07/07/05 10:19 - 74ºF - ID#21348
Left Right Left Right
Necessity is the plea for infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. -William Pitt
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." - George Washington
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
Public Papers of the Presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1960, p. 1035- 1040
My fellow Americans:
Three days from now, after half a century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor.
This evening I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen.
Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all.
Our people expect their President and the Congress to find essential agreement on issues of great moment, the wise resolution of which will better shape the future of the Nation.
My own relations with the Congress, which began on a remote and tenuous basis when, long ago, a member of the Senate appointed me to West Point, have since ranged to the intimate during the war and immediate post-war period, and, finally, to the mutually interdependent during these past eight years.
In this final relationship, the Congress and the Administration have, on most vital issues, cooperated well, to serve the national good rather than mere partisanship, and so have assured that the business of the Nation should go forward. So, my official relationship with the Congress ends in a feeling, on my part, of gratitude that we have been able to do so much together
Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defense; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research -- these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel.
But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs -- balance between the private and the public economy, balance between cost and hoped for advantage -- balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable; balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual; balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.
The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of stress and threat. But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. I mention two only.
IV.
A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.
Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Permalink: Left_Right_Left_Right.html
Words: 1793
Location: Island Park, NY
07/07/05 03:26 - 64ºF - ID#21347
the game
you can hear faintly across the breeze,
"PLAY BALL"
Permalink: the_game.html
Words: 15
Location: Island Park, NY
07/06/05 03:00 - 74ºF - ID#21346
got a job got a job
the woman actually asked me if there was anything they could do for me to make my decision. how awesome is that. i was sitting in an office in manhattan and was asked what they could do for me. im sorry, for being so excited about that, but it is just funny. especially coming from my situation at my previous job. it feels good. excited, and nervous. but looking forward to starting new.
Permalink: got_a_job_got_a_job.html
Words: 82
Location: Island Park, NY
07/06/05 12:46 - 72ºF - ID#21345
summer's charms
Permalink: summer_s_charms.html
Words: 250
Location: Island Park, NY
06/30/05 08:00 - 87ºF - ID#21344
Show me the money
Permalink: Show_me_the_money.html
Words: 235
Location: Island Park, NY
06/28/05 11:53 - 79ºF - ID#21343
eye on the prize
listening to Bob seger, and washing the the salt down with some of the silver bullet. i actually had looked away from the road, the place that has been like a blanket, while i have not traveled it the way i want in any stretch of the imagination, the idea of it is comforting. its calling me. as we approach our birthday as a nation, we are a people of the road, a nation of car fanatics, fast food junkies, thrill seekers. no old world stuffiness here. fuck that shit. move move move move m-o-v-e speed. a nation of nomads we used to be. its capitalism, its materialism that mucks our feet to the continent in our own little slice of heaven. we've given up bankruptcy protection, something that used to be a hallmark of our nation. you fuck up, you can start over. well the greedy men who rule the world, no one has taken the win outta their sails dave. you listen you will understand
Permalink: eye_on_the_prize.html
Words: 182
Location: Island Park, NY
06/28/05 10:40 - 80ºF - ID#21342
wallow
the vendors did ask
how much for a pound of your heart
your lover did ask
you know you smile when you sleep?
rolling over, waking up, before you
every morn,
seeing your face, your lips, your smile
hearing your breath when you would roll
over onto my chest
your breast pressed against mine
wet from the shower in you robe, soft
against your cool clean skin
thanking the winds, the sun, the waters
thanking god for bringing you and
i together
walking to work,
happy in the morning,
knowing everything was alright
you were inside of me,
i was inside of you
the little boy in me
the little girl in you
laughter, loving
im going to miss your nitetime smiles
im going to miss your kisses
the little squeak you make when i squeeze you tight
th laught that follows
hearing you complain about what to wear
while i watch the weather
the way you would turn you head
while we danced
i, knowing everyone watching,green
wishing they had what we had
seeing your eyes,
loving your eyes, your smile
god your smile.
Permalink: wallow.html
Words: 193
Location: Island Park, NY
06/22/05 08:13 - ID#21341
take this job and shove it
Permalink: take_this_job_and_shove_it.html
Words: 201
Location: Island Park, NY
06/22/05 06:00 - ID#21340
thunderstorm warnings
someone once said was itself.
believe in what you, yourself
know as truth in the seed of your
soul
do not deny the flesh,
it is flush with the emotions of
the heart
breathing in the passion of the sun
high in summer's skies
licking cool dew of nite times
lovers.
Permalink: thunderstorm_warnings.html
Words: 56
Location: Island Park, NY
06/22/05 05:49 - ID#21339
revelation
only if roots take hold in these dunes
the ocean and the winds conspire against me
Permalink: revelation.html
Words: 20
Location: Island Park, NY
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