2005年第43任美国总统乔治•布什(George W. Bush)连任就职演说(中英文全文)

美国时间2005年1月20日,美国第43任(第54-55届)总统乔治•布什(George W. Bush)发表连任就职演说,全文如下:

切尼副总统、首席法官先生、卡特总统、布什总统、克林顿总统、牧师大人、尊敬的来宾、同胞们:

今天,按照宪法规定我们举行这个仪式。我们在此欢庆我国宪法常青的智慧,追寻我们团结全国的深切责任感。我感佩这个时刻带来的荣耀,意识到我们时代的期盼并期待着完成我的誓言,请你们做证。

这是我们第二次聚会,我们的责任并非由我的讲演来确定,它源于我们当前历史时期的要求。半个世纪以来,美国在遥远的边界上捍卫着我们的自由,共产主义极权专政破产后我们有相对平静、懒散的岁月,而后是火光四射的那一天。

我们已明了自身的弱点,我们也深知其根源。只要世界某些区域酝酿着不满、滋生着暴君,就会产生宣扬仇恨和为屠杀寻找借口的意识形态,就会聚集暴力和毁灭的能量,它们会越过严密把守的边界带来毁灭的威胁。这个世界只存在一种力量可以冲决仇恨、揭露暴君的虚伪、扶植容忍、培育尊严,那就是人类的自由。

我们受常识的指引和历史的教诲,得出如下结论:自由是否能在我们的土地上存在,正日益依赖于自由在别国的胜利。对和平的热切期望只能源于自由在世界上的扩展。

关系到美国生死存亡的利益和我们基本的信念合而为一。自立国始,我们就宣示:生于世间的每个男女都拥有他们的权力、尊严和无可比拟的价值,因为他们拥有创造天地之神的形象。每一世代,我们重申着民有政权的重要性,没有什么人应该是主人而另一些人应该做奴隶。实现这一理念的使命是我们的立国之本。我们的先父荣耀地完成了这一使命。进一步扩展这一理念是国家安全的要求,是我们的当务之急。

有鉴于此,美国的政策是寻求并支持世界各国和各种文化背景下成长的民主运动,寻求并支持民主的制度化。最终的目标是终结世间的任何极权制度。

这个目标最终不应由暴力达成,尽管在必要时,我们将以武力自卫,并保卫我们的朋友。自由的性质要求公民去自觉地选择它,捍卫它,并通过立法加以维护,同时保障劣势者。当一个国家的魂魄最终选择自由时,它的制度将反映着不同于我们的文化和传统。美国将不会强迫任何国家接受我们的国家体制。我们的目的,是帮助其他国家找到自己的声音,获得自身的自由,发现自己的自由之路。

终结专制统治的巨大使命是几代人努力的目标。其难度不是无所作为的借口。美国的影响有限,但值得庆幸的是,美国的影响也是有力的,我们将充满信心地在追求自由的道路上帮助你们。

我最庄严的责任是保护我的国家和它的人民不再受到任何袭击和威胁。有些人不明智地选择了试探美国的决心,他们发现了我们坚定的意志。

我们坚定地给每一个统治者每一个国家提出这样的选择:请在压迫---这终究是错的,与自由---这永远是正确的,之间做道义的选择。美国不会装模作样地默认被关押的异议者自我选择了枷锁,也不会默认妇女成为可耻的代名词,看着她们变成奴仆,同样不会默认任何人类的一员仰人鼻息地生活。

我们将鼓励其它政府的改革,我们将明确表示与美国良好的关系要求他们善对自己的公民。美国对人的尊严的信念将指导我们的政策,但是人民权力并不是源于独裁者违心的让步,它们应该源于人民反对的自由和被统治者的平等参与。从长远看,没有自由,就没有正义,没有人民的自由就不存在人权。

我知道,有些人质疑全球自由,尽管经过四十年自由迅猛的发展,这个怀疑似乎不合时宜。美国全体人民不应被我们理念的力量所惊吓。最终,自由呼唤将发自每一个心灵。我们拒绝接受永恒的专制,因为我们拒绝接受永久的奴役。自由将来到热爱她的人们中间。

今天,美国再次向世界人民说话:

那些生活在专制下绝望的人民应该知道,美利坚合众国不会漠视你们被压迫,不会原谅你们的压迫者。当你们保卫自己的自由时,美国将站在你们一边。

那些面对着压制、监狱和流放的民主变革的参与者应该知道,美国知道你们的潜力:你们自由国家未来的领袖。

那些无法无天的统治者应该知道,我们仍然抱有林肯总统的信念:“那些剥夺他人自由的人不配享有自由,而且在公正的上帝面前,他们也不会长久。”

那些习惯于控制人民的统治者应该知道,为了服务你的人民你应该给予他们信任。开始踏上进步和正义之路,那样,美国将站在你这一边。

美国的所有盟友们应该知道:我们珍视我们的友谊,我们尊重你们的建议,我们依赖于你们的帮助。分裂自由国家的团结是自由敌人的目的。自由国家相互配合地推进民主是我们的敌人失败的开始。

今天,我也要对我的同胞、公民们说:

我要求得到你们所有人的耐心,保卫国家安全是艰巨的任务,这样的耐心你们已经给予我很多了。我们的国家承担着一个困难重重的义务,中途放弃是可耻的。正是因为我们继续着我们国家解放者的传统,成千上万的人们获得了自由。希望催生新的希望,更多的人将获得自由。通过我们的努力,我们点燃了火种,那火种在人们心中。它温暖着感受它力量的人们,它烧毁那些试图阻挠进步的人。终有一天,这无可熄灭的自由之火将照亮我们这个世界最阴暗的角落。

一些美国人已经接受这个事业中最困难的工作——那些默默无闻的情报和外交工作。这种理想主义激励他们帮助自由政府的工作。那些打击我们的敌人危险而必要的工作。他们中的一些人献出了生命,他们的国家永远以他们为荣---我们也会永远记住他们的名字和他们的贡献。

所有的美国人都见证了这种理想主义,有些人是第一次看到。我要求我们的青年相信自己的观察。你们看到了我们士兵们充满责任和忠诚的坚毅面孔。你们也看到了生命的脆弱和魔鬼的真实,你们更看到了战胜的勇气。请选择参加这一进程,它比起个人需要重要得多,比个人伟大得多。一旦轮到你们,你们不但增加了我们国家的财富,也将为她增添光彩。

美国需要理想主义和勇气,因为我们要完成国内的任务。美国自由的未竞之业,在一个走向自由的世界里,我们要展示自由的真义和自由的承诺。

在美国自由的信念里,公民享有尊严和经济上的独立,不是生活在潦倒的边缘。这是更广义自由的定义,它促生了《房屋法案》,《社会安全法案》和《人权法案》。现在,我们将改革形成伟大的制度来服务于我们的时代,并扩展这一定义。每个美国人将分享国家的承诺和未来。我们将用最高的标准来要求我们的学校,建立一个有产者的社会。我们要让更多的人拥有自己的住房和事业,拥有自己的退休基金和医疗保险。让我们的人民对自由社会未来的挑战做好准备。让每个公民做他自己命运的主人。我们将把美国人民从匮乏和担忧中解脱,并把我们的社会建成更为富强平等的社会。

在美国的自由信念中,公共利益依赖于个人品质,这包括完善人格和宽容他人,以及有理性的生活。自我管理依赖于管理良好的自我。个人的全部特征建立于家庭内,得到邻里的支持和约束,并在国家生活里贯彻始终,它依赖于西奈的真知、宝山临训、可兰经的教诲,与各种各样的信仰,在每一代美国人民的推动下前进着,他们坚信源于历史的有益和真实---公正的理念和适宜的行为---都将被保有,从昨天、今天,直到永远的未来。

在美国自由的信念中,个人权力的运用是由服务,宽容和对弱者的同情构成的。为全体的自由并不意味着人们的互相背离。我们国家依赖于那些互相守望的邻里和用爱围绕失落者的人们。美国人最良好的表现在于珍重我们每一个人的生活,而且永远记得那些所谓无用之辈也有他们的价值。我们的国家一定要丢弃一切种族主义的偏见,因为要知道我们不可能肩负自由的使命而又同时携带偏见的包袱。

从每一天看,就以今天为例,我们国家面临着诸多问题。从一个世纪看,我们面对的问题是集中而突出的。我们这一代有没有拓展自由的疆界?我们的所作所为有没有为这事业增添光彩?

这些问题是我们的裁判,也团结了我们。因为无论是何党派、自我选择或是否出生于此,美国人在自由的道路上是不可分离的。我们知道分裂必须弥合我们才能向伟大的目标前进。我将做出最大的努力去弥合分裂。但是这种裂痕不能左右美国。当自由受到威胁时,我们深感相互的团结和关联,我们的反击也如出自同手一心。当美国仗义而行,当灾民们得到救助,当正义得到伸张,当人民获得自由,我们也同样自豪地感到我们是统一体。

我们所有人都满怀信心地踏着自由胜利之路前进。这并非因为这是不可避免的历史进程。而是因为人类的选择构成进步。我们并不认为我们的国家就是上帝的选民。上帝自有他的意志和选择。我们坚信这是因为自由是人类永恒的希望,是黑暗中的渴望,是灵魂的渴望。当我们的立国先贤宣布新时代的准则时,当一批批士兵为了保卫基于自由的联邦而牺牲时,当公民手举“立即自由”的横幅和平抗议时---他们在实践着那古老的希望,这希望一定会成为现实。虽然公正在历史上潮起潮落,但是历史也有一条清晰的脉络,那是由自由和自由的实践者确定的。

当独立宣言第一次对公众宣读,自由的钟声敲响。一个亲眼目睹的人这样说道:“|它在鸣响着,似乎意味深长。”在我们的时代,这钟声依然意味深长。美国在这年轻的世纪向世界、向所有它的居民传播着自由。我们充满活力,我们经历过艰难的斗争,但并没有疲倦——我们已做好准备去完成自由史上最伟大的功绩。

上帝保佑你们,愿他眷顾美国。

英文全文:

Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of United States' Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:

On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.

At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical - and then there came a day of fire.

We have seen our vulnerability - and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.

We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time. So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.

The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.

My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve, and have found it firm.

We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.

We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.

Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty - though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.

Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:

All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country. The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it." The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.

And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.

Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:

From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.

A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause - in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives - and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself - and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.

America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.

In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance - preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.

In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character - on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before - ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?

These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes - and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.

We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.

When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.

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