(Aug 12,2006)
Good morning. This week, America received a stark
reminder that terrorists are still plotting attacks to kill our people.
Beginning on Wednesday night, authorities in Great Britain arrested more than 20
individuals who we believe were plotting to detonate liquid explosives aboard
flights from the United Kingdom to the United States. If these terrorists had
succeeded, they could have caused death on a massive scale. The plot appears to
have been carefully planned and well-advanced. They planned to bring the
components of their explosives on board in their carry-on luggage, disguised as
bottled drinks and electronic devices. 
We believe that this week's arrests have significantly disrupted the threat.
Yet we cannot be sure that the threat has been eliminated. So as a precaution,
on Thursday, the federal government took several steps to increase security at
our airports and aboard our planes.
First, the Department of Homeland Security has raised our Nation's threat
warning to Code Red -- the highest level -- for flights from Great Britain to
America, in coordination with British authorities. Second, we've raised the
threat warning for all domestic and international flights landing in the United
States to Code Orange -- the second highest level. We also have sent additional
federal air marshals to Great Britain to provide extra protection aboard flights
from the United Kingdom to the United States.
This plot is further evidence that the terrorists we face are sophisticated,
and constantly changing their tactics. On September the 11th, 2001, they used
box cutters to hijack airplanes and kill thousands of innocent people. This
time, we believe they planned to use liquid explosives to blow up planes in
mid-air. In response, we've adjusted our security precautions by temporarily
banning most liquids as carry-on items on planes. I know many of you will be
traveling during this busy summer vacation season, and I ask for your patience,
cooperation, and vigilance in the coming days. The inconveniences you will face
are for your protection, and they will give us time to adjust our screening
procedures to meet the current threat.
I'm grateful for the outstanding work of intelligence and law enforcement
officers in the United Kingdom and in our country. This week's arrests were the
culmination of hard work, cooperation, and information-sharing across different
agencies and different governments. We're dealing with a new enemy that uses new
means of attack and new methods to communicate. This week's events demonstrate
the vital importance of ensuring that our intelligence and law enforcement
personnel have all the tools they need to track down the terrorists, and prevent
attacks on our country.
Because of the measures we've taken to protect the American people, our
Nation is safer than it was prior to September the 11th. Still, we must never
make the mistake of thinking the danger of terrorism has passed. This week's
experience reminds us of a hard fact: The terrorists have to succeed only once
to achieve their goal of mass murder, while we have to succeed every time to
stop them. Unfortunately, some have suggested recently that the terrorist threat
is being used for partisan political advantage. We can have legitimate
disagreements about the best way to fight the terrorists, yet there should be no
disagreement about the dangers we face.
America is fighting a tough war against an enemy whose ruthlessness is clear
for all to see. The terrorists attempt to bring down airplanes full of innocent
men, women, and children. They kill civilians and American servicemen in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and they deliberately hide behind civilians in Lebanon. They
are seeking to spread their totalitarian ideology. They're seeking to
take over countries like Afghanistan and Iraq so they can establish safe havens
from which to attack free nations. These killers need to know that America,
Great Britain, and our allies are determined to defend ourselves and advance the
cause of liberty. With patience, courage, and untiring resolve, we will defend
our freedom, and we will win the war on terror.
Thank you for listening.
totalitarian : 極權(quán)主義的
（來(lái)源：http://www.weeklyradioaddress.com/
英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
