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This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk. But it should be their choice.
Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government.
We need to heed the biblical call to care for "the least of these" and lift the poor out of despair. It will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve.
I've been speaking to a lot of churches recently, so it's nice to be speaking to one that's so familiar. And slowly, I came to realize that something was missing as well - that without an anchor for my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I would always remain apart, and alone. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.
Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared. We must always examine the ways in which we protect it.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.