[Nettime-bold] President Bush's Address to Congress and the American People

[John Armitage <john.armitage@unn.ac.uk>]

[Here is the full text of Bush's speech yesterday.John.]=================================================
President Bush's Address to Congress and the American People
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/9/21/02114.shtml


Thursday, Sept. 20, 2001

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress,
and fellow Americans:

In the normal course of events, presidents come to this chamber to report on
the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report
is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people.

We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save
others on the ground - passengers like an
exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome
his wife, Lisa Beamer, here tonight.
(Applause.)

We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working
past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of
flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers -
in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the
decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers
their own.

My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for
itself the state of our Union - and it is strong.
(Applause.)

Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom.
Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to
resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our
enemies, justice will be done. (Applause.)

I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time. All of
America was touched on the evening of the tragedy
to see Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this
Capitol, singing "God Bless America." And you did
more than sing; you acted, by delivering $40 billion to rebuild our
communities and meet the needs of our military.

Speaker Hastert, Minority Leader Gephardt, Majority Leader Daschle and
Senator Lott, I thank you for your friendship, for
your leadership and for your service to our country. (Applause.)

And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its outpouring
of support. America will never forget the sounds
of our National Anthem playing at Buckingham Palace, on the streets of
Paris, and at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our
embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy
offered at a mosque in Cairo. We will not forget moments of silence and days
of mourning in Australia and Africa and Latin
America.

Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our own:
dozens of Pakistanis; more than 130 Israelis;
more than 250 citizens of India; men and women from El Salvador, Iran,
Mexico and Japan; and hundreds of British citizens.
America has no truer friend than Great Britain. (Applause.) Once again, we
are joined together in a great cause - so
honored the British Prime Minister has crossed an ocean to show his unity of
purpose with America. Thank you for coming,
friend. (Applause.)

On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against
our country. Americans have known wars -
but for the past 136 years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for
one Sunday in 1941. Americans have known the
casualties of war - but not at the center of a great city on a peaceful
morning. Americans have known surprise attacks - but
never before on thousands of civilians. All of this was brought upon us in a
single day - and night fell on a different world, a
world where freedom itself is under attack.

Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking: Who attacked
our country? The evidence we have gathered
all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations
known as al Qaeda. They are the same murderers indicted
for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for
bombing the USS Cole.

Al Qaeda is to terror what the mafia is to crime. But its goal is not making
money; its goal is remaking the world - and
imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been
rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of
Muslim clerics - a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of
Islam. The terrorists' directive commands them to
kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans, and make no distinction
among military and civilians, including women and
children.

This group and its leader - a person named Osama bin Laden - are linked to
many other organizations in different countries,
including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
There are thousands of these terrorists in
more than 60 countries. They are recruited from their own nations and
neighborhoods and brought to camps in places like
Afghanistan, where they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are sent
back to their homes or sent to hide in countries
around the world to plot evil and destruction.

The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports
the Taliban regime in controlling most of that
country. In Afghanistan, we see al Qaeda's vision for the world.

Afghanistan's people have been brutalized - many are starving and many have
fled. Women are not allowed to attend
school. You can be jailed for owning a television. Religion can be practiced
only as their leaders dictate. A man can be jailed
in Afghanistan if his beard is not long enough.

The United States respects the people of Afghanistan - after all, we are
currently its largest source of humanitarian aid - but
we condemn the Taliban regime. (Applause.) It is not only repressing its own
people, it is threatening people everywhere by
sponsoring and sheltering and supplying terrorists. By aiding and abetting
murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder.

And tonight, the United States of America makes the following demands on the
Taliban: Deliver to United States authorities
all the leaders of al Qaeda who hide in your land. (Applause.) Release all
foreign nationals, including American citizens, you
have unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid
workers in your country. Close immediately and
permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, and hand over
every terrorist, and every person in their support
structure, to appropriate authorities. (Applause.) Give the United States
full access to terrorist training camps, so we can
make sure they are no longer operating.

These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. (Applause.) The
Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will
hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate.

I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. We
respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many
millions of Americans, and by millions more in countries that America counts
as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful,
and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.
(Applause.) The terrorists are traitors to their
own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself. The enemy of America
is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many
Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every
government that supports them. (Applause.)

Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will
not end until every terrorist group of global reach
has been found, stopped and defeated. (Applause.)

Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here
in this chamber - a democratically elected
government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms - our
freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our
freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.

They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries, such
as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. They
want to drive Israel out of the Middle East. They want to drive Christians
and Jews out of vast regions of Asia and Africa.

These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way
of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America
grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They
stand against us, because we stand in their way.

We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind
before. They are the heirs of all the murderous
ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their
radical visions - by abandoning every value except the
will to power - they follow in the path of fascism, and Nazism, and
totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way,
to where it ends: in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies. (Applause.)


Americans are asking: How will we fight and win this war? We will direct
every resource at our command - every means of
diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement,
every financial influence, and every necessary
weapon of war - to the disruption and to the defeat of the global terror
network.

This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive
liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It
will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground
troops were used and not a single American
was lost in combat.

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated
strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a
lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include
dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations,
secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one
against another, drive them from place to place,
until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide
aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in
every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are
with the terrorists. (Applause.) From this day
forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be
regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.

Our nation has been put on notice: We are not immune from attack. We will
take defensive measures against terrorism to
protect Americans. Today, dozens of federal departments and agencies, as
well as state and local governments, have
responsibilities affecting homeland security. These efforts must be
coordinated at the highest level. So tonight I announce the
creation of a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to me - the Office
of Homeland Security.

And tonight I also announce a distinguished American to lead this effort, to
strengthen American security: a military veteran,
an effective governor, a true patriot, a trusted friend - Pennsylvania's Tom
Ridge. (Applause.) He will lead, oversee and
coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard our country
against terrorism, and respond to any attacks that
may come.

These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat terrorism as a
threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it, and
destroy it where it grows. (Applause.)

Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents to intelligence
operatives to the reservists we have called to active duty.
All deserve our thanks, and all have our prayers. And tonight, a few miles
from the damaged Pentagon, I have a message for
our military: Be ready. I've called the Armed Forces to alert, and there is
a reason. The hour is coming when America will
act, and you will make us proud. (Applause.)

This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just
America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This is
civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and
pluralism, tolerance and freedom.

We ask every nation to join us. We will ask, and we will need, the help of
police forces, intelligence services, and banking
systems around the world. The United States is grateful that many nations
and many international organizations have already
responded - with sympathy and with support. Nations from Latin America, to
Asia, to Africa, to Europe, to the Islamic
world. Perhaps the NATO Charter reflects best the attitude of the world: An
attack on one is an attack on all.

The civilized world is rallying to America's side. They understand that if
this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their
own citizens may be next. Terror, unanswered, can not only bring down
buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate
governments. And you know what - we're not going to allow it. (Applause.)

Americans are asking: What is expected of us? I ask you to live your lives,
and hug your children. I know many citizens have
fears tonight, and I ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the face of a
continuing threat.

I ask you to uphold the values of America, and remember why so many have
come here. We are in a fight for our principles,
and our first responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled
out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of
their ethnic background or religious faith. (Applause.)

I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your
contributions. Those who want to give can go to a
central source of information, libertyunites.org, to find the names of
groups providing direct help in New York, Pennsylvania,
and Virginia.

The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this investigation may
need your cooperation, and I ask you to give it.

I ask for your patience, with the delays and inconveniences that may
accompany tighter security; and for your patience in
what will be a long struggle.

I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American economy.
Terrorists attacked a symbol of American
prosperity. They did not touch its source. America is successful because of
the hard work, and creativity, and enterprise of
our people. These were the true strengths of our economy before September
11th, and they are our strengths today.
(Applause.)

And, finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and their
families, for those in uniform, and for our great
country. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow, and will help strengthen us for
the journey ahead.

Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and for
what you will do. And ladies and gentlemen of
the Congress, I thank you, their representatives, for what you have already
done and for what we will do together.

Tonight, we face new and sudden national challenges. We will come together
to improve air safety, to dramatically expand
the number of air marshals on domestic flights, and take new measures to
prevent hijacking. We will come together to
promote stability and keep our airlines flying, with direct assistance
during this emergency. (Applause.)

We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools it needs
to track down terror here at home. (Applause.)
We will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know
the plans of terrorists before they act, and find them
before they strike. (Applause.)

We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America's
economy, and put our people back to work.

Tonight we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of all
New Yorkers: Governor George Pataki, and
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. (Applause.) As a symbol of America's resolve, my
administration will work with Congress, and
these two leaders, to show the world that we will rebuild New York City.
(Applause.)

After all that has just passed - all the lives taken, and all the
possibilities and hopes that died with them - it is natural to
wonder if America's future is one of fear. Some speak of an age of terror. I
know there are struggles ahead, and dangers to
face. But this country will define our times, not be defined by them. As
long as the United States of America is determined
and strong, this will not be an age of terror; this will be an age of
liberty, here and across the world. (Applause.)

Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our
grief and anger we have found our mission and our
moment. Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom - the
great achievement of our time, and the great
hope of every time - now depends on us. Our nation - this generation - will
lift a dark threat of violence from our people
and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our
courage. We will not tire, we will not falter, and
we will not fail. (Applause.)

It is my hope that in the months and years ahead, life will return almost to
normal. We'll go back to our lives and routines,
and that is good. Even grief recedes with time and grace. But our resolve
must not pass. Each of us will remember what
happened that day, and to whom it happened. We'll remember the moment the
news came - where we were and what we
were doing. Some will remember an image of a fire, or a story of rescue.
Some will carry memories of a face and a voice
gone forever.

And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named George Howard,
who died at the World Trade Center trying to
save others. It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to
her son. This is my reminder of lives that ended,
and a task that does not end. (Applause.)

I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I
will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging
this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain.
Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been
at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them. (Applause.)

Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice - assured of the
rightness of our cause, and confident of the victories
to come. In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He
watch over the United States of America.

Thank you. (Applause.)


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