President Bush Addresses Urban League (Transcript of Speech)

The White House ^ | July 28, 2003 | Speech by President Bush

[PhiKapMom]

President George W. Bush addresses the 2003 National Urban League Conference
in Pittsburgh Monday, July 28, 2003. "The work of the National Urban League
represents one of the basic commitments of this country. See. we believe in opportunity
for all, a society where every person can dream, and work, and realize his
or her potential. We're dedicated to bringing economic
hope to every neighborhood, a good education to every child, and comfort and
compassion to the afflicted," said the President. White House photo by Paul Morse.

[PhiKapMom]

Wonder what was going through Jesse Jackson's mind when the President singled him out down in the speech not at the beginning? Like an afterthought when he saw him in the audience!

[dinok]

waste of time.

[KantianBurke]

Africa's progress is threatened by terrorism and civil wars, and so we're working with African governments to rid that continent of regional conflict and terrorist violence.

Uh Mr. President its usually the African governments' themselves that are the cause of such troubles as terrorism and hunger.

[PhiKapMom]

Cannot fault the President for trying -- he is the President of all Americans. At least he wasn't boo'd and the Urban League looks mainstream when compared to the hard left NAACP.

[mhking]

Wonder what was going through Jesse Jackson's mind when the President singled him out down in the speech not at the beginning? Like an afterthought when he saw him in the audience!

I think the term is "Smackdown."

Black conservative ping

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[dinok]

"...the Urban League looks mainstream when compared to the hard left NAACP."

I'll give you that.

[Huck]

And as the economy expands, we've got to help Americans who find the greatest difficulty finding work. So I have proposed what we call re-employment accounts. The job-seeker would have an account up to $3,000 for job training or child care or transportation, or relocating to get a new job in a new city. If a worker find a new job quickly, within 13 weeks, he or she gets to keep the balance of the cash as a re-employment account. (Applause.) Congress needs to put this plan in effect. Congress needs to help those who are having trouble finding work.

Yuck.

[mountaineer]

The Revrump Jackson was busy in Pittsburgh giving political speeches at tax-exempt churches:

What would a Jesse Jackson appearance be without his "I am somebody" exhortation to the faithful?

The reverend did not disappoint yesterday as he preached in his trademark call-and-response style to a full house of God at Macedonia Baptist Church in the Hill District. But he also crammed history lessons, current events, the emptiness of praising God without addressing problems at hand and a call for U.S. intervention in worn-torn Liberia into his nearly hourlong sermon.

Jackson came to town for the National Urban League conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. Before his scheduled conference appearance, however, Jackson preached unpublicized sermons at Macedonia and at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in East Liberty.

To applause and amens, the founder of the Rainbow Coalition led the congregation: "Respect me. Protect me. Never negate me. ... My mind is a pearl. [Yeah, Jesse, something like that.] I can learn anything in the world."

His Macedonia Baptist sermon focused on educating black youths, in keeping with the theme of the 93rd annual conference, "The Black Family: Building on Its Resilience." In a news conference afterward, he discussed Liberia and the U.S. role there. Liberia, settled by black Americans, has a "friendship treaty" with the United States dating to 1863 and signed by Abraham Lincoln, Jackson said. During World War I, Americans fought side by side with Liberians. In the next world war, the West African nation served as a landing base for the United States and was punished for its alliance when Germany bombed it.

In addition to its strategic position for the United States, Liberia yielded resources of gold and cocoa and served as a voice of America in that part of the world. "Yet when [Liberia] was overthrown in 1980 [by rebel factions] we were through with our friend," Jackson said.

Given the unique, long-term relationship, the United States has a "moral and legal obligation" to intervene in Liberia, where warring factions have requested its presence, he said.

That situation contrasts with Iraq, where the United States waged war on the basis of claims that the government was developing weapons of mass destruction and supported al-Qaida terrorists. To date, neither has been uncovered, Jackson said.

"If you die for Europe or Iraq or Afghanistan, you die for honor. If you die for Africa, it is humiliation. We will not die for Africans. We will die for Europeans. There's something about that that's perverse," he said.

While he used the news conference and parts of the service to discuss international affairs, Jackson focused on the importance of teaching history to black youths in his sermon. Young people can't understand the inequities that exist today without a knowledge of slavery and segregation in this country, he said.

He referred to three "Independence Day" celebrations, asking the congregation which one it celebrates. He said July 4, 1776, commemorates the colonies' freedom from England, which blacks have no reason to celebrate. There's July 4, 1852, when black abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke in New York decrying slavery and noting that he was a fugitive himself. Jackson described that as a protest July 4. Then there was July 4, 1863, when African Americans were able to fight for their freedom in the Civil War.

"So we can celebrate July 4, 1863, because we fought for our freedom that day and God saw us through. You can't celebrate [President Thomas] Jefferson getting freed from England and you not getting freed from Jefferson," Jackson said to applause. "You can't celebrate Jefferson having all those babies by Sally Hemings and not giving them his name. You can't really celebrate a deadbeat dad," a reference to Jefferson's controversial [but unproven] relationship with his slave.

Turning his attention to the current state of the nation, Jackson deplored nationwide job losses, corporate abuses and the overwhelming number of young black men in jail compared with those in college. It is no joke, he said, there are more young black men in the state pen than there are in Penn State.

He also questioned why it is that possession of crack cocaine, used largely by African Americans, deserves a mandatory jail sentence while the powdered substance, popular among whites, merits only probation.

There is also something wrong with a picture in which 76 percent of urban arrests are white people but 55 percent of all those in jail are black. Why is it that blacks attend second-class schools but are imprisoned in first-class jails, he asked. "You as a black person are trapped by predatory exploitation. You pay more for cars. You pay more for houses. You pay more for insurance," Jackson said.

Blacks work harder for less and pay more for less. He advised it's something "our religion must address" and a cause for which African Americans must be willing to march and protest. Post-Gazette

[Miss Marple]

Thanks for posting this, since Fox thought it was more important to bring Michelle Malkin on to diss the Urban League. I wanted to hear this speech. Bah!

I don't think this was a waste of time. Even if it was, black Americans need to hear from the President just like white Americans. Speeches aren't only given to supporters.

And maybe, just maybe, a few hearts and minds were changed.

[PhiKapMom]

I am with you 100% -- it is very important that he went to the Urban League to address them when he was invited!

How are you going to change people's minds if all you do is give speeches to your base? But then that is probably want some people on here want -- reaching out is the last thing they want him to do!

[PhiKapMom]

I read that about Jackson being recognized way down in the speech and burst out laughing. "Smackdown" works for me!

[Frank_Discussion]

Howdy,

I'm pressed for time today. Where's the Smackdown?

[Onelifetogive]

Yuck.

If you don't like it...you should start a movement to amend the Constitution and repeal the part that authorizes "Re-employment Accounts."

[MeekOneGOP]

Jesse's Love Child

[PhiKapMom]

About 3/4 through the speech, Pres Bush recognized Jesse Jackson sitting there! It was like an afterthought because he had recognized everybody and their brother way before that!

[aShepard]

Well, at least the Panderer in Chief was followed by speeches by each of the nine dwarfs.

I guess the only luminary not in attendence was Miss Hillary, who was out on the stumps collecting her $8 mega!

[Frank_Discussion]

Thanks!

[PhiKapMom]

When the one picture wouldn't post and I deleted it from Source Code, it also took out the President's recognition of Jackson:

I see Reverend Jackson is with us today. Jesse Jackson, it's good to see you. (Applause.)

[Frank_Discussion]

Ah! Mystery solved!