Former New York City Mayor Rudolf Giuliani

Former New York City Mayor Rudolf Giuliani has addressed the fact that what binds America is our deep rooted commitment to certain principles.  Paraphrasing Abraham Lincoln, in his farewell address, Giuliani observed “that the test of your Americanism was not your family tree; the test of your Americanism was how much you believed in America. Because we’re like a religion really. A secular religion. We believe in ideas and ideals.”

Similarly, in his Opening Address to the United Nations General Assembly, Special Session on Terrorism (October 1, 2001), Giuliani eloquently explained the motive behind the terrorists who struck his city on September 11, 2001 was America’s adherence to our First Principles:

This was not just an attack on the City of New York or on the United States of America. It was an attack on the very idea of a free, inclusive, and civil society. . . .

We are defined as Americans by our beliefs – not by our ethnic origins, our race or our religion. Our beliefs in religious freedom, political freedom, and economic freedom – that’s what makes an American. Our belief in democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human life – that’s how you become an American. It is these very principles – and the opportunities these principles give to so many to create a better life for themselves and their families – that make America, and New York, a “shining city on a hill.” . . .

It is tragic and perverse that it is because of these very principles – particularly our religious, political and economic freedoms – that we find ourselves under attack by terrorists.

Our freedom threatens them, because they know that if our ideas of freedom gain a foothold among their people it will destroy their power. So they strike out against us to keep those ideas from reaching their people.

For more of this address, visit http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rudygiuliani911unitednations.htm

For more about how to prepare for the 2008 presidential election and its importance to our liberties today, buy a copy of  America’s Survival Guide.

 

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