Posted on 07/05/2011 9:38:27 AM PDT by iowamark
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
MAN: Maha Rushie!
RUSH: Thank you all very much.
AUDIENCE: (cheers)
RUSH: Thank you so much, but I can't hear you. I'm a little hard of hearing.
AUDIENCE: (wild cheers and applause)
RUSH: I gotta tell you, folks: Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of this tonight. It was a thrill, it was an honor to be here tonight among all of you. It's the Fourth of July, and do you know what we're celebrating today?
AUDIENCE: (cheers)
RUSH: No, no. We are celebrating a Revolution.
AUDIENCE: (cheers)
RUSH: We are celebrating the most unique revolution in the history of humanity.
AUDIENCE: (cheers)
RUSH: Most revolutions install dictatorships.
MAN: Obama!
RUSH: No, I'm not going there tonight, folks. Our Revolution... Have you ever thought...? I ask myself this frequently as I've gotten older and I've become more and more in awe of the country. I've asked myself: We're 235 years old today.
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: There are countries, civilizations thousands of years older than we are. In 235 years we have become the most powerful, the most benevolent --
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: -- the most productive, the richest society in the history of the world. How did this happen?
MAN: Freedom!
RUSH: Do you realize, even to this day, the United States produces 25% of the all of the world's economic output?
AUDIENCE: (cheers and hoots)
RUSH: Twenty-five percent! How did it happen? My friends, seriously: We are no different DNA-wise from any other human beings on the planet. There's nothing special about us genetically. So what is it about us as Americans?
MAN: Freedom!
MAN: Liberty!
WOMAN: Freedom!
RUSH: I heard a key word here a moment ago.
AUDENCE: Liberty! Freedom!
RUSH: The word is "freedom," but I want you to stop and think about something very seriously: This country has produced opportunity and prosperity unlike any the world has ever seen before. The first reason is our Founders -- this country is a miracle. Our Founders believed in the power of the individuals not the power of an elite government --
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: -- to dictate for people.
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause) RUSH: The power of the individual. They knew that people using their God-given gifts -- their own ambition and desires -- could exceed their own expectations, could realize their dreams, and in so doing create the best and most prosperous country in the history of civilization. But there's one other element to American exceptionalism. This is a term, when people bandy it about, they think, "Well, we're better than everybody else. We're exceptional." That's not what it means. The history of the world is oppression, tyranny, dungeons. Not here. We are an exception to the way human beings have always lived on this planet. This is a nation blessed by God.
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: This is our exceptionalism. This is not a country chosen by God; we are blessed by God because our Founders -- it's all in our Declaration, folks. "We are all endowed by our Creator," there it is, "with certain inalienable rights, among them Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
AUDIENCE: (applause)
RUSH: That's all up to us. This country turns America loose, it turns individuals loose, and look what has happened in 235 years. We, even to this day, run the world but we do it benevolently. We liberate people from tyranny. When there is a disaster anywhere in the world, we are the first to arrive. Now...
AUDIENCE: (applause)
RUSH: You -- those of you here tonight from Joplin, Missouri --
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: You may not know it yet, but you are the essence of what the Founding Fathers had in mind.
AUDIENCE: (applause)
RUSH: You are the epitome. You are the people who make this country work. What happened here is something that you are going to erase. You'll never forget it from your memories, but you are going to build it back. It is going to get fixed. It is going to be rebuilt. It is going to be better than it ever was. You are going to show the rest of the country how it's done, because...
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: You represent the best of what this country has to offer. You understand the principle of hard work and self-reliance. You understand the difference between "self-interest" and "selfishness," and you are not selfish. You are all going to be working you own self-interest to rebuild your lives and, in the process, everybody else's lives will be rebuilt right along with yours. American exceptionalism is simply the result of our Founding Fathers' understanding that our government is not to determine the equality of outcomes in life because we're not all the same. Our country was determined to provide equality of opportunity, and what you do with it is your business.
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: We are 235-years-old. We are here on Independence Day. We are celebrating the greatest miracle in the history of human civilization, and as I grow older -- I just turned sixty; I know I don't look it.
AUDIENCE: (laughter)
RUSH: I just turned sixty. I become more in awe of -- have more appreciation for -- this country each and every day. Now, I'm from Missouri. I'm from southeast Missouri, another part of the state.
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: You know, people ask me, "Do you think you would have succeeded as you have...?" and who can deny my success? (chuckles) "Do you think you would have succeeded if you'd been born in the Northeast?" Yeah, but not the way I have. I don't think that there is any doubt that the fact that I am from the heartland of this country allows me to be able to understand and relate to and be one of you. I have never changed. We are all part of a great part of this country that understands the concepts of hard work and self-reliance -- respect for our neighbors, love, doing the best we can, playing by the rules -- understanding none of us are perfect but we're there for each other when times require it. Joplin, Missouri, you are defining that in the last month.
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: You are showing the world how it's done. I am honored -- I am really honored -- to be here. We have this new little company we've started. We wanted to bring a truckload in, but we wanted to make sure... We didn't want to intrude. We wanted to add to and be part of your event tonight, show a little gratitude and keep the spotlight on your city. The one thing that needs to happen: We must not forget what happened here. I know you're trying to tonight and I understand that. People say, "Well, what are you going to do?" What I'm going to do is keep the spotlight on Joplin, Missouri --
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: -- and what you are doing and how you are overcoming something that was just thrown your way. So thank you all so much. I know you've got a lot to do. You've got a great band coming up. You've got fireworks coming up tonight. You have a great future. You are Americans; we're all Americans! We are celebrating our 235th birthday -- and remember: There's no stopping you. Whatever you want to be, you define it.
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)
RUSH: You can be the best you can!
AUDIENCE: (wild cheers and applause)
RUSH: Go for it -- and I'll see you there! Thank you all very much and have a great Fourth of July!
AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause) END TRANSCRIPT
Did he ever even mention the name of his company? If he didn’t then he truly WAS making it all about Joplin.
According to earlier reports Rush would have supplied his signature tea. But I doubt Rush would have had to say anything about that.
That made me cry. God bless Rush.
He just stated on his show that his wife went around and compensated every vendor since he was giving his stuff away and others were selling. Classy.
And he spent the first hour of his show today bragging about it. He claims his ego-tripping thing is an act, but sometimes it just gets so deep I turn it off.
The company name doesn’t show up in the transcript
Somewhat off topic, but has anyone tried his tea yet?
It is NOT tea. It’s a flavored, sweet drink like koolaid.
ICED TEA has ICE and TEA. Up till about 3 years ago, southerners west of the Trinity River understood this (from Tyler to Charleston, they get carried away with the sugar, but that’s their thing.) Since the fast food places have started selling sweet tea to tubby, it has spread ridiculously to all restaurants...
It’s like that awful Yankee Snapple crap. If I want sugar or mint I’ll drink a mint julep!
Thanks for the correction. Have you tried the beverage, though? I live in the south and we do love our sweet tea.
No, I'm sorry. I hijacked your post in order to vent on these "uncarbonated koolaids."
I have to assume that Rush is competing with Snapple, a previous advertiser on his show and supposed favorite of his.
At $2/bottle, I can't possibly understand how it could be better than a "barley pop."
Where’s the teleprompters? /s
He really is an inspirational speaker.
I’ve tried the Raspberry and now have just received the original (both “diet” versions as we find most canned or bottled teas far too sweet). For bottled tea, it’s pretty good. Can’t compete with Community tea that we brew ourselves, but good for bottled. Free shipping for something that’s less than $25.
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