• PBS - The Ministry of Truth edits Eisenhower speech

    When looking for the full text of Eisenhower's farewell speech, one of the early entries that comes up in a Google search is a link to PBS. The page certainly gives the impression that it is the full text of the speech, but in reality, it is condensed.

    The PBS version:

    The former World War II general and soon to be retired commander-in-chief uses this opportunity to caution the American public "against the acquisition of unwarranted influence... by the military industrial complex."

    Farewell Address
    January 17, 1961

    This evening I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen.

    Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all.

    We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts America is today the strongest, the most influential and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment.

    Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method. Unhappily the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle -- with liberty the stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment.

    A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.

    Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.

    Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

    This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

    In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

    We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

    Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.

    In this revolution, research has become central, it also becomes more formalized complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

    Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in labaratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

    The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present -- and is gravely to be regarded.

    Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.

    It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system-ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.

    Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.

    Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mututal trust and respect.

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe...ower-farewell/
    The full text, with parts missing from the PBS version bolded:

    Good evening, my fellow Americans.

    First, I should like to express my gratitude to the radio and television networks for the opportunities they have given me over the years to bring reports and messages to our nation. My special thanks go to them for the opportunity of addressing you this evening.

    Three days from now, after half century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor.
    This evening, I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen.

    Like every other -- Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all.

    Our people expect their President and the Congress to find essential agreement on issues of great moment, the wise resolution of which will better shape the future of the nation. My own relations with the Congress, which began on a remote and tenuous basis when, long ago, a member of the Senate appointed me to West Point, have since ranged to the intimate during the war and immediate post-war period, and finally to the mutually interdependent during these past eight years. In this final relationship, the Congress and the Administration have, on most vital issues, cooperated well, to serve the nation good, rather than mere partisanship, and so have assured that the business of the nation should go forward. So, my official relationship with the Congress ends in a feeling -- on my part -- of gratitude that we have been able to do so much together.

    We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts, America is today the strongest, the most influential, and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches, and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment.

    Throughout America's adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace, to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity, and integrity among peoples and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance, or our lack of comprehension, or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt, both at home and abroad.

    Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insiduous [insidious] in method. Unhappily, the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle with liberty the stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment.

    Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defenses; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research -- these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel.

    But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs, balance between the private and the public economy, balance between the cost and hoped for advantages, balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable, balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual, balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress. Lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration. The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their Government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of threat and stress.

    But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. Of these, I mention two only.


    A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. Our military organization today bears little relation to that known of any of my predecessors in peacetime, or, indeed, by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.

    Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States cooperations -- corporations.

    Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet, we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.

    In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

    Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

    Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers. The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present -- and is gravely to be regarded.

    Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.

    It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system -- ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.

    Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.

    During the long lane of the history yet to be written, America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many fast frustrations -- past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of disarmament -- of the battlefield.

    Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent, I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war, as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years, I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.

    Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road.

    So, in this, my last good night to you as your President, I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and in peace. I trust in that -- in that -- in that service you find some things worthy. As for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future.

    You and I, my fellow citizens, need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nations' great goals.

    To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayerful and continuing aspiration: We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its few spiritual blessings. Those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibility; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; and that the sources -- scourges of poverty, disease, and ignorance will be made [to] disappear from the earth; and that in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.

    Now, on Friday noon, I am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it.

    Thank you, and good night.


    http://www.americanrhetoric.com/spee...rfarewell.html


    Continue / discuss in the forums Read More

  • Top Activist Efforts

  • Activism News & Discussion

    PAF

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On The Record

    Thread Starter: PAF

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On the Record RFK has never held office, therefore no voting record exists. The following are interviews, tweets and statements . About Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Rumble

    Last Post By: acptulsa 04-23-2024, 09:54 AM Go to last post
    Occam's Banana

    War is Gay

    Thread Starter: Occam's Banana

    War is Gay - Jeremy Kauffman for Senate https://odysee.com/@Kauffman:9/WarIsGay:6 WarIsGay/69089af1359443882e6f6f6ceb945a700255d12e

    Last Post By: acptulsa 04-22-2024, 05:39 AM Go to last post
  • Ron Paul & Rand Paul: News & Discussion

    Brian4Liberty

    Don’t Expect The Fed To Fix The Problems It Created!

    Thread Starter: Brian4Liberty

    Don’t Expect The Fed To Fix The Problems It Created! v4nslbt

    Last Post By: acptulsa Yesterday, 06:53 AM Go to last post
    Matt Collins

    Senate to Vote on Rand's Amendments to FISA

    Thread Starter: Matt Collins

    Senate to Vote on Dr. Paul’s Amendments to Eliminate Unconstitutional Practices in Fake FISA Reform and Government Spying These reforms are vital steps towards modernizing surveillance laws and upholding fundamental liberties in the digital age. Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced crucial amendments to correct a slew of unconstitutional provisions in...

    Last Post By: helenpaul 04-23-2024, 04:02 PM Go to last post
    Matt Collins

    Rand Paul and the COVID cover-up

    Thread Starter: Matt Collins

    Biden Administration Stonewalls COVID-19 Investigations Dr. Rand Paul Grills USAID Administrator Power at Senate Foreign Relations Hearing WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) questioned Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on the agency’s inability to turn over...

    Last Post By: Invisible Man 04-23-2024, 08:35 AM Go to last post
  • General News & Politics

    Anti Federalist

    Taking things from white people

    Thread Starter: Anti Federalist

    This is an excerpt from a opinion piece written by Michael Harriot published 11 July 2023 and titled: Take things from white people In the piece he goes on to say how, because of white supremacy and violent white people maiming and killing decent black folks, there is no choice to but to take everything from from white people: Lets examine some of these claims:

    Last Post By: Anti Federalist Today, 08:07 AM Go to last post
    Occam's Banana

    FTC bans all new (and most existing) non-compete clauses

    Thread Starter: Occam's Banana

    FTC bans all new non-compete clauses and strikes down most existing agreements https://www.geekwire.com/2024/ftc-bans-all-new-non-compete-clauses-and-strikes-down-most-existing-agreements/ {Lisa Stiffler | 23 Apriil 2024} Goodbye, non-competes. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission today released its final rules addressing non-compete clauses by banning all future agreements. ...

    Last Post By: CaptUSA Today, 07:45 AM Go to last post
    PAF

    Trump Sold-Out His Base to Shovel $95 Billion to Ukraine and Israel

    Thread Starter: PAF

    By Mike Whitney The Unz Review April 23, 2024 America last. America last. That’s all this is. America last, every single day. – Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene The man who is most responsible for the $95 billion giveaway to Ukraine and Israel, is the same guy who pretends to oppose America’s “wasteful” foreign wars. Donald Trump. It was Trump who consulted with Speaker Mike...

    Last Post By: helenpaul Today, 07:28 AM Go to last post
    susano

    AZ: Bolsheviks indict the entire Trump crew, including Kelli Ward

    Thread Starter: susano

    An Arizona grand jury on Wednesday indicted seven attorneys and aides affiliated with Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign as well as 11 Arizona Republicans on felony charges related to their alleged efforts to subvert Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state, according to an announcement by the state attorney general. Those indicted include former Trump White House chief of staff Mark...

    Last Post By: sparebulb Today, 07:23 AM Go to last post
    PAF

    Courts Set Precedent for Mass Forced Vaccinatioan of All Children

    Thread Starter: PAF

    By Cassie B. Natural News April 25, 2024 A Court of Appeals in North Carolina has set a precedent for the forced vaccination of all children with a controversial ruling involving a 14-year-old boy who was given a COVID-19 vaccine without his consent or that of his parents. The court ruled unanimously that the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) preempted a state...

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 07:09 AM Go to last post
    acptulsa

    Subversion Into Hypocrisy

    Thread Starter: acptulsa

    https://twitter.com/Inversionism/status/1708200884818030648 1708200884818030648

    Last Post By: Occam's Banana Today, 06:33 AM Go to last post
    acptulsa

    You Will Hire the Criminals and You Will Be Happy

    Thread Starter: acptulsa

    Racial discrimination? What an odd thing for a woke administration to say...

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 06:25 AM Go to last post
    Anti Federalist

    Speaker Johnson's next move: Money for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and more surveillance

    Thread Starter: Anti Federalist

    https://twitter.com/AntiFeder1776/status/1780231404825055275 1780231404825055275

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 05:46 AM Go to last post
    donnay

    Joe Biden's Pig Latin

    Thread Starter: donnay

    1322239388324032512 ROFLMAO!!!

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 05:34 AM Go to last post
    Occam's Banana

    RFK Jr.'s 2024 POTUS campaign

    Thread Starter: Occam's Banana

    Robert F Kennedy Jr to challenge Biden for White House https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65197673 Chloe Kim (05 April 2023) Robert F Kennedy Jr has filed election paperwork to run for US president in 2024 as a Democrat. The 69-year-old is the son of assassinated Senator Robert F Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy. The environmental lawyer's campaign treasurer, John E...

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 05:20 AM Go to last post
  • Gold Price Chart

    [Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]
  • Silver Price Chart

  • Economics News & Discussion

    Matt Collins

    CPI jumps 5% in May of 2021, fastest since 2008

    Thread Starter: Matt Collins

    If they are admitting a 5% jump, the true number is probably more like 15%-20% https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/business/consumer-price-index-may-2021.html

    Last Post By: oyarde Today, 07:29 AM Go to last post
    PAF

    Biden Perpetuates Washington's Idiotic Steel Trade Policies

    Thread Starter: PAF

    Mises Wire James Bovard 04/19/2024 Joe Biden is seeking to boost his reelection campaign by torpedoing Chinese imports. In an April 17 speech in Pittsburgh, the symbolic heart of the steel industry, Biden announced that he asked his US trade representative to triple tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports. The tariffs are currently roughly 7.5 percent. A White House press release...

    Last Post By: CaptUSA Yesterday, 01:36 PM Go to last post
    dannno

    Reddit Trolls Wall St. Hedge Funds, Buying Up GameStop Stock

    Thread Starter: dannno

    GameStop (GME) was expected to go bankrupt, so some Wall St. hedge funds (notably Melvin Capital) put down some serious short sells on their stock. Reddit took notice, and coordinated an attack and have driven the price of Gamestop (GME) up from about $40 a week ago to $209 currently. Some of the firms, notably Melvin Capital, have doubled down and gone to investors for billions in...

    Last Post By: devil21 Yesterday, 10:36 AM Go to last post
  • Bitcoin Price Chart

  • Education & Thought Power

    PAF

    Divide and Conquer: The Government’s Propaganda of Fear and Fake News

    Thread Starter: PAF

    Ron Paul Institute by John W. And Nisha Whitehead Apr 24, 2024 “Nothing is real”, observed John Lennon, and that’s especially true of politics. Much like the fabricated universe in Peter Weir’s 1998 film The Truman Show, in which a man’s life is the basis for an elaborately staged television show aimed at selling products and procuring ratings, the political scene in the United States...

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 07:21 AM Go to last post
    Madison320

    Thought experiment to show why protectionism damages the economy

    Thread Starter: Madison320

    I've heard a lot of people say the problem with free trade is that it only works when both countries are allowing trade. That's wrong. For example even if China sells to us but doesn't allow us to sell to them, it still benefits us (and hurts China). Suppose in the US, a strange new volcano started spewing perfectly formed free high grade steel. Should the US ban the free steel because it...

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 05:57 AM Go to last post
    Occam's Banana

    Gun control debate: Spike Cohen vs. David Hogg

    Thread Starter: Occam's Banana

    Guns In America: Debate on Gun Control with David Hogg and Spike Cohen The Dartmouth Political Union welcomes David Hogg and Spike Cohen to debate gun-related issues in the United States. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guns-in-america-debate-on-gun-control-with-david-hogg-and-spike-cohen-tickets-862269460167 {Dartmouth Political Union @ Eventbrite | undated} Date and time: Wednesday, April...

    Last Post By: Occam's Banana Yesterday, 04:50 PM Go to last post
    Anti Federalist

    Why don't we just print more money?

    Thread Starter: Anti Federalist

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1782800256440152568 1782800256440152568

    Last Post By: oyarde Yesterday, 11:19 AM Go to last post
    A Son of Liberty

    Dave Smith / Part of the Problem

    Thread Starter: A Son of Liberty

    I'll endeavor to post each episode of Dave Smith's, Part of the Problem podcast here, going forward. Feel free to discuss/opine.

    Last Post By: Occam's Banana 04-23-2024, 07:17 PM Go to last post
    PAF

    Tariffs Are Taxes on Americans—But Protectionists Pretend Otherwise

    Thread Starter: PAF

    Mises Wire Ryan McMaken 04/18/2024 During the 2016 and 2020 campaigns, Trump's opponents in the Democratic party (and elsewhere) often pointed out that Trump's protectionism hobbles private markets and the economy overall. Yet, the allegedly anti-protectionist Biden administration has done virtually nothing to end Trump's protectionists policies put in place from 2017 to 2020. The...

    Last Post By: TheTexan 04-23-2024, 01:36 AM Go to last post
  • Follow us on Twitter! Subscribe to our top news RSS Feed!