To the Class of 2005

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our Nation has always derived its Power and Prosperity directly from the American people. The talents and ambitions of our citizenry drive this country today, just has they have always done. If America is the world’s only superpower, it is because the American people made it so.
But today, the world is changed. Globalization, the internet, outsourcing; every day we are confronted by new challenges and greater competition. What is increasingly clear is that America will remain Powerful and Prosperous only if we can continue to tap into the talents of our youth. In other words, its up to You.
Everywhere we turn these days it seems people are questioning whether the American spirit has been lost. There is a belief among some that the so-called “Greatest Generation” has already made its’ mark on America, that our youth today are not made of the same metal that they were in the past.
But looking out among the class of 2005, it is increasingly clear to me that this is not the case. America has never had a more talented group of men and women as we do today. Throughout our history, our greatest generation has always been our next generation.
Although our founding fathers laid out a grand design for our nation, it has taken many years to actually fulfill the promises so eloquently stated by our Founding Fathers. Each new generation has added to the legacy of the one before, and in so doing has earned the right to be called the Greatest Generation.
But there is a difference between having talented citizens, and using that talent to make our country great. America has always gotten the most out of its’ people, and I’ll tell you why.
Because our Republic was founded on 4 universal ideals that allows every American the opportunity to make the most of their life. These ideals promote opportunity, foster ambition, and encourage all of us, to live our lives with passion.
They are the pillars upon which our Democracy was built. Together they form the character of the United States of America. These 4 beliefs are not unique to Americans, but they have been embodied by every generation. And if we are to succeed in the future, you must embody them as well.
First and foremost is the ideal of individual Equality.
To have dreams, and more importantly the opportunity to chase those dreams, we must first live in a nation that acknowledges the right of every individual to be treated as an equal and not to be consigned to some station in life based on the circumstances of one’s birth.
We call this ideal “equal treatment before the law.” It is the belief that we should be judged on our merits, and our merits alone.
Our nation was founded on this ideal. Our Constitution was written to give “liberty and justice for all.” America cannot exist for long if we ever abandon that goal. In fact our failure to heed it in the past has been the cause of war and social strife the likes of which this republic has never seen. It's torn us apart and has nearly destroyed all we built.
This future of this ideal depends on you. Never accept that your goals are unattainable because of your age, race, or gender. And when you are entrusted with the responsibilities of leadership, you must embody the hopes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who hoped that we would judged others “the content of their character” and not “the color of their skin.”
The second ideal that is crucial to this nation is that of Integrity.
It IS “the content of your character.” Integrity is doing the right thing. Doing the right thing and knowing that you did it for the right reasons.
Integrity is the substance that gives meaning to our ideals. We can talk about the importance of individual equality all day long, but without integrity, equality is nothing more then a pretty word.
In today’s world, keeping your honor intact is not easy. We are all confronted with chances to take the easy way out, all we have to do is tell a little lie, or break a small promise. But the temptation to lie, only cheats yourself in the end. All of your goals, all of your dreams, if they are achieved without honor and integrity, are meaningless.
But even more so, you must embody this idea because we need leaders with integrity. ENRON, Adelphia, Tyco, These businesses collapsed because their leaders were dishonest. Hold on to your honor, keep your word, and people will invest in your future.
The third Pillar of this Republic is our belief in Capitalism. We are a capitalistic society. And we are dedicated to the principle of individual merit and the premise that individuals should be rewarded economically for their individual efforts.
Your future success will be determined by your ability to innovate and create new ideas and no economic system encourages creativity more then Capitalism.
This reminds me of a story that Ronald Reagan used to tell about a friend of his, an eminent scholar who was fluent in Russian. This man was on a trip to Moscow, and in the cab, driving to the airport -- had a young cab driver there -- got into conversation with him. The young man was getting educated -- going to school, but driving a cab to make that possible. And the scholar said, ``Well, what are your plans -- what do you intend to do?'' And the young man said: ``I haven't made up my mind yet.'' Well, by coincidence, when he got to Moscow and got in a cab there, he had a young cab driver. And speaking Russian he got into a conversation with him, and found out he, too, was going to school, as well as working. And he said: ``Well, what do you intend to be?'' And the young man said: ``they haven't told me yet.''
In that one anecdote, it is clear why capitalism defeated communism; when people are allowed the opportunity to pursue their interests, they will always be more productive then those who don’t have that choice.
Capitalist economies succeed because they realize there is no greater commodity than human passion and ambition.
Your commitment to this ideal will ensure that the American dream remains true in spirit and in practice.
The last ideal I will talk about today is our belief in Freedom.
There is no ideal that has meant more to the success of this country then our belief in freedom. Our government was founded on the revolutionary idea that it derives its authority from the consent of the people. It is the belief that humanity is endowed with rights that are inalienable.
Freedom has always existed as the beating heart of this great nation.
Throughout our history, men and women have sacrificed their lives for the freedom that we enjoy to this day.
In fact, we have come to the realization that freedom is sufficiently important that we will even die so that others around the globe might be free.
Although many very successful men and women share these ideals, their embodiment will not ensure you success in your chosen career. It won’t guarantee that you will be a good businessman, or teacher, or god forbid, a politician. But it will ensure you have character. By honoring equality, it will guarantee you a dignity that bigots will never know. By valuing integrity, your word will trusted, and your character admired. By embracing Capitalism, you will guarantee that hard work and ambition will always be rewarded. And lastly, by promoting freedom, together we can guarantee that the rights of man are respected and protected.
These values are indeed the pillars of American prosperity. And although we must continue to embody these ideals in our own lives, we must never forget that equality, integrity, opportunity, and liberty are values that collectively made this nation great. Your graduation today proves you are talented and that your futures are bright. Prove you have character, and I trust that you will rightly inherit the title of those who have come before you; the Greatest Generation.

The Runaway Bride

"I grad-e-ated in the 6th grade. Only took me three years!" --Jethro Clampett


For all the absurdity of the Jennifer Wilbanks story, I couldn't help but think, "only in Duluth Georgia." When you combine a 32 year-old bride, and 600 wedding guests this far south of the Mason Dixon line, you could produce enough pressure to power a freight train. That said, the media’s portrayal of this sad…okay, pathetic episode is just another example of how the South is constantly portrayed as a backwoods twilight zone. This story is classically Southern but its just another example of the mainstream media's (which is comprised mainly of Yankees and self-hating Southerners) condescending attitude towards the South.

Why is it classically Southern? Because Yankees don’t throw debutante balls for their daughters. When a Southern woman tells her friends, "My daughter came out last weekend", it has nothing to do with sexual orientation.

This story is classically Southern because Northern co-eds don’t pack up and leave school if they don’t get a bid to Kappa Kappa Gamma. When I was a freshman in college, I remember watching a girl and her father quietly pack a U-Haul on Bid-Day. I couldn’t help but think what my father’s reaction would be if I called him up that morning and told him I needed to drop out of school because I didn’t get into a good Frat (alas, the efficacy of disciplining your children with a belt buckle is an altogether different subject).

Weddings, like Deb-Balls and sororities, take on a greater amount of significance the further south one travels (and the higher one climbs the social ladder). I have no doubts that women in the North get cold feet too, but they don’t kidnap themselves.

This is also an example of condescension towards the South. Although interesting, Adrea Peyser’s column yesterday in the New York Post couldn’t help insinuating that most Southerners have trouble keeping their teeth. I realize she lived in the South for a while, but with an attitude like hers, its not surprising she had to "escape." It’s amazing how unwelcome people feel when they treat their neighbors like morons.

A sad but true statement is that most Americans have no idea what the South is like. Why else do you think a guy like Howard Dean would say the things he says with a straight face? Here is a guy who was smart enough to get through Medical school, and yet still refers to an entire region of the country like he would a mischievous cousin with Downs Syndrome.

In closing though, it’s hard to make excuses for Ms. Wilbanks, her fiancé, and the South in general. When Jesse Jackson complains about the negative image of African American men, I roll my eyes and look at the number of violent crimes committed by that group. In the same vein, when Southerners like myself complain that the media makes us look like retards, I have to turn on the TV to listen to Wilbanks’ fiancé brag that she is still a virgin. If we Southerners want to improve our image, we need to muzzle idiots like that.