Posted on 09/12/2010 12:05:20 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
President Barack Obama, marking the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, said the best way to honor those who died is to "stay true to our traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation.''
He said the U.S. is at war with al Qaeda and its allies, but it "never will be at war with Islam.''
Mr. Obama marked the anniversary by speaking at the Pentagon, where 125 people were killed, including 59 passengers and crew members and five terrorists on board an American Airlines jet that crashed into the west wall.
The president didn't mention intense opposition to the building of an Islamic cultural center, including a mosque, near the site of the former World Trade Center in New York. Nor did he mention plans, now abandoned, by a fringe Florida pastor to burn copies of the Quran, Islam's sacred text.
But he cautioned that the terrorists who attacked the U.S. intended to divide the nation and called for a commitment to religious freedoms.
He said Americans "are not—and never will be—at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was al Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion."
"We champion the rights of every American, including the right to worship as one chooses," Mr. Obama said, "as service members and civilians from many faiths do just steps from here, at the very spot where the terrorists struck this building."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Fuch that arsehole. We need to turn them into glass.
Really? Did Obama really ask the Muslim nations to display tolerance? Finally! uhhmmm...What did the muslim fanatics say to his request? /sarc
But seriously - Obama wants to be seen as UN material he/who/heads/the/planet kinda guy. Why couldn’t he use that imagined capital to ask for tolerance from other nations that thrives on killing non-muslims? He could speak to them across the shared culture (his father etc.) if he thought them killing us was in any way incorrect....
Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions - Chesterton.
I wonder what we could do to cause Hussein to “accidently” slip into a little Arabic.
Obama is an idiot. Of course we are at war with islam. islam declared war on America many years ago. The government wants you to see this as a few criminal men using a religion. It is a religion using criminal men.
islam and the ideal of America, freedom liberty faith in God are not compatible.
was al Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion.”
Sorry it is the other way around. islam perverts those that chose to follow it as directed in the koran.
Never let a crisis go to waste, eh, Obama? To hell with the real meaning of this day, just use it as yet another opportunity to push your bullshit lefty we’re all one big family crap.
Just like how Duval Patrick here in Massachusetts said 9/11 was a failure of communication. Yeah, everything is about your We Are the World childish view of the world.
December 8, 1941 if we had this clown in office:
“December 7 - a date that will hopefully be eventually forgotten as an aberration of history — a minor error started from a misunderstanding of some value differences.
“We must remember the Japanese are a good and kind people who mean us no harm. The acts of a few radical pilots, guided by a single man should in no way be seen as an act against us by these kind and peace-loving people.
“I and my administration will begin discussions with the Japanese diplomats so we can come to an understanding on how we can understand their anger and what we did to engender it.
“Likewise, I am in discussions with my fellow peace-loving heads of state Neville Chamberlain and Philippe Pétain to see what will be needed to satisfy the the aggressive new minority Nazi regime emerging in Germany.
“I am sure that Americans will see the Japanese and German peoples and their leaders as peaceful and of no reason for concern.
“With diplomacy and discussion we will be able to convince these governments to stay their aggressive courses.”
"Sharia is incompatible with American democracy."
One little six word sentence, perfectly true, not even controversial.
But you can't say it, can you?
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/11/remarks-president-pentagon-memorial
Home • Briefing Room • Speeches & Remarks
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release September 11, 2010
Remarks by the President at the Pentagon Memorial
The Pentagon
Arlington, Virginia
9:34 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Gates. Admiral Mullen and members of the Armed Forces. My fellow Americans. Most of all, to you — survivors who still carry the scars of tragedy and destruction; to the families who carry in your hearts the memory of the loved ones you lost here.
For our nation, this is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection, and — with God’s grace — a day of unity and renewal.
We gather to remember, at this sacred hour, on hallowed ground — at places where we feel such grief and where our healing goes on. We gather here, at the Pentagon, where the names of the lost are forever etched in stone. We gather in a gentle Pennsylvania field, where a plane went down and a “tower of voices” will rise and echo through the ages. And we gather where the Twin Towers fell, a site where the work goes on so that next year, on the 10th anniversary, the waters will flow in steady tribute to the nearly 3,000 innocent lives.
On this day, it’s perhaps natural to focus on the images of that awful morning — images that are seared into our souls. It’s tempting to dwell on the final moments of the loved ones whose lives were taken so cruelly. Yet these memorials, and your presence today, remind us to remember the fullness of their time on Earth.
They were fathers and mothers, raising their families; brothers and sisters, pursuing their dreams; sons and daughters, their whole lives before them. They were civilians and service members. Some never saw the danger coming; others saw the peril and rushed to save others — up those stairwells, into the flames, into the cockpit.
They were white and black and brown — men and women and some children made up of all races, many faiths. They were Americans and people from far corners of the world. And they were snatched from us senselessly and much too soon — but they lived well, and they live on in you.
Nine years have now passed. In that time, you have shed more tears than we will ever know. And though it must seem some days as though the world has moved on to other things, I say to you today that your loved ones endure in the heart of our nation, now and forever.
Our remembrance today also requires a certain reflection. As a nation, and as individuals, we must ask ourselves how best to honor them — those who died, those who sacrificed. How do we preserve their legacy — not just on this day, but every day?
We need not look far for our answer. The perpetrators of this evil act didn’t simply attack America; they attacked the very idea of America itself — all that we stand for and represent in the world. And so the highest honor we can pay those we lost, indeed our greatest weapon in this ongoing war, is to do what our adversaries fear the most — to stay true to who we are, as Americans; to renew our sense of common purpose; to say that we define the character of our country, and we will not let the acts of some small band of murderers who slaughter the innocent and cower in caves distort who we are.
They doubted our will, but as Americans we persevere. Today, in Afghanistan and beyond, we have gone on the offensive and struck major blows against al Qaeda and its allies. We will do what is necessary to protect our country, and we honor all those who serve to keep us safe.
They may seek to strike fear in us, but they are no match for our resilience. We do not succumb to fear, nor will we squander the optimism that has always defined us as a people. On a day when others sought to destroy, we have chosen to build, with a National Day of Service and Remembrance that summons the inherent goodness of the American people.
They may seek to exploit our freedoms, but we will not sacrifice the liberties we cherish or hunker down behind walls of suspicion and mistrust. They may wish to drive us apart, but we will not give in to their hatred and prejudice. For Scripture teaches us to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
They may seek to spark conflict between different faiths, but as Americans we are not — and never will be — at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day — it was al Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion. And just as we condemn intolerance and extremism abroad, so will we stay true to our traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation. We champion the rights of every American, including the right to worship as one chooses — as service members and civilians from many faiths do just steps from here, at the very spot where the terrorists struck this building.
Those who attacked us sought to demoralize us, divide us, to deprive us of the very unity, the very ideals, that make America America — those qualities that have made us a beacon of freedom and hope to billions around the world. Today we declare once more we will never hand them that victory. As Americans, we will keep alive the virtues and values that make us who we are and who we must always be.
For our cause is just. Our spirit is strong. Our resolve is unwavering. Like generations before us, let us come together today and all days to affirm certain inalienable rights, to affirm life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. On this day and the days to come, we choose to stay true to our best selves — as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
This is how we choose to honor the fallen — your families, your friends, your fellow service members. This is how we will keep alive the legacy of these proud and patriotic Americans. This is how we will prevail in this great test of our time. This is how we will preserve and protect the country that we love and pass it — safer and stronger — to future generations.
May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END
9:43 A.M. EDT
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/11/weekly-address-president-obama-commemorates-ninth-anniversary-september-
Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release September 11, 2010
Weekly Address: President Obama Commemorates the Ninth Anniversary of the September 11th Attacks
WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, President Obama marked the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as a National Day of Service and Remembrance to honor those who lost their lives. If there is a lesson to be drawn on this anniversary, it is that the United States is one nation and one people united by common ideals. By keeping our commitment to those protect the country and their families, by giving back to our communities, and by serving people in need, we reaffirm those ideals in defiance of those who would do us harm.
The audio and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 am ET, Saturday, September 11, 2010.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
As prepared for delivery
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Washington, DC
Today, we pause to remember a day that tested our country. On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the deadliest attack on American soil in our history. We will never forget the images of planes vanishing into buildings; of photos hung by the families of the missing. We will never forget the anger and sadness we felt. And while nine years have come and gone since that September morning, the passage of time will never diminish the pain and loss forever seared in the consciousness of our nation.
That is why, on this day, we pray with the families of those who died. We mourn with husbands and wives, children and parents, friends and loved ones. We think about the milestones that have passed over the course of nine years – births and christenings, weddings and graduations – all with an empty chair.
On this day, we also honor those who died so that others might live: the firefighters and first responders who climbed the stairs of two burning towers; the passengers who stormed a cockpit; and the men and women who have, in the years since, borne the uniform of this country and given their lives so that our children could grow up in a safer world. In acts of courage and decency, they defended a simple precept: I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.
And on this day, we recall that at our darkest moment, we summoned a sense of unity and common purpose. We responded to the worst kind of depravity with the best of our humanity.
So, each year at this time, we renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act of terror and who continue to plot against us – for we will never waver in defense of this nation. We renew our commitment to our troops and all who serve to protect this country, and to their families. But we also renew the true spirit of that day. Not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good. Not the desire to destroy, but the impulse to save.
That is why we mark September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. For if there is a lesson to be drawn on this anniversary, it is this: we are one nation – one people – bound not only by grief, but by a set of common ideals. And that by giving back to our communities, by serving people in need, we reaffirm our ideals – in defiance of those who would do us grave harm. We prove that the sense of responsibility that we felt for one another was not a fleeting passion – but a lasting virtue.
This is a time of difficulty for our country. And it is often in such moments that some try to stoke bitterness – to divide us based on our differences, to blind us to what we have in common. But on this day, we are reminded that at our best, we do not give in to this temptation. We stand with one another. We fight alongside one another. We do not allow ourselves to be defined by fear, but by the hopes we have for our families, for our nation, and for a brighter future. So let us grieve for those we’ve lost, honor those who have sacrificed, and do our best to live up to the values we share – on this day, and every day that follows.
Thank you.
EXCELLENT work!
So Obama believes he is his brother’s keeper and his sister’s keeper (from his WH press release). Interesting.
Gen 4:9
(9) And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
Interesting,... that somebody can read from this passage in Genesis and glean a meaning to avoid unrighteousness would imply denial of freedom and lack of respect of the volition of one’s brother/sister. Perverse.
His Tolerance is one way...
Big Black Cube should be a big Black Glass Hole and then I may be available to speak of tolerance (then again... maybe not).
TT
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