An Undelivered Nixon Speech

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. The following speech, revealed in 1999, was prepared by Nixon’s then speechwriter, William Safire, to be used in the event of a disaster that would maroon the astronauts on the moon:

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.
These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind. (Source: Watergate.info)

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@Mike’s America:

“THE RIGHT STUFF” all right!

(can we call that one “TRUTHER CONSEQUENCES?”)

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@yonason: Good ole Buzz!

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@Mike’s America:

I wanna see the Gaffer go tell Buzz Aldrin he wants to “debate” with him, heh heh heh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ez-NpFVwQw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.debbieschlussel.com%2F&feature=player_embedded

H/T – Debbie Schlussel’s blog
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2009/07/sad_but_true_vi.html

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@GaffaUK:

? ? ? ? ?

I’ve seen him get desperate before, but that nutty comment takes the cake.

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And of course – Ali G with Buzz…lol

Does the moon really exist?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTKedyQQkZQ&feature=related

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@Mike

Good suggestion. Buzz is an amazing guy. It’s a shame that Armstrong seems so shy – I can appreciate that the fame has it’s downside and daily hassle it would cause – but still. Oh well. Anyway I liked the way Buzz dealt with one of those foolish people who claim the landing was fake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOo6aHSY8hU

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@GaffaUK: If you are interested in Buzz Aldrin, buy one of his books:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Magnificent-Desolation/Buzz-Aldrin/e/9780307463456

But again, that would be tangential to our observation of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

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@Mike

The topic here is the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the moonlanding. NOT UFO’s!

lol – so the personal recollections of Buzz Aldrin – 1 of the 3 astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission is apparently off topic whilst what ISP I use isn’t. How utterly bizarre!

@Yonason

What’s to “debate” about remembering a great technological achievement?

Sure – so during all these celebrations there have been NO debates surrounding this amazing achievement. Because I mean what is there to debate? lol <sarcasm off? Like whether to go back to the moon or go to mars. About the nature of celebrity in contrasting Armstrong with Aldrin. About whether the cost of space travel is worthwhile. And so forth. This is a political website which has plenty of discussion. I think that makes you the humourless IDIOT if you fail to see this.

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@GaffaUK:

“..seems you both need a bit of stroking of your ruffled feathers.”

Yoiu keep your grubby little paws away from my feathers, or you just might lose ‘em – I’m that “sensitive”.

There he goes, again…
.”..to spark debate” ? ? ? ?

Say what? Why? What’s to “debate” about remembering a great technological achievement? You really are a complete idiot. (And I doubt it was 9%. Probably more like 90%)

UPDATE – GaffaUK has kindly permitted me to release his address to America in honor of the moon landing, …just to spark an honest “debate.”

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