Mr. corb goes to Washington

I am moving to Washington DC this coming Friday which happens to be July 4th, the Independence Day of the United States. Moving to DC has been a dream of mine for many, many years and thanks to the degree that I just earned and to a kind friend I am going to be moving out there to live for a while. In a sense July 4th will be my own Independence Day, the day I left my home and went east. I am very excited about the move and am looking forward to the change that will take place.

I thought it appropriate at this occasion in my life to share a paper I wrote for a college political science class. The class was concerning politics and literature and we focused on rhetoric and its role and usefulness in politics. It was a great class and we read some great literature (plays by Shakespeare and Machiavelli, speeches by great statesmen, theory and philosophy by Plato and Aristotle as well as others). One assignment the class was given was to write an inaugural address. We were to imagine that we had just been sworn into office as President of the United States and were giving our first address in that office. Some of my thoughts in this speech may be innocent and some people may even think them to be naive, but I believe them regardless. I understand that the world we live in is much bigger and more corrupt then the hopeful ideals I try and express in this speech, but I will argue that our society is founded on and its actions carried out based upon the values that we hold. If our society is corrupt it is because of the values that we hold and practice that are corrupt. We hide our real intent under a blanket of hopeful and Christian ideals as a society to make ourselves feel better about what we truly believe and desire. To commemorate my “Independence Day” I give you my speech.

Fellow Citizens

All significant events in the course of one’s existence obligate him to ponder the past actions that have led to that moment and to embrace a sense of the future. Looking back at the past generations of this great republic and to those who have served this nation with dignity and respect I feel a great sense of appreciation. As I look upon them I notice qualities of lasting worth as well as characters that have helped to define this nation. These great and meaningful people have brought forth ideals and values that have helped sustain this nation, with its government, through many marvelous and dire events. It is upon their foundation that we have continued to build and develop these United States of America. It is from this vantage point of the present that we look to and prepare for the future.

The look back through history conveys that in each era of this republic men have been required to stand as statesmen and make decisions that have affected this nation and its citizens. Each decision made was based on values and ideals that were felt to be right and just for the great cause of the United States of America. And so to this era in which we are now present, we find that we are still encountering events that have great consequence and the decisions made in response still continue to be based on American values.

We have traveled long and hard since the devastating events of 2001 and some have opposed the direction in which we have journeyed, but regardless of this opposition we are here and must find resolution to bring ourselves to a united path. The decisions that have led us to our current status in Afghanistan and Iraq were based on firm American beliefs that we should be free to live without fear of attack and harm, to be able to engage in our lives without threat of death and injury. These values, freedom, liberty and equity, are as much a part of the foundations of this nation as is the Mayflower and the pilgrims who rode upon her, George Washington and the framers of the Constitution, the Civil War and the freed slaves, and the many people offered hope by the New Deal. We Americans are made up by the very essence of these values and as such have a high reputation to maintain.

The world has embarked on a new era and we are part of it. Technology and science have brought individuals together from the most remote parts of the world and they have also brought nations together. In this vast America we talk and associate with our friends and neighbors in spite of the diversity of our communities. We make compromises and negotiate with one another and do so in a manner that is peaceful and tolerant of everyone. These are some of the attributes that make the United States and her communities so desirable to live in. These are some of the attributes that we need to instill in our global community and to the people and nations of the world.

The future of this nation is closely tied with that of the world. We are no longer an entity that is separated by oceans but a member of a global community that is more connected today then at any other time in history. In our conception as a nation we founded ourselves upon values that all men dreamed of and desired. We are now in a position to assist and help more of our global neighbors attain and live these same values. For the past 200 years these United States have been a force for good and humanity and we will continue to be, but we should not suppose this as a superpower but as an equal member of a global community. The values in which we believe do not advocate oppression or coercion by way of acceptance or implementation but rather friendly persuasion and diplomacy.

The United States of America is a promoter of liberty and freedom and as such we as a people must embrace our global neighbors as friends. Conceit and vanity are contrary values which we as a nation can not afford to take part in for they will be a means of destroying our global community as well as ourselves. The values that we hold at our very core are the values that will sustain us through the future as we remain a vital role in the global community and continue to bear up our legacy as the free people of this republic.