Section 1

The State of the World

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Madam Speaker, Members of Congress, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Distinguished Guests, earlier today, I had the privilege of taking the oath of office as the President of the United States of America.

Tonight, my fellow Americans, I begin my term in office by declaring that our nation and all nations are on the threshold of a world like no other.  We are not only proud citizens of the United States, we are also citizens of the world.  All nations now depend on each other, and the United States now depends on all nations. For the first time, the State of the Union of the United States of America is the State of the World itself.  I ask each of you watching tonight to imagine yourself as a global citizen, now.

Because the destiny of our nation is tied to the destinies of all other nations, I will speak primarily of the world situation, for that is where America must now lead.

On our planet, our greatest thinkers tell us that for the first time, it is possible to achieve that world long foreseen, a world of safety, where everyone's needs are met, where justice prevails, where prosperity is normal, and where our planet is healthy.

Yes, it is a new world, and many things are now possible.

A World of Prosperity, Justice and Sustainability

To reach that world of prosperity, justice and sustainability,

first we must be safe
then we must provide for everyone's basic needs
then we must provide justice and rules that work fairly
then we must create an economy that benefits everyone on a sustainable planet
then, with relief, we can remember why the Creator gave us life

But despite this incredible promise, our world situation is dire.

We are not feeding two billion of our own people, when we could feed them.
As I speak, US military forces are in more than 100 nations, and 10,000 nuclear weapons are on hair-trigger alert.
Dozens of our generals and admirals have stated that poverty, climate change, energy depletion and environmental damage are now central national security threats to the United States of America.
World oil production has already peaked, so gasoline prices are rising steadily, and we have not planned well for what to do next about our energy supplies.
Hurricane Katrina and drought in Georgia are just the beginning of many climate-driven disasters
We are running out of renewable resources faster than they are being replenished. In just 30 years, one third of all renewable resources on Earth and in the oceans have vanished.

The Vital Interest of the United States, Together with All Nations

Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that because of the simultaneous occurrence of these threats; it is in the vital interest of the United States of America and all nations, to work together, today, to establish the wise and effective global rules that will work for everyone to protect our shared and sacred planet.

Where we must start our work is now clear, because there is no longer doubt.

The overuse of oil, coal and gas is the principle reason for our climate damage, and our oil dependency has increasingly become the cause for which we are fighting wars around the world, today - including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The United States is today importing more than 50% of our oil because of our increasing demands.  World demand for oil is now growing more than three times faster than new oil discoveries, and remaining conventional oil reserves are increasingly remote, dangerous and expensive to pump. 

We Must Mobilize, Just as During World War II

Rather than make any serious reductions in our own oil, gas and coal usage, or develop alternative energy sources, we have instead stationed American troops in over 100 nations, largely to protect our oil supplies. We are spending half, HALF(!) of our discretionary national budget, a whopping $500 billion dollars every year on our military, and we have borrowed an additional $500 billion dollars for the war in Iraq since 2003, largely as a beachhead to defend our oil supplies.

All of this is occurring with little more than $1 billion per year spent on developing alternative energy sources. My fellow Americans, I would rather spend this money on developing renewable energy sources at home than promoting foreign wars to defend a declining resource.

This is now a national emergency, and we must move quickly.

I call now on all Americans to mobilize, using our unity during World War II as the model for national ingenuity, hard work, and can-do spirit.  Then, we created the strongest industrial base the world had ever seen in only six months. Now, I ask America to show that same spirit, for the risk of global war over oil, and the risk of disastrous food and water shortages from climate change is now clear.

A New Mission for Our Military Industries

For American industries concerned with national security, I direct you towards a new mission: to bring forward the United States of America into a new energy future, in which we are no longer sacrificing our brave troops around the world for oil, and instead we use your talent, your energy and your brilliance to create the new energy future we all need.

This is your future.

This is your mission.

This is your country!

It requires from us an effort no less than that of World War II, for the conditions and threats facing Americans together with all humanity have grown too severe to let more time slip by.