The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
I've been speaking to a lot of churches recently, so it's nice to be speaking to one that's so familiar. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works. There is real evil and hardship and pain and suffering in the world and we should be humble in our belief that we can eliminate them. Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true.
We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all. For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere.
These are some of the challenges that test our conscience - as Americans and people of faith. Let's come together - Protestant and Catholic, Muslim and Hindu and Jew, believer and non-believer alike. Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent. Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise. They endure the daily humiliations - large and small - that come with occupation.
It seems to me that each day, thousands of Americans are going about their lives - dropping the kids off at school, driving to work, shopping at the mall, trying to stay on their diets, trying to kick a cigarette habit - and they're coming to the realization that something is missing. But we cannot walk away this time. I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. But if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth: the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.