live.

Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation asks for action, and action now.

Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our natural resources.

Hand in hand with this we must frankly recognize the overbalance of population in our industrial centers and, by engaging on a national scale in a redistribution, endeavor to provide a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land. The task can be helped by definite efforts to raise the values of agricultural products and with this the power to purchase the output of our cities. It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss through foreclosure of our small homes and our farms. It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, State, and local governments act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced. It can be helped by the unifying of relief activities which today are often scattered, uneconomical, and unequal. It can be helped by national planning for and supervision of all forms of transportation and of communications and other utilities which have a definitely public character. There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped merely by talking about it. We must act and act quickly.

Finally, in our progress toward a resumption of work we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order; there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be an end to speculation with other people’s money, and there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency.

There are the lines of attack. I shall presently urge upon a new Congress in special session detailed measures for their fulfillment, and I shall seek the immediate assistance of the several States.

Through this program of action we address ourselves to putting our own national house in order and making income balance outgo. Our international trade relations, though vastly important, are in point of time and necessity secondary to the establishment of a sound national economy. I favor as a practical policy the putting of first things first. I shall spare no effort to restore world trade by international economic readjustment, but the emergency at home cannot wait on that accomplishment.

The basic thought that guides these specific means of national recovery is not narrowly nationalistic. It is the insistence, as a first consideration, upon the interdependence of the various elements in all parts of the United States—a recognition of the old and permanently important manifestation of the American spirit of the pioneer. It is the way to recovery. It is the immediate way. It is the strongest assurance that the recovery will endure.

In the field of world policy I would dedicate this Nation to the policy of the good neighbor—the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others—the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors.

If I read the temper of our people correctly, we now realize as we have never realized before our interdependence on each other; that we can not merely take but we must give as well; that if we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline, because without such discipline no progress is made, no leadership becomes effective. We are, I know, ready and willing to submit our lives and property to such discipline, because it makes possible a leadership which aims at a larger good. This I propose to offer, pledging that the larger purposes will bind upon us all as a sacred obligation with a unity of duty hitherto evoked only in time of armed strife.

With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems.

Action in this image and to this end is feasible under the form of government which we have inherited from our ancestors. Our Constitution is so simple and practical that it is possible always to meet extraordinary needs by changes in emphasis and arrangement without loss of essential form. That is why our constitutional system has proved itself the most superbly enduring political mechanism the modern world has produced. It has met every stress of vast expansion of territory, of foreign wars, of bitter internal strife, of world relations.

It is to be hoped that the normal balance of executive and legislative authority may be wholly adequate to meet the unprecedented task before us. But it may be that an unprecedented demand and need for undelayed action may call for temporary departure from that normal balance of public procedure.

I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that a stricken nation in the midst of a stricken world may require. These measures, or such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom, I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption.

But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis—broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.

For the trust reposed in me I will return the courage and the devotion that befit the time. I can do no less.

We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of the national unity; with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values; with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike. We aim at the assurance of a rounded and permanent national life.

We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed. In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership. They have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift I take it.

In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come.

Courtesy of Micah Nelson:

The salad days of the bloated clusterfuck to the Whitehouse are all but over and the corporate Special Olympics is replaced now by the grandstanding political version of the WWF, where the blood and passionate diatribes serve as a surprise reminder that we are actually suppose to believe the verbal brutality has any veracity.

The mass media has chosen an interesting collection of second rate public officials. Interestingly enough, half of them don’t even believe in public service, effectively declaring that they deserve to be elected on the merits of their own unworthiness to serve the public. This very fascinating fact could only be compared to an all too early appeal to a violation of Godwin’s Law, for which I will take no part.

Instead, let’s take a book out of fine nude art and focus on the flaccid penis of a campaign by Ron Paul. To be fair, there is a deep resonating appeal of the ideals written and spoken by Ron Paul for me. I could read his thoughts and consider myself sold on someone who exemplified magnanimously the ideals of a freedom-loving libertarian. I even introduced Ron Paul to many others, with surprising results. I never stopped searching and learning about Dr. Paul. I learned that despite the fact that 90% of Ob/Gyns support a woman’s right to make decisions on her body, even if it meant the termination of the unborn, Ron Paul does not. I forgave him that, believing that most states wouldn’t be that stupid to make a law against it. I forgave Ron Paul for his cringe worthy belief that this country is a Christian Nation, despite the fact that his heroes, Ayn Rand and Thomas Jefferson were openly mocking of his faith. Believe me, this was really difficult for me. I forgave Ron Paul for ignoring seven handwritten letters asking him to clarify for me his stance on the separation of church and state and his desire to “restore” the first amendment to it’s intended purpose. I had always thought that the 200 years of historical affirmation of the establishment clause and religious freedom clause were sound, but Paul believes that prayer should be “brought back” into schools. Since prayer is already allowed, one must believe he means that he would support teacher led prayer, and the state’s right to enforce such a measure on it’s school districts. Some would argue that he wants to eliminate federal control of education, which is honorable, except that in his actions again, he has proposed big government amendments that would allow the current state run education system to violate the establishment clause. Of course, it wouldn’t be violating it if he personally changed it with an amendment, which was the desire, and ultimately the problem. I forgave him that. I really did. There are much bigger problems in America. The war, the economy. Which is why I defended Ron Paul to the best of my ability, and challenged his grassroot supporters in their fledgling embrace of the ideals of liberty. Ron Paul certainly seemed to understand it…

Which brings me back to his campaign. If Ron Paul believes most of what he spews, he would use embarrassing association with the Republican Party as a platform to launch a candidacy for President under another party or run as an independent. I have heard the many defenders of the position not to, and they simply don’t jive. If Ron Paul believes as strongly as he does about civil liberties, about non-intervention, about state’s rights, he will forgo the clusterfuck that is partisan politics and run a nasty grassroots campaign for President right now. His supporters are passionate, he has drawn from all walks of life in American people and he has brought together people of such wildly opposing viewpoints that one must stand back and observe in awe at what the system is suppose to look like…

Money is pouring in. The campaign was so well tuned for efficiency and spendthrift tidiness that it doesn’t know what to do with the money. Ron Paul is left defending himself in debates instead of preaching his message. I have seen commercials for fucking Drunkin Duncan Hunter, and I have seen nothing from Ron Paul. This is the time to make the move. This is the time to pull and push for those big endorsements, to force yourself in defiance to the established way of doing things and demand a platform, demand time, and use the support of the people pushing you to BUY that time if you must.

The campaign has pissed me off. This isn’t the passion of someone who wishes to win. I honestly don’t know what Ron Paul wants anymore. He doesn’t want the Presidency. Who the fuck is advising him? This is setting up to be the biggest joke on the voting public I have ever read about… to build up the passion of freedom thirsty people, and then to stragglefuck around like a self-deluded muppet is inexcusable, especially while invoking the real meaning of liberty, drawing from the apathetic a sense of power, a rise of common sense, a desire for involvement. As the representative who caused this, you cannot just fade away like a popped zit. You cannot sit back with that righteous half-wit goofy smile and suggest that you are going to win the republican nomination. He can’t be that stupid.

Dr. Paul, you had sold me. Against the things I disagreed with you on, things that were important to me, I still defended you. I hate the Republican Party, it deserves to lose every election from here to Anchorage. I registered as a Republican so I could vote for you. I’ve given money to your campaign. I convinced myself that it was all for the better. I dealt with the hordes of insane followers. The religious fanatics, the homophobic ex-neocons, the heartless droves of ignorant in hopes that this was going to be different. That you would lead us to the promise land.

Instead, you are more impotent than Fred Thompson, and he isn’t even trying. Your campaign is a joke. In fact, your campaign right now is comprised totally of grassroot efforts and passionate youths building websites, forums, youtube videos on their own. Where is your passion? Where is half of the passion of your supporters? This is incomprehensible. I cannot believe what I am seeing.

This is your failure. Not your ideals. Not your stances. Most of your policies would actually keep your own stupidity in check. I can excuse all these things, and I can exclude blame from the people I know who pour their heart out for you. No, I am not one of them, but I don’t have to be… this isn’t the fault of your supporters. This is your fault. This is your passionless dance. This is your time, and unlike 1988, you have a fighting chance. This country is anti-war. This country is anti-government. This country is pro-freedom. Where the fuck are you Ron Paul?

I don’t care if the backwood morons of Texas have voted you in as a Republican . You are running as the President of the United States of America. Act like you can handle that, act like you have a pair of balls. Don’t turn your back on the people who are fighting for you, as an extension of themselves. Yes. These people are voting for you Ron Paul, they are voting for themselves, for their reasons. You are failing them. This money, and there will be more, I promise you, this money is for you to compete on the level of the media chosen. You are meant to compete with them. Forget the success of the movement and focus on how the movement started. Focus on what you stand for… WE THE PEOPLE.

Dr. Paul your campaign is joke. Fire people, now. Do something different. You paid the same amount of money to be included in that debate and you choked. I’m not going to give you grief for appealing to big names. Impress a few celebrities, do what you have to do, because your message transcends you, it goes beyond you, and it resonates with people who should care. You have to act like you give a fuck.
Damn you Ron Paul. Don’t do this to us. Don’t do this to your supporters. You say you are not going to run if you don’t get the nomination.

Well, guess what? You aren’t going to get the nomination. So you’re not running. Tell that to our face. Grow a fucking spine and tell us exactly why you are not acting like you’re running for President; because you know deep down, that you aren’t running.

Several things of relative importance to note…

I am still working on the D.B.H. piece, and finding it difficult, as I expected it would be…

Time Magazine has a great article, albeit bias, on the image of Christianity: Here

Also, for some time now, I have been keeping up with the story of Eric Volz, an American citizen who has been very obviously wrongly accused in a murder, and found guilty in a circus court.  I could only hope that if something like this were to ever happen to me, I would find the support from people like myself, who could imagine themselves undergoing the same thing, willing to, at the very least, write to their Congressmen, and Senators.

I wrote letters several months ago, and I received a response from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island:

Dear Mr. Andrade:

Sheldon

I forwarded the message to Eric’s family, and Eric, who I have message before. Hopefully, at the very least, it will be a reminder that everyday people are thinking about Eric Volz, and doing something about his situation.

“The most important thing is that I am a Christian,”

John McCain has lost all respect, following the white animal carcass of his party down the rabbit hole. As a grotesque take on the famous JFK speech about faith in politics, McCain now joins Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt “The Greaser” Romney as another ignorant detractor from real politics to play the part of Pastor in Chief in early rehearsals for candidacy for the most powerful position in the globe. Replace his moronic sentence with anything not resembling piety and faith and you should, as a reasonable person, see the problem. His support of stem cell research is no consolation to the insult of assuming only a Christian can run this country. The Republican presidential nominee scenario is shaping into the kind of blue collar jokes usually reserved for single demographic localities. A Mormon, A Baptiscopalian, and a TV Lawyer walk into a bar.. . This is the second time I’ve heard some variant of the “At least I’m a person of faith” argument…. with all do respect to the process formerly known as unthinking, can’t we just take a look at the evidence? Just a… ah … little peek?

Saying that it was important to be a Christian doesn’t attack a single other potential candidate (I’ll let the Christians worry about Romney’s status). It attacks several entire groups of people. What has being a Christian done for this country? Just simple facts is all I would need…

But let us review the first five, average scholars historical rankings of Presidents of the United States:

1     Abraham Lincoln     1861–1865     Republican     1.58
2     Franklin D. Roosevelt     1933–1945     Democrat     2
3     George Washington     1789–1797     Unaffiliated (Pro-Administration)     2.83
4     Thomas Jefferson     1801–1809     Democratic-Republican     4.42
5     Theodore Roosevelt     1901–1909     Republican     4.83

I will be damned. On that list, if we define Christian as “one who believes in the divinity of Christ” we seem to have only two Christians. Both Roosevelts were adherents of the Episcopalians, the same claimed “faith” of Jefferson and Washington, although both were known Deists, I also believe that Teddy was a Dutch Reformed and extremely skeptical, I could be mistaken, although he was criticized often for his lack of religious affiliation. Lincoln was only trumped by Jefferson in his non-belief of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and an avid admirer of Thomas Paine.

“The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma.” -”The Abe”

The most religious of the bunch was Franklin Roosevelt. I have no doubt he was a believer, however, he was known for his leaving references to his religion almost completely out of public speeches and utterances. He was known by some preachers as the “Alley President” for his support of the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

So, we have 3 of the top 5 Presidents by scholarly rank, non-Christians. What was that again McCain?

“The most important thing is that I am a Christian,”
Because we know that is what it takes to be a good leader.

The GOD pandering has got to stop. The Republican Party is in for a wicked surprise. There are a large number of people in this country who are sick of hearing about it, not just the non-believers. Do they honestly think the theocratic wing of their party has enough people to get them elected?

Now that is faith.