67.Lyndon Baines Johnson - Let Us Continue
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the House, Members of the Senate, my fellow
Americans:
All I have I would have given gladly not
to be standing here today.
The greatest leader of our time has been struck down by the foulest deed of our time. Today,
John Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on in the immortal words and works that he left behind.
He lives on in the mind and memories of mankind.
He lives on in the hearts of his countrymen. No words are sad enough
to express our sense of loss. No words are strong enough to express
our determination to
continue the forward thrust of America that he began.
The dream of conquering the vastness of space, the dream of partnership across the Atlantic
and across the Pacific as well the dream of a Peace Corps in less developed nations, the
dream of education for all of our children, the dream of jobs for all who seek them and need
them, the dream of care for our elderly, the dream of an allout
attack on mental illness, and
above all, the dream of equal rights for all Americans, whatever their race or color. These and
other American dreams have been
vitalized by his drive and by his dedication. And now the
ideas and the ideals which he so
nobly represented must and will be translated into effective action.
Under John Kennedy"s leadership, this nation has demonstrated that
it has the courage to
seek peace, and it has the fortitude to risk war. We have proved that we are a good and
reliable friend to those who seek peace and freedom. We have shown that we can also be a
formidable foe to those who reject the path of peace and those who seek to
impose upon us or our allies the yoke of tyranny.
This nation will keep its commitments from South
Vietnam to West Berlin. We will be
unceasing in the search for peace, resourceful
in our pursuit of areas of agreement even
with those with whom we differ and generous and loyal to those who join with
us in common cause.
In this age when
there can be no losers in peace and no victors in war, we must recognize the
obligation to match national strength with
national restraint. We must be prepared at one and
the same time for both
the confrontation of power and the limitation of power. We must be
ready to defend the national interest and to negotiate the common
interest. This is the path that we shall continue to pursue.
Those who test our courage will find it strong, and those who
seek our friendship will
find it honorable. We will demonstrate anew that the strong can be
just in the use of strength, and the just can be strong in the defense of justice.
And let all know we will extend no special privilege and impose no persecution. We will carry
on the fight against poverty, and misery, and disease, and ignorance, in other lands and in
our own. We will serve all the nation, not one section or one sector, or one group, but all
Americans.
These are the United States: A united people with a united purpose.
Our American unity does not depend upon unanimity. We have differences. but
now, as in the past, we can derive from those differences strength, not weakness, wisdom, not despair.
Both as a people and a government, we can unite upon a program, a program which is wise and
just, enlightened and constructive.
For 32 years Capitol Hill has been
my home. I have shared many moments of pride with you,
pride in the ability of the Congress of the United States to act, to
meet any crisis, to distill from our differences strong programs of national action. An assassin"s bullet
has thrust upon me the awesome burden of the Presidency. I am here today to say I
need your help. I cannot bear this burden alone. I need the help of all Americans, and all
America.
This nation has experienced a profound shock, and in this critical
moment, it is our duty, yours and mine, as the Government of the United States, to do away with
uncertainty and doubt and delay, and to show
that we are capable of decisive action. that from the brutal
loss of our leader we will derive not weakness, but strength. that we can and will act and act
now.
From this chamber of representative government, let all
the world know and none misunderstand that
I rededicate this Government
to the unswerving support of the United Nations, to
the honorable and determined execution of our commitments to our allies, to
the maintenance of military strength second to
none, to the defense of the strength and the stability of the dollar, to the expansion of our foreign trade,
to the reinforcement of our
programs of mutual assistance and cooperation
in Asia and Africa, and to our Alliance for
Progress in this hemisphere.
On the 20th day of January, in 19 and 61, John
F. Kennedy told his countrymen
that our national work would not be finished "in the first
thousand days, nor in the life of this
administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime
on this planet." "But," he said, "let us begin."
Today in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans,
let us continue.
This is our challenge not
to hesitate, not to pause, not to
turn about and linger over this evil
moment, but to continue on our course so that
we may fulfill the destiny that history has set
for us.
Our most immediate tasks are here on
this Hill. First, no memorial oration or eulogy could
more eloquently honor President Kennedy"s memory than
the earliest possible passage of the
Civil Rights Bill for which he fought so long.
We have talked long enough in this country about
equal rights. We have talked for a hundred years or more. It is time now to write the next
chapter, and to write it in the books of law. I urge you again, as I did in
19 and 57 and again in 19 and 60, to enact a civil rights law so that
we can move forward to eliminate from this nation
every trace of discrimination and oppression that is based upon race or color. There
could be no greater source of strength to this nation both at home and abroad.
And second,
no act of ours could more fittingly continue the work of President Kennedy than
the early passage of the tax bill for which
he fought all this long year. This is a bill designed to increase our national income and Federal
revenues, and to provide insurance against recession. That bill, if passed without delay,
means more security for those now working, more jobs for those now without
them, and more incentive for our economy.
In short, this is no time for delay. It is a time for action strong,
forwardlooking action on the pending education bills to
help bring the light of learning to every home and hamlet in America. strong,
forwardlooking action on youth employment opportunities. strong,
forwardlooking action on the pending foreign aid bill, making clear that we are not forfeiting our
responsibilities to this hemisphere or to the world, nor erasing Executive flexibility in the
conduct of our foreign affairs. and strong, prompt, and forwardlooking
action on the remaining appropriation bills.
In this new spirit of action, the Congress can expect
the full cooperation and support of the
executive branch. And,
in particular, I pledge that the expenditures of your Government will
be administered with the utmost
thrift and frugality. I will insist that the Government get a
dollar"s value for a dollar spent. The Government will set an example of prudence and
economy.
This does not mean that we will
not meet our unfilled needs or that we will not honor our
commitments. We will do both. As one who has long served in both
Houses of the Congress, I
firmly believe in the independence and the integrity of the legislative branch. And I promise
you that I shall always respect
this. It is deep in the marrow of my bones. With equal firmness, I believe in
the capacity and I believe in the ability of the Congress, despite the
divisions of opinions which characterize our nation, to act to
act wisely, to act vigorously, to act speedily when the need arises.
The need is here. The need is now. I ask your help.
We meet in grief, but let us also meet in renewed dedication and renewed vigor. Let us meet
in action, in tolerance, and in mutual understanding.
John Kennedy"s death commands what his life conveyed that America must
move forward.
The time has come for Americans of all races and creeds and political beliefs to
understand and to respect one another. So let us put an end to
the teaching and the preaching of hate and evil and violence.
Let us turn away from the fanatics of the far left and the far right, from
the apostles of bitterness and bigotry, from those defiant of law, and those who pour venom
into our nation"s bloodstream.
I profoundly hope that the tragedy and the torment of these terrible days will bind us together
in new fellowship, making us one people in our
hour of sorrow.
So let us here highly resolve that John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not
live or die in vain.
And on this Thanksgiving eve, as we gather together to ask the Lord"s blessing, and give Him
our thanks, let
us unite in those familiar and cherished words:
America, America, God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
英语演讲67.Lyndon Baines Johnson - Let Us Continue
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