Fool Me Twice and You Cant Get Fooled Again

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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretarial assistant
September 17, 2002

Remarks by the President on Teaching American History and Borough Education
Due east Literature Magnet School
Nashville, Tennessee

i:05 P.G. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Cheers all for coming. Thanks for that warm welcome -- really warm welcome. (Laughter.) Across America today, Americans are reciting 31 earth -- words that help define our state. In once sentence we assert our form of government, our belief in homo dignity, our unity as a people, and our reliance on Providence.

And this pledge takes on a special meaning in a fourth dimension of war. Our enemies hate these words. That'southward what you've got to sympathise. They hate the words, and they want to erase them. We're determined to stand up for these words, and live them out in our lives. Our allegiance has never been stronger. We've never been more determined. And we must work to teach our children to dearest our nation as much equally we do.

I want to thank you lot all for coming today. I particularly desire to thank our Secretary of Education for traveling with me -- Rod Paige. I picked Rod out of a lot of really proficient candidates because I wanted somebody to exist in Washington who had actually been on the front lines of educating every child. We didn't demand any more theory in Washington. We needed people that really done. And when we talk about raising the bar and challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations, so that every child tin can larn, when we talk almost having an accountability system to make sure no kid is left behind, our Secretary of Education has actually done information technology. He ran one of the largest school districts in my state, our state, and he did so with class and dignity. And the children of Houston, Texas are meliorate off for it.

Mr. Secretary, thank you for coming. I'thousand also proud to exist sharing the stage with another superintendent -- Pedro Garcia. Mucho gusto, Pedro. (Adulation.)

Pedro is a good leader. It's very interesting -- we were talking before we came out here and Pedro was a part of what they call Operation Pedro Pan -- Performance Peter Pan. And then, by the way, was a member of my Cabinet, Mel Martinez. When both Pedro and Mel were young men, their parents wanted their children to abound upwardly in liberty. So they put them on an airplane to a foreign country. They had smashing faith in America, faith -- so much religion in the ethics of our country that they were willing to trust their teenage 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, only Mel's mother and daddy came.

And I want you all to remember these stories almost Pedro, who'due south now your Superintendent of School, or Mel, who's in my Chiffonier, that this state offered then much promise then much promise, because we believe so strongly in freedom that people, such as the Garcias and the Martinezes were willing to surrender their children then they could grow up in a costless society.

I love the story of Pedro Pan. I dearest the job you're doing, and I wish you all the best. And I'm too and then appreciative for Kaye, Kaye Schneider, the principal of Due east Literature Magnet School, for opening upward this school. She said it's been an astonishing feel. I bet it has, with all these -- (laughter) -- all these accelerate people and all the entourage hither. Merely cheers for opening up this dandy school. I'm here because this is a center of excellence, a school that refuses to leave any child behind, and it starts with having a good solid, sound principal. So, Kaye, thank you lot very much. (Adulation.)

I want to thank all the teachers who are hither. Thanks for taking on a noble profession. (Applause.) Sometime Sam Houston, he used to live in Tennessee. And at one 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 Republic of Texas. And they said, of all the jobs you've ever had, Sam, what was the nigh important one? He said, without hesitation, instructor, considering he had been a teacher. (Applause.)

I want to thank the mothers and dads who are hither. Cheers for coming. Yous, too, are teachers. The all-time didactics starts at home, by loving your children with all your middle and all your soul. I want to thank the students who are hither. Thank you for letting me come up by and visit with you.

I appreciate very much elected officials who take 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 thank your Mayor, Nib Purcell, for coming as well, the Mayor of Nashville. Thank my friend, Lamar Alexander, for being here.

But about of all, I want to thank you all for giving me a adventure 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 make our country stiff. This morning at the Rose Garden I kicked off a national initiative, and I'm going to describe some of what nosotros're going to practise to make sure that we teach more history to our children.

Particularly of import in a fourth dimension of war that our children empathise the context of why we fight. Yous see, ours is a history of freedom. Ane of the most precious ideas we accept is freedom for everybody. We honey our freedoms. We love the idea of being a costless society. And throughout our history, people have fought for liberty. Whether it's been in the Revolutionary War, or the heroic struggle to terminate slavery, or civil rights wars in the United states Congress, or whether it's Earth War II where we fought to free people from tyranny, the history of this nation has been a history of liberty and justice.

Our children are growing up in a hard time for America, considering they see on their TV screens the fact that America is now a battleground. When we were kids, a lot of the states were kids, growing up, oceans separated us from danger. Nosotros were confident in our power to resist evil because evil could never make information technology to our shore, unless it was created internally. But at present nosotros've entered a new catamenia where nosotros're vulnerable. Information technology's tough for our children to encompass that, I know.

Just y'all've got to empathize why we're vulnerable, and that is because there are people in the world that hate the fact that we love freedom. People cannot stand the fact that your keen nation not only allows, but encourages people to worship an omnipotent God in whatever way they want to. We welcome that in America. (Applause.)

Nosotros speak our mind freely. All you've got to practice is remember it's an election year. (Laughter.) We believe in a free press. And we're non going to change. Nosotros love our freedoms. Our history has taught us that. And today, we beloved them just as strongly as others in the past accept.

The other thing the children are learning is the notion of people serving something greater than themselves in life. You know, I call back one of the near defining moments of the recent American history was Flight 93. Flight 93 is an astonishing lesson. Laura and I had the honor of going to the site there in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the other day to hug and cry and visit with and smile with if they wanted to smile, with the family members of those dauntless souls who were on that aeroplane.

Only it's a lesson of people loving freedom so much and loving their country so much, that they're willing to drive a plane into the ground to save other people's lives. What a powerful bulletin, that part of being an American is to serve something greater than yourself. Function of being a denizen in this great land is to not merely take from the land, merely to requite.

So today, when you realize at that place are armed services people looking in caves in Afghanistan, or moving around the earth to endeavor to fight tyranny and terrorism, they do so to serve something greater than themselves -- because of a stiff ideal, a strong sense of purpose, a strong sense of country.

You've got to empathize there are some in this globe that simply do not adhere to the ideals we believe in. In Iraq, they don't put their hand over their center and say, "Freedom and justice for all." They don't believe in freedom. The dictator who runs Republic of iraq doesn't believe in justice. He just believes in liberty and justice for those who he decides get liberty and justice.

There's a lot of talk about Iraq on our Boob tube screens, and there should exist, because we're trying to figure out how best to make the world a peaceful place. In that location's an quondam saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you lot. Fool me -- yous tin't become fooled again. You've got to understand the nature of the regime nosotros're dealing with. This is a man who has delayed, denied, deceived the world. For the sake of freedom and justice for all, the United Nations Security Council must act, must human activity in way to hold this regime to business relationship, must non be fooled, must be relevant to keep the peace.

Part of the American history teaches us that we must lead toward a more than peaceful world. Part of the history of the globe shows that as threats develop, nosotros must deal with them before they become likewise astute, 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. But sometimes we must human action in gild to achieve the peace.

And all our history says we believe in liberty and justice for all, that when nosotros encounter oppression, we weep; that when we institute out that immature girls in Afghanistan could not become to school because they were in the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in the history of mankind, we acted not just to uphold doctrine and to fight the state of war confronting terror, nosotros acted to liberate people. Our history shows that we're non a nation which conquers; we're a nation which liberates.

History is important for our children to sympathise, to give them a better sense of how to understand what nosotros practise 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 showtime initiative that nosotros're going to put out is called We the People, which volition encourage American history and civic didactics all around the state. There will be a grant program to encourage the development of expert curricula and a lecture series, and essays by high school students on freedom and justice and liberty.

We've got a bully store of documents here in America, and so 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, so schools can hands tap in to discover out how our history developed through the athenaeum of the country. Information technology ought to be a really interesting way for our students to learn more near America.

Nosotros're going to have a White House forum in that location in Washington, D.C. -- obviously; that's where the White House is -- in Jan or February of next twelvemonth, to phone call in experts as to how ameliorate teach our history, and at the same time, teach the ideals that make us a great nation. We're going to do our function at the federal level; information technology's very important that you all practice your part hither in Nashville, Tennessee, and insist upon good civics lessons, the truthful lessons of history, to make sure our children sympathise the ethics that make united states dandy.

And one of the things our youngsters and those of us non quite then young can do -- and this is important -- is to celebrate patriotism by loving your neighbor like you lot'd similar to be loved yourself. You encounter, information technology's important to realize that one person can't exercise everything to change America, but one person can practise something. Every child who hurts, who receives your love, is office of changing America for the better, is role of fighting evil with acts of kindness and decency.

I met Harry Ingle, Jr., at Air Force I. He's an East Literature Magnet pupil. He'due south a junior. He was out at that place because he is involved with mentoring children. He'south a soldier in the army of pity here in Nashville, Tennessee. He's a function of the true strength of America, which is neighbor loving neighbor. Those of u.s. who are on our feet, helping those who aren't on their feet. He's a part of the light that tin can assist shine into corners of darkness, where there may be despair and addiction and loneliness.

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

I want the students hither to empathise that this great nation of ours longs for peace, just we also want to practice compassion. And you tin can be a part of the compassionate future by helping somebody in need.

It is an honor to be here at this fine school, in this fine city, in this slap-up state, to celebrate with millions of students all beyond the state the Pledge of Fidelity, the Pledge across America. It is my honour to be hither to remind people the great ideals of the greatest land on the face up of the Earth.

May God bless you all and may God anoint America.

End 1:25 P.One thousand. CDT

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

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