President Bush就职演说.doc

President Bushs Second Inaugural AddressVice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of United States Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical - and then there came a day of fire.We have seen our vulnerability - and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.Americas vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nations security, and the calling of our time. So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. Americas influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, Americas influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedoms cause.My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test Americas resolve, and have found it firm.We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. Americas belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty - though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country. The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it. The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedoms enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies defeat.Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause - in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy . the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments . the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives - and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself - and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.In Americas ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance - preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.In Americas ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character - on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before - ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.In Americas ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes - and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner Freedom Now - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, It rang as if it meant something. In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.切尼副总统、首席大法官、卡特总统、布什总统、克林顿总统、尊敬的牧师、尊贵的来宾们、同胞们：今天，按照宪法规定，我们举行这个仪式，我们在此欢庆美利坚宪法常青的智慧，追寻我们团结全美国的深切责任感。我感激这个时刻带来的 荣耀，我深切感受到我们时代的期盼，我期待着完成我已经许下并由你们所见证的誓言。这是我们的第二次聚会，我们的责任并非由我的演说词来确定，而是来自我们共同见证的历史使命。半个世纪以来，美利坚在遥远的边界上警 戒地捍卫着我们的自由。共产主义破产后，我们迎来了相对平静、安详的岁月，之后是火光四射的一天。（注：此处“火光四射的一天”可能 是指911事件）我们已经发现自身的弱点，我们也深知其根源。只要整个世界的某些地区仍然酝酿着仇恨、滋生着暴政，就很容易产生鼓吹仇恨和为屠杀寻找 借口的意识形态，就会聚集暴力从而形成毁灭性的能量，它们会越过严密防守的国界，给我们带来致命的威胁。这个世界只有一种力量能够冲 破仇恨、揭露独裁者的虚伪、培育尊严、扶植宽容，那就是人类自由的力量！我们根据历史经验与基本常识，得出如下结论：自由在我们国家的生存，正越来越依赖于自由在其它国家的胜利。对于世界和平的热切期盼只 能源于自由在全球的扩张。美利坚最大的国家利益和我们最深的信念信仰是融为一体的。从立国之日开始，我们就宣告：人人生而平等，天赋人权、尊严和无与伦比的价 值，因为我们每个人都拥有创造天地万物的耶和华神的形象。（注：根据圣经创世记，耶和华神按照自己的形象造男造女）每一世代，我们都重申民有民治民享的自治政府的必要性，因为没有什么人应该当主人，而另一些人活该当奴隶。实现这些理想是我们立国的 使命，我们的开国先贤们（Founding Fathers）已经为实现这些理想做出了重要贡献。进一步实现这些理想，既是美利坚国家安全的迫切需要 ，也是时代的召唤。因此，美国的政策是寻求并支持世界各国和各种文化背景下成长的民主运动和民主制度，我们的终极目标是要在全球终结一切独裁专政政权。这个目标不以武力来实现，尽管在必要时，我们将以武力捍卫自由和保护我们的盟友。自由的性质要求公民去自觉选择它，捍卫它，并通过立 法加以维护，同时保障弱势群体。当一个国家的灵魂最终作出决定时，由此产生的自由制度将反映着他们自己不同于我们的文化和传统。美国 将不会强迫任何国家接受我们的国家体制。我们的目的，是帮助其他国家找到自己的声音，获得自身的自由，发现自己的自由之路。终结专制政权的巨大使命要靠几代人的共同努力，实现这个伟大目标的困难不能成为无所作为的借口。美国的影响力是有限的，但值得庆幸的 是，对于那些受专制压迫的人民，美国的影响力也是有力的。为了自由事业，我们将充满信心地运用自己的影响力。我最庄严的责任是，保护我的国家和人民不再受到从我任何袭击和威胁。有些人不明智地选择了试探美国的决心，结果发现了我们意志的坚定 。我们坚定地给每一个统治者和每一个国家提出这样的选择：请在压迫始终是错的，与自由永远是对的，之间做出道义的选择。美国不 会装模作样地默认持不同政见者自我选择了枷锁，美国不会默认妇女喜欢羞辱和奴役，美国更不会默认任何人渴望在暴政虐待下生活。我们将鼓励其他国家的政府进行改革，我们将明确表示，那些希望与美国建立良好关系的政府首先应当善待自己的公民。美国对人的尊严的信 念将指导我们的政策，但是人权并不是来自于独裁政权违心的让步，而是源自于人民有反对的自由，和被统治者的平等参与。从长远来看，没 有自由，就没有正义！没有人的自由，就不存在人权！我知道，有人还在质疑全球自由的吸引力尽管经过40年自由迅猛的发展，这种质疑似乎不合时宜。美国人，所有的美国人都不应被我们理 念的力量所吓倒。最终，自由的呼唤将发自每一个心灵。我们拒绝永恒的专制，因为我们拒绝接受永久的奴役。自由最终必将来到热爱自由的 人们中间！今天，美国再次向世界人民说话：那些生活在专制和绝望中的人民应该知道，美利坚不会眼看着你们受压迫而袖手旁观，美利坚更不会原谅你们的压迫者。当你们起来捍卫自己 的自由时，美国将与你们并肩作战！那些面对着压制、监禁和流放的民主变革者应该知道，美国知道你们的潜力，你们是你们自由国家未来的 领袖。那些无法无天的统治者应该知道，我们仍然坚信林肯总统的信念：“那些剥夺他人自由的人不配享有自由，在公正的上帝面前，他们的 统治也不会长久。”那些习惯于控制人民的统治者应该知道，为你们的人民服务，首先必须学会信任人民。当你们开始踏上进步和正义之路， 美国将与你们站在一起。美国的盟友们应该知道：我们珍视我们之间的友谊，我们尊重你们的建议，我们需要你们的帮助，分裂自由国家的团结是自由之敌人的首要企 图，自由国家相互配合推进民主是我们的敌人失败的前奏。今天，我也要对我的同胞们重申：在保卫国家安全这项艰巨的任务上，我已请求并已得到你们巨大的耐心。我们的国家承担着一个艰巨的义务 ，中途放弃是可耻的。正是因为我们保持着美国作为解救者的传统，成千上万被压迫的人获得了自由。因为希望能够催生新的希望，更多的人 将获得自由。通过我们的努力，我们点燃了人们心中的自由火种，那火种，燃烧在人们心中，它温暖着感受到它力量的人们，它烧毁那些试图 阻挠进步的人，终有一天，熊熊燃烧的自由之火将照亮这个世界最黑暗冰冷的角落！一些美国人已经承担了这个事业中最困难的工作那些默默无闻的情报和外交工作从而帮助建立自由政权的理想主义者的工作那些 为了打击我们的敌人所做的危险而必要的工作。他们中的一些人已经为国捐躯，美利坚永远以他们为荣我们将会永远记住他们的名字和他 们的奉献。所有的美国人都见证了这种理想主义，有些人还是第