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323150819
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John F. Kennedy High School Anti-Drug Rally 12/8/89 [OA 3540]
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323150819
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John F. Kennedy High School Anti-Drug Rally 12/8/89 [OA 3540]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
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MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13513
Folder ID Number:
13513-014
Folder Title:
John F. Kennedy High School Anti-Drug Rally 12/8/89 [OA 3540]
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25
6
6
5
#2018.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Des Moines, Iowa)
For Immediate Release
December 8, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL
ANTIDRUG RALLY
John F. Kennedy High School
Denver, Colorado
1:27 P.M. MST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank
you. Thank you, Pat, very much. And to the Governor of this state,
thank you, sir, for welcoming me back. Governor Romer. To our
Congressman whose district we are, my friend, Dan Schaefer, thank
you, sir, for being with us over here. (Applause.) You've heard
from our Drug Czar, Bill Bennett, who's doing a marvelous job
fighting the narcotics scourge all across this country. (Applause.)
I wanted to thank Superintendent Koeppe, but I also
wanted to pay my respect to the marshal of enthusiasm -- she who
leads this school as principal, Bernadette Seick -- thank you for
that wonderful welcome. (Applause.)
And, of course, to all of Denver's choice for number one
anywhere at anytime, the Broncs, I want to say, Dan Reeves and John
Beak, and Randy, Randy Gradishar, and President of that Denver
Broncos Youth Foundation -- to Tony Dorsett -- (applause) -- and
Andrew Provence -- (applause) -- and Billy Bryan and Randy Thornton.
(Applause.) I want to thank all of them for being here.
I understand that your soccer team, if you'll pardon the
pun, has a commanding lead. (Applause.) Dan Reeves has his scouts
out, wondering if any of these guys would be any good at field goals.
But, you know, whenever I fly over this part of the country on Air
Force One, I'm always impressed, obviously, by the beauty of the
Rockies -- grey peaks, green forests, sun. (Applause.) And in
springtime, fantastic. And so you were lucky to be so close, so much
a part of one of the most beautiful places on Earth -- this great
State of Colorado. (Applause.)
And from Pike's Peak, to our south, right on up to the
shadow of Longs Peak, the thrill of the Front Range is ever-present.
But you know, when you think of it, the greatest thrill
in this world comes from the realization of a great ambition. It's
the kind that a mountain climber knows when scaling that last rocky
ledge to finally reach the summit. And this is the thrill that these
gentlemen know -- to be a Bronco, to inspire more consecutive
sell-out games than any other team in the history of the National
Football League. (Applause.)
But my point is this -- my point is simply this -- such a
moment has to be earned. It's as Montel Williams says, that if you
want to be "fresh," you must first be "fresh" with your mind.
But the sad truth is that some people think you can get
these same feelings of achievement without waiting, without striving,
without doing much of anything at all. And they think all you need
to do to feel like a winner is to smoke, or snort, or swallow a dose
of drugs. But the drug high is only a sensation, not a fact; only
for a minute, not a lifetime. And it is that simple, and it is that
dangerous.
MORE
- 2 -
For in that short time, the very ground beneath your feet
is slipping away, opening up. And into that narrow grave you can
bury your hopes, your dreams, and perhaps your very life.
And even if you don't pay the price today, rest assured,
someone else will. Some people just think of themselves as peer
group casual users. But there's nothing casual about buying drugs
from people who consider killing to be a cost of doing business. Ask
any policeman -- and God bless them -- any policeman here in Denver
about the Crips and the Bloods. (Applause.) And watch the news from
Colombia to our south. And you put it together: Every dollar spent
on drugs is a dollar spent on death. (Applause.)
And let us then send a message to the merchants of death,
called those pushers: We have new tools at our disposal to defeat
you. And we are going to defeat you. (Applause.)
Let me tell you about a new law -- a new law that allows
the Department of Justice to seize the assets of these drug kingpins
and distribute the proceeds among law enforcement agencies.
A simple traffic stop by a Lakewood, Colorado, policeman
in 1981 resulted in the cracking of a major cocaine cartel -- and the
seizure of a small fortune. So I'm happy to say that in just a
moment from now, I will present five checks totaling $2,196,951 to
these local authorities -- (applause.) Take that money, give it to
the local authorities who participated in the investigation -- the
police departments of Lakewood, Greenwood and Aurora, and the
sheriff's office of Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties.
So only in this narrow way -- I will concede -- but only
in this narrow way, crime pays. It pays for more stringent law
enforcement. And criminals pay with a hefty chunk of their lives --
in this case with 20 years imprisonment. And in some cases, they
will pay with their very lives.
And we can do even more -- we've got to -- much more --
to fight drugs. I sent a crime package to the Congress in May.
Summer passed and fall passed. And now another winter will pass in
Washington before new tough legislation is considered. But I am,
going to keep on fighting. We owe it to every kid at Kennedy to pass
that kind of legislation. (Applause.) Crime is a number one concern
of our nation. I call on the United States Congress today to make
our crime package of one of its first orders of business when it
reconvenes in January.
Your school is experiencing many of the same problems as
every other school in America. That's why I came here today to
introduce you to the Denver Broncos Youth Foundation. Because I do
believe you can be Commanders in the war on drugs. (Applause.)
Listen to them and learn from then. And they'll teach you how to
avoid drugs for the rest of your life. And after all, drugs may get
by a lot of people; but nothing can get by the Orange Crush.
(Applause.)
The most important tactics, I'm told, that they teach are
called "refusal skills." Perhaps you're under peer pressure to use
drugs; fit in with some certain group out there. So you need to be
able to do more than just say no. You need to have the confidence to
look your false friends in the eyes, and say "hell, no, I don't want
any of that." (Applause.)
I'll bet every one of you can tell me a tale of what
you've seen firsthand and what drugs can do to your fellow students.
And if someone you know is using drugs, then be a decent friend to
the guy. Help him. Talk to him. Talk to her. Just ask your friend
to take the problem home. And if that doesn't work -- to a counselor
or to the church or somewhere, or to Randy here, and his people. But
do something; don't just sit there. Help your friend. Take your
friend to someone who will listen.
MORE
- 3 -
We're not going to get rid of drugs overnight in this
country. But I believe that by working together, with the good
people affiliated with this marvelous Denver Broncos Youth
Association, you will one day get the drugs out of Denver.
(Applause.)
I know you live in tough times -- and certainly that your
life isn't simply. But that's why we want your help and your
thoughts. And if you have an idea to fight drugs, let's hear it. If
you have a plan, share it -- with your community leaders and your
local officials, or with your Governor, who is waging a strong fight.
And with our Drug Czar, Bill Bennett. Believe me -- an individual
can make a difference.
Randy says that winning takes teamwork. Well, in the
field and in life, that's true -- teamwork means being of one mind,
one spirit, agreeing to one purpose. And our purpose is to get rid
of drugs in America once and for all. (Applause.)
Your blue and kelly-green banner is an emblem of pride.
Let it also be an emblem of a drug-free school, the home of true
Commanders.
I came here to thank you, pay my repects to your great
faculty, to your principal, to your superintendent, and most of all,
to you who are engaged in this fight. (Applause.) And now I want
you to witness government, perhaps close to its best, as I present to
these local law enforcement officers the money that I was talking
about that comes from the heroic fight they are waging to protect the
life of every kid in this school. It's going to be my pleasure to
present the checks to them. (Applause.)
END
1:39 P.M. MST