Wow. Awe-Inspiring Speech. 'Fear is the Greatest Impediment to the Achievement of Peace'

Hey, this video was also getting passed around on Digg, and I think it's truly awe-inspiring.

I think many people here on ATS will agree with me on this:



I think I have a new line to put in my signature.

Watch the video. It's brilliant.

[edit on 5/19/2008 by bigbert81]

Now I see why education is low on the presidents list. He does not want intelligent children to speak the truth.

Well, I was hoping for a bit more response than this to this speech. It's only 4 mins. long.

And yes earthman, you're absolutely right about that. This girl says the exact reason why the war is illegal in the first place, and shows people that this Administration and McCain are nothing but smoke-blowers.

[edit on 5/19/2008 by bigbert81]

Holy Cow! That took some courage. My hat is off to that woman.

Wow !!!

What an intelligent young woman Why carn't you The American people have some one like her running your country .

Just goes to show that not all young people are into drugs and killing brain cells

That last statement was not to offend every young person

Sure would make a better world imo

reply to post by duffster


Trust me, we would if we could.

Instead we have a greedy, narcissistic, anti-social personality in the White House.

This girl gave a great speech, and I hope more people watch it.

Thanks for posting this video, Bigbert, I was truly inspired by her words. I have downloaded the video so I can share it with everyone I know. Starred & Flagged!!!

Whoever put up that video is a complete moron. I can't hear anything with that stupid song playing in the background. I hate it when people want to put their own stupid touch on an original video. Just upload the damn thing, there's no need for your fake windows movie maker skills.

reply to post by Impreza


At first, I thought you were calling me a moron, but then I finished reading your post.

I agree and disagree. There were definitely some parts that made the girl hard to hear, but I think the song came in perfectly when she started getting the crowd more and more pumped up and she came off with the line 'Fear is the greatest impediment to the achievement of peace.'

Bravo. Right-on.

Pre-emptive war is not only immoral, but illegal.

No peace can be bought by applying violence to the situation.

Dissent is duty when you see your government committing crime.

Our rights, all of us across this planet, as human beings includes the freedom to speak our minds, even against established order, and especially against those who would shape it in the form of tyranny, violence, greed, and oppression.

reply to post by ianr5741


Absolutely.

After this Iraq thing, we're going to be looking at preemptive war on any country we want to attack.

What's that? We need to keep Iran from making uranium enriched soil...?

I wonder if speaking out against a republican and the war in Iraq on a college campus is really new and exciting and a representation of innovative, intelligent, and inspirational thought befitting the subject matter of a graduation speech.

And the music, is that supposed to be for a dramatic effect because it took whatever respect I had for the speaker and laughed it away.

Typical product of the left leaning Universities in this country. Sad really.
I wonder if her parents can get their money back, or sue the school for damages.

Originally posted by duffster
Why carn't you The American people have some one like her running your country .

You mean anti-republican and anti-reality and anti-defense -
that would be Obama, and he'll be running the world soon.
(or so he wants)

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

reply to post by Impreza



here's the vid w/o the annoying background music. Was waiting for this video to pop up here on ATS and I really, really, REALLY wanted to post this vid as a slap to the face to those citizens of the great nation of America who scare so easily. Seems like this young lady has the right idea, I hope there are a lot like her who have been keeping quiet in the sidelines.

Here's her speech (after her song):

Welcome, everyone, on this beautiful afternoon. I only have five minutes, so I'd appreciate it if you'd -- thanks. Welcome everyone, on this beautiful afternoon to the commencement ceremony for the New School class of 2006. That was an excerpt of the song I learned as a child called "Living Planet," by Jay Manquita. I chose to begin my address this way because, as always, but especially now, we are living in a time of violence, of war, of injustice. I am thinking of our brothers and sisters in Iraq, in Darfur, in Sri Lanka, in Mogadishu, in Israel, Palestine, right here in the United States, and many, many other places around the world. And my deepest wish on this day, on all days, is for peace, justice, and true freedom for all people.

The song says, "We can change the universe by being who we are," and I believe that it really is just that simple. Right now, I'm going to be who I am and digress from my previously prepared remarks that I had been working on for the past several weeks. I am disappointed that I have to abandon the things I had wanted to speak about, but I feel that it is absolutely necessary to acknowledge the fact that this ceremony has become something other than the celebratory gathering that it was intended to be due to all the media attention surrounding John McCain's presence here today and the student and faculty outrage generated by his invitation to speak.

The senator does not reflect the ideals upon which this university was founded. Not only this -- please, not only this, but his invitation was a top-down decision that did not take into account the desires and interests of the student body on an occasion that is supposed to honor us above all and to commemorate our achievements. What is interesting and bizarre about this whole situation is that Senator McCain has stated that he will be giving the same speech at all three universities where he has been invited to speak recently, of which ours is the last, those being Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, Columbia University, and finally, here at the New School. For this reason, I have unusual foresight concerning the themes of his address today. Based on the speech he gave at the other institutions, Senator McCain will tell us today that dissent and disagreement are our civic and moral obligation in times of crisis, and I agree. I consider this a time of crisis, and I feel obligated to speak. Senator McCain will also tell us about his strong-headed self-assuredness in his youth which prevented him from hearing the ideas of others, and in so doing, he will imply that those of us who are young are too naive to have valid opinions and open ears. I am young, and although I don't profess to possess the wisdom that time affords us, I do know that preemptive war is dangerous and wrong, that George Bush's agenda in Iraq is not worth the many lives lost. And I know that despite all the havoc that my country has wrought overseas in my name, Osama bin Laden still has not been found, nor have those weapons of mass destruction.

Finally, Senator McCain will tell us that we, those of us who are Americans, have nothing to fear from each other. I agree strongly with this, but I take it one step further. We have nothing to fear from anyone on this living planet. Fear is the greatest impediment to the achievement of peace. We have nothing to fear from people who are different from us, from people who live in other countries, even from the people who run our government, and this we should have learned from our educations here. We can speak truth to power. We can allow our humanity always to come before our nationality. We can refuse to let fear invade our lives and to goad us on to destroy the lives of others.

These words I speak do not reflect the arrogance of a young, strong-headed woman, but belong to a line of great progressive thought, a history in which the founders of this institution play an important part. I speak today, even through my nervousness, out of a need to honor those voices that came before me, and I hope that we graduates can all strive to do the same. Thank you very much.

Sorry for the VERY HUGE quote, I just had to paste it for everyone to peruse.


[edit on 5.21.08 by toreishi]

reply to post by FlyersFan


How can you say that this was a left-leaning university? Do you know for a fact that the students of this academic institution are being actively encouraged by their administration and faculty to radicalize and form "anti-republican and anti-reality and anti-defense" opinions? It was the New School's very own president, Bob Kerrey, who invited the presidential candidate despite appeals from the students.

It occurred at the New School graduation ceremony in New York where Republican Senator John McCain gave the keynote address. McCain was invited to speak by New School President Bob Kerrey, the former Senator and longtime friend of McCain.

Nearly 1,000 people signed a petition urging Kerrey to rescind McCain's invitation. The protests continued even at the graduation ceremony when one of the student speakers directly confronted McCain over his support for war. The student was Jean Sara Rohe, a 21-year-old graduate from New Jersey.

[edit on 5.21.08 by toreishi]

[edit on 5.21.08 by toreishi]

An eloquent and thought provoking speech. She doesnt really have the oratory style of a leader, but the points she put across were interesting.

I slightly disagree with some of the points put forward, but I shan't elaborate since they are insignificant compared to the overall message.

Very good find Bert

reply to post by toreishi


Whoa wait a second.

I thought part of the speech was that there is nothing to fear and that everyone should have a chance to speak?

Is protesting a speech by John McCain an example of that?

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me [chorus]

There comes a time
When we head a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

Send them your heart
So they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change will only come
When we stand together as one

[chorus]

Song by Michael Jackson

[edit on 21-5-2008 by sarcastic]

Hey toreishi, thanks for posting that version.

Of course, we all know that this 'thinking on your own' or leaning left is a horrible, horrible thing.

This girl puts up a great speech and makes several great points, and now I'm hearing it's a bad thing?

Pffft.

reply to post by wutone


I wonder how a girl from Ohio would feel if her landlord invited the creepiest and the most obnoxious boyband from Turkmenistan (I'm just making a point here and I don't really have anything against Turkmenistani boybands) to sing on her 18th birthday. This graduation was a high point in these students' lives and why should a presidential candidate mess with that? The students should have been given a chance to air their disagreement with the choice for keynote speaker. These students didn't spend all their time in the university, staying up late at night in order to finish their studies just to be slapped with an authoritarian decision on their graduation night. Such a thing doesn't have a place in a democratic society.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe that the presidential candidate you mentioned did get to speak. That's what he was paid to do on that night anyway. Damn waste of money though if you ask me.

(just wondering, but how much do they pay keynote speakers to speak on graduations? or in this case, did that presidential candidate pay for the privilege of speaking in front of a captive audience?)


reply to post by bigbert81


You're very welcome and thanks too for starting a thread on this.


[edit on 5.21.08 by toreishi]