Poetry Is Alive On The Border Line

(Note to our readers: Below is a piece of original poetry submitted by one of our millions of readers. Being very shy and unassuming, this reader prefers to be known only as THE BARD. We hope you enjoy this classic piece of Western writing and, as always, we welcome such submissions from our readership. JPN)

GUESS WHO

A catholic sits in the front pew,
His wife spites the seder meal jew,
She gave the principal a buck,
He taped his face like a duct,
Their videos are on pay-per-view.

Poor gooberman is really quite funny,
The weed makes his failed life seem sunny,
Kudos his wife, of course,
Despite a face like a horse,
She at least provides the family with money.

Dr. Nowhere pipes in bloviation,
Short man syndrome his prime motivation,
Writing War & Peace is just sad,
It leaves his kid with no dad,
And each word is just regurgitation.

Spirit of pubonic floats in like a bird,
“Irregardless” is his favorite non-word,
Says collectivists are rubes,
But with his man boobs,
He has more curves than corners, the turd.

Dr. Luke sticks her dolls with a pin,
But it ne’er helps her candidates win,
And her Carnac is weak,
‘Cause the jokes simply reek,
So she’s off to the old loony bin.

The blogman’s face is frightfully white,
Like Bela Lugosi he stalks the night,
Hack, plagiarize and steal,
He does with great zeal,
And drains bil’s blood with one fangy bite.

The groundhog has popped up for a day,
Though his picket sign might get in the way,
He hung out with Curt,
‘Cause he didn’t think it’d hurt,
But now he craves nuts and wants a toupee.

By The Numbers

The Hounds of Border Line Bloggerville

A group of independent, free-market business men had finished a day’s hunt and were relaxing around the fire. Their hunting dogs occupied a clearing
nearby. One of the men observed that it was remarkable how the dogs had acquired the traits of their owners.

The musician’s dog was softly howling strains of the Moonlight sonata. The engineer’s dog was using his paw to perform calculations in the dust. The On The Border Line blogger's dog was screwing all the skunks.

Painting the White House Red

January 16, 2006 Issue
Copyright © 2006 The American Conservative

Radical globalist ideology has possessed the occupant of the Oval Office and is bringing about the revolution Communism never could.

By John Laughland

It is often overlooked that George Orwell’s Animal Farm predicted not only the horrors of communism but also the end of the Cold War. At the end of the fable, the farmer, who symbolizes the capitalist West, returns to the farm and plays cards with the pigs, who symbolize communism. The shivering creatures outside, symbolizing ordinary people, “looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

We normally think of the end of the Cold War as having marked the unambiguous victory of capitalism over communism. But has Orwell’s prediction proved right, and has there instead been a convergence of the two? We hear much about how former communist states are Westernizing, but has this process been bought with the price of our own subjection to what used to be communist ideals?

Take revolution, for instance, a key Marxist concept. Fifteen years ago, it still carried—at least for conservatives—the negative connotations of “Bolshevik,” “sexual,” and “French.” Now, by contrast, George W. Bush has elevated the promotion of “a global democratic revolution” to the central goal of U.S. foreign policy. In his second inaugural speech, he announced nothing less than a program of political emancipation for the whole planet—he said that America was pursuing “the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.” Trotsky would have been proud.

Read more in the American Conservative

GOP corruption: Can we have that reform now?

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006

CONSERVATIVES outside the beltway have warned for years that the Republican Party was headed for a crackup if it didn’t return to the principles that brought it to power in 1994. Now, as the fallout from the Jack Abramoff scandal begins, Congressional Republicans are talking about reform for the first time in a decade. But it probably is too late.

“I have a hunch, and it’s only a hunch, that we’ve probably seen the climax of the conservative movement from 1994,” Washington Times editorial page editor Tony Blankley said during an interview yesterday.

Blankley said he was “very concerned” about Republicans’ ability to hold on to power in Washington. “I think if I were a Democratic operative I’d put a lobster bib on,” he said. He isn’t the only one worried. Conservatives are wringing hands and stroking chins.

The only chance Republicans have of shedding this albatross is to institute real reforms, not paper ones. Rep. Charlie Bass is pushing that idea, as are others. But we won’t hold our breath waiting for it to happen. Power corrupts, and GOP leaders have given little indication that there is anything they value more than holding on to the power they attained the first time they promised to reform Washington. Why would Americans expect these new promises to be any less empty than the first ones?

Stossel & ABC's 20/20 Misrepresent Gun Violence Data

January 19, 2006

TV show downplayed problem of gun violence

I was astonished recently to see the ABC news program "20/20" portray the prevalence and significance of gun violence in America as a "media-fed myth." As a trauma surgeon, I can assure you that the daily deaths and disability caused by gun violence are a reality that should not be dismissed in this manner.

Commentator John Stossel made claims based on a misrepresentation of data and presented conclusions that cannot be supported by facts. Most disturbing was his implication that the risk of gun violence to children is exaggerated. In reporting that less than 100 children ages 15 and younger die annually due to gun accidents, he ignores the more than 500 deaths due to intentional injuries and the approximately 3,000 non-fatal firearm injuries in this group.

In Indianapolis in 2004, eight children younger than 15, 76 between 15 and 19, and 130 ages 20 to 24 were victims of gun violence. One in four victims of gun violence in Marion County dies of his injuries. These data are compiled from hospital, police and coroner reports and published annually by the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Violent Injury and Death.

Gun violence is a public health problem that calls for multiple strategies to prevent injury and death. Injuries and deaths can be prevented by working on multiple levels, from societal issues that breed gun violence to education about how to prevent it. When prevention fails, both the patient and the perpetrator should get medical treatment and criminal justice deterrence. This issue need not be about gun control versus gun rights. As long as we politicize this issue, we are wasting time and energy that could be spent solving the problem.

Erik Streib, M.D.
Director, Trauma, Surgical Critical Care Unit Wishard Health Services Board member, Indiana Partnership to Prevent Violent Injury and Death

From the Indianapolis Star

"I Love Guns, and Gun Nuts"

"As I lay in bed, I thought about what fun I had. Then I chuckled out loud. What would the Wendy’s employees have done if they knew what was in Danny’s heavy leather bag!"

by Jeremy Sapienza

For our visitors from ontheborderline.net, here's one from one of Dr. Bill's favorite web sites: Lew Rockwell.com

Voices of Reason For Conceal and Carry

Forget the Constitution and the rest of the Amendments, for some the 2nd Amendment covers their needs

"To show you how radical I am, I want carjackers dead. I want rapists dead. I want burglars dead. I want child molesters dead. No court case. No parole. No early release. Get a gun, and when they attack you shoot 'em."

--Ted Nugent
The Motor City Madman

"If you want the votes of people who are good on guns, good on taxes, and good of faith issues, that is a very small intersection of voters. But if you say 'Give me the votes of anybody who agrees with you on any of these issues,' that's a much bigger section section of the population. With that group, you can take over the country, if you start with the airports and the radio stations. But with all of the three circles that's sixty percent of the population, and you can win politically. And if you add more things, like property rights and home-schooling, you can do even better."

-- Grover Norquist
Americans for Tax Reform

Favorite News Source?

I don't know about you guys but I get my news from the "Roswell Reporter" and ontheborderline.net

The Bush Strategy Is Elementary

...but unquestionable.

President Bush went to an elementary school to talk to the kids to get a little public relations boost. After his talk he opened the floor for questions. One little boy put up his hand and President Bush asked him his name.

"Stanley," responded the little boy.

"And what is your question, Stanley?"

"I have 3 questions. First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? And third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?"

Just then, the bell rang for recess. President Bush informed the kiddies that they will continue after recess. When they resumed the question session, President Bush said, "OK, where were we? Oh, that's right: question time. Who has a question?"

Another little boy puted up his hand. Bush pointed him out and asked his name.

"Steve," he responded.

"And what is your question, Steve?"

"Actually, I have 5 questions. First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden? Fourth, why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? And fifth, what the hell happened to Stanley?"

Stupid In StonePine

More wisdom from the borderline!

John Stossel Filed under: General, Education General, Finances, Free Markets, Education Hudson, Education New Richmond, Education Somerset --- conn @ 7:36 pm

I hoped to see the report on "publix edjumication" but I see it is pre-empted by millionaire liberals throwing a ball...

Ontheborderline Executive Celebration Committee

The Ontheborderline Executive Celebration Committee will meet secretly this week to make plans to celebrate the death of the next "liberal" News Anchor.

Dr.B welcomes wayward blogger back into the fold and gives instructions on "how to blog for the uninformed".

1. Who is Peter Jennings? I get my news from the internet and talk radio.

Comment by: ziller on:8/9/2005 @ 10:36 am

2. Peter Jennings was a lefty from Canada who enjoyed the freedoms here in America but did everything in his power to sow the seeds of discontent at every possible opportunity. His distaste for conservatism, capitalism and free markets was palpable. Others can lament his demise, for me I simply say adieu.

Comment by: bildanielson9 on:8/9/2005 @ 11:25 am

Overview of Education System In Finland

Per the discussion on ABC's 20/20 program "Stupid In America" reported by John Stossel, I ran across an interesting overivew of the Finish school system and how it is run. The overview provides good insight into how this system opperates under democratic socialism.

Here are a few interesing points:

1. Majority of education publicly funded
2. Two-tiered public funding: the State and the local authorities

It's becomes interesting quickly when you have the anti-public education people like those at the ontheborderline.net quacking about how Finland out perfroms the US in math and science testing. Stossel gave the same test to a class in Finland and New Jersey and the Fins did better.

I'm sure we won't be hearing the OTBL'ers starting a back-to-Finland movement (although the Fins are big into hot tubs). If they do start moving over there, I'm sure they'll be back here in a heartbeat where the taxes are much lower.

Overview of the Finish education system.

Points To Ponder

"It was we, the people;
not we, the white male citizens;
nor yet we, the male citizens;
but we, the whole people,
who formed the Union."

-- Susan B. Anthony

The Type of Question John Stossel Doesn't Ask

John Stossel Please Note: Finland Ranks Higher In...

Kids Can't Think On An Empty Stomach!

Poverty has been recognized as one of the most powerful factors that can affect children's brain development. As poor children grow into adolescence and adulthood, they are more likely to drop out of school, have children out of wedlock, and be unemployed.

Last Friday, January 13, ABC's 20/20 aired a segment reported by John Stossel titled "Stupid In America: How We Cheat Our Kids."

Stossel missed some important factors that no doubt influence his opionions -- he didn't share at lot of facts and figures with the viewers. He relied on individual antidotes to make his point.

Here's a few points to ponder:

1. UNICEF states that although the U.S. is still the wealthiest country on Earth, with income levels higher than any other country, it also has one of the highest incidences of child poverty among the rich, industrialized nations.

2. Denmark and Finland have child-poverty levels of less than 3 percent, and are closely followed by Norway and Sweden, thanks to higher levels of social spending. In the U.S., 17 percent of children live in poverty.
3. Children are a disproportionate share of the poor in the U.S. Although they are 26 percent of the total population, they constitute 39 percent of the poor.

Read more@ Seattle Times in the an editorial titled:
Rich man, poor man: hungry children in America
By César Chelala

Two Books To Read: "Gifted Hands" and "Think Big" by Ben Carson

"I did not like school very much and there was no reason why I should. I was the dumbest kid in the class. What did I have to look forward to? The others laughed at me and made jokes about me every day."

-- Dr. Ben Carson
former inner-city kid
currently world famous pediatric neurosurgeon

Dr. Carson has written a book about his life, Gifted Hands: A True Story of Healing and Inspiration, which is to be made into a motion picture. A review of this book described it as a portrait of a man's "extraordinary path to success." When his journey began, he was living in poverty, had a pathological temper, poor self-esteem and awful grades. His book, The Big Picture: Getting Perspective on What's Really Important in Life, explores how we can overcome obstacles to take action on behalf of something greater than ourselves. His second book Think Big also explores his life philosophy. Someone who has made such a dramatic change in the course of his life can certainly inspire others to have faith in their own intellect.

More info on Ben Carson

The "Threat Letter" On The Border Line

Am I the only one who finds it curious that an anonymous blogger at ontheborderline.net keeps quacking on and on about an anonymous threat letter sent to the Hudson city administrator?

What difference would it make to some one who doesn't have the guts to use his real on a blog post that the mystery surrounding the threat letter? It's my understanding that it's hard enough for local law enforcement to get the FBI over here for an armed bank robbery let alone a threat letter in the mail.

I believe Luke was the one casting out the list of potential suspect way back last summer...very interesting!

Could this be just another example of hypocrisy ontheborderline?

Pen & Inks Jabs: Bush's Road To Prosperity

Letters: Hidden weapons offer false sense of security

Posted January 17, 2006

From the Appleton Post-Cresent:

Ross Bielema makes a few errors in judgment in his Jan. 15 community column about the supposed benefits of concealed weapons.

First, he equates common items like spare tires and jumper cables with guns. The former are examples of reasonable precaution; the latter are simply overkill.

Unless you're a bodyguard, courier, private investigator or living in the most crime-ridden area of the country, you have no real need to carry a concealed weapon.

If simple precaution justifies guns, then perhaps we should all be investing in things like defibrillators, anti-venom kits, parachutes and armored vehicles. Fear is a bottomless pit. There is never enough security for some.

Second, he believes that most criminals think rationally. They don't. If a criminal is desperate or daring enough to commit a burglary or assault, they're not going to be deterred by the possibility that the victim might be carrying a gun. Criminals will do their best to get the advantage and the "drop" on the victim.

Third, Ross probably also believes that gun-carrying citizens actually possess the coordination, skill and presence of mind to successfully use a weapon in a crunch. They don't.
Ross speaks of deer hunters, but not the ones who couldn't hit a deer standing still with a scoped rifle. Standard, required gun training doesn't make a person a marksman or a citizen soldier.
Alas, conceal and carry may indeed happen in Wisconsin, but it appeals most to those obsessed with security and fear.

The rest of us don't need weapons any more than we need a second spare tire.

Richard Froemming, Neenah

The Mouse That Snores

...Ziller Squeaks!

I have been a follower of you site for sometime and I've enjoyed reading it. However, I've recently read something at ontheborderline.net that made me realize it's time to put my two cents worth in. Here's the post I find very interesting:

St Croix Democrats get marching orders from the teacher’s union

Filed under: General --- BobZiller @ 4:18 pm

If I can believe their announcement the St. Croix/Pierce County Democrats had a meeting January 12th at their usual watering hole, the Coachman Supper Club.
Speakers were to be Scott Ellingson, Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) VP and Paul Hambleton, WEAC President and current National Education Assoc. Director.

They are going to give Jim Doyle credit for lowering property taxes and being favorable to education. I'm sure they won't mention that he cooked the books by sliding some of the highway fund into education and issuing $1.0 billion in new debt. WEAC will pour tons of money into the reelection of Jim Doyle.
---
Isn't Ziller the communication director for the St. Croix Republican Party? He read this meeting notice in the local paper, but he didn't attend the meeting. Have you noticed that the Republican's seldom put public notices in the local papers for the Republican meetings. What are they trying to hide?

The two people mentioned above did talk at the meeting. I'm not sure what Ziller finds so wrong with taxpaying, US citizens getting an overview of our state's education system. That's right, the OTBL'ers don't actually talked to anyone involved in the education process. They mainly just anonymously toss elephant droppings at anyone who shows a concern for the public education system.

At the November Democrat meeting, a St. Croix County board member talked about planning and growth in the county and two others talked about land stewardship. I suppose there's not need to be concerned about these issues either. Afterall, there's been a house for sale for two years across the street from an anonymous OTBL blog and this means the growth is St. Croix county has stopped. Likewise, there's probably no need to care about the land because Rush Limbaugh said there is no globle warming and we have more trees today than ever.

It's good to know Ziller and company are keeping the world safe for his grand kids by keeping the pressure on to pass the "guns, gays and God" wedge issues they so highly praised. Maybe the Republicans should spend more time "doing" than "showing." Do the names Jack Abramoff or Michael Scanlon ring a cash register bell?

Did you hear about the Baptist minister who thinks homosexuals can become heterosexuals? He has been charged with offering to engage in oral sex with an undercover male police officer. Police said the Rev. Lonnie Latham was arrested Jan. 3 in Oklahoma City. He was released the next day on bail. Latham said he was set up in an area where he was "pastoring to police." His lawyer said Latham will plead not guilty. I believe Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Baker were also innocent...until proven guilty.

Keep ministering to us with your Republican propaganda BobZ. It's starting to ring hollow...

Fortunately, you have your OTBL lap dogs to sniff out your tales. Here's what spiritofpublicus had to say (it must have been really hard for him not to play the commie card):

Bob, this why the whole government education system is broken. As the name implies, it has long ceased being about the education of children. The system is about the ability to control power and the redistribution of wealth to members of a political organization. It is obvious spending more money for what ever reason, including new buildings, will do nothing to improve the education of our children. In the end, the system needs to be scrapped in favor of one which does not involve political gamesmanship; only by giving parents free economic choice will such a political-free system be attained.
---
I thought parents have free economic choice in education. They can use the public schools or pay for private schools out of their own pockets.

The O'Stossel Distortion Factor

Give US a Break John:
"I have come to believe that markets are magical and the best protectors of the consumer," he once declared. "It is my job to explain the beauties of the free market" (Oregonian, 10/26/94).
In reality it's more like voodoo.
The following is from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.
"Stossel once reported (11/12/99) that "98 percent [of Catholic school students] graduate, vs. 49 percent for the public schools." Actually, according to data from the Department of Education, no state reports a public high school graduation rate as low as Stossel's figure--in 1995-96, the last data available when Stossel made his claim, the rates ranged from 53.2 in the District of Columbia to 89.9 in Vermont (Postsecondary Education Opportunity, 9/99)."

"While there is a long and honorable tradition of U.S. journalists with definite points of view who hoped that their reporting would have a political impact--from Thomas Paine to Ida Tarbell to I.F. Stone--what distinguishes Stossel is his willingness to warp reality to fit his ideological preconceptions. His reports, notable for their one-sided sourcing and rejection of inconvenient facts, are frequently marred assertions from Stossel and his favored guests that are misleading or factually incorrect.

Stossel's errors are often so obvious that one wonders how they could have ended up on the air. In a 20/20 report on medical research (10/11/99), Stossel complained that too much funding was going to AIDS research, claiming that spending on the disease was "25 times more than on Parkinson's, which kills more people."

In fact, AIDS killed more than 16,000 people in the United States in 1999--down from 43,000 in 1995. Parkinson's, which is not itself generally fatal but contributes to other illnesses, has a mortality rate of 2 per 100,000 to less than 1 per 100,000, depending on the demographic group (BC Medical Journal, 4/01)--which works out to a death toll in the United States of less than 4,000 per year."

His report on education is no different, the only "facts" are the ones that support his propaganda.
On the John Stossel ABC 20/20 blog iledu adds a few facts that John neglected to include.

"Other countries stack the deck by just having their highest academic achievers take the tests, whereas the United States has a mixed bag of low, middle and high academic achievers take the tests. In other words, Mr. Stossel is making an apples-and-oranges comparison by not explaining why the raw test scores for the United States are lower than other countries' scores. If the United States only had its highest achieving academic students taking these tests like other countries do, then the United States' test score numbers would show up at or very near the top consistently.
Perhaps Mr. Stossel will do the right thing by explaining this in a future report. It's something that the mainstream media in the United States don't often like to mention. That's because shaping facts into "bad" news by not telling the whole story results in higher radio/TV ratings, advertising revenue and newspaper/magazine sales."

One of the countries whos math scores are highest is Finland. You'd think that the most successful country in teaching math and science just might have a "Free Market" educational
system if you believe in Stosselism or Danielsonism. But here's a discription of the how Finlands schools are funded from the source EDU.FI

"Instruction is usually free of charge at all levels of education. Basic education is completely free of charge for the pupils, but with higher levels of education, students may have to pay for study materials, meals and transport.
Students receive financial aid for full-time post-basic studies lasting at least two months. Student financial aid is payable for studies at upper secondary schools, folk high schools, vocational institutions, polytechnics or universities through to doctorate level. Financial aid is also available for study abroad. The ordinary student financial aid comprises a study grant, a housing supplement and a government-guaranteed student loan. In addition, there is an adult study grant for mature students, which is determined on different criteria."

Sounds like a place where the "Government schools really work, eh"
Give US a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Did Martin Luther King, Jr. Really Dream?

In 1960, the top 20 percent of the wealthiest enjoyed 30 times the wealth of the bottom 20 percent. Four decades later, this gap increased to 75 times.

More children are growing up poor in America than in any other industrial nation. Millions of workers are making less money in real dollars than they did 20 years ago.

Working Americans are working on average more hours than ever before.

Forty-five million Americans -- eight of 10 of whom have jobs -- have no health insurance.

Overall, 37 million Americans live in poverty, and poverty levels are now on an uptick since a record low in 1973.

Read more from the Boston Globe

Pen & Ink Jabs: The Root Of All Evil

Quote of Note:

"We do not boycott to put anyone out of business. We are boycotting to put justice into business."

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have a dream" by Martin Luther King

August 28, 1963:

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"