PRESIDENT BUSH'S HISTORIC WORDS…Sept 22 2001

 

 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 welcome his wife Lisa Beamer here tonight.

 

 We have seen the state of our union in the endurance of rescuers working past

 exhaustion. We've 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. 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.

 

 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 $40billion 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, your leadership and your service to our country.

 

 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. Once again, we are joined together

 in a great cause. I'm so honoured the British prime minister has crossed an ocean to

 show his unity with America. Thank you for coming, friend.

 

 On September 11, 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 centre 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 terrorist organisations

 known as al Qaeda. They are some of the murderers indicted for bombing

 American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and 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 practise a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by

 Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics; a fringe movement that

 pervertsthepeacefulteachingsof Islam.

 

 The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all

 Americans and make no distinctions among military and civilians, including women

 and children. This group and its leader, a person named Osama bin Laden, are

 linked to many organisations, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Islamic

 Movement of Uzbekistan.

 

 There are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries. They are recruited

 from their own nations and neighbourhoods 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 brutalised, 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 if his beard is not long enough. The United States respects the

 people of Afghanistan - we are its largest source of humanitarian aid - but we

 condemn the Taliban regime.

 

 It is not only repressing its ownpeople, 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 of the leaders of Al Qaeda who

 hide in your land. Release all foreign nationals you have unjustly imprisoned.

 

 Protect foreign journalists, diplomatsandaidworkersinyour country. Close

 immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.

 

 And hand over every terrorist and every person and their support structure to

 appropriate authorities. 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.

 

 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 practised freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries

 that America counts as friends. Its teachings are goodand peaceful, and those who

 commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.

 

 The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying 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 network ofterrorists and every government that supports them. 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.

 

 Americans are asking "Why do they hate us?" They hate what they 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 todrive 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 Americagrows fearful, retreating from the world and

 forsaking our friends.

 

 They stand against us because we stand in their way. We're not deceived by their

 pretenses to piety. We have seen theirkind before. They're 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, Nazism and

 totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history's

 unmarked grave of discarded lies. 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 destruction and to the defeat of the

 global terror network.

 

 This war will not be like the war against Iraqa 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 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 thatprovide 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.

 

 From this day, any nation that continues to harbour or support terrorism will be

 regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. Our nation has been put on

 notice, we're 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.

 

 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.

 

 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. 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 havecalled the

 armed forces to alert, and there is a reason.

 

 The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud. This is not,

 however, just America's fight. And what is at stake isnot just America's freedom. This

 is the world's fight.

 

 This is civilisation'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

 organisations 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 civilised world is rallying toAmerica'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. 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 somany have

 come here. We're 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.

 

 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, Liberty

 unites.org, to find the names of groups providing help in New York, Pennsylvania

 and Virginia.

 

 The thousands of FBI agents 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 11 and

 they are our strengths today.

 

 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 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. We will come together to give law enforcement

 the additional tools it needs to track down terror here at home.

 

 We will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know the plans

 of terrorists before they act and to find them before they strike.

 

 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.

 

 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.

 

 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.

 

 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 the 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.

 

 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 will remember the moment the news came, where

 we were and what we were doing. Some will remember an image of a fire or story

 or 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. It is my

 reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end.

 

 I will not forget the wound to our country and 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.

 

 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.