Saturday, October 31
DEADLY WOMEN ~ Ruthless Revenge ~ S6E11
I watch these shows, to learn more, about why my wife Denise needed to kill me...
www.google.com/+donwesley
Friday, October 30
It's Rocket Science! with Professor Chris Bishop
Published on Jul 3, 2014
My name is Don...
Hello and welcome in; you will really learn something surprising here.
God gave us guys who are mechanical types of men and women.
Starting with the one simple principle that has powered every rocket that's ever flown, Professor Chris Bishop launches through an explosive journey to the moon and back.
www.google.com/+donwesley
In the darkness of sleep is where...
.... Is where I get to know even more of Him.
In the light of day is where I can see He what has given us.
He lives in us, and we see His parts.
The spirits of Him lay quietly everywhere.
Don, ... "I need Him 24 hours each day."
www.google.com/+donwesley
He gave me the gift of Dyslexia.
And I slept all day long to thank Him.
Thursday, October 29
Wednesday, October 28
Technology and Emotions ~ Roz Picard ~ TEDxSF
Uploaded on Jun 10, 2011
Professor Rosalind W. Picard, ScD is founder and director of the
Affective Computing research group at the MIT Media Lab, co-
director of the Things That Think consortium, and leader of the
new and growing Autism & Communication Technology Initiative at
MIT. In April 2009 she co-founded Affectiva, Inc., where she serves
as chairman and chief scientist.
Picard holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with
highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and
master's and doctoral degrees, both in electrical engineering and
computer science, from MIT. Prior to completing her doctorate at
MIT, she was a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell
Laboratories. In 1991 she joined the MIT Media Lab faculty, where
she became internationally known for content-based retrieval
research, for creating new tools such as the Photobook system, and
for pioneering methods of automated search and annotation in
digital video.
She is the author of the award-winning book Affective Computing,
which was instrumental in starting a new field by that name. She
has authored 200 scientific articles and chapters and also holds
multiple patents. In 2005, she was honored as a Fellow of the IEEE.
It is downright smart to know God is real and lives right now, in you,
I hope she will forgive me for posting her message here. There are many ways to reveal to someone you love... that they are slow to realize that God himself exists. At the age of 11 or 12, I had to testify in the Criminal Court:I was reminded that if I lied in that court... God would immediately
strike me dead. I came to realize years later... that many lied in court and never died.
I'm 82 now I know God by what I see him do; so if you are inclined to think that God is a fairy tale; I'm saying to you, it is ignorant to keep thinking your fairytale way. It is downright smart to know God is real and lives right now, in you, if you follow His commands. You will feel His love and His Son can heal you.
www.google.com/+donwesley
Professor Rosalind Picard said "I used to be a staunch atheist, in part because of living fourteen years in the South"
strike me dead. I came to realize years later... that many lied in court and never died.
I'm 82 now I know God by what I see him do; so if you are inclined to think that God is a fairy tale; I'm saying to you, it is ignorant to keep thinking your fairytale way. It is downright smart to know God is real and lives right now, in you, if you follow His commands. You will feel His love and His Son can heal you.
www.google.com/+donwesley
Professor Rosalind Picard said "I used to be a staunch atheist, in part because of living fourteen years in the South"
Professor Rosalind PicardMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Director of Affective Computing Research
Director of Autism Communication Technology
Co-Director of Things That Think
Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
M.I.T. Media Laboratory
I used to be a staunch atheist, in part because of living fourteen years in the South,
in the so-called "Bible belt." I assumed that those who believed in a God had
thrown reason to the wind. I could look around and see all kinds of uneducated
people who were believers, and I thought the two went hand in hand. I believed
religion was a creation of man, contrived by people who weren't strong enough to
handle death. I assumed that faith was not intellectual or based on evidence,
that religious people were not real thinkers, and that if they only thought hard
enough, then they would see that their religion was unnecessary, invented to
help themselves cope better. I thought my way, without any "God," was the truth,
was scientific, and was therefore the best way.
The crux of my "hardest test", in deciding to believe in a God, was (and remains) pride. I never liked "religious people," still abhor religiosity, and did not want to be associated with such people or their beliefs, with any religious beliefs. It is easy to look around and see examples of people who are religious hypocrites, real religious bozos, who give religion a bad name. The media is great about finding these examples and holding them up for all to see. Particularly egregious examples claim "God made me do it" (when it is something horrible) giving religion an especially rotten image. Who wants to be a part of that? Why would anyone want to even be associated with all of that?
To make matters especially bad for Christian Public Relations, when Christians do their genuinely good deeds, they are encouraged to do so without letting anybody know. Usually, nobody but the recipient finds out about the kindness, and often the kindness is anonymous, so even the recipient is not told the source. Moreover, wealthy gourmet-fed elite who live in penthouses and control the media tend not to hang out with those who are on the receiving end of Christian charity, but they are sure to be called when there is a "story" of "wrongdoing" by those who "know they should not promote wrongdoing." Today, the media mainly points out the negatives, and there are plenty of those, so the unattractiveness of Christianity is made complete. (Note: There seem to be trends as to which religion gets treated worst; lately the media has been relatively kind to Buddhists and Jews, while it seems trendy to be hostile to Christians.)
I remember being annoyed when I learned that my atheism was also a "religion," and that there is really no such thing as not being religious, unless perhaps you're inanimate or turn off your brain totally when it comes to the great questions in life. Take the question of the existence of God. How could I confidently deny it, declare God couldn't exist, unless I was omniscient? But only God (if God exists) is omniscient. (See definition of God.) So, if I claim God does not exist, then I am claiming to be omniscient, and then I am making myself into God. This is a problem. (Especially if you know me.)
Isn't it interesting that the non-existence of God cannot be proven, and science and logic both fail when one looks closely at these issues.
This leaves open either agnosticism or belief in God. The rest of what was so hard for me is a longer story, which includes a recognition that there is a huge amount of historical and intellectual evidence for Christianity and for Judaism, e.g., see a 15-min talk on this topic that I gave spring 1995. For example, the Judeo-Christian God is the only one that is revealed as transcending both time and space (a good property if you think about physics and the origins of the universe.)
This is not to deny that there is also a lot of crap associated with religion (see above). But it is unwise to throw out the baby with the bathwater, even if the baby poops in the tub and you are tired and mad at the baby. (I have 3 sons and speak from experience.) Better to hold on to that precious baby, and find a way to deal with the mess.
In brief, the hardest trials have been those of confronting my own pride, and my unwillingness to examine anything other then the materialist assumptions made (unthinkingly) by so many of us. Many of the assumptions, such as that there is no God, are not scientific, and have no way of being proven scientifically. Turning to Science as the only way to know things also does not work, because Science presupposes that there is only "natural" stuff in the world, without even having a way to test if that is true or not. (And who gets to declare that we know for sure what is and is not "natural?") Science cannot even validate its own existence. (Note for those who do not know me: I am not bashing science. I am a hard-core science fan; I chose to earn my doctorate in Science, not in Philosophy, and not just because the hood for the Sc.D. was my favorite color yellow, although that may have biased me a small amount. My point is that science should be recognized for the incredibly powerful and amazing field it is, and not more.)
In denying God's existence, I realized I was making assumptions that were unthinking and ill-founded, based on no deeper truths than those I sought to discredit. Nonetheless, the idiocy surrounding religion still made it very hard for me to want to investigate religious faith.
It wasn't until I met a number of impressive thinkers who were intelligent in their faith and defied my stereotypes of religious people that I began to open my mind to really consider what was there. Here were well-educated thinking engineers, mathematicians, scientists, writers, artists, athletes, and leaders who thought more deeply about these things than I had. (I have started a partial list of famous Christian mathematicians, artists, and scientists. Sorry, I just included dead ones.) Have you thought deeply about whether or not God exists? How do you know what you believe is true? What if you are wrong? What difference have your beliefs made in your life?
Having thought nothing but ill of believers-in-God for so many years, you can imagine the tests I put faith to before I was willing to finally change my views. I'm not ready to list them all here, but suffice it to say I did not "become a Christian" overnight. I remain on a continuous path of learning.
The crux of my "hardest test", in deciding to believe in a God, was (and remains) pride. I never liked "religious people," still abhor religiosity, and did not want to be associated with such people or their beliefs, with any religious beliefs. It is easy to look around and see examples of people who are religious hypocrites, real religious bozos, who give religion a bad name. The media is great about finding these examples and holding them up for all to see. Particularly egregious examples claim "God made me do it" (when it is something horrible) giving religion an especially rotten image. Who wants to be a part of that? Why would anyone want to even be associated with all of that?
To make matters especially bad for Christian Public Relations, when Christians do their genuinely good deeds, they are encouraged to do so without letting anybody know. Usually, nobody but the recipient finds out about the kindness, and often the kindness is anonymous, so even the recipient is not told the source. Moreover, wealthy gourmet-fed elite who live in penthouses and control the media tend not to hang out with those who are on the receiving end of Christian charity, but they are sure to be called when there is a "story" of "wrongdoing" by those who "know they should not promote wrongdoing." Today, the media mainly points out the negatives, and there are plenty of those, so the unattractiveness of Christianity is made complete. (Note: There seem to be trends as to which religion gets treated worst; lately the media has been relatively kind to Buddhists and Jews, while it seems trendy to be hostile to Christians.)
I remember being annoyed when I learned that my atheism was also a "religion," and that there is really no such thing as not being religious, unless perhaps you're inanimate or turn off your brain totally when it comes to the great questions in life. Take the question of the existence of God. How could I confidently deny it, declare God couldn't exist, unless I was omniscient? But only God (if God exists) is omniscient. (See definition of God.) So, if I claim God does not exist, then I am claiming to be omniscient, and then I am making myself into God. This is a problem. (Especially if you know me.)
Isn't it interesting that the non-existence of God cannot be proven, and science and logic both fail when one looks closely at these issues.
This leaves open either agnosticism or belief in God. The rest of what was so hard for me is a longer story, which includes a recognition that there is a huge amount of historical and intellectual evidence for Christianity and for Judaism, e.g., see a 15-min talk on this topic that I gave spring 1995. For example, the Judeo-Christian God is the only one that is revealed as transcending both time and space (a good property if you think about physics and the origins of the universe.)
This is not to deny that there is also a lot of crap associated with religion (see above). But it is unwise to throw out the baby with the bathwater, even if the baby poops in the tub and you are tired and mad at the baby. (I have 3 sons and speak from experience.) Better to hold on to that precious baby, and find a way to deal with the mess.
In brief, the hardest trials have been those of confronting my own pride, and my unwillingness to examine anything other then the materialist assumptions made (unthinkingly) by so many of us. Many of the assumptions, such as that there is no God, are not scientific, and have no way of being proven scientifically. Turning to Science as the only way to know things also does not work, because Science presupposes that there is only "natural" stuff in the world, without even having a way to test if that is true or not. (And who gets to declare that we know for sure what is and is not "natural?") Science cannot even validate its own existence. (Note for those who do not know me: I am not bashing science. I am a hard-core science fan; I chose to earn my doctorate in Science, not in Philosophy, and not just because the hood for the Sc.D. was my favorite color yellow, although that may have biased me a small amount. My point is that science should be recognized for the incredibly powerful and amazing field it is, and not more.)
In denying God's existence, I realized I was making assumptions that were unthinking and ill-founded, based on no deeper truths than those I sought to discredit. Nonetheless, the idiocy surrounding religion still made it very hard for me to want to investigate religious faith.
It wasn't until I met a number of impressive thinkers who were intelligent in their faith and defied my stereotypes of religious people that I began to open my mind to really consider what was there. Here were well-educated thinking engineers, mathematicians, scientists, writers, artists, athletes, and leaders who thought more deeply about these things than I had. (I have started a partial list of famous Christian mathematicians, artists, and scientists. Sorry, I just included dead ones.) Have you thought deeply about whether or not God exists? How do you know what you believe is true? What if you are wrong? What difference have your beliefs made in your life?
Having thought nothing but ill of believers-in-God for so many years, you can imagine the tests I put faith to before I was willing to finally change my views. I'm not ready to list them all here, but suffice it to say I did not "become a Christian" overnight. I remain on a continuous path of learning.
Tuesday, October 27
Mary, Did You Know? [Live] This inspires me ... Don Wesley
The Season when God is really here with his Reindeers'
He brought His Son with Him
We called God... Santa Claus.
Hi and welcome to my Blog and Diary November 27, 2014. {now October 2015]
My name is Don.
The way I think, feel and behave... changes during the Merry-Christmas time. When I was 10, in 1944, we were in the midst of war; it seemed with whole world.
Seven years later, I joined the military and became an Officer at 19.
Did I experience "altered states of mind" ?
When I talk, using different metaphors for each season; some would say I seemed crazy. What I know about myself, is that I'm just plain "real and love everyone".
December 22, 2013.
Next to her {Denise] being here within this picture me.
She knows who she is!
Mother to my Children.
A Perfect Mother.
A Perfect Wife and Lover.
Do You Know who she is?
This music has the magic to create streams of tears of joy, from the audience.
It has the same effect on me.
Our Precious Son
Steven John Wesley
I never ever knew anyone,
who worked so hard to become some one who heals!
He was a professional student
and got the 100 percent,
he needed to succeed.
He is a psychiatrist now.
Steven John Wesley
I never ever knew anyone,
who worked so hard to become some one who heals!
He was a professional student
and got the 100 percent,
he needed to succeed.
He is a psychiatrist now.
 |
| This is me, Don, with my Dad in 1934 A complicated time in history. It made me, a complicated kid to understand. To this day I'm even more complex. |
The Facts About Radon Gas - It's Deadly
I received from Canada Post, this morning, a reminder about radon gas.
Don.
It is only me.
To tell you, that I can see you... is a lie.
However I do want to know more about you.
I'm lonely and feel I'm in solitary confinement
www.google.com/+donwesley
Please stop believing todays fairytales that adults believe now.
Morphogenesis - A New Science of Life
www.google.com/+donwesley
Published on Sep 20, 2014
Why do many natural phenomenons elude from conventional explanations of natural sciences?
At the Quantica Symposium Dr Rupert Sheldrake explains the origin of the materialistic world view and why this isn't capable of describing observable effects like telepathy, for example.
Instead, Sheldrake's hypothesis of "morphic resonance" can illuminate other phenomenons of communications. Thus he describes rats having learned to orient themselves in a maze seem to pass what they learned to conspecifics outside their own group. Even with humans this effect can be observed.
Monday, October 26
Divorce is an evil tool.
Divorce is too often an evil tool.
A Tool to be used by someone to hurt someone else.
Many people are these types of tools!
It destroys and traumatizes children leaving scars called ..
Post Trauma Stress Disorders.
Someone hurt them and their parents.
For those who don't believe,
It is Shameful: a disease affecting 75 percent of North America.
A Tool to be used by someone to hurt someone else.
Many people are these types of tools!
It destroys and traumatizes children leaving scars called ..
Post Trauma Stress Disorders.
Someone hurt them and their parents.
For those who don't believe,
It is Shameful: a disease affecting 75 percent of North America.
"Deliver us from Evil" [From the Bible]
"Divorce can be a stressful experience, affecting finances, living arrangements, household jobs, schedules, parenting and the outcomes of children of the marriage as they face each stage of development from childhood to adulthood. Such children may be deeply affected.[7]
The Divorce Story ; somewhat like the "The Bible Story"
I have all the contents I need.
Don, with love.
Come back soon.
In meanwhile, watch and listen to the following story.
Loneliness ~ John Cacioppo at TEDxDesMoines
Email me please... and talk about your story
Email me, if you intend to please.
Much thanks....
donwwesley1933@live.com
Sunday, October 25
Friday, October 23
I am so pleased, and think a miracle has occurred
I am so pleased, and think a miracle has occurred
www.google.com/+donwesley
I've been praying for over seven years and during the past seven days, a flood of super-excellent help has found me a new Home and filled it with all I need.
However, I have lost so much of my strength and I'm just too tired to live...
Find a way to encourage me to live.
donwwesley1933@live.com
Don Wesley ~ October 23, 2015.
Thursday, October 22
Wednesday, October 21
SHOCKING NEWS - The Pineal Gland - The Greatest Cover Up In History
SHOCKING NEWS - The Pineal Gland - The Greatest Cover Up In History
I'm doing what He is asking us to do.
To see more of the "Thinker" Stories.. follow this link below.
[] www.google.com/+donwesley []
National Geographic ~ The Psychopath's daily rutine 2014
The Psychopath's daily routine 2014It is measurable; Some in my family maybe dangerous enough not to care about choosing wrong when right is the best way to live.
www.google.com/+donwesley
I Pray - International Day of Prayer for Children
Uploaded on Jun 8, 2010
In the simple piece, we explore the nature of children's prayers, when and
where they make them and how they matter to God.
The Neuroscience of Consciousness
Published on Nov 28, 2012
Baroness Susan Greenfield CBE, is a British scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords. Specialising in the physiology of the brain, Susan researches the impact of 21st
People's reaction to homeless man......this touched me so much...
To see more Thinkers' Stories.. follow this link below.
Published on Jan 31, 2013
God, please... Bless those men for showing how true human acts.
www.google.com/+donwesley
Published on Jan 31, 2013God, please... Bless those men for showing how true human acts.
donwesley1933@live.com
Monday, October 5
Shock and Awe ~ The Story of Electricity -- Jim Al-Khalili BBC Horizon
www.google.com/+donwesleyPublished on May 26, 2015
Part 1 - Spark 0:00
Part 2 - The Age of Invention 58:30
Part 3 - Revelations and Revolutions 1:56:50
---------
In this three-part BBC Horizon documentary physicist and science communicator Jim Al-Khalili takes the viewer on a journey exploring the most important historical developments in electricity and magnetism. This documentary discusses how the physics (and the people behind the physics) changed the world forever.
Cosmic cinema - astronomers make real-time - 3D movies of plasma tubes drifting overhead
Published on May 31, 2015
By creatively using a radio telescope to see in 3D, astronomers have detected the existence of tubular
plasma structures in the inner layers of the magnetosphere surrounding the Earth. “For over 60 years, scientists believed these structures existed but by imaging them for the first time, we’ve provided visual evidence that they are really there,” said Cleo Loi of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) at the University of Sydney.
Ms Loi is the lead author on this research, undertaken as part of her award-winning undergraduate thesis and published in Geophysical Research Letters today. In collaboration with international colleagues, she identified the structures.
Science Documentary The Many Secrets of Quantum Gravity ~ God
www.google.com/+donwesley
An old lighting engineer [IES]
"What does lighting have to do with worship?
If your congregation is like many others, you've never given too much thought to that question. On these pages, a lighting professional, challenges churches to take another look at the lighting in their worship space. Although his observations are based on his experience in a setting quite different from those in most of our churches, his reflections may well encourage even
small churches to make some important changes.
■ Let there be light.
■ The Lord is my light and my salvation.
■ Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
■ Arise, shine, for your light has come.
■ I am the light of the world.
Scripture deploys light as a rich, complex metaphor. We study it, conceptualize it, and even theologize it, but when the time comes to physically use light in worship, most of us remain in the
dark.
Lighting (and sound): Just turn it on so we can see (and hear), right? Yes, but that's only a beginning.
Effective lighting for worship is governed by a number of objectives and criteria that can be applied to any size church with any size lighting system and any size lighting budget."
Sunday, October 4
The Secrets Of Quantum Physics - Quantum Biology Theory Documentary
And.... Quantum Biology !
The Secrets Of Quantum Physics - Quantum Biology Theory Documentary
Published on Apr 13, 2016
Einstein was wrong. Apologies to the whole of science, but last night Professor
Jim Al-Khalili OBE proved it to me right there on television.
Why aren’t small Victorian news-boys in flat caps shouting this abroad, while
spinning front page headlines pirouette behind their heads? Why wasn’t the
evening’s viewing interrupted with a special announcement?
In The Secrets of Quantum Physics (BBC4), Al-Khalili performed an exhaustive
series of demonstrations, variously using coins, gloves and at one point cocktail
paraphernalia, in order to come to his startling conclusion. For decades Einstein
was at loggerheads with Danish physicist Niels Bohr about the nature of reality.
“Does the moon cease to exist when I stop looking at it?” he sneered, in
response to Bohr’s assertion that reality only existed when it was observed. But
it turns out the answer is “Kind of, yes”.
Saturday, October 3
Driving through life is dangerous ~ avoid being distracted.
Driving through life is dangerous ~ avoid being distracted.
This thought kept me thinking and meditating for hours.
President Obama [enriched by God] gave the members of the world a lesson telling us to avoid being distracted by Mr. Putin. [The United Nations in New York City.]
Being distracted [by insufficient sleep] can lead in just two seconds, a Bus driver to cross into the oncoming traffic and kill.
People like Putin do kill: Too often by accident.
In Canada, we need leaders like Prime Minister Harper to keep driving our Nation through the dangerous times [we now see]
www.google.com/+donwesley
I be back after I have my daily meal [2:11 AM]
[4:22 AM] I just returned from driving back from the restaurant where I eat.
Drivers like me are forced to take driving exams ~ which measure how easily we become distracted. 155 facts are given to us to recognize in 5 minutes; miss 1 and we loose our license to drive.
"Distraction is the real problem we have !
I am 82 years of age and still drive carefully
Before you vote; think for more than 48 hours.
Don Wesley 1933."
Friday, October 2
Shocking full documentary - narcissism ~ narcissistic personality disorder ( psychology )
One narcissistic personality, made me Homeless
One got me a room in a boarding house.
 |
| My Home for One Winter |
|
| Don Wesley ~ 2007 |
Published on Jun 14, 2015
An important documentary on NPD, originally aired by Channel Four Television Corporation in United Kingdom.
People with narcissism or psychopathy are attracted to positions which convey power over the lives of others, such as police, prison guard, lawyer, judge, and psychiatrist. Thus, the percent of people in these jobs who have these disorders will be higher than the percent of people with these disorders in the general population. Unfortunately, psychiatry (and the rest
of modern society) is woefully ignorant of these disorders, so no screening is done to prevent these people from gaining these positions, where they can then covertly sabotage the lives of others with total impunity.
“You are truly a strong, amazing and beautiful soul.” Denise
The date now is October 1, 2015.
I wrote this in 2013, on
Wednesday, September 25.
I have learned even more
I have learned even more
6:06 AM
To my soul-mate, Denise.
"Fear Nothing, I will stop everything from happening that would hurt you even more."
“You are truly a strong, amazing and beautiful
soul.”
"All my focused-love is for you, my Sweetheart."
"Go outside of yourself, just for a moment and think
about how much you have been through, ‘Be proud of yourself for going through what most normal people couldn't even handle."
Email me immediately, for my loving care.
You, have taught me, all that I needed long before now.
We can talk together as we did in 1963, over the phone; you in Ste. Agathe-des-Monts, and me in Montreal, hours of talking.
(Don)
Thursday, October 1
FULL SPEECH ~ US President Obama Addresses UN with Powerful Statement 9-28-2015
Published on Sep 28, 2015
President Obama Confronts Russia, China and Iran, Criticizes Trump’s Wall In Speech to UN.
President Obama Confronts Russia, China and Iran, Criticizes Trump’s Wall In Speech to UN.
Obama Strikes Russia before meeting Putin face-to-face. UN general assembly: Barack Obama lambasts Russia's actions in Ukraine. Obama at the UN: I won't hesitate to use force.
President Obama U.N. Address: Chanting ‘Death to America!’ does not create jobs or make Iran more secure' President Obama addressed the United Nations General Assembly.
President Barack Obama called for a modern approach to the world's problems in his Monday address at the United Nations.
"I lead the strongest military that the world has ever known. And I will never hesitate to
President Barack Obama called for a modern approach to the world's problems in his Monday address at the United Nations.
"I lead the strongest military that the world has ever known. And I will never hesitate to
protect my country or our allies—unilaterally and by force—when necessary," he said. "But I stand before you today believing in my core that we, the nations of the world, cannot return to the old ways of conflict and coercion—we cannot look backwards."
While also referencing Syria and China, Obama focused much of his address on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
Criticizing Moscow's actions in the ongoing civil war in Ukraine, the U.S. president said the situation would be better for Russians and Ukrainians alike if Putin had pursued a peaceful
Criticizing Moscow's actions in the ongoing civil war in Ukraine, the U.S. president said the situation would be better for Russians and Ukrainians alike if Putin had pursued a peaceful
strategy.
"Imagine if instead Russia had engaged in true diplomacy and worked with Ukraine and the international community to ensure its interests were protected—that would be better for
Ukraine, but also better for Russia, and better for the World," Obama said, emphasizing that he had no wish to return to another Cold War.
He also echoed comments from last week, saying that the U.S. is similarly pushing for China to resolve territorial disputes with its neighbors in the South China Sea because "like every nation gathered here, we have an interest in upholding the basic principles of freedom of navigation and the free-flow of commerce, and in resolving disputes through international
law, not the law of force." Read More › Obama and Putin to meet on sidelines of UN
Recognizing that diplomacy is a difficult process, with often unsatisfying outcomes, Obama argued that powerful countries have an imperative to pursue these tactics.
"Leaders of large nations, in particular, have an obligation to take these risks—precisely because we are strong enough to protect our interests if and when diplomacy fails," he said.
The president acknowledged that there will be times when "we must act" against global disorder, but he told those assembled at the U.N. that "we will be stronger when we act together."
On the subject of Syria, Obama said the U.S. will not apologize for its use of force against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL), but that internal cooperation will ultimately be needed to heal the country.
He said the U.S. stands ready to work with any nation—including Russia and Iran—to resolve the conflict, but he called for recognition that returning to the "pre-war status quo" is not the right solution. Russia has advocated supporting Bashar al-Assad's reassertion of dominance over the country as a means to combat the extremist groups operating in Syria.
"Let's remember how this started," Obama said. "Assad reacted to peaceful protests by escalating repression and killing that in-turn created the environment for the current strife."
The president argued that political realism demands compromises to defeat the Islamic State—as Moscow argues—but that it also requires a "managed transition" away from Assad and to a new leader.
Obama was one of the first speakers at the opening of general debate for the 70th session of the U.N. General Assembly. He was scheduled to be followed Chinese President Xi Jinping,
Putin and French President François Hollande.
President Obama took on a confrontational tone in his speech this morning to the United Nations General Assembly, specifically calling out Russia, China and Iran for destabilizing activities in various world conflicts.
Obama opened his speech directly decrying "strong states that seek to impose their will on weaker ones," then alluded to Russian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"On this basis, we see some major powers assert themselves in ways that contravene international law," Obama said. "We're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that it's the only way to stamp out terrorism. In accordance with this logic, we
should support tyrants like Bashar al-Assad."
Earlier in the morning, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called for the first time for Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Earlier in the morning, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called for the first time for Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Obama's remarks came just before a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two will also have their first sit-down in more than two years in the afternoon and are expected to discuss Russian involvement in the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.