Speech
Rally at Dixie College's Burns Arena
Alan KeyesSeptember 25, 2002
St. George, Utah
Alan Keyes: Thank you.
I have to tell you that I come today with an agenda. And in some ways, it's an agenda that some people would say is unsuitable to American politics, because by and large, I'm supposed to spend my time at this podium convincing you of what a great idea it will be to support John Swallow, because of all the wonderful things that he will do for Utah. And I'm sure he will. But being as how I am not from Utah, you all would probably find it a little strange and incongruous for me to be getting up here telling you all the wonderful things that John Swallow is going to do for you. You'd know that a lot better than I would.
So, I'm actually not here on behalf of Utah, though I am here on behalf of John Swallow. I'm here to plead with all of you, because I come from a state, for example- -Maryland- -where this time around, whether I look into the Republican or the Democrat side of the ballot, I'm not going to have anybody to vote for who stands for the principles of life and constitutionalism that this country is built upon and that made America strong. [applause] And there are many parts of the country- -you can go through state after state and place after place now where battles are being joined and cases are in doubt and difficulties are arising, where even when you look at the Republican label, you look inside the box and you can't be sure that what you're getting reflects the real values and heart and soul of that conservatism which ought to be America's future. [applause]
And that being the case . . . now see, I know that you all will applaud over this, but don't you see that that actually puts you in the hot seat? And it also means that as I come here this evening and have to look upon a situation where, if I'm going to find any place in America where with consistency and integrity and reliability and certainty, we should be able to find voices going into the national councils of this country to speak in defense of life, to speak in defense of the Constitution, to stand against those who believe that we need to sacrifice our liberty for the sake of our security- -if I can find such people anywhere, it ought to be here in Utah. [loud applause, cheering]
But I have a problem, though. For some reason, as I have been preparing my mind for my talks here during these couple days, I've focused my attention on that story from the Bible. You remember the one where Jacob is fooling his way into Esau's birthright, and he ultimately goes to his father to ask for blessing, and his father's blind and everything, you remember that, and so he has to judge by other senses. And very shrewdly we know Jacob's mother has said, "Put on some sheep skin, so you'll be hairy like Esau." And there's that famous line, because the old man is blind but he's not stupid, and he hears the voice, and he can't put it all together. And he finally says, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
And for some reason as I look at the situation in the Second District here in Utah, this phrase has been going through my mind again, and again, and again. Why do you think that is? [laughter]
Well, I'll tell you why, it's very simple. Because, the response I just got from all of you I think has been a response that I find very much all over this state. When you talk about the core and fundamental principles of this nation's life, you talk about limited government and individual responsibility, you talk about the truth that our rights don't come from government charters and legislatures and supreme courts, they come from the will of our Creator, God. You talk about the truth that that source of our rights in the hand of God means that there is no validity to the notion that we have the right of choice when it comes to the fundamental rights and dignity of any human being, including the helpless, voiceless human beings in the womb! [applause]
I can with confidence go almost anywhere in the state of Utah, and I will find support, enthusiastic support, for these truths. I go anywhere in the Second District, I'll find support, enthusiastic support for these truths. Somebody explain to me, then: in a state that has a heart and a conscience and a judgment that stands foursquare for American values and American principles, how you can send to the Congress of the United States a representative who votes against those principles and stands on the wrong side of the most important moral issue of our time! [applause]
I understand that there are those folks- -because they've tried to tell me this for many years- -who want to believe that "it's just one issue among many. And he's a nice guy, and he votes well on this thing, and that thing, and the other thing." Well, I have to be quite frank with you, and everybody knows this, so I'm not making a new statement here. I've said it many times, and it doesn't sit well with some of my Republican buddies, I know. But there are certain issues where I just can't cross the line anymore, where I'd rather not cast a vote than cast a vote for somebody who's spitting in the face of God. I won't do it anymore. [applause]
But it's also a false notion to believe that you can over here betray the moral foundations of the country, and then over here be standing for things that are good and strong and important. You can't do it on any front.
Let's start with the key issue that is preoccupying- -quite rightly- -so much of our time and national attention, the issue of our national security. Although, in the course of things, we do have a tendency to forget it. And I'm listening to the discussion now about Iraq and so forth, and some people are saying, "We're going to war." No. Don't we remember? In the wake of September 11th, as I recall, we stated clearly and unequivocally in the person of our president, "We are now here at war. At war with terrorists. At war with those who have reached into the very heart of this nation's life and snuffed out the lives of thousands of our citizens!" [applause] We are at war with their evil! We are at war with their infrastructure! We are at war with their supporters, and we will not stop until that war sees their destruction! [applause]
But think about it, though. What do we mean when I say that? Who are we at war with in this war against terrorism? Well, we're clearly at war with folks like those who perpetrated the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, folks who clearly acted on a principle of evil that can be very simply stated and understood if you just look at the tool, the instrument they used to blow gaping holes in the World Trade Center and eventually bring it down: passenger planes!
I've often asked audiences why it is, do you think, that you and I would find it hard to look at a passenger plane and think of it as a guided missile. Because at one level, giving the devil his due, it's a brilliant strategic stroke. One minute you're looking at a passenger plane. Just a little change of thought, and you're looking at the most accurately guided missile known on the face of the earth, because it has the most sophisticated guidance system at the helm: the human brain.
How come you didn't come up with that? You're looking at me like I'm crazy. You're saying, "Of course I didn't come up with that." But why not? See, at the bottom it's very simple why neither you, nor I, nor any other sane and decent person would come up with that. Because we can't look at a passenger plane and see the fuel and the fuselage and the engines and think, "guided missile," because we all remember that when that missile explodes, it will take the lives of innocent human beings. Businessmen on their way to a meeting, mothers on their way home, kids on their way to Washington to see it for the first time.
We can't look at these people and just see motes of dust to be sacrificed for our agenda. We look at each and every one, and we see human beings endowed by God with that kernel of dignity that reflects His breath and His will, and that must be respected by every human will whatsoever. When the terrorist looked at that, he saw a weapon, because he had no regard for the simple principle that justice is due to the life of innocent human beings.
See, that's the heart of it. The heart of the evil we fight in terrorism is an evil that acts in disregard of the simple principle that we must respect the claim to justice in the life of every innocent human being.
And of course, the terrorist war, unlike some of our other wars, is a war where on any given day you have to have that clear moral vision if you are to know who the enemy is. The enemy isn't necessarily going to come in the same guise all the time, from the same country, from the same place, but they will be people who are acting on the same evil principle, and as a result proving and producing the same evil result.
If we are to sustain our commitment, if we are to sustain consistently our will in this war, therefore we will have to sustain our clarity of moral conscience and moral judgment and moral conviction. Without that understanding, we won't even be able to tell the terrorists from the freedom fighters and the liberators. And we already in our Middle East policy have seen what confusion can be sown when that moral judgment is darkened and confused.
So you see? People try to say that this whole of moral understanding is just one issue among many, and then it turns out that fundamental to our success in meeting the challenge of the war against terror will be our confidence in the clarity and consistency of our moral judgment. We're seeing it right now in the debate over Iraq. Some folks are saying, "Well, do we have the moral right"- -I got that question today- -"to do this, and that, and won't that upset whatever?" And I'm thinking to myself, here is a people that can be led down paths of equivocation and confusion. Why? Because, we seem now to lack a clear sense of confidence in the simple and clear premises of moral judgment that allow a people to stand consistently against that evil which threatens their survival.
Without that strong moral foundation, we will not succeed in the war in which we are engaged. How can we pretend that the key issues that affect and reflect our moral judgment and principles are just one among many?
I think about it as well in terms of our economic life. Over the course of years we have had our debates about what will or not succeed in making the country strong, creating jobs, doing this and that and the other thing. One of the things I've told people consistently . . . and there was a time when I had to make a big abstract argument about it in order to get folks to see that at bottom, we aren't going to be able to sustain a successful economy if we allow the character of this country and this people to be so corrupted that we no longer have a sense of quality in our own lives and in our own work.
It took some work at one time to make that clear. You look around the country today, you see the mighty bastions of corporate power that have been laid low, you see the spiraling stock market going into the toilet! Why? Because of those people who have shown themselves without integrity, without ethics, without moral judgment, that which must be the foundation, even of our moral success! [applause]
Economics is not just a matter of dollars and cents. It's a matter of moral sense. [applause] And that is being proven beyond any little ability of mine to embellish it with words. Everywhere we look, we see that these issues are fundamental. But then we have to ask ourselves, if that's true, from whence comes our moral character, what is our moral judgment as a people based upon? It's not obscure. It's not difficult. Every aspect of our way of life, the liberties we enjoy, our sense of individual responsibility, our expectation of due process in the courts- -where does it come from? From that simple and clear principle articulated by our Founders in the beginning when they wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights."
You know what's important about that? It's not just the rights, and all of that. No, it's the understanding that the basis for the rights is our acknowledgment of a transcendent Will, a transcendent Power that establishes, frames, and supports the moral universe in which we live, and by which we must be judged. Once that principle goes, the character based upon it will be corrupted, the strengths based upon it will be lost, the nation based upon it will be destroyed.
Now, you tell me that if that's true- -and I'm willing to stake my life on the belief that most of you in this room believe that what I just said is true. If that's the truth, then if somebody comes along and tells you, "No, no, no. Human dignity and basic rights are not a matter of God's choice. They didn't come from our Creator, God. No, they are a matter of human choice, and each and every one us has no such rights that must be respected until some human being, our mother, a judge, the courts, the legislature, makes a judgment." If that person comes along and wants you to turn your back on the fundamental truth that this nation was founded on, and instead embrace that lie, so that we can reach into the womb and snuff out the lives of our innocent offspring, you really want to tell me that's just one issue among many?
That's like saying that the foundation of the house is just one brick among many. Take it out, and the house will fall.
How can we therefore believe that even though we believe and sincerely confess the view that this principle, and this liberty, and that constitution, and these fundamental truths are so important to our nation and strength- -"yes, we believe that, but we can send someone to Washington who doesn't"?
"Yes, we believe that, but we can send somebody to Washington who will vote the other way"?
"Yes, we believe that, but we can send somebody to Washington, who, in their understanding and in their conscience, has, in fact, embraced the lie and rejected the truth that it is the Creator's will and not human choice that is the basis for every individual's claim to dignity, to rights, to justice"?
That's the issue that is fundamentally at stake here. And frankly, I don't have to go any further. And it is why I'm standing here today, because I don't have to go any further.
I find it heartening and very encouraging that in to addition everything else, I can go down a laundry list of issues- -I can look at education, I can look at defense, I can look at national security, I can look at economics in every way, I can look at issues of taxation- -on every single one I find John Swallow standing for liberty, standing for limited government, standing for the rights and prerogatives of people in their state and local community. He stands right on every single one those issues. But I'll tell you something, he can right on all of them, but if he stood wrong on the fundamental issue of moral principle, I would stand against him! [applause]
And my question is- -and it's a question that I have had as I approached this day, because I have been in and out of Utah many times. I feel, in many ways, that in terms of my heart and conscience, I'm more at home here than anywhere in America. [cheering, applause] But in addition to that sense, it also means that on those days when I am tempted to feel a sense of darkening desperation about the future of the republic, when I . . . well, that's especially true when I'm reading about local politics in Maryland. [laughter]
But when I'm tempted to believe that maybe the people of the country have become too lazy and weak in their moral fiber, that they can't sustain it anymore, one of the things that keeps me going is just remembering the people I have met in places like Utah- -the folks I have met here, who have grown up as a plant grows, from its very roots, taken up with the air, it seems, and the soil of this state, to a sense of their commitment to the heritage, the truths, that have made this nation strong. And selfishly, from my point of view, I think of Utah then, and I gives me hope. [applause]
But what I am here today is to ask you is what happens to that hope if I wake up the next day and read in the paper that somebody who doesn't reflect the heart, the conscience, the integrity, the judgment, the courage of the people in this state, they're casting votes for the Second District of Utah? We have already, in the course of this past year, had examples where this makes a difference.
One of the great challenges of our time right now, coming upon us with this state of war in which we find an enemy that can come from anywhere, and which we fight on a front that can be at any place and any city of our own land- -a war that has only a vague beginning, that has no clearly definable end, that could turn into a perpetual condition of this republic's life, as we ward off, in generation after generation, those "evil doers" who are willing to use the tools of violence against the innocent to try to frighten and terrorize others to do their will. This isn't something that's liable to go away any time soon. It's come to its maturity in this day of ours, and we're going to face it probably for generations. That means that every change we make in response to the terrorist threat won't be like the changes we've made in other wars- -here for a couple of years and then gone, here for four or five years and then gone when the war ends. No. This time it's different. Because if the war is perpetual, so will be the alterations in our Constitution. If the war is perpetual, so will be the changes that we make in our understanding of individual rights and liberties and prerogatives. Faced with such a war and such judgments as this, we need to have in the councils of this nation true patriots. Those who know that we must fight the enemy we everything we have, but that in the process, we must not sacrifice the liberty that is the gift of Almighty God! [applause]
I remember talking to some of my colleagues right there in the Congress, people I have known for many years in the Republican Party who sit in the Congress now, and during the time when they were debating the various provisions of some of these laws they put in place that, in my view- -and I'm not alone- -have gone a bit further than we ought to go in turning powers over and orchestrating a situation where mere labels will allow us to be deprived of due process. Yes, yes.
You all could tell me, "But I trust John Ashcroft, and I trust President Bush." I do, too. But do you think that we're legislating for a moment, that we're legislating for four years? No, we're legislating for this generation and the next generation. What is fine, perhaps, and not to be feared in the hands of G. W. Bush, you imagine what it would be like against people of faith, against conservatives and homeschoolers, and others whom they don't identify with, in the hands of a Bill or Hillary Clinton! You tell me if you want that power in their hands, because every legislation we pass today will put it there, if we are not vigilant!
And that's exactly what's happening. And I know people who knew it was happening, who would tell me behind the scenes, "Yes, Alan, you're right. I know that that's right. But we just can't stand against it, nobody can speak a word against it." You know what we needed? We needed somebody who, in spite of criticism, and in spite of risk, and in spite of what some feckless opponent might say in an election, would be willing to stand up and say "no" to those who wish to sacrifice our Constitutional liberties for the sake of our security. [applause] We needed somebody like that in the Congress. We will need them more and more! [applause]
You know why I'm here tonight? I'm here tonight because we have such a person standing for office right here in the Second District. John Swallow is that man. And if you send him to Washington, one voice with courage could make the difference between gaining a victory and losing our freedom! [cheering, applause]
This is the burden that you bear, understanding that in this time- -I know, we take so much for granted in America, because in some ways it comes so easy to us. Previous generations, they had to work, and fight, and sweat so that things that we just take for granted- -the votes, the procedures- -can be as easy as breathing, practically. And our elections come around, and yes, we think of them as kind of fun. And we gather together, and we have venues full of color . . . it's really wonderful the way we decide these basic issues. Nobody's on a battlefield, no rivers of blood have to run.
But don't fool yourselves. For all we engage in a process, in which the dark and horrible parts have been removed, in which the implications of life and death have been pushed to the side. Yet, at the heart of it, what is at stake in what we do and how we work and how we vote is still the life and death of our republic. More in this election, perhaps, than in any election year in living memory.
For, the dangers that we face now are not dangers from communists abroad, not even just from terrorists somewhere else. The dangers that we face are as much in our reaction as in the actions of those who threaten us.
And the wisdom we need goes beyond the strategy of war to the statesmanship that is required for a free people to survive and win the victory in war. You can make the difference here, because this state and its heritage allows folks to grow up who in heart and conscience are just what America needs right now. And that great opportunity will be wasted if you return John Swallow's opponent to the Congress of the United States.
And that's why I'm here. I can't make a claim to tell you all the good things that he will do for Utah. I can only tell you what with all my heart I believe, are the things that he can do that through him you will do for America.
Sometimes I think our media and everybody else, they want to put us in a frame of mind where all we think about when we go into that voting booth is, "What can I get out of it, what will I get out of it, what's going to happen for my state and my community?" and so forth. But that's not right, and you know it.
It is equally important, it is more important, sometimes, and in a time of crisis, it is especially important, that we seek the truth. That voting booth is the front-line of our war against terrorism. That voting booth is the front-line of our battle to preserve our rights and liberties. That voting booth is the field of action upon which we shall determine whether we nobly save or meanly lose this last best hope.
And you will do it- -not walking into the mouth of the cannons, but rather, somehow finding your way to that place where you understand the crucial importance of the challenge we face, and commit, perhaps more than you ever have before, to work so that the result can be achieved that keeps this nation free and whole, as well as safe.
That's what's at stake here in the Second District in Utah, more clearly and starkly than perhaps anywhere in the country. For, there are now so few places in America where the integrity of American principles shines so clear as in Utah. And that clear light can only be brought into the councils of our common life if through your will and commitment, your prayers and efforts, your wholehearted understanding of the critical importance of your role, you elect John Swallow to the Congress of the United States. [applause]
I know that, in part, what I'm saying to those of you who are here is carrying coal to Newcastle. But not really. Because, even when we that know we're for something, sometimes we forget how important we are to achieving what we care about. In the days and weeks ahead, there will no one more important to this nation's future than you. There will be no district, there will be no region, there will be no state, that has within its power the ability to do what you can do.
You can look over the history of this country, and you know, some people like to pretend that "it's the powerful states, the one with the most votes, the most money, the biggest economies," and this and that, "that have had the most say." But that's not true. Very often the future of America has been determined by people who came from little states. People like Daniel Webster and folks who were able to stand up and give tongue with heartfelt conviction to an understanding of American life that would change the heart and shape the convictions of whole generations of our people.
But you can't express what you don't believe. You can't represent with courage what you have not imbibed in truth. So it's only from a place like this where our true principles are truly believed, that we can hope to find the champions who will with consistency raise their voice on behalf of those principles, to make sure that this generation does not forget.
Will you do that? Because you know, I think if you do . . . [applause] I'm not going to stand here and say that we'll be upon halcyon days. I don't know. The future of this country hangs in the balance.
I hope we still realize that. I know that in the wake of September 11th, we felt our vulnerability clearly. But the media lied to you, you know. September 11th didn't create that vulnerability. It simply helped us to a greater consciousness of it- -that somewhere behind the facade of our material power, and our economic might, and our military machine, there was the truth that the growing weakness of our moral fiber was laying us open to the assaults of the most wicked enemies on earth. [applause]
This has been for the longest time. And yes, we've slipped a little bit back into complacency now. I had people coming on my [television] program, when it was there, who basically seemed to believe that we weren't going to take matters as seriously as we ought to until we were hit again in some horrible way. Do we really need this? Must buildings fall, must thousands die, before we understand that the future of our country is in our hands? And that as we falter, it will fail- -but that as we walk with courage, conviction, and strength, we will hold it up with success and pass it on? [applause]
This is what I believe you are called to do. And you are not called to do it later. Not called to do in some grand way that you haven't seen yet. No, you're called to do it right here and right now, in the way that lies closest at hand, by simply fulfilling your patriotic duty as citizens who can still make the difference, if with their vote, they vote their hearts. If with their conviction, they work tirelessly for those who represent their true opinions. And if in money and time and purpose, they share the precious moments of their lives with those who can share the precious truth of Utah's conscience and heart with the people of America.
Do this duty, and I know, as the old phrase goes, that "we can safely leave the rest to God." For even as dark clouds of danger beset our nation's future, so if our vision is clearly focused on that truth which sees our Creator, God, as the source of the justice and rights which are our heritage and birthright, so I believe that His hand will still be and is still upon this nation that we love. As it was there when Washington went down on his knees at Valley Forge, when Lincoln invited this people to raise their hearts in prayer in the darkest days of the Civil War, so He is with us now if we are willing but to do this in the way in which we think and vote and act as citizens to reach for that result which will be pleasing in His sight.
God bless you.
I have to tell you that I come today with an agenda. And in some ways, it's an agenda that some people would say is unsuitable to American politics, because by and large, I'm supposed to spend my time at this podium convincing you of what a great idea it will be to support John Swallow, because of all the wonderful things that he will do for Utah. And I'm sure he will. But being as how I am not from Utah, you all would probably find it a little strange and incongruous for me to be getting up here telling you all the wonderful things that John Swallow is going to do for you. You'd know that a lot better than I would.
So, I'm actually not here on behalf of Utah, though I am here on behalf of John Swallow. I'm here to plead with all of you, because I come from a state, for example
And that being the case . . . now see, I know that you all will applaud over this, but don't you see that that actually puts you in the hot seat? And it also means that as I come here this evening and have to look upon a situation where, if I'm going to find any place in America where with consistency and integrity and reliability and certainty, we should be able to find voices going into the national councils of this country to speak in defense of life, to speak in defense of the Constitution, to stand against those who believe that we need to sacrifice our liberty for the sake of our security
But I have a problem, though. For some reason, as I have been preparing my mind for my talks here during these couple days, I've focused my attention on that story from the Bible. You remember the one where Jacob is fooling his way into Esau's birthright, and he ultimately goes to his father to ask for blessing, and his father's blind and everything, you remember that, and so he has to judge by other senses. And very shrewdly we know Jacob's mother has said, "Put on some sheep skin, so you'll be hairy like Esau." And there's that famous line, because the old man is blind but he's not stupid, and he hears the voice, and he can't put it all together. And he finally says, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
And for some reason as I look at the situation in the Second District here in Utah, this phrase has been going through my mind again, and again, and again. Why do you think that is? [laughter]
Well, I'll tell you why, it's very simple. Because, the response I just got from all of you I think has been a response that I find very much all over this state. When you talk about the core and fundamental principles of this nation's life, you talk about limited government and individual responsibility, you talk about the truth that our rights don't come from government charters and legislatures and supreme courts, they come from the will of our Creator, God. You talk about the truth that that source of our rights in the hand of God means that there is no validity to the notion that we have the right of choice when it comes to the fundamental rights and dignity of any human being, including the helpless, voiceless human beings in the womb! [applause]
I can with confidence go almost anywhere in the state of Utah, and I will find support, enthusiastic support, for these truths. I go anywhere in the Second District, I'll find support, enthusiastic support for these truths. Somebody explain to me, then: in a state that has a heart and a conscience and a judgment that stands foursquare for American values and American principles, how you can send to the Congress of the United States a representative who votes against those principles and stands on the wrong side of the most important moral issue of our time! [applause]
I understand that there are those folks
But it's also a false notion to believe that you can over here betray the moral foundations of the country, and then over here be standing for things that are good and strong and important. You can't do it on any front.
Let's start with the key issue that is preoccupying
But think about it, though. What do we mean when I say that? Who are we at war with in this war against terrorism? Well, we're clearly at war with folks like those who perpetrated the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, folks who clearly acted on a principle of evil that can be very simply stated and understood if you just look at the tool, the instrument they used to blow gaping holes in the World Trade Center and eventually bring it down: passenger planes!
I've often asked audiences why it is, do you think, that you and I would find it hard to look at a passenger plane and think of it as a guided missile. Because at one level, giving the devil his due, it's a brilliant strategic stroke. One minute you're looking at a passenger plane. Just a little change of thought, and you're looking at the most accurately guided missile known on the face of the earth, because it has the most sophisticated guidance system at the helm: the human brain.
How come you didn't come up with that? You're looking at me like I'm crazy. You're saying, "Of course I didn't come up with that." But why not? See, at the bottom it's very simple why neither you, nor I, nor any other sane and decent person would come up with that. Because we can't look at a passenger plane and see the fuel and the fuselage and the engines and think, "guided missile," because we all remember that when that missile explodes, it will take the lives of innocent human beings. Businessmen on their way to a meeting, mothers on their way home, kids on their way to Washington to see it for the first time.
We can't look at these people and just see motes of dust to be sacrificed for our agenda. We look at each and every one, and we see human beings endowed by God with that kernel of dignity that reflects His breath and His will, and that must be respected by every human will whatsoever. When the terrorist looked at that, he saw a weapon, because he had no regard for the simple principle that justice is due to the life of innocent human beings.
See, that's the heart of it. The heart of the evil we fight in terrorism is an evil that acts in disregard of the simple principle that we must respect the claim to justice in the life of every innocent human being.
And of course, the terrorist war, unlike some of our other wars, is a war where on any given day you have to have that clear moral vision if you are to know who the enemy is. The enemy isn't necessarily going to come in the same guise all the time, from the same country, from the same place, but they will be people who are acting on the same evil principle, and as a result proving and producing the same evil result.
If we are to sustain our commitment, if we are to sustain consistently our will in this war, therefore we will have to sustain our clarity of moral conscience and moral judgment and moral conviction. Without that understanding, we won't even be able to tell the terrorists from the freedom fighters and the liberators. And we already in our Middle East policy have seen what confusion can be sown when that moral judgment is darkened and confused.
So you see? People try to say that this whole of moral understanding is just one issue among many, and then it turns out that fundamental to our success in meeting the challenge of the war against terror will be our confidence in the clarity and consistency of our moral judgment. We're seeing it right now in the debate over Iraq. Some folks are saying, "Well, do we have the moral right"
Without that strong moral foundation, we will not succeed in the war in which we are engaged. How can we pretend that the key issues that affect and reflect our moral judgment and principles are just one among many?
I think about it as well in terms of our economic life. Over the course of years we have had our debates about what will or not succeed in making the country strong, creating jobs, doing this and that and the other thing. One of the things I've told people consistently . . . and there was a time when I had to make a big abstract argument about it in order to get folks to see that at bottom, we aren't going to be able to sustain a successful economy if we allow the character of this country and this people to be so corrupted that we no longer have a sense of quality in our own lives and in our own work.
It took some work at one time to make that clear. You look around the country today, you see the mighty bastions of corporate power that have been laid low, you see the spiraling stock market going into the toilet! Why? Because of those people who have shown themselves without integrity, without ethics, without moral judgment, that which must be the foundation, even of our moral success! [applause]
Economics is not just a matter of dollars and cents. It's a matter of moral sense. [applause] And that is being proven beyond any little ability of mine to embellish it with words. Everywhere we look, we see that these issues are fundamental. But then we have to ask ourselves, if that's true, from whence comes our moral character, what is our moral judgment as a people based upon? It's not obscure. It's not difficult. Every aspect of our way of life, the liberties we enjoy, our sense of individual responsibility, our expectation of due process in the courts
You know what's important about that? It's not just the rights, and all of that. No, it's the understanding that the basis for the rights is our acknowledgment of a transcendent Will, a transcendent Power that establishes, frames, and supports the moral universe in which we live, and by which we must be judged. Once that principle goes, the character based upon it will be corrupted, the strengths based upon it will be lost, the nation based upon it will be destroyed.
Now, you tell me that if that's true
That's like saying that the foundation of the house is just one brick among many. Take it out, and the house will fall.
How can we therefore believe that even though we believe and sincerely confess the view that this principle, and this liberty, and that constitution, and these fundamental truths are so important to our nation and strength
"Yes, we believe that, but we can send somebody to Washington who will vote the other way"?
"Yes, we believe that, but we can send somebody to Washington, who, in their understanding and in their conscience, has, in fact, embraced the lie and rejected the truth that it is the Creator's will and not human choice that is the basis for every individual's claim to dignity, to rights, to justice"?
That's the issue that is fundamentally at stake here. And frankly, I don't have to go any further. And it is why I'm standing here today, because I don't have to go any further.
I find it heartening and very encouraging that in to addition everything else, I can go down a laundry list of issues
And my question is
But when I'm tempted to believe that maybe the people of the country have become too lazy and weak in their moral fiber, that they can't sustain it anymore, one of the things that keeps me going is just remembering the people I have met in places like Utah
But what I am here today is to ask you is what happens to that hope if I wake up the next day and read in the paper that somebody who doesn't reflect the heart, the conscience, the integrity, the judgment, the courage of the people in this state, they're casting votes for the Second District of Utah? We have already, in the course of this past year, had examples where this makes a difference.
One of the great challenges of our time right now, coming upon us with this state of war in which we find an enemy that can come from anywhere, and which we fight on a front that can be at any place and any city of our own land
I remember talking to some of my colleagues right there in the Congress, people I have known for many years in the Republican Party who sit in the Congress now, and during the time when they were debating the various provisions of some of these laws they put in place that, in my view
You all could tell me, "But I trust John Ashcroft, and I trust President Bush." I do, too. But do you think that we're legislating for a moment, that we're legislating for four years? No, we're legislating for this generation and the next generation. What is fine, perhaps, and not to be feared in the hands of G. W. Bush, you imagine what it would be like against people of faith, against conservatives and homeschoolers, and others whom they don't identify with, in the hands of a Bill or Hillary Clinton! You tell me if you want that power in their hands, because every legislation we pass today will put it there, if we are not vigilant!
And that's exactly what's happening. And I know people who knew it was happening, who would tell me behind the scenes, "Yes, Alan, you're right. I know that that's right. But we just can't stand against it, nobody can speak a word against it." You know what we needed? We needed somebody who, in spite of criticism, and in spite of risk, and in spite of what some feckless opponent might say in an election, would be willing to stand up and say "no" to those who wish to sacrifice our Constitutional liberties for the sake of our security. [applause] We needed somebody like that in the Congress. We will need them more and more! [applause]
You know why I'm here tonight? I'm here tonight because we have such a person standing for office right here in the Second District. John Swallow is that man. And if you send him to Washington, one voice with courage could make the difference between gaining a victory and losing our freedom! [cheering, applause]
This is the burden that you bear, understanding that in this time
But don't fool yourselves. For all we engage in a process, in which the dark and horrible parts have been removed, in which the implications of life and death have been pushed to the side. Yet, at the heart of it, what is at stake in what we do and how we work and how we vote is still the life and death of our republic. More in this election, perhaps, than in any election year in living memory.
For, the dangers that we face now are not dangers from communists abroad, not even just from terrorists somewhere else. The dangers that we face are as much in our reaction as in the actions of those who threaten us.
And the wisdom we need goes beyond the strategy of war to the statesmanship that is required for a free people to survive and win the victory in war. You can make the difference here, because this state and its heritage allows folks to grow up who in heart and conscience are just what America needs right now. And that great opportunity will be wasted if you return John Swallow's opponent to the Congress of the United States.
And that's why I'm here. I can't make a claim to tell you all the good things that he will do for Utah. I can only tell you what with all my heart I believe, are the things that he can do that through him you will do for America.
Sometimes I think our media and everybody else, they want to put us in a frame of mind where all we think about when we go into that voting booth is, "What can I get out of it, what will I get out of it, what's going to happen for my state and my community?" and so forth. But that's not right, and you know it.
It is equally important, it is more important, sometimes, and in a time of crisis, it is especially important, that we seek the truth. That voting booth is the front-line of our war against terrorism. That voting booth is the front-line of our battle to preserve our rights and liberties. That voting booth is the field of action upon which we shall determine whether we nobly save or meanly lose this last best hope.
And you will do it
That's what's at stake here in the Second District in Utah, more clearly and starkly than perhaps anywhere in the country. For, there are now so few places in America where the integrity of American principles shines so clear as in Utah. And that clear light can only be brought into the councils of our common life if through your will and commitment, your prayers and efforts, your wholehearted understanding of the critical importance of your role, you elect John Swallow to the Congress of the United States. [applause]
I know that, in part, what I'm saying to those of you who are here is carrying coal to Newcastle. But not really. Because, even when we that know we're for something, sometimes we forget how important we are to achieving what we care about. In the days and weeks ahead, there will no one more important to this nation's future than you. There will be no district, there will be no region, there will be no state, that has within its power the ability to do what you can do.
You can look over the history of this country, and you know, some people like to pretend that "it's the powerful states, the one with the most votes, the most money, the biggest economies," and this and that, "that have had the most say." But that's not true. Very often the future of America has been determined by people who came from little states. People like Daniel Webster and folks who were able to stand up and give tongue with heartfelt conviction to an understanding of American life that would change the heart and shape the convictions of whole generations of our people.
But you can't express what you don't believe. You can't represent with courage what you have not imbibed in truth. So it's only from a place like this where our true principles are truly believed, that we can hope to find the champions who will with consistency raise their voice on behalf of those principles, to make sure that this generation does not forget.
Will you do that? Because you know, I think if you do . . . [applause] I'm not going to stand here and say that we'll be upon halcyon days. I don't know. The future of this country hangs in the balance.
I hope we still realize that. I know that in the wake of September 11th, we felt our vulnerability clearly. But the media lied to you, you know. September 11th didn't create that vulnerability. It simply helped us to a greater consciousness of it
This has been for the longest time. And yes, we've slipped a little bit back into complacency now. I had people coming on my [television] program, when it was there, who basically seemed to believe that we weren't going to take matters as seriously as we ought to until we were hit again in some horrible way. Do we really need this? Must buildings fall, must thousands die, before we understand that the future of our country is in our hands? And that as we falter, it will fail
This is what I believe you are called to do. And you are not called to do it later. Not called to do in some grand way that you haven't seen yet. No, you're called to do it right here and right now, in the way that lies closest at hand, by simply fulfilling your patriotic duty as citizens who can still make the difference, if with their vote, they vote their hearts. If with their conviction, they work tirelessly for those who represent their true opinions. And if in money and time and purpose, they share the precious moments of their lives with those who can share the precious truth of Utah's conscience and heart with the people of America.
Do this duty, and I know, as the old phrase goes, that "we can safely leave the rest to God." For even as dark clouds of danger beset our nation's future, so if our vision is clearly focused on that truth which sees our Creator, God, as the source of the justice and rights which are our heritage and birthright, so I believe that His hand will still be and is still upon this nation that we love. As it was there when Washington went down on his knees at Valley Forge, when Lincoln invited this people to raise their hearts in prayer in the darkest days of the Civil War, so He is with us now if we are willing but to do this in the way in which we think and vote and act as citizens to reach for that result which will be pleasing in His sight.
God bless you.