What a load of horse crap!
John Kennedy's words, penned himself in the day prior to the speech, are as important and applicable today as they were 50 years ago. Were most Americans to hear them for the first time today, I think the weight of those ideas would be just as moving and influential as they were in 1961.
Here's why:
"And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. " This quote, from the opening lines of the speech, is every bit as important today as it ever was in 1961... Kennedy knew that individual freedom and man's ability to provide for himself far outweighed the benefits gained from government handouts or limitations in his life.
"We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." Far from being meaningless or outdated in today's political climate, I dare anyone to tell me you would EVER hear a modern liberal (President or otherwise) say THESE words to today's global audience.
Next, Kennedy spoke of his "Pledge" for America to the world:
"To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do--for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. " Does this sentiment have no meaning today? Have we not heard from the mouths of liberals that diplomacy and foreign policy must be rebuilt? Can this happen if we do not support and help to protect those that need it or call for it? It can't only be when floods occur, or hurricanes happen... we must be ready and willing when bullets fly and bombs explode, too. Is the call for UNITY any less important simply because there is no USSR? Does not the growth and expansion of terrorism across the globe not constitute an even greater threat?
"To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support--to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective--to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak--and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run. " Here, sadly, we may see the one bit of out-dated sentiment. Kennedy's hope for a rational, functional UN seems to have never materialized and the prospects for it happening in the future are more bleak than even he could have imagined. The ideal is sound, but I'm afraid his worry that it would become "merely a forum for invective" was far more true than anyone could have wished.
"So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms--and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the heavy burdens ... and to let the oppressed go free."
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved."
Of course he was speaking to a Cold War national audience, and of course the "science" he spoke of was the arsenal of nuclear weapons that both the US and the USSR were building up at such an alarming rate... but is it meaningless even now? What is the fear of North Korea or Iran if not nuclear weapons production and proliferation? What cooperation does he mean if not the joint effort to stop tyranny and terror from ruling the lives of millions, as it did under Saddam in Iraq or the Taliban in Afghanistan? Has the nature and definition of TYRANNY, OPPRESSION, SUSPICION changed so much in 50 years? I think not.
"Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are--but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?" If I had heard these words today, rather than read them in a historical context, I can solemnly assure you my answer would be YES.
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. " Kennedy said no more powerful and influential words than these in his short political life. His vision of an America where the focus was not on what could be gained by government, but what could be gained by service, charity and civility in action is one that I think has placed him in the ranks of great Presidents. Obama would not say these words... he has promised that Government ("your country") is the ONLY answer to the problems facing us, and more expectations from that government are not only good and right, but promised from the start. Kennedy did not see it thus... not at all.
So, that's my take... Kennedy's words are just as important today as they were in 1961. We've just forgotten them, that's all.
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