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Various

"US Presidential Inaugural Addresses"

Above all else,
our people desire, and are determined to work for, peace on earth--a
just and lasting peace--based on genuine agreement freely arrived at by
equals.
In the pursuit of these aims, the United States and other like-minded
nations find themselves directly opposed by a regime with contrary aims
and a totally different concept of life.
That regime adheres to a false philosophy which purports to offer
freedom, security, and greater opportunity to mankind. Misled by this
philosophy, many peoples have sacrificed their liberties only to learn
to their sorrow that deceit and mockery, poverty and tyranny, are their
reward.
That false philosophy is communism.
Communism is based on the belief that man is so weak and inadequate that
he is unable to govern himself, and therefore requires the rule of
strong masters.
Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and
intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern
himself with reason and justice.
Communism subjects the individual to arrest without lawful cause,
punishment without trial, and forced labor as the chattel of the state.
It decrees what information he shall receive, what art he shall produce,
what leaders he shall follow, and what thoughts he shall think.
Democracy maintains that government is established for the benefit of
the individual, and is charged with the responsibility of protecting the
rights of the individual and his freedom in the exercise of his
abilities.


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