| Place > News show & Policies > September 2002 | |
Printer-Friendly Variant 
Email This Page For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 17, 2002
Remarks by the President on Teaching American History and Civic Educational activity
Eastside Literature Attractive feature School
Nashville, Tennessee
1:05 P.M. CDT
THE Chair: Thank you every last for coming. Thanks for that warm welcome -- real tepid welcome. (Laughter.) Crosswise America nowadays, Americans are reciting 31 world -- run-in that help specify our area. In one time sentence we affirm our form of government, our belief in human dignity, our unity as a people, and our reliance along Providence.
And this pledge takes on a limited meaning in a metre of state of war. Our enemies hate these quarrel. That's what you've got to understand. They hate the run-in, and they want to erase them. We're determined to stand for these words, and live them call at our lives. Our loyalty has never been stronger. We've never been to a greater extent determined. And we must work to teach our children to know our Nation as very much like we fare.
I deprivation to give thanks you altogether for coming today. I particularly deficiency to thank our Secretary of Instruction for traveling with me -- Rod Paige. I picked Rod out of a lot of really well-behaved candidates because I wanted somebody to be in Washington who had actually been along the advance lines of educating every child. We didn't penury whatsoever more theory in Washington. We needed people that actually done. And when we talk about raising the bar and thought-provoking the soft bigotry of modest expectations, so that every child can learn, when we talk roughly having an accountability organisation to make a point no child is left behind, our Secretary of Education has actually done it. He ran one of the largest school districts in my state, our state, and he did so with form and dignity. And the children of Houston, TX are better off for it.
Mr. Secretarial assistant, give thanks you for coming. I'm also proud to equal sharing the stage with another overseer -- Pedro Garcia. Mucho gusto, Pedro. (Applause.)
Pedro is a good leader. Information technology's very interesting -- we were talking earlier we came out here and Pedro was a part of what they call Surgical operation Pedro Tear apart -- Operation Peter Pan. Indeed, by the bye, 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 set up them connected an aeroplane to a foreign land. They had great faith in America, organized religion -- sol much faith in the ideals of our nation that they were willing to cartel their teen children with a stranger in a foreign country. 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 you all to commemorate these stories about Pedro, who's now your Overseer of School, operating theater Mel, World Health Organization's in my Cabinet, that this country offered then much promise and such promise, because we believe thus strongly in freedom that people, so much atomic number 3 the Garcias and the Martinezes were willing to give up their children so they could grow up in a free society.
I love the story of Pedro Goat god. I love the job you're doing, and I wish you all the best. And I'm besides so appreciative for Kaye, Kaye Schneider, the principal of East Literature Magnet School, for maiden up this school. She said it's been an astonishing experience. I bet it has, with all these -- (laughter) -- all these advance hoi polloi and all the entourage Here. Only thanks for opening up this great school. I'm hither because this is a center of excellence, a school that refuses to leave any tiddler can, and it starts with having a good sound, sound principal. So, Kaye, thank you a great deal. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the teachers who are here. Give thanks you for taking on a noble profession. (Applause.) Old SAM Samuel Housto, he used to live in Tennessee. And once 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 Commonwealth of Texas. And they said, of complete the jobs you've ever had, Sam, what was the most important one? Atomic number 2 said, without hesitation, teacher, because he had been a teacher. (Applause.)
I lack to thank the mothers and dads who are here. Thank you for coming. You, excessively, are teachers. The best Education Department starts at place, by loving your children with all your heart and all your individual. I want to give thanks the students who are here. Thanks for letting me come by and visit with you.
I appreciate same much elected officials who possess come today: Senator Fred Thompson, Senator Bill Frist, Congresswoman Zach Wamp, Congressman Van Hilleary, Congressman Bob Clement, Representative Bart Gordon, Congressman Ed Bryant. I want to thank your Mayor, Note Purcell, for coming likewise, the Mayor of Nashville. Thank my friend, Lamar Alexander, for being Hera.
But most of all, I want to thank you all for giving Maine a chance to come and share some thoughts. Information technology is very important for our youngsters to understand history, the history of our country, the ideals that fix our country invulnerable. This morning at the Rose Garden I kicked off a public initiative, and I'm passing to describe both of what we're going to answer to make sure that we teach more account to our children.
Especially evidentiary in a time of warfare that our children understand the context of why we fight. You see, ours is a chronicle of exemption. One of the most precious ideas we have is exemption for everybody. We love our freedoms. We love the idea of organism a free society. And throughout our history, people have fought for exemption. Whether it's been in the Revolutionary War, Beaver State the heroic struggle to end slavery, or civil rights wars in the United States Congress, or whether it's World War II where we fought to free people from authoritarianism, the history of this nation has been a history of freedom and justice.
Our children are healthy up in a tight time for America, because they see on their TV screens the fact that U.S. is now a field of battle. When we were kids, a batch of us were kids, ontogenesis up, oceans spaced US from danger. We were confident in our ability to jib evil because diabolical could never make it to our shore, unless it was created internally. But now we've entered a modern period where we're vulnerable. Information technology's tough for our children to encompass that, I have a go at it.
Merely you've got to understand wherefore we're vulnerable, and that is because thither are people in the world that hate the fact that we love exemption. People cannot stand the fact that your gravid commonwealth non only allows, merely encourages people to worship an Divine Idol in any elbow room they wishing to. We welcome that in U.S.A. (Clapping.)
We verbalize our mind freely. All you've got to cause is remember it's an election year. (Laughter.) We believe in a free compress. And we're non leaving to change. We love our freedoms. Our chronicle has taught us that. And today, we love them just as strongly as others in the past have.
The other thing the children are learning is the notion of the great unwashe helping something greater than themselves in life. You know, I think back one of the virtually shaping moments of the new American history was Flight of stairs 93. Flight 93 is an astonishing object lesson. Laura and I had the honor of passing to the place in that location in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the other day to hug and holler and visit with and grin with if they wanted to smile, with the family members of those brave souls who were on that airplane.
But it's a lesson of people loving freedom so overmuch and lovable their country and then much, that they're willing to drive a planer into the background to economise other hoi polloi's lives. What a powerful message, that part of being an American is to serve something greater than yourself. Part of being a citizen in this expectant land is to not only take from the land, but to give.
Sol today, when you realize there are branch of knowledge people looking in caves in Afghanistan, or moving around the world to try to fight tyranny and terrorism, they do sol to serve something greater than themselves -- because of a strong ideal, a strong sense of purpose, a sound sense of rural area.
You've got to read there are some in this global that simply do not adhere to the ideals we believe in. In Iraq, they don't put their rende their heart and say, "Impropriety and justice for all." They don't believe in liberty. The dictator who runs Iraq doesn't believe in magistrate. He only believes in familiarity and justice for those who he decides get liberty and justice.
On that point's a lot of discuss Iraq on our TV screens, and there should follow, because we're trying to figure out how optimal to construct the world a nonaggressive place. There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, put one across me once, shame along -- shame on you. Fool ME -- you can't get fooled once again. You've got to understand the nature of the authorities we'atomic number 75 dealings with. This is a man who has delayed, denied, deceived the world. For the sake of liberty and justice for all, the United Nations Security Council must act, mustiness act in way to hold this regime to account, must not be fooled, must be relevant to keep the peace.
Part of the Dry land account teaches United States of America that we must lead toward a more peaceful world. Part of the history of the ma shows that as threats develop, we moldiness softwood with them in front they get over too acute, unmanageable. Role of our history is, is that we're a nonbelligerent people. We love and longsighted for peace, that we deprivation peacefulness for generations to come. Just sometimes we must act in order to reach the peace.
And all our history says we believe in autonomy and Do for whol, that when we see oppression, we cry; that when we launch out that young girls in Islamic State of Afghanistan could non go to school because they were in the hold of one of the most barbaric regimes in the history of mankind, we acted non only to uphold doctrine and to fight the war against affright, we acted to liberate people. Our history shows that we're not a Carry Amelia Moore Nation which conquers; we'ray a land which liberates.
Account is important for our children to understand, to give them a better sense of how to understand what we do and a mother wit of what IT means to embody an American; a sense of grandness of service something greater than yourself in life.
The first initiative that we'Re going to set out is called We the People, which will encourage Earth chronicle and civic education all more or less the country. In that respect will personify a grant program to encourage the development of operative curricula and a rag series, and essays by high school students along shore leave and justice and freedom.
We've got a great store of documents here in America, and indeed we're going to put out a program called Our Documents, the National Archivist is passing to work with us to make sure wholly of the archives of America are now on-argumentation, thus schools can easy rap in to se how our chronicle developed done the archives of the country. It ought to atomic number 4 a really riveting way of life for our students to study more about America.
We'Ra going to have a White Firm forum there in Washington, D.C. -- obviously; that's where the Unintegrated Family is -- in January or February of side by side twelvemonth, to call experts as to how major teach our history, and at the same time, teach the ideals that make us a great nation. We'ray going to answer our part at the northern charge; it's very important that you all do your part here in Capital of Tennessee, Tennessee, and take a firm stand upon good civics lessons, the dependable lessons of history, to make sure our children understand the ideals that make us enthusiastic.
And ace of the things our youngsters and those of United States not quite so young can do -- and this is important -- is to lionize patriotism by loving your neighbor like you'd ilk to be loved yourself. You see, it's all important to pull in that one person can't practice everything to change America, but one individual can do something. All minor World Health Organization hurts, who receives your love, is part of dynamic America for the improve, is part of fighting evil with Acts of kindness and decency.
I met Harry Ingle, Jr., at Gentle wind Force One. Helium's an East Literature Magnet scholarly person. He's a next-to-last. He was out on that point because he is involved with mentoring children. He's a soldier in the army of compassion here in Nashville, Tennessee. Atomic number 2's a set out of the literal strength of U.S.A, which is neighbor loving neighbour. Those of U.S. who are on our feet, helping those who aren't on their feet. Helium's a piece of the light that give the axe help beam into corners of darkness, where there may constitute despair and addiction and loneliness.
No, voice of patriotism is non just to put a hand out over our heart, but piece of being a nationalist is to serve the ideals of this country aside serving something greater than yourself.
I require the students here to understand that this great nation of ours longs for peacefulness, but we also want to practice pity. And you backside be a part of the compassionate future by helping somebody in need.
It is an honor to be here at this fine cultivate, in this fine city, in this great state, to keep with millions of students completely nationally the Pledge of Allegiance, the Pledge across America. It is my respect to atomic number 4 here to remind people the great ideals of the greatest country connected the face of the Earth.
May God hallow you all and may Divinity bless America.
END 1:25 P.M. CDT
fool me once shame on you george bush quote
Source: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020917-7.html
Posting Komentar