1. Graphic of US President George W. Bush's Radio Address
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) US President George W. Bush: "Last week the national terrorist threat level was raised to 'high.' This is primarily a signal to federal, state and local law enforcement to take additional precautions and increase security measures against potential terrorist attacks."
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) US President George W. Bush: "These recent threats are a stark reminder that our country remains engaged in a war on terror. Our enemies are still determined to attack America, and there is no such thing as perfect security against a hidden network of killers. Yet I assure you that our government at every level is responding to this threat, working to track down every lead and standing watch 24 hours a day against terrorism."
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) US President George W. Bush: "Our effort to safeguard the homeland includes tighter security at the borders and ports of entry. We have posted more than 50,000 newly-trained federal screeners at airports. We have begun inoculating troops and first responders against smallpox. We are deploying the nation's first early warning network of sensors to detect biological attack. And we are moving to better coordinate the efforts of law enforcement."
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) U.S. President George W. Bush: "We are gathering the best information possible and using it to make sure the right people are in the right places to protect our citizens. Throughout the country joint terrorism task forces are bringing together federal, state and local officials to fight terrorism. The FBI is expanding its terrorist identification system, so that 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies will be able to identify known or suspected terrorists almost immediately. Local police will be able to access federal terrorist information from their squad cars to determine whether individuals they have pulled over or detained have terrorist links. I've also asked Congress to fill a critical need in our defence against bio-terror by committing almost six billion dollars to quickly make available effective vaccines and treatments against agents like smallpox, anthrax, botulinum toxin, ebola and plague. Our nation is preparing for a variety of threats we hope never will arrive. Many of these dangers are unfamiliar and unsettling. Yet the best way to fight these dangers is to anticipate them, and act against them with focus and determination. This vigilance is a fundamental responsibility of your government, and we are fulfilling that duty in every way we can. In the fight against terror, the American people are resolute. We will persevere, and we will prevail."
US President Bush sought to reassure a nervous nation on Saturday, detailing increased security measures being taken to protect the United States (U-S.) from terrorist attack.
Speaking in his weekly radio address, President Bush told Americans the government was "standing watch 24 hours a day against terrorism." However he warned that the threat of attack from terrorists remained, admitting "there is no such thing as perfect security against a hidden network of killers."
Bush promised listeners that plans are in place to protect infrastructure such as dams, power plants, computer networks and communication systems, to tighten security at borders and ports, to collect better intelligence on emerging threats, and to detect a biological attack through an early warning network of sensors.
He also announced a six (b) billion dollar fund to make available vaccines against chemical warfare, listing specifically agents such as smallpox, anthrax, botulinum toxin, ebola and plague.
