There is much that needs to be done
And even more that we can do.

America has a special role to play in the destiny of this planet,
One above and beyond that of any nation that ever was, is, or shall be.

We may fail; we have no guarantee of success
But it is a destiny only We the People can fulfill.

Freedom’s torch has been passed to a new generation
Testing whether that generation or any generation so conceived can long endure
The terrible terror that threatens our time.

We face this challenge to our future
Not in fear but with faith
Not in doubt but with determination
Not in confusion but with confidence

For as this vibrant ball of blue sails the celestial void,
We stand on the shoulders of the giants of the past.
Their strength supports us.
Their vision guides us.
Their example inspires us.

The light of liberty shines brightly,
A beacon of hope to those who cling to fast to its ways.
The light of liberty shines brightly,
A ray of death to doers of evil who seek to validate their passport to paradise through the massacre of the innocent.
The light of liberty shines brightly,
As the last best hope of earth continues on its rendezvous with destiny.
The light of liberty shines brightly,
As the multitudes who have become one in liberty boldly go forth to build a better tomorrow.

In the millennia to come, when the sun still rises on the glory of America,
When people note this time, this place, and this generation,
When the rebirth of Ground Zero has become a pilgrimage point for the planet
People will say with quiet dignity and solemn pride as we have in the past and do in the present about those who met the challenges of their times that
we saw wrong and tried to right it,
we saw suffering and tried to heal it,
we saw war and tried to end the need for it,

That we did not waiver, we did not tire, we did not falter, and we did not fail, and
That government of the people, by the people and for the people did not perish from the earth.
That is my prayer for America.

Amen

Peter Feinman

Dedicated to Boris Feinman (1916-2004)
© 2004