    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 51 (Monday, December 24, 2001)]
    [Pages 1807-1808]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Viewing the ``Spirit of Louisiana'' Firetruck for New York
    City

    December 19, 2001

        Gov. Mike Foster. And now, Chief, it's your turn. That's an intro.
    [Laughter]
        President Bush. I guess he meant Commander in Chief. [Laughter]
        Governor Foster. I just called you ``Chief''; you're big into
    nicknames. [Laughter]
        President Bush. Well, Governor, thanks for coming. You know, I
    always love Louisiana, and I love the people of Louisiana. And I always
    knew the people of Louisiana were a little different--[laughter]--in a
    good way. And you just showed the Nation why.
        So I want to welcome you all for coming. Thanks for being here,
    Mike, and it's good to see the first lady, too. Welcome to the White
    House, and welcome you all.
        This ``Spirit of Louisiana'' truck really does show the deep concern
    of the good folks of Louisiana. Everybody in our Nation realized on
    September 11th, we were all affected. They might have hit right around
    the corner here, and they might have hit in New York City, but it
    affected all of us. And the good people of Louisiana realize that.
        I particularly love this story, about how Ronnie decides to do
    something on behalf of the fellow citizens. So he gets on the phone and
    calls a local radio personality--the Governor. [Laughter] And out of
    that came a huge volunteer effort in the State of Louisiana to provide
    help and aid to the good people of New York City.
        And I think the Americans need to understand that this is the kind
    of story that makes our country so unique and so different. It's a story
    that makes me so proud to be the President of such a great--such great
    land.
        I want to thank Senator for coming; thank you, Mary, for being here.
    I want to thank the two Congressmen for being here; John and David,
    thank you all for coming. Welcome. I want to thank all the volunteers
    who worked on this project. I want to thank the firefighters and police
    officers from the State of Louisiana who've come. You obviously
    represent a noble profession and a profession that really knows no
    borders. And you're on your way to express your solidarity with people
    who fight fires. They may talk with a different accent, but they share
    the same dangers. And I appreciate you all coming, and I know people in
    New York City are really anxious to have you up there.
        One of the things I like to remind the enemy is, you thought you
    were going to change America when you hit us; you thought, by your
    actions and by your attacks, that somehow this Nation was so soft that
    we didn't know how to respond. And they're paying a terrible price for
    their miscalculation. We're making great progress in the first theater
    of this long war to rout terror where it may exist.
        I'm really proud of our military. I'm proud of the job they're
    doing. I'm proud of the fact that we've set a clear goal with certain
    objectives, and those objectives are being met.
        I know the Governor likes to hunt rabbits down in Louisiana.
    Sometimes those rabbits think they can hide from the Governor, but
    eventually, he smokes them out and gets them. And that's exactly what is
    happening to Mr. bin Laden and all the murderers that he's trying to
    hide in Afghanistan.
        But the other thing that the terrorist doesn't understand was how
    strong our--the strength of America. They didn't understand that. And
    the strength of America is our citizens: citizens who love each other;
    citizens who are decent; citizens who, when called upon, can respond to
    any adversity.
        And that's exactly what's happening here on the White House lawn
    today. People from all walks of life, all political parties, some of who
    probably have never been to New York City before, have said, ``What can
    I do to help? How can I help somebody whose lives have been adversely
    affected by the evil ones?'' And behind me sits the answer, one
    beautiful, well-manufactured truck, made by an entrepreneur in Louisiana
    who asked his people to work overtime, and they did, to

    [[Page 1808]]

    deliver it here today. I know I speak on behalf of all Americans: Thank
    you for what you're doing.
        No, they roused a mighty nation. They roused a mighty nation, and we
    will not be stopped. We're not going to be stopped overseas, and we're
    sure not going to be stopped here at home.
        I hope every family here and all the folks who volunteered to make
    this happen have a wonderful holiday season. May God bless your
    families, and may God continue to bless America. Thank you for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:50 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. M.J. ``Mike'' Foster, Jr., of
    Louisiana, and his wife, Alice; Ronald Goldman, who initiated the idea
    of the ``Spirit of Louisiana''; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida
    terrorist organization; and Chris Ferrara, president and chief executive
    officer, Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc.