Fool Me Once You Wont Get Fooled Again

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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 17, 2002

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

1:05 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Cheers all for coming. Thanks for that warm welcome -- really warm welcome. (Laughter.) Across America today, Americans are reciting 31 globe -- words that aid define our state. In once sentence we affirm our form of government, our conventionalities in human dignity, our unity equally 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's what you've got to understand. They detest the words, and they want to erase them. Nosotros're determined to stand for these words, and live them out in our lives. Our allegiance has never been stronger. We've never been more determined. And nosotros must work to teach our children to love our nation as much every bit we do.

I desire to thanks all for coming today. I especially want to thank our Secretary of Teaching 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 than theory in Washington. We needed people that actually washed. And when we talk about raising the bar and challenging the soft bigotry of depression expectations, then that every child can learn, when nosotros talk most having an accountability organization to brand sure no child is left behind, our Secretarial assistant of Education has actually done it. He ran one of the largest schoolhouse districts in my state, our state, and he did so with form and nobility. And the children of Houston, Texas are better off for it.

Mr. Secretary, thanks for coming. I'm also proud to be sharing the stage with another superintendent -- Pedro Garcia. Mucho gusto, Pedro. (Applause.)

Pedro is a practiced leader. It'southward very interesting -- we were talking before we came out hither and Pedro was a function of what they phone call Operation Pedro Pan -- Operation Peter Pan. So, past the way, was a member of my Chiffonier, Mel Martinez. When both Pedro and Mel were young men, their parents wanted their children to grow upwards in freedom. Then they put them on an airplane to a foreign land. They had slap-up faith in America, faith -- and so much faith in the ethics of our country that they were willing to trust their teenage children with a stranger in a strange country. And they came and were loved. I don't know, Pedro, whether your mom and dad came, but Mel'south mother and daddy came.

And I desire you all to remember these stories about Pedro, who's now your Superintendent of School, or Mel, who's in my Cabinet, that this country offered so much hope and then much promise, because we believe so strongly in freedom that people, such as the Garcias and the Martinezes were willing to give up their children so they could grow up in a free society.

I dear the story of Pedro Pan. I dear the job you're doing, and I wish you all the all-time. And I'm also and so appreciative for Kaye, Kaye Schneider, the principal of Due east Literature Magnet School, for opening up this school. She said it's been an amazing experience. I bet it has, with all these -- (laughter) -- all these advance people and all the entourage hither. Simply thanks for opening up this great schoolhouse. I'm here because this is a eye of excellence, a school that refuses to leave whatsoever child behind, and it starts with having a good solid, sound principal. So, Kaye, thank you very much. (Applause.)

I want to thank all the teachers who are here. Thank you for taking on a noble profession. (Applause.) Old Sam Houston, he used to alive in Tennessee. And at 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 Democracy of Texas. And they said, of all the jobs y'all've e'er had, Sam, what was the virtually important one? He said, without hesitation, instructor, because he had been a teacher. (Applause.)

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

I appreciate very much elected officials who accept come today: Senator Fred Thompson, Senator Bill Frist, Congressman Zach Wamp, Congressman Van Hilleary, Congressman Bob Cloudless, Congressman Bart Gordon, Congressman Ed Bryant. I want to thank your Mayor, Pecker Purcell, for coming equally well, the Mayor of Nashville. Thank my friend, Lamar Alexander, for existence here.

But near of all, I want to thank you lot all for giving me a chance to come and share some thoughts. It is very important for our youngsters to understand history, the history of our country, the ideals that make our country potent. This forenoon at the Rose Garden I kicked off a national initiative, and I'one thousand going to draw some of what nosotros're going to do to brand certain that nosotros teach more history to our children.

Especially of import in a time of war that our children empathize the context of why we fight. You come across, ours is a history of freedom. One of the near precious ideas we have is freedom for everybody. Nosotros honey our freedoms. We honey the thought of existence a free society. And throughout our history, people have fought for freedom. Whether it's been in the Revolutionary War, or the heroic struggle to stop slavery, or civil rights wars in the U.s. Congress, or whether it'south World War Ii 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 upwards in a hard time for America, because they see on their Tv screens the fact that America is now a battlefield. When we were kids, a lot of united states of america were kids, growing up, oceans separated united states of america from danger. We were confident in our ability to resist evil considering evil could never make information technology 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 cover that, I know.

But you've got to understand 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 great nation not only allows, but encourages people to worship an almighty God in any manner they desire to. Nosotros welcome that in America. (Applause.)

We speak our listen freely. All you've got to do is think it's an election year. (Laughter.) We believe in a costless press. And we're not going to modify. We honey our freedoms. Our history has taught us that. And today, we love them just every bit strongly equally others in the past have.

The other affair the children are learning is the notion of people serving something greater than themselves in life. You know, I recollect 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 laurels of going to the site there in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the other day to hug and cry and visit with and grinning with if they wanted to grinning, with the family members of those dauntless souls who were on that plane.

But it'due south a lesson of people loving liberty so much and loving their country and so much, that they're willing to bulldoze a airplane into the ground to relieve other people'southward lives. What a powerful message, that part of being an American is to serve something greater than yourself. Role of being a citizen in this great land is to not only take from the land, just to give.

And so today, when yous realize there are military people looking in caves in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, or moving around the world to attempt to fight tyranny and terrorism, they exercise so to serve something greater than themselves -- because of a strong ideal, a stiff sense of purpose, a potent sense of country.

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

At that place's a lot of talk most Iraq on our TV screens, and there should exist, because we're trying to figure out how best to make the globe a peaceful place. There's an quondam saying in Tennessee -- I know information technology'south in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you tin can't get fooled over again. You've got to empathize the nature of the authorities we'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 act in fashion to hold this regime to account, must not exist fooled, must be relevant to keep the peace.

Part of the American history teaches us that we must atomic number 82 toward a more peaceful world. Office of the history of the world shows that as threats develop, we must bargain with them before they become too acute, unmanageable. Function of our history is, is that we're a peaceful people. Nosotros love and long for peace, that we want peace for generations to come. But sometimes nosotros must act in order to accomplish the peace.

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

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

The kickoff initiative that we're going to put out is called Nosotros the People, which will encourage American history and civic education all effectually the land. There will be a grant program to encourage the development of proficient curricula and a lecture series, and essays by loftier schoolhouse students on freedom and justice and freedom.

Nosotros've got a great store of documents here in America, and and so we're going to put out a program called Our Documents, the National Archivist is going to piece of work with us to make certain all of the archives of America are at present on-line, so schools can easily tap in to find out how our history developed through the archives of the country. Information technology ought to be a really interesting manner for our students to learn more almost America.

Nosotros're going to have a White House forum there in Washington, D.C. -- obviously; that'due south where the White House is -- in Jan or February of adjacent year, to call in experts every bit to how amend teach our history, and at the aforementioned fourth dimension, teach the ideals that brand united states of america a great nation. We're going to practice our part at the federal level; it's very important that yous all do your office here in Nashville, Tennessee, and insist upon expert civics lessons, the true lessons of history, to make sure our children sympathize the ideals that make us great.

And ane of the things our youngsters and those of the states not quite so immature tin exercise -- and this is important -- is to celebrate patriotism by loving your neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. You encounter, it's important to realize that one person can't do everything to change America, only one person can do something. Every child who hurts, who receives your love, is office of changing America for the better, is part of fighting evil with acts of kindness and decency.

I met Harry Ingle, Jr., at Air Force I. He's an East Literature Magnet student. He'south a junior. He was out in that location because he is involved with mentoring children. He'due south a soldier in the army of compassion here in Nashville, Tennessee. He's a part of the true strength of America, which is neighbour loving neighbor. Those of us who are on our anxiety, helping those who aren't on their feet. He's a part of the light that can aid polish into corners of darkness, where in that location may exist despair and addiction and loneliness.

No, part of patriotism is non just to put a hand over our heart, but part of being a patriot is to serve the ethics of this country by serving something greater than yourself.

I desire the students hither to understand that this cracking nation of ours longs for peace, but we also want to practice compassion. And you lot 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 metropolis, in this cracking country, to gloat with millions of students all across the country the Pledge of Fidelity, the Pledge across America. It is my honor to exist hither to remind people the bang-up ideals of the greatest country on the confront of the Earth.

May God bless 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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