My fellow Americans, I would ask that you permit me to speak plainly this evening, for the troubled times we find ourselves leaves no room for heavy handed rhetoric that is all too often used to divide us, rather than unite us.

I would speak to you about the America that I see, not through the clouded vision of a lover, who sees no imperfections in the object of his affection, but rather through the eyes of a true Patriot, who sees the imperfections and the shortcomings, but knows they can do better.

I would speak of an America where one is still judged by the color of their skin, only instead of being able to slur with words, and to discriminate openly, we do so with shotty educational systems, unfair banking practices, and through mixed messages in popular culture.

I would speak to you of an America, where the independent spirit, and the idea of absolute justice have been corrupted to be glorified violence for minds who have been warped due to social isolation, and constant belittlement.  Instead of focusing on the root cause that is making young Americans turn to mass gun violence, we blame unrelated issues in pop culture, to make it easier to ignore our own accountability.

I would speak to you of an America that is held in such low esteem around the world, that our credibility is so degraded, that even long time allies balk when we speak in terms of absolutes.  This causes our enemies to become emboldened, for we may not be everywhere at once, and need the help of others, to ensure our safety as well as others.

I would tell you those are the things I see when I look at America.  And yet, at the same time I see what, if given the opportunity and honor of the Oval Office, the very great potential to make things better.

For I see the desire to be fair, the adherence to the spirit of justice, and the never empty reservoir of hope that exists in every American.  For it is embedded within us, to not accept things as they are to to always push forward toward the next goal.  The unquenchable thirst for knowledge and peace, that binds each of us no-matter our race, creed, or political party.

It was that drive that compelled our forefathers to fight for an idea that to this day, is so fleeting, that we must ever be vigilant in its defense.   That freedom is a human right, granted not by the government to the people, but by the people and protected by their government.

It was this notion of equality and human dignity, that the civil rights process was begun by President Lincoln, articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and the responsibility of all of us here today to keep striving for the ideal.  For how are we to be the beacon of hope to the world, if we ourselves do not hold ourselves to a higher standard.

For that is what it truly means to be an American.  Unwilling to settle for second best, to always push and strive to be the best, not out of a sense of arrogance, but because the value of future achievement is greater than the value of past achievement.  Staying on the cutting edge of technology has been ever present in our history, from expansion to the pacific to landing on the moon.

Not accepting that because it “hasn’t been done before, then it cannot happen now” is what drives ingenuity.  It is for that reason that we must come together and truly be united against the threat we face, which is not limited to a small percentage of men who have corrupted religious tenants in order to obtain their own selfish goals.

The threat we face come from those who would argue that freedom, free thought without the fear of repercussions, is not an inalienable right, but something that must be negotiated for.  That political freedom and safety are incongruent with one another, and one must choose between them.

This is an argument put forth not only within the bounds of our own borders, but the global community as well.   With our world being smaller and more interconnected the spread of such false ideologies is a certain possibility.  Unless that we fulfill that potential that is the United States of America, that we assume the role we were destined to have as the New World, and the Land of Opportunity.

To change the old thought that might makes right and to truly develop the new world order, that it is indeed right that makes might.  That would be the America I would wish to see, Were I To Be President…