Obama inaugural address begins with an outright lie, continues with a series of contradictions
The President:
At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
I didn’t think about it at the time, but notice how he doesn’t even mention the names of any documents. Sure as you’re born, America has not remained faithful to the ideals of our forbears nor true to the “founding documents.” I wonder when the last time Barack Obama read any “founding documents.” Perhaps if asked “which founding documents?” he will answer like Sarah Palin: “all of them.” And which ideals?
America has not followed the Constitution, it has steadily eroded it. If you disagree with my assessment, please re-read the Constitution and let me know which parts we have followed. Then again, Obama may not consider the Constitution a “founding document” so he may not have lied.
Obama continues:
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
So according to Obama, it is the worn out dogmas that are our problem. We should stop following worn out dogmas. But didn’t he just say we were “faithful to the ideals of our forbears”?
Obama continues:
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
This is more what I expected from the speech. Remaking America. No surprises here. But then why the line about carrying on because we remained faithful to the ideals?
Continuing,
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
First of all, I question the scale because Obama has yet to lay it out for us clearly. The very next sentence is another contradiction.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.
Obama calls us to recollect what this country has already done to suggest we can do it again, but then says the ground has shifted so that the “stale” political arguments of the past “no longer apply.” How about I say this instead: recall the political arguments of the past and where they led us, and the ground has shifted so the big plans of the past no longer apply.
On a more positive note,
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
This is the one part I hope will be true in his presidency, but I am confident will not be true. I’ll remember this line and bring it up when Obama fails to curb the tyrannical DHS, or when he increases its power.
Obama continues,
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
Here the president attempts to distance himself from fascism and communism, implying that these ideals have been defeated. I personally have a hard time distinguishing our current system from either fascism or communism.
Now Obama shifts back to liking the old ideas,
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.
He says the “values” are “old” and “true.” I thought the ground had shifted and that we needed to remake America.
The first time I heard it, I agreed with the following, but seeing it again I think differently:
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
We need responsibility, yes. Citizenship has a price, yes. This paragraph was carefully worded, however. It gave me the impression of individual responsibility, but now I see that it is “required of us now” in a fully collective sense. Rather than “each” American (individual) it is “every” American (collective). Rather than having a “duty to yourself” (individual) there are “duties to ourselves” (collective). If I were to order my responsibility, it would be close to his order: self, nation, world. However, he never said you have a responsibility to yourself.
Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Maybe I’m nitpicking, but you ought not give an inaugural address and expect no one to notice what you said. Obama suggests a “remaking.” Obama decried the old “dogmas” but praised the old “values.” He started with a lie, continued with contradictions, and ended with an ambiguous charge to carry freedom and delivery it. I’m not sure what kind of freedom ignores the Constitution, claims the size of government doesn’t matter, and requires heavy market regulation.
I don’t know any more now what to expect than I knew before November 4th.