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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. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. America, now is not the time for small plans. You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. They have fought in our wars, served in government, stood for civil rights, started businesses, taught at our Universities, excelled in our sports arenas, won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch.
Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations.
The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton's army, marched across Europe. He told me he'd joined the Marines, and was heading to Iraq the following week. I learned that everyone's got a sacred story when you take the time to listen. We can do that. Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals, and our need to work together.
It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief, I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper that makes this country work. And then another one. I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.
Now let there be no doubt. The obligations that the parties have agreed to under the Road Map are clear. That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new Science Envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, and grow new crops.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.