text: old and familiar challenges every asserted themselves and new ones have emerged, lending this time a feeling of great uncertainty, and in certain parts of the world, reverberating upheaval. given the time in which we live, these trained first century challenges are among the toughest we have faced in decades -- in many decades. this is why we are absolutely committed to leading a national security council with our president elect's vision to make america great again, that has its primary mission, its primary mission, the safety of the , and thepeople security of our nation. that mission is to be supported
  by an overarching policy of peace, of strength. as we examine and potentially re-baseline our relationships around the globe, we will keep in mind the sacrifices and deep commitments many of our allies, our partners have made on behalf of our security, our prosperity, as well as the security and prosperity of other freedom loving nations around the world. alliances are one of the great tools we have, and the strengths of those alliances magnify strengths. one of the strengths -- one of the strengths -- is the .napologetic defense of liberty ofs is the core element american exceptionalism and why america must and will remain a superpower. the exceptionalism that defined america from the start became the standard by which every other free people measure themselves and the standard by which we should measure
  ourselves. america might have its ups and downs. but the assumption have long been that american power would always be there, reliable, strong, present, and ready. we have always been the indispensable nation and we always will be. to that end, we must consider the elements that make us indispensable. i will touch on a few. this requires extraordinary foresight and vision that is able to transcend political ideologies, a matching long-term strategy that lays out a roadmap to keep us on track despite massive hurdles we may encounter on that path. to determinecesses validity and meaning that form our strategy. of lastly, some means measuring -- whether it is
  working or not -- and being accountable to ourselves. we have never -- we have never lost our sense of america or what it means to be american. faced with some of the darkest days of civil and foreign wars, economic depression, and the many recessions we have gone through, weak leadership at home or hostile threats from abroad, the american people always maintained their faith in the uniqueness of our democratic experiment, which produced the greatest force of economic growth and innovation and the greatest model for liberty the world has ever known. this will not ever change. this -- this is the essence of american leadership. whether we like it or not, the world needs us, and in fact
  demands it. what has changed is the nature and character of america's enemies. and the new and dangerous technological environment in which they operate. that is why we are committed to having the national security council continue to serve as the ,ulcrum of national security and national security decision-making, in the most effective way policy -- possible. on the national security council, we will serve for primary functions. will advise the president on national security issues. we will formulate national security policy in coordination with the interagency process. we will monitor how policy is carried out. and the staff of many national events that we are likely to encounter and i would add one additional function. i want to add that president-elect trump -- we need
  to help him work with our partners in congress on both sides of the aisle, despite the difficulties we will face. serving as the national security advisor is an awesome responsibility and it gets to the very essence of protecting and defending the american people, our homeland, and our constitution. given our responsibilities, it is our mission to ensure the president and the american people continue to be well served. in order to achieve that, we are absolutely committed to continuing to carry out this necessary reforms begun by previous administrations. all of this will be done in a spirit of working toward common national security goals, particularly protecting american values and principles. as we confront the serious threats facing us, we also
  recognize what makes our country exceptional is what we are defending every day, and that's freedom. fear who wenever are or shy away from the values and the principles that america represents. again, we have a lot of serious challenges in front of us. make no mistake about that. but we will face them. we will face these challenges, re-energizedth a sense of responsibility and purpose. lastly, finally, i will tell you and i, whereland very excited. we are ready to get started. we are very much looking forward to working with you throughout the room today and throughout this great country. thank you so much, and god bless america. [applause]
  >> thank you both for your thoughtful remarks and that symbolic gesture that is an important hallmark of what makes this country so special. we are now going to take a break for lunch, and you will notice we do not have any programming schedule during this time. we would encourage you to mingle, to sit with people you have not met before, to enjoy our lovely building and each other's company. to facilitate these conversations we have provided tables and seating and a variety
  of locations. on the third floor in the international women's common, above us on the second or in the leland aetrium, and in all of the conference rooms in the area in behind us in the tent, which we have a coffee break -- i have been on the board here for four years. i could not find all of these places. not to worry. there are staff around who will direct you to a quiet corner where you can meet and have direct conversations. so, please, enjoy your lunch and we will see you back here in a little over an hour. thanks very much. [applause]
  National Security Adviser Susan Rice spoke about the foreign policy accomplishments under the Obama administration, highlighting the Iran nuclear deal, new relations with Cuba, and the pivot to the Asia-Pacific region. Following her remarks, she ceremoniously "passed off" her role to incoming National Security Adviser, Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, who later in his remarks outlined national security challenges and priorities.
  
  Way back in November, I posted this pic & asked where it was. There were a couple of guesses, but none got it right. These water fountains are located in the front hall of our middle school - right across from Mrs. Allen's 8th grade English class & next to the boys bathroom.
  Below are a few more pics from our middle school, taken in October 2008 by Kathy Flynt. I've also tried to find an older picture of the same area for comparison.
  Here is the front hall of the middle school, looking north. If you went out the double doors way down at the end of this hall, you'd be heading towards the gym. You can see the set of water fountains on the right. The open door in the foreground is most likely Mrs. Rhoden's old room. I only have one memory of this room: spitwads.
  The main hall. Who had lockers in this hall? The retro-odd-shaped windows on the right look into the library.
  You can see the Alltel dude guarding the Library door and asking for old cell phones for recycling. Crazy... we didn't have cell phones in middle school. We didn't have cell phones in HIGH SCHOOL! Heck - recycling wasn't even invented yet, was it?