Free Republic Inauguration Day Speech, 2005

Chron Watch ^ | January 20, 2005 | John Armor

[AmericanMade1776]

Delivered 20 Jan., 2005, at a rally on Pennsylvania Ave. by John Armor, in Washington, D.C.

Today, a President will be sworn in in time of war. President Bush will be the President of all Americans, not just of those who support him. He will be the President even for the blind fools who will, in their ignorance, seek to disrupt the parade that will pass down this street in a few hours.

Four great Presidents are depicted on Mount Rushmore. Three of them served two terms. One, Theodore Roosevelt, took office after his predecessor was assassinated, and served almost two full terms. So on this day I offer for your benefit quotations from the Second Inaugural Addresses of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and the first one of Theodore Roosevelt.

The first three of those served as President in times of great peril to this nation. Jefferson and Lincoln served in a time of war. Washington served in the ragged aftermath of the Revolutionary War, and the predicate to the War of 1812. We are today in a war very similar to the one that Jefferson fought against the Barbary Pirates. They were Muslims who attacked Americans wherever they could find them, across national boundaries, and remained a threat until they had been decisively defeated.

There are three reasons for offering these quotations to you. One is that these former Presidents all spoke with eloquence and power. That is not universal among Presidents. We should not expect the Address by President Bush today to rise to the same level. We have had some Presidents who were solid and made good decisions, without being known for their eloquence: President Truman comes to mind.

[AmericanMade1776]

Here is what Thomas Paine wrote in the darkest hours of the American Revolution:

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, In this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; But he that stands it now, Deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; Yet we have this consolation with us, that The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: It is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price Upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed If so celestial an article as FREEDOM Should not be highly rated.”

Thank you, my friends, for being here. And in the cause of freedom, at home and abroad, in these times of crisis, may God bless America.

About the Writer: John Armor is a First Amendment lawyer and writer who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

[leadpenny]

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[leadpenny]

Bump!

[Susannah]

Great job!