George Soros Columbia Commencement Speech-awesome

[TexasSissy]

Did anyone see on CSPAN George Soros' commencement speech to the Columbia School of International & Public Affairs? I've seen George Soros referenced here in DU, but I didn't know who he was. I do now.

He is an international financier and an articulate person. The topic of his commencement speech was: A Constructive Vision for America's Role in the World. Here's a link, followed by my favorite part of the speech.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0518-12.htm

"By succumbing to fear we are doing the terrorists' bidding: we are unleashing a vicious circle of violence. If we go on like this, we may find ourselves in a permanent state of war. The war on terror need never end because the terrorists are invisible, therefore they will never disappear. And if we are in a permanent state of war we cannot remain an open society.

The war on terror polarizes the world between us and them. If it becomes a matter of survival, nobody has any choice but to stick with his own tribe or nation whether its policies are right or wrong. That is what happened to the Serbs and Croats and Bosnians in Yugoslavia, that is what happened to Israel, and that is the state of mind that President Bush sought to foster when he said that those who are not with us are with the terrorists. "

I urge you to read the whole speech (it's not that long), or to view it on CSPAN (it's about 15 minutes) if they rerun it. It's well thought out, well written, and it was delivered expertly.

[gristy]

1. Yes, that is a wonderful speech. I can only hope that enough of

America will listen. If not, we are lost. Thanks for posting it. I forwarded it on to my email list.