    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [January 31, 2002]
    [Pages 155-159]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta
    January 31, 2002

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Nice to be here at the home of the
    mighty Bulldogs. Whew, I'm glad I'm not on the other team. I'm so
    honored to be here.
        I was specially interested to learn this was Martin Luther King,
    Jr.'s, high school. And I want the students to understand something
    about his life. It goes to show that an individual can make a huge
    difference in the lives of our fellow citizens. In his case, he made
    history. In your case, it could be just loving somebody. The lesson of
    Martin Luther King is a powerful lesson and is part of my--what I want
    to talk about today.
        But before I do so, I've got some introductions I want to make.
    First, I am honored that your Governor is with
    us, Governor Roy Barnes. I appreciate it--and the first lady. And like me, he married above himself. [Laughter] First
    lady of Georgia, it's good to see you. Thank you.
        I appreciate members of the congressional delegation coming. Oh, I
    know generally a Democrat is not supposed to show up when a Republican
    shows up, and a Republican's not supposed to show up when a Democrat
    shows up. But there is a new attitude in America today. I'm a proud
    Republican. Cynthia McKinney and John
    Lewis and Zell Miller are
    proud Democrats. Saxby's a proud Republican.
    Cleland is a proud Democrat. But first and
    foremost, we're all proud Americans.
        I appreciate so very much members of the house and the senate--State
    house and the senate for coming over to say hello today. I'm honored
    that your mayor is here. Thanks for coming.
        I'm so pleased that a member of my Cabinet came. I picked a good man
    when I picked the Secretary of Education.
    I didn't pick somebody who dwelt on theory. I picked on somebody who is
    experienced. You know, you have a chance to--got to choose all kinds of
    people when you pick your Cabinet. I wanted somebody who actually
    understood how public education worked because he had lived in public
    education. This man ran the toughest, biggest, orneriest school district
    in the State of Texas, the Houston Independent School District, and he
    did a great job there. And he's doing a great job as the Secretary of
    Education. I appreciate you.
        I want to thank your superintendent of schools here in Atlanta, Dr.
    Beverly Hall. Thank you for coming, Beverly.
        One lesson I have learned not only as Governor but as President,
    that a school really functions well if it's got a fine
    principal. And you've got a fine principal.
    They

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    love you. I want to thank all the teachers who are here. I'm honored to
    be in your presence. I want to thank not only the Teach For America
    teachers who are here; I want to thank all the teachers who are here.
    Yours is a noble, important profession.
        For those of you who have yet to graduate from high school, who are
    wondering what life might hold for you, wondering what your career might
    be, please give teaching a consideration. Please look at teaching. There
    is no better way to leave a mark, a positive mark on the life of
    America.
        One of the things I like to do is herald kind of the quiet heroes of
    our society. In this case, I want to talk about a social entrepreneur,
    someone who had a dream and a vision and implemented it. And that's the
    founder and president of Teach For America, Wendy Kopp. Now, for those of you who don't--[applause]--she
    brought some of her family members here. [Laughter]
        It is--Wendy shows that with strength of
    purpose and setting goals and striving for a better tomorrow, it is
    possible to make a huge difference. Out of an idea came the desire to
    convince folks to teach in schools that are having trouble to get
    teachers. And she had succeeded way beyond what people thought a single
    person can do. There are 8,000 Teach For America teachers and alumni
    around the country. I am proud to stand up and talk about the best of
    America in Wendy Kopp. Wendy, thank you for what you do.
        I am proud of a country that is unified and strong. You know, I like
    to put it this way: The enemy must have been watching too much daytime
    TV. They thought we were weak. They thought we would roll over by one
    single attack. My, my, were they mistaken. The enemy thought that we
    were too materialistic, too self-absorbed, that we would tire and weary.
    No, this United States is united. We are strong. We are determined. We
    are patient. We are resolved to rout out terror wherever it exists to
    save the world for freedom.
        And it's important to do so. History has called us into action. And
    we cannot weary. Oh, I know some are--some, the farther we get away from
    September the 11th, are going to say, ``Well, gosh, do we really need to
    go through this?'' Listen, I want you all to know, every morning I walk
    into a fabulous office, the Oval Office, and I sit down in my desk, and
    I read a report, a threat assessment about what the enemy wants to do.
    There are still designs on America. The evil ones can't stand a nation
    that is free. Evil people can't stand free people. And so, they still
    want to hit us. My most important job is to make sure that this Nation
    is secure and safe.
        We're doing everything we can at home to find out, to track down
    anybody who would dare hurt innocent United States citizens. And we're
    making pretty good progress. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's major
    task now, its most important job, is to protect the homeland. We've got
    thousands of agents tracking down any hint, any lead, making sure that
    America is safe.
        I've got a Homeland Security Office, all designed to work to make
    sure that a bioterrorist attack can be responded to, to make sure our
    heroic police and firefighters have the tools necessary to respond, to
    be active and first-responders, to make sure we understand who's coming
    into our country and who's leaving our country.
        We're doing everything we can at home. But I want to tell you all,
    as plainly as I can, the best homeland defense, the best way to make
    sure America is secure and free, is to find the enemy where it hides and
    bring them to justice. And we're making good progress, and I appreciate
    the resolve and patience of our country. I appreciate the unity that
    stands behind the men and women who wear our uniform.
        I sent such brave, brave men and women into a tough conflict. And I
    want to tell you, they haven't let us down. I see some students with
    your uniforms on. If you

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    choose to go into the military, I want to thank you and let you know
    that your Government will stand squarely behind you. Whatever it takes
    to win the war on terror, we will pay it.
        I said to the people who killed thousands of Americans that we're
    coming after you, that we won't let your evil acts stand. I also said
    that if you hide one of those people, if you feed one of those people,
    you're just as guilty as those who attacked America. And the Taliban has
    learned the lesson of that doctrine. They no longer are in power, thank
    God, for women and children in Afghanistan. Our Nation has liberated--we
    not only served to bring justice--not revenge but justice--we have
    liberated women and children who lived under the most oppressive
    regime--one of the most repressive regimes in this history of mankind. I
    am proud of this great country.
        When you graduate this year if you're a senior, you're the first--
    yes, sir--you're the first--[laughter]--you're the first senior class
    that has graduated after America has been attacked on the homeland.
    Think about that. That is historic, and it's not over unless we pursue
    our mission.
        And so, therefore, the mission is not just those who flew into the
    building. These people, the Al Qaida people, trained thousands of people
    in their camps before we started moving on them. I say thousands of
    ticking timebombs ready to go off. And therefore, we must be relentless
    in our pursuit, not just in Afghanistan, but wherever they hide.
        That's why it's so important to have a vast coalition of nations,
    friendly nations together. And it's why it's important for our country
    to continue to lead, to make sure that part of the doctrine that says,
    ``Either you're with us, or you're against us,'' is enforced. It is so
    important that we fight for freedom, so young can grow up in a free
    society.
        We're also in a pretty dangerous phase of the first theater in the
    war against terror. Because, remember, we're chasing down people who, on
    the one hand, send youngsters to their suicide deaths, and on the other,
    try to burrow in the ground in caves as deep as they can come. But
    they're about to learn this lesson from our country: They can run, and
    they can hide, but they can't run and hide long enough, because this
    patient people are going to bring them to justice, no matter how long it
    takes.
        I also talked yesterday about countries that are developing weapons
    of mass destruction that could be used to hurt ourselves or our allies
    or our friends. And we're just not going to sit back and let them do it.
    They now have been warned. They can change their behavior, and I hope
    they do.
        Some nations are already changing their behavior as a result of the
    United States leading a strong coalition. Now they know, and now they
    can change. But one thing they've got to know is for certain: We will
    not let them use their weapons of mass destruction to threaten the
    security of the United States of America. They are on notice, and I
    expect them to make the right decisions about being a peaceful nation, a
    nation that doesn't want to harm our allies and friends, a nations that
    respects common values, and a nation that adheres to freedom. We have
    that obligation to future generations of Americans, and it's an
    obligation I assure you that I will keep.
        Out of this evil came some incredible good. No one wished what
    happened on September the 11th happened. But out of evil came great good
    in the country, and I want to share some of that with you. The country
    has taken an assessment of what's important in life. We've kind of
    stepped back and said--one thing we've said in Washington is, politics
    is important, but it's not nearly as important as winning a war.
    Politics is important--listen, we're all politicians; anybody who's
    holding office saying they're not a politician isn't telling

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    the truth--but at least we can put something greater than self; at least
    we can figure out how to do something more important than political
    party. And we did so, by the way, with an education bill.
        I know, you're not supposed to stand up if you're a Republican and
    say something nice about Ted Kennedy. But
    I did, for a right reason, because we worked together, Republicans and
    Democrats, to fashion a really good piece of legislation that empowers
    the Governors and local people to make the right decisions, but also
    says, we're not going to stand for a system that simply shuffles
    children through. We know who gets harmed in a system that gives up on
    kids early. And we're not going to stand for it in America because every
    child can learn, and no child should be left behind in this country.
        There are ways to fight terror other than wearing a uniform. A
    teacher fights terror every day by walking into a classroom and teaching
    children how to read and write and add and subtract. A church group can
    do it by helping people in need. A synagogue can organize ways to help
    elderly, for example. There's all kinds of ways to fight evil.
        People ask me, ``What can I do to help? What can I do to help?''
    Well, if you're dedicating your time to volunteer work, you're already
    helping. And I ask America, young and old alike, to dedicate at least 2
    years of your life, 4,000 hours over your lifetime, to service to your
    fellow man, to service to your Nation, by serving somebody else.
        And it's happening. Listen, I know Atlanta, Georgia, and I know the
    country. There are thousands of people dedicating thousands of hours.
    And for that, I am grateful. Just keep doing it. But some are asking,
    ``What can I do to help?'' As a matter of fact, some in our society have
    never been challenged to help. After all, we've been living through an
    era that said, ``If it feels good, just go ahead and do it.'' My dream
    is to change that culture to one in which each of us are responsible for
    the decisions we make in life. If you have a child, you're responsible
    for loving the child. If you're in a community, you have a
    responsibility of loving your fellow man, just like you'd like to be
    loved yourself.
        No, we can change, use the evil to help usher in a period of
    personal responsibility. And part of an era of personal responsibility
    is to help somebody, is to help somebody in need. And so I've set up a
    program called the USA Freedom Corps. If you're looking for someplace to
    help, here's a chance. If you want to participate in the good of your
    country, here's your opportunity to do so, and all you've got to do is
    pick up the phone and dial 1-877-USA-CORPS. [Laughter] That's all you've
    got to do, and they will help you.
        And we've got some ideas for you. If you're a senior citizen, join
    Senior Corps and help make your community more alert to the potential of
    attack or help develop an emergency response team. If you're a retired
    doc, participate with your local health systems to prepare your
    community and your neighborhood for what we hope doesn't happen.
        If you want to participate in USA Freedom Corps, it's
    usafreedomcorps.gov, if you're one of these computer-literate type
    people. [Laughter] If you want to help, and you feel like you want to
    take your compassion overseas, we're going to expand the Peace Corps
    mission. And we're going to send people into the Islamic world for the
    first time, or one of the first times, to make sure we spread America's
    compassion and hope.
        And you need to help at home as well. One way you can help is to
    become a mentor. One way you can help is to find a child who needs
    somebody older in their life who can put their arm around them and say,
    ``I love you. There's hope for you. What can I do to help you succeed in
    America?''

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        And another way you can help--and I hope young Americans all across
    the country think about joining Teach For America---- it is a part of
    AmeriCorps. And our goal is to expand AmeriCorps by 200,000 volunteers
    this year. And I thank my friend Steve Goldsmith for helping shepherd this program forward. He's a
    former mayor of Indianapolis. He understands how to rally community-
    based programs for the greater good.
        And so, my fellow Americans, if you care about America, put 4,000
    hours of service toward America. It will help defeat what the enemy
    wants.
        You know, I tend to speak, I hope, plainly enough for people to
    understand. I view this as good versus evil. There is no middle ground,
    as far as I'm concerned. And therefore, in order to fight evil, what
    this Nation must do is to gather the collective hearts, the good decency
    of our American people and show the world we're not going to be
    intimidated. We will not be intimidated overseas. We will not change at
    home.
        What we will do is take the momentum of millions of acts of decency
    and convert that to the greater good. We've got a huge challenge against
    us--for us, a huge challenge, a huge hill to climb in America, winning
    the war on terror and changing the culture for the better. But guess
    what we're fixing to do? We're fixing to show the world the strength of
    America. We're fixing to overcome our obstacles. We're going to lead the
    world toward a more compassionate, more decent, more free tomorrow.
        It is such an honor to be the President of such a great nation. And
    we're a great nation because we're a great people. May God bless you
    all, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:56 p.m. in the gymnasium. In his remarks,
    he referred to Governor Roy E. Barnes of Georgia and his wife, Marie;
    Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta; Shirley Kilgore, principal, Booker T.
    Washington High School; and Stephen Goldsmith, chair, board of
    directors, Corporation for National and Community Service. The Executive
    order of January 29 establishing the USA Freedom Corps is listed in
    Appendix D at the end of this volume.