me to solo the national anthem. good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the best attended a.j.c. global forum in our 110-year history. [applause] we are more than 2,700 people here tonight. we represent more than 70 countries. we have diplomats here tonight, and i'd like quickly to read the countries so that we all know who's here as an exception of friendship with a.j.c. we have diplomats from albania, angola, argentina, armenia, australia, austria. aber za january. barbados, belgium, brazil,

bulgaria. brunaldy. costa rica, cyprus. equatorial guinea. ethiopia, georgia, ghana. greece, hungary, israel and italy. kurdistan, lithuania. macedonia, mauricious and mexico -- [applause] let's hear it for micronesia. [applause] mongolia, morocco, paraguay, the philippines, romania, serbia, slovaka. slovenia, south korea, spain, sri lanka, swaws land, sweden, in dad and tobago and --

inidad and to bago and uruguay. have i missed any countries? france? bonjour. i'm so sorry. the u.k. [applause] we also have here tonight the speaker of the parliament of albania, speaker, thank you for being here tonight. you honor us by your presence. [applause] in addition, we have hundreds of members of a.j.c.'s access young leadership program. please stand up and be recognized. access, from the u.s., from israel, from all over. [applause]

we have 130 students from american universities across the country. students, please stand up and be recognized. [applause] and though you heard their enthusiasm, this is a diplomatic first for us. we have representatives from the consulates mexican across the united states. [applause] and they are joined by our mexican-american friends and partners and leaders of the mexican jewish community who

came here, please stand up. [applause] the president of crete, the umbrella french jewish body recently elected could not be here this evening but sends a very warm letter to a.j.c. and asked to be remembered to everyone. so we thank you. and the last thing i want to point -- say before asking you to turn your attention to the video is a reminder -- you've heard it before, you'll hear it again. we are a 501-c-3 organization so nothing we say or do should be interpreted in any way, shape, or form as endorsement or opposition to candidates but thank you all for being here tonight. you honor us by your presence. please have a look at the screen. ♪

>> danny bergman is an inspiration. >> a role model. a leader. >> a paradigm of a good citizen. a magnificent jew who really gets what jude schism all about, which is to make the world a better place. >> if there were a nobel prize for -- dan bergman one the -- would be the first recipients. >> there's something very special about stan. first of all, he has genuine compassion. he cares about the people with whom we works, he cares about the world. he cares about the mission of a.j.c. he cares about the jewish people. >> he's on a unique mission. it's a journey of home, a journey of possibility. it's a journey of inclusion. he inspires people to be more than they thought was ever possible for them to be and that, i think, is the gift of

stan bergman. >> he cares about human beings, about the state of israel -- israel, about the future of the jewish people and everything that he does is about creating a better world. >> to understand dan and to understand his legacy, one has to understand where stan comes from. >> stan is the son of german jewish parents who had the foresight to leave germany in the 1930's, bringing both sets of their parents along. they found themselves in south africa. starting a new life with nothing, stan's parents worked hard to business, support their two sons -- support their two sons as well as four elderly parents. not wanting to bring children in apartheid south africa, stan and i moved to the united states as soon as we graduated college. >> we are so grateful to have stanley as a role model, someone

who has shown us how to do such meaningful, important, impactful work with respect, with vision, and with passion. >> his parents would be proud of their stanley. i'm sure on this special day, they are looking down with great pride. >> he has always supported and believed in me, guiding and mentoring me to prove myself. >> everything he's done in his life, he has always appreciated and accredited those who have helped him along the way. and all his success and the success of the organizations and people with whom he has worked have been the result of teamwork with other people. >> stanley is a very decisive person, likes to act quickly. lane -- ifn the fast i'm driving in the fast lane, stanley is buzzing overhead, urging everyone to move on. ♪ bergman is a

cosmopolitan leader of the cosmopolitan organization in a cosmopolitan age, and i think that's what makes him so perfect. >> i think he feels that the ajc is a means by which he can give voice to his own desires to repair the world. >> he is about as effective a lay leader as i have ever met in my life. >> he embodies the synergy of the deeply rooted commitment to the jewish people. >> an ongoing, energetic quest to bring people of different backgrounds together for the betterment of everybody. >> it has been for me a great pleasure to get to know stan. he has been a worthy president. indeed, i think he has promoted the cause of all of us, of israel, of america, and of south africa. >> our most memorable visit was the meeting with pope francis. >> we all come here with a deep feeling that you are our true friend. to pope francis,

he's very passionate words about what has been achieved in catholic-jewish relations for half a century -- that left an indelible impact on all of us who were grateful to be witnesses to it. ♪ -- bergey bergmann is a man is a very successful businessman who has built a ampany from nowhere to being $10.5 billion or $11 billion a s and adustry -- busines leader in this industry and has still engaged in effective philanthropic thry -- philanthropy on a regular basis. >> my dad likes to talk about the fourth key to success, which is people. >> one of stanley's great leadership traits is his ability to build a team, to collect

talent that is very diverse, different skill sets that are all bound together by a value system. ♪ "what will our great great grandchildren" -- maybe his great-grandchildren, i ain't going to have any. "but what will our next generation say about us?" this is the obligation we have to the generation that comes after us. >> my dad has been such a strong believer in the work that agency does and instilled in all of us -- that ajc does and instilled in all of us the work of standing up for democracy, human rights. in my ajc today, estimation, is at its greatest height. it's never been more together, more effective, more respected worldwide. >> he would be a hard person to follow. i'm glad i preceded him.

[applause] >> a very inappropriate -- appropriate expression in french -- i want to apologize to the represents of: -- representatives of poland and south sudan for not having included you in the original list of diplomats here. we welcome you here. [applause] david: we pay tribute to stand because tomorrow will be his last official day -- to stan because tomorrow will be his last official day as president of this organization. there is no high her verbally -- no hyperbole in this film. if anything, it is an understatement. we have been blessed to have stan's inspiring leadership.

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the -- please join me in welcoming stan bergman onstage as we give him a gift and say thank you. [applause] [applause] stan: wow, david, everyone, thank you. i don't know what to say. embarrassing. i'm speechless, david. it doesn't happen very often. thank you for that moving tribute.

, to me, when i'm out of words, i think of president as i was sitting in the back there, i chatted to myself quotes from the late president. "after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more to climb." and the work of ajc has been tremendous the last 110 years, but there is more to go. and thank you all for being here tonight. [applause] stan: when president obama appointed ambassador susan rice is not additional -- his national security secretary advisor just three years ago, ajc praised the president's inspired choice.

andng consulted with her provided platforms for her in the course of her 4 1/2 years as america's ambassador to the united nations amalie -- natio a s, we hail the ambassador's powerful defense of our nation's vital security and humanitarian interests and the noble ideals of u.n. charter. and we pointed out that she had, on so many occasions, publicly and privately, stood up for israel whenever needed, which, in united nations, regrettably, is too often. just a month after her appointment, david harris had conferred on ambassador rice ajc's distinguished public service award at a special luncheon in the u.n. delegations lounge. in our presentation, we hailed ambassador rice as a staunch

defender of human dignity and democratic values. than aears ago and more few foreign-policy crises later, our respect and affection for ambassador susan rice are at the same high level and really have grown. ajc's steadfast commitment to american global leadership, to the protection of human dignity, to the unique link between united states and , inel, and to confronting president obama's words, "the of anti-semitism." at a time when america's engagement and leadership in world affairs is being tested globe,stioned across the

as well as on the campaign trail here in the united states, it is indeed an honor for ajc to be addressed this evening by principal architect of our nation's foreign policy. privilege,is my great privilege and pleasure to introduce the united states national security advisor, ambassador susan rice. [applause] susan: good evening, everyone.

stan, thank you so much for that incredibly generous introduction and for your extraordinary leadership of ajc. can we give stan yet another round of applause? [applause] susan: it's not easy being president. i'm reminded of the time shortly after the establishment of israel, when president truman and president weitzman were comparing their respective burdens of their office. truman said, "mr. president, you're lucky to have such a little country. how'd you like to be the president of 140 million people," which was then the population of the u.s. "yes, but howed, would you like to be the president of one million presidents?" [laughter] [applause]

susan: so, muzzle tov -- mazel t ov to ajc's incoming president, schapiroj l -- john oh, and good luck. hn shapiro, and good luck. i also want to pay my respects to david harris, a deeply thoughtful and tenacious advocate, that so and sounding board, and a true friend who has stood by me during some -- an excellent sounding board, and a true friend who has stood by me during some difficult moments. it's great to be here with high representative federica mogherini of the european union and foreign secretary claudia ruiz massieu of mexico. [applause] susan: as stan mentioned, the

last time i spoke to ajc was at the women's leadership board luncheon in new york, may, 2013. i was finishing up at the u.n. as our ambassador. in those days, i spent a good deal of time at ajc's headquarters ont 56th street. i had the privilege to join you several times. and that that lunch, i was deeply moved to receive ajc's distinguished service award in recognition of the obama administration costs staunch support -- obama administration's staunch support for israel. me for- david thanked standing tall, which i'm pretty sure he meant metaphorically. [laughter] >susan: so, being here feels a little bit like being with family. [speaking yiddish] [applause] susan: now, i don't know how

many people know this, but i grew up in shepherd park, a neighborhood in washington, d.c., which was then a predominantly jewish neighborhood, not very far from here. i watched worshipers walking to synagogue every week. ar house had a misuse of -- mezuzah on the doorway. i attended many a seder. we told the story of a people liberated from bondage. at a time when bat mitzvahs were still rare, i went to more than most girls at the national cathedral school. [laughter] life, i have been inspired by the deep morality of the jewish faith, by the centricity and the urgency of

the command in deuteronomy, shallstice, justice, ye pursue." [applause] for 110 years now, ajc has answered that call. you have been america's conscience, fighting for civil rights, reaching out to other faith communities, comforting .he stranger new to our shores more and more, as we recognize tonight, you have become the world's conscience as well, from battling apartheid in stan's native south africa to aiding refugees in europe. i have been truly fortunate, as i have said, to work closely with you at the u.n. and now as the president's national security advisor. i echo the assessment of my dear

friend, madeleine albright, who remainsd i quote, "ajc indispensable. no one understands more clearly the need for vigilance and the danger of silence." so, on behalf of president obama, thank you for more than a century of doing the sacred work olam, of building a better world for us all. stan, where a person like it would be the biggest mensch in the world. [applause] like ajc were a person stan, it would be the biggest mensch in the world. next week is the festival of some old -- of sabbaoth.

they will read from the book of ruth as ruth pledges herself to her mother-in-law and the nation of israel, "wherever you go, i will go. wherever you stay, i will stay. your people will be my people, and your god, my god." that profound expression of family and faith, that joining together of faiths is the spirit animating the relationship between the people of the united states and the people of israel. it's an ironclad bond. it's a solemn promise that endures. generation."ion to [applause] ever since president , just recognized israel 11 minutes after it declared

independence -- that doesn't mean we always agree on every issue. like all of us, i'm sure the biblical ruth sometimes did not see eye to eye with her in laws. [laughter] susan: but, as president obama told the people of israel when he visited jerusalem, "so long as there is a united states of america, you are not alone." [applause] susan: for those of us who care deeply about israel, this is a time of some concern and sometimes of sorrow. i know our hearts ache for the victims of recent violence, including ezra schwartz, an american yeshiva student and a veteran and vanderbilt student, whose tragic losses we mourn

deeply. digsknow this, when hamas tunnels so they can kidnap and kill israelis, israel is not alone. when one country is singled out time and time again on the floor of the united nations, israel is not alone. [applause] when angry voices attacked israel's right -- attack israel's right to exist, israel is not alone. [applause] token,and, by the same when palestinians are attacked by mobs shouting "death to arab s" and palestinian homes or mosques and churches are vandalized, the palestinian people are not alone. [applause]

susan: president obama is deeply and fiercely devoted to israel and to the well-being of the jewish people. i know it because i see it every day. i watched him as he slipped a folded prayer into the cracks of the western wall. i stood with him as we ran our hands over the charred remnants of rockets. president obama has met with prime minister netanyahu 16 times, more than almost any other leader. last december, president obama hosted president rivlin as he lit chanukah candles at the white house, the first time an israeli president has done so at the white house. just a few months ago, vice president biden visited israel again for a series of high-level meetings, which prime minister netanyahu rightly called "proof

that our relationship is strong in all areas." our commitment to israel, as always, transcends partisanship. when israel was barraged by rocket fire in 2014, the vote in the house of representatives to support israel was unanimous. the vote in the senate was unanimous. now, that doesn't happen very much these days. [laughter] susan: but as the members of congress here tonight could tell you, israel's security is not a democratic interest or a republican interest. it's an american interest. [applause] so, when president obama calls america's commitment to israel's that'sy "unshakable," not talk.

it's the nearly $24 billion the united states has provided since president obama took office to help israel maintain its qualitative military edge. it's the f-35's israel will receive later this year, the only nation in the middle east with this advanced aircraft. it's the billions of dollars we are investing jointly in developing and procuring iron dome and other missile-defense technologies. when hamas was raining down 100 rockets a day on israel, those systems saved untold lives. so, we are doing even more. a few weeks ago, israel successfully tested iron dome aboard ships. as we speak, israel and our department of defense are developing anti-tunneling technology, the so-called underground -- "underground iron dome." [applause]

so, israel's enemies are on notice. if you come at israel by land, by sea, by air, or even under the earth, you will lose. [applause] the security cooperation between the united states and israel does not stop there. just ask israel's past two defense ministers, who have each raised the closeness -- praised the closeness of our military ties. our special forces training together. drillr forces and navies together. our american national guard is traveling to israel for a joint exercise. as the person who briefs the president every day on the threats to be faced around the world, including in the middle

east, i can attest that our intelligence cooperation is at an all-time high. [applause] president obama is committed to ensuring israel's security, not just to the remainder of his term in office, but for years to come. israel currently receives more than half of the united states' entire foreign military assistance budget. [applause] and we are discussing the new agreement with israel that would guide our military assistance until the year 2029. even in these days of belt-tightening, we are prepared to sign the single-largest military assistance package with any country in american history. [applause]

it would constitute a significant increase in support and provide a israel -- provide israel the funding to update much of its fighter aircraft fleet, substantially enhance the mobility of its ground forces, and continue to strengthen its missile-defense capabilities. that is what we mean when we say "israel is not alone." [applause] this brings me to another critical piece of our support for israel's long-term security -- the iran deal. we had a vigorous debate over this agreement. nuclear physicists, military officials, experts, and over 100 countries ultimately supported it. others, including many in israel, opposed it.

but whether or not you supported this deal, the results are undeniable. 2/3 of -- has dismantled its installed centrifuges. [applause] 98% ofve shipped out their and reached uranium stockpile -- their enriched uranium stockpile out of their country, enough for about 10 new year bonds -- 10 nuclear bombs. the plutonium reactor core is now filled with concrete, never .o be used again before this deal, iran's breakout time to gain enough material to build a nuclear weapon was two months to three months. today, it would take about a year. and if they cheat, we will know.

deal, we -- with this have closed off every possible path to building a nuclear weapon, every single one, and subjected a run to the most comprehensive nuclear -- subjected iran to the most conference of nuclear regime ever implement it. yet, we are under no illusions. as we've said all along, our guiding principle is distressed verify.-- distrust and as the president has repeatedly emphasized, this deal was never intended to resolve all of our different this -- our differences with iran. that's why nonnuclear sanctions on iran remain in place. hundreds of iran-linked firms and individuals remain sanctioned on nonnuclear ground. we have all the authority we need to combat iran's destabilizing activities, and we are. that includes new sanction

designations that target iran's ballistic missile program and support for terrorism. we will not let iran off the hook. [applause] our commitment to israel's security is also why we continue to urge israelis and palestinians to resolve what president rivlin calls "the tragedy that envelops us all." as president obama has said, "peace is necessary, just, and possible." indeed, the only path to sustainable security for israel and to dignity and self-determination for the palestinians is two states for two peoples, living side-by-side in peace and security. [applause]

that is why, as we mark the 49th anniversary this week of the six-day war, we continue to strongly oppose israeli settlement activity. just like every administration since 1967, republican and democratic. just as we oppose counterproductive palestinian actions and strongly condemn incitement and violence. settlement activity corrodes the prospects for two states. it moves us towards a one-state reality. israel's future as a jewish, democratic state is at stake. insist that has just returned from a gathering of foreign ministers in paris, where the united states and all other participants underscored that a negotiated two-state

solution is the only way to achieve an enduring peace. a solution cannot be imposed on the parties. [applause] but we continue to urge them to undertake meaningful actions on the ground that are consistent with their rhetorical commitment to two states. and gaza,n -- children who are just like yours and mine deserve a future that is not consumed by this conflict. as my cherished friend and israel's national treasurer shimon peres says, "there are two things in life you cannot achieve unless you close your eyes a little bit -- love and peace."

so, we will continue as the psal m says to "speak peace and pursue it." at the same time, we will stand up not just for israel's security, but for israel's very legitimacy. i want to be very clear. no country is immune from criticism. no country should be immune from criticism. the united states certainly isn't. but when one nation is targeted relentlessly, obsessively, bitterly, as israel is time and again, that is just wrong. it is ugly. [applause] it is bullying in the guise of diplomacy, and it has to stop. [applause] 1/2 years at the united

nations, i had the privilege of doing battle every day to defend israel from a drumbeat of hostility. i was proud to lead that fight. the united states fought tooth and nail against the deeply flawed goldstone report. we vigorously opposed the human rights' council's unbalanced and counterproductive focus on israel. when the palestinians tried to short-circuit the path to statehood, president obama stood before the general assembly and said, "peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the united nations. ultimately, it is the israelis and the palestinians who must live side-by-side." and when the security council pushed a divisive resolution targeting settlements, even as the united states was pursuing a more constructive path forward,

at president obama's direction, i raised my hand and cast the first and only veto of this administration. power,essor, ambassador continues to show that israel has no better friend at the united nations than the united states. [applause] including by pushing to integrate israel more fully into the international system. when israel's adversaries seek to isolate and boycott israel economically, we forcefully combat these efforts. we strengthen our economic ties more than ever. the united states stands firmly against these attempts to delegitimize israel. [applause]

and when iran holds an abhorrent holocaust cartoon contest, when violence and vile words lead jews to take down europe, when more than half of american college students say they have witnessed or experienced anti-summit is an on-campus, we must call out and confront that -- mi -- anti-semitism on campus, we must call out and confront that ancient hatred for what it is -- an absolute outrage. [applause] as president obama said earlier this year when he became the first sitting american president to speak at the israeli embassy, "an attack on any faith is an attack on all faiths. we are all jews."

[applause] and that is why we applaud and work closely with groups like ajc. your mayors united against anti-semitism advertisement in today's "wall street journal" made a powerful statement against hate. that's why, last year, the united states helped organize the first ever united nations general assembly meeting on anti-semitism. that's why we have appointed a special envoy to monitor anti-semitism, ira foreman, and are urging other countries to appoint their own. we won't let up. the ugly hatred has to end. [applause]

that is our records. these are our principles. this is president obama's steadfast commitment. [applause] for me, the warmth and strength of his relationship between the united states -- of this relationship between united states and israel will always be rooted in my very first trip to israel. i was 14 years old. my beloved late father was on the board of twa. some of you may remember that once great airline. and he took me and my younger brother to israel. we arrived on one of the first ever flights from egypt to israel. it was just after the camp david accords were signed. and on that trip, without our ours in sorrow -- we bowed

heads in sorrow, we walked in the old city, climbed, floated in the dead sea, and picked fr uit at a kibbutz. i learned in my heart the words of the -- like so many americans who visited israel, those memories are etched in my soul. there's another, more recent memory that i will also never forget. it's actually a highlight in my time in this current job. it took place a few years ago, when i had the chance to play basketball on the white house court with some young israelis and palestinians. they are a group you may know called the peace players, and they use sports to bridge communities. we were out on the south lawn, not far from where -- made peace and where rabin and arafat shook

hands. everyone was wearing shorts and t-shirts, boys and girls, israelis and palestinians, observant and less observant, and we played. israelis and palestinians on the same coed team, sweating, bumping each other, going for the ball, hustling across the lines of the court, as if they had never been divided by lines on a map. they were very good players, by the way. much better than us, though that is not saying a great deal. but on that basketball court, i saw what is possible. i saw what the future might hold, if only we have the courage to reach for it. days. these are difficult at times like these, it is easy

to get into doubt and cynicism -- to give into doubt and cynicism and despair. it's easy to be overcome by fear, to turn inward and to turn against one another. but as those young people remind as the anthem we will sing later reminds us, even in our darkest moments, there is hope. hope for peace. hope for progress. hope for justice. matter how distant these goals may seem, we can never forget the truth of those magnificent words, "if you will it, it is no dream." so, with god's blessing and god's help, let us keep willing it. let us keep working for it. let us keep mending our broken

world, together. thank you very, very much. [applause] >> ajc's institute for latina irs astino american affa for 10 years build bridges between the latino and jewish community. it has strengthened ties between the united states, latin america, spain, portugal, and israel, and it has ensure the well-being of -- >> they bring together four constituencies, american jews, latin american jews, u.s. latinos and latin americans.

those come-- four of together to find out how we can connect, build a stronger bridge, achieve a week -- connection in the western hemisphere. >> the mandate rings true. we have been able to build connections among the many spheres of the latino universe, domestic, hemispheric, and global, and to build bridges amongst these constituencies in israel. >> i think its best and we approach reducing our barriers together. they have done a terrific job of facilitating the dialogue, and i think we are better for it. >> in my one week that i was in israel, through progress interchange, i learned more than i did in 20 years, and it gave me a whole new understanding of the challenges and intensities that are happening in israel.

-- complexities that are happening in israel. haso, over the years, dls done a terrific job in fasting the relationship between spain, the united states -- in fostering the relationship between spain, the united states, latin america, and israel. >> when there was the situation in venezuela, a few days passed. i was part of the delegation traveling to caracas. in thewith people government. provides anersary unparalleled opportunity to celebrate our key accomplishments. among them, helping create the latino jewish congressional caucus, sponsoring landmark studies, and ponder -- and pioneering outreach initiatives,

expanding project interchange for hundreds of latino american leaders, and leading delegations of latinos, u.s. latinos, and jews to latin america. >> we live in a very challenging world today. a lot of threats -- they affect not only israel, but all of the jewish people. and i think the success of ajc filled a mantle. >> ajc gives me a chance and opportunity to be part of this mission to keep safe are people. that's the mission of ajc. i'm happy to be part of it. >> i think the sky is the limit. i think the opportunities are greater than ever. as the latino community grows, as our ties between jews and latinos grow even closer, i think there will be even more chances for us to do this great work. >> we invite you to embrace our

mission. [applause] >> good evening, and thank you, ambassador rice, for your important and moving remarks. it has once again been ajc's great honor to host you. i'm the incoming chair of the international relations commission. it is my great honor to introduce our next speaker this evening, secretary of foreign affairs of mexico clottey claudia ruiz-- massieu. let me describe the unprecedented participation she has inspired. secretary has invited all 50 mexican consuls from around the

united states -- the secretary has invited all 50 mexican consuls from around the united states together with us at the ajc global forum, and they have been with us since yesterday. we are also joined by delegations of mexican-americans and mexican jewish leaders, all close friends of ajc. one more time, i would like to ask all three groups, the mexican diplomats, mexican jewish leaders, mexican-american partners, as well as israel's ambassador to mexico to please rise and be recognized. [applause] kim: it is this mexican-u.s.-israeli triangle

that ajc celebrated in mexico city. last november -- last november. we mark the 10th anniversary of our own belfer institute for latino and letting -- latin america with a gala dinner for our partners. tonight, we recognize the past, but we are focused on the future, and our message is loud and clear. we value the relationship between mexico, the united states, and israel. we salute the hard work and contributions of mexican-americans in this country. [applause]

and we intend to help build steeper ties and stronger links between our communities. the foreign secretary embodies these shared values and commitments, and we are thrilled and honored that she has made a special trip from mexico city to join us here this evening. please join me in welcoming our friend, secretary ruiz massieu. [applause] claudia: thank you, thank you, kim, for your kind introduction. it is a true privilege to be here today, and i really want to thank the ajc for its hospitality and its kind

invitation. stanley, david, thank you for having me here tonight. and i would also like to thank, cially, the mexican jewish community delegation that that travelede, from mexico. thank you very much for your support here and at home. honored toularly share this forum with two very distinguished, intelligent, and tough women. national security advisor susan rice and the high representative of the european union for foreign affairs and security policy federica mogherini. [applause] a, you are truly global leaders. your work is widely recognized. you are living proof of how

every country and every society grows stronger when women get empowered and have access to positions of influence. applause]d friends,dear ajc just a few months ago, we met in mexico city. we were there to celebrate the first decade of the bill for -- the belfer institute. here we meet again. on that occasion, we talked about how this would be a great opportunity for us as mexicans to share with you the many things and projects we have together and the many things we have accomplished together. thank you again for having us everyone that we are friends with whom we share

values and interests. you know, friendship is a gift that you cannot promise with words, but that you demonstrate with action. and i am proud to say that the mexican and the jewish people's have -- people have forged an enduring friendship waste on -- friendship based on mutual prosperity and times of need. between 1939 and 1942, our consul in paris was one of the few diplomats who, facing tremendous personal risks, sheltered and issued humanitarian visas for hundreds of jews who were wanted by the gestapo. thanks to his efforts, they found safe haven in mexico and became a part of our national family. [applause]

but our common story begins much earlier. for the first jews who arrived in mexico came in 1519 with the spaniards. and ever since, particularly in the 19 century and 20th century -- 19th century and 20th century, different waves of immigrants have enriched mexico's cultural landscape. let me tell you, this has been no exception. hundreds of chileans, argentinians, and other people from south america found refuge in our country when military juntas ruled in many capitals in the region. mexico also received thousands of spaniards fleeing from france's fascist regime. this open your system is something we have in common -- open door system is something we

have in common with the united states. in the 21st century, thousands of people of different nationalities, japanese, armenian, lebanese, chinese, and many others, arrived to mexican ports, just like they arrived to ellis island in the 19th century, reaching a land of peace where they could prosper with their families. this position cemented solidarity, as shown in 1985, when the most dreadful earthquake hit mexico city. in those days, many lives were alliesecause friends and from all over the world, such as israel, were steadfast in sending humanitarian missions and aid. mere examples are not tocdotes, but serve as a -- build a better future together. part of our shared future is being built right here in the united states, home to both the

largest jewish and mexican diasporas in the world. [applause] states is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but it is also the land of the pioneers and the home of the immigrants. [applause] like any other neighbors, we have had to learn to work together, understand each other better, and respect each other more. that a permanent journey often poses challenges, but also one in which our common values and shared interests have given us the strength to overcome fear and suspicion. in the 19th century, the relation with our northern neighbor was so full of suspicion that someone coined

the phrase, "oh, poor mexico, so far from god and so close to the united states." incidentally, a jewish friend once told me he would phrase it rael,r differently, "oh, is so close to god, but so far from the united states." [laughter] well, those days are so long gone that we can joke about it now. today, our border with the a source ofs is prosperity for both our countries. [applause] data, youook at the reached the conclusion that you will not hear often these days, so i will say it here, loud and clear, because it is important. the united states benefits greatly from the economic relation with mexico.

[applause] and the american people benefit immensely from the presence of mexicans in this country. [applause] and this is natural, because we are allies and we are friends. we live in a world where no country can face alone the major economic challenges of the 21st century. competition is fierce, so the region that proves to be more competitive will trade more goods and export more services. it will attract more investment and create more jobs. convincedy we are that one of the best ways for the united states to maintain and increase its global

competitiveness is to ,onsolidate and expand trade investment, cooperation, and integrated chains of value with mexico. [applause] mexico's network of 12 free-trade agreements with 46 countries worldwide means that u .s. companies manufacturing in mexico have preferential access to 60% of the world's markets. also, in recent years, due to an increase in productivity, manufacturing costs in mexico have dropped below those of china. the naked truth is that, today, over six million u.s. jobs depend on the commercial relation with mexico. that is more than the entire population of norway.

[applause] so, allow me to debunk one of the greatest myths. we do not steal jobs from the united states. [cheers and applause] on the contrary, we are vital for millions of women and men providing for their families on this side of the border. as production chains continue to integrate, we are witnessing the --rgence of the new paradigm mexico and the united states do not just trade amongst themselves. frombuild things together, automobiles that cross eight times our borders in the process n toeduction -- productio

smart phones, computers, beers, to state-of-the-art learjets. youally, by buying mexican are helping the u.s. economy. on average, 40% of the content in mexican exports is made in the united states. that's right. you spend in $1 mexican products supports u.s. jobs. [applause] and, just as our stores are filled with american products, you will only see more mexican products in your local stores. by 2018, the united states will import more from mexico than from any other country, so that made in mexico will oust in china. [applause]

this is remarkable, but not surprising, if you consider that every minute of every hour of every day, mexico and the united states trade over $1 million. to give you an idea of the importance of our commercial relation, in 2014, we reached a historic record of $534 billion. 3.1 timesxico exports more to the united states than brazil, russia, india, and south africa combined. american consumers value and rely on the quality and taste of our products. u.s. economyhe also benefits from our already vast and growing mexican internal market. mexican9% of the

population is in the middle class. this represents about 44 million people more -- people, more than the total population of canada. and, believe me, this is good for the united states. exports from the u.s. to mexico are larger than those to china and japan together. parity too brings this great nation as we invest. today, mexican investment in the united states totals $17.6 billion and has grown over 35% people were most definitely not the problem. we are part of the solution. the president of mexican

investment products, and services is larger than most people imagine, spanning all sectors. i know everyone here would expect mexico's mission foods to be go world's largest were maker. the hamburger irregularly eat may be more mexican than you may think. united states -- the united states is the main destination food.w mexican agri from phase one when the cattle is raised until the beef arrives at your table, he crosses the border between four and five times. probably, you have been eating products from a mexican global country -- company and one of the leading suppliers in the united states, soon to have

kosher certification. now -- which might well be made by the entire largest secondker, mexico is the biggest global exporter of this product, and do not forget the avocado. guess what -- we were the first international exporter of our cause. -- avocados. year's super this with 39day, a record million pounds of avocados, avocados, wereon consumed in the u.s. probably in guacamole.

now, relax and read "the new york times" or go shopping to ksx 5th avenue, i cut -- sa fifth avenue, heavily supported by mexican investment. do not be surprised if your house is filled with mexican therials, because femex is first maker of cement and concrete. our cement is building two of the most innovative skyscrapers in the united states, the salesforce tower, which will become the tallest building in san francisco, and the panorama tower in miami, which will be the tallest residential structure on the east coast outside of new york city. mexico ranks within the top 10 worldwide industries in factors such as automotive's,

electronics, precision manufacturing, telecoms, airspace, chemicals, renewable energy, medical devices, metal components, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. mexico contributes to strengthen these sectors for the benefit of our closest and most important outline, the unit -- a lly, united takes. at this point, please give me a few seconds to catch my breath, because as you can see, contributions of mexico to the world and particularly to the united states are not only huge, they are talmudic. but most importantly, and to the dismay of those who prey on this information and fear for n, the mexican

people are and always have been a positive presence and force for good in the united states. [applause] and this is not an opinion. it is a fact. the population of mexican origin in the united states which is 35.5 a community of about million people, generates 8% of the u.s. gdp. and immigrants of mexican background own 500,000 companies, one out of every 25 in the whole country.

e mexico-united states relationship is strong because it is a profession of their people. her area is home to a binational community of over 14 million people in 10 states. contrary to what has been irresponsibly repeated lately, immigrants contribute with their honest and hard work to these countries. billion perout $240 year, pay $90 billion in taxes, $5 billionly about in public services. 2012, the migration rate between our two countries reached next zero and is fast

becoming negative. those mexican immigrants who are still arriving to the united states are increasingly were educated, more skilled, and more qualified. of thefuture viability united states as an economic dominant power in the 21st century is therefore linked to the success of its immigrant population. andto all these reasons, many more, the mexican-u.s. alliance is unwavering. it has deep, strong roots. it is mature enough to endure any political juncture, and it goes way beyond these unprecedented electoral process es.

[applause] ms. massieu: however, we cannot dismiss the challenge to our shared future and comment thousand lightly, because our problem is not one of closed ds.ders, but one of arrow mines narrow minds. and so we will keep working facts, truth:ng and objective information the founding blocks of a lasting, mutually beneficial relation, cemented on mutual trust and respect. ladies and gentlemen, it his

" a this is autobiography, tale of light and darkness," it is told when his father was a little boy in poland, the streets of europe were covered home.efugees, jews, go today in the 21st century, in the united states, a climate of intolerance is sending a similar message -- mexicans, go home. and in many other parts of the world, conspicuously the western world, we are witnessing this same trend -- immigrants, go home. the context is certainly different, but at its core it is the same disturbing rationale, the same lies, the same poignant stench of bigotry.

are -- or rateho -- let me tell you who those strangers are. no different than american jews from all walks of life, accident-americans and mexican immigrants are those who plow the land and make sure there is food on our tables. they are doctors, scholars, teachers, farmers, business people, policemen, athletes, and they are also soldiers who go fight overseas so that freedom is safe and sound at home. [applause] ms. massieu: those who want to make political profit stigmatizing these people,

mexicans, jews mocking people of color, are wrong. for these country desk for this country was founded on the very principle that self-evident truth that all men and women are endowed with the same unalienable rights -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. and, you know, you know this notion that we are cloaked in dignity is one of the most prominent jewish concepts. ea wasd revolutionary 3000 years ago when it became pivotal to the jewish athos. first, it is religious, and then

in a secular form, it is stressed throughout the world, and today it is the cornerstone of what we collectively understand by civilization. and yet in many parts of the world, there seems to be too many people too willing to forget the lessons of history. aggressions against minorities have been all around the -- happen all around world on a the mostasis, widespread events even in the most advanced of society. demandsin a time that for us to remain vigilant and close ranks. solidarity is the word. and this is precisely one of the main pillars of president n iso's state vision -- mexico

a responsible glover actor, and we will can cheer creating that we will continue -- we will can it is when discrimination is allowed against one group, it is just a matter of time it targets others. passivity emboldens that bigots, and intolerance versus amidst silence. and so we have to be strong and courageous and not afraid. we have to stand up to set the record straight. history also teaches us that every time we had been capable

of uniting our wills, our voices, and our interaction the few that promote presser this, ignorance, and fear have been no match against the many who defend justice, liberty, and hope. peopleican and jewish partake in this common heritage. it is our shared values that bind us together -- respect for plurality, diversity, freedom, and tolerance. we also share many traits. we both chairs the importance of family and the role of mothers and women in our society. water cultural, multiethnic countries, and vibrant democracies.

e.g. then, as no surprise that the mexican community -- mexican-jewish community, not only feels that home in mexico, .as made mexico its home c jews have successfully flourished, and they contribute to our national development in science, business, philanthropy, the arts, public service, the academia, and almost every field. strongernefits and is community.ts jewish say -- let me say loudly and clear, fighting

anti-semitism, like standing up to anti-mexican sentiment, is not a jewish issue nor a mexican dish. it is a common battle for human rights. it is a matter of universal dignity that goes beyond race, religion, ideology, or politics. stance is simply nonnegotiable. that is why i want to recognize the american-jewish committee, because you have raised your voice in favor of human rights and human decency. you have translated words into

action, and your vision and work have defended racial, national, and religious boundaries. especially, i want to commend your courageous defense of immigrants in the united states. you stand up, you also inspire others to abandon apathy, lose the fear, and followed your examples. these have also been at the of jewish ethics and tradition, since it is written you ought to love those who are changers because you were all once strangers in a foreign land. for years now, the governor did has cooperated with the mexico, exchanging experiences in leadership and social engagement dream mexican, jewish, and

mexican-american activists, authorities, and community organizers. we are learning from you on how to better empower ourselves. we are grateful for your support, and i want to tell you that we are ready to take our partnership to the next level. that is why today the entire network of mexican consulates in the united states, the largest any country has in another, gathered here along with dozens of other mexican-american community leaders from all the states of this great nation. only an organization of the caliber of the ajc could have achieved such a turnout. [applause] dear friends, paul johnson once wrote know people

have insisted more firmly than the jews that history has a purpose and humanity against today. today, we have the opportunity to become the designers of that purpose and the architects of that destiny. as i said at the beginning, this is the land of the pioneers, and , pioneers do notr concede borders. they push them outward. it is the very essence that the -- we sharenation common thousands. we share doubt -- common values. i have no doubt that working together future we will inherit to our children will be one

where hope will prevail over fear. reason over ignorance. freedom and dignity over discrimination and bigotry. capacity to play in this world, that we are not familiar to do that on a daily basis in our routines, in the leadership positions of the jewish community. this is a global institution. today there is a lot of respect in the diplomacy world in brazil

for the activism of ajc in defending several different causes, not just jewish related. brasilia and go to we talked to the foreign minister, we they know we are not just a small minority group in brazil trying to occupy part of the agenda on a disproportionate basis. we are talking about an alliance we have the global player. i think when we use the channels, the sources, the tools of ajc, we do it better than anyone.

>> thanks, but i have not said anything at. pity me, and i want to thank the secretary for those stirring and very important remarks, and i think that she demonstrated why mexico is such a wonderful neighbor. i say that being married to a canadian. sorry. john shapiro, and i am the incoming national president. [applause] shapiro: it is now my honor to introduce one of your's most -- europe's most distinguished leader, the high european equivalent of the foreign, and vice president of the european commission. next speaker our in june of 2014 in rome, where

she served as the foreign minister of italy. one month later, after resurgence in anti-semitic incidents across europe, the minister along with her counterparts in belgium and berlin issued a carrion call against such hatred. they declared, " fx energy hostility against jews has no place in our societies." our friendship the continued as she moved to the brussels.urope, today as anti-somatic and extremist voices are rising around the world, it is more critical than ever that we stand together in common defense of our shirt values. our sharedy -- of values. of democracy, pluralism, and defense of human dignity. without further and do, please join me in welcoming the leader

responsible for navigating the collective foreign policy of the e.d.,ber states of the federica -- >> thank you, thank you, john, thanks for the invitation. their friends, it is such an honor for me to join this global forum. when i think of the speakers, shimon peres, i can only feel humbled and grateful for your invitation. thank you. i am also particularly happy to be here with susan and claudia. soour meetings it happens often to be the only woman in

the room, and today ajc is sending a pretty powerful message with this women only local leaders session. [applause] today werini: and somehow talk about women and men and their life. it is a very special day and moment to join you all for so many reasons. it is a delicate moment for america, a difficult moment for europe and the middle east, and in a few days we will present with the other leaders of the middle east quartet the report solution totate turn it into a reality, but today is also the first day of i am sure you will allow us to wish our muslim friends all the best from here. because one thing -- [applause]

ms. mogherini: one thing oropeans have learned, rather should have learned in our long history, is that people,s should unite and when they do not, we are all in trouble. also marks the anniversary of the d-day, and there could be no better andrtunity to be here celebrate friendship between europe and the united states of america. on d-day, a new chapter in our common history began. the free people of the world stood up. my generation can only remember that stories we heard from our grandparents, just two days forcesd-day, the allied liberated my hometown at rome. we must all keep in mind those who sacrificed for our own

europeans,day, americans, together. that was not simply a battle between two armies. on d-day, president roosevelt reminded the whole world what allied fighting for. fight to end conquest, the fight to liberate, the fight to let justice arise." and they won. wonact, that they we all because it was a victory against tyranny and racism. we won against the idea that one people and one idea and went ideology should rule all others. that society would be stronger, perfect, with all differences,

deleted, and eliminated, when all people would be identical, when all diversity would be destroyed. but we won. we won together. we won against the holocaust. the americans who died in normandy not just fighting for america, but for the all of us. they were black-and-white, christians, nonbelievers, and jews. and as an italian, i can only be grateful for the jewish grade for the contribution of liberation of italy. [applause] ms. mogherini: possibility of a free and united europe was born and wasday, on d-day, born thanks to our american friends. our continent rose up with america's economic support and friendship. the transatlantic bond is

written in our european union's dna. that does not mean that we have not had our tough moments. transatlantic incident was involved in one of those bad moments. we must truly be thankful to the american jewish committee and to the -- payment for having invested in our friendship right when we needed it most, because two friends know how to overcome difficult moments. barack obama got elected in 2008, he spoke clearly about alliances to repair. eight years later, today, our alliance could not be in better shape. and let me tell you, whoever the next president will become i can only hope that our european union and the united states of america will keep working

together as we have done in the hand in hand, always, because in difficult times, there is nothing you need more than good friends. and both europe and america need our friendship to remain strong. and let me tell you, it is the entire world that needs our friendship to remain strong. [applause] in europe we know it well, and i am sure americans know it, too. and these are difficult times indeed. the middley true for east. i will come to that in the moment. but these are also tough times inside our own. crimes of if semitism are also increasing. we want to face it and fight. four people were killed in a shop last year paris.

four year before at the jewish museum. europe is today close to a new kind of threat, but it is not just terrorists we have to worry about. there's also something else and the. -- deep. we see movement who foster and isometric discourse at a time of global uncertainty, an economic crisis, racism has become a shortcut for no policies at all. let me be -- [applause] that they be: totally clear on this. we will not close our eyes against the new anti-semitism. wait until it goes way, because if we do not ask, it will not go away. we have to act together.

and we know well that this fight cannot and must not be left to the jews. for alle responsibility political leaders, for society at large, and for our institutions. this is why european union appointed her first coordinator combating anti-sedatives -- and i semitism. let me share with you a personal note. can i? katerina and i have known each other for years, and we met just a few hundred meters from here when we were both taking heart in the german marshall fellowship. when we talk about transatlantic fonts, they also help european. the european union has taken seriously the fight against if i

semitism, and we are working with our member states to make sure that each kid in a european school knows about the holocaust, because only knowledge can illuminate the true meaning of the words "never ."ain, never again europe and america are the homeland of free speech. for this very reason, we know well what cannot be masked as free speech because it has nothing to do with it. so when someone is told to shut up just because he or she is a jew, when a synagogue is then analyzed, this is an in sult to everyone's liberty. just a few days ago, the european commission signed an agreement with tech giants such twittere, facebook, and

to make sure that all illegal hate speech is taken down quickly and effectively. these are criminal acts and must be treated simply as such. jewishcommunities -- communities and jewish culture are central to the social fabric of our continent, both in the united states and in europe. here in america, you have always focused on what people are doing, where people are going, not where they come from. and this makes your country such an incredible place. you.ve much to learn from i know this is not something you hear a lot from europeans. [laughter] ms. mogherini: but while we work on it and we continue to keep in our history,, where we come from, let me tell you that in europe are history

is impossible to separate from the jewish history. in rome, the other eternal city together with jerusalem, when someone wants to free he or she truly is from rome, they say i am a seventh-generation roman. believe me, this is almost certainly not true. [laughter] ms. mogherini: and it is almost impossible. first-generation roman, that there are some cases of true romans, seven but the onlyoman ones i know, they are all jewish romans. rome would not be rome without its jewish community. and even the food would not be the same, and this would be a real disaster. europe would not be europe without european jews and their culture. that is our own culture. and this is not just about history. and is about our present

about our future. it is about the very essence of our european union. after the holocaust with azism andn from nz fascism, we decided to build a civilization based on diversity. diversity is who we are. we haven that, it is to chosen to me. it is not giving up our own backgrounds and identities. on the contrary, we have tried to build a union where all different identities can live together and grow together -- the french and german, the eastern and the western, the christian,rotestant, did you come the muslim, and the nonbeliever. i know this might sound idealistic in times when we are faced with too many attacks against jews and against all minorities. as a matter of fact, if dyson is

-- fsm insist and islamophobia are rising at a similar pace. against this background, there's also some good news. think of london. as you know for the first time ever european capital has collected a muslim mayor. toew days ago, he decided join mayors united against and i semitism. it was a powerful decision of him and hence at the kind of europe weekend don't think -- we can build together, a continent where our minds can meet and forms. deservesgency really -- and then mayor really deserves credit. and also for your way of thinking and living. it is not sectarian.

it is not tribal. and we truly need this in times of growing tribalism, and all of our societies. in europe, in america, and in .srael, wantuestion is whether we to focus on the dividing lines among our tribes or look instead at what binds us together. fors a difficult challenge all of our societies, but i'm convinced what truly divides our people is not religion or nationality. the only meaningful dividing line runs between those who are ready to work for peace and ouristence beyond differences and those who refuse the idea of living together in peace. that is what is at stake. in these times, it seems like the peacemakers are some kind of

endangered species. i say that myself. global security environment has perhaps never been so unpredictable and dangerous, and the state of israel live in the most fragile, dangerous region in the world. we know the feeling. of daesh in the middle east is a direct threat of us. the muslim world is going with it a crash within civilization, press the most -- in the century to redefine the balance of power. i'm sure we could discuss this four days and it would be a very interesting and useful conversation. we do not have a couple of days, right? but one force for sure among all is not just seeking power, but toer -- daesh is trying

destabilize all countries in the region and the on, manipulating and misusing religion for the fight for power. and i know very well working for stabilization and reconciliation and even peace is a happier task, and that fascinates me. this is exactly what they want. they want the -- to win in our societies. and still i believe there is no other way out. we need a new deal, all the people and the powers of the middle east, or conflicts will spread even further through the entire region and far beyond to the africa, asia, world. our european union together with the united states and the international community is working to avoid anything greater escalation. we do not know how difficult

this is. sr efforts for peace in yria --a long-awaited political transition is not at hand. i am convinced we are working on the right path with our american friends. there's no other way to do this than to reach out to all regional and local players, and the new actors, beat them , muslim,hia non-muslim, only if we engage can we achieve some kind of cooperation. this is the lesson europe has learned. regional cooperation is what can turn enemies into some kind of partners, that you might not like, you might not like your neighbor. still, you have to share the same space, because you cannot

change your parents. i know we had different views on the deal we reached last year with iran, but let me be as sincere as we can, and people know that i am sincere, even too much sometimes, on what i believe we have achieved in vienna. one year ago in vienna, we achieved something that in europe would be very important for the security of the region. one year ago, susan said clearly, we had no assurance that iran will stay away from nuclear weapons. international atomic nuclear agency is monitoring iran's program,, and i am having regular meetings with ministers, where we monitor and assure that the deal is properly implemented. as always this continues, there

is no way to run can develop -- no way iran can develop an atomic weapon. this makes israel a safer place. [applause] the functions that europe and the united states -- the sanctions that europe and united states imposed on iran were linked to the program. they serve a purpose. and we list of our nuclear related sanctions. inis a matter of credibility a rules-based international community, and we want to be true to our rule. are worried,f you many of you, most of you, all of influence inan's the region. we are worried as well. yes, iran is a player in regional dynamics. you have to face reality.

you cannot deny. is true for the historic and geographical reasons, and you cannot change either of them. what you can do with reality to figure out how to cope with it, real matter is what kind of influence iran exerts. cooperationose confrontation. it has to decide whether to keep denying the state of israel or act responsibility towards some form of cooperative regional order. i believe the iranian people have an interest to choose cooperation, and we are making this clear to the iranian leadership in each and every exchange we had with them. people of toronto are asking -- people of iran are asking for change, asking that people of the world to leave behind a culture of isolation and confrontation.

uranium -- the iranian people. that ourdoes not imply disagreements with karen had disappeared. or that they will disappear any time soon. there are many things which we know we disagree. and we will continue to monitor the full implementation of the deal, and as you know, europe will keep cooperating with israel on its own security and regional security, as a partner and as a friend. -- in then a lot of past few years about europe's relations with israel. many times i read about a crisis in our relationship. so let me tell you about my own experience over this year and a half.

whenever i talk israeli leaders, any of them, we all know that europe and israel are tied very closely. of course, this has something to do with our economies. our union is israel's first trading partner. operation on science and research has produced so much innovation and progress for our people. there is more, much, much more. we are friends. we are friends. and we will always be. [applause] ms. mogherini: friends can disagree from time to time. that is even healthy. on single issues, on specific policies, but we are and we will always be friends. and i know it dna is in our dna in europe and it

is in our dna in israel, the inside, and-- deep that will never, never change. we can and we must trust each other. and on that basis of trust, mutual trust, mutual, true friendship, we can and must see what we can do to achieve the goals we share. just like the american jewish committee, our european union works for a negotiated and viable two-state solution to the conflict between the israelis and the palestinians. longtime since oslo. it has been a long time, and the conditions for two states have still not been achieved. there is noate,

other option to achieve peace than two states living side by side in security and peace. i have seen your pain with my own eyes, in july 2014. together, with then foreign minister lieberman, i feel the pain of the family whose house had been destroyed by a shell fired. this is why we need peace, because those kids that i met their deserved a normal life -- deserve a normal life, a normal life they do not have, and the only way for them to have that is to bring peace. i have learned from israeli leaders. from security. security will come from peace. let me tell you something. my first visit as higher

representative was to israel and palestine, and i was the first to visit israel after the general election last year. during that visit, after a heated electoral campaign like only in israel and a few other countries among which might own candy, the prime minister confirmed, standing next to me, his commitment to a two-state solution, and i was glad to hear that he and other ministers repeated just the same if you days ago after the new coalition deal. still, we are not moving forward. we hear the words. we do not see the acts. the opposite is true. the perspective. two states is dating away. we feel as friends the duty to remind ourselves that the perspective we believe in and want to achieve is fading away

every single day. would be great if new and meaningful negotiations could begin immediately, tomorrow. we would only celebrate. but we should all recognize that today, maybe tomorrow, the conditions for this to happen are simply not there. on the contrary, the situation on the ground could not be more serious and dangerous. the stabbing attacks had become a sad new feature in the everyday life of israeli citizens. and anytement to this other form of violent is totally unacceptable. and yes -- [applause] ms. mogherini: this is a responsibility that the palestinian leadership has to take. arealso, settlements, too, putting the two-state solution beyond reach. susan said it very clearly, and

we share completely this view, as we share many other things. some argue we should just wait for better times. -- theit every time conditions are not there, wait. ask in your, that is not even an option. if the situation does not approve, it will get worse. it is like riding a bicycle. if you do not move forward, you fall. it is a simple rule. escalation of violence that spiral out of control. we do not want to face the next gaza war, we do not want to witness to a collapse of the palestinian authority, we do not want to see the propaganda of daesh effect the palestinian youth or the arab-israeli youth, we do not live to see this because we are friends of israel.

our actions must be inspired by sense of gravity and urgency, first and foremost, for the sake of israel and its security. we must aim high, but we must also deal with the reality we apparently face, and be as pragmatic as we can. as president shimon peres said stilly times, there is light at the end of the tunnel. there's just no tunnel. [laughter] ms. mogherini: can our number sense ofity, the great humor of the jewish people -- we say the words. our number one priority must be to make it if he points -- and if you point. we need to build a tunnel that will lead us to the end of this conflict. this is the aim of the reports by the middle east quartet which will be presented soon. we will describe very frankly as

toends do the obstacles talks and the policies that affect the viability of a tooth date solution. --two-state solution. we hope it will be a contribution to re-create the conditions of the two sides to get back to meaningful onetiations, with at least minimal degree of -- with united support of the key regional players starting with the air countries, and with the key international players, ultimately, real change is in the hands of the israelis and palestinians . this should be very clear to everyone. but at the same time, war and peace in the holy places do not sit concerned the israelis and the palestinians.

vitalave a very direct, impact on the entire region, and they reverberate through the whole globe in a way.\ aroundld does revolve jerusalem. so there is responsibility. the region and the world cannot child away from their own responsibilities. to european union push relaunch the court to initiative, and the quartet is that teamwork. europe, united states, russia, and united nations together are all trying to restart some force of the peace process that today is simply nonexistent. we have also decided to work hand in hand with jordan, egypt, and saudi arabia, with the arab peace initiative as a base, and it was mentioned today. because for the first time

together, first time ever in history, the air countries can -- the arab countries can represent a threat to israel. please do not waste this opportunity. it is new. you have to use it. we have to use it. europe commitment to peace will not falter and will not waiver. -- internal debate is very we have a lot in common. at the end of the day we share the same part of the world. but fundamental choices of our foreign policy are solid, they are here to stay, and they are clear. you will hear me say the same messages here, in the u.n. security council, in ramallah, in terra, in brussels, in jerusalem.

what we say here, what we say everywhere is the same. we are friends. not only, we are true friends. transparent, frank, true. in thecommitted to peace middle east. we are committed to multilateralism and cooperation on essay, cultural, and political divides. we are committed to the two-state solution and to israel's security. our union needs to engage with israel even more. let me very clear on this. we need to engage with israel even more, not to boycott israel. boycotting can do no good. [applause] ms. mogherini: we are friends. we want to work together. not to separate our destinies apart. also because it would not be possible and it would be an admission of our own respective failures.

we are one. we are one. we're on the same boat. for me and for so many europeans, israel is a natural partner. we are and we will remain true friends. share so much,el and the history of the jewish people is the history of europe. european literature would not be ranzsame with no front, kafka, european culture would not be the same without einstein have music would not be the same mahler.gustav even our cruising would not be the same, and this again would be a real disaster. not much in brussels, but in

rome for sure. i never said that. [laughter] too many times we have seen the sorrow and the paint in your. ewishany times jw people have suffered like no people on earth. we know this well. through centuries of th diaspora, jewish culture as his friend so many cultures and reached out to the whole humankind. jewish values and ideals have become part of our own modern ideals, our shared backgrounds. we show the idea that our actions have consequences, that we are responsible for what we do. -- that the idea of solidarity is not only a matter of charity, but of justice.

but above all, we share the dedication to peace. shalom. shalom.. i know you are hungry, but i still have a few lines. alom is a gift, but it is something that we need to work hard for individually, in our own societies, and together. this is the sense of the work we can do together. the american jewish committee, our european union, the united states can the regional players, the whole international community. you will always find your ready to work for peace, always.

humbly, butietly, stubbornly. we will be there. up through the dream of oslo. i see it dying. this is painful. i see it dying in the political discourse. i see it dying in our societies. we are giving up peace. peace is not something you are free to give up to. we are starting to find his old situation normal. it is not. and it is a risk that no of us can run, if we want peace, because we go on the ap's can bring security to all, we all need to start giving it. we have a responsibility. together, we can be peacemakers and this is the most difficult

but also the most important and most beautiful thing we can do in this difficult time in the history of our world. and to build it in our beautiful, difficult but also exciting part of the world. om. shal may peace be upon all of us. thank you. [applause]

the world discuss global affairs at a forum hosted by the american jewish committee. political commentator bay buchanan spoke with college

students about the importance of leadership at a recent training seminar in virginia. she talked about the current presidential race, including her support for republican presidential candidate donald trump. she also shared her experience working for former president ronald reagan. the young america's foundation hosted this event. >> good morning, everyone. we are so excited you are here. welcome to young america's foundation headquarters. thank you students, staff. and supporters for attending the young americans for freedom activism seminar. my name is dylan keck and i'm an in attorney he-- an inturn here. and i can't think of a way to begin the program with an energetic speaker. we have the conservative movement. the foundation is dedicated to making surin krusing numbers of young americans are inspired by

conservative ideas. through our programs we strive to promote freedom, free enterprise and traditional values. every year we introduce thousands of young people to these ideas through our conferences and internships and young american for leadership which i'm proud to lead at lsu and the national journalism center. in 1988 they stepped forward to save ronald reagan's beloved ranch so pass his ideas on to future generations. for more information on our mission and values call or visit our website. today we are excited to lead the next generation of leaders who are tasked to lead our young american for freedom leaders such as our founders. [ inaudible ] i could tell you get ready to wake up because the

next speaker is one of the mo mostmost energetic and exciting speakers i've ever began. bay buchanan began with ronald reagan's presidential campaigns in 1980 and 1984 and in 1981 she was appointed by president reagan to be the treasurer of the united states. at the age of 32 she was the youngest person in history to hold this position. presently, she's the president of the american cause, an educational foundation dedicated to advancing traditional conservative issues. in addition, she regularly speaks on college campuses and at student conventions about leadership and conservative principles and could be seen on television doing the same. in the summer of 1996, george magazine recognized her as one of the top 20 political women in the nation. the clair booth loose policy named her the 2007 woman of the year and again in 2011 she was named by the institute as one of the ten most influential conservative women in america.

a native of washington, d.c., she has a masters from mcgill in montreal and further studies at other universities. please join me in welcoming a great friend of young america's foundation, miss bay buchanan. [ applause ] >> good morning. it is great to be with you all. i've been asked today to speak on leadership. and so i have to start by just suggesting that everyone here, i believe, wants to be a leader. i don't think you would have come or be part of this organization, this great organization that inspires young people unless you, yourself, one day hope to be a real leader. and i think that is the key here. what is a real leader? you've been taught. you've read. you've heard from your folks and others that the leaders in washington, the leaders in your state capital and leaders here and there are doing this and that. and i suggest to you, that those

are not leaders, for the most part. when it comes to elected officials, especially in this town. they are not the kind of leaders that this country deserves and that is why we're in the mess we are today. that is what i want to talk about. how is it we got here, what has happened, and where we're going and what difference you all can make. you know, i met with somebody, a friend a couple of weeks ago. her husband is a chief of staff in the senate. one of the senators, prominent republican conservative senators, very knowledgeable and very social here in this town with young people. and it was a week, within days of the big primary that trump won. five state primaries. super-tuesday primary. and he won every single county in all five states. all right. it was clean sweep. ted cruz is still in the race. but he just clean sweeped it.

and spoke with her and she said, yeah, depending on who wins. and i said what do you mean? trump has won. donald trump is our nominee. and she said that is not the case. it depends on what happens here and in indiana. and i said it is over. and she said do you know you are the only person who has ever said that to us, to me, that i've heard. and i thought, where are you living? this is d.c., the great bubble where you can actually think that things are happening that are so removed from reality, these are smart, intelligent and well-informed individuals who are talking amongst themselves totally on another planet. because reality was, donald trump has won. this is no different than what has gone on in the last 25 years. they think they know everything in this town. they do not have a clue what is

going on outside of the town. what is happening to people. what are their concerns. what are they -- what are they worried about, what is happening in their lives that is being influenced by the decisions made in this town. that is why we have donald trump as a candidate. and this is the key here. as donald trump, from a year ago, when nobody -- everybody wrote him off. thought it was a joke. entertainment value only. but they didn't study what was happening. they didn't look and respond to what was going on in the country. let me just start. i had dinner last night with someone else and said i understand why you say you would vote for trump, but no one should say they support him so i want to say now, i enthusiastically support donald trump for president of the united states. let's make this real clear. i think this is an extremely exciting year for republicans.

and for american -- [ technical difficulties ] we good. the thing blows out when i say these kind of things. [ laughter ] this is what happened this year. and i'm the first to admit, this is a highly unlikely scenario, donald trump gets in the race with a year where we had incredibly competent candidates across the board. some more and less conservative, different backgrounds, governors, congressman, layman and a doctor. this is a terrific bench we had and presented to the american people. so how is it donald trump moved right through that field and really won a very solid victory. because he represented what americans are looking for. they are so sick and tired of no one speaking for them.

of being bold and courageous against the political correctness out there and saying, look, this is the issue and here is the solution, whether you want to hear it or not. we need the national debate. we can't be quieted any longer. we need people who will speak for us and be able to understand what we're going through and not be afraid of saying that is the issuen and this is the solution. and he did it. and they looked and they said, huh, who is this guy? he's not being careful about how he says it. he's not been cautious. he's bold. he's just saying it like it is. and everybody says, you can't say that. that is politically incorrect. he is offending people. and they said, huh? he's our guy. he has the guts to just say things that people won't do any more. this is what he -- he started to go long. and i was watching this. he would have 35,000 people at a rally before the primary started. and said to myself, what in the

world is happening out there. that is enormous. ronald reagan didn't have 35,000 people in rallies. especially not in the primaries before he won. okay. so it has kept going on and on. we had democrats coming over into the republican primaries to vote. this is something exciting happening out there. something different than normal. and yet washington kept saying he can't win and he won't win and the press is writing, he can't win, he is offending him and he is terrible and yet more and more people are coming to rallies. all right. this is what -- anyone who is observing would have noticed. he touched a cord. he was reaching people that -- that professional politicians could no longer reach. it was done. washington had so ignored the people and the problems and so arrogant in its decision as to move the country continually forward in a direction that people did not want it to go, they just ignored the will of the people time and time again, that millions of americans had

just gotten totally removed from the political process and others were so frustrated they just -- they may have voted but they didn't believe in it any more. they don't believe or trust what is happening in congress or in the white house. and then someone came along and they said is their champion. he speaks for them. he may not be perfect, he may have enormously rough edges, but he is a guy that fights for them. he speaks to them. no one else has. that is leadership. you might not like what he says. but it is still leadership. he has hit the chord. he is speaking their language. he has told them he's going to fight for them. he explained the problems and told them he understands them and he has the solutions and here it is right there. and he doesn't care that people don't like it. people in the know. people that are in the washington. people in the press. he doesn't care. because he represents them. now let's go back.

i spent many years are ronald reagan. people will say to me, who is the next ronald reagan? i have to explain to you. we don't know who the next ronald reagan is. when ronald reagan was running for president of the united states, he was also ridiculed by the press. he was told -- we were told he was way too extreme, right-wing. he was just -- in short, he was a b. actor with orange hair. they wrote him off. he used to wear these big plaid jackets and boots. he didn't fit the mold. we would get phone calls from when the campaign was run in california and get phone calls from the team in washington and in new york, you got to get him in a blue suit with a red tie. what is this? he can't run around in a plaid jacket. and then my friends from new hampshire would call and say him to put that red jacket on and come back up here and again and again. and that is what they want. they don't want somebody that

fits the mold, they want somebody willing to be their own person. ronald reagan was bold. he was the leader of the conservative movement for decades. he was just out there. he didn't care what people said. he said, this is what i believe. and this is why i believe it. and he laid it out there. and he didn't worry about the ridicule or the intimidation. he was very proud to be a conservative. and even more proud to represent our movement as our national leader. that -- that doesn't happen in this town. we have people who apologize. some rt part yours -- some of the parties are right on that. but our party should be a bigger tent and we should be more compassionate and careful how we word things. that is not leadership. that doesn't touch hearts. what that says is i'm going to take care of mymyself. i have to make sure i'm respected by the people who are smart, and who hold positions of power.

i must look right and speak right and impress those that need to be impressed for me to keep this nice, fine, cushy job and great title. that is what that is about. that is about me. ronald reagan was about the cause. he was all about the cause. he had studied it. he knew the issues. he knew what he believed. and he was passionate about moving the country in a certain direction. and he fought for that. and it didn't matter if you are a conservative against him, as bill buckley was -- would go up and debate against him on a couple of issues. he didn't mind. bring it on. let's talk about it and get it out there. always willing to present his position. because he understood it wasn't about him. it was about this cause called america. and that is what he fought for. so the question is, how do we

get leaders like a ronald reagan? and when they said he was such a great president, how do we look to see -- to someone like that. my point was this, he wasn't perceived as going to be this great president by the mass number of people in this country. sure, there was a movement in the country who -- he was beloved as a figure. but the media and the party establishment, he was not the candidate of their choice. and there was a lot of concern for him to become president of the united states. and how he would perform. some people felt he would just be pressing the button at every opportunity, bombing people he didn't like, all right. and he became a truly great president. a man who believed something, who was bold, he had the courage of his convictions. he took over office. the office of the presidency. he felt that mantle of authority

and he lived up to those responsibilities. that is what made him a great president. we don't know who is going to be the next ronald reagan. they have to take office and see how they handle those responsibilities. and if they can -- can have that kind of courage, and sort tude about where we need to do and willing to fight for ittin spied of the pressure that might take them in a different direction, that is the kind of leaders this country needs. and we need it in more offices than just the presidency. we need it in congress and the senate and mayor in legislators. we need them in families. we need them in our communities. and that is the kind of leadership i'm here to talk about today. and i suggest to each and every one of you, you don't -- you're not born to be a leader. you may have certain talents that you have received from birth that you just are naturally gifted in certain ways. but to be a leader takes a whole lot of work to get there.

where you can be the kind of leader that we need. and i suggest to you, every single one of you can be that leader. every one of you. if you are willing to take some tough steps. so let's talk about what is a real leader and how you get there. excuse me. first, you need to know what you believe. not what i believe. not what teachers, parents believe. what is it you believe? pick an issue. pick an issue that moves you. it could be life. it could be war. it could be trade. i'm passionate about trade. i'm not a free trader. most of you probably are. i'm passionately not a free trader. i'm a fair trader. all right. what are you passionate about? the first thing that comes before passion is for to you

really believe it. for to you absolutely understand this is the way it should be. so you find an issue. pick an issue. immigration, that is a hot issue. that is a great issue. could be any number of things. it is yours, not mine. i'm passionate about four or five issues and other issues i have strong positions on but i'm not as passionate as these few. then learn about them. start reading about them. get a little more information about them. when i go on television to do a debate on guns, i don't read just the nra website, which has a lot of fine information. i go to the no handgun group. nobody should have a gun. police shouldn't have a group. that is a good group. they are very passionate. they have strong positions. they make strong cases in many areas, i want to know what they

think and why they think it. and as i'm reading, i think i can write that one off and that doesn't make any sense to me, but this is a good point. why is my position better than theirs. and i go through in my road, this is a higher road and this one is more important than that. and so i'm on there, one day my opponent, liberal opponent makes his case and i know what he's going to say, in most cases. because i've read his positions or her positions. i have studied them. i have considered them. i've kept an open mind. that is what you need to do. you can't just deal with only conservatives and say, yeah, we're right. oh, my gosh. we really know this stuff. no. what does the other side say? they are not without value. so you should understand what the other side has to say. this is just basics. i'm going to tell you a few more tips and then we'll go into a example. and a lot of people think, in this town specially, the more information in your head you could explain to the next person

the more impressive you will be and the smartest person in the room should win the argument. they have the facts and so they should clearly win. and that is called a policy wonk. and i had many years on television and we have a policy wonk on. and i could hear people turning off my show. going to another channel. because it is boring. boring. the way you communicate, as ronald reagan taught, by example, is not through the mind. that is flow of information. i will give you information. here is facts, here is figures, here it is all laid out for you. where you move people, where you actually convince people, make them feel that you understand that you have something to say is when you communicate with the heart. there is a huge difference. so when i do television, i always have some facts and figures. i know my material. and throw out a few because it

gives me authority. if i tell you -- 56 million babies have been aborted since rowe v. wade and people say that is not the number but about that number. and you throw out a couple of numbers early and get them out of the way and now i don't need to throw any more out because people watching said she knows her material and she knows this issue. and now i can move by speaking with the heart. all right. ronald reagan, when he was running in 1980, for the primary we had an office in los angeles near his home. and he would go out monday and come back thursday as a general rule. he would go out on the plain, all of the press on the plane flying out with him and following him around from iowa to florida, new hampshire, where he was going. he would give speeches in the morning and at the afternoon and at lunch, evening, any time that he could pack in a speech, he would be there talking to

whether it be 50 people or 5,000 people. whatever he could get. whatever group was there. all right. and as nancy would say, you can have him monday through thursday and i have him friday through sunday. very smart lady because she knew he was an older candidate and we don't want him to look worn out. we want him rested. all right. it didn't matter whether that was smart or not. nancy made the decisions. it was done that way. as well it should have been. he goes out monday and the press is there. he gives breakfast speech and he gives his speech all week long, four days and i'm in the office in los angeles and the press could come in thursday to file the stories and in those days you didn't have the fancy equipment that they could do it from there so they had a press shop. and they would come in and i could hear them walk by my office. i didn't understand, the first guy would come in and say something and then the second and they were kind of doing a skit. and i came to realize that the first one, i asked them actually, had the paragraph, the

first paragraph -- the governor at the time. and the next one was spilling off the second paragraph. and i said, what are you guys doing? he said, basically they believe ronald reagan had won speech. that was it. no matter where they went, they were driven mad. he gave the same speech, for afternoon, lunch, for dinner the next day, they had one speech. and they were driven crazy. how could they write their stories. it is the same speech as yesterday and last week, all right. so they wrote him off. they did not think he was smart. they figured he was an actor with one speech, okay. what they didn't observe, because these are people who are very smart, who think with their heads and have no knowledge of communication with the heart, they missed what was going on in one room after another. because as the governor was speaking, he was moving people. he would tell stories. he would talk about his aunt jenny or he would talk about the

lady at the street corner he met in omaha and how she told him this story and how over the regulations and this little mom-and-pop shop were crushing them. and he would tell these stories and tell little funny anecdotes and had people laughing and crying with him. it was an amazing, emotional experience going on in front of the national press and they missed it. and so he would go to place to place moving people. and people would go home and tell their families, you won't believe this guy. he is fabulous. he would tell people in the office. and a prairie fire started and around the country people were talking about this guy ronald reagan. he was different. he really understood, he believed and they felt he could relate to them. he communicated with his heart. he shared what he believed. he told stories to explain what he understood as the problem that was causing issue with their businesses and families.

he was a powerful communicator. but i'm telling you, policy wonks do not appreciate that. they don't feel it. they just hear it and there is not enough facts and figures. how many times have you heard the problem with donald trump is he doesn't have any facts and figures. there is no basic policy. he doesn't have any details. where is the detail? let me tell you, ronald reagan had a 4-point plan for the economy and we were in havoc. it was a mess. the economy. he had a four-point plan, something i could easily memorize and tell people about. it didn't have 20 pages of details how he would cut taxes and he said we're going to cut taxes 35% and next we are going to cut spending and cut regulation and we're going to get control of the monetary policy, inflation. very simple. today policy wonks say where are the facts and figures. american people don't need all of the facts and figures. they have to know you believe.

you believe there is a direction the country should take and this is why it didn't work now because you are not taking it. and here is what we're going to do. here is the goal. we're going to get there. and everybody says, no, no. he just pounds it. what is donald trump's message that resonates. make america great again. we're going to win. we've been losing. that is how the american people feel. we've been losing. they're losing. and now we're going to start winning. somebody says it. somebody says it. that is leadership. when somebody will say it. you know my brother pat and i have commiserated over this and we travel around the country giving speeches and been on tv for years. and you know what the most common thing people say to us is thank you for saying it. thank you for saying it. the american people don't mind losing, they mind not being represented. they mind not being in the fight. not having somebody there

fighting for them. that's leadership. when you don't go along, but fight for what you believe in. so let's go back to the specifics. how do you make certain that you don't become one of the so-called leaders such as we have in this town. where you have party line vote. that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it. a party line vote. where the leader of the party tells you to yes vote or no vote on a bill. and this is party line. which means you as a congressman or senator cannot choose yourself how to vote or cannot look at it and determine this is where you think would be the right response to this bill. no. you've been told it is yes if you are a republican and no if you are a democrat. where is -- that is sheep. that is sheep. why not say, fine, i'm glad to know how you're going to vote and now i'll read the bill and decide how i'm going to vote.

oh, why? because they might run against you in the primary or take your fancy office away or your committee. these are important things for congressmen. that's why they're not leaders. because the most important thing for them is no longer doing what is best for the country, what is best for their constituents, what they believe is right, but rather making certain they do that enough times but when it is called upon they do what party calls them to on the other times. how can you be different. these are good men and women who have come back here and hoping to make a difference that got caught up in the system. how could you be different? and here is how you do it. one, what do you believe. find that issue and decide what is it you believe. consider the options. consider the other side. and then go talk to the other side. challenge them a little bit. so i like to use life as an example for college campuses, it

is the best. you find people who are pro-choice from which to talk to. you might have some trouble finding pro-lifers, but work it. they are out there. so what do you do. you decide this is it. life is your issue and you go talk to them. and first time you show up, you say i understand you're pro-choice. explain how you can support a policy that takes a life of a child every single time. and they're going to say, oh, and you explain to me how you can support forcing a 14-year-old to have a baby who was raped by her father. and then you're going to think, well, maybe i'm not so pro-life. i don't know that i want to defend that policy. that is their best argument. and so you have to go back and talk to people. and don't expect to know all of the answers or be ready to

defend this. this is your first try out. you go out and give it a go and you think that is a good position. i don't know that i want to support this. maybe i believe in exception for rape and incest. maybe that is my position. you should talk to people. you come to me and i'll explain to you that we don't have -- i certainly don't have authority to pick and choose which children live or die. all of them live. i fight for every single unborn child. i wish i could be a champion of every one of those little babies. and when circumstances are difficult, i will still defend their right to life. always. i've made that decision. there are good people out there who are pro-life who believe rape an incest should be an exception. you have to decide what you believe. and then you have to be able to defend it, and explain it. now you've got it. you know that response. when someone throws that out, you are ready for round two. so you go back out and talk to people, what about this and that

and you are starting to hear their position. you get to feel their angst, their anger, their willingness to intimidate you and say, you don't -- you are not even for women. you are anti-women is what you are. you are neanderthal. where is your compassion? all of this is going to get thrown aftt you. you need to hear that. you need to feel the heat. you need to feel intimidated. like you wish you had not mentioned this. i'll hang out with my pro-life friends because we know that any way and i don't have to go through this. and that is not the leader. they are in the front lines and ready to take the heat and stand proudly for the cause they feel so passionately about. that is the leader. all right. i say to my friends on college campuses, you young people, you get a chance, you tell yourself, all right, i've worked this through and talked to some people and i've looked at this, i understand their side and now i know more than ever, i believe

in the life of every single unborn child and i'm going to do something about it. so you go to class. you wait for the opportunity. i don't care if it is history or math class or it doesn't matter and it doesn't have to be social science and a teacher mentions something about rowe v. wade and you have your opportunity to make a statement and you are willing to do it. and you say, excuse me, i would like to make a statement. rowe v. wade was one of the worst most tragic decisions ever by a supreme court in this country. because it is caused the life of millions of unborns. or you make it tight her, every single time there are two lives affected. both the baby who loses its life and the mother who is tragically harmed by this procedure. something sort and long, however you want it. you hit it. and you know what will happen? how many people in that class -- you will have -- if there is 20, 19 will turn and look at you and

the teacher isser. >> -- the teacher is sneering and they are going to call names and look at you and yell at you and you don't know the answers, that is when you thank the lord for that opportunity. because now you know you are not ready. so you are going to do this again and again and again. so when you feel that pressure and that intimidation, and that outrage at you taking such a bold statement, you say, huh, what is it to me. friends, i have been called racist so many times i answer to it now. [ laughter ] now let's get back to the issue here. it doesn't bother me. i don't care. i know the issue about which i speak. and i have studied it and i know both sides of it. and i feel without question my position on immigration is the right one for this country and my position on life is the right one for every single baby and every single woman who might be

caught in that circumstance. i am absolutely certain -- and i don't care what people will say or what they might think. it makes no difference. because i lead -- i represent people -- i'm a champion of causes. i'm a champion of those working men and women who have not gotten any kind of a deal, for three decades. it is time someone represented them and fought for them. that is where i come from. and what i wan to say to you is every one of you needs to get there. this country needs true leaders. it needs people who firmly believe that there is a direction this country needs to take. there is some correction -- corrective action that has to be made and i'm not suggesting every one of you is going to run for office. but you know, i was a single mom for many, many years, like 20, for instance, i still feel like one sometimes, and i stood there picking my kids up after school and i would hear people say, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh.

do you hear what they are going to teach the kids next year in third grade. i just can't believe this. no. they are not going to teach them that. we don't want them -- they are our children. when is the next school board meeting? let's get together. if we don't like the response, when is the next school board election. we'll just take it over. because we're the parents. we're fighting for our kids. we're not going to let that happen. you need to be a leader in your families, in your communities, you can't let them tell you how you should say things, what you should say, how you should feel, we are americans. and one of the greatest gifts we've been given -- and responsibilities, is the right to speak our minds. and our responsibilities to make certain that what we say comes from our heart, with sincerity as to what is best for this country. no mean-spiritedness, just what

we feel is the right position to have. and then we have an obligation to fight for that. to lead it. to influence others in ways that our talent allows us to. that is our responsibility. so i call on every single one of you, live up to the responsibility you have and the privilege you have of being americans. and do not be intimidated. speak your minds. find out what you believe and then you represent that. and don't let anyone suggest that you cannot speak freely and boldly about those things that you feel are important. thank you very, very much. [ applause ] >> thank you. thanks very much. we have plenty of time for questions, so please -- and ask any question. it doesn't have to be about the topic i spoke of. yes.

>> [ inaudible question ]. my question is how can we as young activist on our college campuses be bold to attract other students to the conservative in the way that you explain ronald reagan and donald trump has done. >> this is what you have to do. first you start small. because you don't know if you are ready yet. like i said, what issue are you interested in. pick an issue or two. start talking to others about it. pick an issue that people are not going to agree with. and you know, i know people that do it in a very -- in-your-face manner. they love to get in the liberals face. and i'm not saying that doesn't work. and it is a style. what is your style. my style is look, call me whatever name you want, you want to talk about the issues, otherwise you don't have a case whatsoever. name calling is the lowest form of debate here. so figure out what matters to you. and that is why on the issue of

life i say, be known as a prolifer. be known as somebody who will speak about it. you can save a life if you go into the history class and you feel terrible at you because everybody called you names or looked askance and didn't agree with you but you had a bold movement and you had someone saying i think that person lost their mind for taking that position but two years from now they would say, it was a life every time. and they might hesitate. you can save lives and change minds if you speak out. and i don't care if you are at liberty or anywhere else. there is apathy on campuses like liberty, we're all in agreement and we know what is right and we go about our business. you need to debate. you think the congressmen and women come back and say i'll do what my party leader says. they think they are leaders. but they haven't been out there

and felt the intimidation. when the president of the united states calls you and said you are one of my most faith ofl and fine congressman and i helped you win and i need your vote on this. do you have the guts to say, mr. president, i think you are terrific on x, y and z, voted for you and loved having you out in my district but on this one i think you are wrong. they have the right to say that. they can't. they fall in line. that is what you need to learn now as young people. that you won't fall in line. you will always represent those core beliefs that really burn inside of you. >> thank you. >> hello. >> hi, there. >> my name is carter, i'm from the university of central florida. and i was wondering, what is the best value or trait you learned from working with reagan? >> i'll tell you, and i think this is key to a truly, truly great leader, and very -- not often present in someone who runs for office because as you reason for office and you win

and people call you the honorable or senator and they move aside when you come into rooms, pretty soon your head gets big and you are an important person and you fight to keep that position more than anything else because it is such a wonderful sense that you receive of self worth. he was the most humble person i've ever met in politics. he was truly humble human being. he took office as president of the united states and he understood the incredible honor it was. he didn't think of himself now as a big, powerful person. but having honor to be there as leader this great country. as you probably have heard thetory, he never -- the story, he never went into the oval office without a suit and tie. never. because he respected the office and he was humble. he felt, after i had the opportunity to sit with him, have lunch with him in a group, i was on his right, a couple of months after he was shot, and i said to him, i cannot tell you

how wonderful it is to have you here, you know. i had worked with him for five years by that time. and he said, bay, i am on borrowed time. and i know that. i have a purpose here. the lord has a job for me. and he wanted me to stay and do it. that was -- he understood running for re-election, i was told by somebody close to him, if the decision is that he is not to be -- remain in office, then he'll be just as happy back on the ranch. he'll be just as happy. he loved his life. and he understood that this was something that he was called upon to do at this time. and he would do it to his best. but that humility came through. when i ran into him on occasion, he called me into his hotel room after new hampshire. we won in new hampshire but we hadn't won yet. it was during the day and he had

fired the senior staff. and he wanted to talk to me about it. of course, i was worried i was next to go but he wanted to tell me he wanted me to stay but he couldn't have gotten rid of me if he wanted to. i was so -- so supportive of this man and he said -- talked to me and explained to me what happened an put his arms on my shoulders and said i want to tell you why personally, i know john sears is a friend of yours and talk to you pshlly and after he -- personally and after he does this and nancy is on the couch and reading and watching on what is going on in new hampshire, during the day. and he said, bay, my hamburger just came up. do you want half my burger. do i want half of your burger? i want to get out of here. he is the nominee and i think he should be the president of the united states. and he offering you his burger. he made you feel like you are the cousin you see every

thanksgiving and it is great to see them and want to know what is going on. that is how he made you feel. never that he was bigger or smarter or anything. we were all equals an he was just called to do this and i was called to do something else and we are all part of the team. had a humility, remember that is humility is a incredibly wonderful virtue and we should all aspire to it and it is tough in this business. sure. >> hello. my name is kyle fairer and i'm a senior at wing university. i know that what separates a leader from follower is the willingness to take action when the decisions get tough. but sometimes it is a little confusing for me because sometimes the right answer isn't always clear. there is gray area. i don't like what is behind door number one, two or three. so how do you make that decision? >> you have to -- that is a very, very good question. the first thing you do is you

have to know what you believe. all right. so your principles are very, very clear to you. that is number one. because if they are not, you could be -- there are many options. but if you know absolutely this is how it needs to be, then sometimes you don't have a clear option. you have a couple. and you have to determine yourself what is the best -- what is the best option and try to work it out. which one has the least negative impact, you know. that might be the answer. or which one has some slimmer of hope to at least solve this and it is not good for this and this, but at least it is here and we get something here. that is where your leadership comes in. and if neither of them are good, you have to speak about that. these are unacceptable and figure out a way the next go-around, the better option is present. it is not easy. but i think it's -- the easy

decisions are not what you are calling on as a leader. that is pretty obvious. it is the tough ones. and ronald reagan made mistakes. and he's the first to say, he made a terrible mistake out there as the california governor and approved and siped a bill that a -- signed abill that allowed women to support if the health of the mother was impacted and he didn't realize the kind of loophole he created. he said it was one of the greatest mistakes of his political career because everybody's health could be explained as being impacted negatively and so abortioned went on the rise. so he thought what he did was right. but it was a wrong. and so he corrected it. he fought to have much tougher laws against abortion. and that is what you have to do. you have to try to do what best. what moves it, only if it is an inch or two, and next time try to go for a foot of improvement and rather than just an inch. >> thank you. >> sure.

>> hi. my name is alex low man i'm from virginia tech. in your speech you mentioned passion and drive makes a great leader. do you believe a great leader is born with that passion and drive or is it created? >> i believe there are some people that are natural. but in the sense that they have this natural interest in issues. another person doesn't have that natural interest, you know. and they might have a natural ability to communicate, all right. but i believe passion -- true passion is something that every single one of us can have. because we do have it. at some level. like if we have our own children, you will see the kind of passion -- the level of love you have is unbelievable. you will fight for them. and that is something that comes naturally when you have a child. for the most part. as for the issues, i think when you study the issue, there is some issues you could study and

study and know everything about and could care less about. i know this is important to a lot of people, but i can't get into it. and there is another one that just drives you. that is where you got to look. what makes a difference for you. what do you care about? i don't think -- i've always been pro-life. but once i got to know women who had abortions and the impact it had on them and i've seen this happen in the world of abortions, i just have become so much a champion of the unborn. so passionate. on free trade, i was a free trader. it was best. you study it and it looks good. and then i started meeting people, as my brother will tell his story, we were up in new hampshire, and you meet people who lost their job because of free trade. and you tart thinking -- start thinking these are american families being harmed by this policy. what can we do? is there another policy? [ technical difficulties ] that is when my passion comes.

i get on tv and i talk about fair trade. i see those working men and women and i say, they need a voice. they need someone fighting for them. and i think of the unborn when i fight there. and on illegal immigration, i think of the harm happening to so many communities in this country and so many americans. and i'm very passionate about it. you see, some people have a greater level for this. i admit. but i do believe every single one of you can study an issue and recognize this is wrong and want to be part of it. you may not want to be the point person but you want to join the cause and have some representative or some role in moving it forward. not all of us are the candidates. i've been a candidate. i choose not to be a candidate again. i rather help someone else who wants to be the candidate. that is just what i choose. >> thank you. >> hello, my name is mayor fred from university university and you talk about how there aren't a whole lot of true leaders in

this town and could you give a list of congressmen and senators and governors who you consider to be true leaders. >> i don't know if we have time for this. i think ron paul is awesome. i did not support his presidency, but i sat there through every one of the debates back when he was running for president. i believe it was when romney was the nominee -- no it was both years when romney ran. and i happen to be involved in a candidate or two. and in the early debates, people would boo him. all of the party people were there and boo him and boo him because he took a position against what the party elites were for on the issue of war. he didn't believe we should be involved in foreign wars. and he would go through it time and again. he had his facts and figures and presented them and he was sound of mind. he was very passionate about it. and he made great sense. and i used to think, why are you booing him. he's making a case for something

you don't agree with but you don't boo it and listen to it and say i think he's wrong but at least he believes in something. but the end of that presidential year, he was getting cheers from the audience. and they were full of a lot of young people coming in and listening to him and the party benefited as young people realized there is another voice in this party. you see what i mean. i think ron paul -- i think rand paul is another -- a great example of always being a very person. that i happen to love ted cruz. i think ted cruz is phenomenal. i think what he's done in the senate in a short time -- a the love people say people don't like him. they don't like him? sounds like somebody i would like. he's going against the grain. he's not doing what people think he should do. i think that's a real strength. and i'll tell you, jeff sessions is phenomenal. just as phenomenal senator. he's just steady.

he is always. there can you always rely on him. he's just -- he makes his case an he presents it and he fights and tries to influence others in the senate. but he never boos. he can lose by, you know, overwhelmingly. doesn't matter. he'll come back the next time. that's a leader. they don't care that they're losing and other people in the party are shaking their head and saying, get off this, you know? but he's not running for office. but he's doing a terrific job. so yes. there's no question there are there. what worries me is the people that run and say one thing and then come back here and all the powerful people surround them and thn they come out in a different position. then they realize that didn't work. then they move over to this section. what you are doing here? go back home. you're supposed to come. know where you want the kun troy go and fight for it. that's what you're supposed to do. don't come back here and figure out how can you promote yourself by taking different positions. >> thank you. >> sure. >> hi.

my name is haley smith. i go to concordia university in irvine, california. and i was wondering when people call you racist or sexist or bigot or anything like that, what is a practical response to such comments? >> just dismiss it. you know, it makes you angry when you start hearing it. makes you angry. but the key is you put a position out there. you take have taken a position. you laid out what you believe. and somebody calls you a name. well, my feeling is, look, dismiss this nonsense. what is your counter argument? why do you think we should allow people to kill doctors to kill babies? do you think is a good policy? why? can you give me your side of it? and just to call me a name or take immigration, i mean, that's a very, very hot issue out there. and those who are for this unlimited flow of illegal immigrants into the country, all they will say is you got to be

compassionate. these people just want to make their life better. well, we have to have policies coming out of washington that are best for america. so let's discuss why this isn't good for america and you tell me how it is good for america. but let's not talk about how, you know, everybody should be in this position and not pay anything against it. key to the strength of this nation is national debate. as i said earlier, what we have somebody representing our country, we had a great guy. we're coming back in four years and two years and try it again. or we'll see what happens under this new leadership that we didn't support. and see if it goes all right or not. you know what i mean? but the key is they use intimidation as a strategy. that name calling is deliberately done to demonize the messenger.

to make you look back f you're a racist and felt sincerely who would listen? you would dismiss everything. that is their argument. they don't want to talk about the merits of the case because we win. when the american people hear the debate, we are on the winning side. but if they demonize and call you an anti-semitic or racist or anti-woman or whatev xenopho hx. they know once the facts get out there, our side is going to win. demonize makes us mean spirited people. they're blaming oiten the voters. the mean spirited americans have come up with this candidate. wait a minute, these people have voted for someone who is spoeg for them. but they can't accept that. so now they'll demonize all the

voters in america. you see, that's the key. don't be afraid of taking a position that's different. don't be afraid. learn it. make certain you feel assured this is right. this is something you believe in your heart that's so -- that's worthy of this battle. and then get into battle and let them call you name time and time and time again until it doesn't matter to you. then they can't intimidate you anymore. they can't silence you. when they silence us and they have silenced our whole movement for too many -- too often and for too long, then we lose without ever having any kind of battle. they just win and roll over us. that's what's wrong. we need the debate. we need people willing to speak out for the american people. we need to have our voice out there and so you all need to become the leaders that carry it out there and are bold. you have that courage of your

conviction. and call me what you will. but i'm coming back. be the americans you're meant to be. very all very, very much. thank you. [ applause ] >> more now from this young america's seminar and a discussion on ways students can demonstrate free speech on college campuses without violating school guidelines. they hear from lee otis of the federalist society and jordan lawrence with the alliance defending freedom. this is just over an hour. >> young america's foundation truly is the premier outreach organization of the conservative movement every year we introduce

thousands and thousands of young people to the ideas of limited government, individual freedom, a strong national defense and traditional values through conferences, young americans for freedom chapters, our center for entrepreneurship and free enterprise and national journalism center. we step forward to save president reagan's ranch in santa barbara which we use as the centerpiece of our efforts to help inspire students with his ideas. more information, of course, can be found at yaf.org. we gathered the leaders in washington to give them the resources they need to promote conservative ideas on our campuses, a territory that is increasingly hostile to the world view much that's why young americans for freedom which was founded at william f. buckley's home in 1960 experienced remarkable growth in recent years.

fax news even wrote of young americans for freedom that we trace our roots back to the conservative movement icons like buckley and like reagan. reagan was former honorary national chairman of young americans for freedom and president reagan, of course, famously said, "freedom never more than one generation away from extinction." the generation of the students in this room vividly feels the reality of that statement. their freedom of expression is under assault from coast to coast. the students are on the front lines of bitter battle raging protect conservative rights. young americans for freedom chapter who are with tois day in the audience found themselves smack in the middle of a argument in the work fight last february when they attempted to host a young america's foundation sponsored lecture by ben schapiro on their campus. after hundreds of liberal students and professors organized a dangerous and

violent protest physically blocked the entrance to the speech, these students had to being escorted into the venue through a side door in small groups by police who were seriously afraid for their safety all in an effort to listen to a conservative speaker. one of the least pleasant experiences of my life but one that inspired me on to my career at young america's foundation. so really, it's time for us to consider the question, should this really be happening on college campuses in the united states of america? of all places. they are panelist who's offer wisdom and effort to answer this critical question. each will deliver remarks from the podium but before we open the floor up for a question and answer session. our first speak is jordan lawrence who serves as senior council for defending freedom, an invaluable organization that is assisting the foundation in

the lawsuit against csu l.a. over the ben schapiro event. this em compasses a broad range of freedoms of public university students and professor. lawrence argued for the u.s. supreme court in the precedent setting south v. board of regents of the university of wisconsin case in 1999, challenging the university's requirement that force unwilling students to contribute to community activist groups. he led private worship services and vacant public schools and the long running bronx household of faith v. the board of education of the city of new york. he got a degree from the minnesota law school and ba in journalist from stanford in 1977. he was admitted to the bar in minnesota, va vashgs district of column yashgs u.s. supreme court and federal several and appellate courts. next is lee otis, faculty director at the connecticservat

destruction. cle, r. clerked for xa lee yoont court after pales, served as a special assistant at the department of justice under attorneys william smej and edwin meese and returned to clerk for justice scalia after his appointment to the supreme court. she joined george mason school of law as a professor of constitutional law. she went on to serve as associate council to h.w. push to practice appellate litigation at the washington office of jones dave and to serve as chief council to the immigration xmst the senate judiciary committee and the general counsel of the department of energy and most recently as associate deputy attorney general at the department of justice. as a foupding director, she has been an important member of the federal society since the organization's beginning 25 years ago. we're so excited for these speakers to share their insights with all of you to day w that,

please help me welcome jordan lawrence to the podium. experiences with yaf was last fall going up to gettysburg college to talk about why censorship is bad and freedom of speech is good. now, you would think that such an elementary principle of constitutional law and american values would be something that everybody would agree with. but i face that hostile crowd of people who know their right. and i just thought that even though they may be, you know, hipster whatever they would call themselves, they are the most rigid fundamentalist authoritarian people i have run into.

frequently that's the label we get for ourselves. i get that -- i'm the one advocating for freedom of speech on campus tolerance civility and sure didn't get it when we were up there. that's the fight we're in. i want to start this with a quote from abraham lincoln, from a speech he gave about ten months into his presidency in december of 1861 when things were looking pretty dark for the north. he said this, in a message to congress. the struggle of today is not all together for today. it's for the vast future, also. with a reliance on providence, all the more firm and earnest, let us proceed in the great task which events have devolved upon us. i'm going to get into some of the specifics of your rights on campus under the first amendment at state universities. i want to point out because i think abraham lincoln gives us a perspective here. in the providence of god you have been selected to be the age

you are at this time in history. not 200 years ago. not 200 years in the future. you're in the united states, you're not in some other country. so what we are fighting for is both what is immediately before us, we're not fighting the institution of slavery or trying to bring down soviet communism. we've got this politically correct disease that's running rampant at universities. our fight is not just for today, it is for the vast future. and providence has devolved upon us, has thrust upon us these events. and that's what we're fighting for. it's not only just for you and your students at your campuses that are in your chapters but it's for the vast future. it's for our basic institutions. and they are under threat. and we've heard examples ben shapiro in california. you know, yale, university of

missouri. just some of the crazy thuggishness we've seen where people somehow view themselves as academically more enlightened and advanced and yet they implement these authoritarian measures to silence people who are against them. so we see things like safe spaces and trigger warnings and all these types of things that are totally at odds of freedom of speech and protecting our right of association. unlike to ad that says what happens in vegas stays in vegas, what happens at the universities doesn't stay there. it spreads into regular american society. so these universities that are training tomorrow's leaders are basically training them to think it is normative to have speech codes and speech zones and non-discrimination policies imposed upon private organizations, compelled payments of student fees to

groups who oppose your ideas. et cetera, et cetera. that that should all be viewed as totally against the liberties that are secured by the first amendment. no, this is normal. we got to protect people from hearing things that they don't agree with. et cetera. and that's what we are fighting for. so let me go on to some of the specifics about some of the things that as specifically manifest themselves on campuses that, in my job at alliance of freedom and other attorneys and allied attorneys we are fighting. and i want to add one of the things i do, i worked on our university cases. but we've increasingly had a quite an effective impact at the u.s. supreme court. last four terms we've had seven

cases granted, six of them have been decided. we won all six. we have another one that's going to be argued in the fall. it's really really difficult to get cases up at the supreme court and win. the fact that we have worked to have quality cases that the justices are ruling in our favor to me, i just have to say i'm very proud to be part of the team at adf that's put that together. we're not just some outsiders who have no effect. just make a lot of noise and have no effect. speech codes. restrict offensive speech. let me just say this is like saying two plus two equals four under the constitution. there is no right not to be offended. and yet on many campuses they think there's a right to a sanitized corridor that they can walk down and not hear anything that offends them. if they do they're allowed today invoke the authority of the university officials to silence the people who offend them.

in 1949 the supreme court wrote, accordingly a function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. it may serve its purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction as they are and stirs people to anger. it doesn't give you a right to silence those people that evoke those actions in you. in a free society you've got to tolerate hearing things you don't agree with. at many campuses they do the opposite and try to silence offensive speech. we get things like this, here's a speech code from san francisco state. students are expected to be civil to one another. this was used to bring their administrative charges against the college republicans.

this wasn't like some sort of, you know cracker jack box statement of -- fortune cookie thing you should be civil to each other. it was an enforced policy against the college republicans. under adf's lawsuit, the federal courts struck that down as grossly violating the first amendment. what does it mean? civility? like, that just arms the government with the ability to shut down anybody that they don't want. one of my favorite speech codes is this from penn state. intolerance will not be tolerated at penn state. again, used against people. i could go on and on and on. groups like fire, from philadelphia, have pointed out how wide spread these speech codes are. and there has never -- when they have been challenged in court they are always struck down. none of these have ever been upheld. but we need people who are willing to go to court and to challenge these.

let me just say, also, the first amendment only applies -- the constitution only applies to the government. private schools don't -- you don't have freedom of speech rights at a private school. the government cannot disobey the first amendment. so a speech code at a state or city university, those are in violation of the first amendment. speech zones. so another way that things are -- speech is suppressed on campuses is with speech zones. speech zones sound like they're a moderate reasonable regulation. we have a lot of people on campus, we have to regulate the flow of folks, et cetera, et cetera. that type of thing. what they have done frequently is used today suppress speech. and so on some campuses you'll have these spaces that are about, you know, eight feet long and about three feet wide and that's the only place you can stand to hand out literature. and they usually then will put it, you know, at the far end of campus, you know, on the dark side of the moon in outer mongolia where nobody ever goes. although there can be reasonable regulations to, you know, et cetera, these things are

manifestly unreasonable if they do things like this and unconstitutional where they basically say you can't have spontaneous conversations, you can't have one-on-one conversations. you can't hand out anonymous literature. and have very, very restrictive times that you can speak. so just yesterday, adf attorneys were in court against north carolina state. that basically under their policy, if you were in the student union and met somebody and said hi my name is so and so. i know you wouldn't do this but i have to illustrate this. you would do it with your iphone or whatever. if you hand the person a written note with your telephone number on it that would violate the policy.

it would be soliciting without a permit. and that you would have to run upstairs to the student union to get a permit to say give me a call, here's my e-mail address, you would need a permit for that. we are hopeful after the preliminary injunction hearing yesterday the federal judge will soon be striking that down as unconstitutional. we defended the chapter at palm beach state college in florida. they wanted to hand out literature from the heritage foundation. the police for that university stopped them. said you can't do this you need a permit. you have to get 24 hours advanced notice and then you are relegated to this small little area. those are unconstitutional. if you encounter that, give us a call at alliance defending freedom. if you have any question, call us. 800-telladf. ask for the university lawyers and we can give you advice on this. we've got your back.

student fee funding. this was the case i argued against the university of wisconsin about 16 years ago we got kind of a half result with all of this. we tried to argue that students should be totally exempt like the union dues cases from being forced by a state university to fund groups that advocate ideas they disagree with. if you're prolife you don't have to fund the -- if there's a chapter of planned parenthood on campus as a condition to attend that state university. you haven't have to pay a group that advocates ideas you disagree with. the lower courts agreed with me. the supreme court said, well, we're going to have this rule. it's still a pretty good rule. i would have gone further that you can force students to contribute, but the money has to be available to everybody without condition. they can't say we like your viewpoint, you get money. you don't get money because we disagree with what you say.

immigration issue. they funded it through student fees. afterwards the administrators told them their flyers went too far. they were offended by the title, alien invasion. that was offensive to some groups and you don't get any funded it. that is a violation of the decision from the supreme court. now, so they can have this we don't like your viewpoint or they'll do another trick categorical exclusions, we don't fund religious cases. i won a case that says you can't single out religion as a subject matter. the catholic group at the university of wisconsin was denied funding because they spent student fee money on religious things. we were able to get the 7th circuit to say that was viewpoint discrimination to single out religious groups for exclusion.

they can exclude you because you're a political group. it was the texas aggie at texas a&m wanted to discuss race and social justice issues from a conservative perspective. even if it -- star parker was mild and nobody disagreed with her which probably wouldn't have been the case. if she had been they would have denied her under this exclusion against political groups. that is something that is not allowed under the constitution. also, security fees. you're bringing in somebody controversial. so you're going to have to pay $10,000 in security fees or something like that. financial deterrent that's

unconstitutional. the supreme court and lower courts have said. i've got -- i want to wrap up on one point. if you have specific questions we'll get to those. the thing that i want you to get back to the quote from abraham lincoln. you've got to think that this is your time and destiny. what we need are people who are willing to do lawsuits. because people say wait, i think this is unconstitutional. man, you know, i want to get into grad school and i'm going to flunk out here at the university of babylon if i

challenge their speech code or something like that. what we need is people to see that their moment in history is both a present reality and for the vast future. and we need people who courageously take the step. now, you know, there could be other things. it may not be a lawsuit, it may be something else. but what we don't need are more people who are playing it safe but we want people who are willing to take the courageous risk because then you get the big upside. i want to end with this. this is a quote from teddy roosevelt from a speech he gave at the sorbonne university in 1910. many you may be familiar with this.

the man in the arena. this so accurately captured the character of the type of people we need today to bring -- revitalize our constitutional rights and liberties that we cherish. president roosevelt said it's not the critic who counts not the man that points out how the strong man stumbled or the doer of deed could have done better. the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. who strives valiantly. who errs but knows the great enthusiasms. the great devotions who spends himself for a worthy cause. who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst if he

fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. thank you. [ applause ] >> thanks everybody. great to be here. thank you very much to pat and the young america's foundation for including me in this. i am going to start, actually with a story about how i find myself here. and the story has everything to do with campus freedom issues. a long time ago i was in college at yale.

and i was really not particularly interested in politics. in fact, you know, i was pretty much of an apolitical left of center liberal person who didn't really pay much attention to what was -- to all of these ideas. i just assumed coming from manhattan and the upper west side and jewish family that, you know, had long been associated with -- had long associated liberal views with goodness. that, you know, everyone who was anyone was a liberal and that, you know, nobody could -- nobody who really thought about these questions would ever be a conservative. so i was very surprised when i got to college and i met among the student body some very smart charming friendly conservatives who actually were very curious intellectual curious and, you know, always eager to get into

debates about things. and then on the other hand, i was quite surprised to discover there had been a controversy at yale the previous year about the question of whether a debate should take place between william shockley and william rusher. interestingly enough, the young americans for freedom play a pivotal role here. because this debate was originally going to be between shockley and someone else i can't remember sponsored by the political union. but there was student opposition to it and a lot of protests. shockley in fact holds some views that are you know, almost certainly incorrect and you know, about significance of race and determining iq. and so basically this triggered a wave of protests and disruption ultimately of the debate that was held which was actually not between rusher -- shockley and the original opponent but between shockley and rusher a by the young americans group.

as a result of that disruption yale appointed a committee and the committee produced the woodruff report which is to this day, i think viewed as a model of the statement of principles of free speech on campus. the effect of this on me was also to be very surprised that it turned out that the left was opposed to free speech and the right was in favor of free speech. this was contrary to everything i had been led to believe when i was growing up. as a matter of prejudice not as matter of informed opinion. and as a result of these experiences, i gradually you know, began to engage with conservative ideas. and ultimately found myself starting the federalist society at chicago law school along with

some other friends. and so in a certain sense the federalist society owes its existence to the political union who were very profree speech. and who kind of took over the union partly in response to what happened. and as a result of all this, you know, i would say the federalist society is in a certain sense the product of efforts of campus censorship.

so what do we take from this? i think one thing we can take from it is that these efforts to sensor can certainly have unintended consequences. and i do think that people who are, you know, being told at the age of 18 what they are and are not allowed to think or to some extent despite the push in that direction going to be fertile ground for having a possible negative reaction. because i think that at that age we all tend to be somewhat contrarian. and so i think that is potentially at least an opportunity for all of you to

capitalize on. the other thought is that i do think that the particular form that censorship is taking right now is in some ways a little trickier to combat than was the case when i was in school. now, when i was in school, you know, you had the same situation that basically with the university administrators in terms of their predilections. their impulse was to bring up on charges the people who had sponsored the event as opposed to the people who had disrupted the event. that was their instinct. but i think that the rhetoric that was being used to attack the event was a little different

and that the current rhetoric is a little more difficult to deal with. the rhetoric at the time was something like, you know, we can't have a debate about racism. it's not a debatable idea. and, you know, the problem with that is, obviously in fact people have debated the idea and it's not at all clear that you do better dealing with it by not debating it than by debating it. that was a very bad argument i think. one that left the people glancing at someone naked because it's just so directly contrary to the presumption of ideas. i think the current rhetoric finds its origin actually in sort of an out growth of the civil rights laws. and in particular, i think that it's an expansion way beyond

kind of even, you know, what was contemplated when this originated of the notion of harassment. i think the current move is basically if it makes me unhappy or uncomfortable it is harassing. and that's a very difficult proposition to maintain, too. it's kind of when you think about it, you know, the idea that you should be able to be free from things -- from speech that upsets you, is very difficult with the basic premise of freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas. but i think because it has a more apparent victim, you know, in the way that the problem is framed, and because there is -- seemed to be an infinity of victims you can come up with, who claim they're upsetness is

privileged, it doesn't put you in a way in a somewhat more difficult rhetorical posture. so i think actually, that -- one thing that needs to happen that this needs to be discussed more. the fact that -- i want to be freed from having to be upset. because i think if you put it that way, you know, it kind of just clarifies the difficulty. and it also, i think, puts front and center how we've got to zero some problem here. because, you know, what if i'm upset i'm told i can't upset you? now what? you know. and you can do a regression forever. i mean, the answer to some extent that the censors come up with is, well, you know, some people are entitled to be upset and other people are not entitled to be upset. usually the policies can't be

framed exactly that way. and so you can -- so i think -- i do think that, you know, just explaining what's going on can be helpful. one other thing, you know, i think that turned out to be helpful in the yale event back in the late 70s that also turns out to be helpful to us at the federalist society, is i think it is very good idea to try to hold debates where you can. in other words not just to invite a conservative speaker and -- or a libertarian speaker. but to invite people to debate something. i think this has a couple different advantages as a tactical proposition.

one of them is that the you'll get people there who don't agree with you now. but who may agree you when they leave. and, you know, speaking from my own experience, again, i think it's a great way of not preaching to the choir and also of testing, you know, the ideas that you are thinking about because it is possible there's something wrong with them, god forbid. but in that case it's really good to find that out. and the other thing is is that i think that automatically if it's a debate, it sort of assumes it's a question that can be

resolved by means of ordinary tools of reason. and i think one big thing that's going on with the censorship is essentially an effort to discredit reason as a way of resolving disputes. and -- but people don't really buy that on the whole. i mean, you know, not really smart people, which is what most people who are in colleges, you know, are. because after all, you know, where would they be if reason gives way to force? i mean, they would not be in good shape, believe me. most of us. i think that anti-reason is not really ultimately a viable position. but it's a tempting one. you know, and we're all tempted by it from time to time. it's not like, listening politely to other people's views is something that comes naturally to people.

it's actually a great innovation that needs to be protected as emily said. you know, one generation away at all times. and so i do think jordan is quite right in his call for action here. i think we are at a scary point in a lot of ways are for freedom of speech not only on campus, but i think also he's right that it doesn't stay there. and so, you know, i do think it's very important that, you know, people have some moral courage and stand up to this. i don't think that you're -- i think it's a good idea to try to do it civilly, politely, you know, simply to borrow an unfortunate, you know -- the fact there's a rule in favor of civility is bad. but nonetheless, civility itself is actually not a bad thing in a community. and so, you know, try to do it civilly and respecting other people's motives and ask them to

respect yours. and point to your own sort of upsetness when yours are not respected as well i think. and you know i think this -- there is still enough belief in these values that there is a reservoir you can tap to essentially i think jonathan hite who is the social psychologist who has done very important work on universities and on this question and who has this blog. has come up with i think a useful distinction between the liberal left and the illiberal left. i think there are members of the liberal left out there, their intimidated because they don't really have great tools to fight back. i think they're out there and i think it's not the case that a

majority of students really, you know, do want speakers shouted down or disinvited. i think it's a vocal minority who is causing this. there is important there be push back. i commend all of you and all the young americans for freedom for encouraging that to happen. [ applause ] >> thank you so much to both of you. if the students can start lining up by the microphone. we hope to have a robust question and answer session here. >> can i also -- lee is great --

has great humility and modesty of character that i want to say -- she says, you know, casually i'm the founder of the federalist society. sort of like yeah, i helped write the first amendment, something along those lines. i graduated from the university of minnesota in 1980 which was two years before the federalist society started. it was just an unrelentingly mono tone of leftist talk and there was no way, no breakthrough, any alternative views. and i remember it frustrated me and lee -- if i get this story right -- three of her associates, a guy named professor scalia, right? said why don't we set up these debates at universities where we

bring in somebody to debate the other side the way she was talking about. i want to add from my own experience, that the other value of the debate is that if you think of yourself in a classroom and your professor says some very extremely dubious but left wing thing, the professor is in a power position in the classroom. has probably 20 years on you, a couple of degrees, you're a 20-year-old or whatever. what a debate does is neutralizes those advantages. you put him or her, the professor on an equal footing with somebody whose not the professor's student and also is equally qualified. so they can't just lord over you in an unquestioning manner. you know, where they're never questioned and never challenged.

and i want to point back to this lincoln quote. she probably -- i don't know her that well, but she probably is not even thinking about this. when they were in chicago and started this, they had no idea -- like lincoln said the struggle is not all together just for today at the university of chicago campus in 1982. it's for the vast future. this year alone i have spoken at i believe nine -- this school year that just ended. nine federalist chapters, university of michigan, yale, harvard. and i think of the freedom that has been called out for students to hear an alternative point of view. i don't think you had the idea this thing -- they have a convention every november and they get a thousand people at it. why would a thousand people when to hear reform of the telecommunications industry? it's a family reunion. they say i'm not alone. i'm not crazy. i'm at this family reunion. it's like therapy just to hear people say things like, i'm not nuts to believe there's a better way that liberty is right. the thing is, i want -- you need to understand. when you take the risk and take the steps, it can have this exponential explosion. some of the liberal law school, the federalist group is the largest group on campus. there was this little obscure student and her three comrades. compatriots. who put this together and so you

always -- i just think risk taking, taking initiative. not playing it safe. is generally the way to go. and so thank you, lee. >> well, thank you very much for everything that you do, including speaking to all of our chapters. with that, i have to say that i hope that if any of you are thinking about law school, that we will hear from you if you end up there. >> that's right. >> absolutely. please take all that to heart. i want to add to lee's remarks,

is that, it's important to keep in mind you aren't in the minority. we have done polling at young american's foundation we have done polling that shows the vast majority of students do support free speech rights. they need to be educated on what they should look like. it's not true there's mobs and mobs of vast majority of students hate free speech. it's not true. you do have a position of power in your campus as far as that goes. but with that i'm going to open it up to questions. please state your name and school and keep them brief because we have an awesome line. we want to get through as many questions as possible. [ inaudible ] >> my question is, obviously, there are certain types of speech that are not protected by the first amendment. do you believe that speech that is likely to the site violence that that type of speech, do you think that restriction is too broad or do you think that is a

fair restriction? >> the supreme court has said it's got to be advocating for imminent lawless action. so i just think, just a generalized call, i just think is -- you got to be very very careful. i think whenever you say the government can ban this, that's -- i think there are things they can, the supreme court has said that. you've got to be careful because the government wants to expand the boundaries. >> one exception there isn't as for quote, hate speech. there's no such exception to the first amendment for your information. i mean, you wouldn't get that from reading a lot of things. but, actually, there's no recognized exception for quote, unquote, hate speech. partly because the boundaries of what that is are very unclear. >> next question. >> my name is anders. i go to hillsdale college. i'm passionate about the first amendment. i find i can't be on the front lines at a liberal university fighting against it. what would you recommend for a student like me to do on my campus to fight for the first amendment? >> one thing that -- also, because hillsdale is private,

it's not subject to the first amendment. if you're thinking about law school, and you're at a place like hillsdale, then think -- try to excel in your grades so you can apply and go to the university of chicago or harvard or yale or stanford and go into places that are much -- where the next generation of leaders are going to be and advocate for freedom of speech there. that's what i would suggest. >> thank you. >> i do think while we're on the topic of private schools, there are still issues with private schools restricting free speech rights.

in their mission statement they talk about free expression and free speech it can be a -- >> yes, that is generally correct. for example if you have a religious school like, you know, thomas aquinas or liberty university, they can say we advocate christian values, if you don't like it, tough. we're going to throw you out or something like that or don't come here. they're allowed to do that. if a private university says come here to our campus and we engage in freedom of speech and protect students' rights to express their ideas without

punishment. then they're setting up a contract. they're making an offer and saying come to my school, we'll protect your rights. they say you can't say anything offensive. there's a breach of contract. there have been some lutes like that against schools that do that. and i think there are some success there. they're not violating the first amendment. this year, was, obviously, very -- >> bring in some muscle here. >> one of my good friends took that video. he was assaulted.

>> i'm actually in the journalism school now. as things have descend flood lunacy on that campus, i kind of got moore into the first amendment activism side of it, too. >> i guess, you know, i don't think that if you are polite that anything bad is going to come of it academically. i may be wrong. maybe i'm being a crazy optimist here. but i suspect that just, you know, taking -- take, you know, explaining your views in a measured reasonable way will be okay. am i crazy? >> i don't think is a form l.a. like you follow a cooking

recipe. if you do this can you get through everything and all. that what i would say is -- and this is sort of reinforcing a theme, is you want to cultivate a habit of risk taking. sometimes people may accuse you of being rude or you actually are rude. i don't think you should be rude. i think the biggest problem, hey, young person, you have to dial it back. you're being too flamboyant or reckless, for every one i have to say that to, you're too cautious, not taking risks. is i think you want to cultivate risk taking and learn how to stand alone. i am willing to suffer loss to do the right thing here. and i think those are the kinds of people that later -- that as you're stakes get higher. if you've cultivated being courageous, that's when you get high rewards and big upside. like roosevelt said, can you suffer defeat. there's even a dignity in i tried to do something big and it didn't work. i think you have to take the circumstances as they come

along. don't be needlessly offensive. boldness, that is young people. if i had to do my life over again, you hear somebody say that, they are giving you a million dollar piece of advice for free, i would have taken more risks. lee and people at the university of chicago did that and many, many benefited because of a risk she took in '92. >> i have a little bit -- i don't fundamentally disagree. i think courage is a moral habit and easy to get into bad habits about it. i think it's really important not to do that. but i also think you're something of an ambassador to people who don't know any conservatives. i think that's also important. yes, take risks but i actually think it's pretty important to do it in a way that will be attractive rather than offensive personally. >> i think that's a good thing

to say. last october when i had people screaming at me about how i wasn't giving them dignity. i would read their flyers. now that you've gotten to know me, do you feel like i'm showing this. i hope i'm showing respect to you and you have eternal dignity. i would just read them their quotes. after a while, they were just kind of hanging their heads and wouldn't respond. so you never want to vow them as cardboard, lefties, but all people made in the image of god and therefore have intrinsic value and due respect because of that. i'm really glad you added that. you take risk taking with respect. >> my question is, what do you think, what function of these liberal universities are causing students to arrive at the answer undeterred free speech is not the answer and like restricting

free speech is the answer. what function of the university is causing it. generally speaking many universities know the consequences of restricting free speech and even aware of that going down the wrong path. >> i would say there are two things. they think they are right, so why do we have to tolerate error because we've already arrived at the right answer. the other thing is i think state universities do not view themselves as governmental

entities. they are kind of a denial they are governmental entities subject to first amendment. no, we're just enlightened ascended masters that are bringing light and truth to the unwashed masses. if you oppose that, you're on the wrong side of history, blah, blah, blah, this kind of thing. when you bring up this first amendment stuff they look at you like what are you talking about? i would say moral courage is something to cultivate i don't think they go into this to be morally courageous. to the contrary, they get into bad habits.

the screw tape letters are pretty good example of how this kind of thing works. railroad, it's a beaurocracy. screw tape letters ar beaurocracy. administration is a beaurocracy, a beaurocracy composed of very smart people but probably more cowardly than the average comp of very smart people but who are probably more cowardly than the average person. and so -- and they also are generally -- there's just this kind of general no enemies to the left mentality i think, you know, among liberals. and so when they have liberal, left-wing students screaming at them, i think their tendency is to cower. i don't know that that's going to change anytime soon, unfortunately.

>> right. only a bureaucracy, if you're going to penn state, would come up with a statement of intolerance will not be tolerated at penn state. >> thank you. next question. >> i am olivia. i'm currently at cal state l.a. and then next quarter or semester will be at usc. we saw at cal state l.a. a lot of leftists protesting ben shapiro coming to campus. and i noticed that there's this trend of like sol lalinsky style organizing where it's very aggressive and it's almost like you can't even get a word in. so being courageous and being respectful is almost not an option, because you're being attacked. so how do we compose ourselves and actually win on campus when we're fighting an uphill battle? do we fight dirty like them? >> no, is one answer.

>> let me -- this is -- on the specifics, you know, should we -- you know, there's a near riot in the auditorium, should we go in there and try to shout them down back? i don't want to speak to any specific circumstance. but i think this would be a helpful thing to think about. is that when i worked for concerned women for america, we had a great media person, rebecca hagelin, who said to me when you're -- so the way i would encounter this, i would be doing a debate and there would be a big audience and the guy would be like screaming and yelling and saying all sorts of dumb things and i couldn't get a word in edgewise. and they said -- she said to me do not think everybody is agreeing with the screaming people. and that there's a lot of people who don't quite know what to think or they're willing to allow you to listen. and that's the audience you speak to. so you don't try to address mr. screamer. you address the convincible people in the middle.

and that has been very helpful that it's almost like -- you still treat them with respect like lee was talking about, so you don't dismiss them. but what's happened is you can kind of get focused on like oh, yeah? oh, yeah? you know, like that to the person. it's almost like you've got to tune them out and speak to the others. now, that might be in an alternative environment like a blog post or event the next week. so you have to think of how do you specifically implement that. you know, in the environment that you're in in southern california or whatever. but the thing is you direct it to the people that are convincible. and i think that that will help liberate you from feeling this frustration. these people -- i bring up intelligent answers and they just scream back to me, you know, and with invective and slogans and don't even respond. and it's almost like you know what, maybe they'll be convinced in the future but those aren't the people you're -- they're really not your target audience. >> i agree completely.

i think that's very good advice. >> honestly, that's what happened. we actually got a lot of recruits after that event because they saw -- >> and adf was there to defend you guys with ben shapiro. >> yeah. round of applause. [ applause ] >> my name is anna martinez, i also attend cal state l.a. taking in consideration your history and experience in dealing with censorship and fighting for free speech would you consider what we're seeing across the nation's campuses the worst wave of censorship you've ever seen? >> i would say in my lifetime -- i don't know, 100 years ago or something like that. i think it's the worst. to me it's getting worse and worse and worse. and to me it almost -- i have this feeling like it's got to implode or something. it just can't go on adinfinitum because it can't go on in a free society to be like that. >> i agree. it was fairly bad when i was in

college. but i do think this is worse for some of the reasons i said in terms the nature of the argument. and also all of the identity politics have really -- you know, made it extremely difficult to have an actual argument about things in a way that is worse. but -- and i also agree it's an opportunity. but it's an opportunity -- you know, it may imploez. ploed. by don't think we can count on it imploding on its own. i do think it's important to stand up and point out what's going on. >> right. >> i just want to add, we bring up the next questioner here. just one thing i want to say, one thing that i wish i would have known when i was in college and law school was how much training comes from mentors. and try to find people that are smart, you know, the obi wans and that yodas that can help you wield the light saber.

i look back and i was unaware of i was being trained by mentors and i wish i had more of a deliberate understanding of that so i could have consciously sought out people to train me on how to do things. it is amazing to me, you've got to go to school, for example, to qualify to take the bar exam but you learn how to practice law by some mentor. so internships, all those kinds of things, look for that. don't think all learning is classroomy kind of stuff. >> hi, my name is kenny shu, i'm from davidson college. >> where is that? i'm sorry. i can't remember. >> it's in north carolina. you can think of steph curry, he went there. so basically, the big thing around -- surrounding my college is the talk about privilege and especially white privilege. and we had had like a pathways

of privilege event. i went to that for some reason. and i was just not impressed at all. it just -- that's the big talk around here. so please, yoda, please explain to me i guess just some sources, some intellectual sources of this privilege rhetoric. where did this rhetoric come from? how did it spread? and what is the best way to combat it? >> and lee may have more, because she deals with faculty and may have more ideas on the whole white privilege issue. but i would say this. this is one tactic i use when i do debates, is to bring up something that's undeniable but outside of their -- the way that they're constructing the reality of white privilege. and say you know what i really think i benefited from was marriage privilege.

my parents' marriage ended when my mom died of cancer and breathed her last breath during my second year of law school. and i and my two brothers benefited from having a stable marriage, no divorce, et cetera. there was accumulation of wealth. there was the emotional stability of the home and all that. and i basically -- the most important things my parents did was stay married. and it didn't matter that my skin was white. or if you say that i have white privilege, much of my success -- one of my brothers is a very successful stock broker. the other one is a mechanical engineer with a very successful -- you know, has patents, all this sort of stuff. i've argued at the u.s. supreme court. that comes from marriage privilege. and they'll say no, no, no. okay. look, how much of me is white privilege and how much of my success is marriage privilege? and then you know, when we see the black community, for

example, ravaged by these very high percentages of children being born out of wedlock, the churches that i defended in new york city, they -- people come to -- none of the kids have married parents. and they talk about come to christ and marry the mother of your children. and see, that's the type of thing where like i don't really know all the rhetoric on white privilege. i do know this stuff. i basically invite them onto my home team, my home field, and ask them to explain, to negate that before they can talk about it. and i have found that that's like -- it's like coming in blindsiding them. that they'd never thought about that. and they have to start badmouthing it. they start badmouthing it. then i start reading some of the things president obama said from his fathership initiative. so i say so you oppose what president obama has said about his fathers lea his father leaving him and going

back to kenya was one of the most devastating things to his life, and stuff like this. and then all of a sudden you've changed the discussion and maybe opened some minds. so that's one thing i would offer. lee, what do you -- have you got anything? >> actually i have not traced the specific history of white privilege. and check your privilege. and i would be curious to do that, actually. as a general matter, i think a lot of this is mark kuza essentially arguing that -- you know, the same thing about, you know, it's equally the poor man and the rich man are equally free to sleep under the bridge. it's that kind of argument that freedom essentially requires some minimal level of material well-being and societal respect and so on and therefore we need to essentially redistribute freedom and prevent some people from being free in order to equalize freedom. i think it's some argument like

that. part of it also is just this backdrop that there's just, you know, when people talk about, as alan coors says, alan coors, who teaches at the university of pennsylvania and is very involved in fire, the organization that, you know, is dedicated to combating censorship on campus. says that basically when people talk about multi-cultural education and diversity, what they really mean is there's one western culture and it's the enemy. and that it's been spreading ignorance and despotic power. and thoonl -- any voice as that challenge it and only voice that's challenge it are the ones to be heard. his speeches on youtube at clemson and well worth having a look at. but you know, i think his core

point is that this would deny the individuality of people and that that has to be wrong. you know, that sort of grouping everybody as white or as women or as anything else, you know, prevents them from defining themselves. and that can't be right. >> whose speech was that? i forget. >> allen kors. k-o-r-s. >> he's a great guy. i also think david french of "national review" has written about this as well. he doesn't he doesn't have lengthy scholarly discourse on it but i recall he's written on this as well. >> yes, he's great, and i'm sorry he's not here. >> all right. next question. >> hello. my name is manfred went. i'm a senior. as a student of a private

administration what should i look for to know my administration has crossed the line and i can sue them? >> look to see in like the student handbook or the regulations what they say about freedom of speech. but also think of this more organically in the sense of here i am as part of my university community. who could i bring in to speak about these things to educate people and to basically be a benefit to those on campus? not necessarily -- even though i may come across sort of like, yeah, let's have a big street fight or something like that, i also want to say you want to view yourselves as part of a community, that you're bringing something of value to them by hearing about the need to tolerate expressions of opinion that you disagree with, and that that's an important american value. you know, find people that can bring on -- to bring on campus and to talk about it.

if that provokes controversy, so be it. but it's like you don't want to have controversy for controversy's sake. you want to bring -- but you know, nowadays saying we should have freedom of speech. marriage is only one man and one woman. that provokes nuclear war on many campuses. but maybe that's something that needs to be done. but you bring in articulate people. this is what federal society has done. because there's just such excellence and many of the speakers that come in and do these debates. and people just say wow, just the power of the ideas cannot be denied. and you convince a lot of those people in the middle. you'll always have the screaming activists that will never be convinced. but a lot of people do get won over by intelligent presentations of more traditional points of view. >> thank you. >> absolutely. i think there's probably many of you in this room who have had that experience.

unfortunately, that is going to be our last question. i just want to say i think this was -- sorry. i think this was an absolutely fascinating conversation and i hope it's kind of developed your conception of the censorship movement that's probably on your campus. if it's not, it's probably coming. and that you'll use it really as a resource to combat that censorship movement because that's really what it deserves to be called. remember, like president reagan said, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. i don't think that's ever been more true than it is right now. and i think you guys are our last line of defense. so don't just, you know, brush that aside. that's a very serious responsibility and obligation. we're so glad all of you are here and we're so glad you were here to hear this panel. and i want to thank our panelists. and with that i think we'll adjourn to lunch. [ applause ]

[ room noise ] our live coverage of the presidential race continues tuesday night with primaries in six states -- california, montana, new jersey, new mexico, and north and south dakota. >> a more different vision for our country. than the one between our side of democrats for progress, for prosperity, for fairness and

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to cast their ballots in tuesday's primary polls show the democratic race too close to call between not hillary clinton and bernie sanders. dan walters, who is a politics and government columnist for the "sacramento bee," writes the following -- "hillary clinton's seemingly smooth path to the democratic nomination has suddenly developed some potholes." he is joining us from sacramento. thank you for being with us. >> you're welcome. >> so what's happened? >> well, not a lot in the last few days. bernie sanders and hillary clinton have been running up and down the state campaigning furiously. bill clinton's been on the campaign trail too, obviously. and strangely enough, donald trump's been up and down the state. i don't know why. he's got it all locked up. but he's been almost as active as hillary clinton and bernie sanders in california in recent days. all aiming toward of course tuesday's primary. the voting began weeks ago. the mail voting. and probably well over 50% of the ballots that will be cast in this