By: Maged Taman
1- God command us to praise him: it is his right. He give us uncountable favors in this life and luxurious eternity.
15:98 But hymn the praise of thy Lord, and be of those who make prostration (unto Him). - فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُن مِّنَ السَّاجِدِينَ (15:98)
6:1 praise be to Allah, Who hath created the heavens and the earth, and hath appointed darkness and light. Yet those who disbelieve ascribe rivals unto their Lord. الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِم يَعْدِلُونَ (6:1)
6:45 So of the people who did wrong the last remnant was cut off. praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds! فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (6:45)
17:111 And say: praise be to Allah, Who hath not taken unto Himself a son, and Who hath no partner in the Sovereignty, nor hath He any protecting friend through dependence. And magnify Him with all magnificence. وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَم يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلَّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا (17:111)
2- God commands us to spread his praise over the day and night:
20:130 Therefor (O Muhammad), bear with what they say, and celebrate the praises of thy Lord ere the rising of the sun and ere the going down thereof. And glorify Him some hours of the night and at the two ends of the day, that thou mayst find acceptance. فَاصْبِرْ عَلَى مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا وَمِنْ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَى (20:130)
3- The angels praise God:
7:206 Those who are near to thy Lord, disdain not to do Him worship: They celebrate His praises, and bow down before Him. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُ وَلَهُ يَسْجُدُونَ
13:13 The thunder hymneth His praise and (so do) the angels for awe of Him. He launcheth the thunder bolts and smiteth with them whom He will while they dispute (in doubt) concerning Allah, and He is mighty in wrath. وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّعْدُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةُ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِ وَيُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَن يَشَاء وَهُمْ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي اللّهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ الْمِحَالِ (13:13)
42:5 Almost might the heavens above be rent asunder while the angels hymn the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on the earth. Lo! Allah is the Forgiver, the Merciful.
تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِن فَوْقِهِنَّ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ (42:5)
4- All the creation praise God:
24:41 Hast thou not seen that Allah, He it is Whom all who are in the heavens and the earth praise; and the birds in their flight? Of each He knoweth verily the worship and the praise; and Allah is Aware of what they do. أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ (24:41)
17:44 The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft-Forbear, Most Forgiving! تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدَهِ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا
5- Men of God praise him in every situation:
3:191 Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
6- The praise to him in this life and the hereafter:
28:70 And He is Allah; there is no God save Him. His is all praise in the former and the latter (state), and His is the command, and unto Him ye will be brought back. وَهُوَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي الْأُولَى وَالْآخِرَةِ وَلَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (28:70)
7- The losers are those whose hearts are hardened against the praise of God:
39:22 Is one whose heart Allah has opened to Islam, so that he has received Enlightenment from Allah, (no better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against celebrating the praises of Allah. they are manifestly wandering (in error)!
أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فَهُوَ عَلَى نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
8- The winners are those who praise God: won their eternal happiness and entering paradise praising their God for the great reward.
7:43 after We shall have removed whatever unworthy thoughts or feelings may have been [lingering] in their bosoms. Running waters will flow at their feet; and they will say: "All praise is due to God, who has guided us unto this; for we would certainly not have found the right path unless God had guided us! Indeed, our Sustainer's apostles have told us the truth!" And [a voice] will call out unto them: "This is the paradise which you have inherited by virtue of your past deeds!" وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الأَنْهَارُ وَقَالُواْ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَـذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللّهُ لَقَدْ جَاءتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَنُودُواْ أَن تِلْكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (7:43)
10:10 Their prayer therein (paradise) will be: Glory be to Thee, O Allah! and their greeting therein will be: Peace. And the conclusion of their prayer will be: praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds! دَعْوَاهُمْ فِيهَا سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَتَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلاَمٌ وَآخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (10:10)
Monday, September 08, 2008
News of the Past
From: http://www.islamreligion.com/
By IslamReligion.com
One of the strongest evidences of Prophet Muhammad’s truth is his knowledge of the Unseen world: his accurate knowledge of previous nations and future prophecies. No matter how intelligent, a man cannot authoritatively speak of the past based upon mere intelligence. The information has to be learned. Muhammad was a human being, who did not live in the midst of the nations he spoke of, did not inherit any knowledge of their civilization, or learn it from a teacher. God says:
“That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad]. And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary. Nor were you with them when they disputed.” (Quran 3:44)
“That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal, [O Muhammad], to you. And you were not with them when they put together their plan while they conspired.” (Quran 12:102)
Consider the verses:
“And We gave Moses the Scripture, after We had destroyed the former generations, as enlightenment for the people and guidance and mercy that they might be reminded. And you, [O Muhammad], were not on the western side [of the mount] when We revealed to Moses the command, and you were not among the witnesses [to that] but We produced [many] generations [after Moses], and prolonged was their duration. And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our verses, but We were senders [of this message]. And you were not at the side of the mount when We called [Moses] but [were sent] as a mercy from your Lord to warn a people to whom no Warner had come before you that they might be reminded. And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands put forth [of sins] and they would say, ‘Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?’” (Quran 28:43-47)
These events in the story of Moses were related by Muhammad. Either he witnessed them and was present there, or learned it from those who knew. In either case, he would not be God’s prophet. The only other possibility, rather an inescapable conclusion, is that Muhammad was taught by God Himself.
A few facts must be considered to recognize the full strength of the argument. Muhammad did not learn from any religious scholar, there were no Jewish or Christian scholars in Mecca at the time, and he did not know any language other than Arabic. In addition to the previous, he could neither read nor write. No Meccan, Jew, or Christian ever claimed to be Muhammad’s teacher. Had Muhammad learned from any source, his own companions who believed in him would have exposed him.
“Say, ‘If God had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it. Then will you not reason?’” (Quran 10:16)
Despite their strong opposition, the unbelievers could not attribute his knowledge of the past and present to any source. The failure of his contemporaries is sufficient proof against all later skeptics.
The Correction of Jewish and Christian Misunderstandings
Below are two examples of the Quran correcting what had undergone change in Jewish and Christian beliefs:
(1) The Jews claim Abraham to be a Jew, the father of the Jewish nation, whereas the Christians consider him to be their father as well, as the Roman Catholic Church calls Abraham “our father in Faith” in the Eucharistic prayer called Roman Canon recited during Mass. God responds to them in the Quran:
“O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Abraham while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Then will you not reason?” (Quran 3:65)
(2) The Quran forcefully denies the crucifixion of Jesus, an event of immense proportions to both religions:
“And [We cursed them] for their breaking of the covenant and their disbelief in the signs of God and their killing of the prophets without right and their saying, ‘Our hearts are wrapped’ [i.e., sealed against reception]. Rather, God has sealed them because of their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few. And [We cursed them] for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander, And [for] their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.” (Quran 4:155-157)
This Quranic denial raises some fundamental questions.
First, if Islamic doctrine were borrowed from Judaism and Christianity, why did it deny crucifixion? After all, both religions agree it took place! For the Jews, it was Jesus the imposter who was crucified, but for Christians, it was the Son of God. The Prophet Muhammad could have easily agreed to the crucifixion of Jesus, this giving more credit to his message. If Islam were a false religion, an imitation of Judaism or Christianity, or if Muhammad was not true in his claim, Islam would not take an uncompromising stand on this issue and declare both religions to be outright wrong in this matter, as there is nothing as such to gain by its denial.
Second, if Islam had borrowed the myth of crucifixion from these two religions, it would have eliminated a point of major contention with them, but Islam brought the truth and could not vindicate a myth just to appease them. It is quite possible the Jews were responsible for crucifying Jesus, for their historical transgressions against the prophets of God has been documented in the bible and the Quran alike. But in regards to Jesus, the Quran states forcefully:
“And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him.”
How is it possible, then, to say that the Muhammad produced the Quran by information learnt from Jewish or Christian scholars when he brought ideologies uprooting their doctrine?
Third, the denial of crucifixion by itself negates other Christian beliefs:
(i) Jesus’ atonement for sin’s of man.
(ii) Burden of original sin carried by all men.
(iii) Deconstructs the myth of the cross and its veneration.
(iv) The last supper and the Eucharist.
Thus we see that the stories the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, told of nations of past were not mere folklore, nor were they learnt from Jewish or Christian learned men. Rather, they were revealed to him from above the seven heavens by the God of creation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtSnn974cik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDqD4dHVAdA&feature=related
By IslamReligion.com
One of the strongest evidences of Prophet Muhammad’s truth is his knowledge of the Unseen world: his accurate knowledge of previous nations and future prophecies. No matter how intelligent, a man cannot authoritatively speak of the past based upon mere intelligence. The information has to be learned. Muhammad was a human being, who did not live in the midst of the nations he spoke of, did not inherit any knowledge of their civilization, or learn it from a teacher. God says:
“That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad]. And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary. Nor were you with them when they disputed.” (Quran 3:44)
“That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal, [O Muhammad], to you. And you were not with them when they put together their plan while they conspired.” (Quran 12:102)
Consider the verses:
“And We gave Moses the Scripture, after We had destroyed the former generations, as enlightenment for the people and guidance and mercy that they might be reminded. And you, [O Muhammad], were not on the western side [of the mount] when We revealed to Moses the command, and you were not among the witnesses [to that] but We produced [many] generations [after Moses], and prolonged was their duration. And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our verses, but We were senders [of this message]. And you were not at the side of the mount when We called [Moses] but [were sent] as a mercy from your Lord to warn a people to whom no Warner had come before you that they might be reminded. And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands put forth [of sins] and they would say, ‘Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?’” (Quran 28:43-47)
These events in the story of Moses were related by Muhammad. Either he witnessed them and was present there, or learned it from those who knew. In either case, he would not be God’s prophet. The only other possibility, rather an inescapable conclusion, is that Muhammad was taught by God Himself.
A few facts must be considered to recognize the full strength of the argument. Muhammad did not learn from any religious scholar, there were no Jewish or Christian scholars in Mecca at the time, and he did not know any language other than Arabic. In addition to the previous, he could neither read nor write. No Meccan, Jew, or Christian ever claimed to be Muhammad’s teacher. Had Muhammad learned from any source, his own companions who believed in him would have exposed him.
“Say, ‘If God had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it. Then will you not reason?’” (Quran 10:16)
Despite their strong opposition, the unbelievers could not attribute his knowledge of the past and present to any source. The failure of his contemporaries is sufficient proof against all later skeptics.
The Correction of Jewish and Christian Misunderstandings
Below are two examples of the Quran correcting what had undergone change in Jewish and Christian beliefs:
(1) The Jews claim Abraham to be a Jew, the father of the Jewish nation, whereas the Christians consider him to be their father as well, as the Roman Catholic Church calls Abraham “our father in Faith” in the Eucharistic prayer called Roman Canon recited during Mass. God responds to them in the Quran:
“O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Abraham while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Then will you not reason?” (Quran 3:65)
(2) The Quran forcefully denies the crucifixion of Jesus, an event of immense proportions to both religions:
“And [We cursed them] for their breaking of the covenant and their disbelief in the signs of God and their killing of the prophets without right and their saying, ‘Our hearts are wrapped’ [i.e., sealed against reception]. Rather, God has sealed them because of their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few. And [We cursed them] for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander, And [for] their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.” (Quran 4:155-157)
This Quranic denial raises some fundamental questions.
First, if Islamic doctrine were borrowed from Judaism and Christianity, why did it deny crucifixion? After all, both religions agree it took place! For the Jews, it was Jesus the imposter who was crucified, but for Christians, it was the Son of God. The Prophet Muhammad could have easily agreed to the crucifixion of Jesus, this giving more credit to his message. If Islam were a false religion, an imitation of Judaism or Christianity, or if Muhammad was not true in his claim, Islam would not take an uncompromising stand on this issue and declare both religions to be outright wrong in this matter, as there is nothing as such to gain by its denial.
Second, if Islam had borrowed the myth of crucifixion from these two religions, it would have eliminated a point of major contention with them, but Islam brought the truth and could not vindicate a myth just to appease them. It is quite possible the Jews were responsible for crucifying Jesus, for their historical transgressions against the prophets of God has been documented in the bible and the Quran alike. But in regards to Jesus, the Quran states forcefully:
“And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him.”
How is it possible, then, to say that the Muhammad produced the Quran by information learnt from Jewish or Christian scholars when he brought ideologies uprooting their doctrine?
Third, the denial of crucifixion by itself negates other Christian beliefs:
(i) Jesus’ atonement for sin’s of man.
(ii) Burden of original sin carried by all men.
(iii) Deconstructs the myth of the cross and its veneration.
(iv) The last supper and the Eucharist.
Thus we see that the stories the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, told of nations of past were not mere folklore, nor were they learnt from Jewish or Christian learned men. Rather, they were revealed to him from above the seven heavens by the God of creation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtSnn974cik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDqD4dHVAdA&feature=related
Welcome to the Rally for the Republic and the Revolution: Ron Paul Personal Notes.
From: www.ronpaul.com
By: Senator Ron Paul
It’s not much of an overstatement to say that everyone attending this Rally for the Republic knows that the American Republic hangs by a thread, and a thin one at that.
Every day the financial, political and foreign policy news verifies the crisis we face. The financial system teeters on collapse, our personal liberties continue to melt away, and the constant threat from foreign adversaries escalates daily. Yet, there’s something exciting in the air. A revolutionary spirit has erupted and it will not be suppressed. We are indeed involved in an historic event.It’s been nearly two years since the presidential exploratory committee was formed, yet despite my strong reservations at the time, much has been accomplished. The Revolution to save the Republic has been ignited. It was a revolution in waiting. The campaign became the catalyst that excited millions who, in their own quiet way, were already working diligently to save our Constitution, preserve our liberties, and reject outright the notion of an American world empire.
Not only was I surprised at the reception for the ideas of liberty, the establishment was shocked because of the millions who were responding. The response from those who feared a challenge to the status quo, controlled by the special interests, was silence, ridicule, and marginalization. But that treatment was only met with energized determination to spread the message using the internet, radio, short-wave, letter writing, campaigning, and by word of mouth and through music. I’ve always been convinced that any movement of significance would have two things: the involvement of young people and creative music. And we have both.
Though the revolutionary spirit was much stronger than I ever dreamed, the growth that continues is truly inspiring. It is clear to me that people are hurting financially; they are deeply concerned about their freedom; and they are sick and tired of paying for a failed foreign policy. They indeed are demanding change and it’s a change that only we can provide. When others offer change, it’s only a political reaction to a demand that they cannot ignore.
The future of the Republic is bleak. As conditions deteriorate those in charge use the problems they created to solidify their power with more spending, taxes, rules, inflation, and militarism. This must be reversed or tyranny will triumph and the grand experiment of the American Republic will end.
During the past two years, a lot of us have been excited to find so many other like-minded individuals who have been just waiting to join an organized effort to challenge the corrupt power structure that is controlling our country. Not only that, but tens of thousands of young people have excitedly joined the effort after realizing that what they’re getting handed to them is not a system of opportunity, but a broken system plagued with a debt that they’ll be expected to pay.
No one knows the exact number of people involved, but it’s huge and growing. The Republic can be saved. It will be difficult, but it can’t be saved without an army of enthusiastic revolutionaries who know and understand exactly what this struggle is all about. There’s every reason to be more optimistic today than two years ago. The support is out there and it is ready to be tapped.
I want to acknowledge my deep appreciation for the confidence you placed in me in helping to spread this message. Without your encouragement, financial support, and hard work, there would not have been a campaign of note. The revolution would still have come, but I’m pleased to have been part of speeding up the process. The task before us is continuing and building on this momentum.
We can expect many obstacles to be placed in our way. Though we preach non-violence, our opponents who feel threatened, will not hesitate to use force against us. Since the opposition is the state, using the armed might of government to stifle our effort should not surprise us. Recent changes in the law voiding protection of our civil liberties since 9/11, make it quite convenient for hostile government agents to undermine our right to speak out and protest.
Although this struggle is difficult, we know that ultimately ideas are superior to brute force and can penetrate where armies and police are unable to go. For that reason we should remain optimistic and continue our effort, since doing nothing is unacceptable and guarantees failure.
Responsibility falls on each and every one of us — much more so on those who come to know the truth and can convince others of the moral correctness and benefits of Liberty.
To get us out of this mess, we must first understand how we got ourselves into it and then proceed to correct the problems.
How and Why We Lost the Republic
The simplest explanation comes from the early warning that the survival of freedom requires a moral people. Absent this, the Constitution has no meaning, no matter how well written. But the immorality of a political system hinges on those who seek power or largess and are supported by a false ideology justifying the forced wealth transfer known as “legal plunder.” Along with a negligent or complicit electorate, this sets the stage for the undermining of the Republic.
Although those who hunger for power are small in numbers, it’s easy to entice the masses into believing that government can provide for everyone’s needs and safety. Yet the others who continue to produce are misled into believing that they must accept the system or be labeled selfish and lacking compassion. To do this, they accept the idea that a person’s needs, desires or demands equate to rights. Thus we hear from those who say they object to the welfare/socialist state that they nevertheless accept the fact that the few truly in need deserve help from the government. They claim it’s only the abuse of the system that must be stopped. This concedes the intellectual and moral argument that a need is equal to a right and now is referred to as an “entitlement.” No one should be entitled or have a right to someone else’s labor. This idea opens the door to the special interests to manipulate the system to their advantage at the expense of all others. Without this understanding liberty cannot survive.
Even though the Constitution was written to keep power from being placed in the hands of the few, the apathy of the people and the belief that they may benefit from such a system allows the centralization of power to continue.
It has been said that power for some is an aphrodisiac and it feeds on itself, even after those in charge have adequately stolen enough to be comfortable for the rest of their lives. There are some who are quite content to use government to increase their wealth without directly wielding power. Well-connected lobbyists seek influence to enhance their economic well-being without running for office or becoming a figurehead with authority.
Ignorance of how the economy works significantly contributes to central economic planning by the politicians, bureaucrats and central bankers. The major reason for this is that government schools do not teach free-market economics.
These same schools teach that it’s an outdated notion to strictly adhere to the Constitution. They claim the Constitution must be a living, breathing document, capable of adapting to modern times. They assume that there are no long-lasting truths, such as might be found in the Bill of Rights. It should surprise no one that constitutional restraint on the federal government is nonexistent. It no longer is seen as an instrument to restrain the government, but instead is constantly distorted to justify restraining the people in all their activities and travels.
Distortion of history influences the thinking of almost everyone with a government education. War presidents are always portrayed as the greatest presidents—Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt. The economic ideas that are taught are always Keynesian or socialist. Ideas on banking always support central banking and never commodity money, as mandated by the Constitution. This problem only gets worse as every aspect of public schools is more controlled by the Congress, federal bureaucrats, the Department of Education and the federal courts. The Republic cannot be saved without addressing this issue of education.
The idea is well-entrenched that if one supports free markets, private property, commodity money, no Federal Reserve, no income tax, no welfare and no foreign militarism, one cannot be a humanitarian concerned about the well-being of all citizens. The truth is exactly the opposite. Although the socialist/welfare state may be supported by some who are truly concerned about their fellow man, there is no evidence that any system can provide more prosperity for the greatest number than a system based on individual liberty.
The idea of patriotism has been grossly distorted. Too often, if one does not support unconstitutional aggression it is said that he is unpatriotic, un-American, and doesn’t support the troops. It is assumed today that a patriot is one who is blindly obedient to the government—right or wrong. But the people and the government are not the same. Support for freedom and the Constitution compels the patriot to challenge the government when it goes wrong. That means today a true patriot must challenge our government at every step of the way. The original American patriots were hardly the ones that were steadfastly loyal to the King—despite his abuse of the rights of the American colonists.
We are expected to believe that freedom is old-fashioned and must be rejected. It’s claimed that modern times require a centralized government with power placed in the hands of the few. This is completely false. Freedom, as protected by our Constitution, is a new idea in the historical sense. It’s been tried and found to be amazingly successful in producing great abundance, yet the notion that it’s outdated permeates our society. What is old is the idea of tyranny. We must never be willing to give up the principles of individual liberty; instead we must convince people that progress depends on advancing even further this concept rather than succumbing to the ancient idea of political power residing in the hands of a few.
Personal freedom and economic freedom cannot remain separate. If we have a right to our lives, we have a right to live our lives as we chose and to keep the fruits of our labor. These two rights are the same.
We must forever eliminate the notion that a tax reduction is a cost to government. That notion is based on the assumption that everything we earn belongs to the government and the government decides what portion we’re allowed to keep. This is why today our lives, the fruits of our labor, and all our property are controlled by the state and we must get permission for everything we do.
This is equivalent to prior restraint. This would not sit well with a journalist in reporting and writing opinions and should not sit well with any of us who are tired of being constantly spied on and monitored in every transaction we make and needing to get permission for our every move.
One of the most dangerous ideas that has undermined the Republic, and one which a majority of the American people have come to accept, is that of preventive war. This is another name for aggression and allowing wars for perceived or imagined dangers. Tragically the Congress is complicit, failing to take responsibility to declare or reject war and instead obediently funding the wars the President starts out of fear of being called unpatriotic. We are bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re about to spread our military commitment to taking on Iran and maybe even getting involved in the Russian/Georgia dispute, in spite of the fact that no Arab or Muslim nation has posed a threat to us. We’re fighting third-world nations, 6,000 miles from our shore, who have no military force of note. Iran spends 1% of what we spend on our military operation, and they can’t even refine their own gasoline. Yet our government tells us that they are equivalent to Nazi Germany pre-World War II.
Too many American believe that war is good for the economy, which is a completely false assumption, and many believe our presence in the Middle East is required to protect “our” oil. The truth is “war is the health of the state” and the profiteers. War always hurts the economy. General Smedley Butler correctly said that “war is a racket,” serving American business interesting.
Our carelessness with the Constitution and wit hallowing our elected leaders to sell us a bill of goods has allowed the special interests to take over the government for their benefit. This is not inherent in free-market capitalism but a predictable outcome of interventionist economic and foreign policy. It’s not capitalism; it’s corporatism drifting toward fascism. This system permits those inclined to abuse power for their own selfish purposes and egos to undermine the whole notion of individual freedom. Without an understanding of these flaws a reversal of current trends is impossible.
We must never forget that the internal threats to liberties have always been of greater danger to us than the external threats. The internal threats obviously come from abuse of government power.National sovereignty is not a great concern for most Americans. Our drift toward internationalism has diminished our interest in maintaining our borders and this has diminished the importance of our Constitution as a protector of our liberties. International courts, the UN, the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, and NAFTA and CAFTA and regional governments like NAU and the European Union are generally accepted by a majority of Americans with little concern. A republic does not thrive under these conditions; instead liberty is always compromised.
The ConsequencesThe Republic was not lost precipitously. It’s been gradual and insidious, thus making it more palatable and less noticeable. Although the Republic has been destroyed, prosperity has persisted due to our ability to borrow and inflate, based on our past laurels. The superficial prosperity has conditioned many to care little for their lost liberties and the disappearance of the Republic.
But the serious consequences are less evident. We’re in a mess. Debt at all levels is growing exponentially. Inflation is rearing its ugly head, reducing the standard of living of most Americans.
The foreign policy of empire building has given us perpetual war while undermining our own national security. We have more enemies and fewer allies than ever. Our troops are spread across the world, and dissent is increasing here at home. The foreign policy and economic failures are a cause for concern here at home—an attitude that perpetuates violence and competition for the control of a government which becomes more aggressive against its citizens daily. The failure of government at all levels has become more obvious, precipitating the demand for change.
Osama bin Laden is pleased with our response to 9/11 and desperately wants us to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan. It verifies all his assertions about America’s intentions and serves his recruiting efforts.Some claim that all our problems stem from radical Islamists who want to kill us because of their religious beliefs. That’s a cop-out. A few might like to, but to enlist a suicide bomber there has to be a strong incentive-like occupation by a foreign power.
The religious conflict that motivates al Qaeda is between the radicals and secular Muslims. The fundamentalists highly resent our support for secular puppets in countries like Saudi Arabia to secure access to oil. They see we’re setting up the same type of government in Iraq and Afghanistan with plans to do the same in Iran.
This is the issue—it’s not the clash of civilization as we’ve been told. It’s not the Muslims against the Christians and Jews. Suicide terrorists have been radicalized by our occupation of their countries that they view as holy land.
These reactions are logical once one understands what causes the hatred to boil over. Without this understanding don’t expect our presence in the Middle East to ever bring peace and tranquility to the region. Nor will the oil ever be secure for the West.
The war on drugs has been a total failure and has wasted hundreds of billions of dollars. It has been used as an excuse to undermine our liberties while wasting time and money arresting and incarcerating tens of thousands of individuals who have never committed a violent crime. It has motivated Congress to pass laws forcing mandatory minimum sentences, cluttering our courts and prisons with non-violent individuals while violent criminals get off on technicalities. We live in a country where the federal government can’t even resist regulating the consumption of raw milk.
Although we generally still recognize that citizens here have a right to decide what to put into their minds and souls the assumption is that only government can tell us what we can ingest or smoke. Government has assumed the role of parent in the runaway nanny state.
We need to talk more of our alliance with those whose main issue is the environment. Property rights, the market economy and the Constitution are friends of the environment. In a free society, no one has the right to pollute or damage a neighbor’s land, water, or air. Collusion between the government and corporations has allowed pollution that would not be permissible in a society with strict protection of property rights. Government, over the years, since the Industrial Revolution, has been complicit in many of the problems we have today. This is one reason that I don’t place a lot of confidence in the regulatory approach to protecting the environment. Special interests get special treatment. Also consider the Pentagon’s contribution to pollution through unnecessary wars and huge consumption of hydro carbon energy.
Practical AnswersOur answers are not complex, although they are considered radical by those who want to maintain power. But how can they get away with labeling common sense as extreme or kooky, as they so often do. When government needs money, they print some. That sounds kooky to me, as does huge deficits, and totally ignoring the Constitution. No income tax makes a lot of sense to many Americans. Protecting privacy is an American tradition. Respecting the Rule of Law and the Constitution should never be ridiculed as being silly and regressive, as so many do.
Local government is far superior to strong federal controls. Local and private schools have always proven to be superior to government run schools especially when they are run by the federal government.There’s no reason we can’t restore the tradition of American neutrality in the affairs of the world. It makes no sense for us to be involved in the internal affairs of other nations. Nor is there a need for us to be the politician of the world. Our presence in the Middle East to guarantee a steady flow of oil from that region is a miscalculation of monumental proportions, since we get the opposite results. Private property, sound money, respect for all voluntary economic and social contracts, and rejecting the notion of wealth transfer through legislative fiat needed to restore our liberties and prosperity.
Philosophic AnswersSince the problems we face are a result of rejecting the principles of liberty and our Constitution, the answers should be apparent to everyone. Restore and improve on the freedom revolution started by the Founders of this country.
We do need change—lots of it. But it has to be the right kind of change or it will only make things worse.The mess we’re in guarantees that we will have change eventually. The status quo cannot be maintained. Tyranny is on its way unless we use this opportunity to reenergize the freedom movement and reinstate the Rule of Law that guarantees our liberties in a Constitutional Republic.
The Constitution must once again be used as an instrument to restrain the government, not the people. Creative energy must be allowed to thrive without the heavy hand of government monitoring every move.Some say man’s problems result from a persistent class struggle; others say ours is a cultural war. The conflicts that seem to be permanent and unavoidable are nothing more than a consequence of government abuse of power. When outsiders were less involved in the Middle East and the local people determined relationships, Jews, Christians, and Muslims were more capable of living peaceably side by side. Not today. Iraq is also an example of how outside interference makes problems worse.
Let there be no doubt that freedom brings people together, authoritarianism divides us and generates class, religious, gender, generational, social, cultural, and racial conflicts. If we continue to try to solve all human conflicts by more rules, regulations, threats and taxes, our divisions will only grow. Freedom provides the answers.
Truth and the love of liberty are far superior to the illicit use of government power.Ideas, peaceful persuasion, the principle of the right of self determination are better tools in both domestic and foreign affairs. Armies of individuals with correct ideas can reach places that conventional armies cannot. Ideas and revolutions whose time has come cannot be stopped by governments or the status quo.
We must never forget that freedom is the catalyst of all creative energy.
Our competitors are now intellectually and financially bankrupt which should make our job easier every day.Some worry that our numbers are small compared to the majority that remains complacent about the current system of welfarism, corporatism, and militarism. But revolutions are never driven by a solid majority. Instead they are led by a small number of dedicated individuals working in unity for a cause. We benefit because our cause is freedom. It brings people from all walks of life together. This means there are no victims. We work together to achieve the right to run our own lives as we see fit and assume responsibility for ourselves and be permitted to keep and spend the fruits of our labor.
Knowing that these ideas guarantee a greater chance for peace and prosperity than any other system of government certainly generates the enthusiasm for the Revolution.
With this enthusiasm, and unity we can influence the majority to eventually join—or at least not obstruct—the Revolution. The failure of the current system will prompt many to look to us for answers to problems we face.
There are many parts in the world that provide a fertile field for this message as well. The campaign message, to my complete surprise and pleasure actually reached many around the world—thanks to modern technology. A tremendous opportunity has arrived for spreading of the message of liberty far and wide.The question of civil disobedience is of great importance. I personally don’t want to participate in any acts of violence or set the stage where violence will easily break out. But we’re nearing the point where all of us who are struggling to bring about change will have to make a decision regarding civil disobedience.A gradual transition through elections and persuasion should be our goal. Realistically, that is not likely to bring satisfactory results quickly. An economic crisis and political chaos are a more likely scenario. That is when we are most likely to participate in a rebuilding and remaking of the American Republic.Already many Americans practice civil disobedience. Some are outwardly at risk and have suffered for it. Protesters of our monetary and tax system on constitutional grounds are legitimate yet we do know that the state will use armed might to arrest and imprison those who make any headway in revealing the truth.When the military draft is in effect—something which is still a possibility—many will have to make the decision to resist or not. Many have suffered over the years resisting a draft and today many have resisted our unconstitutional war in Iraq and now face imprisonment.
I can conceive of the day when the decision regarding civil disobedience will be of paramount importance. It will always be an individual choice, but history has shown that peaceful resistance to government injustice is a powerful weapon. Gandhi and Martin Luther King showed that this process can bring about a lot of positive changes.
Revolutions are not equivalent to reforming a political party. A successful revolution will reform all parties, possibly with one leading the way.
Ideas are pervasive and spread spontaneously and, when acceptable, influence everyone. There’s nothing wrong working within the Republican Party and I endorse and encourage this. It’s hard to ignore the fact that I’ve been elected 10 times to Congress as a Republican. But there should not be hostility toward those who seek opportunities in any party. The goal is to spread the message in every way possible. As a matter of fact, if the ideas didn’t invade all political factions, it would not be a true revolution. Economic planning, inflationism, Keysianism, foreign interventionism, empire building, legislating morality, all have been endorsed by mainstream politicians in both parties for decades. That’s why the power brokers are not threatened by either candidate in our presidential elections of recent decades. What needs to be done is to replace the principle of illicit use of government force with the principles of individual liberty.Ironically, people with evil motives, whose goals are to perpetuate dangerous government power, have been quite successful in appealing to the idealism of good people. They are experts in deception. There’s no reason why we can’t appeal to these good people, without deception, with a program of peace, prosperity and freedom.
Over the years I have argued that the two weakest arguments to be used on the House floor are moral and constitutional. The strongest is to list the special interests who support a particular piece of legislation. The Revolution must change this attitude.
Over the course of my study of politics and economics, I found that one of the greatest evils that has been perpetrated by our presidents was the use of war to promote their personal political agenda. The willingness to use war to enhance their political position has led to the death of many innocent people and many of those have been American soldiers. There have also been presidents who have been quite willing to violate civil liberties while claiming to make us safe and free, an attitude that has been catastrophically dangerous to us since 9/11.
JFK was said to have feared being labeled a dove by the Republicans in the election of 1964 and escalated the Vietnam War to prove otherwise. He said then after he won the election he would de-escalate and bring our troops home because he really did not support the war. This was an atrocious act.Leading up to the 1968 election, LBJ massively escalated the war in order to “win,” believing it would be impossible to win the election without a military victory. He didn’t want to be the first president to lose a war—the necessity or moral justification for the war was irrelevant. Deliberate efforts by both Wilson and Roosevelt to manipulate us into war have been well documented.
And now we have an administration that uses “total victory” as a political ploy to play on the patriotism of the people. Wanting to play the ancient role of the great warrior, today’s politicians pump up the need for war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran and now hints of escalation of our presence and interference in Georgia—just looking for another fight.
The current administration should disavow any plan to escalate the conflict in the Middle East or Central Asia with an October surprise designed to benefit John McCain and sway the election to the more radical neo conservatives.
The most disturbing reaction in the Campaign was the hostility some evangelical Christians showed toward our strong opposition to preemptive war—which is essentially a war of aggression.How it’s possible to profess to follow the Prince of Peace, and at the same time support preventive war, is totally baffling to me. However, I received strong support from many evangelicals who support home schooling. They respect the Constitution and oppose preventive wars like me and are strong supporters of home schooling. I stand fast in opposition to abortion, and I found it disappointing that some evangelicals would rather support a candidate weak on the abortion issue and home schooling as long as the candidate supports war over diplomacy. When it comes to the Middle East, Israel was a key factor in their decision making.
The current civil war breaking out in Georgia and dragging in the Russians is closely related to our policy of foreign military interventionism. Our money and troops have trained the Georgian army to provoke the Russians. We’re there to protect a vital pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to Turkey and we prod NATO to join in our empire building by bringing Georgia into NATO. Our obsession with putting anti-ballistic missiles in Eastern Europe has nothing to do with defending America. It has more to do with resurrecting the Cold War. Our insistence on doing so and having troops in countries like Georgia is doing nothing more than provoking a fight with Russia—exactly what would delight the war mongering neo-cons. Fighting in Georgia is not worth one American life.
Only a total overhaul of our foreign policy can prevent us from getting ourselves into so much trouble and neither of the two major candidates offers us a solution.
Ultimately, it is the use of force that determines the advancement of civilization. Brute force and the survival of the fittest are the least civilized. Using force only as a defense against those who initiate force shows society is advancing. If government is granted a monopoly over the use of force, even if given to stop the evil doers, it nevertheless sets the stage for the destruction of civilization. When force is restrained by individuals and government, society becomes more productive as was the case in our early history.
The world is threatened once again by those who use government force to undermine the benefits of civilization while serving the powerful elites. They always claim they are only trying to help the poor.
Insecure politicians cling to the notion that only the warrior can stabilize a country by killing, robbing and enslaving their enemy, and they demand war and militarism to solve all the world’s problems. Today, instead of depending upon the market to produce the energy we need, we send our armies to protect “our” oil in the Middle East and the Caspian Sea, all in the name of serving mankind.
Advancing civilization depends on this understanding of the use of force. If current attitudes of the political leaders of our country are not changed in this regard, the future looks bleak. It need not be. Freedom provides the answer.
Send a MessageWe’re here today to send a message, not just to the Republican Party, not just to the politicians in power, but to the whole country, and possibly the entire world.
The power brokers are convinced they can maintain control with no serious challenge. They have it wrong. We will challenge them on all fronts—in every state and at all levels of government. First of all, the philosophic revolution will propel the political revolution. The educational effort will spread the message of the Freedom Philosophy. Individual liberty must be our goal. Prosperity and peace will follow. Without liberty, peace and prosperity are unachievable.
Without liberty, all we have are the leeches and looters fighting over the spoils that the victims are required to produce. This rotten system of redistribution must end. And it will, because victims of authoritarian rule eventually quit being victimized. War and domestic violence always complicate matters once the moral defense of individual rights is rejected.
Endless war and economic pain never pacifies the people. We must prevail, for once the people demand change, there will be lots of counterfeit offers for change—all of which will make conditions worse.Change for the sake of change but not doing the right thing is pure folly. Our Revolution for the Republic must prevail. And it will!
Blogger comment:
1- One of the historic speechs.
2- Though I do not agree with all points, I agree with most.
3- Ron uses the common sense and the simple language people can understand.
4- His message of change is accompanied by solutions that what people are looking for.
5- People now are not looking for ideology or rhetaric they are looking for few wise words and mostly soutions.
6- They are willing to fight with a candidate that they beleive in his character, wisdom and judgment and most importantly have plans and solutions.
7- I think Ron will be around for long time. He is not a politician he is a movement.
By: Senator Ron Paul
It’s not much of an overstatement to say that everyone attending this Rally for the Republic knows that the American Republic hangs by a thread, and a thin one at that.
Every day the financial, political and foreign policy news verifies the crisis we face. The financial system teeters on collapse, our personal liberties continue to melt away, and the constant threat from foreign adversaries escalates daily. Yet, there’s something exciting in the air. A revolutionary spirit has erupted and it will not be suppressed. We are indeed involved in an historic event.It’s been nearly two years since the presidential exploratory committee was formed, yet despite my strong reservations at the time, much has been accomplished. The Revolution to save the Republic has been ignited. It was a revolution in waiting. The campaign became the catalyst that excited millions who, in their own quiet way, were already working diligently to save our Constitution, preserve our liberties, and reject outright the notion of an American world empire.
Not only was I surprised at the reception for the ideas of liberty, the establishment was shocked because of the millions who were responding. The response from those who feared a challenge to the status quo, controlled by the special interests, was silence, ridicule, and marginalization. But that treatment was only met with energized determination to spread the message using the internet, radio, short-wave, letter writing, campaigning, and by word of mouth and through music. I’ve always been convinced that any movement of significance would have two things: the involvement of young people and creative music. And we have both.
Though the revolutionary spirit was much stronger than I ever dreamed, the growth that continues is truly inspiring. It is clear to me that people are hurting financially; they are deeply concerned about their freedom; and they are sick and tired of paying for a failed foreign policy. They indeed are demanding change and it’s a change that only we can provide. When others offer change, it’s only a political reaction to a demand that they cannot ignore.
The future of the Republic is bleak. As conditions deteriorate those in charge use the problems they created to solidify their power with more spending, taxes, rules, inflation, and militarism. This must be reversed or tyranny will triumph and the grand experiment of the American Republic will end.
During the past two years, a lot of us have been excited to find so many other like-minded individuals who have been just waiting to join an organized effort to challenge the corrupt power structure that is controlling our country. Not only that, but tens of thousands of young people have excitedly joined the effort after realizing that what they’re getting handed to them is not a system of opportunity, but a broken system plagued with a debt that they’ll be expected to pay.
No one knows the exact number of people involved, but it’s huge and growing. The Republic can be saved. It will be difficult, but it can’t be saved without an army of enthusiastic revolutionaries who know and understand exactly what this struggle is all about. There’s every reason to be more optimistic today than two years ago. The support is out there and it is ready to be tapped.
I want to acknowledge my deep appreciation for the confidence you placed in me in helping to spread this message. Without your encouragement, financial support, and hard work, there would not have been a campaign of note. The revolution would still have come, but I’m pleased to have been part of speeding up the process. The task before us is continuing and building on this momentum.
We can expect many obstacles to be placed in our way. Though we preach non-violence, our opponents who feel threatened, will not hesitate to use force against us. Since the opposition is the state, using the armed might of government to stifle our effort should not surprise us. Recent changes in the law voiding protection of our civil liberties since 9/11, make it quite convenient for hostile government agents to undermine our right to speak out and protest.
Although this struggle is difficult, we know that ultimately ideas are superior to brute force and can penetrate where armies and police are unable to go. For that reason we should remain optimistic and continue our effort, since doing nothing is unacceptable and guarantees failure.
Responsibility falls on each and every one of us — much more so on those who come to know the truth and can convince others of the moral correctness and benefits of Liberty.
To get us out of this mess, we must first understand how we got ourselves into it and then proceed to correct the problems.
How and Why We Lost the Republic
The simplest explanation comes from the early warning that the survival of freedom requires a moral people. Absent this, the Constitution has no meaning, no matter how well written. But the immorality of a political system hinges on those who seek power or largess and are supported by a false ideology justifying the forced wealth transfer known as “legal plunder.” Along with a negligent or complicit electorate, this sets the stage for the undermining of the Republic.
Although those who hunger for power are small in numbers, it’s easy to entice the masses into believing that government can provide for everyone’s needs and safety. Yet the others who continue to produce are misled into believing that they must accept the system or be labeled selfish and lacking compassion. To do this, they accept the idea that a person’s needs, desires or demands equate to rights. Thus we hear from those who say they object to the welfare/socialist state that they nevertheless accept the fact that the few truly in need deserve help from the government. They claim it’s only the abuse of the system that must be stopped. This concedes the intellectual and moral argument that a need is equal to a right and now is referred to as an “entitlement.” No one should be entitled or have a right to someone else’s labor. This idea opens the door to the special interests to manipulate the system to their advantage at the expense of all others. Without this understanding liberty cannot survive.
Even though the Constitution was written to keep power from being placed in the hands of the few, the apathy of the people and the belief that they may benefit from such a system allows the centralization of power to continue.
It has been said that power for some is an aphrodisiac and it feeds on itself, even after those in charge have adequately stolen enough to be comfortable for the rest of their lives. There are some who are quite content to use government to increase their wealth without directly wielding power. Well-connected lobbyists seek influence to enhance their economic well-being without running for office or becoming a figurehead with authority.
Ignorance of how the economy works significantly contributes to central economic planning by the politicians, bureaucrats and central bankers. The major reason for this is that government schools do not teach free-market economics.
These same schools teach that it’s an outdated notion to strictly adhere to the Constitution. They claim the Constitution must be a living, breathing document, capable of adapting to modern times. They assume that there are no long-lasting truths, such as might be found in the Bill of Rights. It should surprise no one that constitutional restraint on the federal government is nonexistent. It no longer is seen as an instrument to restrain the government, but instead is constantly distorted to justify restraining the people in all their activities and travels.
Distortion of history influences the thinking of almost everyone with a government education. War presidents are always portrayed as the greatest presidents—Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt. The economic ideas that are taught are always Keynesian or socialist. Ideas on banking always support central banking and never commodity money, as mandated by the Constitution. This problem only gets worse as every aspect of public schools is more controlled by the Congress, federal bureaucrats, the Department of Education and the federal courts. The Republic cannot be saved without addressing this issue of education.
The idea is well-entrenched that if one supports free markets, private property, commodity money, no Federal Reserve, no income tax, no welfare and no foreign militarism, one cannot be a humanitarian concerned about the well-being of all citizens. The truth is exactly the opposite. Although the socialist/welfare state may be supported by some who are truly concerned about their fellow man, there is no evidence that any system can provide more prosperity for the greatest number than a system based on individual liberty.
The idea of patriotism has been grossly distorted. Too often, if one does not support unconstitutional aggression it is said that he is unpatriotic, un-American, and doesn’t support the troops. It is assumed today that a patriot is one who is blindly obedient to the government—right or wrong. But the people and the government are not the same. Support for freedom and the Constitution compels the patriot to challenge the government when it goes wrong. That means today a true patriot must challenge our government at every step of the way. The original American patriots were hardly the ones that were steadfastly loyal to the King—despite his abuse of the rights of the American colonists.
We are expected to believe that freedom is old-fashioned and must be rejected. It’s claimed that modern times require a centralized government with power placed in the hands of the few. This is completely false. Freedom, as protected by our Constitution, is a new idea in the historical sense. It’s been tried and found to be amazingly successful in producing great abundance, yet the notion that it’s outdated permeates our society. What is old is the idea of tyranny. We must never be willing to give up the principles of individual liberty; instead we must convince people that progress depends on advancing even further this concept rather than succumbing to the ancient idea of political power residing in the hands of a few.
Personal freedom and economic freedom cannot remain separate. If we have a right to our lives, we have a right to live our lives as we chose and to keep the fruits of our labor. These two rights are the same.
We must forever eliminate the notion that a tax reduction is a cost to government. That notion is based on the assumption that everything we earn belongs to the government and the government decides what portion we’re allowed to keep. This is why today our lives, the fruits of our labor, and all our property are controlled by the state and we must get permission for everything we do.
This is equivalent to prior restraint. This would not sit well with a journalist in reporting and writing opinions and should not sit well with any of us who are tired of being constantly spied on and monitored in every transaction we make and needing to get permission for our every move.
One of the most dangerous ideas that has undermined the Republic, and one which a majority of the American people have come to accept, is that of preventive war. This is another name for aggression and allowing wars for perceived or imagined dangers. Tragically the Congress is complicit, failing to take responsibility to declare or reject war and instead obediently funding the wars the President starts out of fear of being called unpatriotic. We are bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re about to spread our military commitment to taking on Iran and maybe even getting involved in the Russian/Georgia dispute, in spite of the fact that no Arab or Muslim nation has posed a threat to us. We’re fighting third-world nations, 6,000 miles from our shore, who have no military force of note. Iran spends 1% of what we spend on our military operation, and they can’t even refine their own gasoline. Yet our government tells us that they are equivalent to Nazi Germany pre-World War II.
Too many American believe that war is good for the economy, which is a completely false assumption, and many believe our presence in the Middle East is required to protect “our” oil. The truth is “war is the health of the state” and the profiteers. War always hurts the economy. General Smedley Butler correctly said that “war is a racket,” serving American business interesting.
Our carelessness with the Constitution and wit hallowing our elected leaders to sell us a bill of goods has allowed the special interests to take over the government for their benefit. This is not inherent in free-market capitalism but a predictable outcome of interventionist economic and foreign policy. It’s not capitalism; it’s corporatism drifting toward fascism. This system permits those inclined to abuse power for their own selfish purposes and egos to undermine the whole notion of individual freedom. Without an understanding of these flaws a reversal of current trends is impossible.
We must never forget that the internal threats to liberties have always been of greater danger to us than the external threats. The internal threats obviously come from abuse of government power.National sovereignty is not a great concern for most Americans. Our drift toward internationalism has diminished our interest in maintaining our borders and this has diminished the importance of our Constitution as a protector of our liberties. International courts, the UN, the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, and NAFTA and CAFTA and regional governments like NAU and the European Union are generally accepted by a majority of Americans with little concern. A republic does not thrive under these conditions; instead liberty is always compromised.
The ConsequencesThe Republic was not lost precipitously. It’s been gradual and insidious, thus making it more palatable and less noticeable. Although the Republic has been destroyed, prosperity has persisted due to our ability to borrow and inflate, based on our past laurels. The superficial prosperity has conditioned many to care little for their lost liberties and the disappearance of the Republic.
But the serious consequences are less evident. We’re in a mess. Debt at all levels is growing exponentially. Inflation is rearing its ugly head, reducing the standard of living of most Americans.
The foreign policy of empire building has given us perpetual war while undermining our own national security. We have more enemies and fewer allies than ever. Our troops are spread across the world, and dissent is increasing here at home. The foreign policy and economic failures are a cause for concern here at home—an attitude that perpetuates violence and competition for the control of a government which becomes more aggressive against its citizens daily. The failure of government at all levels has become more obvious, precipitating the demand for change.
Osama bin Laden is pleased with our response to 9/11 and desperately wants us to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan. It verifies all his assertions about America’s intentions and serves his recruiting efforts.Some claim that all our problems stem from radical Islamists who want to kill us because of their religious beliefs. That’s a cop-out. A few might like to, but to enlist a suicide bomber there has to be a strong incentive-like occupation by a foreign power.
The religious conflict that motivates al Qaeda is between the radicals and secular Muslims. The fundamentalists highly resent our support for secular puppets in countries like Saudi Arabia to secure access to oil. They see we’re setting up the same type of government in Iraq and Afghanistan with plans to do the same in Iran.
This is the issue—it’s not the clash of civilization as we’ve been told. It’s not the Muslims against the Christians and Jews. Suicide terrorists have been radicalized by our occupation of their countries that they view as holy land.
These reactions are logical once one understands what causes the hatred to boil over. Without this understanding don’t expect our presence in the Middle East to ever bring peace and tranquility to the region. Nor will the oil ever be secure for the West.
The war on drugs has been a total failure and has wasted hundreds of billions of dollars. It has been used as an excuse to undermine our liberties while wasting time and money arresting and incarcerating tens of thousands of individuals who have never committed a violent crime. It has motivated Congress to pass laws forcing mandatory minimum sentences, cluttering our courts and prisons with non-violent individuals while violent criminals get off on technicalities. We live in a country where the federal government can’t even resist regulating the consumption of raw milk.
Although we generally still recognize that citizens here have a right to decide what to put into their minds and souls the assumption is that only government can tell us what we can ingest or smoke. Government has assumed the role of parent in the runaway nanny state.
We need to talk more of our alliance with those whose main issue is the environment. Property rights, the market economy and the Constitution are friends of the environment. In a free society, no one has the right to pollute or damage a neighbor’s land, water, or air. Collusion between the government and corporations has allowed pollution that would not be permissible in a society with strict protection of property rights. Government, over the years, since the Industrial Revolution, has been complicit in many of the problems we have today. This is one reason that I don’t place a lot of confidence in the regulatory approach to protecting the environment. Special interests get special treatment. Also consider the Pentagon’s contribution to pollution through unnecessary wars and huge consumption of hydro carbon energy.
Practical AnswersOur answers are not complex, although they are considered radical by those who want to maintain power. But how can they get away with labeling common sense as extreme or kooky, as they so often do. When government needs money, they print some. That sounds kooky to me, as does huge deficits, and totally ignoring the Constitution. No income tax makes a lot of sense to many Americans. Protecting privacy is an American tradition. Respecting the Rule of Law and the Constitution should never be ridiculed as being silly and regressive, as so many do.
Local government is far superior to strong federal controls. Local and private schools have always proven to be superior to government run schools especially when they are run by the federal government.There’s no reason we can’t restore the tradition of American neutrality in the affairs of the world. It makes no sense for us to be involved in the internal affairs of other nations. Nor is there a need for us to be the politician of the world. Our presence in the Middle East to guarantee a steady flow of oil from that region is a miscalculation of monumental proportions, since we get the opposite results. Private property, sound money, respect for all voluntary economic and social contracts, and rejecting the notion of wealth transfer through legislative fiat needed to restore our liberties and prosperity.
Philosophic AnswersSince the problems we face are a result of rejecting the principles of liberty and our Constitution, the answers should be apparent to everyone. Restore and improve on the freedom revolution started by the Founders of this country.
We do need change—lots of it. But it has to be the right kind of change or it will only make things worse.The mess we’re in guarantees that we will have change eventually. The status quo cannot be maintained. Tyranny is on its way unless we use this opportunity to reenergize the freedom movement and reinstate the Rule of Law that guarantees our liberties in a Constitutional Republic.
The Constitution must once again be used as an instrument to restrain the government, not the people. Creative energy must be allowed to thrive without the heavy hand of government monitoring every move.Some say man’s problems result from a persistent class struggle; others say ours is a cultural war. The conflicts that seem to be permanent and unavoidable are nothing more than a consequence of government abuse of power. When outsiders were less involved in the Middle East and the local people determined relationships, Jews, Christians, and Muslims were more capable of living peaceably side by side. Not today. Iraq is also an example of how outside interference makes problems worse.
Let there be no doubt that freedom brings people together, authoritarianism divides us and generates class, religious, gender, generational, social, cultural, and racial conflicts. If we continue to try to solve all human conflicts by more rules, regulations, threats and taxes, our divisions will only grow. Freedom provides the answers.
Truth and the love of liberty are far superior to the illicit use of government power.Ideas, peaceful persuasion, the principle of the right of self determination are better tools in both domestic and foreign affairs. Armies of individuals with correct ideas can reach places that conventional armies cannot. Ideas and revolutions whose time has come cannot be stopped by governments or the status quo.
We must never forget that freedom is the catalyst of all creative energy.
Our competitors are now intellectually and financially bankrupt which should make our job easier every day.Some worry that our numbers are small compared to the majority that remains complacent about the current system of welfarism, corporatism, and militarism. But revolutions are never driven by a solid majority. Instead they are led by a small number of dedicated individuals working in unity for a cause. We benefit because our cause is freedom. It brings people from all walks of life together. This means there are no victims. We work together to achieve the right to run our own lives as we see fit and assume responsibility for ourselves and be permitted to keep and spend the fruits of our labor.
Knowing that these ideas guarantee a greater chance for peace and prosperity than any other system of government certainly generates the enthusiasm for the Revolution.
With this enthusiasm, and unity we can influence the majority to eventually join—or at least not obstruct—the Revolution. The failure of the current system will prompt many to look to us for answers to problems we face.
There are many parts in the world that provide a fertile field for this message as well. The campaign message, to my complete surprise and pleasure actually reached many around the world—thanks to modern technology. A tremendous opportunity has arrived for spreading of the message of liberty far and wide.The question of civil disobedience is of great importance. I personally don’t want to participate in any acts of violence or set the stage where violence will easily break out. But we’re nearing the point where all of us who are struggling to bring about change will have to make a decision regarding civil disobedience.A gradual transition through elections and persuasion should be our goal. Realistically, that is not likely to bring satisfactory results quickly. An economic crisis and political chaos are a more likely scenario. That is when we are most likely to participate in a rebuilding and remaking of the American Republic.Already many Americans practice civil disobedience. Some are outwardly at risk and have suffered for it. Protesters of our monetary and tax system on constitutional grounds are legitimate yet we do know that the state will use armed might to arrest and imprison those who make any headway in revealing the truth.When the military draft is in effect—something which is still a possibility—many will have to make the decision to resist or not. Many have suffered over the years resisting a draft and today many have resisted our unconstitutional war in Iraq and now face imprisonment.
I can conceive of the day when the decision regarding civil disobedience will be of paramount importance. It will always be an individual choice, but history has shown that peaceful resistance to government injustice is a powerful weapon. Gandhi and Martin Luther King showed that this process can bring about a lot of positive changes.
Revolutions are not equivalent to reforming a political party. A successful revolution will reform all parties, possibly with one leading the way.
Ideas are pervasive and spread spontaneously and, when acceptable, influence everyone. There’s nothing wrong working within the Republican Party and I endorse and encourage this. It’s hard to ignore the fact that I’ve been elected 10 times to Congress as a Republican. But there should not be hostility toward those who seek opportunities in any party. The goal is to spread the message in every way possible. As a matter of fact, if the ideas didn’t invade all political factions, it would not be a true revolution. Economic planning, inflationism, Keysianism, foreign interventionism, empire building, legislating morality, all have been endorsed by mainstream politicians in both parties for decades. That’s why the power brokers are not threatened by either candidate in our presidential elections of recent decades. What needs to be done is to replace the principle of illicit use of government force with the principles of individual liberty.Ironically, people with evil motives, whose goals are to perpetuate dangerous government power, have been quite successful in appealing to the idealism of good people. They are experts in deception. There’s no reason why we can’t appeal to these good people, without deception, with a program of peace, prosperity and freedom.
Over the years I have argued that the two weakest arguments to be used on the House floor are moral and constitutional. The strongest is to list the special interests who support a particular piece of legislation. The Revolution must change this attitude.
Over the course of my study of politics and economics, I found that one of the greatest evils that has been perpetrated by our presidents was the use of war to promote their personal political agenda. The willingness to use war to enhance their political position has led to the death of many innocent people and many of those have been American soldiers. There have also been presidents who have been quite willing to violate civil liberties while claiming to make us safe and free, an attitude that has been catastrophically dangerous to us since 9/11.
JFK was said to have feared being labeled a dove by the Republicans in the election of 1964 and escalated the Vietnam War to prove otherwise. He said then after he won the election he would de-escalate and bring our troops home because he really did not support the war. This was an atrocious act.Leading up to the 1968 election, LBJ massively escalated the war in order to “win,” believing it would be impossible to win the election without a military victory. He didn’t want to be the first president to lose a war—the necessity or moral justification for the war was irrelevant. Deliberate efforts by both Wilson and Roosevelt to manipulate us into war have been well documented.
And now we have an administration that uses “total victory” as a political ploy to play on the patriotism of the people. Wanting to play the ancient role of the great warrior, today’s politicians pump up the need for war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran and now hints of escalation of our presence and interference in Georgia—just looking for another fight.
The current administration should disavow any plan to escalate the conflict in the Middle East or Central Asia with an October surprise designed to benefit John McCain and sway the election to the more radical neo conservatives.
The most disturbing reaction in the Campaign was the hostility some evangelical Christians showed toward our strong opposition to preemptive war—which is essentially a war of aggression.How it’s possible to profess to follow the Prince of Peace, and at the same time support preventive war, is totally baffling to me. However, I received strong support from many evangelicals who support home schooling. They respect the Constitution and oppose preventive wars like me and are strong supporters of home schooling. I stand fast in opposition to abortion, and I found it disappointing that some evangelicals would rather support a candidate weak on the abortion issue and home schooling as long as the candidate supports war over diplomacy. When it comes to the Middle East, Israel was a key factor in their decision making.
The current civil war breaking out in Georgia and dragging in the Russians is closely related to our policy of foreign military interventionism. Our money and troops have trained the Georgian army to provoke the Russians. We’re there to protect a vital pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to Turkey and we prod NATO to join in our empire building by bringing Georgia into NATO. Our obsession with putting anti-ballistic missiles in Eastern Europe has nothing to do with defending America. It has more to do with resurrecting the Cold War. Our insistence on doing so and having troops in countries like Georgia is doing nothing more than provoking a fight with Russia—exactly what would delight the war mongering neo-cons. Fighting in Georgia is not worth one American life.
Only a total overhaul of our foreign policy can prevent us from getting ourselves into so much trouble and neither of the two major candidates offers us a solution.
Ultimately, it is the use of force that determines the advancement of civilization. Brute force and the survival of the fittest are the least civilized. Using force only as a defense against those who initiate force shows society is advancing. If government is granted a monopoly over the use of force, even if given to stop the evil doers, it nevertheless sets the stage for the destruction of civilization. When force is restrained by individuals and government, society becomes more productive as was the case in our early history.
The world is threatened once again by those who use government force to undermine the benefits of civilization while serving the powerful elites. They always claim they are only trying to help the poor.
Insecure politicians cling to the notion that only the warrior can stabilize a country by killing, robbing and enslaving their enemy, and they demand war and militarism to solve all the world’s problems. Today, instead of depending upon the market to produce the energy we need, we send our armies to protect “our” oil in the Middle East and the Caspian Sea, all in the name of serving mankind.
Advancing civilization depends on this understanding of the use of force. If current attitudes of the political leaders of our country are not changed in this regard, the future looks bleak. It need not be. Freedom provides the answer.
Send a MessageWe’re here today to send a message, not just to the Republican Party, not just to the politicians in power, but to the whole country, and possibly the entire world.
The power brokers are convinced they can maintain control with no serious challenge. They have it wrong. We will challenge them on all fronts—in every state and at all levels of government. First of all, the philosophic revolution will propel the political revolution. The educational effort will spread the message of the Freedom Philosophy. Individual liberty must be our goal. Prosperity and peace will follow. Without liberty, peace and prosperity are unachievable.
Without liberty, all we have are the leeches and looters fighting over the spoils that the victims are required to produce. This rotten system of redistribution must end. And it will, because victims of authoritarian rule eventually quit being victimized. War and domestic violence always complicate matters once the moral defense of individual rights is rejected.
Endless war and economic pain never pacifies the people. We must prevail, for once the people demand change, there will be lots of counterfeit offers for change—all of which will make conditions worse.Change for the sake of change but not doing the right thing is pure folly. Our Revolution for the Republic must prevail. And it will!
Blogger comment:
1- One of the historic speechs.
2- Though I do not agree with all points, I agree with most.
3- Ron uses the common sense and the simple language people can understand.
4- His message of change is accompanied by solutions that what people are looking for.
5- People now are not looking for ideology or rhetaric they are looking for few wise words and mostly soutions.
6- They are willing to fight with a candidate that they beleive in his character, wisdom and judgment and most importantly have plans and solutions.
7- I think Ron will be around for long time. He is not a politician he is a movement.
Trustworthiness
From: www.islamreligion.com
By Aisha Stacey
In the article entitled Honesty, we discussed how important the concept of honesty is to Islam and how it incorporates truthfulness and reliability. Another dimension of honesty is trustworthiness, or in Arabic, amanah. The meaning of amanah is trustworthiness, or, it is something or someone left to someone to protect or keep. The opposite of amanah is betrayal or even treason. That is, to fail to keep the trust or amanah in the way the person who left it expected or wanted.
Trustworthiness further enhances the integrity and sound moral conduct that is inherent in the notion of honesty. Being trustworthy implies being honest, fair in dealings and punctual (in terms of both regularity and timeliness) as well as honouring trusts and keeping promises and commitments. An important part of the noble Islamic character is being trustworthy. Prophet Muhammad was known, even before his Prophethood to be Al Amin (the trustworthy one).
While the qualities of honesty and trustworthiness are inextricably entwined, there are slight differences. Honesty implies a lack of deceit while trustworthiness entails honouring and fulfilling commitments, promises, trusts and covenants. It covers moral, social, legal and religious obligations. Being truthful in promises and covenants is one of the characteristics by which the believers are known. Both promises and covenants involve saying something about an issue to confirm that you will uphold the trust. This is especially so with regard to one's duties towards God. God praises the believers by promising them Paradise,
“Those who are faithfully true to their amanah (all the duties which God has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts, etc.) and to their covenants...these indeed are the inheritors. Who shall inherit Paradise. And dwell therein forever” (Quran 23:8, 23:10-11)
Trust, and being worthy of another’s trust, is inherent in being one who is submitted to the will of God. When God appointed Adam (the father of mankind) as successor on earth, it was a trust incumbent upon all of mankind. When God created us as individuals for worshipping Him, it became a trust incumbent upon us to nourish[1] ourselves and our families in a way that enables worship.
In Islam, every believer is a brother or sister to the other; we are one body, one nation. The right hand must be able to trust the left hand. The commands and rules from God are designed for our benefit and Islam holds people’s rights in high esteem. The systematic arrangement of guidelines and regulations is intended to uphold the rights Islam gives to the believers and to minimise vice and corruption. Islam strongly condemns the violation of God-given rights. When God commands us to keep the trust, to be trustworthy, it is not a matter to be taken lightly.
Prophet Muhammad explained the seriousness of upholding the rights due to others when he said, “God says, ‘There are three people whom I shall be their opponent on the Day of Judgment: A man who was given something in My Name and then betrays; A man who sells-off a free man (as a slave) and consumes the price; and A man who hires a labourer, makes use of his service then does not give him his wages.’” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari). God says in the Quran,
“Verily, God does command you to render back your Trusts to whom they are due.” (Quran 4:58)
In the past God dealt severely with people who were dishonest and did not honour their trusts. The people of Midian had developed unfair and corrupt business practices and Prophet Shuaib was instructed to warn them of God’s displeasure.
“He said, “O my people! Worship God, you have no other god but Him, and give not short measure or weight, I see you in prosperity; and verily I fear for you the torment of a Day encompassing. And O my people! Give full measure and weight in justice and reduce not the things that are due to the people, and do not commit mischief in the land, causing corruption. That which is left by God for you (after giving the rights of the people) is better for you, if you are believers.” (Quran 11:85-86)
After Prophet Shuaib issued his warning and the people chose to belittle and ignore him the promise of God was shown to be true. God is the most Just, the Most Wise and He is the Ultimate Trustee, the One who can be relied upon to fulfil His promises.
“And when Our Commandment came, We saved Shuaib and those who believed with him by a Mercy from Us. And a torment (or awful cry) seized the wrongdoers, and they lay (dead) prostrate in their homes.” (Quran 11:94)
Reliability, honesty and trustworthiness are characteristics that must be present in anyone who claims to be a believer. The sayings of Prophet Muhammad indicate that dishonesty and betrayal are completely at odds with the Islamic faith. Prophet Muhammad informed us that “A hypocrite is known by three traits: When he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he reneges; when he is entrusted, he cheats (or embezzles).” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)
When Abu Ubayda was the commander of the Muslim armies in Syria, the Emperor of Byzantium set out with a large army to recapture Hims. Abu ‘Ubaida decided to evacuate the city because he had only a handful of soldiers. He gathered the people of Hims in the middle of the city and announced, “We collected the protection tax from you because we planned to defend you. Now we are too weak. In this case, we return the tax we collected.” All the taxes collected were returned to the non-Muslim people of Hims. Such was the depth of feeling and understanding displayed by the early Muslims. They were constantly aware of their obligations towards God, their brothers and sisters and those who were under the protection of the Muslim armies.
Trustworthiness is a quality that is essential if a society is to function as one unit, bearing in mind the needs and aspirations of all its citizens. The Muslim nation should be one unit, one nation. All members of this brotherhood should be able to stand before God knowing that he is safe and secure in the company of one who is trustworthy. From the lowliest peasant to the mightiest king all are equal, the only thing that makes one member of the unit better than the other is his piety or righteousness. Amongst the many qualities that blend together to make righteousness, is trustworthiness.
Footnotes:
[1] Nourishment through, not only food, water, exercise and sleep but also through knowledge and closeness to God.
By Aisha Stacey
In the article entitled Honesty, we discussed how important the concept of honesty is to Islam and how it incorporates truthfulness and reliability. Another dimension of honesty is trustworthiness, or in Arabic, amanah. The meaning of amanah is trustworthiness, or, it is something or someone left to someone to protect or keep. The opposite of amanah is betrayal or even treason. That is, to fail to keep the trust or amanah in the way the person who left it expected or wanted.
Trustworthiness further enhances the integrity and sound moral conduct that is inherent in the notion of honesty. Being trustworthy implies being honest, fair in dealings and punctual (in terms of both regularity and timeliness) as well as honouring trusts and keeping promises and commitments. An important part of the noble Islamic character is being trustworthy. Prophet Muhammad was known, even before his Prophethood to be Al Amin (the trustworthy one).
While the qualities of honesty and trustworthiness are inextricably entwined, there are slight differences. Honesty implies a lack of deceit while trustworthiness entails honouring and fulfilling commitments, promises, trusts and covenants. It covers moral, social, legal and religious obligations. Being truthful in promises and covenants is one of the characteristics by which the believers are known. Both promises and covenants involve saying something about an issue to confirm that you will uphold the trust. This is especially so with regard to one's duties towards God. God praises the believers by promising them Paradise,
“Those who are faithfully true to their amanah (all the duties which God has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts, etc.) and to their covenants...these indeed are the inheritors. Who shall inherit Paradise. And dwell therein forever” (Quran 23:8, 23:10-11)
Trust, and being worthy of another’s trust, is inherent in being one who is submitted to the will of God. When God appointed Adam (the father of mankind) as successor on earth, it was a trust incumbent upon all of mankind. When God created us as individuals for worshipping Him, it became a trust incumbent upon us to nourish[1] ourselves and our families in a way that enables worship.
In Islam, every believer is a brother or sister to the other; we are one body, one nation. The right hand must be able to trust the left hand. The commands and rules from God are designed for our benefit and Islam holds people’s rights in high esteem. The systematic arrangement of guidelines and regulations is intended to uphold the rights Islam gives to the believers and to minimise vice and corruption. Islam strongly condemns the violation of God-given rights. When God commands us to keep the trust, to be trustworthy, it is not a matter to be taken lightly.
Prophet Muhammad explained the seriousness of upholding the rights due to others when he said, “God says, ‘There are three people whom I shall be their opponent on the Day of Judgment: A man who was given something in My Name and then betrays; A man who sells-off a free man (as a slave) and consumes the price; and A man who hires a labourer, makes use of his service then does not give him his wages.’” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari). God says in the Quran,
“Verily, God does command you to render back your Trusts to whom they are due.” (Quran 4:58)
In the past God dealt severely with people who were dishonest and did not honour their trusts. The people of Midian had developed unfair and corrupt business practices and Prophet Shuaib was instructed to warn them of God’s displeasure.
“He said, “O my people! Worship God, you have no other god but Him, and give not short measure or weight, I see you in prosperity; and verily I fear for you the torment of a Day encompassing. And O my people! Give full measure and weight in justice and reduce not the things that are due to the people, and do not commit mischief in the land, causing corruption. That which is left by God for you (after giving the rights of the people) is better for you, if you are believers.” (Quran 11:85-86)
After Prophet Shuaib issued his warning and the people chose to belittle and ignore him the promise of God was shown to be true. God is the most Just, the Most Wise and He is the Ultimate Trustee, the One who can be relied upon to fulfil His promises.
“And when Our Commandment came, We saved Shuaib and those who believed with him by a Mercy from Us. And a torment (or awful cry) seized the wrongdoers, and they lay (dead) prostrate in their homes.” (Quran 11:94)
Reliability, honesty and trustworthiness are characteristics that must be present in anyone who claims to be a believer. The sayings of Prophet Muhammad indicate that dishonesty and betrayal are completely at odds with the Islamic faith. Prophet Muhammad informed us that “A hypocrite is known by three traits: When he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he reneges; when he is entrusted, he cheats (or embezzles).” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)
When Abu Ubayda was the commander of the Muslim armies in Syria, the Emperor of Byzantium set out with a large army to recapture Hims. Abu ‘Ubaida decided to evacuate the city because he had only a handful of soldiers. He gathered the people of Hims in the middle of the city and announced, “We collected the protection tax from you because we planned to defend you. Now we are too weak. In this case, we return the tax we collected.” All the taxes collected were returned to the non-Muslim people of Hims. Such was the depth of feeling and understanding displayed by the early Muslims. They were constantly aware of their obligations towards God, their brothers and sisters and those who were under the protection of the Muslim armies.
Trustworthiness is a quality that is essential if a society is to function as one unit, bearing in mind the needs and aspirations of all its citizens. The Muslim nation should be one unit, one nation. All members of this brotherhood should be able to stand before God knowing that he is safe and secure in the company of one who is trustworthy. From the lowliest peasant to the mightiest king all are equal, the only thing that makes one member of the unit better than the other is his piety or righteousness. Amongst the many qualities that blend together to make righteousness, is trustworthiness.
Footnotes:
[1] Nourishment through, not only food, water, exercise and sleep but also through knowledge and closeness to God.
Respect
From: http://www.islamreligion.com/
By Aisha Stacey
Part 1: Having Respect for God means obeying Him.
The condition of being honoured esteemed or well regarded. This is the most commonly understood definition of respect. In fact, the thesaurus goes on the describe respect as a courteous regard for peoples feelings and links respect to honour, kindness, obedience and tolerance. So what is the role of respect in Islam? Islam states that it is the responsibility of each individual to treat all of creation with respect, honour and dignity. The most deserving of respect is the Creator Himself. Respect begins with loving and obeying the commandments of God and from this respect flow all the manners and high standards of morality that are inherent in Islam.
“And whosoever obeys God and His Messenger, fears God, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the successful ones.” (Quran 24:52)
To be one of those who are successful, Islam requires that each individual learn to obey the Creator and thus treat humankind, our environment, the believers and ourselves with respect. Bearing in mind that the believers are one nation, and if one part of the nation is in peril so too are all its parts, respect for each other is essential. Islam teaches us that we are held accountable not only for our thoughts and actions but for the influence, we have over others and the creation. Islam asks us to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Islam binds respect to peace, love and compassion, all attributes of the One God, therefore to fulfil our obligation to honour and obey God one must respect the honour, reputation and privacy of others. Respect involves staying completely away from the major sins of backbiting, lying, slander, and gossip.
Respect for humanity means staying away from sins that will sow discord among the people and lead to destruction. Respect includes loving for our brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves. Respect involves treating others the way we expect to be treated and the way we hope God will treat us –with compassion, love and mercy. Major sins put a barrier between humanity and God’s Mercy and cause all the torment, misery and evil in this world and the hereafter. God commands us to stay away from sin and to strive against our own destructive character flaws. He also singles out suspicion, backbiting and gossip as bringing about nothing but shame and disgrace.
“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear God. Verily, God is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (Quran 49:12)
Ibn Abbass, a companion of Prophet Muhammad and Quran commentator said God forbade backbiting just as He forbade the eating of dead flesh. Eating dead flesh is something that people naturally have abhorrence to and they should have the same natural abhorrence to backbiting one another. Respect involves caring for one another not shredding characters the way carrion would shred a dead animal.
Backbiting
Some people might say that backbiting is merely words and ask what harm it can do. Words are indeed powerful and have far-reaching effects. In addition to the obvious lack of respect involved in back biting, mere words cause pain to the one maligned and consign the backbiter to the fires of Hell. Prophet Muhammad, may God praise him, warned us of the fate awaiting those who utter disrespect. He said, “A man might speak a word without thinking about its implications, but because of it, he will plunge into the Hellfire further than the distance between the east and west.”[1]
On one occasion, a close companion of Prophet inquired how he could be admitted into Paradise and distanced from the Hellfire. Prophet Muhammad mentioned the virtues of good deeds and asked his companion if he desired to know the foundation of good deeds. The companion answered “certainly”, where upon Prophet Muhammad took a hold of his own tongue and said, “restrain yourself from this”. The companion asked incredulously “are we held accountable for the things that we say?” Prophet Muhammad replied that nothing sends people into the hellfire faster than the “harvest of their tongues”.[2]
Having established that backbiting is anything but mere words how can we define exactly what it is. Backbiting is talking about somebody in a derogatory way or in a way that would not be pleasing to the one being spoken about. It is called back biting because it is usually done when the person being maligned is absent or “behind his back”. Prophet Muhammad defined backbiting as “to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him”.[3] Imam An Nawawi commented that backbiting included “what concerns his body, his religious practice, his worldly station, his physical appearance, his moral character, his wealth, his parents, his children, his spouse, his servant, his clothing, his activities, his smiles and frowns and anything else that pertains to him. It does not matter if you mention it explicitly by word or implicitly by indication or a gesture…”
In the same saying mentioned above, the Prophet Muhammad was asked about backbiting in relation to truthful comments. He explained the severity of backbiting, and explained the difference between it and slander, by saying, “If what you said about your brother is true, then you have backbitten him. If what you said about him is false, then you have slandered him”.[4] Slander is making a false statement; it is a major sin and deserves a severe punishment. God says in the Quran:
“And those who malign believing men and women undeservedly bear upon themselves the guilt of slander and a manifest sin.” (33:58)
In another narration of Prophet Muhammad, his beloved wife Aisha made a comment about one of her co-wives by describing her as short, or small in stature. Prophet Muhammad responded in a way that made clear the severity of her words. He said, “You have said a word that if it was to be mixed with the water of the sea, it would contaminate it.”[5]
Backbiting has become so widespread nowadays that people use it as a way of expressing anger and jealousy. Those who engage in it are disrespecting God by disobeying Him and harming others. Magazines and television shows are devoted to gossiping and prying into the private lives of others. There is no respect for privacy, and contrary to popular belief, the lives of others are not source material for gossip sessions. The person who habitually engages in backbiting and gossip and who does not struggle against his desires and begs for God’s forgiveness has lost all respect for himself for he no longer fears the fires of Hell. The sin is grave, the punishment severe, but God is Merciful and always accepts sincere repentance.
“...if any of you does evil in ignorance, and thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds (by obeying God), then surely, He is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 6:54)
Footnotes:
[1] Saheeh Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim.
[2] At Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah.
[3] Saheeh Muslim.
[4] Ibid.
[5] At Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood
Part 2: How to regain lost Respect.
In this new century punctuated by astounding technological advancement, and instant global communication it has become commonplace to hear people talk about respect, or lack of it. One hears about respect for the environment, respect for other cultures and religions, respect for each other and the catch cry of the 21st century - self respect. We lose respect for our politicians and governments, we gain respect for our sporting heroes and actors. We try to respect our planet by turning off taps and unnecessary lights. We complain bitterly about our lives and the lack of respect we feel at home and at work. We live in a topsy- turvy world where we talk reverently of actors who give charity to drought ravaged countries while we throw food into garbage bins. We shed tears over drug-addicted singers yet step over the homeless cluttering our streets. We respect the learned men that warn us of global warming but we ignore the commandments of our Creator. We understand the significance of respect but we are unable to attain it. For many of us the essence is lost!
How can we regain this lost quality of respect that for many of us is seemingly unattainable? Simply by following God’s commandments and worshipping Him accordingly. God says in the Quran that He created mankind for no reason except to worship Him. (Quran 51:56) Worshipping God is showing Him the respect He deserves. Worshipping God makes it possible for us to treat all of mankind with respect, it allows us to treat the environment with respect and it gives others permission to respect us. Then are no human beings more worthy of our respect then those whose piety and closeness to God is obvious. In the previous article we discussed the dangers inherent in backbiting and gossip, and how those who engage in such behaviour have lost respect for themselves and more importantly, for God.
As human beings, we all must struggle against our base desires and one of the hardest sins to resist is gossiping about others. However, to worship and love God in the correct way it is imperative that we try to rid ourselves of the evil of backbiting. One way to clear ourselves of this ignoble character trait is to cultivate closeness to God by reflecting upon the verses of Quran and sayings of Prophet Muhammad that remind us of God’s punishment and encourage us to repent.
“Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private counsel? (Yes, We do) and Our Messengers (appointed angels in charge of mankind) are by them, to record.” (Quran 43:80)
Prophet Muhammad encouraged us to feel shame before God; He said, “Feel shame before God as you ought to feel shame before Him. So guard the head and what it contains, guard the stomach and what you put in it, and think upon death and returning to dust”[1] We should feel this shame whenever we backbite, and take the opportunity to reflect upon what we loose if we engage in this behaviour. We loose the essence of respect.
Disrespect is not part of Islam
Prophet Muhammad was continually teaching his companions and reminding them about the seriousness of disobeying God. In many sayings, he explains the grave consequences of not respecting the rights of others. He said, “The one who is bankrupt from among my followers is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, charity, and fasting to his credit. However, he had insulted this person, struck that person, and seized the wealth of another, because of which his good deeds will be taken from him. Then, if his good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those whom he wronged will be taken from them and foisted upon him and then he will be cast into the Fire.”[2] A true believer strives to improve himself and is aware of his responsibility to protect others rather than disrespect them. In Islam, believers do not disrespect each other nor do they tolerate disrespect towards their brothers and sisters.
Another quick and easy way to protect ourselves from the evils of gossip and backbiting is to stay away from those who engage in it. God says in the Quran:
“And when they hear dirty, false, evil vain talk, they withdraw from it and say, "To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you. We seek not the ignorant.” (Quran 28:55)
Prophet Mohammad placed great emphasis on being around righteous people rather then those who occupy their time with vain, useless activities or talk. He said, “The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a person carrying musk and another who works the bellows. The person carrying musk might give you some of it or at the very least, you will enjoy the pleasant scent. The person with the bellows will either singe your clothing or at least make you suffer from the bad smell.”[3]
Keeping company with righteous people helps one to avoid backbiting and gossip because caring friends will remind each other of the evils and punishments associated with such behaviour. It is also useful to reflect on our own shortcomings and character flaws rather then gossip about the faults of others. The great scholar, Hasan al-Basri said: “We used to remind each other that whoever faults his brother on account of a sin that he had repented from, God will punish him by having him fall into that sin himself.”
Having established that backbiting, and gossip are great sins, the scholars of Islam have explained however, that there are certain conditions under which it may be permissible to talk about the faults and characteristics of others.[4] It is allowable for one who is being oppressed to inform the authorities of the wrongs being committed against him. It is allowable for those who see vice to inform those who are capable of removing it. It is also allowable to mention people’s faults when seeking sincere religious advice from those qualified to give it. It is permissible to mention someone by describing them (blind, deaf, in a wheelchair etc) as long as it is not done in a belittling or mocking fashion. Lastly, it is not allowable to hide the character faults of a person known to you from those seeking marriage or business advice.
Careful analysis of the above conditions reveals that respect is inherent in these exceptions. To oppress someone is to disrespect them, to commit vice is to disrespect the community and to deceive people who ask for sincere advice is also a form of disrespect. If we feel ourselves disrespected then we should look to our own sins and turn to God in repentance. If the essence of respect is missing in our lives then we can regain it by worshipping God with full submission. Islam insists that we show respect for God, by obeying Him and to obey Him inherently means respecting others and ourselves.
Footnotes:
[1] At Tirmidhi
[2] Saheeh Muslim.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Fataawa Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’ (26/10).
By Aisha Stacey
Part 1: Having Respect for God means obeying Him.
The condition of being honoured esteemed or well regarded. This is the most commonly understood definition of respect. In fact, the thesaurus goes on the describe respect as a courteous regard for peoples feelings and links respect to honour, kindness, obedience and tolerance. So what is the role of respect in Islam? Islam states that it is the responsibility of each individual to treat all of creation with respect, honour and dignity. The most deserving of respect is the Creator Himself. Respect begins with loving and obeying the commandments of God and from this respect flow all the manners and high standards of morality that are inherent in Islam.
“And whosoever obeys God and His Messenger, fears God, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the successful ones.” (Quran 24:52)
To be one of those who are successful, Islam requires that each individual learn to obey the Creator and thus treat humankind, our environment, the believers and ourselves with respect. Bearing in mind that the believers are one nation, and if one part of the nation is in peril so too are all its parts, respect for each other is essential. Islam teaches us that we are held accountable not only for our thoughts and actions but for the influence, we have over others and the creation. Islam asks us to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Islam binds respect to peace, love and compassion, all attributes of the One God, therefore to fulfil our obligation to honour and obey God one must respect the honour, reputation and privacy of others. Respect involves staying completely away from the major sins of backbiting, lying, slander, and gossip.
Respect for humanity means staying away from sins that will sow discord among the people and lead to destruction. Respect includes loving for our brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves. Respect involves treating others the way we expect to be treated and the way we hope God will treat us –with compassion, love and mercy. Major sins put a barrier between humanity and God’s Mercy and cause all the torment, misery and evil in this world and the hereafter. God commands us to stay away from sin and to strive against our own destructive character flaws. He also singles out suspicion, backbiting and gossip as bringing about nothing but shame and disgrace.
“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear God. Verily, God is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (Quran 49:12)
Ibn Abbass, a companion of Prophet Muhammad and Quran commentator said God forbade backbiting just as He forbade the eating of dead flesh. Eating dead flesh is something that people naturally have abhorrence to and they should have the same natural abhorrence to backbiting one another. Respect involves caring for one another not shredding characters the way carrion would shred a dead animal.
Backbiting
Some people might say that backbiting is merely words and ask what harm it can do. Words are indeed powerful and have far-reaching effects. In addition to the obvious lack of respect involved in back biting, mere words cause pain to the one maligned and consign the backbiter to the fires of Hell. Prophet Muhammad, may God praise him, warned us of the fate awaiting those who utter disrespect. He said, “A man might speak a word without thinking about its implications, but because of it, he will plunge into the Hellfire further than the distance between the east and west.”[1]
On one occasion, a close companion of Prophet inquired how he could be admitted into Paradise and distanced from the Hellfire. Prophet Muhammad mentioned the virtues of good deeds and asked his companion if he desired to know the foundation of good deeds. The companion answered “certainly”, where upon Prophet Muhammad took a hold of his own tongue and said, “restrain yourself from this”. The companion asked incredulously “are we held accountable for the things that we say?” Prophet Muhammad replied that nothing sends people into the hellfire faster than the “harvest of their tongues”.[2]
Having established that backbiting is anything but mere words how can we define exactly what it is. Backbiting is talking about somebody in a derogatory way or in a way that would not be pleasing to the one being spoken about. It is called back biting because it is usually done when the person being maligned is absent or “behind his back”. Prophet Muhammad defined backbiting as “to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him”.[3] Imam An Nawawi commented that backbiting included “what concerns his body, his religious practice, his worldly station, his physical appearance, his moral character, his wealth, his parents, his children, his spouse, his servant, his clothing, his activities, his smiles and frowns and anything else that pertains to him. It does not matter if you mention it explicitly by word or implicitly by indication or a gesture…”
In the same saying mentioned above, the Prophet Muhammad was asked about backbiting in relation to truthful comments. He explained the severity of backbiting, and explained the difference between it and slander, by saying, “If what you said about your brother is true, then you have backbitten him. If what you said about him is false, then you have slandered him”.[4] Slander is making a false statement; it is a major sin and deserves a severe punishment. God says in the Quran:
“And those who malign believing men and women undeservedly bear upon themselves the guilt of slander and a manifest sin.” (33:58)
In another narration of Prophet Muhammad, his beloved wife Aisha made a comment about one of her co-wives by describing her as short, or small in stature. Prophet Muhammad responded in a way that made clear the severity of her words. He said, “You have said a word that if it was to be mixed with the water of the sea, it would contaminate it.”[5]
Backbiting has become so widespread nowadays that people use it as a way of expressing anger and jealousy. Those who engage in it are disrespecting God by disobeying Him and harming others. Magazines and television shows are devoted to gossiping and prying into the private lives of others. There is no respect for privacy, and contrary to popular belief, the lives of others are not source material for gossip sessions. The person who habitually engages in backbiting and gossip and who does not struggle against his desires and begs for God’s forgiveness has lost all respect for himself for he no longer fears the fires of Hell. The sin is grave, the punishment severe, but God is Merciful and always accepts sincere repentance.
“...if any of you does evil in ignorance, and thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds (by obeying God), then surely, He is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 6:54)
Footnotes:
[1] Saheeh Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim.
[2] At Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah.
[3] Saheeh Muslim.
[4] Ibid.
[5] At Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood
Part 2: How to regain lost Respect.
In this new century punctuated by astounding technological advancement, and instant global communication it has become commonplace to hear people talk about respect, or lack of it. One hears about respect for the environment, respect for other cultures and religions, respect for each other and the catch cry of the 21st century - self respect. We lose respect for our politicians and governments, we gain respect for our sporting heroes and actors. We try to respect our planet by turning off taps and unnecessary lights. We complain bitterly about our lives and the lack of respect we feel at home and at work. We live in a topsy- turvy world where we talk reverently of actors who give charity to drought ravaged countries while we throw food into garbage bins. We shed tears over drug-addicted singers yet step over the homeless cluttering our streets. We respect the learned men that warn us of global warming but we ignore the commandments of our Creator. We understand the significance of respect but we are unable to attain it. For many of us the essence is lost!
How can we regain this lost quality of respect that for many of us is seemingly unattainable? Simply by following God’s commandments and worshipping Him accordingly. God says in the Quran that He created mankind for no reason except to worship Him. (Quran 51:56) Worshipping God is showing Him the respect He deserves. Worshipping God makes it possible for us to treat all of mankind with respect, it allows us to treat the environment with respect and it gives others permission to respect us. Then are no human beings more worthy of our respect then those whose piety and closeness to God is obvious. In the previous article we discussed the dangers inherent in backbiting and gossip, and how those who engage in such behaviour have lost respect for themselves and more importantly, for God.
As human beings, we all must struggle against our base desires and one of the hardest sins to resist is gossiping about others. However, to worship and love God in the correct way it is imperative that we try to rid ourselves of the evil of backbiting. One way to clear ourselves of this ignoble character trait is to cultivate closeness to God by reflecting upon the verses of Quran and sayings of Prophet Muhammad that remind us of God’s punishment and encourage us to repent.
“Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private counsel? (Yes, We do) and Our Messengers (appointed angels in charge of mankind) are by them, to record.” (Quran 43:80)
Prophet Muhammad encouraged us to feel shame before God; He said, “Feel shame before God as you ought to feel shame before Him. So guard the head and what it contains, guard the stomach and what you put in it, and think upon death and returning to dust”[1] We should feel this shame whenever we backbite, and take the opportunity to reflect upon what we loose if we engage in this behaviour. We loose the essence of respect.
Disrespect is not part of Islam
Prophet Muhammad was continually teaching his companions and reminding them about the seriousness of disobeying God. In many sayings, he explains the grave consequences of not respecting the rights of others. He said, “The one who is bankrupt from among my followers is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, charity, and fasting to his credit. However, he had insulted this person, struck that person, and seized the wealth of another, because of which his good deeds will be taken from him. Then, if his good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those whom he wronged will be taken from them and foisted upon him and then he will be cast into the Fire.”[2] A true believer strives to improve himself and is aware of his responsibility to protect others rather than disrespect them. In Islam, believers do not disrespect each other nor do they tolerate disrespect towards their brothers and sisters.
Another quick and easy way to protect ourselves from the evils of gossip and backbiting is to stay away from those who engage in it. God says in the Quran:
“And when they hear dirty, false, evil vain talk, they withdraw from it and say, "To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you. We seek not the ignorant.” (Quran 28:55)
Prophet Mohammad placed great emphasis on being around righteous people rather then those who occupy their time with vain, useless activities or talk. He said, “The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a person carrying musk and another who works the bellows. The person carrying musk might give you some of it or at the very least, you will enjoy the pleasant scent. The person with the bellows will either singe your clothing or at least make you suffer from the bad smell.”[3]
Keeping company with righteous people helps one to avoid backbiting and gossip because caring friends will remind each other of the evils and punishments associated with such behaviour. It is also useful to reflect on our own shortcomings and character flaws rather then gossip about the faults of others. The great scholar, Hasan al-Basri said: “We used to remind each other that whoever faults his brother on account of a sin that he had repented from, God will punish him by having him fall into that sin himself.”
Having established that backbiting, and gossip are great sins, the scholars of Islam have explained however, that there are certain conditions under which it may be permissible to talk about the faults and characteristics of others.[4] It is allowable for one who is being oppressed to inform the authorities of the wrongs being committed against him. It is allowable for those who see vice to inform those who are capable of removing it. It is also allowable to mention people’s faults when seeking sincere religious advice from those qualified to give it. It is permissible to mention someone by describing them (blind, deaf, in a wheelchair etc) as long as it is not done in a belittling or mocking fashion. Lastly, it is not allowable to hide the character faults of a person known to you from those seeking marriage or business advice.
Careful analysis of the above conditions reveals that respect is inherent in these exceptions. To oppress someone is to disrespect them, to commit vice is to disrespect the community and to deceive people who ask for sincere advice is also a form of disrespect. If we feel ourselves disrespected then we should look to our own sins and turn to God in repentance. If the essence of respect is missing in our lives then we can regain it by worshipping God with full submission. Islam insists that we show respect for God, by obeying Him and to obey Him inherently means respecting others and ourselves.
Footnotes:
[1] At Tirmidhi
[2] Saheeh Muslim.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Fataawa Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’ (26/10).
Saturday, September 06, 2008
The Style of the Quran
From: http://www.islamreligion.com/
By IslamReligion.com
What topics does the Quran discuss? It covers various subjects. Most importantly, it talks about the unity of God and how to live a which accords to His Will. Other topics include religious doctrine, creation, criminal and civil law, Judaism, Christianity, polytheism, social values, morality, history, stories of past prophets, and science.
The Quran calls the great human exemplars of the past prophets and mentions their great sacrifice in spreading the message of God, the most important of them being Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The Quran elaborates on the ways in which the followers of the prophets, specifically the Jews and the Christians, have or have not lived up to the prophetic messages. It also discusses the fate of past nations who rejected their Prophets, such as Noah and Lot. It issues instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. It commands people that they should pray, fast, and take care of the needy. It discusses matters of human interrelationships, sometimes in great detail - such as laws of inheritance and marriage - in a manner reminiscent of parts of the Hebrew Bible but foreign to the New Testament. The Quran tells people that they should observe God’s instructions purely for God’s sake, not for any worldly aims. It warns those who deny God’s messages that they will be thrown into the fire of Hell, and it promises those who accept the messages that they will be given the bliss of Paradise.
The Quran retells in their original many of the stories from the Biblical heritage, especially that of Moses (mentioned by name more than any other person, followed by Pharaoh, his great enemy, who is the Quranic archetype of human evil). However, it does not offer a sustained narrative of the kind found in the Book of Exodus. It has much to say about the moral and legal duties of believers, but contains nothing like the law-code which is the centerpiece of the Book of Deuteronomy. Many Quranic passages could aptly be described as preaching; but where the voice of the preacher in the Gospels is that of Jesus during his ministry on earth, in the Quran it is that of the ever-living God.
Also, the Quran repeats certain verses and themes at times, shifts topics, and often relates narratives in summarized form. We can see two reasons for this characteristic. First, it serves a linguistic purpose and is one of the powerful rhetorical techniques of classical Arabic. Second, all themes of the Quran, no matter how varied, are wrapped around one common thread running through the entire book: that all types of worship rendered to others besides or alongside God is false, and that obedience to Him and His prophets, Muhammad being one of them, is a must. The Quran, unlike the Bible, does not mention genealogies, chronological events, or minute historical details, but rather uses events from both past and present to illustrate its central message. So, when the Quran is discussing the healing properties of honey or the life of Jesus, neither topic is an end in itself, but each is related in one way or another to the central message – unity of God and unity of the prophetic message. No matter what the topic may be, it finds occasion to refer the discussion back to this central theme.
Another important point to keep in mind is that the Quran was not revealed in one sitting, but was revealed in parts over a span of 23 years. Like the previous scriptures, many passages were revealed in response to specific events. Often, Quranic revelation would come from the angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad as a response to questions raised by those around him, whether believers or unbelievers. The Quran addresses the People of the Scripture (a term used by the Quran for Jews and Christians), humanity at large, believers, and, finally, it addresses the Prophet himself, commanding him what to do in certain situations or supporting him and giving him solace in the face of ridicule and rejection. Knowing the historical and social context clarifies the text.
Some other notable features of Quran’s style are the following:
(1) The use of parables to stir curiosity of the reader and explain deep truths.
(2) More than two hundred passages begin with the Arabic word Qul - ‘Say’ - addressing Prophet Muhammad to say what follows in reply to a question, to explain a matter of faith, or to announce a legal ruling. For example,
“Say: ‘O People of the Scripture! Do you disapprove of us for no other reason than that we believe in God, and the revelation that has come to us and that which came before (us), and because most of you are rebellious and disobedient?’” (Quran 5:59)
(3) In some passages of the Quran, God takes oaths by His marvelous creation to strengthen an argument or to dispel doubts in the mind of the listener,
“By the sun and its brightness,
by the moon when it follows it,
by the day when it displays it,
by the night when it covers it,
by the sky and He who constructed it,
by the earth and He who spread it,
by the soul and He who proportioned it…” (Quran 91:1-7)
Sometimes God takes an oath by Himself:
“But no, by your Lord, they will not (truly) believe until they make you, (O Muhammad), judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in (full, willing) submission.” (Quran 4:65)
(4) Lastly, the Quran has what is called ‘the disjointed letters,’ composed of letters of the Arabic alphabet which taken together do not have a known meaning in the Arabic lexicon. Their meaning is only known to God. They appear at the beginning of twenty nine surahs, and upon recital, each letter is pronounced and not the words they form For example, the first aayah of Surat-ul-Baqara appears as Alif-Lam-Mim, three letters of the Arabic alphabet pronounced individually.
A person unfamiliar with the Quran may find it a little difficult to read, especially at start, but if they keep these points in mind, they will become more accustomed to it, and they will indeed find that even though it is a translation, it is truly profound book incomparable to any other.
By IslamReligion.com
What topics does the Quran discuss? It covers various subjects. Most importantly, it talks about the unity of God and how to live a which accords to His Will. Other topics include religious doctrine, creation, criminal and civil law, Judaism, Christianity, polytheism, social values, morality, history, stories of past prophets, and science.
The Quran calls the great human exemplars of the past prophets and mentions their great sacrifice in spreading the message of God, the most important of them being Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The Quran elaborates on the ways in which the followers of the prophets, specifically the Jews and the Christians, have or have not lived up to the prophetic messages. It also discusses the fate of past nations who rejected their Prophets, such as Noah and Lot. It issues instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. It commands people that they should pray, fast, and take care of the needy. It discusses matters of human interrelationships, sometimes in great detail - such as laws of inheritance and marriage - in a manner reminiscent of parts of the Hebrew Bible but foreign to the New Testament. The Quran tells people that they should observe God’s instructions purely for God’s sake, not for any worldly aims. It warns those who deny God’s messages that they will be thrown into the fire of Hell, and it promises those who accept the messages that they will be given the bliss of Paradise.
The Quran retells in their original many of the stories from the Biblical heritage, especially that of Moses (mentioned by name more than any other person, followed by Pharaoh, his great enemy, who is the Quranic archetype of human evil). However, it does not offer a sustained narrative of the kind found in the Book of Exodus. It has much to say about the moral and legal duties of believers, but contains nothing like the law-code which is the centerpiece of the Book of Deuteronomy. Many Quranic passages could aptly be described as preaching; but where the voice of the preacher in the Gospels is that of Jesus during his ministry on earth, in the Quran it is that of the ever-living God.
Also, the Quran repeats certain verses and themes at times, shifts topics, and often relates narratives in summarized form. We can see two reasons for this characteristic. First, it serves a linguistic purpose and is one of the powerful rhetorical techniques of classical Arabic. Second, all themes of the Quran, no matter how varied, are wrapped around one common thread running through the entire book: that all types of worship rendered to others besides or alongside God is false, and that obedience to Him and His prophets, Muhammad being one of them, is a must. The Quran, unlike the Bible, does not mention genealogies, chronological events, or minute historical details, but rather uses events from both past and present to illustrate its central message. So, when the Quran is discussing the healing properties of honey or the life of Jesus, neither topic is an end in itself, but each is related in one way or another to the central message – unity of God and unity of the prophetic message. No matter what the topic may be, it finds occasion to refer the discussion back to this central theme.
Another important point to keep in mind is that the Quran was not revealed in one sitting, but was revealed in parts over a span of 23 years. Like the previous scriptures, many passages were revealed in response to specific events. Often, Quranic revelation would come from the angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad as a response to questions raised by those around him, whether believers or unbelievers. The Quran addresses the People of the Scripture (a term used by the Quran for Jews and Christians), humanity at large, believers, and, finally, it addresses the Prophet himself, commanding him what to do in certain situations or supporting him and giving him solace in the face of ridicule and rejection. Knowing the historical and social context clarifies the text.
Some other notable features of Quran’s style are the following:
(1) The use of parables to stir curiosity of the reader and explain deep truths.
(2) More than two hundred passages begin with the Arabic word Qul - ‘Say’ - addressing Prophet Muhammad to say what follows in reply to a question, to explain a matter of faith, or to announce a legal ruling. For example,
“Say: ‘O People of the Scripture! Do you disapprove of us for no other reason than that we believe in God, and the revelation that has come to us and that which came before (us), and because most of you are rebellious and disobedient?’” (Quran 5:59)
(3) In some passages of the Quran, God takes oaths by His marvelous creation to strengthen an argument or to dispel doubts in the mind of the listener,
“By the sun and its brightness,
by the moon when it follows it,
by the day when it displays it,
by the night when it covers it,
by the sky and He who constructed it,
by the earth and He who spread it,
by the soul and He who proportioned it…” (Quran 91:1-7)
Sometimes God takes an oath by Himself:
“But no, by your Lord, they will not (truly) believe until they make you, (O Muhammad), judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in (full, willing) submission.” (Quran 4:65)
(4) Lastly, the Quran has what is called ‘the disjointed letters,’ composed of letters of the Arabic alphabet which taken together do not have a known meaning in the Arabic lexicon. Their meaning is only known to God. They appear at the beginning of twenty nine surahs, and upon recital, each letter is pronounced and not the words they form For example, the first aayah of Surat-ul-Baqara appears as Alif-Lam-Mim, three letters of the Arabic alphabet pronounced individually.
A person unfamiliar with the Quran may find it a little difficult to read, especially at start, but if they keep these points in mind, they will become more accustomed to it, and they will indeed find that even though it is a translation, it is truly profound book incomparable to any other.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Does God Hear me?
From: www.islamicity.com
By: Hesham Hassaballa
What does it mean when a prayer goes unanswered?
In the Quran, God clearly says that He will answer the prayers of those who pray to Him: "When My servants ask thee [O Muhammad] concerning Me, [tell them] I am indeed close: I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way" (Quran 2:186) In another verse: "Your Lord says: 'Call on me, I will answer [your prayer]" (Quran 40:60). Consequently, I pray to God for everything in my life, big or small. If one notices closely, my lips are frequently fluttering away in silent prayer to God throughout the day. Most of the time, the Lord answers my prayers. Sometimes, He does not. Recently, I asked God for something very, very important to me. I prayed to Him night and day. I got up in the early morning to pray extra devotional prayers before sunrise to make that supplication to Him. I prayed to God at times when the Prophet said God will answer those who pray to Him. I prayed almost constantly for this particular thing. It did not come.Needless to say, I was sad and disappointed. In the midst of my sadness, a barrage of thoughts and questions raced through my head: "What went wrong? Was it something I did or said? Is God angry with me?" In fact, I almost wanted to say, "Why?" Furthermore, my sadness gave way to momentary spiritual weakness in that I had transient thoughts of rebellion against God. I said to myself, "All this prayer, and it was not answered. Did God not hear me?" No, God indeed did hear me, but He chose not to give me what I asked of Him at this particular moment in my life. The above exchange in my head was born out of the fact that I am a human being, subject to all of the weaknesses and hypocrisies of the human condition. The Quran told me that this is in my nature: "Now, as for man, when his Lord tries him, giving him honor and gifts, then said he, 'My Lord hath honored me.' But when He tries him, restricting his subsistence for him, then said he (in despair), 'My Lord hath humiliated me!'" (Quran 89:15-16). Now, thank God I did not say God has humiliated me. Also, thank God, I did not point an angry finger at the Lord and proceed to disobey His commands. To do so would be horribly ungrateful. How many blessings has the Lord bestowed upon me? They are innumerable. I do not want to be among those who "worship God, as it were, on the verge," as the Quran says, "if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces" (Quran 22:11). When the answer to my prayer eluded me, I simply put my head down in acceptance, still sad, and said, "All praise is due to God. God has decreed thus, and He does what He wills." The truth is, the Lord neither abandoned nor humiliated me. According to the Prophet, when someone calls on God, one of three things happen:
(1) it is immediately answered (and I do not have a shortage of those prayers, thank God);
(2) the answer to the prayer is deferred to Judgment Day, when the supplicant will be handsomely rewarded;
(3) the prayer will block a calamity that is to befall that person.
Thus, in my case, either something bad was going to happen to me, but my unanswered prayer blocked it, or the Lord is saving the answer to that prayer for Judgment Day. Either way, I win.The thing is, I frequently can't see that; I do not have Divine Vision. This is another trait of the human condition. I do not understand God's wisdom in not answering that prayer right here, right now. Hence, my sadness and disappointment. Yet, my role is to be patient with the will of God and continue to be a humble, devout servant. God will answer other prayers. Perhaps God will one day let me see the wisdom of His decision. He has done so already once before. When I was a senior in high school, I applied for an honors program in medicine in which I would be guaranteed a spot in medical school after three years of college. My application was very competitive: a 4.0 GPA and a whole host of extracurricular activities, honors, and awards. I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. I was not accepted, and I felt the same sadness and disappointment then as I do now. Yet, I did not despair or become rebellious against God. Three years later, I was accepted to medical school without a bachelor's degree. In fact, I was the only one in my medical school class to be accepted right out of college. I reminded myself of this during my recent sadness. While I do not understand God's wisdom, I have to trust that He has my best interest in mind, and that He will not do me harm. This is what God wants, and I have to be patient. Even though this prayer was not answered immediately, I will continue to pray. I will continue to try and get up before sunrise and pray those extra devotional prayers. I will, in fact, pray more to God now than I have done so in the past. God always hears those who call on Him, and I will live my life making sure He constantly hears my voice. And the most beautiful thing is, He never gets tired of hearing that voice. That is why nothing else in this world except He deserves to be worshipped.
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a physician and writer based in Chicago. You can visit his blog at www.drhassaballa.com.
By: Hesham Hassaballa
What does it mean when a prayer goes unanswered?
In the Quran, God clearly says that He will answer the prayers of those who pray to Him: "When My servants ask thee [O Muhammad] concerning Me, [tell them] I am indeed close: I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way" (Quran 2:186) In another verse: "Your Lord says: 'Call on me, I will answer [your prayer]" (Quran 40:60). Consequently, I pray to God for everything in my life, big or small. If one notices closely, my lips are frequently fluttering away in silent prayer to God throughout the day. Most of the time, the Lord answers my prayers. Sometimes, He does not. Recently, I asked God for something very, very important to me. I prayed to Him night and day. I got up in the early morning to pray extra devotional prayers before sunrise to make that supplication to Him. I prayed to God at times when the Prophet said God will answer those who pray to Him. I prayed almost constantly for this particular thing. It did not come.Needless to say, I was sad and disappointed. In the midst of my sadness, a barrage of thoughts and questions raced through my head: "What went wrong? Was it something I did or said? Is God angry with me?" In fact, I almost wanted to say, "Why?" Furthermore, my sadness gave way to momentary spiritual weakness in that I had transient thoughts of rebellion against God. I said to myself, "All this prayer, and it was not answered. Did God not hear me?" No, God indeed did hear me, but He chose not to give me what I asked of Him at this particular moment in my life. The above exchange in my head was born out of the fact that I am a human being, subject to all of the weaknesses and hypocrisies of the human condition. The Quran told me that this is in my nature: "Now, as for man, when his Lord tries him, giving him honor and gifts, then said he, 'My Lord hath honored me.' But when He tries him, restricting his subsistence for him, then said he (in despair), 'My Lord hath humiliated me!'" (Quran 89:15-16). Now, thank God I did not say God has humiliated me. Also, thank God, I did not point an angry finger at the Lord and proceed to disobey His commands. To do so would be horribly ungrateful. How many blessings has the Lord bestowed upon me? They are innumerable. I do not want to be among those who "worship God, as it were, on the verge," as the Quran says, "if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces" (Quran 22:11). When the answer to my prayer eluded me, I simply put my head down in acceptance, still sad, and said, "All praise is due to God. God has decreed thus, and He does what He wills." The truth is, the Lord neither abandoned nor humiliated me. According to the Prophet, when someone calls on God, one of three things happen:
(1) it is immediately answered (and I do not have a shortage of those prayers, thank God);
(2) the answer to the prayer is deferred to Judgment Day, when the supplicant will be handsomely rewarded;
(3) the prayer will block a calamity that is to befall that person.
Thus, in my case, either something bad was going to happen to me, but my unanswered prayer blocked it, or the Lord is saving the answer to that prayer for Judgment Day. Either way, I win.The thing is, I frequently can't see that; I do not have Divine Vision. This is another trait of the human condition. I do not understand God's wisdom in not answering that prayer right here, right now. Hence, my sadness and disappointment. Yet, my role is to be patient with the will of God and continue to be a humble, devout servant. God will answer other prayers. Perhaps God will one day let me see the wisdom of His decision. He has done so already once before. When I was a senior in high school, I applied for an honors program in medicine in which I would be guaranteed a spot in medical school after three years of college. My application was very competitive: a 4.0 GPA and a whole host of extracurricular activities, honors, and awards. I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. I was not accepted, and I felt the same sadness and disappointment then as I do now. Yet, I did not despair or become rebellious against God. Three years later, I was accepted to medical school without a bachelor's degree. In fact, I was the only one in my medical school class to be accepted right out of college. I reminded myself of this during my recent sadness. While I do not understand God's wisdom, I have to trust that He has my best interest in mind, and that He will not do me harm. This is what God wants, and I have to be patient. Even though this prayer was not answered immediately, I will continue to pray. I will continue to try and get up before sunrise and pray those extra devotional prayers. I will, in fact, pray more to God now than I have done so in the past. God always hears those who call on Him, and I will live my life making sure He constantly hears my voice. And the most beautiful thing is, He never gets tired of hearing that voice. That is why nothing else in this world except He deserves to be worshipped.
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a physician and writer based in Chicago. You can visit his blog at www.drhassaballa.com.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
McCain: Change is coming
From: www.cnn.com
McCain: Thank you all very much. Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans -- the privilege of accepting our party's nomination for President of the United States. And I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence.
In my life, no success has come without a good fight, and this nomination wasn't any different. That's a tribute to the candidates who opposed me and their supporters. They're leaders of great ability, who love our country, and wished to lead it to better days. Their support is an honor I
I'm grateful to the President for leading us in those dark days following the worst attack on American soil in our history, and keeping us safe from another attack many thought was inevitable; and to the First Lady, Laura Bush, a model of grace and kindness in public and in private. And I'm grateful to the 41st President and his bride of 63 years, and for their outstanding example of honorable service to our country.
As always, I'm indebted to my wife, Cindy, and my seven children. The pleasures of family life can seem like a brief holiday from the crowded calendar of our nation's business. But I have treasured them all the more, and can't imagine a life without the happiness you give me. Cindy said a lot of nice things about me tonight. But, in truth, she's more my inspiration than I am hers. Her concern for those less blessed than we are -- victims of land mines, children born in poverty and with birth defects -- shows the measure of her humanity. I know she will make a great First Lady.
When I was growing up, my father was often at sea, and the job of raising my brother, sister and me would fall to my mother alone. Roberta McCain gave us her love of life, her deep interest in the world, her strength, and her belief we are all meant to use our opportunities to make ourselves useful to our country. I wouldn't be here tonight but for the strength of her character.
My heartfelt thanks to all of you, who helped me win this nomination, and stood by me when the odds were long. I won't let you down. To Americans who have yet to decide who to vote for, thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to win your trust. I intend to earn it.
Finally, a word to Senator Obama and his supporters. We'll go at it over the next two months. That's the nature of these contests, and there are big differences between us. But you have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other. We're dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. No country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn't be an American worthy of the name if I didn't honor Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement.
But let there be no doubt, my friends, we're going to win this election. And after we've won, we're going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace.
These are tough times for many of you. You're worried about keeping your job or finding a new one, and are struggling to put food on the table and stay in your home. All you ever asked of government is to stand on your side, not in your way. And that's just what I intend to do: stand on your side and fight for your future.
And I've found just the right partner to help me shake up Washington, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. She has executive experience and a real record of accomplishment. She's tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption. She's balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests. She's reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents to serve in her administration. She's the mother of five children. She's helped run a small business, worked with her hands and knows what it's like to worry about mortgage payments and health care and the cost of gasoline and groceries.
She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down. I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do-nothing, me first, country second crowd: change is coming.
I'm not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Governor Palin. And when we tell you we're going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country's problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We've got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you.
You know, I've been called a maverick; someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party. I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you.
I've fought corruption, and it didn't matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. They violated their public trust, and had to be held accountable. I've fought big spenders in both parties, who waste your money on things you neither need nor want, while you struggle to buy groceries, fill your gas tank and make your mortgage payment. I've fought to get million dollar checks out of our elections. I've fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes. I fought crooked deals in the Pentagon. I fought tobacco companies and trial lawyers, drug companies and union bosses.
I fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq, when it wasn't a popular thing to do. And when the pundits said my campaign was finished, I said I'd rather lose an election than see my country lose a war.
Thanks to the leadership of a brilliant general, David Petreaus, and the brave men and women he has the honor to command, that strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans.
I don't mind a good fight. For reasons known only to God, I've had quite a few tough ones in my life. But I learned an important lesson along the way. In the end, it matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test.
I fight for Americans. I fight for you. I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market. Bill got a temporary job after he was out of work for seven months. Sue works three jobs to help pay the bills.
I fight for Jake and Toni Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Jake works on a loading dock; coaches Little League, and raises money for the mentally and physically disabled. Toni is a schoolteacher, working toward her Master's Degree. They have two sons, the youngest, Luke, has been diagnosed with autism. Their lives should matter to the people they elect to office. They matter to me.
I fight for the family of Matthew Stanley of Wolfboro, New Hampshire, who died serving our country in Iraq. I wear his bracelet and think of him every day. I intend to honor their sacrifice by making sure the country their son loved so well and never returned to, remains safe from its enemies.
I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles.
We're going to change that. We're going to recover the people's trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.
We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendents arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We're all God's children and we're all Americans.
We believe in low taxes; spending discipline, and open markets. We believe in rewarding hard work and risk takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor.
We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don't legislate from the bench. We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities.
We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn't make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.
I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it.
My tax cuts will create jobs. His tax increases will eliminate them. My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance. His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.
Keeping taxes low helps small businesses grow and create new jobs. Cutting the second highest business tax rate in the world will help American companies compete and keep jobs from moving overseas. Doubling the child tax exemption from $3500 to $7000 will improve the lives of millions of American families. Reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs will let you keep more of your own money to save, spend and invest as you see fit. Opening new markets and preparing workers to compete in the world economy is essential to our future prosperity.
I know some of you have been left behind in the changing economy and it often seems your government hasn't even noticed. Government assistance for unemployed workers was designed for the economy of the 1950s. That's going to change on my watch. My opponent promises to bring back old jobs by wishing away the global economy. We're going to help workers who've lost a job that won't come back, find a new one that won't go away.
We will prepare them for the jobs of today. We will use our community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities. For workers in industries that have been hard hit, we'll help make up part of the difference in wages between their old job and a temporary, lower paid one while they receive retraining that will help them find secure new employment at a decent wage.
Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work.
When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them. Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have that choice and their children will have that opportunity.
Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucracies. I want schools to answer to parents and students. And when I'm President, they will.
My fellow Americans, when I'm President, we're going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades. We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much. We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we'll drill them now. We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.
Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power. But Americans know better than that. We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and to restore the health of our planet. It's an ambitious plan, but Americans are ambitious by nature, and we have faced greater challenges. It's time for us to show the world again how Americans lead.
This great national cause will create millions of new jobs, many in industries that will be the engine of our future prosperity; jobs that will be there when your children enter the workforce.
Today, the prospect of a better world remains within our reach. But we must see the threats to peace and liberty in our time clearly and face them, as Americans before us did, with confidence, wisdom and resolve.
We have dealt a serious blow to al Qaeda in recent years. But they are not defeated, and they'll strike us again if they can. Iran remains the chief state sponsor of terrorism and on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia's leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world's oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire. And the brave people of Georgia need our solidarity and prayers. As President I will work to establish good relations with Russia so we need not fear a return of the Cold War. But we can't turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people.
We face many threats in this dangerous world, but I'm not afraid of them. I'm prepared for them. I know how the military works, what it can do, what it can do better, and what it should not do. I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it. I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. I know how to secure the peace.
When I was five years old, a car pulled up in front of our house. A Navy officer rolled down the window, and shouted at my father that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. I rarely saw my father again for four years. My grandfather came home from that same war exhausted from the burdens he had borne, and died the next day. In Vietnam, where I formed the closest friendships of my life, some of those friends never came home with me. I hate war. It is terrible beyond imagination.
I'm running for President to keep the country I love safe, and prevent other families from risking their loved ones in war as my family has. I will draw on all my experience with the world and its leaders, and all the tools at our disposal -- diplomatic, economic, military and the power of our ideals -- to build the foundations for a stable and enduring peace.
In America, we change things that need to be changed. Each generation makes its contribution to our greatness. The work that is ours to do is plainly before us. We don't need to search for it.
We need to change the way government does almost everything: from the way we protect our security to the way we compete in the world economy; from the way we respond to disasters to the way we fuel our transportation network; from the way we train our workers to the way we educate our children. All these functions of government were designed before the rise of the global economy, the information technology revolution and the end of the Cold War. We have to catch up to history, and we have to change the way we do business in Washington.
The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn't a cause, it's a symptom. It's what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you.
Again and again, I've worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That's how I will govern as President. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not.
Instead of rejecting good ideas because we didn't think of them first, let's use the best ideas from both sides. Instead of fighting over who gets the credit, let's try sharing it. This amazing country can do anything we put our minds to. I will ask Democrats and Independents to serve with me. And my administration will set a new standard for transparency and accountability.
We're going to finally start getting things done for the people who are counting on us, and I won't care who gets the credit.
I've been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I have been her servant first, last and always. And I've never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I didn't thank God for the privilege.
Long ago, something unusual happened to me that taught me the most valuable lesson of my life. I was blessed by misfortune. I mean that sincerely. I was blessed because I served in the company of heroes, and I witnessed a thousand acts of courage, compassion and love.
On an October morning, in the Gulf of Tonkin, I prepared for my 23rd mission over North Vietnam. I hadn't any worry I wouldn't come back safe and sound. I thought I was tougher than anyone. I was pretty independent then, too. I liked to bend a few rules, and pick a few fights for the fun of it. But I did it for my own pleasure; my own pride. I didn't think there was a cause more important than me.
Then I found myself falling toward the middle of a small lake in the city of Hanoi, with two broken arms, a broken leg, and an angry crowd waiting to greet me. I was dumped in a dark cell, and left to die. I didn't feel so tough anymore. When they discovered my father was an admiral, they took me to a hospital. They couldn't set my bones properly, so they just slapped a cast on me. When I didn't get better, and was down to about a hundred pounds, they put me in a cell with two other Americans. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even feed myself. They did it for me. I was beginning to learn the limits of my selfish independence. Those men saved my life.
I was in solitary confinement when my captors offered to release me. I knew why. If I went home, they would use it as propaganda to demoralize my fellow prisoners. Our Code said we could only go home in the order of our capture, and there were men who had been shot down before me. I thought about it, though. I wasn't in great shape, and I missed everything about America. But I turned it down.
A lot of prisoners had it worse than I did. I'd been mistreated before, but not as badly as others. I always liked to strut a little after I'd been roughed up to show the other guys I was tough enough to take it. But after I turned down their offer, they worked me over harder than they ever had before. For a long time. And they broke me.
When they brought me back to my cell, I was hurt and ashamed, and I didn't know how I could face my fellow prisoners. The good man in the cell next door, my friend, Bob Craner, saved me. Through taps on a wall he told me I had fought as hard as I could. No man can always stand alone. And then he told me to get back up and fight again for our country and for the men I had the honor to serve with. Because every day they fought for me.
I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's.
I'm not running for president because I think I'm blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.
If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.
I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I'm an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.
Fight for what's right for our country.
Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.
Fight for our children's future.
Fight for justice and opportunity for all.
Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.
Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.
Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.
Thank you, and God Bless you.
McCain: Thank you all very much. Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans -- the privilege of accepting our party's nomination for President of the United States. And I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence.
In my life, no success has come without a good fight, and this nomination wasn't any different. That's a tribute to the candidates who opposed me and their supporters. They're leaders of great ability, who love our country, and wished to lead it to better days. Their support is an honor I
I'm grateful to the President for leading us in those dark days following the worst attack on American soil in our history, and keeping us safe from another attack many thought was inevitable; and to the First Lady, Laura Bush, a model of grace and kindness in public and in private. And I'm grateful to the 41st President and his bride of 63 years, and for their outstanding example of honorable service to our country.
As always, I'm indebted to my wife, Cindy, and my seven children. The pleasures of family life can seem like a brief holiday from the crowded calendar of our nation's business. But I have treasured them all the more, and can't imagine a life without the happiness you give me. Cindy said a lot of nice things about me tonight. But, in truth, she's more my inspiration than I am hers. Her concern for those less blessed than we are -- victims of land mines, children born in poverty and with birth defects -- shows the measure of her humanity. I know she will make a great First Lady.
When I was growing up, my father was often at sea, and the job of raising my brother, sister and me would fall to my mother alone. Roberta McCain gave us her love of life, her deep interest in the world, her strength, and her belief we are all meant to use our opportunities to make ourselves useful to our country. I wouldn't be here tonight but for the strength of her character.
My heartfelt thanks to all of you, who helped me win this nomination, and stood by me when the odds were long. I won't let you down. To Americans who have yet to decide who to vote for, thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to win your trust. I intend to earn it.
Finally, a word to Senator Obama and his supporters. We'll go at it over the next two months. That's the nature of these contests, and there are big differences between us. But you have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other. We're dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. No country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn't be an American worthy of the name if I didn't honor Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement.
But let there be no doubt, my friends, we're going to win this election. And after we've won, we're going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace.
These are tough times for many of you. You're worried about keeping your job or finding a new one, and are struggling to put food on the table and stay in your home. All you ever asked of government is to stand on your side, not in your way. And that's just what I intend to do: stand on your side and fight for your future.
And I've found just the right partner to help me shake up Washington, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. She has executive experience and a real record of accomplishment. She's tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption. She's balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests. She's reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents to serve in her administration. She's the mother of five children. She's helped run a small business, worked with her hands and knows what it's like to worry about mortgage payments and health care and the cost of gasoline and groceries.
She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down. I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do-nothing, me first, country second crowd: change is coming.
I'm not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Governor Palin. And when we tell you we're going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country's problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We've got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you.
You know, I've been called a maverick; someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party. I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you.
I've fought corruption, and it didn't matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. They violated their public trust, and had to be held accountable. I've fought big spenders in both parties, who waste your money on things you neither need nor want, while you struggle to buy groceries, fill your gas tank and make your mortgage payment. I've fought to get million dollar checks out of our elections. I've fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes. I fought crooked deals in the Pentagon. I fought tobacco companies and trial lawyers, drug companies and union bosses.
I fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq, when it wasn't a popular thing to do. And when the pundits said my campaign was finished, I said I'd rather lose an election than see my country lose a war.
Thanks to the leadership of a brilliant general, David Petreaus, and the brave men and women he has the honor to command, that strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans.
I don't mind a good fight. For reasons known only to God, I've had quite a few tough ones in my life. But I learned an important lesson along the way. In the end, it matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test.
I fight for Americans. I fight for you. I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market. Bill got a temporary job after he was out of work for seven months. Sue works three jobs to help pay the bills.
I fight for Jake and Toni Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Jake works on a loading dock; coaches Little League, and raises money for the mentally and physically disabled. Toni is a schoolteacher, working toward her Master's Degree. They have two sons, the youngest, Luke, has been diagnosed with autism. Their lives should matter to the people they elect to office. They matter to me.
I fight for the family of Matthew Stanley of Wolfboro, New Hampshire, who died serving our country in Iraq. I wear his bracelet and think of him every day. I intend to honor their sacrifice by making sure the country their son loved so well and never returned to, remains safe from its enemies.
I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles.
We're going to change that. We're going to recover the people's trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.
We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendents arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We're all God's children and we're all Americans.
We believe in low taxes; spending discipline, and open markets. We believe in rewarding hard work and risk takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor.
We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don't legislate from the bench. We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities.
We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn't make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.
I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it.
My tax cuts will create jobs. His tax increases will eliminate them. My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance. His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.
Keeping taxes low helps small businesses grow and create new jobs. Cutting the second highest business tax rate in the world will help American companies compete and keep jobs from moving overseas. Doubling the child tax exemption from $3500 to $7000 will improve the lives of millions of American families. Reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs will let you keep more of your own money to save, spend and invest as you see fit. Opening new markets and preparing workers to compete in the world economy is essential to our future prosperity.
I know some of you have been left behind in the changing economy and it often seems your government hasn't even noticed. Government assistance for unemployed workers was designed for the economy of the 1950s. That's going to change on my watch. My opponent promises to bring back old jobs by wishing away the global economy. We're going to help workers who've lost a job that won't come back, find a new one that won't go away.
We will prepare them for the jobs of today. We will use our community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities. For workers in industries that have been hard hit, we'll help make up part of the difference in wages between their old job and a temporary, lower paid one while they receive retraining that will help them find secure new employment at a decent wage.
Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work.
When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them. Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have that choice and their children will have that opportunity.
Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucracies. I want schools to answer to parents and students. And when I'm President, they will.
My fellow Americans, when I'm President, we're going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades. We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much. We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we'll drill them now. We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.
Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power. But Americans know better than that. We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and to restore the health of our planet. It's an ambitious plan, but Americans are ambitious by nature, and we have faced greater challenges. It's time for us to show the world again how Americans lead.
This great national cause will create millions of new jobs, many in industries that will be the engine of our future prosperity; jobs that will be there when your children enter the workforce.
Today, the prospect of a better world remains within our reach. But we must see the threats to peace and liberty in our time clearly and face them, as Americans before us did, with confidence, wisdom and resolve.
We have dealt a serious blow to al Qaeda in recent years. But they are not defeated, and they'll strike us again if they can. Iran remains the chief state sponsor of terrorism and on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia's leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world's oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire. And the brave people of Georgia need our solidarity and prayers. As President I will work to establish good relations with Russia so we need not fear a return of the Cold War. But we can't turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people.
We face many threats in this dangerous world, but I'm not afraid of them. I'm prepared for them. I know how the military works, what it can do, what it can do better, and what it should not do. I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it. I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. I know how to secure the peace.
When I was five years old, a car pulled up in front of our house. A Navy officer rolled down the window, and shouted at my father that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. I rarely saw my father again for four years. My grandfather came home from that same war exhausted from the burdens he had borne, and died the next day. In Vietnam, where I formed the closest friendships of my life, some of those friends never came home with me. I hate war. It is terrible beyond imagination.
I'm running for President to keep the country I love safe, and prevent other families from risking their loved ones in war as my family has. I will draw on all my experience with the world and its leaders, and all the tools at our disposal -- diplomatic, economic, military and the power of our ideals -- to build the foundations for a stable and enduring peace.
In America, we change things that need to be changed. Each generation makes its contribution to our greatness. The work that is ours to do is plainly before us. We don't need to search for it.
We need to change the way government does almost everything: from the way we protect our security to the way we compete in the world economy; from the way we respond to disasters to the way we fuel our transportation network; from the way we train our workers to the way we educate our children. All these functions of government were designed before the rise of the global economy, the information technology revolution and the end of the Cold War. We have to catch up to history, and we have to change the way we do business in Washington.
The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn't a cause, it's a symptom. It's what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you.
Again and again, I've worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That's how I will govern as President. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not.
Instead of rejecting good ideas because we didn't think of them first, let's use the best ideas from both sides. Instead of fighting over who gets the credit, let's try sharing it. This amazing country can do anything we put our minds to. I will ask Democrats and Independents to serve with me. And my administration will set a new standard for transparency and accountability.
We're going to finally start getting things done for the people who are counting on us, and I won't care who gets the credit.
I've been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I have been her servant first, last and always. And I've never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I didn't thank God for the privilege.
Long ago, something unusual happened to me that taught me the most valuable lesson of my life. I was blessed by misfortune. I mean that sincerely. I was blessed because I served in the company of heroes, and I witnessed a thousand acts of courage, compassion and love.
On an October morning, in the Gulf of Tonkin, I prepared for my 23rd mission over North Vietnam. I hadn't any worry I wouldn't come back safe and sound. I thought I was tougher than anyone. I was pretty independent then, too. I liked to bend a few rules, and pick a few fights for the fun of it. But I did it for my own pleasure; my own pride. I didn't think there was a cause more important than me.
Then I found myself falling toward the middle of a small lake in the city of Hanoi, with two broken arms, a broken leg, and an angry crowd waiting to greet me. I was dumped in a dark cell, and left to die. I didn't feel so tough anymore. When they discovered my father was an admiral, they took me to a hospital. They couldn't set my bones properly, so they just slapped a cast on me. When I didn't get better, and was down to about a hundred pounds, they put me in a cell with two other Americans. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even feed myself. They did it for me. I was beginning to learn the limits of my selfish independence. Those men saved my life.
I was in solitary confinement when my captors offered to release me. I knew why. If I went home, they would use it as propaganda to demoralize my fellow prisoners. Our Code said we could only go home in the order of our capture, and there were men who had been shot down before me. I thought about it, though. I wasn't in great shape, and I missed everything about America. But I turned it down.
A lot of prisoners had it worse than I did. I'd been mistreated before, but not as badly as others. I always liked to strut a little after I'd been roughed up to show the other guys I was tough enough to take it. But after I turned down their offer, they worked me over harder than they ever had before. For a long time. And they broke me.
When they brought me back to my cell, I was hurt and ashamed, and I didn't know how I could face my fellow prisoners. The good man in the cell next door, my friend, Bob Craner, saved me. Through taps on a wall he told me I had fought as hard as I could. No man can always stand alone. And then he told me to get back up and fight again for our country and for the men I had the honor to serve with. Because every day they fought for me.
I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's.
I'm not running for president because I think I'm blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.
If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.
I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I'm an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.
Fight for what's right for our country.
Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.
Fight for our children's future.
Fight for justice and opportunity for all.
Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.
Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.
Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.
Thank you, and God Bless you.
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