Hall in East Moline, Ill.. On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. 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. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism. We all put our country first. Fear that because of modernity we will lose of control over our economic choices, our politics, and most importantly our identities – those things we most cherish about our communities, our families, our traditions, and our faith.
Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. I’ll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars.
He’s still speaking to our Catholic friends – who are holding up a consistent ethic of life that goes beyond abortion – one that includes a respect for life and dignity whether it’s in Iraq, in poor neighborhoods, in African villages or even on death row. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress.
It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who’s willing to work. That is why there is a mosque in every state of our union, and over 1,200 mosques within our borders.
I didn’t fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. But I’m hopeful because I think there’s an awakening taking place in America. We will all have to make concessions to achieve this. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam. We also know that military power alone is not going to solve the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.
