THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all so very much. I'm sure glad to be
back in Knoxville, Tennessee. I want to thank you for your warm
welcome. I want to thank you for your hospitality. And I want to
thank you all for coming today to give me a chance to talk about some
-- to talk about the future of this great country, and why I'm
optimistic about the future of this great country, and why I'm so proud
to be an American, to be the President of this great country.
(Applause.)
It makes sense to come to the Volunteer State -- (applause) -- to
talk about the need for our citizens to help each other. I can
understand why the foes of the University of Tennessee dread hearing
"Rocky Top." (Laughter.) I mean, it kind of fired me up, standing
behind the -- (applause.) It reminds me of that great volunteer
spirit. Of course, in Texas, we really appreciate those Tennessee
volunteers coming down to help us out. (Applause.)
And I appreciate the Citizens Police Academy I went to today. It
shows the best of your city. You have a great Mayor, working with a
really fine Police Chief -- (applause) -- who are pooling the
resources, who are providing an avenue, an outlet, for people who care
about your community, a place for them to come and learn the skills
necessary to help protect the good people of Knoxville, should an
emergency arise.
I've come to highlight what works, so others around the country, if
they're interested in doing what is right, to encourage your citizens
to become involved. And so I want to thank the city of Knoxville,
Tennessee, for showing Americans -- for showing Americans how best to
help their communities. (Applause.) Thank you all.
I also want to thank the mayors and county officials from cities
from around our country. I had the honor of flying over from
Washington today with the fine Mayor of Washington, D.C., my friend,
Tony Williams. I also was with Mayor Jim Hahn from Los Angeles, and
others here, all of whom are utilizing their positions to encourage our
citizens to become more involved in our communities. And I want to
thank you all so very much for coming. We've got some mayors in Texas,
small towns, large towns, Republicans, Democrats, all of whom care
deeply about our country. (Applause.)
I want to thank so very much the members of the Tennessee
congressional delegation for being here, as well. You've sent a fine
group of folks to Washington. I enjoy working with them. I appreciate
their service to the country. And I want to thank you all for coming.
(Applause.)
I want to remind our fellow citizens that we have a volunteer
military. (Applause.) That we've asked our citizens to volunteer to
protect our country. And my attitude is, so long as we have a soldier
in harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the best support, the best
equipment possible. (Applause.)
I have submitted a budget to the United States Congress that
reflects the nature of the conflict with which we're faced. I've asked
for the largest increase in defense spending in 20 years -- not only
because it will fulfill our commitment to support our troops, but
because it recognizes that this country is in our war for the long
pull; that we're interested in defending freedom no matter what the
cost. (Applause.)
You know, I can't imagine what went through the minds of those who
felt like they could attack America. I can't imagine. (Applause.)
They must have thought we were so materialistic and so self-absorbed
and so weak that all we would do was file a lawsuit. (Laughter.) They
found out we're a different type of nation than they thought.
(Applause.)
They found out this nation will do what it takes to defend that
which we hold dear. And what we hold dear is freedom. (Applause.)
And it's important for the young, in particular, but all Americans to
understand that we seek -- we don't seek revenge, we seek justice.
(Applause.) It's hard for some to believe, but there are people in
this world who hate what America stands for. They hate the fact that
we believe people should worship freely. (Applause.) They hate the
fact that we believe there ought to be honest political discourse.
They hate the fact that we believe in human rights and the dignity and
worth of each individual. (Applause.) These people hate America. They
are cold-blooded killers, and the United States will hunt 'em down one
by one, and bring them to justice. (Applause.)
And thanks to our United States military and thanks to a coalition
we put together -- and thanks to the coalition we have put together, we
have freed the people of Afghanistan from one of the most repressive
regimes in the history of mankind. (Applause.) Not only are we
steadfast in our desire to defend that which we believe, we also are
willing to commit resources to free a nation.
Several weeks ago, young girls went to school for the first time in
Afghanistan. (Applause.) I'm proud of the United States of America.
I'm proud of our people. I'm proud of our resolve. I'm proud of the
unity. I'm proud of the patience of the American people. The American
people know what I know: that we have been called into action; that
history has given us a chance to lead; that history understands that we
now understand that history's call is to lead our vast coalition
against terrorists and to defend freedom, no matter what the cost.
And, my fellow Americans, I can assure you so long as I'm the
President, I will lead this world's coalition to defend our freedoms,
no matter what the cost. (Applause.)
I've heard talk about the budget and people saying, well, the
budget is too big for defense. Listen, the price of freedom is high.
I understand that. But it's not too high, as far as I'm concerned.
This nation can show the world what we stand for, and we can show
future generations what we're made out of.
Now, it's important for us to remain strong, and it's important for
us to do what we say we're going to do in the world. I said loud and
clear, either you were with us, or you're against us. (Applause.) And
I also said if you're going to harbor a terrorist or feed a terrorist
or think you can hide a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the ones
who came and murdered innocent Americans, and we're going to hold you
accountable. (Applause.)
And we're making good progress. We're making good progress. We're
hunting them down, and that's what has to happen. And we're doing it
in a way that sometimes doesn't make it in the newspapers, I understand
that. You know, and sometimes it doesn't have all the sensationalism
that some on the TVs would like to see. But you've just got to know
that your government is steady and deliberate and patient. There is no
cave deep enough to hide from the arm of justice of the United States
of America. (Applause.)
And while I recognize that the best way to secure our homeland is
to find the enemy wherever they hide, there's some stuff we need to do
at home, too. And we're doing it. And that is to have a homeland
security strategy that recognizes the importance of first responders.
I want to thank the police and fire officers and EMS teams, not only in
Knoxville, but around the country, for your sacrifice on behalf of the
citizens of your community. (Applause.)
We've got a strategy that makes sure our border security works
better, a strategy that responds to any bioterrorism type of attack.
We're doing a good job of buttoning-up our country. We're doing a much
better job of communicating between law enforcement agencies. You see,
you've got to know that anytime we get a hint, a scintilla of evidence
that somebody might be thinking about doing something to America, we're
responding. We're sharing information. We're on alert, and we're
working overtime. And we're working diligently to make sure the enemy
doesn't hit us again.
But there's some things that citizens can do, as well. People
often times ask me, what can I do to help? Well, let me give you some
suggestions today. One way to help is to volunteer. And I said to the
fellow citizens, give 4,000 hours of volunteer service for the rest of
your life. If you want to help America, step up, and serve your
community. And there are ways to do that. There are ways to do so on
the forefront of the war -- on the strategy to make sure America is
better prepared.
I have created what's called USA Freedom Corps. It's a chance for
citizens from all walks of life to serve, to serve by serving in
AmeriCorps, where you can help teach -- (applause) -- where you can
help people realize that the American experience is meant for us all,
or you can teach. Or Senior Corps; senior citizens can serve in the
Senior Corps programs. (Applause.)
Or the Peace Corps. We've had thousands of people now call in to
say they want to serve America's interest in the Peace Corps, by
helping to spread America's values. There are ways to serve. Today,
I'm talking about the Citizens Corps. It's an opportunity to work with
local officials to make the homeland security more prepared.
Interestingly enough, when I made the call for people to serve, we
had over a million hits on the web site for the Citizens Corps, and
25,000 Americans stepped up and said, we want to help, we want to apply
for Citizens Corps applications. (Applause.)
And here there are ways to help. We need volunteers who are
trained in emergency preparedness and response, to participate in what
we call community emergency response team programs. They first started
in Los Angeles, Mayor Hahn was telling me. All the cities represented
here on this stage have now got CERT programs. It gives people a
chance to be a part of an emergency response mechanism, both urban and
rural in America. If you're interested in helping, dial up the phone
and the web site I'm about to give you, so that you can be a part of
emergency preparedness in your communities.
We need volunteers on the neighborhood watch programs.
Neighborhood watch -- I hope you're familiar with it -- is a way for
communities to be -- citizens to become involved with making each
neighborhood more secure. Neighborhood watch is a structure which
already exists. We want to expand it in America. We want more folks
to be a part of the neighborhood watch program, to make our communities
more prepared.
Operation -- what's called -- we call it terrorism information
program, it's a TIP program. This is a program where truckers can
report anything that might be suspicious to local authorities. One of
the most innovative TIP programs in the country took place in Maine.
Governor King, working with the local FBI, signed up a lot of
lobstermen. So when they're out there pulling their pots to get the
lobsters, if they see something suspicious taking place along the Maine
coast, that they share information with the local jurisdictions, local
law enforcement jurisdictions. If people see anything suspicious,
utility workers, you ought to report it. This is a way to organize
that which already happens in our communities on a daily basis, and a
way to make the homeland more secure and more prepared.
We've got what's called the VIP program, VIPs. And that's
volunteers and police. And that's what we've talked about today here
in Knoxville. I don't know if you know this or not, but I would say
the vast majority of police departments need volunteer labor to help
make their departments function. The Chief here in Knoxville was
telling me that he could not live without the fact that we've got a lot
of volunteers right from your community, probably your neighbors, that
go down there on a daily basis, to help make the Police Department
function more smoothly. This is a good way to help in your community,
if you're interested in helping.
And then we have what's called the Medical Reserve Corps. This is
a chance for active and retired doctors and nurses to lend a hand in
preparing any community for an emergency. It makes a lot of sense to
say to a retired doc or a retired nurse, you know, you've still got
your skills. You still care about people. Here's a good way for you
to serve the community. We need this participation from our
citizenry. It's not only good for each community, it's good for the
citizens to know that they're helping to serve a great nation by
serving their community.
And so for those of you out there who are interested in
participating, I want you to call up this number, 1-800-USA-CORPS*, or
to dial up on the Internet, www.citizencorps.gov. This is a way where
you can help America. The government will help, as well. I put in my
budget $203 million to help on the Citizen Corps programs, $50 million
of which will be immediate through the supplemental.
* Correct phone number: 1-877-USA-CORPS
In other words, we're willing to fund. But what we can't do, is we
can't hire people. You've got to step up in the Citizen Corps. The
money is meant to enable. You're meant to provide the manpower. So
when a fellow American says, what can I do to help, what can I do to
help America be prepared better, here's a way you can help, and make a
huge difference in the communities in which you live.
And there's another way to help, too. It's by loving a neighbor
like you'd like to be loved yourself. (Applause.) You've probably got
a sense of my strong feelings about the enemy. I believe they're
evil. The best way to fight evil is to do some good. (Applause.) Let
me qualify that -- the best way to fight evil at home is to do some
good. The best way to fight them abroad is to unleash the military.
(Applause.)
It is so important for citizens in this country to put a face on
America for the world to see, the true face. And that's by loving
somebody. And that's by caring for somebody who needs a hand. You
know, it doesn't take much to help define the true face of America, it
really doesn't. It can mean just walking across the street to a
shut-in, and saying, I care for you, is there anything I can do to make
your day brighter? It certainly means mentoring a child; putting your
arm around a child, and say, you know, America is meant for you, and I
love you. (Applause.) It means organizing a program in your church or
your synagogue or your mosque, to help hear the universal call of
loving somebody just like you'd like to be loved yourself.
There are pockets of despair in America, and we need people of love
to go into those pockets, people of faith to go into those pockets of
despair, to help this country realize its potential. If you want to
join in the war against terror, you can join the Citizen Corps, or you
can act out of compassion and concern, to help make somebody's life
brighter. It is the gathering momentum of millions of acts of kindness
and decency and compassion which show the world the true face of
America. Not only are we strong militarily, but we've got great hearts
and great compassion about our fellow human men and women.
And therefore, my fellow Americans, if you want to join us, if you
want to make the country stronger, participate; help somebody in need.
You know, I truly believe that out of this evil is going to come
incredible good. (Applause.) I believe that by remaining strong in
the face of terror, that we can lead the world to peace. I believe
there's going to be some problems in the world that can be solved with
American strength and American leadership, and a coalition that refuses
to bend when it comes to the defense of terror. And out of evil will
come some incredible good in America, some of incredible good.
Many of you know what I'm talking about when I say that families
have taken a good look at what's important in their life. Moms and
dads have now said that they're going to love their children with all
their heart and all their soul. They're going to focus their love and
attention on being the best parent they can possibly be, as we've taken
a good look at the value systems that are important for our future.
You know, Flight 93 told me a lot about America. Here we were in
the midst of this beginning of the new war of the 21st century, and
some men and women on a flight decided that they needed to save
others. They were on cell phones with their loved ones. They told
them they loved them. They said a prayer. They said, let's roll, and
they saved lives on the ground. (Applause.)
It is that spirit -- it is that spirit that is alive and well in
America. And it's that spirit that makes me so optimistic about the
future of this great country. I want to thank you all so very much for
coming. I want to thank you for your strong support for our country.
I want to thank you for your patience. I want to thank you for your
understanding about what lies ahead for the country. But most of all,
I want to thank you for working hard to make your neighborhood and your
community the best place it can possibly be for each one of us who's
lucky enough to call themselves an American.
And I want you to know, I can't tell you what an honor it is to be
the President of the greatest land on the face of the earth. God
bless. (Applause.)