%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
Gathered mainly from international media sources December 2020 - March 2021 |
For recent entries click "Invalid Item"  These are news/opinion items which caught my eye. Click on the link below: 31 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" 24 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 22 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" 21 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 19 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 17 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 26 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 25 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 24 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 22 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 21 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 19 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 18 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 16 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 15 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 14 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 9 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 8 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 4 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 30 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 29 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 28 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 27 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 26 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 24 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 23 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 21 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 20 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 19 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 18 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 14 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 12 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 11 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 10 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 4 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 2 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 29 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 27 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 24 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 23 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 22 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 20 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 19 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 18 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 17 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 16 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 15/12/20 "Invalid Entry" 13 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 12 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 11 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" For earlier entries drill down the list 10 Dec 2020 - Covid: Genes hold clues to why some people get severely ill 10 Dec 2020 - Referendum for the state of Texas to secede from the U.S. ? 10 Dec 2020 - Covid-19: More single day dead than in 9/11 terror attack or on D-Day landing 10 Dec 2020 - Covid-19: France moves to night-time curfew from 15 December 10 Dec 2020 - Elon Musk has launched the latest prototype of his Starship vehicle from Texas. 9 Dec 2020 - Covid-19 - $600 direct payment to most Americans? 9 Dec 2020 - Hunter Biden under federal investigation 9 Dec 2020 - Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine data gets positive FDA review 9 Dec 2020 - Is BIG TECH censoring different ideas about COVID-19? 9 Dec 2020 - Clashes in Portland 9 Dec 2020 - UK is investigating two possible allergic reactions to Pfizer coronavirus shot 9 Dec 2020 - Open letter by the Prime Minister of Hungary to the European Union 9 Dec 2020 - VACCINE OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM 9 Dec 2020 - UK EXIT FROM THE EU (Last supper?) 8 Dec 2020 - ROALD DAHL AND A WOKE APOLOGY |
About 300,000 people are expected to leave Hong Kong for Britain using a new visa route which opens on Sunday. Hong Kong's British National (Overseas) passport holders and their immediate dependants will be able to apply for the visa using a smartphone app. Boris Johnson said the move honoured the UK's "profound ties of history and friendship" with the ex-British colony. The visa was announced in July after China imposed a new security law in Hong Kong. Beijing has previously warned the UK not to meddle in domestic issues. Those who apply and secure the visa will be able to apply for settlement after five years and then British citizenship after a further 12 months. Although there are 2.9 million citizens eligible to move to the UK, with a further estimated 2.3 million dependants, the government expects about 300,000 people to take up the offer. The prime minister said: "I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong BNOs to live, work and make their home in our country. "In doing so we have honoured our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy - values both the UK and Hong Kong hold dear." The visa fee to stay for five years will be £250 per person - or £180 for a 30-month stay - and there is an immigration health surcharge of up to £624-a-year. Those eligible for the visa can apply online and will need to book an appointment to attend a visa application centre. From 23 February BNO status holders who hold an eligible biometric passport will be able to use an app to complete their application from home. Home Secretary Priti Patel said this was to give applicants greater security amid fears they could be identified and targeted by the authorities. "Safeguarding individuals' freedoms, liberty and security is absolutely vital for those individuals that go through this process," she said. The BNO status was created before the UK handed responsibility for Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Before Hong Kong was returned, the UK and China made an agreement to introduce "one country, two systems", which meant, among other things, rights such as freedom of assembly, free speech and freedom of the press would be protected. The agreement signed in 1984 was set to last until 2047. But the UK has said this agreement - known as the Joint Declaration - is under threat because the territory passed a new law in June that gives China sweeping new controls over the people of Hong Kong. China has said the law is necessary to prevent the type of protests seen in Hong Kong during much of 2019. However, the law has caused alarm both in Hong Kong and abroad, with opponents saying it erodes the territory's freedoms as a semi-autonomous region of China. Analysis by James Landale, Diplomaitc correspondent The new visa system helping British nationals escape Hong Kong is perhaps the clearest example yet of the government's promise to be a force for good in the world. It is one thing to condemn oppression. It is another to do something about it. And here the UK is delivering on a promise made more than two decades ago to those it has a duty to protect. But there are questions. What support are these migrants going to have? In the long term they may well enrich Britain's economy and culture, but in the short term, they will need help. Where are they going to live? Where are they going to find jobs? What if more than the predicted 300,000 or so come in the first five years? How will people in Britain respond to seeing their borders opened up? And above all, how will China retaliate, as they have promised? Will Beijing ban BNOs from public office, from voting or even from leaving? What will the UK do then? |
| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the chamber will likely allocate more money for members of Congress to invest in additional security to protect them from the likes of violent rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 -- but also from the "enemy" within the House. "We will probably need a supplemental [budget] for more security for members when the enemy is within the House of Representatives -- a threat that members are concerned about in addition to what is happening outside," Pelosi said during her weekly news conference Thursday at the Capitol. |
Don Rosenberg, president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime, accuses President Biden of playing politics with his immigration policy. A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked President Biden’s attempt to put a moratorium on deportations for 100 days. After Texas sued over the policy, the judge blocked Biden, via a temporary restraining order, from moving forward for 14 days. Texas’ lawsuit claims that the administration would be violating an agreement it has with the Department of Homeland Security – and would require at least 180 days’ notice, as well as consultation, prior to implementing changes in immigration policy. It is unclear whether those terms are enforceable, but similar agreements were struck with several other states under the former administration. The U.S. district judge implemented a nationwide injunction because a geographically-limited order would not adequately protect Texas’ interests due to "the free flow of movement" of illegal aliens from other states. Biden has pledged to move forward with a moratorium on deportations as his administration resets its approach toward U.S. immigration following the change in administration. Noncitizens who have engaged in, or who are suspected to have engaged in, terrorism and espionage can still be deported. The moratorium – which took effect on Friday – also does not apply to persons who were not physically present in the U.S. as of Nov. 1, 2020. "We’re confident that as the case proceeds, it will be clear that this measure was wholly appropriate in ordering a temporary pause to allow the agency to carefully review its policies, procedures, and enforcement priorities – while allowing for a greater focus on threats to public safety and national security," a White House spokesman said. "President Biden remains committed to taking immediate action to reform our immigration system to ensure it’s upholding American values while keeping our communities safe." The Biden administration was planning to announce further guidance on the issue by Feb. 1. |
| The Covid-19 death toll surpassed the grim milestone on Tuesday, with the government confirming another 1,631 fatalities. It brings the UK's total coronavirus death toll to 100,162 - one of the highest in the world. The prime minister, speaking at a Downing Street press conference offered his "deepest condolences" to those who have lost loved ones, as he urged people to stick with the lockdown restrictions. "It's hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic: The years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended and for so many relatives the missed chance to even say goodbye," he said. |
| Tens of thousands of protesting farmers breached barricades and police reinforcement and entered several parts of Indian capital New Delhi and stormed Mughal era historic Red Fort to demand the repeal of new farm laws. Police in Delhi have clashed with farmers with batons and have fired teargas to try to disperse the surging crowds of farmers riding on hundreds of tractors marching to seat of power in the Indian capital. The clash has left one farmer dead and dozens of police officers injured. The "tractor rally" called by the protesting farmers protesting outside New Delhi for two months on India's Republic Day to demand repeal of new farm laws. Earlier in the day, the protesting farmers marched on tractors, cars, motorbikes, horses and on foot from the outskirts of the city waving multi-coloured flags and holding placards. Leaders of the farmers said more than 10,000 tractors joined the protest, and authorities tried to hold back the rows upon rows of tractors, which shoved aside concrete and steel barricades. Authorities also used large trucks and buses to block roads, but thousands of protesters managed to reach some important landmarks. "We will do as we want to. You cannot force your laws on the poor," said Manjeet Singh, a protesting farmer said. The farmers deviated from pre-decided routes, prompting security personnel to resort to baton charge and tear gas. Authorities suspended internet services in several parts of Indian capital Delhi and closed Metro stations after the violence erupted. Farm union leaders called for restraint and asked the protesting farmers to return to the border points where they have been camping for two months now. The massive protests have also forced the shutting down of several metro stations, while internet services were suspended in many areas of the capital and its adjoining areas. The protests overshadowed Republic Day celebrations, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi oversaw a traditional lavish parade along ceremonial Rajpath Boulevard displaying the country’s military power and cultural diversity. Protests were also held in other cities, including Bangalore and Mumbai. |
| Iran says it has arrested a US-Iranian dual national facing spying charges who attempted to leave the country. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili did not identify the man, but said he "had been free on bail". Iranian media reported last week that a US-Iranian businessman named Emad Shargi had been arrested has he tried to cross a western border illegally. It could complicate plans by new US President Joe Biden to re-engage diplomatically with Iran. His predecessor Donald Trump subjected the Tehran government to a "maximum pressure" campaign of crippling economic sanctions. Mr Trump wanted to compel Iranian leaders to renegotiate a 2015 nuclear deal that he abandoned, but they refused to do so and retaliated by violating a series of key commitments. Mr Biden has said he is open to rejoining the accord and easing the sanctions if Iran returns to full compliance. Iran has detained a number of US-Iranian dual citizens and Iranians with US permanent residency in recent years, most of them on spying charges. At a news conference on Tuesday, Mr Esmaili responded to a question about the reported arrest of an US-Iranian "defendant". He said Iranian law did not recognise dual nationality, but that "the defendant had been free on bail... and was arrested as he tried to leave the country". This person "faced charges from earlier in the area of spying and gathering information for foreign countries", he added. Earlier this month, Iran's Young Journalists' Club (YJC) news agency reported that Emad Shargi, who it said worked at an Iranian venture capital company called Sarava Holding, had been arrested on after "trying to illegally flee the country from western borders". |
| US President Joe Biden signs executive order reversing Donald Trump’s transgender military ban President Joe Biden has signed an order reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender people from serving in the US military. The new order, which Mr Biden signed in the Oval Office during a meeting with defence secretary Lloyd Austin, overturns a ban ordered by former president Donald Trump in a tweet during his first year in office. It immediately prohibits any service member from being forced out of the military on the basis of gender identity. Mr Biden’s order says that gender identity should not be a bar to military service. In a tweet from the official presidential account, Mr Biden said: "Today, I repealed the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military. "It’s simple: America is safer when everyone qualified to serve can do so openly and with pride." |
During his six-decade career, which included 25 years hosting his own nightly programme on CNN, King interviewed many of the most famous political leaders, celebrities and sports people of the day. At its peak, his Larry King Live Show on CNN was bringing in 1.5 million viewers a night. When the final episode aired in 2010, it was the longest-running show hosted by the same person. In a recorded message on his final show, then-US President Barack Obama said King had "opened our eyes to the world beyond our living rooms". CNN said he had been described as the "Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview". Larry King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933. He grew up in a religious and observant Jewish household, although in later life he became an agnostic. After the death of his father Edward at just 44, King worked to support his mother for several years after graduating high school. However, having realised he wanted to work in broadcasting, King moved to Florida in his early 20s to work on a radio station. It is said that minutes before going on air for the first time, he was told by the station boss to change his last name to something "less ethnic", and chose King after glancing at a newspaper advert for King's Wholesale Liquor. During the 1950s and 1960s, he rose through the ranks of local broadcasting and by 1978 gained nationwide prominence as host of an all-night call-in radio programme called The Larry King Show, before moving to CNN. According to CNN, King carried out more than 50,000 interviews during his 50-year career. They included exclusive sit-down interviews with every US president since Gerald Ford. His other high-profile guests are too numerous to mention but have included Dr Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, LeBron James, Paris Hilton and Margaret Thatcher. He won countless awards, including the Peabody Award for Excellence in broadcasting for both his radio and television shows. Some criticised King for going too easy on his interviewees, with his non-confrontational approach and open-ended questions. He rejected this, telling the BBC's Evan Davis in 2015 he had learned that "the more I drew back, asked good questions, listened to the answers, cared about the guests... you make the camera disappear". He also addressed the spat he had with the British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, who replaced him at CNN. King had criticised his successor as being "oversold" to US television audiences and said his programme was "too much about him". Morgan, whose show was cancelled after three years, hit back at the time saying his programme had been "all about gun control & saving lives. You made yours about blowing smoke up celebrity backsides". King continued broadcasting, in the past few years hosting his own shows on Ora TV, an on-demand digital network he helped to found, as well as Hulu and RT, Russia's state-controlled international broadcaster. Away from the microphone, King was married eight times to seven women and had five children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Tragically, two of his children died within weeks of each other in 2020; daughter Chaia died from lung cancer at 51 in July and son Andy of a heart attack at 65 in August. "Losing them feels so out of order," he wrote on social media at the time. "No parent should have to bury a child." Larry King himself suffered a range of health problems over the years, including diabetes and angina. In 2017, he underwent surgery to treat lung cancer and in 2019 suffered a stroke that left him in a coma for weeks. He was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in early January where he was treated for Covid-19, US media said. In 1988 he founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, a charity which helps to fund heart treatment for those with limited financial means or no medical insurance. On his legacy, he had said he hoped it would be that he "added to the public's knowledge, entertainment and amusement". |
The numbers don’t lie; compared to Israel, or a few Gulf monarchies, the USA or even the UK, the European Union’s vaccination against the coronavirus is way behind. The European Commission however, is quite optimistic believing that by the summer 70% of the adult population will be vaccinated– but so far, everyone seems to be struggling with a severe shortage. Who’s responsible for this delay, with consequences measured in the number of lives lost? More and more Member States are pointing out the EU’s failure to procure vaccinations while seeking out alternative sources. The European Commission has washed its hands; it’s unwilling to admit the EU’s severe lag in vaccine procurement compared to other parts of the world. “The bottleneck is global production capacity, not the number of vaccines ordered” contended Stella Kiriakidis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. However, she didn’t offer an answer as to why large amounts of already-produced vaccines are being sent elsewhere. They aren’t giving any glimpses into the deals either, the contracts have tied their hands. “Member States must not engage legally with manufacturers in bilateral negotiations, as I have reminded them” warned Margaritis Skinas, Greek vice-president of the institution. Meanwhile however, Germany has apparently bought thirty million vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech through a separate agreement. Though the negotiations took place during the German presidency of the EU, it’s Germany that has criticized the EU procurement most vehemently. For instance, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder– who has a good chance of becoming Chancellor– voiced his concerns in the Bild am Sonntag. The politician said that the European Commission had failed its mission, unable to acquire enough vaccines. According him, this was entirely the EU’s fault: the procurement process was inadequate, the committee was too bureaucratic, too few vaccines were ordered from reliable manufacturers, and price negotiations took too long. “It’s hard to explain why a perfectly good vaccine developed in Germany is being used first in other countries” –he said, pointing out the irony of the BioNTech German company’s vaccine. The separate German negotiations– which have thus far gone on without consequences– have drawn fire from Poland too. Michał Dworczyk, head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, accused the Germans of thumbing their nose at EU values by engaging in separate negotiations. He sees this as a complete lack of solidarity, especially given the fact that the Germans headed the procurement. He politely stated: the European Commission’s agreement is “far from perfect” and warned that the process is spurring growing misunderstandings between Member States, including Poland. Warsaw is sticking to EU directives for now, but this may change– especially if they see that others aren’t following them, if not even violating them. Sebastian Kurz didn’t mask his negative opinion either. The Austrian Chancellor criticized the EU’s joint procurement of vaccines in an interview with PULS 24. He urged the European Medicines Agency to authorize a vaccine co-developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford as soon as possible, like in the UK. He warned that if the vaccines aren’t accepted sooner than currently planned, he may lose his patience at some point. Sebastian Kurz also revealed that after the pandemic he may question the EU’s decision-makers given that travel and vaccine issues should’ve been resolved much quicker. Andrej Babiš also finds the European Commission responsible. In an interview with newspaper Právo, the Czech Prime Minister blamed the EU’s slow authorization process for the Czech Republic’s vaccination lag in comparison with the United Kingdom or Israel. The Prime Minister put it bluntly: the EU joint procurement efforts have only proved to be a disadvantage. Just as his Austrian colleague, he urged the European Union, among other things, to accept new vaccines. On TV, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša also listed Slovenia among those dissatisfied with the European Commission. He made it clear that he finds it perfectly normal for countries to seek out direct contact with vaccine manufacturers. Cyprus meanwhile, took direct steps, though in a roundabout way: in an interview with Politis, President Nicosia Anastasiadis said he had contacted Israel– where, in relation to population, vaccination has been most efficient– to obtain vaccines from them. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades already received the second dose in January Photo: MTI/EPA/Katia Hrisztodulu The island nation would thus utilize a loophole that, according to the politician, doesn’t break nay EU rules because they are only dealing with vaccines that the EU has already authorized. The President explained his decision: vaccine manufacturing is slow, the European Union takes too long to approve vaccines, and moreover, in the beginning they focused too much on the unsuccessful ones. He pointed out that the number of doses obtained is simply not enough for a sufficient rate of vaccination |
| Here is Joe Biden's address to the nation (Inaugural Speech). I think it is a good speech. How many republicans it will win over remains to be seen. My concern is the possibility of Kamela Harris becoming the president of the U.S. should Biden fall under a bus. Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a Crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause. The cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I know-- And I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, as does President Carter who I spoke with last night who cannot be with us today but whom we salute for his lifetime of service. I’ve just taken a sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not in any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On we, the people who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we’ve come so far, but we still have far to go. We’ll press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain. Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we are in now. Once in a century virus that silently stalks the country has taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. The cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy. Unity. Unity. In another January, on New Year’s Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and quote, “If my name ever goes down into history, it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.” My whole soul is in it. Today on this January day, my whole soul is in this. Bringing America together. Uniting our people. Uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment, and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward--reward work and rebuild the middle class and make healthcare secure for all. We can deliver racial justice, and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world. I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep, and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured. Through Civil War, the Great Depression, world war, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward, and we can do that now. History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury, no progress, only exhausting outrage; no nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge and unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have never ever ever ever failed in America when we have acted together, and so today at this time in this place, let’s start off fresh all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again, hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war, and we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured. My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this, and I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome as was mentioned earlier completed amid the Civil War when the Union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet we endured, we prevailed. Here we stand, looking out on the great mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand where 108 years ago, at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote, and today we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. Don’t tell me things can’t change. Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace, and here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen; it will never happen, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever. To all of those who supported our campaign, I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. To all of those who did not support us, let me say this hear me out as we move forward, take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it, that’s democracy, that’s America. The right to dissent peaceably within the guardrails of our Republic is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly disagreement must not lead to disunion, and I pledge this to you I will be a president for all Americans, all Americans. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, and yes, the truth. In recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit, and each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens, as Americans and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies. Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand like my dad they lay at bed staring at the night — staring at the ceiling wondering can I keep my healthcare, can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you I get it, but the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like — look like you or worship the way you do or don’t get their news from the same source as you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban or rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts if we show a little tolerance and humility and if we are willing to stand in the other person’s shoes as my mom would say just for a moment stand in their shoes because here’s the thing about life, there’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand, there are other days when we are called to lend a hand. That is how it has to be, and that is what we do for one another, and if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future, and we can still disagree. My fellow Americans in the work ahead of us, we are going to need each other. We need all of our strength to preserve--to persevere through this dark winter. We are entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation. And I promise you that this as the Bible said weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. We will get through this together, together. Look, folks, all of my colleagues I have served with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today, so here is my message to those beyond our borders. America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. And we’ll lead not merely by the example of our power, by the power of our example. We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security. Look, you all know we’ve been through so much in this nation. And in my first act as president, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer, remember all those who we lost this past year to the pandemic, those 400,000 fellow Americans, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We will honor them by becoming the people in the nation we know we can and should be. So, I ask you let’s say a silent prayer for those who’ve lost their lives and those left behind and for our country. Amen. Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth, a raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America’s role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways, but the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with a — one of the gravest responsibilities we had. Now we’re going to be tested. Are we going to step up, all of us? It’s time for boldness for there is so much to do. And this is certain. I promise you we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. We will rise to the occasion is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must. I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America, the American story, a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called American Anthem. There’s one verse that stands out at least for me, and it goes like this. “The work and prayers of century have brought us to this day. What shall be our legacy? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through America, America, I gave my best to you.” Let’s add — lets us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through our children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best. They did their duty. They healed a broken land. My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you, I give you my word I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America. And I will give all, all of you, keep everything you--I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal interest but the public good. And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear; of unity, not division; of light, not darkness; a story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us, the story that inspires us, and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice did not die on our watch but thrived, that America secured liberty at home and stood once again is a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forbearers, one another, and generation to follow. So, with purpose and result, we turn to those tasks of our time, sustained by faith, driven by conviction, devoted to one another in the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
