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as it should be |
I am by no means a religious man, and I don’t think I am about to start right
now. Sometimes however words of faith are as hopeful and beautiful as they were
intended to be – even for someone like me who deep down fears that all there
really is waiting for us is darkness.
At it’s best the Presidency is intended to be our voice, speaking for the national
will and breathing sound into our collective hopes in defiance of our collective
fears. It was just such a voice that spoke today in the wake of the Columbia
tragedy:
"The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth;
yet we can pray that all are safely home." – President
G. W. Bush
I want to believe… for
many reasons.
Anyway, the full text of the presidential address is below; as always the
Metafilter thread is a great starting point..
President Addresses Nation on Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy
Remarks by the President on the Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia
The Cabinet Room
2:04 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and
great sadness to our country. At 9:00 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in
Houston lost contact with our Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later,
debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost;
there are no survivors.
On board was a crew of seven: Colonel Rick Husband; Lt. Colonel Michael
Anderson; Commander Laurel Clark; Captain David Brown; Commander William
McCool; Dr. Kalpana Chawla; and Ilan Ramon, a Colonel in the Israeli Air
Force. These men and women assumed great risk in the service to all humanity.
In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to
overlook the dangers of travel by rocket, and the difficulties of navigating
the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth. These astronauts knew the dangers,
and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in
life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all
the more.
All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and
women who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You’re not alone. Our
entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the
respect and gratitude of this country.
The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness
beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to
understand. Our journey into space will go on.
In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see
there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes
and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry
hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and
mighty strength, not one of them is missing."
The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls
we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to
Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home.
May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless America.
END 2:08 P.M. EST