[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 25 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[Pages 1081-1083]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Satellite Remarks to the Southern Baptist Convention

 June 15, 2004

    Thank you all. Thank you very much, Jack. Thank you all very much. 
Thank you all. Thanks a lot. I appreciate that kind introduction from a 
fellow Texan. And I'm grateful for the chance to speak to this annual 
meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jack, you've done a great 
job, and I'm proud to call you friend.
    Laura and I are also thankful for your prayers. I have felt them at 
crucial hours. Your convention has a proud tradition going back to your 
first gathering in Augusta, Georgia, almost 160 years ago. You represent 
more than 16 million Southern Baptists and congregations all across our 
country and many others who serve as missionaries far from home. And all 
of you are living out the high calling of spreading the good news and 
proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
    Since I spoke to this convention 2 years ago, our country has been 
meeting great challenges. To defend our Nation, we have continued to 
pursue terrorists wherever they hide and plan, and one by one, we are 
bringing them to justice. In Afghanistan, we are standing with the 
Afghan people as they move toward free elections. In Iraq, America and 
our allies have set an entire nation free from the rule of a dictator. 
And at the end

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of this month, the world will see a sovereign government in Baghdad.
    The rise of free societies in Afghanistan and Iraq will provide a 
powerful example of liberty in a troubled region, and it will make the 
American people more secure. There are tough challenges remaining in 
both these nations. In Afghanistan and Iraq, we will finish the job.
    I appreciate your strong support for our efforts in the war on 
terror. I understand, as you do, that freedom is not America's gift to 
the world. Freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman who 
lives in this world.
    We are grateful for the blessing to live in a free nation with the 
strength to defend our Nation. And we will always be grateful to the 
brave men and women of the United States military who volunteer to 
defend us all.
    Here at home, we're making tremendous progress, and we've made 
tremendous progress over the past few years. We've reduced the tax 
burden on America's families and small businesses, leaving more money in 
the hands that earned it and, therefore, adding momentum to the growth 
of our economy. We've created more than 1.4 million jobs since last 
August. And over the past year, our economy has grown at its fastest 
rate in nearly 20 years.
    We brought high standards and accountability to the public schools 
so that no child is left behind. We've kept the commitments of Medicare 
by extending the benefits of modern health care and prescription drugs 
to millions of America's seniors and people with disabilities.
    We will build on our achievements in other areas as well. I will 
keep working to build a culture of life in America. I've been proud to 
sign the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act and legislation supporting 
maternity group homes. Earlier this year, I signed the Unborn Victims of 
Violence Act. Common sense and conscience tell us that when an expectant 
mother is killed, two lives are ended, and the criminal should answer 
for both crimes. Last November, I signed a law to end the brutal 
practice of partial-birth abortion. This law is not only valid and 
constitutional; it is compassionate and urgently needed; and my 
administration will fight to uphold it.
    We will also continue our support for crisis pregnancy centers, 
incentives for adoption, and parental notification laws. I proposed to 
double Federal funding for abstinence programs in schools and community-
based programs. And I will work with Congress to pass a comprehensive 
and effective ban on human cloning. Life is a creation of God, not a 
commodity to be exploited by man.
    My administration is defending the sanctity of marriage against 
activist courts and local officials who want to redefine marriage 
forever. The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human 
institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every 
religious faith. And Government, by strengthening and protecting 
marriage, serves the interests of all. So I am calling for funding for 
healthy marriage programs, and I support a constitutional amendment to 
protect marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
    I will continue our efforts to defend the liberty of religious 
organizations. Faith-based charities have a right to provide publicly 
funded social services, just like any other group. You see, our 
Government should welcome faith. So I have signed an Executive order 
allowing religious charities who seek Government support to compete for 
funding on a level playing field. I call on Congress to codify my Faith-
Based Initiative into law, so that people of faith can know Government 
will never discriminate against them again.
    It is my responsibility as your President to make sure the judicial 
system runs well, and I am meeting that duty. I have nominated superb 
men and women for the Federal courts, people who will strictly interpret 
the law, not legislate from the bench as activist judges. Some Members 
of the Senate are resorting to unprecedented tactics to block votes on 
my good nominees. This is unfair to the nominees and damaging to the 
judicial system. Every nominee deserves a fair hearing and a timely vote 
on the Senate floor. It is time for those Senators to stop playing 
politics with American justice.
    These years have brought trials we did not ask for and challenges we 
never expected to face. We have worked together, and we are

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rising to meet the duties of our time. Now we look forward with 
confidence and faith toward greater security and wider prosperity and a 
stronger culture of life. We pray always for God's guidance and strength 
in our lives and for this great nation.
    I thank you for the opportunity to speak to this convention. I'm 
sorry I couldn't be there in person. May God bless all of you, and may 
God continue to bless the United States of America.

Note: The President spoke by satellite at 3:51 p.m. from the Map Room at 
the White House to the annual meeting in Indianapolis, IN. In his 
remarks, he referred to Jack Graham, president, Southern Baptist 
Convention; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.