George W Bush Cant Get Fooled Again

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For Firsthand Release
Function of the Printing Secretary
September 17, 2002

Remarks by the President on Teaching American History and Civic Education
Eastward Literature Magnet Schoolhouse
Nashville, Tennessee

ane:05 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Thanks for that warm welcome -- actually warm welcome. (Laughter.) Across America today, Americans are reciting 31 world -- words that help ascertain our country. In one time sentence we affirm our grade of government, our belief in human nobility, our unity every bit a people, and our reliance on Providence.

And this pledge takes on a special meaning in a time of state of war. Our enemies hate these words. That's what you've got to empathise. They hate the words, and they desire to erase them. Nosotros're determined to stand for these words, and live them out in our lives. Our fidelity has never been stronger. We've never been more than determined. And nosotros must piece of work to teach our children to dearest our nation as much equally we exercise.

I want to thank you all for coming today. I particularly want to thank our Secretarial assistant of Education for traveling with me -- Rod Paige. I picked Rod out of a lot of really good candidates because I wanted somebody to be in Washington who had actually been on the front lines of educating every child. We didn't need any more theory in Washington. We needed people that actually done. And when nosotros talk almost raising the bar and challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations, so that every kid tin learn, when we talk about having an accountability organisation to make certain no child is left behind, our Secretarial assistant of Educational activity has really done it. He ran i of the largest schoolhouse districts in my state, our land, and he did and then with class and dignity. And the children of Houston, Texas are better off for it.

Mr. Secretarial assistant, give thanks you for coming. I'grand also proud to be sharing the stage with another superintendent -- Pedro Garcia. Mucho gusto, Pedro. (Applause.)

Pedro is a skillful leader. It's very interesting -- we were talking before we came out hither and Pedro was a part of what they call Operation Pedro Pan -- Operation Peter Pan. So, by the mode, was a member of my Cabinet, Mel Martinez. When both Pedro and Mel were young men, their parents wanted their children to grow up in freedom. So they put them on an plane to a foreign land. They had great religion in America, faith -- and then much faith in the ideals of our country that they were willing to trust their teenage children with a stranger in a foreign state. And they came and were loved. I don't know, Pedro, whether your mom and dad came, merely Mel's mother and daddy came.

And I want y'all all to think these stories about Pedro, who'southward now your Superintendent of Schoolhouse, or Mel, who's in my Cabinet, that this state offered so much hope and and so much promise, considering nosotros believe so strongly in freedom that people, such as the Garcias and the Martinezes were willing to requite up their children and so they could abound upwardly in a gratuitous guild.

I dearest the story of Pedro Pan. I love the job you're doing, and I wish you all the best. And I'chiliad likewise so beholden for Kaye, Kaye Schneider, the principal of East Literature Magnet School, for opening up this school. She said it's been an astonishing experience. I bet it has, with all these -- (laughter) -- all these accelerate people and all the entourage here. But cheers for opening upward this great school. I'm here considering this is a center of excellence, a school that refuses to get out any child behind, and it starts with having a good solid, audio principal. So, Kaye, cheers very much. (Applause.)

I want to thank all the teachers who are here. Thank you for taking on a noble profession. (Applause.) Onetime Sam Houston, he used to alive in Tennessee. And at ane time he had been the governor of Texas and a senator from Texas. And he was a famous Tennessee guy, and he was President of the Democracy of Texas. And they said, of all the jobs y'all've ever had, Sam, what was the nearly important one? He said, without hesitation, instructor, because he had been a instructor. (Applause.)

I want to give thanks the mothers and dads who are here. Thank you lot for coming. You, too, are teachers. The best education starts at dwelling house, by loving your children with all your center and all your soul. I desire to thank the students who are here. Thanks for letting me come by and visit with you lot.

I appreciate very much elected officials who have come up today: Senator Fred Thompson, Senator Bill Frist, Congressman Zach Wamp, Congressman Van Hilleary, Congressman Bob Clement, Congressman Bart Gordon, Congressman Ed Bryant. I want to give thanks your Mayor, Beak Purcell, for coming too, the Mayor of Nashville. Thank my friend, Lamar Alexander, for being hither.

Simply nigh of all, I desire to give thanks you all for giving me a chance to come and share some thoughts. Information technology is very of import for our youngsters to understand history, the history of our country, the ideals that make our country strong. This morning at the Rose Garden I kicked off a national initiative, and I'm going to depict some of what nosotros're going to do to brand sure that we teach more than history to our children.

Particularly important in a time of war that our children understand the context of why we fight. You lot see, ours is a history of freedom. One of the almost precious ideas we accept is freedom for everybody. We dearest our freedoms. We love the idea of being a free society. And throughout our history, people have fought for freedom. Whether it's been in the Revolutionary State of war, or the heroic struggle to end slavery, or civil rights wars in the Usa Congress, or whether information technology's Globe War 2 where nosotros fought to free people from tyranny, the history of this nation has been a history of freedom and justice.

Our children are growing up in a difficult fourth dimension for America, considering they run across on their Tv screens the fact that America is now a battlefield. When we were kids, a lot of u.s. were kids, growing up, oceans separated u.s.a. from danger. We were confident in our ability to resist evil considering evil could never arrive to our shore, unless it was created internally. Simply now we've entered a new period where we're vulnerable. It's tough for our children to comprehend that, I know.

But yous've got to understand why we're vulnerable, and that is because in that location are people in the world that detest the fact that nosotros honey freedom. People cannot stand the fact that your great nation non simply allows, but encourages people to worship an almighty God in any way they want to. We welcome that in America. (Applause.)

We speak our heed freely. All y'all've got to do is remember it's an election twelvemonth. (Laughter.) We believe in a free printing. And nosotros're non going to change. We love our freedoms. Our history has taught us that. And today, we dearest them merely every bit strongly as others in the past accept.

The other matter the children are learning is the notion of people serving something greater than themselves in life. You lot know, I think one of the most defining moments of the recent American history was Flight 93. Flight 93 is an amazing lesson. Laura and I had the honor of going to the site in that location in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the other day to hug and cry and visit with and smile with if they wanted to grinning, with the family members of those brave souls who were on that airplane.

But it'due south a lesson of people loving liberty and then much and loving their land and then much, that they're willing to drive a plane into the footing to salvage other people's lives. What a powerful message, that part of being an American is to serve something greater than yourself. Office of being a denizen in this keen state is to non only take from the country, but to give.

Then today, when y'all realize in that location are military people looking in caves in Afghanistan, or moving effectually the world to try to fight tyranny and terrorism, they practise so to serve something greater than themselves -- because of a strong platonic, a strong sense of purpose, a strong sense of state.

You've got to empathize there are some in this world that but do not adhere to the ideals we believe in. In Iraq, they don't put their manus over their heart and say, "Freedom and justice for all." They don't believe in liberty. The dictator who runs Iraq doesn't believe in justice. He only believes in liberty and justice for those who he decides go liberty and justice.

There's a lot of talk most Iraq on our TV screens, and there should be, because nosotros're trying to effigy out how best to make the world a peaceful place. There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- yous can't get fooled again. Yous've got to sympathise the nature of the regime we're dealing with. This is a human who has delayed, denied, deceived the earth. For the sake of liberty and justice for all, the Un Security Quango must act, must act in way to hold this government to business relationship, must not be fooled, must be relevant to proceed the peace.

Office of the American history teaches united states that we must atomic number 82 toward a more peaceful earth. Part of the history of the globe shows that equally threats develop, we must bargain with them earlier they get likewise acute, unmanageable. Part of our history is, is that we're a peaceful people. We love and long for peace, that we want peace for generations to come up. Only sometimes we must act in lodge to achieve the peace.

And all our history says we believe in freedom and justice for all, that when we see oppression, nosotros cry; that when we found out that young girls in Afghanistan could not go to school because they were in the clutches of i of the nearly barbaric regimes in the history of mankind, we acted not only to uphold doctrine and to fight the war confronting terror, nosotros acted to liberate people. Our history shows that we're not a nation which conquers; we're a nation which liberates.

History is of import for our children to understand, to give them a ameliorate sense of how to sympathize what we do and a sense of what information technology means to be an American; a sense of importance of serving something greater than yourself in life.

The first initiative that nosotros're going to put out is chosen We the People, which will encourage American history and civic education all around the state. In that location will exist a grant program to encourage the development of good curricula and a lecture series, and essays by loftier school students on liberty and justice and liberty.

We've got a great store of documents here in America, and and then nosotros're going to put out a program called Our Documents, the National Archivist is going to piece of work with us to make sure all of the archives of America are now on-line, and then schools tin easily tap in to find out how our history adult through the archives of the country. It ought to be a really interesting manner for our students to learn more about America.

Nosotros're going to take a White Firm forum there in Washington, D.C. -- manifestly; that's where the White House is -- in January or Feb of adjacent yr, to call in experts as to how meliorate teach our history, and at the aforementioned time, teach the ideals that brand u.s.a. a great nation. We're going to do our part at the federal level; it's very important that you all do your part here in Nashville, Tennessee, and insist upon good civics lessons, the true lessons of history, to brand sure our children empathise the ideals that brand us bang-up.

And ane of the things our youngsters and those of us not quite then young tin do -- and this is important -- is to celebrate patriotism past loving your neighbour like you'd similar to exist loved yourself. Y'all see, it's important to realize that i person can't do everything to modify America, but one person can do something. Every kid who hurts, who receives your love, is part of changing America for the ameliorate, is part of fighting evil with acts of kindness and decency.

I met Harry Ingle, Jr., at Air Force One. He'southward an E Literature Magnet student. He'due south a junior. He was out there because he is involved with mentoring children. He's a soldier in the regular army of compassion here in Nashville, Tennessee. He's a part of the truthful forcefulness of America, which is neighbour loving neighbor. Those of u.s. who are on our anxiety, helping those who aren't on their feet. He'south a function of the light that can help smoothen into corners of darkness, where at that place may exist despair and habit and loneliness.

No, part of patriotism is not just to put a mitt over our heart, only role of being a patriot is to serve the ideals of this land by serving something greater than yourself.

I want the students here to sympathise that this keen nation of ours longs for peace, only nosotros also desire to practice compassion. And you tin can be a function of the compassionate hereafter past helping somebody in demand.

It is an accolade to be here at this fine schoolhouse, in this fine metropolis, in this great state, to celebrate with millions of students all across the country the Pledge of Allegiance, the Pledge across America. It is my honor to exist hither to remind people the great ethics of the greatest state on the face of the Earth.

May God anoint you all and may God bless America.

END 1:25 P.M. CDT

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Source: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020917-7.html

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