On this day Nov. 22, 1963

By: elevandoski
Published On: 11/22/2007 12:36:30 PM

Let the word go forth
From this time and place
To friend and foe alike
That the torch has been passed
To a new generation of Americans.

Let every nation know
Whether it wishes us well or ill
That we shall pay any price - bear any burden
Meet any hardship - support any friend
Oppose any foe to assure the survival
And the success of liberty

Now the trumpet summons us again
Not as a call to bear arms
- though embattled we are
But a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle
A struggle against the common enemies of man
Tyranny - Poverty - Disease - and War itself


In the long history of the world
Only a few generations have been granted
The role of defending freedom
In the hour of maximum danger
I do not shrink from this responsibility
I welcome it

The Energy - the Faith - the Devotion
Which we bring to this endeavor
Will light our country
And all who serve it
And the glow from that fire
Can truly light the world

And so my fellow Americans
Ask not what your country can do for you
Ask what you can do for your country
My fellow citizens of the world - ask not
What America can do for you - but what together
We can do for the freedom of man

With a good conscience our only sure reward
With history the final judge of our deeds
Let us go forth to lead the land we love - asking His blessing
And his help - but knowing that here on earth
God's work must truly be our own.

  Inaugural Address - January 20, 1961

Comments



On becoming a Democrat... (cycle12 - 11/22/2007 3:02:55 PM)
Thanks, "el"; that's the very date that I became a Democrat at the ripe old age of 13.  In fact, it was at about 3:00 P.M. that day...

I maintain that we do have leaders of that caliber today, and one of their names is Jim Webb.  There are many others, and I predict that they will continue to prove their worth beyond our expectations.

"Ask not..."

Thanks again!

Steve



Have you noticed that this anniversary has been played down this year? (pol - 11/23/2007 12:19:58 AM)
I didn't think about it until late this afternoon when I read about it on a blog.


I noticed, too (Teddy - 11/23/2007 4:46:01 PM)
One toss-off mention on WTOP, for example. Of course, the assassination did occur a loooong time ago. Today's population probably puts it in the same category as Lincoln's assassination time-wise; they feel no connection to it. But still, I cannot help but wonder: did the word go out to cool it, because of the fear of comparisons?


Unafraid (GinterParked - 11/23/2007 1:30:41 PM)
How startling the difference between Kennedy's words and Bush's sophomoric "bring it on."

In 1961 our nation was faced with an implacable foe at the height of its power and influence.  The Soviet Union worked effectively to advance its malign ideology across the globe.  Its commitment to technology innovation put it into space first, and at Kennedy's innaugural we'd done little to respond.  The Kremlin's oligarchy was ready - as we later learned - to risk the extinction of the human species for strategic gain.  And when we learned that Kennedy responded effectively and without temporizing.

Today our president and his administration have placed us in a prison of color-coded, shoeless fear.  Who among this gang of tawdry, uninspiring political hacks is capable of motivating a generation, much less simply adding some spine to America's populace?  None, it seems.  Instead we spend our time knocking down straw men at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.

In November our nation will choose its path, and I hope fervently we all will choose a leader who not only has the requisite skill to move our nation forward, but who also can inspire us at least to respect ourselves, our fellow Americans and the timeless principles for which America stands.