world war two veterans. they might not have they say it might have been important that another veteran gets to go to the memorial. that is where our donation dollars come from. have phone lines on the screen, and a special line for veterans. 202-6-0184. earl morse joins us util 9:15 eastern this morning. of the wod war ii population in the u.s.? >> this is a taped program. now it is around 2 million to 3 million. but i would imagine that only half or a quarter of them could get on an airplane.

ller: is this -- host: is this keeping you busy full time? guest: ijaz for the past few years. but i am long it. host: do you still get a chance to fly some of the veterans in your personal aircraft? guest: unfortunately it is -- those days are over. it takes a lot for a pilot like me and over the past few years i have not been able to. host: are you just working through the carrier's now? guest: private pilots would be able to participate in this effort. how they would be utilized really depends on where they are

located. guest: we have a link to your -- host: we have a link to your web site on the screen. rochester, new york. go ahead. caller: we have an organization here as well a school teachers who have gotten children involved. they call it mail call. are their efforts to get more school children involved to pass on the legacy of the world war ii veterans? guest: there is. funny that you should mention those letters, they are probably the most significant things that veterans carry with them in a flight. i have been to viewings where veterans have passed away.

those letters will be in their hands. they rd those letters over and over again. quite often it moves them to tears. host: wisconsin, democratic line. caller: i was wondering, do the veterans get like a retirement package? after serving them o? guest: not to mynowledge. i would ask any vetens to contact your local veterans' service offices in your county

or state. host: cleveland, good morning. mike? caller: i would like to bring up something that is terribly important. pow's, we just got done bailing out the banks. $1 trillion to build a truck company in russia? our soldiers,ecause we have not declared war, are not eligible for the geneva convention. be a nom, cambodia, they are ill locked up and we have deserted those people. host: you are suggesting that there are still pow's for more more ii? caller: yes, if ty are not dead. host: earl morse, any knowledge or awareness of that? guest: i do not know. i do know that world war ii

veterans were turned over by the germans and the japanese. and host: so, i do get pretty familiar with the world war ii memorial. dicated back in many. compare it to the others in washington. why is it special to you? you are obviously not a world war ii age. guest: [laughter] thank you. positioned between the washington monument and the lincoln memorial, a significant to wallace. we believe that the washington monument represents the bth of this nation. to us on the flight of world war ii memorial represents freedom for the world. the pacific is free, and thank

god america is free. it did not just happen, these people made it happened and to have a memorial that recognizes that is important. if it was built on the white house it would still not have a more significant position of honor. host: your veterans comin over comrcial carriers. where do they stay when they are here? hotels? guest: we are very fortunate in tht most people fly in from east of the mississippi,, and during the morning, leave that evening. -- , i,come un during the morning, leave that evening. but we are very grateful for the lodging we do get in the area.

ost: wasngton, d.c., go ahead. caller: world war ii, what was at stake for america, we had to learn from world war ii one. we have this terrible tragedy and i feel so sorry for the man that had to serve. but the american flag is not represent the people, it represents the corporate elite. host: you ever speak to veterans that think of it as a mistake? guest: absolutely not.

they fought for the blessings and liberties that we enjoyed in america. a lot of shipping was being sunk by enemies of the coast. the japanese hadn't entered alaska, which was a territory of the time. i do not ever recall a veteran saying that we should not have been over there to secure those blessings in liberties. host: did you have a father or close relatives serving in the war? guest: my uncle. growing up in an air force family like that, you develop a real sense of appreciation for service and sacrifice. host: e chicago, joe, democratic line.

caller: good morning. and i basically wanted to thank this man for what he is doing. this morning we are getting up in the riding in honor of the men that served. my father served in world war ii. he was in france, germany, normandy. he has passed away. i miss him a lot. the veterans have done so much for us. we need to do for them. host: thank you for the call. guest: i agree, joe. i hope that your father was able to see the memorial, but ife did not i personally believe that every time i will war ii veteran dies this country becomes a bit more shallow, a bit more selfish.

world war ii veterans are incredible people. i agree with you, we simply cannot thank them enough. host: boston, bobby is on the independent line. caller: good morning, c-span. mr. morse, there is nothing more importt than what you are doing. one of my uncles, have you in the last couple of months taken any flights out of boston? my two uncles, one of them had his face blown off and was in the wate for whoknows how long, they are th pushing 90 and 85.

local news crews saw them off, stayed with them. i believe it was your organization. let me tell you something, i have never seen these two so happy to go down there. one of them is very close to death, michael charlie. i believe that this is one of the last things he will have. look, i agree with you on a lot of wars. thank you very much, c-span. at the memorial day to all of the troops. thank you. guest: thank you for your comments. in just one of the people that got it started rolling. across this country we have so

many volunteers. out of boston we have a volunteer named joe. it was hbo that approach does to bring in 200 worldar ii veterans to the premiere of "the pacific." host: here in washington? guest: here in washington. i would imagine that those with the fights you were talking about. host: a story this morning, like walls was attempting to visit every vietnam veterans memorial in the country. here's a look at one eye and its bird. further down the column, 200 for vietnam alone. and new mexico, mississippi, taking a look those places as well.

what is it about war memorials that has magnetism for people like this? guest: world war veterans, they come out here for two reasons. they see how this nation is going to recognize their service. equally important, if not more important, they want to see how their friends will be remembered. their friends that never made it out of the plane. they want to know how their friends will be remembered. so, there is an attraction there. as well as a tremendous sense of camaraderie. many vietnam veterans participate in our flytraps to honor world war ii veterans. -- flight trips to honor our

world war ii veterans. a vietnam veteran pushing it world war ii veteran in a wheelchair, comforting them, going to the vietnam memorial. you will see the vietnam veteran shedding a tear and the world war ii veterans will comfort them. there is a brotherhood and sisterhood of conflict for armed battle that extends many generations. it all comes together here in washington, d.c.. host: another call from washington, good morning. caller: good morning. you have done much to help many of the veterans. this day is about the ones that never came back and lost their lives. i appreciate c-span and all that

they do. my question, my wife's father is 86. he is a prisoner of war battle veteran. he lives in the chicago area. he mentioned that there are 9600 hubs. i guess, my question is -- what is the one closest to chicago? can i go on line to fill this out? i would hope that he would be able to do this. he is very healthy and active and has been telling his story since he retired as a schoolteacher. what could i do to get this ball rolling for him? of guest: thank you for your comments. first of all, when you talk with

this gentleman, please tell him thank you for his service. secondly, we have a phenomenal of operating out of chicago. you mentioned the the 9600 hubs. mary is doing a great job of there. i would ask that you visit their web site. chicago on our flight -- honor flight. toyota regional program page. and -- go to the regional program page. filling out an application is the first step. you can find themnline. host: in the midwest this moing, jesse. good morning. caller: i wanted to talk for a minute. i am s happy. i went on that flight from iowa.

i was on the second group that went. there were two airplanes fall. -- full. there is one thing that stuck in my craw, i was in the u.s. navy during world war ii. the 99 to read tales that were in the army air force, tuskegee airmen, they never got credit for not losing an airplane to german fighters during world war ii. they blew up a lot of bombers. the aircraft pilots, you never lost any to german fighters. that has been overlooked. because we wanted to put the glory out on the great

hollywood heroes and stuff but none of them were in the war. they were good actors. we have to ha good actors. i think it is important and i think that the stories of these people should be told. this was brought to me by another veten from world war ii. he said that if the story was not told -- i forget the name of the place in missouri. branson, i think. he said that the story had to be told. the veterans wanted to tl lead but the newspapers and news media were afraid to touch it. host: we appreciate your call. guest: you are absolutely right. the tuskegee airmen that fought

in the south of europe did an incredible job. two weeks ago i was the world war ii memorial. one of the men there was a top turret gunner. i asked him how many missions and he said five and that he was shot down on his fifth. he said that they conducted the first daylight bombing over berlin and that they lost 68 points. that is over 700 lives. you are right. to go from losing 68 and other exports, they were able to support the be-17. those farmers were escort by the red tails. not one was lost. and i agree with you, i do not believe that history hazen of

courtesy to not only the african-americans that served, but the japanese that served in europe. host: stories that need to be told, do you find as you do these flights that you are hearing stories about units and individuals that have not made it into any kind of history so far? guest: we do stories that have never been told, which is incredible. quite often the world war ii veterans, home to talk about it. but their family will tell you that they wouldake up in the night, screaming. back in the 1940's they did not have posttraumatic stress sorder. they did not talk about it at all.

host: is anyone making an effort to get those stories? a couple of years ago i remember there was an oral history project under way. guest: for any family mber of a veteran, i encourage them to contact the department of veterans affairs. there are a couple of groups out there attempting to support your it -- oral history archival. host: branson, missouri. caller: my grandfather was in the airborne. if you read the history books it shows that they did occupy. my grandfather claimed that they landed two weeks before the fight was over. rarely did he ever talk about it.

we were watching a show of the year before he died called "the return to the was the month- iwo jima." the only time i ever heard my grandfather talk about that was when he said to me that he knew where the bodies were. the only thing he ever spoke about of it. a lot of veterans alike that. i am the commander of the post here in nebraska, and we have been providing comfort. so, i kind of new his point of view when we made those comments. i also wanted to let you know that there's a lot of information that can be obtained from the veterans' service organization web pages.

across amica people can go out of the web site and look at the battle monuments commission. thank you for letting me on the air to talk. thank you, sir. guest: thank you for your service. it sounds like you are extremely active in your community. people do come back and might not be aware of their privileges. host: next up, ohio, republican line. rick? go ahead. caller: ok. host: you are on the air. . .

the employees are more veteran- centered and focused than i have ever seen. gueshostcaller: she works in the fiscal office. as a vietnam-." veteran, i really appreciate what you are doing. we had close friend who took one of the flights to d.c.

he has several awards and metals as a world war ii veteran. it meant a l to him. he was at the battle of the bulge. we are very grateful for what you are doing. brings a little bit of honor and glory to the town where we live. we thank you for your services will. have a good day. guest: 80. as a vietnam vet, welcome home. my father is a vietnam veteran. he did not get a welcome home when he came back from vietnam in 1969. i want to thank you for your service. host: do you have medical staff accompany them if they have mecal problems? guest: we are on thin ice promoting ourselves as providing medical coverage.

that means our people would have to get approved. in order for them to be protected by good samaritan laws, we do n need to promote ourselves as providing medical attention. there are doctors, nurses, >> you can see president obama and this is live on c-span. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome sean baumgartner. [applause] >> on behalf of the department of veterans affairs, the national cemetery administration, and all of us at the abraham lincoln cemetery, welcome to the 11th annual memorial day ceremony.

we unite this afternoon to pause and remember the soldiers, the sellers, the marines, the air meant to in the words of abraham lincoln said," who gave the last measure of devotion." we are a nation of liberty and freedom because of their sacrifices. we have many supporters at the cemetery who chose to spend this moment with us today including senator durbin, senator burbas, and other elected officials and family. we're also joined today by friends and families of the cemetery to include the gold star mothers and families, volunteers, better and services organizations, community leaders, betveterans and others. speaking of distinguished guests and friends, we have a key special guest with us today. this guest was the keynote speaker at our 2005 memorial day ceremony. at that time, he was an illinois senator. today, he returns to us again,

reprising his role as the keynote speaker accept this time, he is the president of the united states. [applause] president barack obama, thank you for sharing this stay with us today, sir. [applause] today we take a moment to reflect on those sacrifices with our present rate is my desire you will be comforted and inspired. actor for joining us on this momentous occasion and remember, freedom is never free. thank you. [applause] >> we ask that everyone stand as the joliet police department

honor guard presents our nation's colors. please remain standing for the singing of our national anthem by john siegal. --joan siegal.

♪ oh, say can youzz3y say by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hail at the twilight's last gleaming. whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous night o'er the ramparts we watched or so gallantly streaming. and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, they prove through the night that our

flag was still there. oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave. o'er the land of the freie and the home of the brave. ♪ [applause] >> please remain standing for our pledge of allegiance. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, want nation

under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> and please remain standing for our invocation. >> let us back our heads in prayer. -- let is about our heads in prayer -- eternal father, we gather today as a people with mixed emotions. we grieve with those families who have lost a son or daughter, a mother or father, a brother or sister, a. best we honor their sacrifice given in the land -- on the land, in the air, or on the cigarette we are free because of the cost paid by these brave men and women. we are grateful for the freedoms

we share as a nation, as a people, paid for by the lives lost in defense of our country, from valley forge to ask dennis dan, we are grateful. -- to afghanistan, we are grateful. we do -- we will not forget the debt we owe to these pollens young men and women for our liberties. we have an appreciation for each life given in service of our country. made their memory lives on in our hearts, bring to us peace and our time and throughout our world. we pray this in your most holy name. amen. >> finally, the raising of our flag.

[thunder] [thuunder] >>

ladies -- ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states of america. [applause]

>> some brainy mentor there in elwood, illinois. we will try to get our signal back in a moment. -- some rainy weather there in elwood, illinois. we will try to get our signal back in a moment.

>> we have lost our signal in elwood, ill. because of rainy weather. we will take you back to "washington journal." host: joining us from iraq on this memorial day is major general stephen lanza, t director for strategic efforts in iraq, here to talk about and give us an update on the situation in iraq and the timeline for u.s. reduction in troops. general lanza, thank you for

joining us on this memorial day. guest: good afternoon and thanks for having me on your show, bill. host: we'll remind our callers, we'll put up our phone numbers shortly. general lanza joins us from iraq. so a little bit oa delay when you ask your question. general lanza, i wanted to start out with the timeline withdrawal vice president biden last week, in a interview, said that things were on target, the u.s. will reduce to 50,000 troops by this summer. that is a tall order. what is the biggest challenge you face in meeting that deadline? guest: first of all, i think we'll meet that deadline, and i just want to remind our listeners out there that this has been an area of process. from 2008 when we started at the high point of the surge with 176,000, we have continued our drawdown in accordance with the security agreement that was established between our two countries, to we're roughly under 90,000 right now. additionally, we've already

turned over 360 bases to the iraqis or closed those down, and have sent home over 700,000 pieces of equipment. so this process on responsible drawdown has been going on. we certainly see us meeting our goal of 50,000 by 1 september, but more importantly, it's about our change of mission. it's about our change of mission from combat operations to stability operations, and that's what it's going to entail as we finish our mission he by december of 2011, because we'll continue to build capability and capacity within the iraqi security forces and also help enable civil institutions. so right now we're on track, and we anticipate meeting those goals and objectives bas on the mission we received and in accordance with the security agreement. host: in your opinion, how stable is iraq now? guest: i think overall iraq is fairly stable. i was in ramadi last week. i was in mosul yesterday. and what i've seen is obviously a significant change in terms of how iraq is being secured

overall. there are still challenges with some extremist groups. we have en that most recently where we did have al qaeda attempt to reassert itself after the capture of omar and al-masri. but also, when you look at security in the context of where we've been in the last sn years, it is the most secure. we had the least amount of attacks since january of 2004. this has allowed the government to move forward with open election that is they had on 7 march, and it's also allowed the government to have a political dialogue and discourse as they work on certifying the election law and building consensus as they conduct a peace transition with the new government. we're optimistic, continue to put pressure on al qaeda as a network, and the iraqi security forces have shown their capability and capacity to step up and secure the country, most notably with the succe they've had in 7 march and in the recent operations against al qaeda in the province. host: we want to remind our listeners and viewers, our phone lines are open for your comments for major general stephen lanza.

202-737-0 02 is the number to call for democrats. 202-737-0001 for republicans. and i understand penalties and others, 202-628-0205. . next we have lost communication. we will hold and go to urbana, ohio. welcome to the program. we seem to have lost communication but go ahead with your comment.

especially for their deep desire to serve. many of his new that the bush administration was lying the count into iraq because of what manyxperts were saying. caller: i wanted to ask him about the misuse of our young man who served and how that affects them psychologically knowing they have served in a war that was unnecessary. i wanted to also ask about the death of the iraqi people. many of them are spiritual or religious people. there are many people dead in iraq based on a pack of lies. i wanted to ask him how that psychologically affects them. host: if we get him back, we will rely part of that question to the general.

ly(7ñwe are still tryingo4;z tot the general. caller: our country is going broke. we are bailing out of iraq who is loaded in oil. they can produce billions of dollars. why can't we have some of that revenue pay for our troops in iraq and afghanistan since our guys are doing the bleeding and dying and we are building their schools and our schoolsing schom in our schools are going bankrupt. host: do you want to reply to those questions about oil revenues? guest:f you could repeat the question? host: that is all rht. it is a long hop, skip, and a jumped to iraq. why cannot sharein the oil revenues in iraq because most of

the fighting is done? guest: they have already had two big conferences with major international oil companies from all over the world. this is not just u.s. companies, but companies from malaysia, japan, russia, china. iraq is going to do that. they are having a third conference for natural gas in september. they have made very good progress to bring in oil companies. right n we will start drilling in august. renue is not instantaneous. key for bridging the gap is private investment. that is what they are focus on right now, closing the gap on revenue and in some cases outpacing generation based on the 2011 budget. iraq has heard the demands and

are doing a very good job to bring in international oil companies. security has been strong enough that oil companies can come in to generate revenue. >> -- host: another question from texas, critical on the entry into t war, asked about the psychological effect of war overall on the troops. what can you tell us about that? particularly in the morale of your troops, currently? guest: first of all, the human dimension of warfare always has a psychological effect. most of us here have been involved in conflicts over last few years and there is more fair that will affect everyone. but what is important, regardless of the reason we were in iraq seven years ago, in

2010, based on the sacrifices of the men and wome in service, iraq is that a point right now where they can move forward and build upon successful elections and the fact that they are generating revenue for the exploration for international oil companies. they have established over 57 embassies on the ground. this is an opportunity for iraq to move forward. i ink it with the sacrifices that have been made there is a return on the investments in terms of what has been done. themerican men and women here have done a superb job giving the people of iraq the opportunity to move forward. host: los angeles, republican line. robert, good morning. caller: hello, general. host: go ahead, there will be a

bit of a delay. calleryes, hello? coast -- host: go ahead, there will be a bit of a satellite delay. caller: my question -- i am from the vietnamese, vietnam war era. i've seen no change in people coming back. they come back like spent shell casings. people coming back and having problems getting accepted back into society. is there something we can do? guest: i think that the people are already doing thi. i have seen what the american people are doing to support our soldiers. i have been on the receiving end of coming back the united states, people welcoming us back regardless of how they receive the policy. i also believe that the united states military has done more in

this war to look at posttraumatic stress syndrome, brain injuries, and what the va can do to support soldiers. all as a result of the sacrifices he made with at the military supporting individuals. more importantly we have seen the united states of america, regardless of political party, embrace the selfless sacrifice of men and women. host: the administration came out with their national strategy last week. reading about iraq and their executive summary, they write that they are transitioning into full sovereignty and responsibility, a process that includes troop removal, strengthening a civilian capacity, and a partnership with the iraqi government and people. hearing that, does it make you feel your mission is on target?

guest: it does in terms of where we are going in 2011. i think that what you talked about in the national security strategy, our mission is to help the iraqi people build civil institutions. we're working with them on borders to enhance its sovereignty. provisional construction teams in the state department are helping on issues of local governments. the state department is enabling iraq by partnering with them on strategic framework, so we are on track to do that. the state department is taking a larger role by executing strategic partnerships as we start drawing down capabilities. more importantly, our capability

is designed to build capacity for the nation. >> -- host: stanley mcchrystal yesterday expressed concern over clr evidence that taliban fighters in afghanistan are receiving training in iran. does iran have a presence in afghanistan? are they expected of aiding insurgency in iraq? >> i do not want to comment on afghanistan but there is an influence. are there elements that trained iraqi insurgents? we do find weapons smuggled across the border. specifically 107 rockets and projectiles used for high heat attacks and indirect support from money and front companies attempting to fracture the government. this is recognized by the iraqis

who are doing a very good job in the operations right now. more importantly, iraq deserves the respect of its neighbors as a sovereign country. iran or other regional partners, iraq is a sovereign country will have thebility to build their own security and generate their own sovereignty through military security. something that continues to concern us. host: tom, democratic line. go ahead. caller: thank you for c-span, always a great public service. thank you to the veterans out there that fought in what i consider legitimate wars, like world war ii. i am 51 and i do not feel that there has been a legimate war in my lifetime.

i respect the military but i feel that we have been militarized as a society. iraq was a sledgehammer in a china shop. unnecessary, illegitimate, and there were other approaches that would have cost less death, both to civilians in iraq and the american military. host: we will get a response from the general. guest: well, ihink to answer your question, where we are in 2010 is certainly different from where we were in 2003. again, we can debate the reasons and the policies and i am sure that history will determine the reasons, but the fact remains that where iraq is right now,

they have been given a tremendous opportunity. looking at the election they had on the seventh, they were the only country that could determine who they wanted to elect. if you look at iraq now compared to a few yrs ago, it has become a completely different environment. both from a security perspective, economically, and politically. that was based on a lot of sacrifice. i think it is important to finish the mission successfully, with honor, and give the iraqis the tools they need as we build strategic partnerships with them. host: how difficult is it for you to translate the mission to the lowest rank officers? guest: they understand.

what we're doing right now is enabling security forces. you know that we pulled combat troops out of the city on 30th and we are training, advising, and assisting iraqi security forces. soldiers, sailors, and marines, they understand the responsibility. more importantly they understand how uild in civilian capacity. we are also enabling others, like the civil reconstruction team, to build capacity. the change of mission is understood by everyone in the formation. getting the alleged leak from the soldiers on how they understand the transition, we have been conducting stability operations for the last few months. it will be nothing new to the

soldiers. but we do have the opportunity to continue helping iraqis. host: major-general stephen lanza joins us from iraq this morning, we have time for a few more calls. caller: what you have done in iraq since 2007 is very impressive. you deserve a medal of honor from living people. what are the lessons learned that we can transfer to afghanistan? there are a lot of different tribes with lots of infighting, and it is really complex. i was ipressed with how you use walls. what lessons did we learn in iraq that we could use in afghanistan? >> a great question -- guest: a

great question. i do not want to compare iraq and afghanistan, but some of the things we can achieve is predicated on three main principles. first, the ability to secure the population is essential. second, creating a security force independent of political parties that support the constitution. we have seen that take fruition here. third, establish a government that can be responsive to the needs offthe people. this has taken time, but importantly the iraqis had the opportunity to vote on open lists and political leaders we campaigning national unity. we have reached the point right now where iraqis see themselves moving forward as a cntry with collective agreements and what is best for the nation based on

sectarian views when we were on the brink of civil war. host: john, republican caller. caller: when are the americans going to stand up t the iraqi president for their $30 per barrel oil for the rest of our lives? if it was not for the sacrifice of america and the rest othe coalition -- one more thing, how dangerous is it for these politicians in america to continue to back hamid karzai? who wl be in charge once the d guys kill him? guest: can you repeat the second part of a question? host: there was a lot there.

i would get you to more broadly focused on the politics of the situation in iraq. in an intervielast week the vice president -- it was reported that white house officials were increasingly relying on politics. how easy or hard is it to give up control of things politically to nascent local organization in iraq? guest: people ask me if we are distraught with doing that but i think it is a part of the success. handing over control of the military. we have seen the iraqis assert themselves. they have gone through provincial elections, national elections, established a budget. they're working on bringing in

international oil companies. there is a measu of sovereignty thats in their best interest as a nation in the region. our job is to provide physical and psychological support. so, we are very pleased to do that. working on transitn of the government, this is being done peacefully and through public for a rational discourse. iraqi security forces have remainedommitted to supporting the constitution, we have not seen t full mention of sectian violence. as those things continue the iraqis have a tremendous opportunity to move forward and establish a country that within the region will probably be began for what is possible in terms of being transparent in an accountablgovernment. host: mr. stewart, democratic line? caller: i conceded your air

cavalry and that you got your bones in vietnam. do you think that due to be -- it is a very different world after the fall of the iron curtain. in vietnam we never won because we were trying to use a sledgehammer democracy. communism did not work, i guess it's the work for chinaut do you think that we were doing a partnership deal in both conflicts? would there have been a different and to vietnam? ist just the way of the world today? host: thank you, stuart. w will hear from the general.

guest of the sacrifices made in the vietnam conflict have been able less to look again at conflict. it is important to note that it is not about winning the hearts and minds of the iraqis, but allowing them to move forward with economic and political stability so that they can make their choices on what is best for the country. this is never -- this wasever about winning hearts and minds and having the americans assert themselves on this population. more importantly, giving them th opportunity to say that we have come extremely far in the last seven years, can we move this country forward? i think that they will do that from the perspective of their best interests, iraqis taking more and more control of their sovereignty.

most of the general began his career in kentucky -- host: the general began his career in kentucky. daniel, good morning. go ahead wityour comment. caller: praised the military. he said they're trying to help iraq secure the border. we cannot even secure the border in the u.s. how will you be able to secure a rder without people killing people? these people coming across our border do not even have guns and [no audio] host: we will move on to the next caller. john, go ahead.

caller: can you comment on what the american people should be tnking after hundreds of billions of dolrs were spent in iraq and there were thousands of casualties? earlier you said that many of the oil drilling companies are from other countries. after everything that america has done, how is that fair? how does that make sense to the american people? guest: you have the opportunity r iraq to be stable. an opportunity for them to be strategic partner with the united states after 2011. the fact that oil companies have comerom all over the world has made it known that it was not just about oil for the united states, but giving iraq an opportunity they have not had by and 35 years. it has always been about the

fact that our sacrifices in the iraqi sacrifices, with a representative government they are held accountable. this is something unique in the region. the united states will be a strategic partner with iraq in the future and we have the opportunity to continu to partner with them as strategic partners for the future. once again, having been here before as others have, i have seen return of this investment. a few years ago you did not even walk around the area. you see the iraqis and securing the rders much better than they have banned, going after the dam with changes in agriculture that were made possible by the abilities of the iraqis to embrace the fact that they can move forward.

it encouraged by what we see, this is not over yet. again, iraq has a unique opportunity to take part and i think it is something we should be proud. host: earlier we ask you about stability. this e-mail -- is civil war likely if the u.s. leaves? would be intervene? guest: i do not think so. i think that a few years ago we were on the brink of civil war, but al qaeda has conducted some of their attacks from august and september to foment sectarian violence. i would argue that the population has actually galvanize themselves by not embracing the fact that they have turned to al qaeda like in the past. a reconciliation amongst the su nnis, it has allowed the iraqis

to gain significant military footholds. we have the opportunity to continue our attack against al qaeda. surly operations are down in terms of scale and scope. but i think of the security forces' ability to support them will continue to put pressure on he network that will allow the government to transition. host: a couple of more quick phone calls. springfield, illinois. good morning. lee, go ahead. caller: how are you doing? i really appreciate cspan and the work that the good general is doing. if i was there, i would shake your hand. buckingham a vietnam veteran. but was wondering -- i am a vietnam veteran. these troops that of made their own way back from the war, i

have a brother named david. he made his own way back from vietnam and never was reimbursed. guest: as far as reimbursement, the soldiers do it combat pay and hazardous duty pay, as well as other incentives. believe that conditions in the tes of the way they are living has come far from how we were living a few short years ago. we have an all volunteer force with soldiers that are compensated, but families are more important in terms of compensation, my thas really go out to the families of the american people host: jack, new

york. a quick comment? caller: i wanted to thank the general for his svice. i wanted to respond to earlier callers speaking disparagingly. the troops that serve to that -- today are voting with their investment. no one was drafted. no one feels we are fighting illegitimately. we must keep in mind in respect all of the troops that are fighting are not being manipulated, they volunteered. host: final comment, general? a response to the calle from new york? guest: what i have seen day is an example of sacrifice and

selfless service. they are committed to the nation and its values. irrespective of policies of want to thank the brave men and women for what they do and i want to thank tho that continue t thank airmen and marin. for all of those individuals and families who have sacrificed, sometimes paying the ultimate sacrifice, i would like to thank em for their commitment to suort the greatest nation in the world. we have an opportunity in iraq to do something special and unique and soldiers are seeing a return on the sacrifices they have made here. thank you this memorial day for that support. host: general stephen lanza

>> president obama was rained out this afternoon just as the memorial day service was starting at the abraham lincoln national cemetery in elwood, illinois. the president asked the audience to return to their cars as it began to pour. it was sunny island 10, virginia, today where vice- president uiden gave remarks. he said the u.s. as a sacred obligation to provide service members with everything they need to carry out their job. you can see that ceremony tonight if it o'clock eastern here on c-span -- tonight at 8:00 eastern here on c-span. >> our public affairs content is available on television, radio, and online, and you can connect with us on twitter, facebook, and youtube and sign up for our

schedule alert e-mails and at c- span.org. >> success -- shining, hope for it but never really anticipated. success comes your way, i guarantee you someone you love or no will come to you and say, "will you address the graduates at my college?" [laughter] >> commencement addresses continue at 3:00 eastern on c- span. >> if you do not have broadband, businesses will not locate there. is that crucial. >> funding and expanding broadband into rural areas with a former fcc commissioner and director of the rural utilities service on "the communicator's" on c-span2. >> on tuesday, the brookings institute explore ways of strengthening effective government.

and tuesday night, a debate among the four candidates running for the republican gubernatorial nomination in south carolina seeking to replace governor mark sanford. live coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. of >> the longtime ceo of the national rifle association addresses the organization's annual meeting. he talks about his support for arizonas new immigration law and gun-control. from charlotte, north carolina, this is about 35 minutes. >> thank you. good morning. thank you very much. everything we do, we do together. we have been saying it the last two days, and thank you, every one of you.

what do you say, folks? are you ready to stand up and speak out for freedom? [applause] let me hear you. [applause] do you want to make a difference for the future of your country? [applause] all right. it is free to be back here in charlotte with some of the most active, energized, nra members and gun owners anywhere in the united states of america. with your hard work and support, you have achieved what a lot of other people wish they could do for their other causes that they believe in. our right to keep and bear arms as we sit here this morning -- it is stronger, more relevant, more widely exercised, and it is growing stronger every year thanks to every one of you and folks just like you all over our great country.

the right to carry in the capital doctrine, to fire arms, every aspect of this great american freedom is expanding, so every one of you as you sit here this morning ought to be proud of what we have done together. what is your institute for lead -- what your institute for legislative action and chris have done. where we are going, why we are fighting for freedom. but despite all the growth and health of our second amendment, i got to tell you -- as we sit in this room this morning, there is a sickness in our country. it is corroding the people, their confidence in government, almost like a cancer. it is crippling the checks and balances that keep our country stable and free. it is corrupting the rule of law just like a virus commandeers

the function of a cell. it is inflaming our national dialogue. it is strangling the speech that breathed life into liberty, and it is becoming embedded into our system. it is a mutation that could ravage our nation and our -pfreedoms. as we sit here this morning, there is a sickness in our country. across every race, class, creed, ethnic group and own demographic, the american people are sick and tired of the lying and the corruption and the abuses of power by the ruling class that are making our country sick, and they have got to stop. [applause] wherever you look from

washington, d.c., to state houses in new york all the way to california, in city halls and courtrooms across this country, the people that we in trust -- entrust to make laws, to enforce the laws, to preserve our freedoms and to protect this country are abandoning as an abdicating their sworn and sacred duties. it is closing in on two directions, and i am going to talk about it right here and right now. from our border to the south, it is closing in. from cities in every corner of this country. it is caused by too dishonest and deadly of uses of power by those who wield it -- dishonest and deadly of uses. selective enforcement and prosecution of criminal laws in this country against the bad guys, and selective recognition and protection of the freedoms

of the good guys. the political elite, and you know who i'm talking about when i say back. they want to pick and choose which laws they enforce and which laws they ignore, who they prosecute or exempt from the law, whose rights they defend and whose rights they deny. in doing so, they directly in danger you, me, and everyone in our country, and here is how -- right now in mexico several global drug cartels are waging war for control of that trade. you have seen the carnage in the news every night when you turn on your tv set. torture, the heading, victims plunge into vats of fuming acid -- torture, the heading -- beheading. it is some nightmare of how war

would be waged in hell, but that nightmare is moving north like a knife directly into our protected underbelly. mile by mile, these drug cartel killers are bringing murder, kidnapping, torture, terror across our border and leaving a bloody trail of bodies all the way from texas to california. but instead of securing our borders or enforcing the law to protect us, washington, d.c.'s political class have as much as declared surrender. they will not admitted, and the media a sure not going to reported, so a few weeks ago, i sent the nra news crew down to the mexican border to uncover the truth and for a frightening look at what lies ahead for our country. i want you this morning to take a look at this video. please roll it. >> the traffic through here unstoppable.

the agents -- we do not have enough. >> do i think the border is secure? hell, no. >> you have people willing to mutilate but is come up hope of people's eyes with ice picks. do you honestly think we can draw an imaginary line? >> this will pacify the american people. national security should not be a game, and these jokers make it just that. >> is border is no barrier between the bloodshed and chaos in mexico. bridges like this one -- easy access for the drug cartels to u.s. soil, and the recent murder of a rancher in arizona is truth. it is no longer a matter of when the violence half will spill over. it is a matter of how many is that people -- innocent people will become victims. >> border czar? where is he. just in the promises. >> my best which would be that maybe they stay one night on my

ranch and experience it for themselves. it is dangerous. we are fighting a war and here. >> ranchers and farmers who have given up on the fence. border towns in south texas overrun by drug dealers and illegal immigrants. >> they are starting to test us on this side. i myself have had two or three in town is where i feared for my life, where they threaten me -- encounters where i feared for my life, where they threatened me. >> constantly looking over his shoulder. his back yard -- a major corridor for the cartels. >> i have 7.5 miles of electric fence, but they did under those fences. >> we are directly across from what is called the valley of juarez, but it is also called the valley of the beheaded, and that puts it into perspective. >> why would they bring changes? they cannot even admit there is a problem. >> they set up a sophisticated

surveillance system tracking illegal foot traffic right outside their front door. >> we are looking at human smuggling, drugs, terrorists coming across our property. >> my wife got home from the grocery store and a woman's head was in the yard. is this america, or is this iraq? >> these ranchers know the other frontline of defense. obama may block them and their guns. >> i cling to my guns because a firearm is my number one tool for safety and protection because the federal government is not providing it. >> you do not go to the mailbox without a firearm. >> if we do not stay vigilant, they are going to take it over. >> absolutely we feel threatened and frustrated. >> the federal government is nonexistent. these guys ought to be criminally tried for what they are doing to this nation. >> ladies and gentlemen, last

year, the tucson sector of the u.s. border patrol found that one out of every six illegal border crossers that they caused -- caught had already had a criminal record in this country. that is over 40,000 criminals in one year in that one sector alone, and we have eight other sectors along the mexican border to deal with. with mexican drug gangs coming across and killing and kidnapping and terrorizing americans like an invading enemy army, it is no wonder our united states department of justice called them the biggest organized crime threat to the united states. yet, the political elite in washington, d.c. -- they could not care less. according to the "wall street journal," president obama is cutting funding for border patrol agents and denying their

requests for equipment. while smugglers, killers, and god knows who else walks across our border every single week, washington refuses to enforce immigration law to protect the american people. that is shameful. it is dangerous. it is a dereliction of duty, and it has got to stop now. [applause] if our federal government refuses to protect us, we the people are forced to protect ourselves. that is what arizona did. [applause] that is what arizona did after drug gangs turn phoenix into america's kidnapping capital and washington refused to use its own immigration law to protect

its own citizens. what happened is a desperate arizona had no choice but to pass its own version of existing federal law. let me say that again -- the desperate people of arizona had no choice but to pass their own version of existing federal law so that they could enforce what washington, d.c., would not. they saw no other option. but before the ink was even dry, washington set out to condemn a -- it. and without doing anything to solve the crisis that forced arizona to pass the law in the first place. you saw it. from house speaker pelosi to senator charles schumer, the same political elitists who wanted to deny your right to protect yourself from violent criminals want to block

enforcement of a law that could stop those drug cartel kidnappers and killers. ladies and gentlemen, and has been reported that two months ago, in cochise county, arizona, a rancher found and reported a massive shipment of drugs on his property. soon after, the smugglers came back, broke down his door, tied the man up and his wife and vowed to come back and kill them both if they ever interfered with their drug shipments again. a week later, a few miles east along the border, another rancher was working his land and minding his own business. just a few hours before sunup on palm sunday, authorities believe a gunman came back and shot that man down. they killed him in cold blood. that criminal shot robert trent and his dog.

yes, his name, which you are probably hearing for the first time today, has been almost universally ignored and forgotten by the political class and media losers who 0 everyone of us so much more. he was a husband and father. he became a life member of the national rifle association 26 years ago, and his sons are life members, and his daughter is a member. his sister-in-law is a member. additional family members are also nra members. that is right -- they killed one of us. they attacked and invaded in nra family. they attacked everyone in this room this morning.

ladies and gentlemen, one of the cruelest cut of the media is the way they sometimes reduce a man and his wife and his loss to little more than a name. so who was robert krentz? he was a man of true temper and kindness and uncommon compassion. to his family, he was a model and mentor of fairness, honesty, and respect. and responsible stewardship of the animals that were in his care and the land his ancestors had worked for over a century. to his neighbors and to his friends, he was known as a kind and gentle soul. you could count on him to help all -- help you in times of need. if he happened to find and

immigrants suffering in the relentless heat, he was the kind of man who would give him the water or the food that they needed whether he was trespassing or not. he was not a man to harbor malice for anyone. he just wanted to feel that his family could be safe. in their own home on their own land. . krentz -- robert krentz was one of the good guys. robert krentz was one of us. let us be silent for a moment in honor and respect for the lost life of a good and decent man. my fellow members of the nra with the world watching as

agreed, let them see and hear us welcome and embrace rob krentz' wife, son, daughter-in-law, and his youngest son. will you please stand up? [applause]

>> susan, and the, amanda, and frank were gracious enough to fly from loss cruises last night to help us honor rob's life and lend their voices to ours -- susan, andy, amanda and frank. we will not forget rob, and we will not forget you. you have our word. [applause] krentz family will be with us tonight at the celebration of

the american values freedom experience. god bless you and thank you for joining us in charlotte. [applause] i'm going to say it -- for rob krentz down in the border and for every lawful, good person who has been abandoned down there, as far as they are concerned, too many politicians in washington would rather prevent an invading drug criminal from getting caught them preventing a law-abiding tax paying american citizen from being murdered on his own land. [applause] no matter how you feel about arizona's law, none of this should ever have happened. if the political elites had done

their jobs, they would have secured their border. they would have prosecuted illegal alien drug gangs and criminals. if they had done their job, they would have prevented ranchers from being murdered and hispanic victims from being kidnapped and killed. if the elites have done their jobs, arizona would never have had to pass this law, and the lawful, honest, hispanic people in arizona would not feel threatened by it. instead, politicians in washington did absolutely nothing, as if they wanted to play some sick game of hateful manipulation to polarize the country, prejudice the vote, and poison the political system just so they can protect their jobs. the consequences of that corruption and contempt of the rule of law is this -- while

terrorized residents throw their deadbolts, draw their blinds and pray not to have their homes invaded or their kids kidnapped in arizona, in washington, d.c., the ruling in the basque in the safety of 24-hour security, and scream without rage at arizona's law, all because they insist upon playing political games with our lives. ladies and gentlemen, that is contemptible, life-threatening, and it has got to stop now. [applause] you know, the american people used to look at politicians almost like some kind of jay leno joke. you would shrug and say, "you know politicians.

we never expected them to tell the truth anyway." now, it is not just cynical. it is sinister. what is going on is a combination of political dishonesty to advance at an agenda and media dishonesty to promote an agenda. they are linking together, feeding each other, and having a destructive effect on our entire system of governance in our country. immigration might not be our issue, but the crisis on our southern borders is a perfect illustration of the same dishonesty and corruption that have infected the gun debate for decades, and the consequences of the ruling class refusing to do anything to contain the crisis ultimately endangers your right to keep and bear arms because all of you sitting here this morning -- you know exactly where it leads. whether it is laws against our

violent crime, illegal immigration, or any think -- anything else, the consequences of selective enforcement are always the same. bad guys get a pass and good guys like you get it in the chest. when violent crime explodes as a result of their own refusal to enforce the law, those same politicians attacked your second amendment right to protect yourself. that is morally wrong. that is destructive to society, and it has got to stop now. [applause] ladies and gentlemen -- [applause] we have all seen politicians abuse the law before. what is different and what is so dangerous today is it is feeding what could grow into a firestorm of criminal violence more devastating than anything

ever seen in this country because every ingredient is already there. right now -- and these are government figures i'm going to talk about -- we have over 20,000 criminal gangs with over 1 million members active throughout the united states. mexico's drug cartels are operating in at least 230 u.s. cities, and at least 30 cities are so called sanctuary cities where local government -- the officials there refuse to enforce the law on immigration, and the gangs operate openly. one sanctuary city is albany, the capital of new york state. it is the east coast at the center of the kind of dishonest debate of use of the rule of law and abandonment of the people that i have been telling you about this morning.

if you want to see where it leads and what it costs the honest, lawful people like you, watch this video showing what life is like and what life is worth in albany, today. look at this for just a minute. >> gun laws mean absolutely nothing. gangs know they can beat the system. >> they do not prosecute. they make deals. >> they go right back out on the street, and they can get illegal guns like that. >> it looks good from the outside while the patient is bleeding to death on the inside. >> the more you disarm the public, the better off the gangs and criminals are. >> the system does not meet the challenge. >> albany -- the state capital of new york where lawmakers in their bill that unguarded chambers pass countless gun laws, but just blocks away, many

of those laws have already been broken by drug dealers and rival >> gangs greater than this is like a third world nation. it is survival down here. >> we have had gunshots fired over our heads as we come in the building in the morning. this is life as we know it. >> this doctor runs a health care clinic in one of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods where violence is getting worse and gang members are getting younger. >> there is a 10-year-old boy who came in here who had been shot. 10--- 10 years old, and arrested four times. i cannot imagine that. >> we do not respect life at all. it is all about money and drugs. >> a tragic reality. >> turn around and start walking. >> if these kids do not value

their own life, they are not going to value any gun law. >> is a joke. >> how many of these guys around here have a legal gun. >> i'm going to go with zero. >> illegal guns compared to legal guns -- it has to be 99.999 illegal, 0.001 legal. it is always illegal guns. >> what will work? prosecuting criminals so they cannot beat the system >> greater than there are politicians and prosecutors out there who do not make arrests because they cannot fit any more inmates. do you think the people of those communities would like to know they are purposely not arresting people? that is horrendous. let's mandate sentences.

let's put people in jail because right now, they are not afraid. >> but no one is surprised theories hollowed out halls of government -- the citizens do not trust the system. >> they want your vote. they get what they want, and then, the hell with you. >> offices are more worried about elections than the truth. >> my message to the people is why is up. >> i believe, as these people go, so goes america. >> its guess the hell out of me. i feel sorry for my kids and grandkids if this is the direction this country is going in. i do not want anybody messing with our constitution. >> albany is what the future looks like for every american city in this country if our political class continue to indulge in the selective or non- enforcement of our laws they selected or non-existent

protection of our rights. as we sit here this morning, a cynical politicians continue to push the cheap and dishonest answers of gun bans while refusing to let the existing laws that we already have on the books carry any force, so what they do is they try to disarm honest people like you, and then they pretend that they are fighting crime while they set convicted criminals loose and back on the streets. that is exactly what they are doing in new york state. in 2008, new york state cut its prison population by more than any other state in the country, yet even before they did, it was clear that the criminals simply laughed at their loss. in 2007, new york state -- and just listen to this -- had more

released inmates commit more crimes and go back to prison -- almost 12,000 of them -- than any other state accept -- and i bet you can guess what i'm going to say -- california. [laughter] in california, it is the same endless cycle -- catch them, cut them loose, pick up the pieces when they go on and commit more crimes -- while politicians out there pander with pointless anti-gun laws. behind-the-scenes right now, they plan on -- and they are going to do it -- releasing up to one of every four inmates from their presence in that state, and that state already has the highest recidivist rate in the nation. last year, they passed a lot to these felons with no parole, under supervision, and a 50% reduction in the sentences they serve. to convince california that

everything is cool, everything is copacetic, lawmakers promised to release only so-called nonviolent offenders. the minor detail that they failed to mention to the public was that they define nonviolent to include child abusers, certain sex criminals, and even those convicted of manslaughter. in february, when they release back to the streets kevin eugene peterson after a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, it should have been no surprise that by the afternoon of the same day that he was released, he was back in jail and picked up for attempted rape. yet, the lawmakers in california -- all they want to talk about is banning your guns. ladies and gentlemen, as i started out saying, there is a sickness in our country today.

but you, every one of you in this room are the most potent medicine and sure-fire here -- i am sure about that. decade in and day out, you have revived our system and revitalize our american freedom in ways the media cannot deny, and in ways the politicians cannot defy, by harnessing america's greatest strength to rescue america's greatest gifts -- you know what they are -- freedom, truth, justice, fairness, honesty, equality, honor, duty. they are not just words. more than any other measure, they define our nation. they inspire the passion that wells in our eyes, and sends chills down our spine and shines

on every face in this room with the heat of 1000 sounds, and that is what makes you the tip of the spear of every peaceful political revolution this nation has ever known. look around right now that your fellow nra members assembled here in this room. when you see someone wearing an nra cap or flying and are in colors with pride, you instantly feel a kinship and a camaraderie build on our shared belief in all that is good and right and unique about america, and that is why today, the purest and most potent expression of patriotic defiance any citizen can make is joining the national rifle association of america. [applause]

because when you, all of you, and folks just like you all over the country -- when you join the national rifle association, what you are doing is making your own personal declaration of independence as what the declaration says is this -- i will not be silent. i will not be stripped of my ability to define my own destiny. i will not allow my freedom to be demonized, diminish, or redefine out of existence. i will defend my freedom with every bit as much energy and urgency as my freedom demands. as the one priceless and irreplaceable blessing that makes our country the united states of america the greatest

liberator of the human spirit, the planet has ever known. rise up. put down all of those who would steal it away from us. join the nra, america. join the nra, america. [applause] we will fight for your freedom every day, and thank you very much because we love freedom. thank you. [applause] c-sphos[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> president obama was at the national cemetery in illinois today, but rain halted the program just as it is getting started here the president asked people to return to their cars for safety as he waited out the storm nearby. the vice president's state in

washington, d.c., and attended the arlington national cemetery observance in virginia. we will have his comments in about 40 minutes. >> success. shining, hoped for, but never really anticipated. success comes your way, i guarantee you. someone you know or love will come to you and say, "will you addressed the graduates at my college?" [laughter] >> commencement addresses continue from leaders in the arts, sports, education, and the sciences at 3:00 eastern on c- span. >> without broadband, businesses will not locate there. >> funding and expanding broadband into rural areas with a former fcc commissioner and director of the rural utilities service on "the communicators" on c-span [applause] .

>> new british prime minister and conservative party leader fields questions from the parliament in his first prime minister's questions as the head of a coalition government. live from the british house of commons wednesday on 10:00 a.m. eastern from c-span. >> the communist party's national chair addresses the group's annual convention. he talks about the 2010 election, the government bailouts of financial institutions, and climate change. from new york city, this is about 40 minutes. >> thank you for that kind introduction. there will bring us new insights about how we are going to move forward in this difficult time, a time, though, that has great

possibilities. you are welcome to our 29th convention of the communist party. conventions, to me, are like -- i'm a big basketball fan, so conventions, to me, i like an nba final between the lakers and celtics -- i'm a celtics fan as well. welcome to the 29th convention. in a special welcome to our allies and friends, the deputy chief of the mission of the embassy of vietnam and representing the communist party of vietnam, i bring in the hot dog readings of the entire convention. [applause]

please extend our greetings to your whole party and to your generalist's secretary. you will be hearing later from comments. every convention presents special problems to be solved and special challenges to be met. this convention is no different. the difference between now and five years ago when we convened our convention in chicago -- at that time, a quarter rican woman raised in the south bronx did not sit on the supreme court supremepuerto rican -- puerto rican woman.

millions have no health care or no promise of health care in the future. a mexican-american woman, daughter of four immigrants was not secretary of the labor department. at that time, the war in iraq was not winding down. nothing was said about reining in the thieves on wall street. global warming was not on the white house agenda. there was no presidential appeal to ending racial will fought -- racial profiling and homophobia. torture was not prohibited then. the pendulum of power did not get lean in favor of working people and people of color, women, and their allies. an african-american president was not in the white house. now, an african-american is

president -- [applause] and much else has changed since then. multi-racial unity is on a new level. anger is turning into protest actions, and protest actions are becoming more frequent. in a new era of people-friendly change is within our reach. on the other side of the balance sheet, u.s. soldiers are still fighting in afghanistan and iraq. oil is spilling into the gulf. the middle east remains a

tinderbox. corporate negligence is killing miners and oil workers. a campaign to demonize and blame people of color and immigrants for the current mess is thick in the air. the temperature is rising and debt is piling up. the right wing dominated republican party and wall street are regrouping and trying their damnedest to restore their power. finally, the country is soaked in an economic crisis that is deep, broad in scope, and likely prolonged period silvering, yes. daunting for sure, but we are confident that the economic ship can be rented, restructured, and democratized, the soil can be turned into plowshares. the justice can roll down like a mighty river, and that america can become a more perfect union. [applause]

freedom, said the great american poet robert frost, lies in being told. today, -- being bold. the masses of the universe hope to reverse results of the 2008 elections. they hope to make the victims of economic crisis pay for its cleanup. they hope to pile up well on both sides of the economic cycle. when it is going up, and then when it is coming down. if you do not believe me, consider these facts. in 2007, this was before october 2008 when everything became unplugged -- goldman sachs had

here in profits of $11.7 billion -- yearend profits of $11.7 billion and paid out billions in salaries and bonuses. two years later in 2009, after the meltdown had happened, goldman sachs reported profits of $13.39 billion and again paid out bonuses in the billions of dollars. some people call this unethical. [laughter] i call it outrageous. some people call this wrong. i call it criminal. [applause] some people call this unfair. i call it robbery. in the immortal words of our own

woody guthrie, unparalleled songwriter and regular columnist for our paper, some will love you with the six gun, some with a fountain pen. [applause] ain't that the truth? over the past 30 years, these robbers have turned the economy into a high-stakes casino. the damage they have done is incalculable. 30 million workers in this country are either unemployed or underemployed. think about it -- that is about four times the size of new york. can you imagine four new yorks where everybody is unemployed?

that is what we have. 30 million unemployed or underemployed in this country, and that is an official count. probably, if he could an unofficial more accurate count, it would be many millions more. what a loss of productive power for our country, but numbers alone do not measure the impact of this crisis. .

[applause] >> in the bronx where i live, you are young and black and latin, you can be arrested for doing nothing or practically nothing and go to waste a prison for a long, long time. that is capitalist racial justice in this country. that is justice and a system that is riddled with class and racial bias. this expresses itself in a variety of ways. some do not know where to turn and resign themselves to their circumstances, even blame themselves for their misfortune. others are captured by hateful rhetoric, steeped in the subtext of racism, supremacy,

destructive immigrants and false patriotism. they end up doing the bidding of the very people of corporations who are grinding them down. increasingly, working people are turning their anger into organized and collective rage. this is against the crisis that is real. to mention a few examples that have escaped the mainstream media -- union workers at hugo boss ohio prevented their plant from falling -- from balding with actor/activist danny glover.

being a basketball fan, can we have a chair for the suns? [applause] can we have a rousing boo for phil jackson? [boo] phil jackson, the coach of the lakers, came down on the side of the slate -- state legislature in support of this unconstitutional measure. i don't know whether to blame los angeles or chicago for that. [laughter] they are both distancing themselves from phil jackson. the student mobilizations on the university of california campuses from cutbacks and tuition hikes were impressive. they organized marches and that struck a i don't remember of

cities including new york, on wall street. the near victory of our own candidate running for city council in cleveland is a sign of the times. [applause] the anti-nuclear conference in early may struck a much needed done for peace. judith, would you stand? [applause] there is a struggle over health care reform which signifies the change in action. standing give yourselves a round of applause, everybody. [applause]

the bill's passage was a hard- earned victory on its own term. it also broke a republican- engineered logjam in congress. it gave a fresh push to the process of worker-friendly change. as the american people are finding out, social progress is a fight, much like a red sox- yankees game or eight minutes- yankees game. the great african american abolitionist frederick douglass said if there is no struggle, there is no progress. so then, so today.

as for communists, as for the delegates here in this hall. , we will be in the mix building people's confidence that victory is possible, fighting for unity, keeping the focus on the right wing and a corporate criminals, bring our viewers to a growing audience, and staying attuned to the thinking and mood of the american people. i say staying attuned to the thinking and to the american people because that is the point of departure as far as building a broad, united front actions are concerned. we should not under state or make the mistake of presuming what we think it's necessarily what the american people think and are ready to fight for. at the same time, we must appreciate that what people fight for is not static.

it is not etched in stone. it energizes people today and can easily give way to something more radical tomorrow. two polls this summer. one says that special young people are gravitating toward socialism as they understand it. the other poll says that americans like progress of solutions and are unhappy with the two-party system. what is the moral of this story? does not just -- it is not just that -- it is not that socialism around the corner. it isn't. people are not ready to vacate the democratic tomorrow. they aren't. the immoral for us is this -- state-owned. stay connected. the open-minded and flexible and

think dialectical, appreciate fluid intake, be ready to shift gears, be a martyr, have the courage to lead, built a constituency for jobs, political independence, and socialism. not least, shed what is outdated, renovate, modernize, or read brant and grow the party in online readership in political affairs. bertolt brecht says it much better than i do. in a poem --"it takes a lot of things to change the world, science and indignation. the cold patients and intricate vs [unintelligible]

the understanding of a particular case and the understanding of the results only lessons of reality can teach us to transform reality." i say yes we can carry what do you say? [yes, we can] one more time. [yes, we can] that's communism. [laughter] the two issues of overriding importance in the 2010 elections and economic crisis especially the growing and chronic joblessness in our land. i will address each in turn and head a cautionary note. the signing of the health care bill, our attention is shifting to job creation. although i should say that much

still has to be done to acquaint the american people with the content of this bill in order to counter the legion of lies that comes from the mouths of the goals of the party of no. moreover, the ongoing fight with health care reform will eventually eliminate profits as greedy insurance companies and other health industry vultures. for universal affordable health care continues on the state and local as well as the national level back to the job struggle. our challenge is to step up activity, not alone, but a long -- but alongside the unemployed. they usually have an assist from labor movements to join collective an increasingly militant actions against the economic crisis.

this turned towards militant sikh including peaceful non- pilot civil disobedience in the spirit of the late dr. martin luther king. there is much needed. as a little boy, my mother would tell me that when things became a stranger in my family, a little thunder but comes before every rainbow. her wisdom has an application to politics, too. it is urgent to win the current medals for unemployment compensation, financial reform, the heart and education jobs, to mill local jobs and to help veterans find jobs. their passage will make a difference for millions of families living on the edge. a trade union friend of mine

said to me a few years ago, call sometimes, a piece of legislation only makes an inch of difference." don't forget, he went on to say," a lot of people live on that inch." also, without small incremental changes like financial reform, it is difficult to make big changes. to stay with the wall street example of turning out a financial system into a democratically-run public utility. i got a kick out of sand -- republican senator mitch mcconnell. earlier this week, he was talking about the negotiations going on in the senate over the

details of the financial reform bill. he said the government is taking over financial system as if this idea that the government has taken over the financial system is not going to resonate with the american people. [laughter] i am sure many people heard that and said," right on!" people are angry at the bank. s. turning to the election, there will be a fierce battle. i don't have to tell you that the outcome is uncertain. we will have the best reproductions either good or bad. -- that- vast repercussions, either good or bad.

millions have to be urged to vote as if their future and their families' future depend on it. and it does. many have to be convinced not to be -- not to buy into the republican right wing spin. the primary results earlier this week to suggest the republicans thought it would be easy to win back control of the congress. [applause] to make things more difficult for them, the president is climbing in public opinion polls and the republican opposition to the regulation of wall street will not play well on main street. much like the last election, all hands should be on deck. every member, every club, every

communist, bar none, have to get cracking as you did in 2008. does this mean that we back political independence from the two-party system? by no means. the genie of independence is out of the bottle but it does not quite look like what we thought it would. the genie of independence from corporate rule is breaking through, but largely within the framework of the two-party system, not outside of it. we have to think dialectical it. -- dialectically.

we have the most powerful expressions of independence even though many coalitions are under the canopy of the democratic party. given an alternative people's party capable of challenging corporate dominance is going to merge. we see that a strategic necessity. that is the emergence of this alternative people's party and the working class and the racially oppressed and other social movements. if it is going to emerge, these new independent political formations will be the basis. it will be the ground floor. they will be the foundation. properly organized and united, the working class and people's movement even within the two- party system can win and utilize

positions in government to banned public policy and institutions to help people and create the conditions for an independent people's party and more radical changes. hearing the two immediate challenges facing the american people, joblessness and the elections this fall, some may understandably ask," are we putting everything else on hold?" the answer is no. i would add that both of these issues have to command primary attention. other issues like afghanistan and iraq, the military budget, the elimination of nuclear weapons, green jobs and the safety net, the environmental crisis and global warming, budget deficits and the national

debt, repeal of the draconian immigration law and arizona, the fight against -- [applause] we have arizonans here. there are others. normalization with relations with cuba and freedom for the cuban 5. [applause] all of these issues have to be part of the 2010 elections and the struggle against economic crisis. by the same token, the elections and jobs campaign have to find a way into each of these issues. neither the elections nor jobs nor anything else can be one along in our lives. -- along narrow lines. people are ready for broader

approaches. people understand the issues. success depends on connecting buildings on a chain of struggle. and also understanding that the jobs and the election struggles are the two links that have to order to move the entire chain forward. the sarah palins, mitch mcconnells, and ran pauls of this world are concerned about the people's coalition. barack obama's stunning victory built on a new level of anti- racist unity. it was a staggering loss for them and momentarily paralyzed them but almost -- but only momentarily. soon after the dust cleared in 2009, these right wing scoundrels financed and encouraged and participated in

a new racist counter offensive. many of the tea party supporters were there shock troops. the aim of this offensive is not only to strip away the support from the president, but also to introduce a racial fissure. in a coalition that supported him. if unchallenged, this new racist offensive could lead to disaster this could lead to a much uglier version of bush- cheney administration. my guess is that the republican party will not be successful. but, only if the racist bras or runs into powerful anti-racist response coming from not only

people of color but also from the white majority and white workers. [applause] nothing is so mobilized or corrosive of democracy and economic well- scarrring to the moral outlook of white people as is the poison and practice of racism. to use the words of our former leader,"the nation is most dangerous pollutant." -- the nation's most dangerous pollutants. the economic crisis is barely two years old. i would like to call at the second great contraction to bar

a term from the mainstream economists and to distinguish it from the recession's we have experienced during the post- world war two. . notwithstanding the good reports on gdp, employment, personal consumption growth, there is plenty of reason to be uneasy about the economy. wouldn't you agree? [yes] by most standards, the recovery fall between modest and for most people stalled. if history is any guide to return to normality following a crisis of this kind will be slow. within the realm of possibility is a double dip, as it is called. furthermore, because of the interconnections of global markets, the power bondholders and investors and a buildup of

the external and internal debt in most countries, one cannot rule out a financial crisis breaking out in one or a few countries and spreading worldwide. they call that contagion. you have crisis in one place that spreads to another and another. so far, the financial crisis has been contained shehere, but no e should sleep soundly. this was pulverized by events in october, 2008. furthermore, the mushroom of debt has become the new instrument to bludgeon working people in the name of fiscal responsibility. tighten your belt is the new rallying cry of deficit blocks. there is talk of social

security, medicare reform, and constant discretionary spending. this is both on fair and bad economic policy. you do not cut spending in the middle of a second great contraction. you spend more in order to stimulate the economy and revive the economy and get it back on its feet. there is no talk about the change in this tax structure that benefits the rich, reduction of military budgets or money that benefits local people or governments. as long as this is out of the conversation, the solution for working people and especially the poor, all of this endless chatter of fiscal responsibility conceals the underlying cause of the crisis. in come and the quality,

financial deregulation, wage stagnation, the undermining of working-class power, new competitors in the global economy, and chronic over protection and world commodity markets. all of these are embedded in a crisis riddled system of global capitalism. what is needed now is a new political and economic model. eight new the new deal. it would favor working people, the racially and financially oppressed, all business people, and other social groups. this would not be socialist but like the new deal would make substantial inroads into corporate power, profits, and prerogatives. it would create new forms of public property, expand public

goods like education, health care, convert polluting industries such as coal to alternative forms of green production and democratize government and the workplace. militarism and militarization of the economy are incompatible with the peaceful world and a peaceful, friendly economy. capitalism is growing with incompatibility. for the future of our planet, we feel a new necessity of socialism. to wit i will now briefly turn. -- to which i will now return. our version of socialism is a work in progress. it has a contemporary and dynamic field to it. it is rooted in our values,

traditions, and culture. our socialist vision is multiracial, multicultural, multilingual. it is inclusive, not exclusive. it has markets and economic incentives to mix forms of property, state owned and private enterprise. it includes coordinating bargaining at various levels. it includes coordinatedçí planning. it precentors working people's initiatives, of democracy. socialism in our new idea is only to the idea that working people and their allies of the law lead actors in the socialist

drama. the working class initiatives, a sense of real ownership of social property and a democratic anticipatory socialist state bar foundations of our vision of a socialism. our vision of a socialist economy in the 21st century gives priority to stay in the ability, not growth without limit. socialist production and consumption patterns must economize on natural resources, protect nature who has turned down the temperature of the planet. if our children and grandchildren -- i am a new grandfather -- [applause] if our children and grandchildren are to have a future, we have to take much

better care of mother earth. we must become better stewards of our tiny and fragile planet. socialism is a new necessity. [applause] this concludes my remarks. now the ball is in your court. i will end with a few words from the late studs terkel, an unparalleled storyteller of working-class life, a native of chicago, i should say. it captures the possibilities of this moment. " there are signs, unmistakable,

of an astonishing increase in the area of grievances. , a private wrongs and public rights, a long buried tradition may be springing back to life. in a society and time with changes studied and landscapes so suddenly estranged, the last communiques are not in. we shall overcome in 2010. people united shall never be defeated. [applause] >> businesses will not locate there. >> tonight, funding expanding

broadband into rural areas. we will have the director of the rural communication service. >> vice president joe bride in biden saluted the men and women of the military service. he was joined by admiral mike mullen. this is about half an hour. [applause] >> kurram morning. mr. vice president, members of congress, secretary lnn, a distinguished guest, veterans, family members of our fallen warriors, and fellow americans, everyear since civil war reconstruction americans have set aside this day to pay tribute to service and sacrifice. no place more than arlington reminds me of what we owe them

d their families for what they have given to us. in fores and jungles, beaches and desert, and across seas and skies, young americans have fought for each other, fought for their families, and fought for us. now they peacefully rest in cemeteries, and marked battlefield graves, and in the deepest oceans around the world. each plot enshrines a unique story and we remember the sacrifice, humility and the service each name represents. the great world war ii correspondent early -- ernie pyle never forgot these stories, particularly those that the fall and could never tell. in the wake of the normandy invasion on the beach were so

many of gave their lives, he found bibles, toothbrushes, hand grenades, and snapshots of families back home staring up at him from the sand. but the most common items he found were letters, letters from home and a link writing paper waiting to become -- blank writing paper waiting to become letters in return. i believe each story, each item they carry sends a powerful message. it is not about how they died, but how they lived and what they cared for. today is a different time. these are different wars, so troops may carry fewer physical keepsakes. but there will always carry and cherish the love of their family, the respect of their fellow citizens, and in -- and an abiding hope for a safe return. as a corporal in afghanistan

wrote in his final letter to his family, "know that you all are the reason that i'm here and to give my life for that is nothing to me." here arlington, centuries guard the stories of those who gave their lives, those who willingly sacrificed all that they carried. and if such stories of courage, love, and hope will be o continuous renewal has grass comes through their freshly turned soil of section 60. how our treasured and keepsakes will be the lives we celebrate every memorial day and every day of the year. [applause] >> ladies and gentleman, listen

now as the united states navy sea chanters perform an american anthem. ♪ ♪

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♪ [applause] >> ladies and gentleman, deputy secretary of defense lynn. [applause]

>> mr. vice-president, of normal and, families of tops, others distinguished guests -- families of taps, other distinguished guests, we gather today to honor one of the greatest symbols of the sacrifices made to our freedom and our way of life. we have carried our fallen heroes to these fields f 146 years. it the rows of marble headstones -- the re of marble headstones are a testament of how -- the rows of moral headstones are a testament of howell one generation honors and remembers the next. and how these sacrifices stretch to the present day. less visible year, but equally a part of memorial day is the sacrifice made by the families of those we have lost.

for every fallen hero laid to rest, there is a mother and father who will not see their child through life's milestones. foremost, there is a spouse who must live -- for most, there is a spouse who must live without their partner. and for many, there is a child without thitheir parents to guie them. who made the ultimate sacrifice, but we honor all of those who shared the loss. even as we acknowledge the suffering that war has brought, we affirm the sacred commitment to our nation has made to perpetuate its ideals. if lincoln at gettysburg asked whether a new nation -- lincoln at gettysburg asked whether a new nation in seeking liberty

cannot prolong in door. the answer is all around us. from the former slave barrier to the children of the civil war, the immigrants who twice free europe, to our brothers who fought and died in the korea and vietnam these grounds record that not only freedom and liberty have endured, but that they have flourished those who sleep in arlington is newest section are from every race and every creed. their graves are topped by the cross, the crescent moon and star, the star of david. to walk from les manchin to arlington's first degroat -- freshly -- from l's manchimansio

arlington's freshly dug grave, it reflects the more perfect union they died to defend. in arlington like nowhere else, we can see frdom blossom and note its price. it is now my privilege to introduce our next speake but i first want to say a note of gratitude to his wife, dr. joe biden, who is doing so much to help our military -- dr. jill biden, who is doing so much to help our military families. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor tontroduce a man who knows both service and sacrifice, the vice president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you all very, very much. deputy secretary lynn, thank you

for that introduction. that admiral mullen, i havto say -- and at roland, a have to say, we have gotten to know each other and this is -- admiral mullen, i have to say, we have gotten to know each other and this is the greatest opportunity of my life to address all of you on this hallowed ground. and superintendent metzler, thank you for your intention -- attention and care of these hallowed grounds. and thanks to the old guard who stand watch over the souls who gave their lives to standing watch over us. and thanks to all of the service members responsible and representing every branch of the litary all across america to ensure that on this day that those who served under our flag have a flag standing proudly before their headstones, and decoration worthy of their dignity.

collectively, the generation of soldiers herrmann and marines who have sacrificed -- airmen and marines who haveacrificed for as are the heart and soul, and i would say, the spine of this nation. and as a nation, we pause to remember them. they gave their lives fulfilling their oath to this nation and to us. and in doing so, they imparted a responsibility on us to recognize, to respect, to honor, and to care for those who risk their lives so that we can live our lives. moments ago, i had the distinct honor and high privilege of playing the reece at the tomb of the unknown soldier -- of ... laying the wreath at the tomb of

the unknown soldier. this morning, we are joined by those who know all too well the price paid by their loved ones. i met ruth, who lost her son christopher on the first night of major operations in afghanistan in october of 2001. imaging couple -- imojean cupp, the woman who played a pivot role in vietnam. terry davis, the remarkable gold star sister, goldstar wife, and gold star mothers. none should be asked to sacrifice that much. and i also met the parents, the brother, and the beautiful widow of john howard. i had the privilege of meeting his family when i attended the

memorial service in fort lewis in washington state. john served in the striker brigade that was among the hardest hit in afghanistan. he left behind a wife, two young sons, and an infant daughter who he never got to make, but who i hope will grow up with a pride in her father filling part of the void that is loved by his loss. each of the goldstar families and bodies in the words of john milton, -- embodied in the words of john milton those who also served stand in waiting. those of you that are standing and waiting are relieved and to return, as jill d i were, at the return of our son from iraq. many of you are now waiting with

family members still overseas, many in harm's way, and some of you have stood and waited for a loved one that did not return. and to live now with the knowledge that you will one day be united with them with our heavenly father. to those who have lost a loved one in the service of our nation, i recall a famous headstone in ireland. the headstone reads as follo, "death leaves the heartache -- "death leaves a heartache no one can heal. love leaves a memory no one can steal." no one can steal the memory from you. i can tell you from my own personal experience that eventually, the pain and heartache that you now feel will

eventually, god willing, be replaced by the joyful memory of the son or daughter, husband or wife, father or mother that you loved so dearly and lost. gergel and my joshed jill and my prayer for you -- jill and my prayer for you is that the healing will come. today is a day of mournful cry. we mourn those who we've lost and we take great pride in the lives they lived and the service they provided and the nation they created, saved and strengthened. earlier this month, stephen banco, who was kind enough to send my wife some of his eeches right after we were elected, stephen van gogh, who won many medals in vietnam --

stephen banco, who won several medals in vietnam said, "most people thi of the battlefield as a province of hate, fear and anger. when you have fought and bled and you risk and you survive, you recognize it as something entirely different. hatred would hardly be enough to make a soldier leave a safe position to rescue a ddy. fear would never make one share of the last set of water with a dying, and -- the last sip of water with a dying, nad. d angewr would never make a nurse stable with a dying

marine. -- stay with a gangrene. only love can trigger that kind of courage. -- and anger would never make a nurse, stayed with a dying marine. only love can trigger that kind of courage. and ly their families, who share the love even more deeply, as i look at the headstones of those who gave thei lives to win our independence, to save our nation, to save our union, to defend against fascism and communism, i wonder what they would think of this nation and this world today. i wonder what they would think of this new generation of warriors. the forces of globalization have made the world cross which they must fight much smaller.

and as the world are around us that shrinks, it need struggle halfway -- it means trouble halfway around the globe can and will visit us. pauour men and women in uniform know full well that the promise and peril of this time have never been greater, the threats to american security more widespread than ever before geographically. and the spread of weapons of mass destruction and dangerous disease, economic dislocations and the growing gap between the rich and the port, ethnic animosits and failed states. the challenges of freedom and security when fing a radical fundamentalism. this new generation of warriors stand watch, protecting

america's interests against all of the newhreats. and they will take,nd it has taken, is equally great sacrifice as those who have gone before them. from fallujah to marja, from baghdad to kandahar, from home and to anbar -- from helmand to hand our, our nation has lost 3091 servicemen and women. 1074 in operation in during freedom and in afghanistan. if they were the best of us. they were our blood. they were born of carbone, blood of our blood. they were our treasure -- they were bone of our owbone, the bld of our blood. they were our treasure.

our sacred obligation, the only obligation that a government has that is true the sacred, or sacred obligation to provide these warriors with everything they need to complete their mission, and everything they need and deserve when they come home, that will not change. [applause] but these new warriors, a special breed, they are warriors, but they're also bright, educated, and committed like those who have gone before. they understand that the example of our kara and must be mated the example of our power must be matched by the power of our example. all of you know our ultimate

stngth lies in our values. that is what brought everyone of the men and women in this house vote cemetery -- this hallowed cemetery close monday to give their lives, upholding our values. and in -- to give their lives, upholding our values. it ended up holding our values, the objective is to change what it means to be an american. it has been my honor over the past two decades to visit our troops fro bosnia to xhosa vote, to iraq to the afghanistan, from s young warriors are bring high in the announced of afghanistan -- in the mountains of afghanistan to a mess hall in iraq. and every time i can say without

fear or contradiction i come away impressed with the intelligence, the grit, they resolved and the patriotism of these young women and men. this is the finest military the world has ever produced, period. [applause] if anyone ever had any doubt about that, they should have been with me three days ago when that conviction was reinforced when i have the great privilege and honor of addresng this year's graduating class at the naval academy. as part of that service, there was an award given to some young marine showing the qualities that will make him a future leader of the marine corps. the award was named for marine

named doug tock zembick. he was a captain in 2004 and because of his heroism in the early ground assault became known as the line of fallujah -- lion of fallujah. three years ago, thisonth, doug was shot and killed leading the iraqis head trained. it was his fourt tour. silver star, bronze star, two purple hearts -- and doug was a warrior, a warrior of from this nation can be proud. major zembick is. just down the hill in section 60, 21. and when he was laid to rest, his best friend read from his

personal notebook in which major zembick wrote these words. he said, "be a man of principle. fit for what you believe in. keepour word. be brave. believe in something bigger than yourself. serve your country. teacher, mentor, and give something back to society. lead from the front and conquer your fears of." -- your fears." these words, in myiew, captor -- capture the character and purpose of all of those we honor today. they served nobly. they gave everything. they fought for what they believed in. and maybe most importantly, they believe in something bigger than

themselves. they believe in all of you. they believed in all of us. and they believed in america. on this day, this solemn day, let us strive once again to be individuals and a nation worthy that belief. may god bless you. may god protect our troops. and may god continue to bless the memory of all of those who have died that we may live. thank you. [applause]

because they are seeking to replace gov. mark stanford. coverage starts at 7:00 eastern here on c-span. this is the tennessee state capital. lillian to leaeigh anee tuohy ae graduates of christian brothers university. she talks about the adoption of michael haoher. this is about 10 minutes. [applause] >> it is now my honor and privilege to introduce for the first time, dr. leigh anne tuohy.

>> i am truly honored and humbled to be here today. when cbu called -- our schedules and lives are crazy, i hesitated a little bit. the thought that my husband has to call the doctor, as a whole different meaning. so your i am and i am happy about it. i do not know how many of you know our story. kind of crazy. we firmly believe god is in control of our lives right now. a lot of things we believe in, value. you guys will leave here today and go out into the world. a lot of you have done that before.

you look at value in the dictionary and has all kinds of words attached to it like worth and dignity. what do those words mean? you go into an office, interview for a job, you will help it value you. you will hope that they will look at you and hope you have value and can attribute to the next level of your life, whatever that may be. if you look at people and devalue them. it is a two-way street. everyone in this auditorium will leave here today, and before the day ends today, and you will put a value on them. whether it is someone you pass in the parking lot, the grocery store tonight, the diet pumping gas next to you, wherever you may be, in your mind that you size up somebody. if you say you do not, you are lying. we all do it. let me talk about my son michael

oahr. finest young man you'll ever meet. extremely athletic. the best tackle in the nfl. from a mother's perspective. society deemed him valueless. my son got off the bus every day and walked to school. i'm going to tell you that 30,000 cars per day pass him. there was not a soul in this world cared whether that young man lived or died. if he had fallen dead right there on the street, no one would have known who to contact. he was not using the correct last name. he was not sure when his birthday was. things that you take for granted every day. society deemed michael value lless. you take him into a home and you

love him and give him hope and opportunity, and people, it will gain to life. i have lived it. i have lived it. this young man was so close to falling through the cracks that it will rock your world when you and think about the opportunity that could've been lost with this man's life. through everyday circumstances our paths crossed. and our house we call it a miracle. childbirth is truly easier to explain then how we got to where we are with michael. it has been god driven. he has value, and no one saw it.

i challenge you when you go well and look the person standing xto, no matter what side of the desk they are gone or where you're having the conversation, do not be so quick to judge and do not be so quick to put a value on that individual. you do not know what their circumstances are, and with michael with the hope, love, and opportunity that was presented to him it changed his life. he is a contributing member of society now. the scary thing is you wonder how many of hmichael oher's are out there? all he needs is a chance. i am not telling you, and that challenge tt -- challenging you

to adopt a 6 ft. 3 black man. they eat a lot. thank goodness we are in the toppled fell business. you can do something. you can do something and you can make a difference. you can say i am in college, what can i do? you can do something. pick whatever it is you choose to do, just do it well. there are all kinds of opportunities right under your nose. two words that changed our lives -- turn around. get out of your biology class, get all of the golf course, it could be right under your nose, the person that needs your help. i challenge you today, make a difference. one person can make a difference, and you can change someone's life. i will end with this little story. i am sure most of you have heard

it. it became the foundation of our police system. this was a group effort. there was a little boy and his grandfather walking on the beach one day, and the storm had just come along and scattered all kinds of shells and starfish up on the beach. there were hundreds of starfish washbee donto the beach. the grandfather said it is a shame they will all die. the little boys said, what do you mean? he said while the starfish have to live in the water. the little boy was picking up start such as fast as he could and darling them back into the water. the grandfather stopped him and said do not do that, do not waste your time, there are too many starfish. you cannot save them all. the little boy reached down and grab the starvation is hand and he tossed it back out into the

water. but i suggested that one. you can be the person that tosses the starfish back out. you can make a difference in someone's life. i challenge you as you leave here today, get involved. the school has taught hiyou and preventive things in front of you, it is terrible. you are fortunate to be getting a degree today. take that degree and make a difference to that one person. thank you. [applause] >> c-span, our public affairs content is available on television, radio, and online. you can also connect with us on twitter, facebook, and youtube. sign up for the scheduler emails

@ c-span.org. >> william lowery, one of the first african-american graduate of kenyon college spoke at the school commencement. he graduated in 1956 and spoke about his struggles as a young black man. from ohio, this is about a half hour. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> thank you, amy. good morning. president nugent. class of 2010, board of trustees, faculty, staff, students, parents, and guess. it is imp it is impossible for you to understand the joy that i feel let this moment. how privileged i feel by your invitation to address you today.

i am truly honored. when president new jgent call to inform me of this opportunity i was stunned. to the point that i asked if i might have a little time to respond. my hesitancy had nothing to do with the quality of the event or my availability, but was a simple request for time to decide if i felt i deserved this honor, and most of all if i could justify your confidence in me. upon hearing my request for more time, i am sure the president was thinking oh, no, we might have made a mistake. what was said thinking? well, mr. president, your worst fears might be realized. [laughter] it did not take me long to determine that this was an extremely gracious offer by the class, and regardless of how

misguided, it was one that i had to honor. moreover, this education affords me the opportunity to pay my opinion portrait so people might better understand my passion and this class will have another impression of the place that will soon be its alma mater. leslieastly, i did not want to t my wife, terry, his devotion to kenyan rivals mind. i will be extremely happy when i complete these remarks, like you. [applause] you will get closer to achieving the miles then you have been chasing for four years. a mutual happiness will result for two entirely different reasons. for you, you had your cup in

degree. for me, i will be liberated from the maddening, uncontrollable flow of the costs of what should or should not be included in these remarks. when i finally say thank you, i will be liberated to hopefully regain my and more natural and simple-minded existence. not to mention the attention of my loving wife, and a return to uninterrupted sleep. [applause] class of 2010, welcome to the kenyan mesquite. predicting and mystique -- kenyan mystique. i feel compelled to talk about a myth.

he graduated a year before i got here. today i see my past as being quite simple. i want to describe how i see kenyan, what it means to me, what it might mean to you and your futures and finally to hopefully offer a few helpful hints of that might assist you in navigating the tricky and muddy waters that await you after kenyon. to that end, i do not guarantee substance, but i do promise brevity. i am convinced that something to be immortal does not have to be eternal. [applause] as i sat here a in join the wonders of the day, i cannot help but reflect on my graduation day 54 years ago. as i have sat in my seat those many years ago -- as i sat in my

seat 54 years ago -- i should get a collapse. [applause] i should get one just to be standing up here. as i sat in my seat waiting for all of the excitement today, and that also included the speeches. i suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and my first thought was that my overzealous evening of serious libation was catching up to me. [applause] but then it dawned on me that what i was feeling was hefear. in a few moments i would receive my degree, certifying their readiness to meet the adult challenges of the world. in essence, however, at that moment after four exceptionally in bridging years at kenyon,

being exposed to many experiences, they had only made one thing very clear to meet -- how little i really knew. a frightening thought. much has happened at and to kenyon college since the beginning. although there are many differences between then and now there are similarities as well. perhaps the old kenyon resembled mind. there were other features that designated as well, for instance, they wanted to produce men met for the ministry. although that has subsided by this time i got here, there were other traits i found interesting. an early kenyon was very like a

medieval monastery. in 1825, there were 25 students. the same number of students that dropped out of kenyon my senior year of 125. that was before the second semester. by 1828, it had grown to 50 students with the cost of $70 per year for tuition. i know some parents and the audience are saying where were you when i needed you? [laughter] interestingly, at 1.5 boys attended school. precisely the number of african americans my freshman year. not surprising the school went through many years of growing pains due to financial instability. during those years the school remained committed to the

classical liberal arts curriculum. some familiar? subsystem -- subsequent to that happening many positive actions took place that enriched the school in the tradition. among them, admitting women in 1969 and select in the schools first female president in 2003. in my view, both enhancing the quality and reputation of this outstanding institution. i chose the theme "welcome to kenyon mystique" because i am intrigued by the handle. you will join the ranks of us that are trying to define and defend the elusive nature of this mystique. what is it? doesn't derive from the schools dedication to the liberal arts?

is that the school's unique blend of contrasts, individualism, and sameness, independence, collectivism, east and west, rich and poor? i think it is all of that and more. all of the above eating from the same table of intimacy. perhaps it is the and formality coupled with academic seriousness wrapped in a humane clothing. we do not know about the magic pill, but it works. i promise too much time would be given to deciphering that encasement you and have it, but do not fight it. it is a good thing. this mystique is unified and powerful, and has even given some of us jobs and careers. how did i get here?

well, when i was looking for college choices i was somewhat lost. like many youngsters, i was the first in the family to go to college so much family did not feel equipped to offer the guidance i needed. i reflected on my struggles and collecting data and establish a framework for my college search, and i must admit i was not diversity motive faded. i was educationally motivated. my father believed the kiey to the kingdom for black americans was an education. i want to francis w. parker school in chicago. currently we have parker students here upholding the honor.

[applause] you cannot let them down. anprior to my coming, three friends of mine who attended and suggested to the dean of admission that she contact me during a trip to chicago. i met with the dene and i was very interested in kenyon and what they had to offer. i was denied the chance to become reunited with my buddies. they found kenyon so entertaining and pleaaurable that all three had been kicked out of school. [laughter] they forgot the main ingredient normally required to insure academic excellence was to study. did not do that. there was one moment during the application process when i felt kenyon was not going to be part of my future. i really felt that.

when i applied, financial aid was imperative or i would not be able to attend. in those days one could take a scholarship test in the subject of your choice. supposedly your expertise. quite frankly at 17 years old i did not feel i had a command of anything, and especially a particular subject that would provide the financial windfall that would allow me to attend college. despite my pessimism, i reasoned that four years of relative success in math in high school might enable me to demonstrate my intellectual depth. the exam was mailed to my high school, in the school psychologist administered the exam and inform me that i have three hours to complete it. employing the test taking methodology that i was taught, i survey the entire test trying to determine the level of difficulty of particular parts and then determine how i am

going to allocate my time. the test had four sides. before i realized i had survey the entire test, and the level of difficulty that i determined was impossible. [laughter] there was not anything on the test that was readily discernible. suddenly i realized this was going to be the longest three hours i had ever had in my life. and i was right. somehow, someway i was given financial assistance with the understanding that if i attended kenyon under no circumstances was i to consider being a math major. [laughter] perhaps the most potent thought which a pregnant -- poignant example occurred when i first arrived in not vernon to attend the schools. i had taken the train from

chicago to mount vernon and arrived at 5:30 or 6:00 after being informed that taxis when not be available -- the taxi would not be available for a few more hours. i decided to have breakfast. i found a diner and upon entering i found that the place was completely empty. i approached the proprietor and asked if he was serving breakfast. after some hesitancy, she nodded yes. i was then ushered through the restaurant to the very end of the room next to the kitchen door. i ate in silence, and no one answered the diner while i was there. it was during that time that i realized this experience might be very challenging. however, a more daunting thought occurred to meet -- was kenyon going to be like this? i am not sure what expectations i had when i arrived, but i know

what i found. i found support, sensitivity, and scholarship. i was challenged academically, but always felt the faculty and staff for sensitive to my unmet needs and they never had to battle a loan unless it was my choice. what does kenyon mean to me? it was the instrument that accommodative my education. there is no doubt that i left here a better man than the boy dead arrived. but it is possible that kenyon did not register until later. -- there is no doubt that i left here a better man than the boy that arrived.

when i entered college in 1952, our country was just beginning to true leap grapple with the issues of racial discrimination. jackie robinson had broken the color line in professional baseball, but was still unable to stay in the same hotels as his white teammates. jim crow was alive and well. it was also a time when coaches at florida schools refuse to play kenyon because i was a member of the baseball team. further legislation enacting equal oeducation opportunity was still a few years away. it was against this backdrop that a group of 50 white men decided they want to pledged a black in the beta data phi for the first time in history. this was amazing for a number of

reasons. as you might imagine, this was a very unpopular action nationally. they were determined to honor their deep convictions, regardless of the consequences. in the 56 years that have followed, i am hard pressed to identify another act of personal involvement that displayed such courage and equity. to me, these are the kind of people that attend, work, and teach at kenyon. this is a distinctive place. [applause] but i do not feel that distinctiveness can be institutionalized. the people give it distinction.

every generation of students, staff, and faculty seems to share the common denominator of uniqueness. i certainly understand how i view kenyon and the people might differ from others. that is only as it should be. but for me, it proved to be an incubator. it enabled me to grow. i was challenged to think, act, lead, and understand the frames of reference is of others. i did not come here as a crusader or evangelist, but i left with the added dimensions of tolerance, understanding, and a great deal of hope. i offer the same to you. i cannot leave this podium without addressing the importance is not a necessity of employment in your futures. after spending a lifetime, a

working lifetime in the field of human resources, this might be the only area where my utterances might have some validity. i understand your points. i have been there. prior to graduation and entering into the air force, i was rejected by every employer i contacted. three years later, just before being separated from the military, i applied to 17 companies for a job, and received 17 turned down. i have this letter todose lette. i feel i've saved by timing and the kenyon mystique. for those of you not going directly to graduation school and have not been able to secure

a job, there is hope. despite the deplorable job outlook in the country, people are being hired somewhere at some time for something. i submit to you that the tools required for a connection are really your personal tool kits that has been provided largely by your home and by kenyon, . trust me. the key words plastic does not have the same significance today, but in my view in today's world another word possess a similar power -- networking. during the time spent here with the help of an enormously talented faculty you have a developed important psychological abilities and in the process you are now armed with a formidable, personal arsenal. by graduating today you are welcome and to the kenyon mystique and its broad network.

use it. as i indicated, i have spent most of my working career in the human-resources. most of it was dedicated to the recruitment of exceptional men and women like yourselves. i feel i have an appreciation for the employment process, as well as the dimensions sought by those who do the hiring, despite being a liberal arts graduates, kenyon grads fit tehe mold. the process is relatively simple. understand the system, determine where and how you can contribute, and if needed, gain assistance in helping to connect the dots. what do employers seek? in general, employers are looking for someone who is smart, willing to work hard,

demonstrate analytic abilities, can work with others, it behavior flexibility, is mature, suggest creative and imaginative thinking, high energy, impervious to hardship, does not require tampering, the communication skills both written and spoken, has a realistic outlook, has patients, is koppel, and most of all, walks on water. [laughter] you may not believe this, but with the exception of the last one, i just described you. you have all of that. when i say it is good to know what people seek, but how do i cracked into the system in conduct a job search? >> in my viein my view it is th. preparation, do your homework. research the people, company, a

job, and anything that enables you to demonstrate your knowledge as well as interests in the position and organization. realistically assess the situation and circumstance. except what exists, not what you want it to be. temporarily put aside the iphone , computers, get out and meet the people. just for a moment, lessen your desire for order, expediency, and conservation of time, and concentrate on those skills that might considerably alter your life. perhaps your greatest strength is your ability to effectively communicate. included in that process is the power derived from one skill and actions relative to face to the key to these exchanges is networking.

be confident and persistent, but not pompous and arrogant. be more objective and less subjective. lean towards your strength and work on the weakness is later. recognize that resoume features are important. understand that clear, concise, and poised to medication trump's potential. never tried to be someone or something you are not. it is easier to sell who you are, then who you want to be. there is no substitute for raw intelligence. stay focused and use what you have, and never underestimate the interviewers ability to recognize bull. [laughter] accept the benefits of networking and make it your primary resource. finally, if you are like me, i have spent a lifetime trying to find principles and guidelines that help keep me grounded and hopefully allow me to

contribute in meaningful ways. as part of that process i have identified a few principles. although simple and nature, they have produced prestigious results for me. they might guide you in the same manner. i feel they expose me to the powers of working with or for others, securing employment, and more importantly, keeping it. if nothing else, the following might be food for thought. common denominators exist everywhere. sharing a common denominator is is far more productive than highlighting differences. the golden rule lives on. if one can somehow put himself or herself and another person shue, correct solutions normally appear very quickly. assume nothing.

try not to allow your emotions to overrule your reason. clarity, objectivity, and grace often disappear in th company of passion. try to avoid that happening. finally, when never learned anything while talking -- one never learns anything by talking. as you depart and spread out over the country, be mindful of the fact that kenyon's presence is in you and everywhere. moreover, you should know that there are many people like me willing to assist you in anyway possible. use us. i congratulate the class of 2010 and applaud your outstanding achievements. this is only the beginning. in addition, i congratulate your partners, your guardians, and

your parents. i know when i graduated from here my dad got my degree was more his than mine. i imagined a few parents today will feel the same way. in closing, i am reminded of some thoughts from the rev. martin luther king s reflect my sentiment and frame of mind. how the words also speak to the hope i have for us all. "we have inherited aalarge house, a great world house in which we have to live together, black and white, easterner and westerner, gentile and jew, muslim and hindu. a family unduly separated in ideas, culture, interest, and to because we can never again live apart, must learn some how to live with each other in peace,'

we must rapidly begin to shift from a teen-oriented society, to a person-oriented society. when property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. we still have a choice today -- non-violent or coexistence. this may be communities last chance to choose between chaos and community. i have received more than my share of recognition from kenyon through the years but today's armor is the epitome of distinction, and i will cherish the stay forever. thank you for letting me share

this day. terry and i thank you and wish you the very best and where ever life takes you. [applause] >> it is that crucial. >> tonight, funding and expanding broadband into rural areas. "communicators" on cspan2. >> on tuesday the brookings institution's looks at strengthening government. march live coverage at 1:00 eastern on c-span2. tuesday night, a debate among the four candidates running for the nomination in south carolina. they are seeking to replace gov. mark stanford. coverage starts at 7:00 eastern

here on c-span. >> the treaty before you is an evolution of agreements that go back to the 1970's, and particularly of the series of agreements that started in the reagan administration and continued in some form in every subsequent administration. to go watch the moments that make history right now online at the c-span video library. it is washington your way. every program since 1987, available free online. >> mrs. bahel talk about the

importance of love. this is about 15 minutes. [applause] t>> hi. that is an incredible honor. thank you so much. thank you, everybody. i get nervous. are you a little nervous? today is your big day. you look just gorgeous out there. i am going to be official. thank you president noble again, and the dennison board of trustees. and the faculty and all of you for inviting me to say something i your graduation. it is a commencement speech, wright? it has to be a little bit interesting, so i was thinking, what do i say? first things first, congratulations to the class of

2010. you did it. [applause] you have a lot to be proud of, and a lot to look forward to. your family and friends of deserve the applause of two that you just gave them for all of their support and care, and this is their day as well. a special congratulations, i could not stand up here and not say this, to the dennison posse scholars. i love you all. [applause] and i am proud of you. so, there is about 500 of you sitting in out there. i think 519 are graduating. you're on the cusp of the next part of your life. i want to talk a little bit about what is ahead. well, maybe what i really want to talk about is falling in love. i mean, that is what is most

important, right? right? didn't you'll learn that in 6 birkhea shakespeare? the public understand that. -- the poets understand that. the poets, artists, a musical talents, of course we note from paul and john and bring go and george all you need is -- >> love. >> i think lady gaga cao glove. cheesing stars in our eyes, because we're having good times. and so happy i could die. so happy i could die, and it is all right. then there is drake. [laughter] he sings i better find your

heart, i'd better find your love, and i bet if i give all my love, then nothing will tear us apart. you know, it is as clear. universal. love is super important. on top of finding love, we must pay attention to the effort involved if we want love to work. even albert einstein said "any man who can drive sleekly while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss of the attention it deserves." [applause] i know, you wonder where i am going with this. i am just trying to make a point. here it is. the truth is no one dispute who did no one would dispute that to -- no one would dispute that finding loved is a true goal. we all have this in the back

reminds all the time. my question to you is this, wouldn't it be great if each of us, every single one of us have that consistent and has a deep and commitment when it comes to caring about the world out there? at the back of our minds of the time. wouldn't the world be a different place? of martin luther king said "it's a man, and i will add a woman, does not have something to die for, i do not think he is fit to live." and i do not think he was only talking about love of. some of your going out there to make money, and good luck with that. some of you are going to graduate school, also good. i know some of you have thi specific ideas about what you want to be. we need to be all of those

things. i understand, i know, that while you are doing that you're going to be looking for love. love that will sweep you off your feet, making melts and see stars, chemtura's and the that the whole world will be all right because the slump exist. yes. but my point, the truth is, that you should have the same kind of constant, ongoing, never forget for a second feeling that you're going to contribute to the world. the united states was built with the idea that it could be a democracy. that everyone would have the same chance to succeed if they work hard, steady, and cared. but we're not there yet. consider some of the following. did you know that by the year 2050 when you will be about 71 years old, the american population will increase by

close to 130 million people? that is over 400 million people that will live in this country. by that time, projection showed that whites will no longer be the majority. in fact, they are not already in our big cities. i do not know if you know that the fastest growing population is the latino population, yet they have the lowest going incompletion college rate. blacks and latinos make up 30% of the population, but they represent only 12% of the student body at the top colleges and universities. of all of the fortune 500 ceo's in this country, and only 15 are women. seven are asian. seven are latino. five are black. out of 500 ceo's. only four states recognize same-

sex marriage. the richest 10% of americans own more wealth than the entire bottom 90% combined. where is the leadership today? who are the decision makers? where are we focusing our energies? i do not know if you know that americans make up 5% of the population, but we consume 30% of its resources. some estimates suggest that every individual american, everyone of us will produce 100,000 pounds of garbage by the time she is 75 years old. there are more shopping malls in this country than high schools. i guess my point is we are a little bit greedy and a little bit wasteful, and there are big things happening in the world that need some of the energy we're putting into eating and shopping. and falling in love. [laughter] [laughter] [applause] it is not hard to see that this

world needs help. especially when you think about the effect that diversity has on all of us, whether it is race, religion, sex to molality -- sexuality. our collective experience is being formed by a phobia. in truth, i believe. i really do. that each of you care. i can tell from the incredible campus projects and activities that you are inclined to do something, to act. now you are going as there, and i hope you carried those passions into the world outside of the dennison bubble. i hope for you that you really care. that you care about the worst that is still going on and allies that are still being lost. -- that you care about tehe wars

that are still going on and those that are still being lost. that you care about the racial and religious profiling and the inequities that exist in the public schools, causing a huge gaps in preparedness for young people from different ethnic, racial, and class backgrounds. i hope you care of that oil spill in the gulf is threatening the livelihood of thousands of ordinary hard- working residence, and that women still make only 77 cents to the dollar that every man earns and that hate crimes, unfortunately, are on the rise. those of us that graduate from great institutions like denison had the most options. more doors open for us. we have more chances to become what we dream of becoming, but if all we do is focus on ourselves -- everything is an

iphone, and i've hapad -- they e all i-something, but what happens to the rest of the country? who will be there to represent all americans? of all of the state legislators in this country, only 8% are black. 3% latino, 1% indian. 87% of the state legislators are white. who lives below the poverty level in this country? 24% of blacks and latinos live below the poverty level. how many whites? 9%. something is wrong with this, right? 75% of americans who come from wealthier backgrounds will get a

bachelor's degree by the time they're 24 years old. compare that to 9% of americans who come from a low socieconomic background. we would be wrong to imagine that the issues that we need to address are defined solely by race and class. gender, sexuality, religion, nationality are all important in understanding the community. are we ok here? in my view, we're not ok. 40 percent of americans believe that gay couples should not be allowed to adopt a child. this world needs help. i have never forgotten a picture that was printed on the front page of "the new york times" cut to parents holding the bodies of their children who died in the earthquake in china. some people called to complain. the photo was stoo upsetting.

it should not be on the cover of the newspaper. what do you think? our hearts should be open. not just to falling in love, but to the world. we need to look. we need to care. and we need to contribute. let's not allow the media and corporate branding experts define us. why do we spend all of our time taxinexting, looking down, and r seen what is going on around us? when i started posse i thought this could be a way to network great leaders on this planet, to recognize the diversity in their forecasts reflect the concerns and dreams of all americans. it would be this network that would sit down at the tables where decisions get made and better represent the collective. i see that vision coming true for our incredible scholars, but

when i stand up in front of you, i also see it coming true with each of you in the equation. this is a historic time. we cannot deny that we have made progress in terms of civil- rights and women's rights. we have the first african- american president of the united states, and that deserves a moment. [applause] but we would be foolish to think we're done. i guess it is not true that all you need is love. you need a conscience. you need heart. unique commitment. you need to do something. -- you need commitment. you think about who is in your class. who are you sitting next to? are you sitting next to leah hirsche? tom russo?

wagner soto? if we care about each other's causes, and pull each other's resources, and care about each other's problems we have done much fbetter chance of doing something for us all. my husband said the american dream is on life support. let's prove him wrong. reach into the depths of your soul and live your life so fully that you feel like you are about to burst. learn like crazy. care about each other like crazy. in clubs like crazy. that-- and love like crazy. love came from tehe egg of

night. well, give yourselves to a loss of equal importance. all the love, and make the world better. i know you can do it. you are sitting right in that seat right there. you are graduating. feel it. this represents one of the most significant moments of transition in your life. sit on the edge of your seat. you are about to come appear, walk across the stage and into the world's pyridine boy, do we need you. thank you, and congratulations. [applause]

>> thank you for your words of challenge and the role that -- >> rain, lightning, and strong winds forced president obama to cancel a memorial speech scheduled at the lincoln national memorial cemetery. president obama tried to wade out the storm in the cemetery administration building. at one point, he spoke to the families that came to the ceremony. president obama came when he was to a senator in 2005. >> now if you do not have internet broadband, businesses will not locate their. >> funding and expanding

broadband into rural areas. on the "communicators" on c- span2. the good david cameron field questions -- >> david cameron yield questions live on wednesday at 10:00 eastern on c- span. >> anthony kennedy on the prospect of a new justice. >> it is stressful because we so admire our colleagues. i have great admiration for the system. the system works. after the appointment and the confirmation process is finished, if there is a confirmation, the system will bring us a very good justice. to cope with the confirmation hearings starting june 28, learn

more about the nation's highest court in cspan's latest book " the supreme court." it is available now in hard cover and also as an ebook. >> it is my great pleasure to introduce to you jamie dimon. [applause] >> nancy, thank you very much for that overly kind introduction. if you do not know, you have one at the list chancellor. board of trustees, faculty, proud parents, and founding members, and above all of the graduating class of 2010. it is a privilege to be here with you today celebrating this important event in your life.

graduating today means you are through with final exams, the resubmitting term papers, all the nervousness, cold sweats, sleepless nights, preparing to answer seemingly impossible questions. that is something we banking executives we know a lot about these days, we call it testifying before congress. i am honored to be here today, but i also know that some of your fellow students have raised questions about me being your commencement speaker. when i heard about the protests, i wanted to understand what was behind them so i called one of the sudan's leading the movement and we had a good conversation. i am sure she is here somewhere. i heard a concern about me, at the nation's banking system and about capitalism itself. whether i agree with her or not, i say good for her, i am proud

of her for speaking up. in fact, it is completely appropriate to hold me accountable for those things i am responsible for. we should all be three accountable. how do you make yourself accountable? today i will talk about what it takes to be accountable in the hope that it might be of some value to you in the years to come. i want to point out that in sharing my views with you, i do not mean to comply i did it all right. i did not. many lessons i have learned i have learned by making mistakes. it takes courage to be accountable. through my life and this crisis of the past three years, i have seen many people embarrass themselves by failing to stand at and acting like clemens by simply going along with the past. i saw people under enormous

pressure that always did the right thing. a graduate, you will soon leave this wonderful community and venture to go into a new world of jobs and opportunities and new lives. . .

>> the credit belongs to the man, now a woman, who was actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who has erred and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without airing. -- erring. it is the person who's been some softening were the cost to of the best nose high achievement and to read the worst fails what daring greatly. [applause]

thank you. it takes knowledge to be accountable. having the ability to speak up is important, but not sufficient. if you have the guts to take a stand, what you think is a principled stand, then have the brains and fax and analysis and critical thinking. in some instances it is clear what the right thing to do is. but in many instances it is much more complex. we should reward out byrd einstein once said, "be as simple as -- what albert einstein once said, be a simple as possible. you will learn by reading and read everything you get your hands on and by talking to and watching other people. and you will especially learn by listening to the arguments on

the other side. it is your job to constantly learn and develop informed decisions. if you are -- if you think you are socialists, read bill friedman, a famous capitalist. if you think you are capitalist, read karl marx. if you think you are republican, listen to the democrats and vice versa. listen to the kernels of truth and what they have to say. do not reject it all out of hand, and be willing to change your mind. do not fall into the trap of being rigid and simplistic. it is ok to hold others responsible, but not ok to oversimplify and paint everyone with the same brush. it should not be acceptable to denigrate in tire groups. not all companies, not all co's, not all politicians, not all

students. among these groups there are some good people and among these groups there are some terrible people. to categorically discriminate is not fair or just, but plain wrong. [applause] one must be honest with oneself to be accountable. shakespeare said it bell -- said it best, "to dine alonthine owne true." if i want to know all about you, all i need to do is talk to your teachers, your friends, your colleagues, your fellow students and your parents. i would know if you are trustworthy, hard-working, empathetic, as the cool, and if you deliver on your commitments -- as a colethical and if you dn

your commitments. be the person you want to be. set your own high standards of integrity and performance. if you want to be a winner, compare yourself to the best and acknowledge that it will never happen without hard work. a blinking used to say, good things come to those -- lincoln used to say, good things come to those who wait. if you want to be a leader, act like a leader. if you want to be respected, and demonstrate respect every day. if you want to be known as honest, not telling lies is not sufficient. do not even shave the truth. and make sure that your friends and colleagues do not make it back to you, as we all do at times, for deceiving yourself.

the world is complex and challenging, and yes, the economy is getting better, but you are still entering a job market at a tough time. throughout your lives you will have to face tough times and failure, both personally and professionally. i am sure, some of you have a and -- already have. but dealing with failure may be the most important thing in determining whether you succeed. nelson mandela, indira gandhi, lincoln, and others faced a a seemingly impossible odds. as you know, the past year you have gone through the worst financial crisis since the great depression. a lot of it has been mistakes that helped bring on the crisis. in this crisis, many also take

response to the and do something about it. at the darkest moments when it seemed like the whole system was unraveling, i saw men and women at my company and at other companies are run the world that took extraordinary action. they did not want to complain. they got knocked down and they got up and tried to do something about it. they tried to contain the crisis, all the while knowing that they may actually fail at what they were trying to do. they understood that the well- being and it demands of people depending -- depended on them getting it under control. they showed the fortitude of dealing with a tough situation and dealing with lives and setbacks. before i became -- before was

with jpmorgan chase, i was with citigroup. i remember coming home to explain what happened to my wife and my three young daughters -- and one of my daughters is here today, by the way. they were naturally scared for me to have lost my job. my youngest daughter who is here today, she was eighth at the time. she has not graduated yet. she asked, dad, or will we have to leave this house? and i said, of course not, darling. my oldest daughter said, will i still be able to go to college? -- my mittal daughter said, will i still be able to go to college? and my oldest daughter said, can i keep my cellphone?

it is okay to blame others for a while. you eventually have to get up, dust yourself off, learn from it and move on. [applause] it takes humility and humanity to be accountable. we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. humility is the realization that those who came before paved the way. never fool yourself into thinking that success is yours alone. your success is the result of your parents, a family who sacrificed to give you a better life, your professors and administrators to help to get through your time at syracuse, your friends, neighbors, those who encourage you. in fact, this wonderful country, whose county is built -- whose

county we benefit from it was built by those who pay the old man sacrifice before most of us were even born. it is important to respect and be grateful for that. [applause] we also need to have the strength of character to hold ourselves accountable in all aspects of our life. as graduates of a world-class university, he reached out what it takes to leave your lives and contribute to the lives of others. if you continue to be very successful, you may be a leader of large groups of people. that is the time it comes -- becomes about them and not you. the leadership carries a deep obligation. throughout your lives you will meet people who are not as smart, talented and skilled as you.

they may not have thought that all of the benefits that you have had. -- they may not have had all the benefits that you have had. but take pride in the work that they do. the kind to all, whether they are a great leader or a clerk. [applause] to me, humanity is the highest form of accountability. and in the words of rudyard kipling, when you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, blaming it on you, if you can talk with, crowds -- talk with crowds and not lose your yeavirtue, or walk with kings and not lose your sense of your place in it."

these qualities are at the heart of success -- of our success as a nation. america's success as a nation is not a god-given right. it is something that we all must work hard to achieve. if you have studied history, you shouldn't will see the jurors -- you should see the rise and fall of empires. in the long run, you -- the next generation -- must continue to confront the challenges we face. we must confront aren't our education system. only 50% of our innocent school kids graduated high school. [applause]

we must develop a real substantive energy and environmental policy. the we have had three energy -- three major energy crises. it is not acceptable to have a fourth. wiggington need to welcome the best and brightest from around the world -- we continue to welcome the best and brightest from around the world to our nation. you all have accountability in life. we're lucky to have the opportunities that we have been given, but that brings obligations. as you go about your life, remember your country. and regardless of what you do and achieve in life, try to leave everybody a little bit better than they were before. continued to talk -- to be true to yourself and your values, be honest and humble, and you will -- and never stop holding people

accountable, and you will do your part to make this country a better place for generations to come. for the class of 2010, congratulations, good luck, and god speed. thank you. [applause] >> now, if you do not have broadband, then businesses will not locate there. >> tonight, funding and expanding broadband with the director of the world utilities service -- the rural utilities service. >> on tuesdays, good governance and ways of strengthening an effective governoment. and a debate on the four

republican candidates in south carolina. live coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> meryl streep addresses graduate of bard college. meryl streep has received a record 16 academy awards nominations. from new york city, this is a half hour. >> dry mouth, wow. [laughter] thank you all. thank. sparr. -- thank you president' sparr. teachers and faculty, proud swelling parents and family, and

orders class of 2010 -- [cheers] if you are all really, really lucky and if you continue to work super hard and you remember your thank-you notes and everybody's name, and you follow through with every task that is asked of you and somehow anticipate problems before they even arise and you somehow sidestep disaster and score big, if you get great scores on your lsat's or msat's or whatever -- [laughter] and you get a dream job with a paycheck commensurate with the responsibilities of leadership, or if you somehow get that

documentary that it did on a shoestring budget and it is accepted at sundance and then maybe it wins sundance and then you go on to be nominated for oscars and then you win the oscar -- [laughter] or if that money-making website that you have designed with your friends and somehow it attracts advertisers and it becomes the go to site for blogging and sharing and success, shining, hoped for, but never really anticipated success comes your way, i guarantee you someone and you know or love will come to you and say, will you address the graduates at my college? [laughter] [applause]

and you'll say yeah, sure, when is it? may, 2010. 2010? yeah, sure, that's months away. and then the nightmare begins. [laughter] the nightmare that we have all had, and i want to assure you, you will continue to have after graduation, 40 years after graduation. [laughter] about a week before the due date you wake up in the middle of the night and you say, oh, i have a paper due in a have not done the reading. [laughter] if you have been touched by the success ferrfairy, people thinku

know why. 14ñ,4co. the lights pulled out -- the4co. lypo is out in an airless, a bank refrigerator in a life that usually just get taken out. where is my friend ann quinlan when i need her? on another book tour.

hello, i am meryl streep. [laughter] i'm happy to pass on any tips i have to you. when i see the many accomplished board of trustees, faculty, family members, people who have actually done things, produced things, while i have pretended to do things -- [laughter] i can think of about 3000 people on this list that should have been here before me. my success has depended heavily on me putting things over on

people. i beg your parents do not think are in that great a role model anyway. i am, however, an expert in pretending to be an expert in various areas. [laughter] so, just randomly, like everything else in this speech, i am -- or i was -- an expert in kissing on stage and on screen. [cheers] how did i prepare for this? [laughter] most of my preparation took place at my suburban high school -- or rather, behind my suburban high school in new jersey. [cheers] one is obliged to do a great deal of kissane in my line of work, eric hissene, asking --

air kissing, ass kissing and of course, actual kissing. much like hookers, actors have to do it with people, whether it is people they like or even people they know. sometimes we have to do it with friends, which is rather our report. especially for people of my generation. [laughter] my other areas are mining radiation poisoning, knowing which shoes go with which bag, coffee panda -- coffee plantationing, iowa, italian, a bit of the bronx, a yiddish, irish squad dancing, cooking, knitting, playing the violin,

and simulating steamy sexual encounters -- these are some of the areas in which i have pretended quite professionally to be successful, or the other way around. as have many women here, i am sure. [laughter] within -- i feel i can say this authoritatively, especially at barnard where they cannot hear us. what am i talking about? they professionally cannot hear us. women are better acting than men. why? because we have to be. if successful in convincing someone bigger than you are of something he does not want to know is a survival skill, this is how women have survived

through the millennium. pretending is not just play. pretending is imagined possibility. pretending, or acting, is a very valuable life skills, and we all do it all the time. we do not want to be caught doing it, but nevertheless, it is part of the adaptation of our species. we change who we are to fit the exigencies of our time. and not just strategically, or to our own advantage. sometimes, sympathetically, without our even knowing it for the betterment of the whole group. i remember very clearly my own first conscious attempt at acting. i was 6 placing my mother's house looked over my head in

preparation to play the virgin mary in our living room. [laughter] as i swaddled my betsey with the dollar -- my betsey wetsy doll, i felt quiet, transformed actually. and my dad and my brother were pulled into this little nativity scene by the intensity of my focus. and i've learned something on that day.

i remember taking my mother's on a pencil and carefully drawn lines -- a drawing lines all over my face to simulate wrinkles. my mother took a picture. and i look at it now and i look like myself now and my grandmother then. but i really do remember in my bones how it was possible on that day to feel her age. i stepped down, but cheerful. you know, i fell like her. empathy is at the heart of the actor's art. and in high school, another form of acting took hold of me. i wanted to learn how to be appealing. so, i studied the character i imagined i wanted to be, that of

the generically pretty high school girl. i researched her deepldly, thats to say, shallowly. i researched her in magazines. i tried to imitate her clothing and her hair, her lips and nails. i ate an apple a day, period. i demanded brand-name clothes. my mother shut me down on that one. but i remember it was my hardest characterization, really, then anything anyone -- than anything or anyone i have done since. i worked on my goal. i like and id.

-- on my goaiggle. i like to end it. -- bui lightened it. this was all for the attention of boys. and along with the exterior choices, i worked on what actors call my interior adjustment. i adjusted my natural temperament, which it tends to be slightly bossy, a little opinionated, a little loud, full of pronouncements and high spirits, and i will fully cultivated softness, agreeableness, a breezy sort of

natural sweetness, even a shyness if you will, which was very, very effective on the boys. but the girls did not buy it. they did not like me. they sniffed it out, the acting. and they were probably right. but i was committed. this was absolutely not a cynical exercise. this was a vestige role survival courtship skill i was developing. i reached my senior year when my adjustment felt like me. i had actually convince myself that i was this person and she mixme. pretty, talented, but not step up, a girl who laughed a lot

every stupid thing that every stupid boy said, and who lowered her eyes at the right moment and deferred, who learned to defer when the boys took over the conversation. i really -- i really remember this so clearly. i could tell it was working. i was much less annoying to the guys that i had been. they like me better, and i liked that. this was conscious, but at the same time motivated and fully, fully felt. this was real, real acting. i got to vassar, which 43 years ago was a single-sex institution, like all of the college's. i made some very quick, but lifelong challenging friends, and with their help outside of any competition for voice my

brain will upon -- competition for boys my brain woke up. i got up outside of myself and i found myself again. i did not have to be -- to pretend. i could be goofy and aggressive and slovenly and tough and my friends loved me. i did not wash my hair for three weeks once. they accepted me, like the velveteen rabbit. i became real and set of an imaginary, stuffed bunny. [laughter] but i stockpiled that character from high school and i breathed life into her again some years later as linda and the deer hunter. -- as linda in th"of the deer

hunter." there's probably not one of your graduates that has seen his picture. it won best picture in 1978 and it was not funny at all. and i played linda, a small-town girl from a working-class background, a lovely, quiet, hapless worlgirl who waited fore boy she loved to come back from the vietnam war. often, men my age -- president clinton when i met him, by the way, said, men my age mention that character as their favorite of all the women i have played. and i have my own secret understanding of why that is. [laughter] and it confirms every decision i made in high school. this is not to denigrate that

girl, by the way, or the men who are drawn to her in any way because she is still part of me and i am part of her. she was not acting. but she was just behaving in a way that submissive girls, beaten up girls with very few ways out have behaved forever, and still do in many worlds. now, in a measure of how much the world has changed, the character most men mentioned as their favorite is miranda priestley. [cheers] the beleaguered totalitarian at the head of a magazine in "the double winners prada -- the devil where's prada. they wanted to relate to miranda.

they felt sorry for miranda, but they feel like miranda. they can relate to her issues, the highs standards she said -- the high standards she sets for itself, and nobody understands me thing, the loneliness. they stand outside one character and a pity her and the kind of fall in love, but they look through the eyes of this other character. this is a huge deal because as people in the movie business know, the absolute hardest thing in the whole world is to persuade a straight male audience to identify with a woman protagonist. to feel themselves embodied by hurrahher. this, more than any other factor, explains why we get the films we get. it is much easier for the female audience because we were all brought up, grown up identifying

with male characters from shakespeare to salinger. we have less trouble following hamlet's dilemma of his role -- hamlet's dilemma viscerally. or peter pan or hook. but it is much, much harder for heterosexual boys to be able to identify with juliet or testimony -- desdemona or wendy or little pocahontas. why? i don't know. but there just is. there has always been a resistance to unimaginably -- to imagine a plea persona if it isa female.

but we are changing. men are adapting. about time. [laughter] they're adapting consciously, and also without realizing it for the betterment of the whole group. they are changing their deepest president -- prejudices to accept an regard things that their fathers would have found very difficult. and their grandfathers would have abhored. and born into this emotional shift is empathy. the motion is the chief source of becoming conscious -- the motion is the chief source of becoming conscious. -- emotion is the chief source of becoming conscious. there can be no movement from dark into light without emotion.

as leonard cohen says, pay attention to the cracks because that is where the lights get in. u.s. men and women at barnard -- you has men and women at barnard have not had to squeeze your souls into the cracks, but you have not left campus yet. [laughter] i am just kidding. [laughter] what you have had is the privilege of a very specific education. you have been able to draw on a completely different perspective, to imagine a different possibility than women and men who went to co-ed schools. how those differences -- how this difference is really going to serve you is hard to quantify now. it may take you 40 years to analyze and a look back -- and

look back. but today is about looking forward, into a realm of where so-called women's issues, human issues of gender inequality live at the crux of every problem across the globe. and you are going to have the opportunity and the obligation by virtue of your provenance to speed progress in all of these areas. and this is a place where even though the need is very great, the news is, too. this is your time, and it feels normal to you. but really, there is no normal. there is only change and resistance to it. and then more change. never before in the history of our country have most of the advanced degrees been awarded to

women, but now they are. since the dawn of man is hardly more than 100 years since we were allowed into these buildings, except to clean them. but soon, most of the law and medical degrees will probably also go to women. iran the world, poor women now own property -- are around the world, for women now own property who used to be property. in the last two decades, the increase in female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth. those women have contributed more to global gdp growth then have either a new technology or the new giants india or china. cracks in the ceiling, cracks in the door, cracks in the court and on the senate floor.

[laughter] you know, i gave a speech at vassar 27 years ago. it was a really big hit. everybody loved it, really. tom bancroft said it was the very best commencement speech he'd ever heard, and of course, i believed this. and it was much easier to construct than this one. it came off pretty easily because back then i knew so much. [laughter] i was a new mother. i had two academy awards. and it was all coming together so nicely. i was smart and i understood boilerplate and what sounded good and because i had been on the squad in high school,

ernest, full throated churchlea -- cheerleading is what i did. but now i feel like one 16th of the woman that new what she knew. i am 60 today. i have four adult children that are now facing all of the challenges that you are all facing. i am more sanguine about the things that i still do not know and am still curious about. what i do know about, success, fame, celebrity, that would fill another speech. how it separates you from your friends, from reality, from proportion, your own sweet anonymity -- a treasure you do not even known you have until it is gone.

how it makes things tough for your family. whether been famous matters really one bit in the end, in the whole flux in time. i knew i was invited here because of how famous i am and how many awards are have one -- how many awards i have onewon. and while i am very proud of the work that i can assure you i did not do on my own, i can tell you that awards have no bearing on my own personal happiness, my own sense of well-being and purpose in the world. that comes from studying the world feelingly with empathy in my work. it comes from staying alert and a live and involved in the lives of the people that i loved and the people in the wider world,

no matter what you see me saying. that is acting. being a celebrity has taught me to hide. but being an actor has opened my soul. being here today has forced me to look around inside for something useful that i can share with you. i'm really grateful that you gave me the chance. you know, you do not have to be famous. you just have to make your mother and father proud of you. and you already have. [applause] bravo to you. congratulations. >> new british prime minister

and conservative party leader, david cameron live from the british house of commons wednesday at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> the treaty before you, it's an evolution of agreements that go back to the 1970's and particularly the series of agreements that were started in the reagan administration and were continued through every subsequent administration. >> watched the moments that make history right now online at the c-span video library. every program and -- since 1987 is available free, on-line. >> this is the world war ii memorial in washington d.c..

this morning, "washington journal" talks with the co- founder of the group for about 45 minutes. the president and co-founder of what is known as the honor flight network, dicated to bringing a world war ii veterans from their home towns to the nation's capital to see the memorial out on the mall. what inspired you to create your organization? guest: at the time i was on a panel and 300 of the people there were world war ii veterans. they are part of a different breed. i have personally found them to be the most humble,

they were never going to see their memorial. i just got this idea of, why don't we fly them out personally? and paul was flying pipers and assess us -- cessnas.

host: so even after the world war two -- a year after the world war ii memorial was dedicated. guest: yes. we've got to goff first year with 20 world war ii veterans. many of them are active duty, although some of them are retired military. they were excited to see their memorial. we had all kinds of volunteers. he sad part is that some of the veterans were in wheelchairs'. they would call to ask if we could

host: we are seeing some video here on the screen of veterans are writing. -- arriving at the world war ii memorial. how does the whole process work? guest: as of today, we have 96 of this across the country -- 96 hubs across the country. they are self sustaining. they have to raise their own funds and the overwhelming majority of donations come in from individuals.

perhaps someone whose father or grandfather was a world war ii veteran and never got to see the memorial. they decide to make a donation because it would be important to him to help someone else make it. host: we have the phone numbers of on the screen. -- up on the screen. until 9:15 eastern this morning. what is the size of the world war ii population in the u.s.? guest: it was 7 million in 2000. now it is around 2 million to 3 million. but i would imagine that only half or a quarter of them could get on an airplane.

caller: is this -- host: is this keeping you busy full time? guest: ijaz for the past few years. but i am loving it. host: do you still get a chance to fly some of the veterans in your personal aircraft? guest: unfortunately it is -- those days are over. it takes a lot for a pilot like me and over the past few years i have not been able to. host: are you just working through the carrier's now? guest: private pilots would be able to participate in this effort. how they would be utilized really depends on where they are located.

gut: we have a link to your -- host: we have a link to your web site on the screen. rochester, new york. go ahead. caller: we have an organizati here as well as school teachers who have gotten children involved. they call it mail call. are their efforts to get more school children involved to pass on the legacy of the world war ii veterans? guest: there is. funny that you should mention those letters, they are probably the most significant things that veterans carry with them in a flight. i have been to viewings where veterans have passed away. those letters will be in their

hands. they read those letters over and over again. quite often it moves them to tears. host: wisconsin, democratic line. caller: i was wondering, do the veterans get like a retirement package? after serving them o? guest: not to my knowledge. i would ask any veterans to contact your local veterans' service offices in your county or state. host: cleveland, good morning.

mike? caller: i would like to bring up something that is terribly important. pow's, we just got done bailing out the banks. $1 trillion to build a truck company in russia? our soldiers, because we have not declared war, are not eligible for the geneva convention. be a nom, cambodia, they are still locked up and we have deserted those people. host: you are suggesting that there are still pow's for more more ii? caller: yes, if they are not dead. host: earl morse, any knowledge or awareness of tt? guest: i do not know. i do know that world war ii veterans were turned over by the

germans and the japanese. and host: so, i do get pretty familiar with the world war ii memorial. dedicated back in many. compare it to the others in washington. why is special to you? you are obviously not aorld war ii age. guest: [laughter] thank you. positioned between the washington monument and the lincoln memorial, a significant to wallace. we believe that the washington monument presents the birth of th nation. to us on the flight oworld war ii memorial represents freedom for the world. the pacific is free, and thank

god america is free. it did not justappen, these people made itappened and to ve a memorial that recognizes that is important. if it was built on the white house it would still not have a more significant position of honor. host: your veterans come in ove commercial carriers. where do they stay when they are here? hotels? guest: we are very fortunate in that most people fly in from east of the mississippi,, and during the morning, leave that evening. -- , i,come un during the morning, leave that evening. but we are very grateful for the lodging we do get in the area. host: washington, d.c., go

ahead. caller: world war ii, what was at stake for america, we had to learn from world war ii one. we have this terrible tragedy and i feel so sorry for the man that had to serve. but the american flag is not represent the people, it represents the corporate elite. host: you ever speak to veterans that think of it as a mistake? guest: absolutely not. they fought for the blessings

and liberties that we enjoyed in america. a lot of shipping was bei sunk by enemies of the coast. the japanese hadn't entered alaska, which was a territory of the time. i do not ever recall a veteran saying that we should not have been over there to secure those blessings in liberties. host: did you have a father or close relatives serving in the war? guest: my uncle. growing up in an air force family like that, you develop a real sense of appreciation for service and sacrifice. host: e chicago, joe, democratic ne.

caller: good morning. and i basically wanted to thank this man for what he idoing. this morning we are getting up in the riding in honor of the men that serd. my father served in world war ii. he was in france, germany, normandy. he has passedaway. i miss him a lot. the veterans have done so much for us. we need to do for them. host: thank you for the call. guest: i agree, joe. i hope that your father was able to see the memorial, but if he did not i personally believe that every time i will war ii veteran dies this country becomes a bit more shallow, a becomes a bit more shallow, a bit more