When he gave his inaugural speech to the Reichstag on March 23, 1933, the day he assumed power as Reich-Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler laid out a comprehensive economic, political, and religious program. As the founding member of the modern Christian Right, Hitler insisted that Germany could be saved, not by Marxism’s materialistic philosophy, but only by unselfishly sharing Christian values. His speech laid out a moral calling. It was a twisted moral calling, but his moral calling bore enough similarities to the Christian Right of today that it is worth a look. .  To be sure, Hitle ..read more

Joe Biden, White House photo A standard and absolutely ridiculous United States custom is for the President of the United States to kick off Thanksgiving season by offering a presidential pardon to two turkeys. This year, the turkeys were named Liberty and Bell. Rising above the silly situation, Biden used the opportunity to give a short speech to remind us of American values and ambition. He asked us to work together. He gave a good message. Is anyone listening? For Biden reminded a nation (a nation that is not listening) of this great commonplace: “… let us remind ourselves that we ..read more

Ursula von der Leyen Sometimes even the tritest metaphor brings great power to a public speech. Metaphors express our values. So, we might ask, how are the winds of history blowing? What about the attacks that totalitarian regimes launch against seemingly stable democracies? On October 19, 2023, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. She warned the assemblage that freedom was under worldwide attack. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the outbreak of violence between Hamas and Israel especially alarmed her. Winds, she sa ..read more

Joe Biden Pessimism and a shroud of doom and gloom reign across the United States of America. That is why it is remarkable that President Joe Biden ended his October 20, 2023 White House speech about American policy toward Ukraine and Israel by reminding Americans that our nation remains powerful. And look at the gloom! The Republican Party’s majority caucus in the House of Representatives removed their own Speaker of the House, offering no viable alternative, and consequently shut down the legislative process. Surveys by the prestigious Pew Research Center show that Americans i ..read more

Kamala Harris Vice President Kamala Harris told a college group that, to fight for our freedoms, we need to vote. Speaking on October 12, 2023 at The College of Southern Nevada, Harris offered two points in favor of voting. Let us hear what she said, for the United States is a representative republic, and our most basic responsibility is to vote. During the roundtable, Harris gave a speech to persuade, and she brought up a value and a policy to show her audience why young people need to vote. The value justifies the policy; the policy, in turn, affects our lives.  Harris first p ..read more

Pope Francis “The Church: a single harmony made up of many voices and the work of the Holy Spirit. That is how we should think of the Church.” So said Pope Francis on October 4, 2023 at the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, devoted to the topic of “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” Francis emphasized that the Synod needed to rely on spiritual guidance. A synod (literally, “gathering”) is a meeting to discuss issues. The Synod’s title says “communion.” Let us think about communion: we all want to be heard. We want to be part of a greater ..read more

Dr. Rachel Levine I recently ran into a simple speech, which received scant attention when it was delivered. On October 19, 2021, Dr. Rachel Levine took the oath to become a four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Dr. Levine became the first openly transgender admiral to serve the United States of America. In her brief speech, Dr. Levine made a point for diversity. Diversity is increasingly the nation’s flash point. The key political question that we all face in the United States is simple: should we insist that everyone be the same, or should ..read more

Robert George, a conservative speaker who opposes several transgender policies, spoke recently at Washington College. His topic was civility and free speech on campus. Ironically, two audience members heckled him to the point that he ended his speech. This is wrong. College is about the free exchange of ideas. I utterly disagree with George’s opinions about transgender issues. Nevertheless, the hecklers should have allowed him to speak. Free Speech on Campus: The Other Side It’s quite simple. First, people came to the presentation because they wanted to hear George speak. Two students out ..read more

Ronald Reagan's swearing-in, Jan. 20, 1981 Before anyone gets riled up, I think that President Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural Address, delivered on January 20,1981 was a fine speech: noble in principle, thoughtful, democratic in the little-d sense, and a blueprint for American freedom. It was a speech to admire, delivered with surpassing skill by one of the most articulate presidents in American history. It has become a terrible shame, however, that the subsequent history of the Republican Party has reduced this wonderful speech into one incoherent slogan. Did Reagan anticipate the ..read more

Tammany Hall Headquarters I encountered a wonderfully brazen historical speech by a crooked politician on the subject of “honest graft.” Yes. New York State Senator George Washington Plunkitt, a cog in the Tammany Hall machine in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, said that he only committed “honest graft.” Let’s take a closer look at Plunkitt’s moral inversion, his vision of honest graft: “Everybody is talkin’ these days about Tammany men growin’ rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin’ the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft. There’s all the difference in the wor ..read more