For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 30, 2002
President Launches USA Freedom Corps
Remarks by the President on Citizen Preparedness
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much for such a warm,
North Carolina welcome. (Applause.) I hope I
didn't keep you up too late last
night. (Laughter.) I usually get to bed about
9:00 p.m. -- but I obviously had something to
say. (Applause.) I said that even though we're
at war, even though we're at recession, the state of our union has
never been stronger. (Applause.)
And I know why. And the reason why is because we're a
nation of strong Americans. It is such an honor to be the
President of such a fabulous country. And I'm proud to be
here with you to share some of my thoughts and hopes and concerns.
Before I begin, I want to thank your Chief, she has done a fabulous
job. I loved it when the men and women who wear the blue
stood up when the Chief came out and led the round of applause. It shows
that she knows how to lead. So, Chief, thank you for being here and thank
you for honoring me with your presence. (Applause.)
I'm proud that Tom Ridge is traveling with me today. He
and I were governors together. (Applause.) Never
did I dream that I'd ask him to come and serve in an important capacity
-- and that is to protect our homeland -- because we never thought we'd
be attacked. But we have been. And now it's time for this
country to respond in a positive way, and I am so proud of the effort
he is leading to secure the homeland of the United States of America.
I'm also glad Allbaugh is here. Obviously, I didn't pick
him because he's pretty. (Laughter.) He's got a
face only his mother would love -- (laughter) -- if she stretches
it. (Laughter.) But I've known him for a long
time. He was with me in Texas. He understands how
to manage an organization. And the organization he manages
is FEMA, so that if there ever is an emergency in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina, you'll get the absolute best service from your federal
government.
I want to thank both members for being here, both men for being
here today. (Applause.)
I flew down on the airplane today with some distinguished members
of the North Carolina congressional delegation. First, a
true gentlemen -- and somebody, every time I sees him, talks about
North Carolina in the most glowing terms, and that's Senator Jesse
Helms. (Applause.)
And then we let somebody from Hickory, North Carolina travel with
us. (Applause.) Old Cass Ballenger. I appreciate
you being here, Cass. (Applause.) Congressman Mel Watt is
with us today, too. Thank you, Congressman, for coming;
honored you're here. (Applause.)
My first meeting was in his district, and then I crossed the line
and came into Richard Burr's district, Congressman Richard
Burr. (Applause.) Richard told me that his mother and daddy
are here. Where? There you go.
(Applause.) I hope he listens to you,
mom. You better tell him. He probably listens to
you about as much as I listen to my mother. (Laughter.) A
lot, by the way. (Laughter.)
I'm also so proud, the other night I invited one of our nation's
foremost couples for dinner. Unfortunately, only the husband
could come. We got stuck with the short straw in this couple, because
the wife was here doing hard work in North Carolina -- the lady who wasn't at dinner
was Miss Elizabeth Dole. Thank you for
coming. (Applause.) My hope, of course, is that
we'll be able to dine frequently. (Laughter and applause.)
I'm told your good governor is here -- the Governor of the State of
North Carolina, Mike Easley. (Applause.) I know
your mayor is here, because I traveled with him in the
limousine. We had a good visit, newly-elected Mayor Joines
of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Thank you, Mr.
Mayor. (Applause.)
We've got leaders from the state delegation. I know the
leader of the Senate is here on the Republican side; members of the House and the
Senate. I'm so honored you all would take time to come and
pay a visit. I
know that we've got people who have made huge sacrifices in their
life with us today, men and women who wear our uniform. We
are so grateful for your service to our
community. (Applause.)
I'm told there are some volunteer firefighters
here. (Applause.) I'm
a proud contributor to the Crawford Volunteer Fire
Department. One of the things I'll be talking about a little later on is how we can
encourage volunteers to help police and firefighters all across the
country.
The volunteer fire departments have already shown
how to help. It is made up of people who understand that in
order to make their community, people must stand up and say, how can I help. So I want to thank all
the volunteer firefighters who are here today. (Applause.)
We're making great progress in our war against
terror. We have totally routed out one of the most
repressive governments in the history of mankind, the Taliban. (Applause.)
When I made
our announcement last September about our intentions, I said the evil
won't stand. And to nations that feel like they can harbor
evil, or support terrorists, they, too, are just as guilty as a
terrorist. We not only made the message clear, we
delivered. (Applause.)
And that's because this patient nation has got a fine, strong
United States military. And this country is going to back
them to the hilt in our war against terror. (Applause.)
We're making good progress. We put together a great
coalition of nations around the world, with this
message: Either you're with us or you're against
us. Either you're on the side of freedom and justice, or you
aren't.
And the good news is most people are beginning to
see the wisdom of being on the side of freedom and
justice. (Laughter and applause.)
We're after them. But the good news to report for our
side, and the bad news for the evil, is that we're patient, and we're
determined, and we will not stop until we achieve all our objectives.
The first objective was to hold the Taliban government hostage and
to liberate a people. And this proud nation did
so. One of my favorite images was to see liberated women and
children with joy on their faces, thanks to the United States
military. (Applause.)
We haven't forgot our other objective, and that's bad news for al
Qaeda. Our other objective is to run them down, wherever
they hide, and bring them to justice. Or, as I like to say,
get 'em. (Laughter and applause.) It's going to
take a while. There are caves in rugged parts of Afghanistan where these people may be hiding. But they
better not think they can hide forever --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Give 'em what-for,
G! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: -- because our only objective is not al
Qaeda; our objective is broader than one person, or a handful of
people. We'll get 'em. We're going to get
'em.
We're going to bring them to justice, make no mistake
about it, my fellow Americans. (Applause.) But
the call is bigger than that. In order to make sure our
children can grow up in a free world, and a civilized world, we must rout out terror wherever it
exists, wherever it hides.
The doctrine that says you're just as guilty as the terrorist
applies not only in Afghanistan, but worldwide. Our mission
is to make the world free from terror. And this mighty
country will not tarry, and we will not fail in our love and our quest
for freedom. (Applause.)
I told the people last night that one of the things we discovered
in Afghanistan in the caves was that they've got designs on our
homeland still, of course. We also believe they've trained
thousands and thousands of killers that are around the
world. That's why we're not going to rest.
That's why we're going to remind the nations around the world that
we can't rest. We have no choice, and we're not going to.
I also made it clear that if you're a nation that's going to
develop weapons of mass destruction, you, too -- you, too -- are on our
radar screen; you, too, if you've got a history of repression and
violence and disregard for human rights and are developing a weapon of
mass destruction -- you, too, are now on notice that the United States
of America will do whatever it takes to defend our
security. (Applause.)
And, therefore, the budget I sent to Congress makes a priority for
national defense. Our soldiers deserve the best equipment,
the best training, and a pay raise as we fight this war against
terror. (Applause.)
I also want Americans to know that we will do everything we can to
secure the homeland. And, therefore, I submitted a budget
that increases homeland security, increases the monies for homeland
security.
Tom Ridge is developing a coordinated strategy
that will provide research for vaccines to fight bioterrorism, that
will send more equipment and training money to first-responders --
those are the police and firefighters all across
America.
We'll keep a closer eye on our
border. We want to make sure we understand who's coming in
and who's going out.
We want to do everything we can to secure America, to secure our
nation. (Applause.)
Part of the initiative I called on will call upon people to help us
with the homeland security, and I will explain that a little
later. But you've got to know that every day your federal
government and law enforcement officials are doing everything we can to
find them, to make sure they don't hit us, to protect the American
people.
My most important job is the security of America; is
the security of Americans. I will not rest until we finally
win this war on terror, because I understand the best
way to secure America is to find terrorists where they live and
bring them to justice. And that's exactly what this country is
going to do. (Applause.)
I also spent some time last night talking about economic security.
We're talking about homeland security, and part of having a secure
homeland is to make sure people can work, that there are jobs available for
people who want to work.
And so, on the one hand, I think Congress ought to help those who
are unemployed. But I understand people don't want an
unemployment check, they want a steady paycheck. (Applause.) And so
the thing Congress has got to do is create jobs, jobs for Americans, jobs for people who want to
work. (Applause.)
You probably remember the debate on taxes. Thank
goodness we cut taxes when we
did. (Applause.) The best way -- the best way to
help an economy recover is to let hard-working people keep more of
their money.
When they get more money in their pocket, they spend more
money; and as they spend more money, it helps create
jobs. Tax relief is an important way to battle
recession. And for those who want to do away with tax relief -- you don't know what you're talking about. You don't
raise taxes. (Applause.) We don't raise taxes in the middle
of a recession.
We've got to trust people with their own money. I'm not
sure what textbook some of them are reading up
there. (Laughter.) But, obviously, it's not the
same one we've been reading here in this room.
I will tell you another way to create jobs, is to open up markets.
Listen, our farmers in America are the best in the
world. We've got the best agriculture
sector. (Applause.)
If we're the best at
something, it seems like we ought to sell it. The more we
can sell, the more jobs there are. The more markets that
open for U.S. producers, the more jobs there will be for U.S. workers.
I'll tell you another way to create jobs, is to have an energy
policy; is to finally get an energy policy that does several
things. First of all, if you're trying to create jobs and
you're not sure what the price of energy is going to be, it makes job
creation less certain.
If there's a price spike, it's harder
to hire somebody. If there's uncertainty in supply, it's
harder to plan for the future. And, therefore, having an
energy policy makes sense. It makes sense from an economic
perspective.
We've got to conserve more; we've got to utilize technology
more. But for the sake of national security, we must find more oil and gas at
home to become less reliant on foreign sources of
oil. (Applause.)
I'm proud of the work we did on an education bill. I
know a lot of you here are concerned about your public schools, and so
am I.
I want the best, and so do you. I want to
make sure every child learns, and no child gets left
behind. We worked well together. I said last
night in the middle of the speech that I was proud to work with
Republicans, proud to work with Democrats. I was even proud
of the efforts -- very proud of the efforts of Ted Kennedy.
Now, I understand in North Carolina -- (laughter) -- and in parts
of Texas -- (laughter) -- they may not understand a good conservative
Republican like me saying nice things about liberal Ted Kennedy.
(Laughter.)
But I'm going to tell you something -- he cares
about public schools like I do. He, too, doesn't want any
child left behind. We set aside our parties and focused on
America and did what was right for the school children of
America. (Applause.)
A good job means good education. A good education means
good jobs. In order to have good jobs, you've got to have a good
education system.
And so, therefore, we passed a good piece of
legislation -- provides more money for at-risk kids, but also trusts
the good people of North Carolina to make the decisions for the
children of North Carolina.
The people who care more about
the children who live in Winston-Salem are the moms and dads and
community leaders of Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. (Applause.)
And we've obviously got more to do, and we're going to get a lot
done if we focus on America. If we focus on
results. If we don't play the politics of the old days,
where you try to tear the other guy down in order
to get ahead. We've got to get rid of that attitude in
Washington. And when we do, the country will be better off
for it. (Applause.)
And that's what the country expects. This country
expects the best --
the best. This country is taking an assessment right now
of what's important. The evil ones thought that we were
weak. They didn't understand us. As I say, they
were probably watching too much daytime TV.
(Laughter.) This is a strong nation. This is
a compassionate nation. This is a decent nation. And this
is a nation that will not let terrorists change our way of life.
As a matter of fact, what the terrorists have done has caused us to
take an assessment of what's important. And one of the
things of my job is to capture this new spirit. I had been concerned for too
long about a culture that says, if it feels good, just go ahead and do
it.
I believe that this nation is strong enough and focused enough and
dedicated enough to usher in a culture that says, each of us are
responsible for the decisions we make in life. (Applause.)
Part of our responsibility understands that if you happen to be a
mom or a dad, that your most important job will be to love your
children with all your heart and all your
soul. (Applause.)
Part of our responsibility is
corporate responsibility. And corporate America must be open
about its books and accounting systems -- (applause) -- so that
shareholders and employees know the full truth about what's going on,
on balance sheets. (Applause.)
Part of being a responsible society -- part of being a responsible
society is for people to love your neighbor just like you'd like to be
loved yourself. (Applause.) And part of being a
responsible society is to serve your community. And so my call to America is -- I
hope and ask that
you serve your community you live in and your nation by two years
of service, 4,000 hours of service over your lifetime.
Now, many of you do that, I know. And many of you go to
your Sunday school class and figure out ways to help a neighbor in
need. Some of you walk across the street to a shut-in and
say, I love you, can I care for you.
Many of you
mentor. I hope you keep doing that, that's part of the 4,000
hours I asked for you to do for your nation, for the good of your
community.
Some don't know where to start, and I've got, obviously, a good
idea, and that is for the USA Freedom Corps. It's a chance
to serve your nation in three different ways. One is to be a
part of making sure your community
is prepared for any emergency that might happen. I went
over with the Chief today earlier and sw a community collaboration that
is very strong and powerful that you have here in Winston in
Salem. You need to be proud of it.
Proud of the fact that your police chief and your fire chief and
your mayor, your emergency responders, the National Guard have
developed a -- hospitals and docs and nurses -- have developed an
emergency response plan; a plan that will help the citizens deal with an emergency, should
it occur here in Winston-Salem. It's an integral part of
preparing your community.
By the way, by preparing your community for an emergency, you also
leave a legacy behind that will make your community
better. The more the police and fire work together, the more
likely it is your communities will be safe.
But one of the things we're asking is for people to volunteer.
Ex-policemen or ex-firefighters, retired docs or nurses -- make
yourself available to be a part of your emergency response teams in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, or any other community in North Carolina
or the country, for that matter.
A second way that we can serve our community is through
AmeriCorps. I want to expand the size of AmeriCorps by 200,000 volunteers, many
of whom will end up teaching in inner-city schools. I'm
going to Atlanta, Georgia, tomorrow to herald a great program called "Teach For
America."
It is a place where youngsters -- or oldsters, for
that matter -- who are interested in serving their community can
teach. I can't think of a more noble profession and a better
way to serve your community than teaching. (Applause.)
We're going to expand Senior Corps, as well, to give our seniors a
chance to continue to lend their expertise and judgment and wisdom in
the communities in which they live.
And, finally, I believe that one thing we must do -- and I spent
some time talking about it last night -- was to expand the Peace Corps,
revitalize the mission, encourage the Peace Corps to go into the
Islamic world to spread the message of economic development and really
share the compassion of a great nation, and that is
America. These are ways you can help. These are
ways that you can be a part of serving your nation.
Along these lines, I've asked a friend of mine who has served my
administration well, to be a director, the executive director of this
USA Freedom Corps. He is an integral part of our
team.
And by taking him off the Domestic Policy Council and
putting him in charge of USA Freedom, I am obviously making a strong
commitment to the future of this organization. He'll be held
accountable.
When we say we're going to get more people
involved, I'll be asking him on a regular basis, how're we
doing. If we're not doing that well, how come. What can we do to make it
better.
But I'd like you to welcome the new Executive Director, John
Bridgeland. (Applause.)
Now, in order to make sure people who want to sign up -- if you
listened to the speech last night, you know, people were saying, well,
gosh, that's nice, he called me to action; where do I
look?
Well, here's where. At
usafreedomcorps.gov. If you want to find out how you can
join the USA Freedom Corps or, for that matter, figure out how to help
to serve your community outside of the USA Freedom Corps -- because, as
I understand, we've got it tied into websites, for example, the
community services in Winston-Salem -- dial up usafreedomcorps.gov.
Or you can call this number -- it sounds like I'm making a pitch,
and I am. (Laughter.) This is the right thing to
do for America. 1-877-USACorps. If somebody out there is
interested in figuring out how to serve, it's 1-877-USACorps.
Now, people ask me all the time, what can I do to
help. How can I be a part -- oh, by the way, I look forward
to working with my old rival on this initiative.
One of the
things that John McCain spent a lot of time talking about when we ran
against each other, and still spends a lot of time talking about, is
service.
He's a man who understood service to his
country. He's a man who knows that America will be better
off as we serve our country. And I look forward to working
with Senator McCain and Senator Bayh of Indiana to get this legislation through the Congress.
People, though, come up to me all the time and say, well, gosh,
that's good, we're winning. I say, we are, and we've got a lot
more to do and it's going to take a while. They say, what
can I do to help. You know, you've heard me talk about this,
probably, but I really, truly view this is a conflict between good and evil. And there really isn't
much middle ground -- like none. (Laughter.) The
people we fight are evil people. They have no regard for human
life. They believe in tyranny.
Their history has
shown exactly what I'm talking about. Imagine a society
where women are brutalized, children aren't educated, young girls have
no chance of getting an education. It is a backward,
barbaric point of view. And those are the kind of people --
but the people we're after embraced that point of view.
And, obviously, if you want to fight evil, we've figured out a way
to do so militarily. That's one way. But at home,
you fight evil with acts of goodness. You overcome the evil
in society by doing something to help somebody. It's the
collection -- what I called last night, the momentum of
a million acts of kindness. That's the collective soul
of the country. Millions of acts of kindness and decency that take
place not because of the government, but because this is a nation of heart, a nation that
cares, a nation of fine, fine people.
If people want to fight terror, do something kind for a neighbor.
Join the USA Freedom Corps. Love somebody. Mentor
a child. Stand up to evil with acts of goodness and
kindness.
Not only will our country be better, but we'll
show the world -- we will show the world that values, universal values
must be respected, and must be adhered to. And as a result,
the world will be more
peaceful. History has called us to
action, and action we will take. (Applause.)
It is such an honor -- I want to repeat where I started -- it is
such an honor to be the President of such a great land, to be given the
opportunity to lead a land full of such great people. Fight
on, America. I love you. God bless. (Applause.)