FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 08, 2002
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
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President Promotes Citizen Corps for Safer Communities |
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Multimedia |
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Remarks by the President on Citizens Corps
Knoxville Civic Center
Knoxville, Tennessee
1:30 P.M. EDT
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.
Operationÿwhat'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.)
END 1:55 P.M. EST
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