Preface

The years 2005 and 2006 saw the United States continuing to look outward toward resolving and responding to crises in foreign countries, including the ongoing conflict in Iraq, the global War on Terror, and the evolving political and human rights emergencies in Africa. When Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in August 2005, however, the gaze of the U.S. government and the American people turned suddenly and tragically inward. In particular, the devastation visited upon New Orleans highlighted the city’s problematic social conditions and deteriorating infrastructure, which had been an open secret for generations. One of the worst natural disasters in the nation’s history, it also raised concerns among the general populace as to the priorities of the Bush administration and the government’s ability to respond to crises within its own borders. This book contains speeches by noted individuals whose attentions have been drawn outward toward the various roles the United States might play abroad and inward to the nation’s welfare in light of its involvement in international affairs and the everyday lives of its own people.

The volume begins with a look at one aspect of the 21st century’s War on Terror—a war begun in earnest by the United States after September 11, 2001. The past five years have revealed that this particular war is all about out-smarting the other guy: The terrorist, who relies on the element of surprise, counts on the ignorance of his intended victims, while those who are targeted attempt to anticipate and preempt each attack. The latter is accomplished through intelligence gathering, not only with the help of spies and informants, but also by monitoring and intercepting phone calls, e-mails, and other forms of electronic communication. After the attacks on the nation on September 11, the USA PATRIOT Act was passed with provisions to make it easier for the government to surveil U.S. residents and gather intelligence about possible strikes against Americans at home and abroad. Throughout 2005 and 2006, however, worries increased among civil libertarians and other U.S. residents that innocent people were being caught in the government’s spy net. Fears arose that private phone calls were being monitored without warrants and that people of Middle Eastern descent were being unfairly targeted for suspicion. Because those PATRIOT Act provisions relating to intelligence gathering were coming up for renewal in December 2005, congressional hearings were held that required Bush administration officials to clarify the government’s use of certain spying methods and defend those techniques against accusations that they were illegal. Examples of their explanations are contained here. When the administration was less than forthcoming about certain details of the spy program, many Americans cried foul and claimed they had a right to know whether their tax dollars were being used to violate the civil rights of some of their neighbors, as other speeches in the book’s first section demonstrate.

While law-abiding, tax-paying American citizens expect the government to spend a sufficient amount of money to keep them safe, they want to be sure that money is being spent wisely and that other important programs are not being neglected in the process. In particular, many educators and artists have watched in dismay as the government has seemed to dedicate fewer resources to enriching American culture and promoting the arts—for the most part, without much resistance from the American people. Nevertheless, teachers, artists, writers, and others who view the cultivation of the nation’s culture akin to the cultivation of its very soul worry about what they see as a devaluing of the arts in the United States. The second section of this book contains addresses by individuals who either promote the arts or who are themselves artists, including a Pulitzer Prize–winning writer and others whose creative vision has inspired and enriched their communities.

One U.S. city that has contributed an enormous wealth of artistic talent to the nation, especially to the world of music in the 20th century, is New Orleans, Louisiana, a city unfortunate enough to be in the path of a category three hurricane in the summer of 2005. When Katrina struck the southern states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama on August 29, greater damage was done to New Orleans than to any other individual city or town, primarily because the system of levees that is essential to protecting the city from the ravages of the Gulf waters did not hold. Battered by 150-mile-an-hour winds and surging tides, the levees broke, flooding a good part of this city that is situated below sea level and had already been sinking lower each year. The destruction to lives and property shocked the nation, as pictures of the hurricane’s aftermath reminded people more of a third-world country than of the richest nation on Earth. As federal, state, and local officials initially appeared helpless to address the humanitarian crisis that ensued, the sad truth about poverty in New Orleans was revealed, raising fears that disadvantaged communities in other U.S. cities may be similarly vulnerable should emergencies arise there. The book’s third section includes speeches by politicians, government officials, and private citizens who reflect upon the logistical, philosophical, and social lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina.

The fourth section’s speeches on farming and agriculture look at one of the nation’s most important yet most overlooked assets: the land. There was a time in American history when the country—even today considered the “breadbasket of the world”—was viewed as a new Eden, and immigrants came to the United States with the dream of owning, cultivating, and getting rich off the land. At the nation’s founding, Thomas Jefferson envisioned a government run by gentleman farmers, whose closeness to the land would edify them and give them a greater appreciation for the country’s true value as a producer of life-sustaining goods. As the years pass, the United States is becoming more of a service economy than a manufacturer of tradable goods. However, while automobile factory closings continue to make news and cause much hand-wringing among stockholders and traders, the steady reduction in the number of the nation’s farms goes largely unnoticed by the general public. The speakers whose addresses are included in this section express their concern for the country’s rural communities and their endangered lifestyle while reminding their audiences of the beauty and value of the land and all it yields.

The final section in this volume looks at the continent of Africa, with so many nations torn apart by tribal warfare, political strife, and the inability of many to develop self-sustaining economies. Numerous individuals are working with these nations’ leaders and citizens to transform the continent into one where economic independence replaces foreign aid, education and access to modern medicine overwhelm the spread of disease, and respect for human life overcomes the commission of atrocities against the innocent and vulnerable. The speeches included here, by those who strive to use their power and influence to effect essential changes on the African continent, reflect those missions.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all of the men and women who permitted us to reprint their speeches in this book. We would also like to thank Eugene F. Miller, Mary Beth Barber, Paul McCaffrey, and Richard Stein for their assistance in researching and producing this collection.

December 2006