Notre Dame Obama Speech - please join in :)

[WhiskeyGirl]

There were a few pieces of the speech that are of interest to me, I've found a transcript at

http://www.zimbio.com/Barack+Obama/articles/6072/Full+Transcript+Barack+Obama+Notre+Dame+Commencement

I'll post my commentary below.

[WhiskeyGirl]

This is the generation that must find a path back to prosperity and decide how we respond to a global economy that left millions behind even before this crisis hit - an economy where greed and short-term thinking were too often rewarded at the expense of fairness, and diligence, and an honest day's work.

What can any one of us do to solve the problems of the world?  Can any one person do everything? 

When I am in traffic, I cannot drive someone elses car, I can only drive for myself.  What does Barack think any generation could have done to help the millions that have been left behind? 

Liberate them from dictators?  The rule of despots?  Change their leadership?

What about the economy in our own back yard?  Why is it that Barack decided that those investments that should have been a priority in the bankruptcy went to the back of the bus for $.10 on a dollar? (last I heard)

Doesn't he support the rule of law when it comes to firemen, and others who's retirement investments are now worth less?

Why didn't he just show faith in the American system, and tell those autoworkers that Medicare and Social Security will be there for them too.  Just like they are there for all the other retirees and people who've worked hard their entire lives?

Why didn't Barack take the opportunity to tell the workers at Chrysler that they don't need the VEBA, retirement or health care trust funds? 

Aren't Medicare and Social Security good enough for everyone?  It looks like the folks that depend on Medicare and Social Security are being left behind in Barack's global solution for Chrysler. 

What happened to fairness and hard work?  Are they sacrificed by Barack for greed?

How can there be prosperity when you can't trust the law of the land, and your government leadership?

[WhiskeyGirl]

We must decide how to save God's creation from a changing climate that threatens to destroy it. We must seek peace at a time when there are those who will stop at nothing to do us harm, and when weapons in the hands of a few can destroy the many. And we must find a way to reconcile our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity - diversity of thought, of culture, and of belief.

In short, we must find a way to live together as one human family.

We already live together as one human family.  Like many families, sometimes we can't get along.  Why can't we just get along? 

Long before Al Gore was a twinkle in his parents eyes, ancient cities were flooded by ash and water.  Earthquakes and fires destroyed, rain destroyed, wind destroyed - natural forces of the earth.  No global warming or atmosphere was to blame.

God's creation has changed for millions of years.  From the volcanos and ancient oceans, from the ocean or the Garden of Eden, life has changed and evolved.  Footprints live on in the fossil record, and the Bible. 

Man made destruction is a bad thing.  Pollution is a really bad thing.  Nothing, can change the wheels God set in motion a long time ago.  The world will continue to change.  Nothing man can do to stop it.  Man can choose not to pollute.  Man can choose not to pollute and not to steal from his brother while his brother is working to make things better.

Desserts that are dry and parched once blossomed with animal and plant life.  The moisture is long gone, the fossil records lives on. 

It is this last challenge that I'd like to talk about today. For the major threats we face in the 21st century - whether it's global recession or violent extremism; the spread of nuclear weapons or pandemic disease - do not discriminate. They do not recognize borders. They do not see color. They do not target specific ethnic groups.

If they do not target specific ethnic groups or colors...who do they target?  Americans?  The wealthy?  The poor?  Christians?  Jews?  Muslims?  Rich people with 401ks?

Why isn't there a cure for the common cold?  Flu?  Pandemic disease?  Because they are always changing.  Change is the way of life.  Disease is a part of life.  Greed makes disease profitable.

jmho

[WhiskeyGirl]

...We too often seek advantage over others. We cling to outworn prejudice and fear those who are unfamiliar. Too many of us view life only through the lens of immediate self-interest and crass materialism; in which the world is necessarily a zero-sum game. The strong too often dominate the weak, and too many of those with wealth and with power find all manner of justification for their own privilege in the face of poverty and injustice. And so, for all our technology and scientific advances, we see around the globe violence and want and strife that would seem sadly familiar to those in ancient times.

What is self interest and crass materialism?  $100 a pound Kobe beef?  $400 plus gym shoes to feed the hungry?  $100 can buy a lot of organic chicken, beans and rice.  $400 will buy a lot of shoes at Payless, Walmart, or the Goodwill.

I wonder at the justification of putting the UAW, VEBA, and the unions ahead of the interests of others in line based on the law?  Isn't Barack concerned about those folks that lost their 401ks or other investments?  Doesn't he worry about pushing the nation into poverty with debt that is not sustainable?  Where is justice?  When did justice get kicked to the curb in America?

Is technology a false god?  A manmade god of deception?  A god set up for the population to worship with false promises of life and snake oil cures? 

Who profits from technology and destruction in the modern world?  Large global corporation?  Politicians?  Cap & traders? 

I wasn't there when Jesus and others walked the earth.  I don't think there was Kobe beef or gym shoes either.  I wonder how many pairs of shoes Jesus had?

[WhiskeyGirl]

...The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts.

People get HIV/AIDS from needles, blood transfusions, reused surgical equipment, sex, childbirth, and in other ways.

I'm not sure what the cultural divide may be.  HIV/AIDS transmission, from my reading is diverse among cultures. 

When people have something in common, they work together to build brides.  It makes good common sense to work together.  A bridge has two ends, a middle, and something to span.  It takes team work and common interest.  There are many bridges and many obstacles to overcome.  Sometimes people start bridges in different parts of the nation, or the globe and work to overcome.  Would it make sense to link all the bridges? 

No one person can do everything, everyone can do something.  Perhaps it is God's intention that we work on more than one bridge to address the raveges of disease and greed.  Evangelical pastors can get HIV/AIDs too. 

Infinate diversity in infinate combination.  No one size fits all.

Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved.

This is an apples to oranges comparison.  Allowing stem cell research is one activity.  Paying for it with taxpayer money in another. 

If there was any value or hope in stem cell research, why isn't the private sector jumping all over this money making opportunity?  Where is the greed?

Why is the government funding the research?  Greed?  Favoritism? Stupidity?

Aren't there any other research paths for juvenile diabetes?  What happened to change?  Diversity of thougth? 

Barack wasn't sure that his grandmother should have received a hip transplant surgery days before she died.  Can the healthcare system afford it?  What of the diabetic?  What of the parent who's child who need therapy?  Therapy that doesn't require research? 

Why not rely on the private market for research?  Large global corporations?  Why should government decide who gets funding? 

If research for juvenile diabetes hasn't found a cure after all these years, does it mean that such programs aren't working?  Is there an incentive to find a cure for any disease or disorder?

Disease and research make money.  Cures and death do not make money - you lose your customer base.

Why is the government funding any research?  Why isn't Barack focusing on programs that are known to work?  Why continue funding programs that have failed to find a cure for diseases in the past? 

If there was faith that a cure was possible, why isn't that faith in the private profit making market?  Faith in large global corporations?

jmho

[WhiskeyGirl]

But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.

"the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt" - Why? 

Perhaps for some, but for everyone?  Maybe for those whose faith is faltering or based on false beliefs?  A foundation of faith built on shifting sands?

"It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own." - Why?

Can one person say this with certainty for all of God's creation?  There is 'trust' and 'distrust'...   What of faith?  Is there "unfaith"? 

If one is not 'certain' should one pray for guidance? 

Is it a matter of 'capacity' to know what God's plans are?  Is ignoring the 'knowing' or seeds of mission God has planted that is the root of the uncertaintly? 

If you aren't certain of God's plan for your life, should you buy a self help book?  Should you ask your neighbor?  Dr. Phil? 

Should you ask God?  Pray for guidance?  Lord, if your will be done...

This is a tough one. 

jmho

[WhiskeyGirl]

This doubt should not push us away from our faith. But it should humble us. It should temper our passions, and cause us to be wary of self-righteousness. It should compel us to remain open, and curious, and eager to continue the moral and spiritual debate that began for so many of you within the walls of Notre Dame. And within our vast democracy, this doubt should remind us to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works, charity, kindness, and service that moves hearts and minds.

Moral and spiritual debate?  Moral and spiritual growth?

"...this doubt should remind us to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles..." 

What about the commandment that one should not covet or steal from the neighbor?  The next door neighbor or the faceless neighbor a thousand miles away?  Should you take your neighbors goods through trickery and give them to your friends?

Is is ok to steal if you have the law of man on your side?  What if the law changes tomorrow?  Does that make it ok to steal tomorrow?

I've always been taught that God's laws are everlasting. 

The laws of man change with the culture, the political wind..."elections do matter"...

Do you build your faith on solid rock, or shifting sand?

jmho

[WhiskeyGirl]

...Remember that in the end, we are all fishermen.

If nothing else, that knowledge should give us faith that through our collective labor, and God's providence, and our willingness to shoulder each other's burdens, America will continue on its precious journey towards that more perfect union.

Does the slave willingly should the burden of the master?  Or, the master's neighbor?

Does the slave willingly shoulder of the burdens of the master's customers?

No one person can do everything, every one can do something. 

If someone cannot carry their own burden, perhaps they could lighten the load?  Leave some baggage behind?  Ask for help?  Accept an offer of help?

Not all are fishermen. 

Some, are given fish, and never learn to fish - they remain dependent on those that fish or go hungry. 

Some, haven't the capicity to learn to fish, or the ability to fish.  They may depend on the graciousness and kindness of others.

Some, find a teacher, a mentor, a kind soul and learn to fish.  Learning to fish is no guarantee that one will always have a full stomach.  They learn to feed themselves for a lifetime.

Not everyone is a fisherman.  Some are teachers, and some will never fish.  Fishermen may fish alone, or they may fish is a group. 

Fishing may help build relationships and good will.  Is it the hobby?  The common activity?  Does everyone have to be a fisherman?

"more perfect union" - what if some members of the union are greedy?  Wasteful?  Selfish?  Interested in their own interests? 

When does self determination enter into the union?  The opportunity to prosper?  The opportunity to set one's own course to the future?

Sometimes, even 'perfect unions' don't last.  Divorce is common in the U.S.  Sometimes people don't survive the alternative...

I remember people that went through 3 marriages by age 26, or 7 marriages by age 55. 

Sometimes, good people grow apart.  They acknowledge that no union is perfect, sometimes they need to move on.  They pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and try again.  Some, believe they've been 'successfully' married each and every time! 

Is there such a thing as a 'perfect union'?

jmho

[WhiskeyGirl]

Should the willing shoulder the burden of the greedy?  The needy?  The lazy?

Should the willing shoulder the burden of others due to deception?  Lies?  Fraud?  Corruption? 

Do the willing have the right to refuse?  Just say no due to moral and ethical values?

If someone chooses to say no, does that make them bad?  Some the govrenment should target for special treatment?  Put on a list of suspect persons? 

What if moral and ethical values suggest that the burden in question is unjust?  Morally and ethically problematic?

Who should decide those among us who carry the burden, and those that will ride?  When do the willing become unwilling?

[WhiskeyGirl]

Your generation must decide how to save God's creation from a changing climate that threatens to destroy it. Your generation must seek peace at a time when there are those who will stop at nothing to do us harm, and when weapons in the hands of a few can destroy the many. And we must find a way to reconcile our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity -- diversity of thought, diversity of culture, and diversity of belief.

The climate has changed over millions of years, and over thousands of years. 

Would it make a difference if we shut down every coal fired energy plants in America tomorrow?  Would it make a difference if China continues to build coal fired energy plants?

China gets 80% of its electricity from coal, making China that fastest growing polluter on the planet.
...
“China already has most of the technologies the world has to offer. It just needs to use them more effectively and more widely”, said Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the IEA, speaking at the launch last month of a new study, titled 'Cleaner Coal in China.'

Does China or anyone need to buy 'green' technology from the U.S.?  Who is going to buy all of Barack's 'green revolution' products and services?
http://blogs.tampabay.com/energy/2009/05/china-building-more-efficient-coalfired-power-plants-helping-reduce-growth-of-emissions.html

Nuclear plants, which now cost about $10 billion a piece to build, are also too expensive to entirely displace coal, Leonard said. To meet its power needs, China has 100 new nuclear plants on the drawing board.

Will it make a difference if the U.S. shuts down all the nuclear plants and doesn't build anymore?
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2009/05/entergy_ceo_says_coal_is_the_a.html

And today there is a glimmer of hope hanging over China's aggressive build-out of coal-powered fire plants. According to the NYT, China has emerged as a world leader in clean(er) coal. "While the United States is still debating whether to build a more efficient kind of coal-fired power plant that uses extremely hot steam, China has begun building such plants at a rate of one a month," the newspaper writes. Also, China is well ahead of the United States in developing "a new generation of low-pollution power plants that turn coal into a gas before burning it." The progress has surprised even green-policy wonks. "The steps they’ve taken are probably as fast and as serious as anywhere in power-generation history," Hal Harvey, president of ClimateWorks, told the NYT.

http://www.reuters.com/article/bigMoney/idUS231051476120090511

Why isn't the U.S. building these clean plants?

[WhiskeyGirl]

...Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science, but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women."...

Does Barack know when life begins?  Does science?  Somehow, I imagine that there will be no scientific evidence that life begins at conception, so any 'sensible conscience clause' will be a political decision, not one based on the union of an egg and sperm.  Unless, some for profit company determines they can make more money if life begins at conception.

Can science separate the egg and sperm into two separate life forms after the union? 

I think the phrase 'sound science' and 'clear ethics' are the code words for political decision making...

What does 'respect for the equality for women' have to do with abortion?  What happened to respect for all life?

...while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory -- the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.

Who does Barack see as the ones drawing the caricature?  Does he have an example?  Is this the shaming part of the 'rules for radicals' agenda?

Perhaps the caricatures are the ones from liberal media?