Message to the Nation Mr.

Message to the Nation

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans, welcome. I come here tonight with hope and promise for America. Hope and promise for new freedoms, new understandings, and new economic growth. After the devastating events of September 11, 2001, our country came together to mourn and comfort those that lost families and friends in the tragic events of that day. Even those that did not know each other and had never met became friends and allies in the face of the pain and anguish that the terrorists put us through. America has never experienced such camaraderie between its citizens.

People of every race, religion, and ethnicity came together to fight a common cause; making America safe for everyone again. America still must be ever watchful, ever vigilant, but there is hope on the horizon. Even now there are young men and women fighting and giving their time and talents for the good of this country. Many of them will come home to be welcomed as heroes, and some will make the ultimate sacrifice. Yes, September 11, 2001 was a painful time in all of our lives, and though I bring a promise of hope for American with me tonight, there is still much work to be done, and I need the help and support of the American people if I am to complete the task before me.

Three years after the terrorist attacks we are still fighting terrorism, but something has changed. The nation is no longer unified, but instead divided. Morals dictated this last election, and the values presented were on the opposite sides of the spectrum from each other. Even though a majority of America voted for conservative Christian values, a good portion did not. This has caused the nation to divide. This has caused women, people of different religious backgrounds, and gay and lesbian people to feel as if they are less American because of the values they hold. Many of them are angry at the way that they are being treated, and many of them are made to feel that if they are not straight, male, white, and Christian, they are not true Americans and will always be looked on with suspicion.

Now, I know that there are many of you out there tonight that do not agree with those that are not Christian, there are many of you that do not agree with gay and lesbian activities, and there are many of you that still think that women should stay 'in their place.' For all of you that feel that way tonight, let me say that, here in America, you are all entitled to any opinion you choose to have and the freedom of speech that we have in this great country lets you express that opinion if you wish. This freedom is very important. However, there is something even more important that I need the American people to do for me and for themselves and for their country tonight and every day in the future. I need the American people to work toward acceptance. Acceptance does not mean that you have to like, agree with, or condone what someone else does. But it does mean that you accept that person anyway, despite the things about them that you might not like.