"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance

[question everything]

of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

No doubt, many DUers who are so knowledgeable about American history, will immediately recognize the words of FDR. And how true they are today.

We visited D.C. during the week and also the FDR Memorial. It has been more than 20 years since my last visit and did not even realize that there was an FDR Memorial.

Interestingly, we first climbed the steps of the Jefferson Memorial which also has selections of his words and I had to wonder of whether members of the Supreme Court, of Congress, of the Administration are even familiar with them - his words about the Constitution being a living idea that does change with changing time and developments, for example - or whether they even think that they are relevant today.

"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."

The Memorial said that it was dedicated by FDR and I thought that, of course, FDR would not have been able to climb those steps. So how fit it is that the FDR Memorial is at ground level, allowing for wheelchairs to move around.

I know that all marches and protests take place on the Mall, but I thought that the area of the FDR Memorial, with the emphasis on peace and on equality of our fellow men could be just as good a location.

"I see one third of a nation ill housed, ill clad and ill nourished."

"Among American citizens there should be no forgotten men and no forgotten races."

I have read the Gettysburg Address many times and, yet, this was the first time that I noticed - after catching my breath climbing the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial - that the word God is not mentioned in it at all. Only the term hallowed ground may hint to Lincoln's spirituality, I suppose.

And, of course, we observed how these great men: Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, of course wrote every single word themselves. A few weeks ago, when Obama gave his speech, the reports observed that he wrote it himself. And we marvel at that? Shouldn't our leaders and those who want to be leaders be able to articulate their thoughts and ideas? When did they start using speech writers? And not one, but a whole department of them in the White House.

Since my last visit, two War Memorials were added: the Koren War and WWII. And we had to wonder of whether there will ever be a memorial to the Iraq War, and what will be written on it.

Next to the Washington Monument, I heard a kid asking; Dad, what is memorial?

We also visited the United States Holocaust Memorial and were amazed, again, at how meticulous the Nazis were to document every act of atrocities. At least, at the beginning. And we felt nauseated to realize that the defeat of the Nazi military arm started in 1943, while, at the same time, they accelerated the killing of the prisoners of the Concentration Camps: Jews, Gays, Gypsies, Russian Soldiers, Jehovah Witnesses... There is a special section dedicated to the ongoing atrocities happening now in Darfur.

Watching how the Nazis started, by blaming a special group on bad economic conditions, it was hard not to draw parallels to current events..

The Cherry Blossoms offered a calm, quiet respite.

[izquierdista]

1. Speechwriters

I think that started with Nixon. A mercurial, foul-mouthed pissant whose most original line was "well, I am not a crook". Before he came along, Presidents had to be good public speakers and know how to lead people by inspirational and correct use of the English language. The last person to use the word 'hopefully' correctly, as an adverb, was Lyndon Johnson.

One can tell that McCain listened to Roosevelt's speeches as a toddler and remembers to say "my friends" a lot in his speeches, although without 1% of the sincerity FDR had when speaking to the public. Somehow, when McCain says it, it has all the sincerity of a Southern Baptist when he says he will "pray for you". As Maude observed on one episode of 'All in the Family', one "my friends" from FDR was worth a thousand "let me make this perfectly clears" from Tricky Dick.

[question everything]

2. Thank you. I wondered where it started

I remember driving home listening to Reagan's eulogy of the Challenger astronauts. My eyes got misty while at the same time I told myself that these were not exactly his words. Of course, they were Peggy Noonan's.

When candidate Bill Clinton was interviewed on "60 Minutes" about his "draft dodging," the well written note to his draft officer - or whatever the term used - was highlighted.