Refusing to Give In to Fear
By Mayor Rudy Giuliani
With each passing day since the vicious and unprovoked attacks of
September 11th, Americans have developed a clearer understanding of
the fact that we now face an enemy unlike any other that we have faced
in the past. We confront an elusive enemy whose methods are based
upon undermining our freedoms through fear.
If we acknowledge this frankly, then our course of action is clear.
We must go on living our lives with strength, courage, and a resolve
to not allow fear to compromise our freedom or our way of life.
This resolve is especially important in dealing responsibly with
the most recent challenges that we face. The discovery of anthrax
in New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Florida presents a new
challenge, but as Americans we must remain calm and continue to go
about our lives.
You should have confidence in knowing that health officials and investigators
from both the federal and local government are working aggressively
and responsibly to meet this challenge and protect our people. We
have met this threat in a comprehensive and aggressive manner. These
are the facts: Thousands of tests have been taken for anthrax throughout
the City; the number of confirmed exposures has been extremely low;
and all of those who have been found to have anthrax have fully recovered.
This is an eminently treatable disease whose primary impact has been
the spread of fear.
Anthrax is fully treatable and curable if caught in a reasonable
amount of time. If you are convinced that you are showing signs of
exposure, then you should consult a doctor. However, we must remember
that panic can be more dangerous than the disease itself. We are encountering
many of these threats for the first time, but America and other nations
across the world have triumphed over far greater challenges in the
past.
During the Great Depression, when President Franklin Roosevelt told
us that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,"
our nation was suffering the worst economic crisis of its history.
The stock market crash led to tremendous numbers of unemployed Americans
living at poverty levels, but as President Roosevelt realized, the
greatest threat to our nation's stability and strength was the shadow
of fear which had darkened the spirit of America.
His warning of a "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror
which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance"
applies as strongly now as ever before. Now is the time to move forward
with our lives and with the rebuilding of our City, and we should
not give in to the fear that threatens to stand in our way.
I am extremely proud of the way in which New Yorkers have handled
themselves both during and after the tragedy that has struck our City.
Through our outpouring of support for the recovery and rebuilding
efforts and the determination with which we've gone ahead with our
lives, we have already shown the world that New Yorkers do not cave
in to terror. We are stronger and more united than ever before, and
we will continue to move forward, refusing to surrender to fear.
