movement will rise up and fight back. that is what happened. i think you for it. -- i thank you for it. a great thing is happening in the united states of america. tiger woods is holding his press conference at 11:00 a.m. eastern. i think we can learn a lot from that situation. not from tiger, but from his wife. so, she said that she had had enough. she said no more. i think that we should take a page out of her plea bought and taken nine i n and smashed the window out of big government in this country. -- take a 9 iron and smash the window out of big government in this country. [applause] we have had enough. even though we have made great

progress over the past year, let's be candid with each other. we love the united states of america. we do not wish this country ill will. . . we want to make sure that we rise up not just to highlight the problems and the challenges but also that we offer solutions in a more positive and hopeful agenda going forward. we may well be given as conservatives the privilege and the responsibility to govern and lead this nation once again. and when we do, this time we need to do what we say we're going to do. [applause] >> if we give our team members and leaders the jersey of conservative and they are going to lead and govern under the banner of conservative, then they need to go to washington, d.c., and walk the walk. they need to walk the walk.

so if we're given that chance, let's remember where it starts. we have a pax -- we didn't call it the freedom last pax. we didn't call it the freedom in the middle pax. we didn't call it the freedom maybe later on or down the road pax. we called it the freedom first pac because this nation -- it's genius, its spirit, its soul is based on freedom. i was pleased that the mount vernon statement -- the group that came together at mount vernon, the leaders of various conservative groups at this country signed a statement recommitting themselves and their organizations to the constitutional framework, the constitutional principles, and the constitutional values that made this nation great.

they are the values of limited government. they are the values of the rule of law. they are the values of limited -- or excuse me, individual responsibility. they are the values of free markets. they are the values of respect for the sanctity of life. they are the values of respecting traditional marriages and families. and down the list. those are the kinds of principles that this nation was founded on. those are the principles that made this nation great. those are the principles that will lead us forward as a conservative movement. now, for me this is highlighted in the time and place where i grew. for many of you it's the same. we are defined in part by where we come from. i grew up in a meat packing town. it's the bluest of blue collar towns you can imagine. it was the home of the world's largest stockyards, the world largest meat packing mrabts. -- plants. my dad was a truck driver and my mom was a homemaker and my brothers worked in oil refineries and worked in grocery stores for their whole lives.

so in my family, we learned some things that i think reflect those values and principles as they get played out on main street and neighborhoods all across this country. and i want to share with you four ideas that i think should carry us forward. these are examples but they're primary. they are foundational as we move forward. and these aren't hard. this is not, you know, some sort of obscure undertaking by professors. this is basic constitutional principle and basic commonsense. the first one is this. god's in charge. god is in charge. [applause] >> there are some people who say, oh, pawlenty, don't bring that up. you know, it's politically incorrect. hogwash. [applause] >> these are enshrined in the

founding documents and perspective of our country in the declaration of independence. it says we are endowed by our creator and it does not say endowed by the bureaucrats or state government that we are given these rights. [applause] >> and there are many, many examples of this. i'm proud that in my state, in the very first sentence, in the very first paragraph of our minnesota constitution, it says this. we the people of minnesota grateful to god for our civil and religious liberties. and then it goes on from there to talk about the importance of all of us extending those privileges and benefits to others for their posterity and for their benefit down the road for future generations.

so as we look forward, i say to those naysayers who tried to crowd out god from the discussion. if it's good enough for the founding fathers, it should be good enough for each and every one of us. [applause] >> there's another principle. we can't spend more than we have. we can't spend more than we have. [applause] >> so i remember my mom -- she died by the way when i was 16 years old. she was 50 years old. she died of cancer. and when i was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. but i remember very vividly my mom sitting at the kitchen table fretting over how that checkbook will balance, literally, on the brink of tears trying to figure out how are we going to get the bills paid but always saying, we got to live with what we have. we're going to live within our means. it was hard.

and it was challenging. that perspective has been lost on too many of our federal officials. that perspective is not reflected in the current administration. barack obama, president obama, does not share that commitment. if government spending were an olympic sport, he would be a repeat gold medallist. [applause] >> i want to share with you -- this is no longer a matter of right versus left, liberal versus conservative. we can prove our conclusion on this. by basic mathematics. the united states federal government from all sources, for all purposes takes in $2.2 trillion a year. keep that number in mind. $2.2 trillion a year. we have total unfunded liabilities of $65 trillion. $2.2 trillion in revenue.

$65 trillion in total unfunded liabilities. that is more than 30 to 1 leverage. if the united states federal government were a bank regulated by itself, they would shut themselves down. [applause] >> we live in a nation where not long ago our united states secretary of state was on rhetorical bended knee in communist china pleading with the chinese to continue to buy our debt because if they don't buy our debt and other foreign sovereign wealth funds don't buy our debt, our beloved united states of america can't pay its bills. the united states of america, my friends, is not a beggar nation. [applause] >> the united states of america is not a beggar nation. >> this will not be easy but it can be done. in minnesota, this is the land

by the way of eugene mccarthy. this is the land of hubert humphrey. this is the land of paul wellstone. it is the land of walter mondale. it is the land of united states senator al franken. [booing] >> minnesota -- let me put it this way, 49 out of 50 states voted for ronald reagan including massachusetts. guess which one didn't? minnesota. in minnesota we have taken the spending curve down to about zero. for the first time in 150-year history of my state. we cut spending in real terms. [applause] >> and i just want to share with you if we can do it in minnesota, i would suggest probably the most liberal states in the country, it can be done

anywhere so i know there's challenges in new england and other places. but believe me, if you can do it in my state, you can do it anywhere. the next thing i want to share with you is a third of four principles is this. people spend their money differently when it's their money. [applause] >> this plays itself out on lots of different issues but let me give you an example in one that's timely right before us and that's healthcare. if i said to you today, on your way home from cpac, swing by a great minnesota company. go to best buy. go to target. you buy any television set that you would like. pick any size you'd like. any characteristics, qualities that you like. don't even look at the price. don't worry about it. just send the bill to mary and me at the governor's residence at 1006 summit avenue in st. paul. how many of you would show up back at your hotel room tonight with a 12-inch black and white? [laughter]

>> none of you would, of course. and so if we're going to reform systems, the direction isn't to turn them in to government-run monopolies where the other side can declare that they're giving away, quote-unquote, free stuff, the direction we need to head is to put consumers in charge in a marketplace in conjunction with their doctors. giving them good information about what stuff costs, what the quality measurements are and let them decide what's right for them and their families. not the federal government. [applause] >> in minnesota, we did this with great success. i'll just give you one example. we said to our state employees -- i said to our state employees, by the way, the cost of the program are out of control. breaking the financial backs of everybody involved. and i said, look, we'll have a new system. you can go anywhere you want. but if you choose to go somewhere that's extra expensive and has really poor results,

you're paying more. and if you choose under the program the government is paying for to go somewhere with good results, that's more efficient, with better results, you'll pay less. guess what they did? 90% of our government employees in minnesota, state government employees, migrated to higher quality, more efficient healthcare providers and for five years in a row we had almost no premium increases in the program cumulatively. i mean, it's an amazing development because people spend their money differently when at least some of it is their money in a marketplace with market principles around that. and then lastly in terms of the four principles, bullies, we all know this, i learned this in south st. paul and you probably learned it in various ways. bullies prey on weakness not strength. so, you know, i have a fondness for ice hockey. some of you probably aren't part of the country -- if you got -- if you got a really tough person

on the ice, most people leave them alone. so you look at what's going on in national security policy for our country, we have now entered an era where the president of france, president sarkozy, is lecturing the united states of america on the dangers of appeasement. we have enter a new era. [laughter] >> that is like aig lecturing us on financial responsibility. [laughter] >> i have a message for president obama. and my message is this, mr. president, no more apology tours and no more giving miranda rights to terrorists in our country. [applause] >> now, as conservatives we know there's a better way.

the patriots in this room and patriots around this country are sounding the alarm and rising up. and we also have a message for liberals. we're planting the flag on constitutional ground and if you try to take our freedoms, we will fight back. [applause] >> president lincoln during the most challenging moments of the civil war was encouraged to fire general grant. a lot of his advisors and others said you got to get rid of him. he's scruffy, his rough at the edges. his boots aren't always polished. he's kind of a little out there. and some even said, you know, he drinks too much. well, when you listen to the elites and the pundits talk

about the tea party movement or they talk about us as conservatives, they may not always say it explicitly but implicit in their comments are, you know, maybe they're not as sophisticated because a lot of them didn't go to the ivy league schools. ... you know, they are a little rough around the edges and they got these homemade signs and they don't dress like us and they actually enjoy shopping at wal-mart and target and sam's club, republicans. you know the implication is what kind of bumkins -- we're just not up to their standards. well, here is something i think will give us a great deal of encouragement going forward. history is not on our side. the constitution is not on our side. we're on the side of freedom. we're on the side of individual responsibility. we're on the side of free markets.

we're on the side of the rule of law. we're on the side of limited government and like grants, we fight. [applause] -- grant, we fight. i want to encourage you. never give in. never give up. let's have conservative leadership once again for the united states of america. thank you for being here. [applause] again. have a great rest of the day. >> ♪ it's a beautiful day >> -- one of those

calm competent hoosiers. ♪ >> thank you. it's great to be here at cpac. this is a historic moment. a year ago the pundits were telling us conservatism is dead. not now. just like 1980 with ronald reagan and 1994 when you sent me and the contract to america to congress. conservatives are once again on the march on washington. [applause] >> we're ready to restore our constitution, to ensure the sanctity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. i'm here to introduce the man who succeeded me. my dear friend, mike pence. he is, as he describes himself, a christian, a conservative and a republican. in that order. [applause]

>> before coming to congress, mike ran a think tank where he thought through the policy issues. and then he was a talk show host where he learned to become a great communicator. in fact, i think he'll be the next great communicator in our party. [applause] >> now, mike is campaigning tirelessly for conservatives to take back congress, to dethrone nancy pelosi. [applause] >> yeah! and to send harry reid and his midnight deals back to nevada. [applause] >> time after time mike has proven to be a great leader for our cause. when washington said we have to rescue wall street and buy general motors, mike stood up and said, no more bailouts! [applause] >> when barack obama said we have to pass a cap-and-trade tax on energy, mike stood up and

said, no! no! no cap-and-trade tax, mr. president. and when obama said we've got let the government take over our healthcare system, mike pence said, no way! [applause] >> mike has said yes to the american way of life. to free enterprise, to our constitution, to the pursuit of liberty, to the sanctity of life, to all the things that make this the greatest nation on this earth. yesterday vice president cheney told us his predictions. well, it's my hope that in 2012, the american people will not only say no to barack obama, but they'll get a chance to say yes to mike pence. our next speaker. [applause]

>> oh, gosh. [applause] >> thank you for that. i'm mike pence. i'm from indiana. welcome to the conservative comeback and the beginning of the end of the pelosi congress. cpac 2010! [applause] >> thank you, david mcintosh for that grossly over the top introduction. [laughter] >> it is much appreciated. thank you to the board, to jeb babbin and the rest. i got to be honest they say behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes. [laughter] >> and my wife, karen pence, is sitting right there. 25 years this june. [applause] >> give her a round of applause. will you please. [applause] >> i was really excited with this time slot.

you know, they called me up and said how about 11:00 am friday at cpac for your address. and i said, man, that is great timing. you know, in politics, really timing is everything. i was driving down the road yesterday and i heard the news that tiger woods would be addressing the nation at 11:00 am friday. [laughter] >> oh, perfect. but, you know, there is hope. somebody beyond you good people in this room might see this speech. i mean, i got a facebook page. [laughter] >> and youtube springs eternal. [applause] >> what a difference a year makes. last year at this podium i said that despite our defeats in 2006 and 2008 i said we were on the brink of an american awakening but i had no idea.

i mean, a year ago most conservatives were still sure of our principles but we were pretty uncertain about the future. i mean, a year ago it seems like it was only a remnant of people in this country unbound by the glamour and the appeal of the new american left. at cpac 2009 we met under a seemingly un conquconquerable juggernaut. i mean, barack obama had 120% approval rating according to msnbc. [laughter] >> no, seriously, his approval rating was over 65% in all 57 states. [laughter] >> unprecedented democrat majorities in both houses. an unchallenged liberal dominance in the media our courts, our public schools and our universities. it's extraordinary. it was the force that seemed

indomable to everybody that didn't know you. now look at you. look at what you've done. you've proved thomas jefferson right. the people are the ultimate guardians of their own liberty. [applause] >> because of you, because of you, the american people have been on the march to restore the timeless values that built this nation. a march that was first bugled by you right here in this room one year ago. the american people are on the march. and they're on the march to win back america. [applause] >> and they took that march of freedom to historic elections in virginia. [applause] >> in new jersey. [applause] >> and in the state formerly

massachusetts. we have a republican in the united states senate because of you. [applause] >> as we say south of highway 40, who'd a thunk it. [laughter] >> facing overwhelming opposition. you stood firm. and you inspired a nation. because of you, the question of american renewal is no longer if. it's when. [applause] >> and your enthusiasm for freedom and limited government has been contagious. with your strong support, even republicans in congress have returned to the fight for fiscal discipline and limited government. [applause] >> i mean, really. three years ago republicans didn't just lose their majority. we lost our way. i mean, when i opposed the members of my own party and my

president on things like no child left behind and the prescription drug entitlement, i warned them. sometimes right here at cpac, that if we walked away from the principles that minted our national governing majority, the american people would walk away from us. and you did. but after a year that saw every single house republican vote against the failed stimulus bill, every single house republican vote against the budget-busting budget and opposing schemes of energy and healthcare let me tell you from inside the building republicans in congress are back in the fight and they're back in the fight on the right. [applause] >> now, some people around here like to call us the party of no. well, i say no is way under rated here in washington, d.c.

[applause] >> sometimes no is just what this town needs to hear. when it comes to more borrowing, the answer is no. [applause] >> when it comes to more spending, the answer is no. when it comes to more bailouts, the answer is -- >> no. >> and when it comes -- and when it comes to some healthcare summit that's nothing more than a photo op designed to pave the way for obama-care 2.0, the answer is no! conservative republicans are back. and we're in the fight for fiscal discipline and we're on the side of the american people. so this is what you did. you took the battles in washington, d.c. to the streets of america. you marched to the airwaves of talk radio, to tea parties, to april 15th, to town halls and to the national mall on 9/12. [applause]

>> isn't that something? karen and i will never forget that day. i parked the car on the other side of the capitol. it's a saturday morning. i figured there'd would be 10, 20,000 people. we walked out on the west side of the capitol building and my knee locked. [laughter] >> karen reached over and gave me one of those, honey, it's going to be okay. touch us on the elbow kind of things. i mean, it was just amazing. the throng of americans that i saw spanning across the nation's mall. now, i know the "new york times" said there were a few thousand people. [laughter] >> gathered there that day. and fox newschannel said there were a billion. [laughter] >> sorry, guys.

but as god is my witness, as i looked out from the west steps at that moment, i saw a sight i'll never forget. hundreds of thousands of every day americans gathered on the nation's mall on behalf of limited government, personal responsibility and fiscal responsibility. everything that made this country great. [applause] ..

>> and they might just be kicking to the right. the bottom line, this ain't over. we cannot rest. we cannot relent. and we cannot let up until we take the american congress back for the american people. [applause] >> men and women, we've got to win back america. we've got to take that he'll in 2010, so help us god. so how do we do it? so how do we do it? first, to win back america we've got to stay focused. got to stay focused. distraction is the enemy of our success.

politics in the airwaves are always filled up with speculation. who is up, who's down. who is next, who is perfect. who is not? friends, with god to resist the temptation to look past the next election. anybody who is not focus on the midterm election don't have we need to remind our neighbors and friends every single day, a recession is when your neighbor loses his job. a depression is when you lose your job and recovery is when nancy pelosi loses her job! [applause]

>> second, to win back america, we need to elect a conservative congress in 2010 to turn this country around. we don't just need a republican majority. we need a conservative majority on capitol hill. [applause] >> we need men and women committed to fight for a strong defense to limit government and traditional moral values without apology. i have said for years, i'm a conservative but i'm not bad. [laughter] >> we need you to go out there and find more happy warriors. and back them all the way. cheerful conservatives who will take our message to every community, every neighborhood, and every american regardless of race or creed or color. [applause]

>> and lastly, to win back america we've got to offer solutions grounded in the timeless pencils of american founding. there's nothing that ails this country that couldn't be fixed by paying more careful attention to the principles enshrined in the declaration of independence and the constitution of the united states of america. [applause] >> to win back america we have to offer the american people real solutions, to the challenges facing this country at home and abroad. the american people are looking for answers. and lord knows, we need them. despite the political gains of the last year, men and women, america is changing. and she is not changing for the better. a nation conceived in liberty has come of age in bondage to the government. we've lost respect to the world. we are going broke. and our social and cultural

fabric is unraveling. during similar times margaret thatcher told her conservative party in 1976 these words. she said, britain is on its knees. by those old enough to remember the sacrifices of the war, and by the young born since the war, we have seen too much national failure. hope has withered. faith has gone sour. and for we who remain, it is close to midnight. america is not yet on its knees, but it is bowed by years of fiscal recklessness, debt and cultural decline. you know, i am told that officials in this administration will actually admit in private that they see their job as, quote, managing american decline.

so let me say from my heart the job of the american president is not to mention american decline. the job at american president president is to reverse it. [cheers and applause] >> our movement must produce solutions that will return our national government to the commonsense and the common dice of everyday america. so how do we do it? well first, we reverse american decline by doing what is necessary to defend this nation at home and abroad. this means getting the american soldiers the resources they need to get the job done and come home safe from afghanistan and iraq. [applause] >> it means giving our intelligence communities the tools to fight the war in terror like a war.

[applause] >> and it means and in the era where we put international public relations ahead of public safety. khalid shaikh mohammed and his cohorts should not be tried in our courts. they should be tried in a military tribunal at guantánamo bay. [cheers and applause] >> and it means being prepared to confront rogue regimes like north korea and iran. let the world know this, if nothing else, america stands with israel. [cheers and applause]

>> and it also means being prepared to defend our security today and tomorrow. as communist china continues to build its military at a frenetic pace, our relationship with china should look like this. one hand extended in diplomacy and trade, and the other hand resting comfortably on the holster of the arsenal of democracy. [cheers and applause] >> and closer to home we reverse american decline by giving back some good old common sense. the american people know we can't borrow and spend and they'll our way back to a growing country.

they know that deficits and debt threaten our prosperity and our posterity. they know we can't bail out everything business in america, and they know the freedom to succeed must include the freedom to fail. [applause] >> and you know, this is not just about economics. one bailout after another, one takeover after another is not just bankrupting our government. it is bankrupting our national character. separating people from the consequences of failure, corrodes the fundamental virtue of the american people. and is a prescription for permanent economic decline. [applause] >> so we have to end the era of runaway spending, borrowing and bailouts but fiscal discipline alone is not enough. we need to renew the incentive in america to create, to build, to achieve and excel, permitting people to enjoy the fruits of

their labor, build our cities, conquer our frontiers, and it is what made america the most powerful economy in the history of the world. we must return incentives. to the american people. [applause] >> but you know, that's not the president's approach. i was with him in baltimore the other day. i had to ask him to if he would support a cross the board tax cut. the way john f. kennedy did. the way ronald reagan did. and i think the president pretty much said that he would support across the board tax cuts, as long as they weren't across the boards. [laughter] >> this whole thing about not wanting to do tax cuts for the rich, it's a phobia on that side of the aisle. and reminds me the time someone came up to ronald reagan when he was running for president. he had been criticized for the very same thing. this pipefitter came up and said

governor reagan, i heard you're being criticized for those tax cuts for the rich. but i want you to go ahead and pass those tax cuts for the rich because i ain't never been hired by a poor man. [applause] >> law, the american people know what works and what doesn't. the reverse economic decline we need fiscal discipline in washington, d.c., and fast acting across the board tax relief for working families, small businesses and family farms. get government under control, get government out of the way, and america will come roaring back. i promise you. [cheers and applause] >> and finally, finally to reverse american decline we should recognize that our present crisis is not merely economic and political, but moral. in nature. [applause] >> we must win back america for

the fundamental traditional values of the american people. the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. [applause] >> marriage was ordained by god, instituted in the law is the glue of the american family and the safest harbor to raise children. and that must be defended against the onslaught of the left and the congress, and the courts, and if need be, in the constitution of the united states of america. [applause] >> and we must defend the life. we must defend life. you know, i believe in the an innocent unborn human life is morally wrong but it is also morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life americans and use it to promote abortions at home and abroad as this government is busy doing every single day. [applause]

>> we need to restore the historic restrictions on foreign aid in mexico city. we need to end all federal funding for destructive embryonic research, and the largest abortion provider in america should not be the largest recipient of federal funding under title 10, but time has come to deny any and all federal funding, the planned parenthood of america. [cheers and applause] >> so stay focused. [laughter] >> send us a conservative congress. and offer principled solutions based on our timeless principle. that's how we win back america.

this is our moment. now is the time. it's time for all of us to do all that we can to preserve what makes this country great. if you can give, give. if you can speak, speak. if you can write, write. and if you can run, run. [laughter] [applause] >> but, do all you can. now is the moment. and as you take to the field in the next nine months to do freedoms work, know this. you will not fight alone. engraved on the liberty bell our words from an ancient text. it reads proclaim liberty, throughout all bland, and unto all the inhabitants thereof.

that old book also says where the spirit of the lord is. various liberty. [applause] >> winston churchill said in 1941, words to this time and your life. he said, and i quote, you must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked out here below, of which we have the honor to be faithful servants. men and women of cpac 2010, there is a great purpose. you are the faithful servants, and his purpose is freedom. [applause] >> let us do as generations of americans have done before, let us stand for what has always been the source of american

greatness. our faith in god, and our freedom. and if we hold that banner high, i believe with all my heart the good and great people of this land will rally to our cause. we will take this congress back in 2010, and we will take this country back in 2012. so help us god. [applause] >> thank you for being here. god bless you [applause] >> c-span's coverage of the

conservative political action conference continues saturday with former speaker of the house newt gingrich live at 2:00 p.m. eastern. then live at 6:00 p.m. eastern, remarks by radio and fox news host glenn beck. that's saturday on c-span. now more from the conservative political action conference underway here in washington, d.c. it's hosted by the american conservative union foundation association with human events and young america's foundation. among the speakers we're about to hear from, michelle bachman, congressman ron paul.

most blogs just blog. kind of like those who think all you need to do for a successful talk show is just talk. ed first began blogging in captains quarters in 2003 where he annoyed people, and love this, like liberal cartoonist rawl. let's just say we should all be glad that ed is on our side. please join me now in congratulating ed morrissey, cpac's blogger of the year. >> ♪ you're simply the best better than all the rest ♪ >> thank you. oh, my goodness.

what a surprise. i can't think of anybody who -- a greater honor than to be introduced by rush limbaugh. [applause] i have to tell you, i only dream of the day that i can introduce a rush limbaugh. i am so honored by this award and his kind words. i want to thank everybody here at cpac. i could be up here all day thinking people. -- thinking -- thanking people. i know that we have been in the news lately. michelle has been successful in launching hotair and is reaping

the rewards of that success. there has it not been a better person, a more caring and thoughtful mentor to me that michelle. i just give her all sorts of appreciation. thank you for being here. the next speaker up here is somebody you are really going to want to hear from. i am from the state of minnesota. [applause] the great state of minnesota. it the state bird is the balloon -- the state bird is the loon. we've got things that we need to apologize for, al franken being

a chief among them. we have some things that we take great pride in minnesota. my representative from minnesota is a staunch conservative and we are proud to keep sending him back to congress. of course, the person you want to hear from today is from minnesota's sixth congressional district or the voters have been smart enough to send michelle back to congress. they are going to do that a third time. michelle was a tea party activist before a the tea arrived. she has been on the side of the people since she first got into politics. she is a mother of five and has

made room in her family for 23 foster children. [applause] that is commitment. that is commitment that goes beyond politics. that is a commitment that goes to life values. do not tell me that you have -- do not tell me that you do not have conservatism that does not have a heart. you cannot tell me that when you see her. the next speaker here at cpac. please welcome her. [applause] ♪ be >> hello everybody.

thank you, senator arlen specter. it i want to say greetings to the majority in the waiting. how does it feel? [applause] we are in the middle of a political bull market. it doesn't feel wonderful? thank you so much to the blogger of the year. minnesota may be the land of 10,000 liberals, but we have some pretty hot bloggers coming out of minnesota. to the first produced the power line blocked that exposed dan rather. those were our guys. the are just so thrilled and so

honored that we have these wonderful, talented, gifted loggers out of minnesota. we really have a great sense of humor in minnesota. we are very good humored people. if you could put the first slide up for me, if you would. i am lucky enough -- [applause] do you like that? i do, too. i am lucky enough to be the representative for these very creative and innovative business people who put this wonderful billboard together. let me tell you, they got their advertising dollars worth out of this bill board. [applause] and encourage you, use your creativity, use or innovation, you have no idea what you will do to take back washington. they are doing that in my district. at christmas time, my husband

and i were sitting at home with their oldest son. he is just finishing medical school and he revealed to us that he had a goal when he went to medical school. his goal was to persuade one liberal to become a conservative. pretty good goal. as fate would have it, his roommate was a san francisco liberal. i am not making this up. it is absolutely true. this conservative kid from minnesota worked his powers of persuasion day after day, week after week, in between exams, and he has now been so successful that he text did meet last night and said, mom, his roommate named -- he just e-mail me a pat buchanan column. i would say that is a success. [applause] we are seeing so many great things.

i challenge everyone in this room to do what our son did. if he can persuade a san francisco liberal to flip and be a pat buchanan leading conservative, you can do it, too. think of all those relatives that you sit with during thanksgiving and christmas. there is somebody there. you know who i'm talking about. that person sitting across from you in your office, this is what it is about. these elections will not be -- even be close if we take one person and make it our priority to utilize what we know is true. the power of persuasion, to persuade one person at a time, we will take back washington d.c. i'm excited. are you? i also want to give you another success story. one week ago today, there was a very brave republican party chair in north dakota. his name is gary.

he worked together with a local radio guy and they cooked up an idea that was pretty good. it was pretty brave. they decided to reverse the tables on the politicians and had a town hall where the people spoke at the town hall and the politicians had to listen. pretty good idea. they had a listening post, including the very brave governor of the state of north dakota. this is a lot for a politician. to think that people are going to go to a microphone and they do not know what they're going to hear, but the people went and they were so sophisticated and they were so on top of their information. it was a fabulous event. in a state of 620,000 people in north dakota, they had between 1015 hundred people showed up last week. this is amazing to take back washington d.c.

i was lucky enough to be there and give a keynote speech. this is a state where water% of their federal delegation is democrats. -- where 100% of their federal delegation is democrat. it is now -- the state rep also is democrat and a poll was done in north dakota that showed that the state rep in north dakota is losing by 9% to other on the ballot. i am not making this up. it is take back washington time. we've got the fever. we're ready for this change. thank you so much. i am so excited. in the next few moments that we had together, i want to discuss a topic that has been on my heart a lot lately and perhaps on yours, too.

some words about that was mentioned this morning. he talked about a decline in america. the concept that has been coming to me over the last few weeks is that the joy of being an american is that we get to choose. we get to choose our destiny. whether it is declined or greatness, it is in our hands to make the choice. there was a pivotal vote -- pivotal article that was written lastw3 october. you love him, too. it was published in the weekly standard in october. it is called, decline is a choice. he made a very precious point. decline is not a condition for america, it is not our inevitable trajectory. it is a choice.

there's a difference. he is right. to the current liberal ascendancy in the united states controlling the executive in both houses of congress, dominating the media and cultural elite, has set us on a course for declined. president obama was asked about american exceptional is and his answer, i believe in american exceptional is them just as i suspect the breadth of believe in british exceptional is some and the greeks believed in a great exception allows them. -- exceptionalism. if everyone is exceptional, nobody is exceptional. the president went on to indict america for divisiveness toward europe, for maltreatment of natives, for torture, for

guantanamo bay, former unilateralism and for insufficient respect for the muslim world. i think we are all going to need a self-esteem course or two after that let me and we cannot blame anyone for feeling despondent in the midst of all of that. the decline can happen quickly. even to a great nation. it is a sobering thought. i want to take you to july of 2009. an economist from arizona state university wrote in an article on the front page of the washington times newspaper. since the inception of bail out nation, which occurred in september of 2008, the federal government has taken ownership or control of the 30% of the private economy. consider that prior to the inception of bail at nation, 100% of the private economy was

private. banks, insurance companies, aig, chrysler, general motors, the student loan industry, every bit was taken over by the government and was -- and with no exit strategy for getting out and with no limits on further the government infusion and attached in these entities. . .

you can see where republicans took over congress. under george w. bush we were in a deficit. and then you look at the case under president obama. this is in -- this is intending to fail. [applause] we have watched as the obama administration has accumulated more debt than in each previous 230 years of american history. in a matter of months, taking us

from $10 trillion to $14 trillion in debt accumulation. $4 trillion dollar bills, take them and pack them tightly on top of one another, you have to go to hundred 68 miles up into the atmosphere to finally reach $4 trillion. think of it in terms of time. if you took $4 -- four trillion seconds, that would equal 128,000 years. that is 123,000 years longer than all of recorded history. this is a tremendous accumulation of debt, even for washington, d.c. this is real money and if this does not restore enough, the president, speaker policy, harry reid, continue to push to take

over another 18% of the american private economy with the jobs- killing government takeover of health care and another 8% of the private economy they want to take over or control with the cat and trade which is the taken over by the federal government over the energy industry. the federal government owning or controlling 56% of the private economy in less than two years' time. it is stunning. i guess the president meant it when he said during the campaign," we cannot ride suv's, set our thermostat at 72 degrees and eat as much as we want." i guess that is true. the director of the congressional budget office warned us that the economy is on an unsustainable path. we hear that a lot lately.

he said the fundamental disconnect will cause serious long-term damage to the economy and the well-being of the population. this is the head of our nonpartisan budget office saying that we are looking at serious long-term damage to the economy and the well-being of our people. i would say that is pretty serious. then we really have to sober up because what we need to do is realize that the only people with the power to change this very bad diagnosis is president barack obama, speaker nancy pelosi, and harry reid? i wonder what the odds are of them changing things? we have seen this movie before it is called a massive national debt implosion and it is not a pretty sight. we saw this in germany in the 1920's. we saw this in argentina in the

1940's. we are seeing it happen right now today with greece. the end never works out well. people can indulge but you cannot indulge in fantasy economic started it just doesn't work. [applause]

small businessman who sought collapse and foreclosure because of the massive spending and government intervention that never works. [applause] take a quantum leap forward to the 1960's under president johnson and his democrat majority building upon the legacy of fdr. he created the modern welfare state as you know it. having spent every time --xd tie and then some of the receipts tht(cameñiko in fromxd social security, from medicare they have left us now holding an invoice in excess of $105 trillion in unfunded federal liabilities which obviously was not enough of a debt load for the current administration. it sounds like someone is choosing decline. [applause]

that is not what the founders chose. the founders of this great nation did not choose decline. they chose us. they chose greatness for us. they were wise and they gave us a legacy on like any in the reported annals of human history. it was john quincy adams who wrote,"i]çó for the first time e the creation of the world, was laid the foundation of the government upon the principles of human rights." if it goes upq on the screen we will see it -- 3##j% memory and do not need it. ñr"we hold these truths self evident thatñrñi all men are crd ñiequal, thatñrñi there and outh their greater with certain

inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. to secure these rights,ñii governments are institutedñi amg men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." that is our mission statement. that is the american mission statement. it is our creed. is the answer to who we are is the people. we are creatures made by god. god gave us rights. these are rights that government can never give to us and the beauty of that is that these are rights that government can never take away from us. [applause] there is only one reason that government exists. it exists to secure these rights and to us, to the people. government derives its power from the consent of the people.

it is a beautiful story. john quincy adams went on to say that never before in the history of man has there been an example of a government directly and expressly instituted on this principle of consent by the government. what a concept " ! if 2/3 ofmy the people repudiaa law, government might listen? yes, that is exactly what the founders wereñi thinking.4+ exactly. [applause] ñithat among theseçóñiñi, this r birthright. it is the mostx(dn personal, li, the mostñr personale1 of all our itñiça is the one that ascribes dignityxd and work to every humn ì+ other right. çorçótherefore, it is the ultime

human life. and must bexdñrñr life liberty. liberty is the right to be free and ourçóñiñiñr conscience, our, free and our decision making. what does that tell you about the obama speech police? that is not what the founders intendedñi and the pursuit of çóthis is the fun inalienable right. pursuit of happiness meantçó tht you and i have a right to our labour. we have a right to the fruits of our labour. today, we take this for granted and say that is the way it is. no, this is a radical concept in the history of man. what i produce belongs to me, not the king, not government, just us. that is our legacy. the world never knew that before. [applause]

it is what drives our economy. the bondholders at chrysler only know this all too well. liberty, self-government, these are the ideals that animated the founding fathers. and a great scholar from heritage foundation wrote about america's greatness in his wonderful book. let me tell you a couple of those stores. one is about a young man who was in his early 20's in the spring of 1775. he lived near concord, mass.. the time came for the call for him on liberty. he answered the call. here he was, a young m7 took upxd his musket, he risked everything to help and fight against the greatest military power in the world. he was brave and was asked late% as an older man, was it the

oppression of the colonial policy? ñihe said he never saw any stem. ñiamps. çóit must've been your readingsn liberty. q what made him take up his arms against the british? we always had governed ourselves, he said, and we always meant to. [applause] he said that the british did not think that they should. levi arrested on that fateful day chose liberty, suffering,

self sacrifice and he chose greatness, not decline for america. vein, a young medical directorçã-- dr. was the head of the public safety committee in massachusetts. he stayed in boston. this was the most dangerous era at that time in our country's history. that was the epicenter of trouble in boston. he chose to stay there because that is where the british were headquartered. he wanted to lead thexd'c amern opposition to the british. you should also know this about joseph warren, he was the father of four young children and they will work. he made the decision to send out paul revere on that fateful night toward the good people of concord that the british were coming, the british were coming. he was elected major general but

he chose to fight as a volunteer private. twice, the british regulars attacked and twice the americans held their fire until the very end when the unbalancing regiments can upon the americans at close range then they decimated the british rights and forced them to pull back. the americans were short a powder. there were short of ammunition, as you know. there were short of reinforcements. the americans were overwhelmed on the third try by the british privy the soldiers stormed. later, they found joseph warren's body below the body of his fellow countrymen. three months before this occurred, joseph warren spoke these powerful words to his friends. " our streets are filled with young man, our harbour is crowded with ships of war, but these cannot intimidate us. our liberty must be preserved. it is part dearer than light.

fe. if we but for a moment entertain the thought of giving up our liberty, our country is in danger but not to be despaired up. our enemies are numerous and powerful but we have many friends determining to be free in heaven and earth will aid the resolution." xdon you depends the portion of america. you have the important question of which rests by happiness of liberty of millions yet unborn. act worthy of yourself." joseph warrant risked everything. he laid down that final full measure of his devotion for us because he chose greatness, not a decline for the united states. [applause]

and every successive generation of americans from the time of levi preston and joseph warren have had to make that decision. will they choose decline for the united states or will they choose liberty? 67 years ago last week, 902 young gi boys crossed the atlantic ocean on a world or to transport ship. they were one of three ships and a convoy. there were 100 miles west of greenland, it was 1:00 in the morning when a periscope, out of the water. it belongs to a nazi german submarine. the periscope took aim and fired at the flank in the icy waters off the coast of greenland. it hit the starboard side of the ship. instantly, the explosion occurred.

young gi's, many of them were killed in a matter of seconds below deck. the power was knocked out, the radio was knocked out. panic, chaos set in with these boys. men jumped ship into the few light boats. on deck, there stood four chaplains for it one was a catholic priest, another a jewish rabbi, two were protestants. they were courageous. they called to the young boys. many were pleading, they were crying, they were praying, but the chaplains preached courage. they opened a storage locker. they took out the remaining life jackets. they handed them out, pricing, saying ,"courage." they handed out the life jackets

until there were more men than jackets. wordlessly, the four chaplains removed their jackets and put them on the fearful, shaking bodies of the young gi's. later, witnesses reported that the four chaplains took to bear arms and gathered around one another and they held on to each other. it took less than 20 minutes from the time the torpedo hit the ship until the ship slid into the icy waters. they held on to each other and cried out to young man, "courage, boys. hold on." they prayed for the boys. they prayed for the survivors. they prayed for those who were lost. they prayed until the chaplains were no more. of the 900 to brave american

gi's on board that night, 672 died. one of the greatest acts of valor, the four chaplains demonstrated clearly what the holy scripture says to us," greater man hath no love than this but that he lay down his life for his friend." it is of this suffering and this self sacrifice that our nation was built upon. it was this that credit us our liberty. it was this that granted us our self-government. they chose christmas for us rather than decline. that is our history. that is the american story. [applause]

and so i charge you again today, let us act with great courage, with a sacrifice, that spirit of mobility w and as warren sa>>>>>>>>>>xw>>>#

♪ >> good afternoon and welcome to our "saving freedom from vote fraud panel." we might have entitled at saving freedom from those who would steal it. my name is cleta mitchell. i am chair of the american conservative union foundation. i also have the honor of serving as the national co-chairman of the republican national lawyers association. our panelists today are quite fantastic. çwe are very fortunate. to my far left -- [applause] [laughter]

>> i knew he would hate that, is david norcross. he has had every position at the rnc. he is on the executive committee of the rnc. most importantly, for these purposes, he has been an election observer in many countries as a part of the international republican institute and he is the national chairman of the republican national lawyers association. anita moncreif is one of the most courageous people i have ever known. [applause] çó>> many of you know her as a writer in washington, d.c., and she has been the acorn was so-

blower. -- whistle-blowing. [applause] õç>> in 2005, she joined the strategic writing. three years later, she came çforward to expose the damage thatç acorn zvhasçó done to w3çimpoverished and marginalized communities and she began to write about the corruption çwithin the end their myriad network of corporations. she has undergone a conversion. she is living proof that when people know the facts, and know the truth, it sets them free and

they become conservative. [applause] >> we are so proud of anita moncreif. [applause] >> it is a very brave person who can do what she has done. if he did not follow her, you need to. she tells a lot of interesting and smart things every day. to my far right, and it is hard to get far of my right, i would like to introduce the john fund from the "wall street jr. -- "wall street journal." >> he is anç author and editor. he has written a number of

books. john fund has done more to chronicle the problems of vote fraud and stealing elections in this country than anyone and we are honored to have him with us today. [applause] ok>> with no further ado, i like to start the panel. i know you know we are running late. we will not have time for questions, however i will tell you how you can e-mail questions to the republican lawyers association. >> thank you. i want to thank all of you for that warm welcome for anita moncreif. she told me last night that she was a little apprehensive. she is new to the cause. she is a brave, brave lady. you have made her feel very, very welcome. thank you. [applause]

>> we decided just about one year ago at the republican the lawyers association that we were going to get into what acorn was all about. we hired a project director. we have a book of information. there are more like 300 organizations and you cannot tell one from the other. we also mentioned the service employees international union. i believe that that is the most serious problem that we face in terms of voter fraud. that union. >> they are smart, and they are bent on the left taking over this country. they have been trying to do it on the ground. they will continue to do it.

while acron may be wounded, they are not. one of the things you ought to be doing is to watch out for voter fraud, registration fraud -- who is doing that? it might not be acron in the election in new jersey last fall, i asked what the acron input was. the answer was that it was çminimal. i found out why is was minimal. ici you has organized version live -- -- virtually every hospital in new jersey. we're toldñr that no outsiders would be permitted. they did not need any outsiders. their employees were all there, and that is what they were up to. the price of liberty is indeed vigilance. your vigilance will be very, very important.

çwhy are we now so excited abot voter fraud? it has been going on for years. in the early days of the british parliament, the elder fraud was rampant. -- broder fraud was rampant. richard nixon did in chicago -- many people thought that y he declined to challenge unfortunately, the prince of inconvenience, al gore, had no such qualms.4zmñthe good news, e put us through, is that the supreme court gave us a very important tool. all votes have to be treated the same. they were not in minnesota. they were not. that is clear. you should know that the

secretary of state in and said a was collected -- in minnesota, was elected with the financial backing of george soros. that was done on purpose. we are determined that we are went to educate secretaries of state so that they understand they are really on the front line. that is no longer a nonpartisan job. they are on the front line. [applause] >> the reason that we now are so concerned -- it used to be almost a joke. the former governor of my home state of new jersey likes to joke that he wants to be buried in hudson county said that he can stay politically active. [laughter] >> this used to be funny. unfortunately, it no longer is. acron has grown systematic about

this. they registered voters. they registered the voters they knew would vote the way they want them to vote. they registered voters who they know may not have been eligible. çthis systematicç registratiod turnout, which may violate federal laws,ç this systematic effort is an effort to make the democrat party the dominant party in this country and to move this country left quickly. they are decidedly a distribution list organization. çt(this building effort of th's is all part of that effort. çthey want to change our way of life. the balance is the sanctity -- the ballot is the sanctity of

our way of life. if it is not secure or if it is diminished because they hundred 50 people that are not eligible have also voted in your precinct, then the your vote is not really being counted. that is what we are up against today. that is why we and many others are so concerned. that is why i am eternally grateful to anita moncreif for coming forward and breaking the silence and frankly to james o'keefe and had giles for obviously adding a spark to the story. a spark that this 70-year old lawyer public could not have added. [laughter] >> you all are on the front lot

-- the front lines. they do not care particularly about the law. sign them up, and let them sort it out later. that is the way they do it. it is up to us to see that does not happen. i think there are one to the new tactics in 2010 and we will need your help to see what those new tactics are early on so that we can combat them. cleta mitchell, i am 18 seconds ahead. thank you. >> anita moncreif. >> first of all, i want to thank everyone for that well -- for that warm welcome and for c pack having me here. [applause] >> when i started working witht( acron, one of my first tasks was to call election committees and find out how they had a

provisional ballots. we were focusing on this for a number of reasons, not just because provisional ballots can sway an election, but they're also looking at absentee ballots. these are the types of things they have done. they have done studies. they have been doing this for over 40 years. they have been operated under the cover. it is only recently that they have come forward. when i was working with them, i was amazed at the type of organization that they have. it is not just them working with one or two organizations. they are working with other 20 or 30 other progressive organizations that may not be affiliated. when you look at organizations like america votes or communities boating together, you might not see acron, but they are there to these partner organizations. they are highly organized to the point where offices across the

country are closing and they are saying that there are no longer acron. they are still operating through these organizations. qwhen you see of vote fraud, you look to see who has signed up as a poll watcher. they have gone in and formed relationships in counties that are all democrat so that they do not have to worry about supervision because there is no oversight there. all the things that i noticed to include some of the things they do for voter fraud. they always knew there was a high level of fraud in absentee ballots. they had to plan for that. that should let you know, like in minnesota, if a truck full of absentee ballots showed up, you have to wonder where they came from. there was a woman handed out blank absentee ballots on the

day of the election to people that were already at a polling place in the scott around election. we have to be diligent. i testified. it was a court case in pennsylvania in 2008. we talked about other instances of voter fraud that have occurred -- that have occurred across the country. this type of the intermission has not gotten out to people. at the time, people did not realize that acron was so entrenched. thankfully, and now people have realized. we are able to go out there and fight them. when i testified, i testified about working with the political operations and having meetings. there was a meeting in 2007 in an -- in arkansas talking about how to get candidates a lot of debt were progressive. it was not just local candidates. these receptors and heads of state.

they partnered with george soros. department on a project that was going on around the country where they were electing progress some -- progressive, or openly liberal secretaries of state. what this means as you see an ohio, there is no types of checks and balances. secretary of state races need to be paid close attention to. senator -- now, in ohio, she is running for senate. all politics are local. they start off the city council, mayor's become senators or congressman. they did it with president obama. the head of political organizations said he supervised

barack obama. apparently, that leader was able to go to the white house. in order for us to effectively combat acron we have to be aware of their tactics, going out into the community and not allowing other groups to do the work for us. i have seen this with the tea party movement. people are going out there, knocking on doors, talking to neighbors about politics in ways that have not been done before. by taking that away from acron, you are actually building stronger conservatives. they were taking money away from republicans. they registered democrats. they wanted a lasting majority. they were able to do it by forming alliances and saying we are the only ones that can go out in the committees and organize people. we do not need to educate -- we do not need to organize people, we need to educate people.

we not need liberal organizations to do it for us. [applause] >> thank you. i would say that the one thing i have learned is that we have to get the conservatives involved. whether or not it is them under the name of acron in a red t- shirt or a in a purple t-shirt, we have to be alongside of them. when the tea party movement happened, you would see paid protesters and 200 members of the tea party. that is why it -- that is because they cared. they're not lied to. they were there because they believed that america needs to be saved from these liberals and a progressive agenda. [applause] >> that is what i have learned. i have written a lot about that on my blond.

-- on my website. i hope that you guys will look at that information and find out what is really going on in your areas. it is not just acron. it is a number of progressive organizations. they are forming a new organizations and funneling money in ways he would not imagine right now. thank you. [applause] >> tell everyone how to fight your website. i also write for hot air.

i love hot air. [laughter] >> now, i would love to turn to john fund. he will share to us some -- with us some of the things we need to be worried about in addition to vote fraud. we have a new chapter, and john fund will tell us about it. >> first of all, there is no way that i can top anita moncreif. you have probably figured out that acron is a creature with hundreds of tentacles. this is confusing for them, too. the internal joke is that our left-wing does not understand what the internal left wing is doing. they are also victimizing people. these people that they dragged in and seduce to work for them are mired in dependency.

they encourage that. it is interesting that the mainstream media has not covered this. pigeon know that in the 1990's, acron was collecting signatures to pass a minimum wage laws and they went to the state of california and sued so that they did not have to pay minimum wage to their own workers? this was in court documents. they thought they had hit the jackpot when their former lawyer, barackç obama -- they thought they hit the jackpot. a whole bunch of people have put them back on their heels. that does not mean that new hydro-headed shoots are not want to come out the have already fallen back on plan b. i was at a liberal conference

recently where it was clearly discussed that even though they did not commit voter fraud, we obviously have a corrupt system. let's get rid of the problems. let's have mandated national voter registration. in other words, will not ask you, we will automatically sign you up. how will this universal voter registration, which by the way, the fact that you have not heard about this, means there planet in capitol hill right now and i guarantee you they're no c-span cameras there now, how will this work? you take every listed the federal government creates income tax returnsç, unemploymt lists, property lists, and you have a list of names.

you automatically register those people. it is true that in 30 states people register by party. i know how you'd figure that out, but i'm sure they have a way. this system, of course, you can see the kind of complications it could create. a lot of states allow aliens and illegal aliens to get a driver's license. this will create tremendous complications. parker lists -- many people have property in two different places. we have already seen that 400,000 people in the new york cityç also quoted -- 4000 peope in new york city also voted in florida. did not tell me that 4000 illegal votes cannot be important. you go on.

an enormous on of duplications. people use different variations of their names. all of this, all of this is designed to create what i call "planned chaos." people that want to commit a voter fraud thrived under conditions where the rules are loose, the records are incomplete, and you can do things between the joints. that is what universal voter registration would bring. it would blur all the information and it would make it easy to manipulate things behind the scenes. now, do we have a problem with the existing rules? yes. the motor voter law which was the first law the bill clinton passed, literally prevented states from cleanup their roles. there is an estimation that there are at least 20 million

names that should notç be ther, who had died, moved, or are not legitimate voters. we need to clean up the system. of course, we wantçó people to vote, and wanted easy to. qas senator dodd said, our goal should be to make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat. everything the obama justice department is now doing is making it easier to cheat. it is sending the wrong signal. whether it is sending the signal that the oversight will beç lodged in the white house, or the black panther case -- the federal government sued them. one the obama administration came in, they won the case in court. what did do with this court victory in its hands?

the drop the case affectively, with one small slap on the rest. if you have a president that is a former acron lawyer, supported by acron, an elected to the presidency, he will take care of his friends. they have been discredited. they will have to retool their operations. we can fight back. the reason is not just for partisan or political reasons. it is also for fundamental reasons of philosophy. we have civil rights in this country. when it comes to voting, there to blow very important civil rights. you all have the civil right to vote without intimidation or fear. we have a long history in this country where there were some places where that did not happen. what did we do? we addressed that. . .

i will be happy to chat with you

informally about any questions we cannot answer here. thank you very much. >> before we go, i am going to give you a to do list. i am telling you to get out your pencil and paper and write things down. you need to go to your local election official, your election board, and find out who is doing local voter registration drives. nina is right. we need to be aware. your officials will know who is doing voter registration drives. google those names and find out if they are part of this web you have heard about. email and the tap. -- email anita. she will tell the rest of us. sign up to be an election worker. we need good people. they are always looking for good people inside the polls.

the decisions are made on the spur of the moment on election day. people who show up and try to swap the election can be stopped if we have good, capable, dedicated conservatives inside the polls as elected -- as election officials. help us protect our american system of elections. thank you very much. [applause] [drum music] by queen plays] >> thank you very much. thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you, thank you.

thank you. thank you. fñit sounds to me like the revolution is alive and well. [applause] çóñiçówonderful. it is great to see such a nice crowd. 10,000 people all interested in promoting good limited government and personal liberty. i would say this is a grand opportunity for all of us to come together,çó because somethg is brewing. this is a different year than anything we've ever experienced ñibefore, and i am optimistic to believeñrñrçó)=@e1ñ2içó that s

going to comexdññi out of what s happening today, whether it is the cpac meeting or tea party movement or the recent victory of the election. believe me, by the end of this year, i think it will be a lot better off. [applause] the one thing that brings many of us together has been the,k÷ idea of change. as a matter of fact, someone won an election using that slogan, change. but there is a change we want that we have not gotten yet, and i think that is what we are here to talk about, what and of change we really want. and we agree on, so we're not talking about different things. it is very important we understand what conservatives and means. to me, it means conserving the

good parts of america and our constitution. [applause] i first got involved in politics in 1976, because i was very concerned about the financial situation, the gold standard being cast aside, ushering in the age of big government. and that came in under a nixon administration. and since that time, we have been struggling. struggling with the conservative message, and we have had bits and pieces of this coming together but have not really had a fall through. we got a revolution of sorts in 1980 with ronald reagan, but -- then, of course, we had 1994,

very good, designed to limit government. it kept growing. the year 2000 how the more remarkable event, something that happened where there was a republican congress, house, and senate, but we did not get the revolution. there was a lot of desire, saying that is limited government, balanced budget, and our liberties back. [applause] and içó think what happened,ñiñn philosophical terms, not in partisan terms, i think what çóhappenedñi takes me back toñie teens of the lastñr centuryxdñrn woodrow wilson was presidentñiç.

[booing] those are rightly deserve to let me tell you. but i also want to put pressure on conservatives. woodrow wilson stood for world government. he wanted a league of nations. but it was conservative republicans against it. how often have you heard people saying it is the conservative position to not even belong to the united nations? 1913 was not a very good year.

1913 gave us the income tax, 16th amendment, and i rest. what is wrong with getting rid of the 16th amendment? i think it would be a great idea. [applause] and of course, i have already taken a very modest position on the monetary system. i take the position that we should just end the fed. [applause] [chanting "end the fed"] but there were other things that went on during the wilson administration. our foreign policy changed for the negative. his goal was to make the world safe for democracy, and he brought us into world war we

should have never gotten into. [applause] and we, as conservatives, accepted his principal that we are under constitutional and legal responsibility to engage ourselves and make the world safe for democracy. i do not think it is possible. as a matter of fact if you think back just a short time ago to the year 2000 when george bush was running, guess what he ran on? he was running against an interventionist foreign policy. he was running against clinton policy, intervention nation- building and the world, and he was elected on that. there was nothing wrong with being a conservative and coming up with foreign policy where we do not go to war so carelessly.

[applause] what is not conservative about saying do not go to war unless you go to work properly with a full declaration of war, and no other way? [applause] unconstitutional boards cost the lot of money, undermine our constitutional principles, and as warren said, it belongs to the state. if you like small government, you need to work hard and having a strong national defense that is not militant. to protect liberty is the function, not to run your personal lives or the economy,

not to pretend we can tell the world how they ought to live. [applause] for those who disagree, i have a few comments. i have been on this service, and i know all the arguments. but the bottom line for all conservatives and constitutionalists will be how we are going to pay for it. it is driving us to bankruptcy. we are now spending one trillion dollars a year to finish. we are in 140 countries, 700 bases, and have you noticed the debt exploding? it is not all because of medicare.

believe me, we do not have enough conservatives on the hill to start tinkering with medicare. eventually, this country probably will not do what i suggest, that we back off and back down. i make two promises. we will always -- i always will vote the constitution, as well as i will not vote for one single penny that is not paid for, because that is the monster, that is what will eat us up, and that is why our economy is on the brink. we are on the brink of a cataclysmic event, because we are leading to, we board to much money, the chinese have backed off on what they love us, interest rates are going up, inflation factors are coming up.

the next step is a currency crisis and rejection of the dollar. that is a big, big event. and then, your personal liberties will be severely threatened, because we will usher in people who say, well, just like before, we have had an event, and it is not the democrats alone. democrats and republicans said there is an event, so we should spend more money and stimulate the economy, are more money -- borrow more money. so we tell the fed, print more money. believe me, it will not last. it has to end. we cannot double the money supply. [applause] we can double the money supply -- we cannot double the money to supply and not see inflation.

but back to woodrow wilson, he was not an individual who respected civil liberties, and conservative republicans at the time fought him. republicans did not like the espionage and sedition act. he arrested thousands of people for showing dissent against the war. how do you want it? do you want it that way? you might have one position, others might have another position, but you have a right of dissent and you should never be put in prison for dissenting. [applause] a famous person was arrested back then. i would not have agreed with the political elites, but he was a famous person who spoke out against the war, eugene debs. he was put in prison because he spoke out and woodrow wilson did

not like him, and because congress passed these laws, republicans objected to it, but he was put in prison indefinitely, and i guess because of widow will since the illness and all through the end, he never got the part in. warren g. harding gave him the pardon. a republican. [applause] government is the enemy of liberty. government should be very restrained. and as i have said so many times, it is time that we do study and understand from a conservative viewpoint on how much we should be engaged around the world. we have good backing from good

republicans of the past. but that is the past now. i do not live in the past, because i think freedom is a modern movement. in the past, since woodrow wilson's time, too many of us have taken on the saying that we are responsible. [applause] who do you think it was that try to keep it out republicans did? one of the greatest republicans was a statue over in washington, and they worked hard to keep us out of war. he also thought was a violation

of our rights to have a military draft. he strongly opposed the draft. [applause] he was strongly opposed to nato, did not like the united nations. we casually accepted this. but who was at that point the words military-industrial complex? it was eisenhower that told us that. there is every reason for us to think seriously about what we really believe and what conservative actions really mean. in 1956, i thought a draft was coming, because the french and british got in a fight over the suez canal, the egyptians wanted their canal. so i was worried because i thought i would be drafted. i was not drafted for 10 years

after that, but i thought i would be. they went to eisenhower and said take care of us, they are taking the canal, and eisenhower said, i will have no part of it. [applause] back 100 years ago, speaking of woodrow wilson, what happened in this country is we took freedom and chop it into pieces. there is only one kind of freedom. liberty comes from our creator. it has nothing to do with government. you want small government to protect liberty, that is good, that is what the founders believed and what the constitution was written for. but if we have some group over here saying that economic liberty as good, we are all the

keynesian snout -- dickensians now. [applause] if liberties come to us as individuals, freedom does not come in groups. you have freedom because you're an individual, and that should be protected. [applause] but i do not believe freedom can survive and we as conservatives who can contribute if we still think freedom only comes in pieces, that you can protect economic liberty but not personal liberty. i imagine everybody in this

crowd would say yes, protect our right to religious values. but as soon as it comes to putting something in your mouth or in your lungs, you say you do not have enough sense, so we will use the heavy hand of government to protect against yourself. [applause] we have not on a long way from the constitution. it says the only under the declaration of war and we go to work, but we are in war now, and it will take a long time until we go bankrupt. but we have done a few things that are endorsed by both parties, and one is that we have endorsed the principle of preventive war. another term for presentive worse is aggressive wars, because someday somebody might do something to it.

that is not part of the american tradition. just last week there was a hearing on the hill, and the subject of assassinations came up. the administration was there and explain that yes, they endorsed the idea of assassination. and they asked if they would endorse the idea that we have an obligation to assassinate american citizens, and the answer is yes, they do. they claim they have right to assassinate american citizens. what are the conditions? somebody makes a determination that that individual is a

threat and can be assassinated. he is probably a bad guy. but the principle is important. there might someday be six or eight or 10. what about the fact that eugene debs might not have been put in prison, but assassinated. this is not radical liberalism. this is about protecting the integrity of our country and constitution and the rights of the individual. we have now as a country accepted the principle that habeas corpus is only worthwhile in a limited fashion. some people do not deserve it. if there is a design, they can be held for an unlimited time.

they can be subjected to torture. that is not what we are all about. we are much better than that, and we as conservatives have to realize we have to bring the spot again. good conservatives can believe personal liberties are of the utmost value. we all more easily agree that the free market is a good way to go, and yet we still have a lot of people reject the notion of regulations and benefits and bailouts for wall street and the federal reserve system and paper money. all of those things have to be worked in. but there is nothing wrong with being a conservative and saying republicans, as recently as the year 2000, we won elections by saying we should not be the policeman of the world, and we should be nation-building. it is time we got those values

back. [applause] i believe we are on the verge of something significant. i have spoken out quite a few times on college campuses, and reception is fantastic, and they want all package. they do not want bits and pieces, they want economic liberties. because the government has failed, and they know they will lack of social security, and they do not want cupful -- perpetual war. [applause] so let us take this opportunity,

and for those of you who disagree, all i ask you to do is think seriously about it. think about it, read it, and study it in context and say, maybe that has -- you know, during the presidential campaign, often the corner, laugh at him, all of this stuff, and all of the sudden the crash and said we were beginning, it came. now, fox news network went about 60 times it was over. but let me finish by saying i think it brings people together. i do like different people coming together, because they

always say to come together on your terms as long as you do not mess around with me. the one thing -- there are to the bureau rules i have. one is that of what a lot of change, i want resistance. but the other fang have to keep reminding myself and will remind others is that in the process of pursuing your goals, but we should remained tolerant. people who disagree with you or have different views, we have to allow freedom of expression. that will bring us together. otherwise, you cannot win. [applause] so i thank you very much for this opportunity to visit with you. i hope it is challenging because we're in challenging times.

but quite frankly, if we do the right thing, we can pull out the economic mess and be better than ever, and i believe that is what this type of an organization and a group of people coming together -- i know you what what is best for america, and we work together, we can achieve it. thank you very much. [applause] ["we will rock you" by queen plays] ♪ \

rary of congress, here on c-span. [applause] >> your holiness, mr. gershman, friends all, library of congress is very pleased and honored to welcome here for the national endowment for the humanities special tribute program and presentation of the democracy

service medal to his holiness, the dalai lama. his holiness is no stranger to the library, having been received here previously twice by my predecessor, dr. daniel boorstin, and it is therefore a very special honor to welcome him on his return today to the library of congress. with collections numbering more than $147 million representing over 470 languages, the library sustains the world's largest and most wide-ranging collection of human knowledge and creativity for the benefit of current and future generations, particularly of lawmakers and their constituents, but really, of all people everywhere. congress of the united states has been the greatest patron of the library in human history by creating and sustaining this library for 210 years, the

oldest federal cultural institution. and it represents the democratic belief that truly representative government has to be based on knowledge and freedom to use it. the library statin collection, which his holiness has seen and revisited some of its treasures, reflects a lot -- a wide spectrum of tibetan culture, history, art, folklore and foreign affairs and represents cultural awareness and understanding and also preserves tibetan heritage. there are affiliations with its spiritual traditions, includingr the hand painted religious scroll on cloth, which was presented to william would fail

rockville, the former u.s. minister to china and a tibetan scholar himself. he donated his entire collection of tibetan books acquired in tibet and mongolia between 1888 and 8092. -- 1892. the presentation of these guests to iraq killed by the 13th, has been this -- to rockhill friday 13th lama has been described as a historic. we feel especially honored to welcome his point is here today, and your presence highlights -- welcome his holiness here today,

and your presence highlights the historic legacy of the tibetan experience. your holiness, thank you for maintaining your friendship with this library, for your witness to freedom of speech and access to knowledge, on which all libraries depend, and for the great culture that you represent, the freedom of worship that has sustained culture and all cultures and your own inspirational presence in a troubled world. and now special thanks to all of our guests that have gathered here for this important ink -- important occasion. it is my honor to turn the program over to the national endowment for democracy, to honor and thank him for his enduring witness to human rights and democratic values, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the distinguished vice chair of

the endowment, judy shelton. [applause] >> thank you, james billington, our distinguished library of congress, for those warm words of welcome. what a marvelous privilege it is to be here this morning in the world's largest library, our nation's oldest cultural institution, and institution dedicated to preserving a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations. it is my pleasure as vice chair of the board of directors of the national endowment for democracy to likewise welcome you all for this very special presentation today. our chairman, richard gephardt, was unable to be here, to his great regret, as he would have loved to greet our guest of honor to -- a guest of honor,

with whom he's had several occasions to meet previously. chairman gephardt has long been a powerful voice for fairness, justice, tolerance, and he is committed to the belief that basic human rights are not a mere cultural preference, but rather, the reflection of universal aspirations. the national endowment for democracy was founded in 1983 and since then, the endowment has supported the work of democrats throughout the world. that is with a small "d" for the endowment is truly bipartisan. our funding comes from the american citizenry and is provided to us through the u.s. congress, for which we are most grateful. our grant program today supports over 1200 projects annually, covering a full range of activities related to democratic development and the assumption of democratic institutions.

i am proud to report that n.e.d., the acronym by which we are known, has supported the operations of the tibetan people for over 20 years. our projects have been related to billing democratic awareness in institutions and on the part of those in exile, and to increaseñi meaningful interactin between the tibetans and chinese. in short, is n.e.d.'s mission worldwide to help people embrace democratic and values, who are peaceful advocates for democratic rights and who share a common desire to live in a world that is free and democratic. the democracy service medal was created by the board of directors of the national endowment for democracy to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the progress of democracy around the world. it was first presented in april

of 1999 at the roundtable agreement that led to poland's peaceful transition to democracy. the medallion is made of cast bronze. the engraving on it is -- read simply, "in the service for the cause of democracy. , it was awarded to the founder of the solidarity trade union movement who became president of poland. and to the afl-cio president who was also the principal founder of the national endowment for democracy. the metal has since been awarded to a very select few of exemplary individuals here and abroad who have dennis -- who have demonstrated their dedication to the advancement of freedom and human rights and to the expansion of democratic institutions, such as freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, honest and open elections, rule

of law. and now, before proceeding to the presentation of the metal to our honored guest, i would like to take a few moments to recognize some people in the audience today, and to express our deep thanks to the hereford foundation for sponsoring this event. we're honored to have with us the foundation's president, robert miller, who was also a member of n.e.d.'s board of directors and an officer, and we would like to say thank you to jane hersman, who serves on the hereford foundations board. will both of you stand and be recognized? [applause] i would also like to work -- to ñirecognize will taft, the chairman of the board of directorsçó of freedom house. if he would please stand? [applause]

will taft is a man who has been at the center of u.s. decision making. he is a principled advocate for freedom. for the past two days, freedom house has been cosponsoring a human rights summit together with the organization human rights first, chaired by williams able -- ablesable. are you here, sir? [applause] we also have jennifer windsor, the executive director of freedom house. [applause] and alyssa macimino, the president of human rights first. [applause] we offer a warm welcome to the human rights defenders from around the world who have gathered to the summit and honor us with their presence today. [applause]

i would also like to recognize alan winds dean -- allen weinstein, the distinguished former archiver for the united states. if he will stand, please? [applause] allen weinstein has done so much to ensure free and fair elections in the philippines and central america and throughout the world. helping the striving democracies to meet the standard of the electoral integrity, and he played an importantñi role in te founding of n.e.d. paula dobrionski, a remarkable woman, please stand. [applause] she was the under secretary of state in democracy in global

toçó to thousand nine, during which time she was also special coordinator to tibet. paula is a recipient of the state department's highest honor, the secretary's distinguished service medal, and we are proud to note that she served as vice chair of the n.e.d. board. thank you so much. i would like to mention, too, that will taft's late wife, julia, was well known for her work related to refugees and disaster relief. she served as u.s. special coordinator to to bed and she was a valued member of n.e.d.'s board of directors and 1994 to 1998. finally, ladies and gentleman, i would like to recognize someone who isñi instantly recognizableo millions, the esteemed actor, richard gere. [applause]

he also happens to be one of the most loyal and influential activists dedicated to the well- being of the tibetan people. richard gere chairs the international campaign for tibet, an organization that works tirelessly to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of tibet. a well-known humanitarians, richard gere is a poignant speaker on behalfñr of human rights, cultural preservation, and helping disadvantaged communities worldwide. it is wonderful to have you here with us today and we appreciate working closely with our good friends at that ict in organizing these events. -- this event. there are many distinguished guests in our audience today. it is an embarrassment of riches, and i hope you will forgive me for not been able to ñrproperly acknowledge your presence, but we have a very

special purpose before us today. we now proceedñi to the presentation of the democracy service medal to our most honored guests, his holiness the dalaiçó lama, who has very kindy consented to take@@@@@@@ @ @ @ recipient of the light of truth

awards presented by the international campaign for tibet. and in accepting the award five years ago, carl made this observation, "there has sometimes been a tendency to rñifundamentally a moral locatin -- but aiding democracyñi is fundamentally immoral location, and our connection to the is wholly llama -- his holiness the dalai lama, helps remind us who we are, what we are all about and why we do what we do." anyone who knows curled gershman knows that he does what he does out of deep compassion, steadfast commitment, and an innate sense of justice. carl, if you would please come to the podium now to make the award.

[applause] >> thank you so much, judy. it is a very great honor for me to read n.e.d. 's tribute -- the n.e.d.'s trivia to the dalai lama, after which judy and i will have the distinct pleasure of placing people medal of around his neck, just as he has placed the traditional scarf are run the next of so many people throughout the world. we are gathered here today to honor the contribution of the dalai lama to the principles, values, and cause of democracy. this contribution is neater well

understood, nor by the recognized -- is neither well understood, nor widely recognized. the leadership of the tibetans to preserve their culture is world renowned. and he is honored as a man of peace. but his contribution to democracy has not received it -- the attention it deserves. our purpose today is to shed light on this dimension of his beliefs and purposes, one that makes the dalai lama especially relevant to the future of the world in which we live. even as a very young man, years before he fled tibet in 1959, the dalai lama sought to implement significant democratic reforms in tibet's system of

government. not only did he seek justice for the tibetan people, but he also saw -- sought such reforms in the areas of taxation and land idling as a way to mobilize the tibetan people against the chinese attempted to approve the tibetan society through forced collectivization, a program that was already under way in the early 1950's under the orwellian rubric of democratic reform. for reasons beyond his control, the dalai lama was unable to implement these reforms in tibet. but once in exile, he proceeded almostç?$rssq"iately to developa democratic system for the tibetans living in india. the first elections among tibetan refugees were held in the summer of 1960 in india.

just months after his holiness arrived in the arm saw -- a darmstadt -- dharamsala. today, the tibetan community in exile is overseen by an independent judiciary. a charter adopted by the assembly in 1991 transferred from the dalai lama to that body the power to elect the cabinet', including a prime minister vested with day-to-day powers. while a charter is modeled on the constitutions of established democracies, it reflects the unique nature of tibetan culture by placing special emphasis on protecting freedom of religion, upholding the

principles of nonviolence and emphasizing the moral and material welfare of the tibetan people. in 1992, the dalai lama announced new guidelines for tibet's future policy the pending in negotiated summit with the chinese government give them major responsibility for determining tibet's future governance to the tibetans living in tibet. that responsibility, in his view, should include even the power to determine if the institution of the dalai lama should continue to exist. the dalai lama's commitment to develop a democratic polity for tibet is based on his belief enunciated in a lecture is sponsored by n.e.d. in 1998 that the old system was "outdated and

ill-equipped to face the challenges of the contemporary world." this commitment to democratic reform and modernization, important as is, is but one çódimension of the dalai lama's contribution to democracy. . .

without which, they cannot exercise the right of self- government or realize the promise of democracy. this commitment to impart knowledge as the foundation of democracy is at the court at we meet today. it is also inspired -- it has inspired the children's village and the our rate of other tibetan educational institutions established throughout india, including the dalai lama institute for higher education, inaugurated a year ago this week. another dimension of the dalai lama's contribution has been his forthright defense of democracy

as a universal idea. in response to those asian leaders who have claimed that it is a western concept that undermines so-called asian values of order, duty, and stability. speaking as a buddhist monk, he has argued that buddhism is compatible with democracy in that both are "rooted in a common understanding in the potential of. every of" he has attached great importance to the factç that democracy is now well established in india and other non-western countries, and is the cherished goal of brave activists in burma, china, and elsewhere around the globe. the institutions that thrive

from democratic values, he has said, are nothing less than the necessary conditions of a civilized society. in addition to defending democracy, his holiness has given us all but a model of how to pursue democracy and with according to its values. are refusing to relinquish the principle of nonviolence despite the terrible violence that has been inflicted on the tibetan people, he has preserved the moral integrity of the tibetan struggle and the possibility for an eventual reconciliation with çchina. by demonstrating moral courage and selfxd assurance in the face of perked force and abuse of insult -- in the face of bçrute çforce, he is given hope to his

own people and to all oppressed people everywhere. by showing a deep concern for all human beings in keeping with his belief in universal responsibility, he has awakened the spirit of human and international solidarity that animates all those around the world who are struggling for democracy and human rights, not least, he has been aç consistet voice of solidarity for democratic dissidents. his holiness has called himself the unluckiest dalai lama because he has spent more time as a refugee living outside his country than he has living in tibet. t(but with characteristic optimism, he has said his exile

has been rewarding and that it has given him the opportunity to live in the democracy of india, suggesting he now has a greater capacity to bring the gift of democracy back to tibet. whether he will have that chance depends in no small measure on the fate of chinese democrats like the imprisoned, who have supported his call for dialogue as will as his beliefs that in negotiated settlements, granting full autonomy to the tibetan people will enhance the china possibility, unity, and its standing on the world.

thus, the circumstances that have made the dalai lama and exile have also linked his struggle to the survival of tibet, to the future of çdemocracy int( the world's lat country. his holiness has also said that his exile has enabled him "to learn about the world in a way that we tibetans have never been able to do before. it has given the world an opportunity to learn about the dalai lama and the people of tibet in a way that might not otherwise have been possible." to have become in rich in the process. -- to have becomeç enriched in the process. he has transformed exile into a

platform from which to defend his people and to teach moral and democratic values to the world, and an achievement that inspires people of goodwill everywhere and helps us all look to the future with hope. çxdçççqw3qñrfor its contribr çadvancing the institutions, values, and purposes of democracy, for giving us all -- for giving us all a model on how to practice democracy as a way of life, and for defending the survival of the people and culture ofç tibet in a way that has also contributed to world peace and human understanding the national endowment for democracy is proud to present its democracy service medal to his holiness, the dalai lama.

[applause] xd @@@@@@@@ . [applause] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @

i don't know how to handle this formally. brothers, sisters, and those people who have given me this,

thank you. thank you very much. [laughter] i feel getting this kind of a thing is the recognition for my small contribution for betterment of 6 million human beings. in this case, mainly i tried to promote democracy. democracy, i did not learn the value of democracy through education, but through experience. i want to share with you that.

firstly, when i was a young buddhist monk, a rather stupid young monk, i never paid attention to study. just only for play. one example -- i was 42 -- seven, up my age. i received, i think, a very important letter and gift from president roosevelt'. so as to that time, my only interest was the gift of the watch, not the letter. [laughter]

at that time, i have no thoughts about the letter. then i do not know where the letter went. but after 68 years, just yesterday president obama gave me a copy of that letter. [laughter] [applause] so then i --t(q so actually at t time, the container -- no, container of the letter. very beautiful. so that's -- i remember i played with that for a few weeks. [laughter]

i remember like that. so, so at that time, my nature, i was in close touch with ordinary people. they were treating me like that. like an equal. so that's reallyç was a sourcef the cheerfulness. ceremony i said on throwne. but in real dilly of life, i mixed with these people. -- in daily life, and mixed with these people. there was justice in society.

these leaders, regions. so the fact -- there were complaints from his ordinary, poor people. this has to stop. oh, so bad. not as bad as a chinese saying. but you say a lot nv injustice or drawbacks. zvthen, eventually in 1954, i wt to china and pickeiking for the

chinese parliament, as a parliament member. so there there was a long speech from authority. many parliament members, they often sleep. w3there were showing no interes. after a long session, but some small group of officials and other members of parliaments had some discussion. i remember very clearly, there was one chinese gentleman stood. i do not understand at thatw3 time. i watch him talk. his appearance, expression, he

was complaining about something. that i know. and he said, shot ut up. [laughter] that ended the experience. 1956, i came to india for the celebration. i visited and have the opportunity to visit the indian parliament. very noisy. [laughter] at that time, the prime minister and vice prime minister, these two from india

had some business with the indian government. they urged me that i shall return. and the prime minister informed mesto postpone this six years. çeven after six years, it can e further possible. this was a personal message from the chairman. so on one occasion, i told him that i found big differences in indian parliament and our own parliament. in our own parliament, it -- thdbe is complete silence. indian parliament, too much noise.

he tell me, since you left, much change already happened. he mentioned that. [laughter] so big differences in the system in the open society. after a 1959, april -- no. in 1959, we decided to raise the tibetan issue at the un. initially we discussed with the indian prime minister. and he told me it is not much useful to raise the issue of the un. better not raise.

with some help, including the united states, we had found sponsors, responses and identified that. after that, my meeting with the promised her -- my meeting with the prime minister. i was hesitant. what is his reaction? we did follow his advice. and then i met him. no sign of that. so then i felt, this is a democracy.

every person, every people have the right to express their feelings and to carry worked and their own beliefs. in the meantime, some of our close supporters, close friends -- whenever i met him, of course he was a staunch supporter of tibetan independence. whenever we met, he always criticized prime minister nirero. in the parliament, he always criticized the government's of the prime minister.

the criticism. but, all right. peaceful. so these -- there is an occasion to learn. what is democracy? then my own sort of vision of the mind, not very clear. as i mentioned earlier, i recognize or realize the system. therefore i think around 1952 the perform committee settled a lot of reforms. but then the further progress that, but the chinese officials

said they wanted their own form of reform. if our own reform, if it goes, that may become a hindrance. so it becomes a last stop, an obstacle. then, as you mentioned, they start the city at one city work for democratizationq and a step- by-step and as early as 1969 an official public statement, i mentioned the very institution should continue to the people.

i mentioned. at that time, some of the media people were showing interest. i told them, in case the judgment of people face, this@å

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute] as the my boss. i am his boss. [laughter] even yesterday, my meeting with the present, i mentioned to that. of course, the interest of commitment as a simple buddhist monk, number one. promotion of human rights. i had mentioned to the president we are part of 60

billion human beings, no differences. from topçó, the president, kingr queen or begger. of the same human beings. -- we are the same human beings and we all have the same rights. the right to live happy. happy life. so, in order to live happy life, the material facilities are important. no question. but alternate source, achieving the cheerfulness, peace is dependent on our mind. so everybody has a happy life.

expecting journalist comes from outside. it is wrong. o ultimate source -- we must realize fat. we must pay more attention to that. that is my number one commitment. mainly through that. as a human being. i promote this harmony. these things are a lifeline commitment to my death. not since 2001, my position is the same. so when i met the people concerning tibet issue and mainly the point made by the

leadership, of course, like that. so that is the way of how learned the fight of democracy and then implemented it. so then i am very happy indeed a very honored, a great honor to receive this metadal. [unintelligible] human rights defenders. i want to share you my deep appreciation what you're doing.

usually human rights protection of human rights is not just individual sort of right. but i know it is tick flows organizations and those who are working for human rights and it takes those. the area or country where those people who have the ability to think about the future, to have the ability, create a vision, that these people usually are critical about this system, the rolling system. so then they express their point

of view. then usually these people suffer. these people are first casualties. so the country, any country, the real sort of a change must come through people, through individual creativity. the totalitarian system, without the freedom, that opportunity to utilize individual creativity stops. so therefore the projection of individual human rights is actually protection of the whole society or government progress of the whole country. so your work like that.

as i mentioned, every human being -- [unintelligible] some people -- [unintelligible] of course, everybody cannot be president. [laughter] through election, shoes by people for the people. that gives the people some power to control change. that also gives them some kind of sense of responsibility and

involvement. so this system is wonderful. however, the education, in order to utilize it, education is the key answer. so those countries where education is higher, those areas, education is still lacking, sometimes the more pressing -- it happens like that. so we very much emphasize education. as soon as we become like that, our first obstacle is education

for younger people. in 1960, will never pay attention -- britain, monastery. i think the last few years, the tibetan, i think they almost never spent money for the construction of this monstrous or institutions. but all of our energy, all of our resources spent on education. schools, like that. so we quiet -- the achievement in the outfield. looking back, wilçw3ú=7k[:goie

successful in the community. "fççç[.+ññm3di]tibetan peopls our real cause. we have to act. so more than 50 years, i think tibetan from inside tibet when it comes to india and also here in the united states. and they saw the situation of tibetan community and the facility of education, including buddhist study. the expressed their much appreciation. this is an important part of tibetan culture, tibetan

buddhist culture. buddhist culture, but as with a think is an important part, the mental quality, not just the declaration. it is mental. it is a true study, true learning. so we very much emphasize the study of learning of buddhism and buddhism here and used to make three parts. portis science remains in the science -- buddhist science, philosophy, like things are interdependent. and a lot of causality. these are very similar to darwinian a theory. sometimes these concepts are a

sign carried -- buddhist practitioner. but the science and concept is in the universe. therefore, not more than 20 years, more and more people from the scientific community are showing interest, learning, explanation or a different to look at the human brain, human emotion and how to tell these things. so -- so we carry every single effort to the preservation and richest of tibetan buddhist

culture. time for question period [laughter] [applause] >> your holiness, we thank you so much for your wonderful and in a lightning comments. we're grateful you chose to be here with us this morning. we thank you for your willingness to take questions from our audience. if you'll permit, i will read the first one and ask for your response, please. "qçxdw3okin what sense is demoy dqñrçb(ácvçóçf - violence so importantv:w3zv?

ççç" mentioned. meaningç -- as i mentioned i]earlier, e shouldok participate, how to govern themselves. so that means respect. equality. that is very important. buddhist tradition also. buddhist monk. the monastic kind of system.7xì+ there areçççxi]çó 100 differf acts. all these acts must carry by a

group of picture of a monk. no single mom, no right. has the authority. -- no single moni, k,@@ two times ask and then three times ask, no answer, no opposition, then consider unanimously the agreement.

then that person can do that. that i think is very democratic. authority. but he never sort of gives w3authorityçko to a single budt monk. that is kind ofq the democratic system. t(and then no sort of respect, o concern about different class. even chairman mao, 1955, on one occasion he told me, he considered one revolutionary , theç exis system in indiaçç put it agait that. so he start.

chairman mao,ym i say, ancient revolution. so, like that. next question. democracy naturally, you have to listen, those of you. even different views. you must respect. so any agreement or different review, eliminate that as of violence. listen to other views and respect different views or opposite views. you must respect. we have to find the common ground. through understanding. so that means dialogue. that is the basis of nonviolence.

non-violence does not mean indifference. nonviolence means problem. your heavily engaged. but without using force. this is very much predictive. >> "when did you first realize that tibet have to take the path of democracy and modernization and is not threaten traditional tibetan values?" >> i think, as i mentioned, i çthinkç the main source of knowledgeçç democracy after we come to india. there is noç danger.

, i think the principalçd8çóçn i]çalso the knowledge and =sz"n skeptical and carried the investigation through investigation through experiments and it will become clear. as he mentioned, all my followers should not exit out of faith, out of devotion, but rather one experiment an investigation. this is scientific. ñrqthen i have to mention tibetn tradition, sometimes the position can become like social

status. through that way, some corruption. to theç roots in the tradition. i often, when i give some teaching, i often refer the text by those authentic great masters. so now if we go, we go back to the source. i think is very scientific, a very democracy principle. no contradiction. >> "which country will allow greater influence in the world in the years ahead? democratic india or commonness china?" [laughter]

>> i think the united states. [applause] repeat, repeat. [laughter] repeat that question. what do you mean? china and india. oh. [laughter] between these two. then of course, recently, indian prime minister -- sometimes i describe him as the same the prime minister. very nice. very clean. his face looks like a saint. so he expressed in india --

democracy. transparent. and free information, open society. çlogistics. so these arefá lacking in the people's republic of china. unfortunately. so the hard liner communist leadership, but they do not see the whole picture. in order to bring a have. society, deconstructions are not the answer. ñin orderç toç be,

money important.orderç toç be, no question. at the same time, other things such as individual freedom, the freeçççdç information -- he united states, my close f 5ì(lc+ president clinton -- there one time, president clinton, one time problem. even president have to answer. and one time, the indian prime minister, again, one time, have to go to court. so these are equality. and in china, you can't imagine the leader go to court. his party's court.

people's army. people's government. people's republic. people's republic. in name. people' [laughter] and when we were in tapeking, one official -- one tibetan official, he expressed to me where most of the official list, he said peoples order. but action, no people, no republic. only officials. only party members. [laughter] and then in early 1950's , i

was in peking and i taught. in six months, then in many few months, i taught in a different part. different part of china. çat that time, those party membersçu!çokç really dedicae çpeople. çççthere was comfort. with full belief, faked. ssákoç?;xzvideology. very strong. believe. there is a vision to reach the society of communism. that doesn't work justç for one country but a worldwide movement. so beautiful because of the

vision. so much attention. at that time, i also expressed i want to join the party. i believe as the social economy, i consider myself a there. sometimes i feel my brain more çthat those chinese leaders. w3they do not care about that. çi]money, money, money. so like that. so therefore. now today, those new party recruits, no such a fate, no suchsoy determination. simply tryç to get the

opportunity about money like that. so today's communist in china are corrupted. i think the people -- i think very few support that. so you mentioned -- and also affeci think high party position. so they express the illusion -- the dissolution. so sometimes i express. now now time comes. communist party.

retire with grace. it is much better. [applause] if you use the chinese officials about that, i have plenty of reason. no popular support. no salt ideology. -- no solid ideology. it is wonderful. [laughter] i met one noble gloria. i cannot mention his name. -- i met 1 noble laureate. çrecently i met and asked him w china socialist and without hesitation he said, no, not

socialist. xdso, in world history and particularly in the century, people betterç education and me different values. how can it remain in the system? knowledge. any political party. impossible. to remain in power forever. so therefore, the chinese communist partyç, at the same time,xd they also made a lot of qcontributions for a stronger china. so now with thatt(ç, i will

gracefully retire. [laughter] with some high peasantry. @@@@@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ >> do you ever have a bad day? >> i think, as i mentioned earlier, when i was young, of course, officially they described me as [foreign language] but my tutor consider me one

stupid student. now, it is unthinkable for reinc -- they accepted the reality of a young student. so at that time, my immediate as a brother and myself carry study together, so my tutor kept two whips. one whip yellow. so that whip yellow supposed for that "holy" student. -- w3if that yellow is used, -- out

of fear, i carried thisok study. at that time, and sometimes play too much and forget to learn. then very much afraidçç. my tutor may use that. things are much more sort of difficult. in the meantime, my common sense also growsç and i think it is a buddhist practiceççw3. look everything for long xdxdcausality andç alsoç there interconnected. so that concept is very helpful

to develop holistic play. q-- to develop holistic pokxdal. if you look polis th holistically,ok then there's the advice. things are difficult. analyzed the situation. you do not need to worry. make effort. if there is no possibility to work on that, no use, too much çvery realistic. very scientific. ñrso, whenever there are some problems, a look from the holistic view. some things, it overcome. i findç my best.

something impossible, do that. ok. as one strong conceptç. z be done. ok. ñr[applause] >> i very much regret to say that his holiness has a tight travel -- >> sorry. i want to share with my american friends. sometimes are too much excitement. something positive happens. to over excited. if something goes wrong, too much. do not do that. [laughter] [applause] w3ç of course, we must know rigt

and wrong and good and bad. something happenedçw3çó at a dr level. you must try to keeping calm. difficult things. realize that and make the effort. çit shouldxd not reach deeply n the emotion. we all have -- stand up. -- we have this same potential. only thing to rely on the external funding. too much of sensitive. if you look in the values, energy sources, you become more. particularly here, compassion.

infinite compassion is very helpful. part of my own practice in many tibetans -- i cannot say i am a good practitioner. i am a practitioner. so therefore, you know, dedicated your own body, and mind for well-being of infinite, including your enemy. qhave a practical letter. you cannot solve the problem. like that. u!everybody comes from mother's womb.

everybody survived with a mother's milk. we have this same potential to gather this inner strength based on human compassion. >> thank you so much for being so generous with your time here. çit hasç been such an amazing privilege. i remember your wonderfulç boo the art of happiness. i never dreamed that i would get to see you in per -- in person. love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the sources of peace and happiness. you have given us a great deal of happiness here today and we thank you so much. >> thank you. [applause]

ç>> ladies and gentlemen, we request that you would keep your seats until the party has >> ladies and gentlemen, last night we requested you keep your peace until the party has left. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. bye-bye. >> ladies and gentlemen, we are

going to let the entourage to exit first. if you could please stay in your seats and as a special gift to each one of you, ourok partnerst the international campaign for tibet have arranged to give all of those present today a beautiful calendar with explicit photographs -- with explicitç ç t(equisite photographs. the library has a range to display some of its extraordinaryi] collection and down the hall. you'll have the opportunity to view those treasures on your way out. good afternoon. ç[applause]

ç >> next the president at a town hall. then live at 7:00 a.m., your calls and comments on "washington journal." now, president obama in nevada athe a town hall meeting. this is part of a day of events for the president in the las vegas area, campaigning with the senate majority leader, this event was held at the green valley high school in henderson, nevada. it is about an hour and 15 minutes. >> thank you. it is good to be back in nevada.

it is good to be back in vegas. it is good to be back in henderson it is good to be with my good friend, your great senator, harry reid. [applause] i understand that henderson is where carey went to school as a boy and fought in the ring as an amateur boxer. looking at him, you would not say -- let's face it -- [laughter] but i can personally attest that harry reid is one of the toughest people i know.

he does not give up. he knows what he cares about and what he believes in and he is willing to fight for it. sometimes, he takes his licks and gets back up. he has never stopped fighting. he has never stopped fighting for henderson. he has not stopped fighting for nevada. he has not stopped fighting for the united states of america and middle-class families that need a fair shake. [applause] i am looking forward to hearing what is on your mind and trying to -- let me say a few words about -- harry is not one to

sugarcoat things better said these are tough times. when president kennedy was here, he called patterson a city of destiny. for too long, i know that many of you feel that your destiny has been slipping beyond your control we do not need -- you do not need me to tell you that. he felt in the construction industry. the unemployment rate is 13%, which is the second-highest in the nation. home values have fallen more than any place else. for most middle-class families, income actually shrank.

i know that it is tough out that's why we ask you to send us to washington. we didn't run for a big test k for a comfortable chair. [laughter] we did not run so that a bunch of people on cable tv will chatter about you. we did not run to kick our problems down the road. we ran to solve problems that folks like you are facing every single day. that is what i wanted to be president of the united states, to help you.

[applause] >> when my administration took office, our plan was clear. we needed to stop the great recession from turning into a great depression. economists of every stripe warrant that that was a big responsibility. we had to make some decisions. these were decisions that were necessary. this was not a time@@@@@@@@@ @ h

we did this because not doing so would have endangered the dreams of millions of more americans. and by the way, i was committed to pen shuring that if firps were going to provide temporary assistance to keep our system afloat, it actually had to be temporary. i was determined to get back every single dime, and we are well on our way to doing that. getting back every single dime from those banks. [applause] >> in fact, one battle we're having right now, we think the largest bank should be assessed a fee so that taxpayers are held harmless for the assistance you've been given. [applause] as you might imagine, the banks are not enthusiastic about that. are not enthusiastic about that. he will not surprise you to

learn that they have a few friends in congress who are willing to go along. we will get your money back because terri reid will guarantee that you ditch your money back. we helped shore up the american auto industry. i understood why. if we let gm and chrysler go wonder, it would have meant hundreds of thousands of hard- working americans would pay the price. we told them that if they are willing to take the painful steps that are needed to become more competitive, then we are willing to invest in your

future. [applause] gm's ceo would provide an that information by june of this year. one of the things that you need to know is that they have nothing to do with the recovery. we had to do that as an emergency measure. i just want to point this out. i have my pollsters. we knew this was not going to be popular. but we did it because it was the right thing to do.

it is also why we pass the recovery act. a lot of people think that the stimulus package and the recovery act, you would think that it is about giving banks money. that has nothing to do with the banks. the other week, i saw a poll that said that americans did not like the recovery act, but just the individual parts of the recovery act. when you ask folks what was in the recovery act, it would be unemployment relief. that is what it was. 95 percent of you, you may not have noticed, up 95 percent of you got a tax cut because of harry reid and because of harry

reid and recovery act. 1 million people in the state of nevada, we expanded unemployment insurance at a time when it was absolutely vital for people as they were trying to stay afloat. more than one quarter million of your members -- of your neighbors. there were jobs for construction workers. i have not talked to the principle, but we would have seen some very difficult decisions being made about maintaining teacher's right here.

this was all possible because of perry's leadership. more than 2 million americans would be working right now because of what harry reid did. we are no longer staring into an economic abyss because of what he did. this is of little comfort to americans that lost their jobs. it is of little comfort to home owners that are facing disclosure or older folks that are facing retirement. that is why all of america is working again.

this is benefiting the middle- class. this is benefiting americans all across this. that is what we are aiming to do. i said before that the way that i measure our economy, the way you measure ripped is by whether jobs are growing. the other we we measure it is of folks have lived up the dream. a special right here in nevada. part of this, i have to be blunt, part of it was because too many lenders were focused on making a quick buck instead of

acting responsibly. to many borrowers acted irresponsibly, taking on mortgages they knew that they could not afford. and what happened was that regulators in washington turned a blind eye. it said a house and bubble. now, it has left devastation that we are grappling with today. government has a responsibility to help deal with this problem. government cannot solve this problem alone. we have to be honest about that. government alone cannot solve this problem. it should not. but government can make a difference. you cannot stop every foreclosure and tax dollars

should not be used to reward the irresponsible lenders and borrowers that helped bring this about. what we can do is help families stay in their homes. we can stabilize the housing market so that it begins rising again that is why we are buying up vacant homes and converting them into affordable housing, creating jobs and growing local economy. that is why we put a tax credit that was worth thousands of dollars in the pockets of $1.4 million -- and 1.4 million americans. that is why we are offering more than 1 million struggling homeowners lower their payments. that is one banks with the leadership of harry reid are announcing a fund for housing finance agencies in the states

that are hardest hit. that means here in nevada. [applause] so, if this is going to help out homeowners, it will prevent -- it will help them help and borrowers and lenders alike and will help those that took out its second mortgage to modify their loans. so, yes. we need to strengthen the housing markets and to focus on job creation. one thing that i want to be clear about very we can do all of those things. -- clear about.

we can do all those things. we need to solve some of the long term problems that have been with us for years. we have to recognize that our future is what we make of it and unless we get everything we've got to secure americans, our children will not have the same opportunities. i have traveled all over the world. i have to tell you that countries like china are competing to win. there is nothing wrong with that. we want china to succeed. they have much more poverty than we have here. it is good for their stability if they are doing well. but i do not know about you. i don't want to concede the 20th-century to anybody else. america does not follow, america leads. [applause]

america leads. what does it mean to leave? it means that country's that out agitate us today will out was tomorrow. that is why we are working with educators, to transfer the cost to transform our schools and prepare our kids for science and engineering and technical degrees, because those will be the jobs of the future. and because the future belongs to countries that create the jobs of tomorrow, we have to lead an industry. that is why we want to produce solar power and wind power and the inefficient electric grids. [applause]

it is vital that we do that. our nation cannot lead. we cannot prosper if we have a broken down health care system that works better for the insurance company that it does for ordinary americans. we cannot squander the opportunity to reform our health-care system to make it work for everybody. that is why we will be meeting with members of both parties and we will move forward the democratic proposal. we hope that the republicans have won two. we will go section by section. america cannot solve our

economic problems unless we tackle some of the structural problems. america cannot lead -- we cannot succeed unless we are getting a handle on our debt. we have to confront this crisis that has been brewing for years. that is why we are cutting what we do not need to pay for what we do. americans should pay as we go and live within our means. that is why i announced the bipartisan commission that will help us meet our fiscal challenges once and for all. this will responsibility, clean energy, a world-class education. a health care system that works and an economy that lives of all our citizens. that is how we can leave.