On July 15th, 1979, instead of talking about the state of the nation, the President spoke instead about the condition of its society. He talked about a loss of purpose and a lack of direction. He held accountable a society where a person’s value is measured by what they own, rather than what they do. He spoke about how the traditional values of self reliance and hard work that had forged a nation, were being eroded by self indulgence and consumption, which provided little happiness or fulfillment.

Although many people now see this speech as being unpopular, it was very well received at the time with the President’s approval rating shooting up eleven points as a consequence.

We all remember those moments and watching them on TV all day. We relive that day every year on the anniversary. Packages from www.satellitetv.net/ include the biggest news networks that keep those lost on that day forever in our hearts and memories.

President Bush’s address began by describing how thousands of victims, everyday people, lost their lives that morning, and at the same time how the terrorists failed to accomplish their true mission: to bring about chaos and to weaken the nation’s resolve. Bush went on to describe America’s initial response to the attacks, including the heroism of the rescue workers and the many people who donated blood across the country. And he made clear that government agencies and private businesses would be open the following day.

The next part of the speech concerned the nation’s future response to the attacks. Bush explained that American intelligence and law enforcement would find and punish those behind the plot, and that the international community supported the United States in the fight against terrorism.

Bush concluded by asking for prayers, quoting Scripture and assuring viewers that America would continue to “defend freedom.” The final three words were “God bless America.”

A couple elements particularly stand out. One is that the term “al-Qaeda” did not appear in the text of this address. That is because government officials had not yet conclusively linked that terrorist group to the attacks. Second, one line of the speech proved especially important, the most consequential line of the speech. It offered a rationale for American military action for years to come, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the overall War on Terror. In this sentence, Bush said America would not distinguish between terrorists and those who “harbor” terrorists. Some people would even label that concept as the Bush Doctrine.

Just before the invasion took place, Eisenhower delivered a speech to the “soldiers, sailors and airmen” of the Allied forces. Like many historic speeches, it was brief and to the point, numbering only about 250 words. It was primarily a message of encouragement and hope, not downplaying the danger into which the men were headed, but reminding them of how far the Allies had come in the previous few years.

Eisenhower’s speech rallied the troops by calling them to have courage and to finish the job of destroying “the German war machine,” eliminating “Nazi tyranny” over Europe and securing the free world. He reminded them of victories already won, of air and weaponry superiority and of deep troop strength. After confidently claiming that “We will accept nothing less than full victory!” he went on to beseech the help of God in the battle effort.

This led to JFK referring to America as a country on the edge of reaching the stars. He made the point that the U.S. was conquered by those who moved forward and space would be the same. The point of these statements was evident when the President stated that the aim going forward was to place a man on the moon by the end of the decade. This, of course, happened in 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the lunar surface. Sadly, President Kennedy himself never saw the fruition of his speech because he was assassinated the year after the Rice Stadium speech.

In the speech, President Lincoln refers to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, such as freedom, equality and democracy. It is suggested that the living be galvanized by the dead to pursue liberty. The speech discusses the ultimate sacrifices of the slain soldiers in pursuit of those principles and urges those left behind to dedicate themselves to the work for the cause remaining to be done. Mr. Lincoln respectfully concludes that while the occasion is a dedication ceremony, the ground, as a battlefield, can only be consecrated by the men, both alive and dead, who fought on it.

Finally, the President suggests that the United States shall be reborn in freedom and that democracy will live on.