As a self proclaimed Working Class son of a Working Class son of a
Working Class Man, I was very active in campaigning against George
Bush.
And yet, George Bush willingly signed the ADA into law. And in his
speech he said, "...along with the precious privilege of being an
American comes a sacred duty to ensure that every other American's
rights are also guaranteed.
Together, we must remove the physical barriers we have created and the
social barriers that we have accepted. For ours will never be a truly
prosperous
nation until all within it prosper."
Is it possible for Americans to join together and demand the current
administrations endorsement of these words?
Carl Jarvis
On 12/1/18, abby <aevincent@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
That never apologize thing doesn't sound like the humility many have
attributed to him during the TV tributes to him.
I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" every year with his audio description.
Abby
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Saturday, December 1, 2018 9:56 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: a blind man's tribute to george bush
At the beginning of every episode of Moderate Rebels, they play a clip of
George H. W. Bush in which he says something like, "I'll never apologize for
anything the United States does, not ever!"
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2018 12:40 PM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] a blind man's tribute to george bush
For those of us active in the struggle for passage of the Americans with
Disabilities Act(ADA), the election of George Bush as President looked like
a real setback. But the Disabled Community doubled down, rather than
backing down, and the new president bowed to their combined pressure. The
passage of the ADA must be a reminder of what the American People can
accomplish when they put their minds to it.
Here are the words of George Bush as he prepared to sign the ADA:
Remarks of President George Bush at the Signing of the Americans with
Disabilities Act
Evan, thank you so much. And welcome to every one of you, out there in this
splendid scene of hope, spread across the South Lawn of the White House. I
want to salute the Members of the United States Congress, the House and the
Senate who are with us today -- active participants in making this day come
true. This is, indeed, an incredible day -- especially for the thousands of
people across the Nation who have given so much of their time, their vision,
and their courage to see this act become a reality.
You know, I started trying to put together a list of all the people who
should be mentioned today. But when the list started looking a little longer
than the Senate testimony for the bill, I decided I better give up, or that
we'd never get out of here before sunset. So, even though so many deserve
credit, I will single out but a tiny handful. And I take those who have
guided me personally over the years: of course, my friends Evan Kemp and
Justin Dart, up here on the platform with me; and of course -- I hope you'll
forgive me for also saying a special word of thanks to two from the White
House, but again, this is personal, so I don't want to offend those omitted
-- two from the White House, Boyden Gray and Bill Roper, who labored long
and hard. And I want to thank Sandy Parrino, of course, for her leadership.
And I again -- it is very risky with all these Members of Congress here who
worked so hard, but I can say on a very personal basis, Bob Dole has
inspired me.
This is an immensely important day, a day that belongs to all of you.
Everywhere I look, I see people who have dedicated themselves to making sure
that this day would come to pass: my friends from Congress, as I say, who
worked so diligently with the best interest of all at heart, Democrats and
Republicans; members of this administration -- and I'm pleased to see so
many top officials and members of my Cabinet here today who brought their
caring and expertise to this fight; and then, the organizations -- so many
dedicated organizations for people with disabilities, who gave their time
and their strength; and perhaps most of all, everyone out there and others
-- across the breadth of this nation are 43 million Americans with
disabilities. You have made this happen. All of you have made this happen.
To all of you, I just want to say your triumph is that your bill will now be
law, and that this day belongs to you. On behalf of our nation, thank you
very, very much.
Three weeks ago we celebrated our nation's Independence Day. Today we're
here to rejoice in and celebrate another ``independence day,''
one that is long
overdue. With today's signing of the landmark Americans for Disabilities
Act, every man, woman, and child with a disability can now pass through
once-closed doors into a bright new era of equality, independence, and
freedom. As I look around at all these joyous faces, I remember clearly how
many years of dedicated commitment have gone into making this historic new
civil rights act a reality. It's been the work of a true coalition, a strong
and inspiring coalition of people who have shared both a dream and a
passionate determination to make that dream come true. It's been a coalition
in the finest spirit -- a joining of Democrats and Republicans, of the
legislative and the executive branches, of Federal and State agencies, of
public officials and private citizens, of people with disabilities and
without.
This historic act is the world's first comprehensive declaration of equality
for people with disabilities -- the first. Its passage has made the United
States the international leader on this human rights issue. Already, leaders
of several other countries, including Sweden, Japan, the Soviet Union, and
all 12 members of the EEC, have announced that they hope to enact now
similar legislation.
Our success with this act proves that we are keeping faith with the spirit
of our courageous forefathers who wrote in the Declaration of
Independence:
``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.''
These words have been our guide for more than two centuries as we've labored
to form our more perfect union. But tragically, for too many Americans, the
blessings of liberty have been limited or even denied. The Civil Rights Act
of
'64 took a bold step towards righting that wrong. But the stark fact
remained that people with disabilities were still victims of segregation and
discrimination, and this was intolerable. Today's legislation brings us
closer to that day when no Americans will ever again be deprived of their
basic guarantee of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
This act is powerful in its simplicity. It will ensure that people with
disabilities are given the basic guarantees for which they have worked so
long and so hard: independence, freedom of choice, control of their lives,
the opportunity to blend fully and equally into the rich mosaic of the
American mainstream.
Legally, it will provide our disabled community with a powerful expansion of
protections and then basic civil rights. It will guarantee fair and just
access to the fruits of American life which we all must be able to enjoy.
And then, specifically, first the ADA ensures that employers covered by the
act cannot discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities.
Second, the ADA ensures access to public accommodations such as restaurants,
hotels, shopping centers, and offices. And third, the ADA ensures expanded
access to transportation services. And fourth, the ADA ensures equivalent
telephone services for people with speech or hearing impediments.
These provisions mean so much to so many. To one brave girl in particular,
they will mean the world. Lisa Carl, a young Washington State woman with
cerebral palsy, who I'm told is with us today, now will always be admitted
to her hometown theater. Lisa, you might not have been welcome at your
theater, but I'll tell you -- welcome to the White House. We're glad you're
here. The ADA is a dramatic renewal not only for those with disabilities but
for all of us, because along with the precious privilege of being an
American comes a sacred duty to ensure that every other American's rights
are also guaranteed.
Together, we must remove the physical barriers we have created and the
social barriers that we have accepted. For ours will never be a truly
prosperous nation until all within it prosper. For inspiration, we need look
no further than our own neighbors. With us in that wonderful crowd out there
are people representing 18 of the daily Points of Light that I've named for
their extraordinary involvement with the disabled community. We applaud you
and your shining example. Thank you for your leadership for all that are
here today.
Now, let me just tell you a wonderful story, a story about children already
working in the spirit of the ADA -- a story that really touched me. Across
the Nation, some 10,000 youngsters with disabilities are part of Little
League's Challenger Division. Their teams play just like others, but -- and
this is the most remarkable part -- as they play, at their sides are
volunteer buddies from conventional Little League teams. All of these
players work together.
They team up to wheel around the bases and to field grounders together and,
most of all, just to play and become friends. We must let these children be
our guides and inspiration.
I also want to say a special word to our friends in the business community.
You have in your hands the key to the success of this act, for you can
unlock a splendid resource of untapped human potential that, when freed,
will enrich us all. I know there have been concerns that the ADA may be
vague or costly, or may lead endlessly to litigation. But I want to reassure
you right now that my administration and the United States Congress have
carefully crafted this Act. We've all been determined to ensure that it
gives flexibility, particularly in terms of the timetable of implementation,
and we've been committed to containing the costs that may be incurred.
This act does something important for American business, though -- and
remember this: You've called for new sources of workers. Well, many of our
fellow citizens with disabilities are unemployed. They want to work, and
they can work, and this is a tremendous pool of people. And remember, this
is a tremendous pool of people who will bring to jobs diversity, loyalty,
proven low turnover rate, and only one request: the chance to prove
themselves.
And when you
add together Federal, State, local, and private funds, it costs almost
$200 billion annually to support Americans with disabilities -- in effect,
to keep them dependent. Well, when given the opportunity to be independent,
they will move proudly into the economic mainstream of American life, and
that's what this legislation is all about.
Our problems are large, but our unified heart is larger. Our challenges are
great, but our will is greater. And in our America, the most generous,
optimistic nation on the face of the Earth, we must not and will not rest
until every man and woman with a dream has the means to achieve it.
And today, America welcomes into the mainstream of life all of our fellow
citizens with disabilities. We embrace you for your abilities and for your
disabilities, for our similarities and indeed for our differences, for your
past courage and your future dreams. Last year, we celebrated a victory of
international freedom. Even the strongest person couldn't scale the Berlin
Wall to gain the elusive promise of independence that lay just beyond. And
so, together we rejoiced when that barrier fell.
And now I sign legislation which takes a sledgehammer to another wall, one
which has for too many generations separated Americans with disabilities
from the freedom they could glimpse, but not grasp. Once again, we rejoice
as this barrier falls for claiming together we will not accept, we will not
excuse, we will not tolerate discrimination in America.
With, again, great thanks to the Members of the United States Senate,
leaders of whom are here today, and those who worked so tirelessly for this
legislation on both sides of the aisles. And to those Members of the House
of Representatives with us here today, Democrats and Republicans as well, I
salute you.
And on your behalf, as well as the behalf of this entire country, I now lift
my pen to sign this Americans with Disabilities Act and say:
Let the shameful
wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down. God bless you all.