09677

01/31/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09677

U-S-A FREEDOM CORPS

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11^th, many Americans have become more aware of the need to help others. As President George W. Bush said in his State of the Union Address, "In the sacrifice of soldiers, the fierce brotherhood of firefighters, and the bravery and generosity of ordinary citizens, we have glimpsed what a new culture of responsibility could look like. We want to be a nation that serves goals larger than self."

President Bush has invited Americans to join a new U-S-A Freedom Corps. It will respond to crises at home, help rebuild America’s communities, and extend American compassion throughout the world. Among other things, the number of Peace Corps volunteers is to be doubled over the next five years. And it is hoped that many of the new volunteers will go to Islamic countries to encourage development, education, and opportunity.

"Through the gathering momentum of millions of acts of service and decency and kindness," said Mr. Bush, "I know we can overcome evil with greater good. . . . All fathers and mothers, in all societies, want their children to be educated, and live free from poverty and violence. No people on earth yearn to be oppressed, or aspire to servitude, or eagerly await the midnight knock of the secret police."

"If anyone doubts this," Mr. Bush said, "let them look to Afghanistan, where the Islamic ‘street’ greeted the fall of tyranny with song and celebration. Let the skeptics look to Islam’s own rich history, with its centuries of learning, and tolerance and progress. America will lead by defending liberty and justice because [these principles] are right and true and unchanging for all people everywhere."

"No nation owns these aspirations," said President Bush. "And no nation is exempt from them. We have no intention of imposing our culture. But America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law, limits on the power of the state, respect for women, private property, free speech, equal justice, and religious tolerance."

As President Bush said, "America will take the side of brave men and women who advocate these values around the world, including the Islamic world, because we have a greater objective than eliminating threats and containing resentment. We seek a just and peaceful world beyond the war on terror."