NEW YORK — Rudolph Giuliani told attendees at DMD New York Marketing Conference yesterday that they are involved in one of the core enterprises that makes America great and that “constituted one of the reasons we were attacked.”
New York City's former mayor addressed 1,000 people in the luncheon audience, drawing considerable applause while he discussed the challenges facing the United States in the post-Sept. 11 world.
“We were attacked because of our beliefs and our philosophy,” he said. “The World Trade Center represented political and economic freedom. People should earn money. People should own property. You should be very proud of what you do. When you say capitalism, it's the best answer for poverty.”
The man who developed a reputation for being combative occasionally while in office addressed the question of how the United States should respond to terrorism.
“You cannot compromise with people who want to destroy you,” Giuliani said. “What would we compromise? Freedom of religion? Everyone will have to practice the extreme form of your religion? One of the reasons for the insane reaction against us is that … these ideas are spreading. We have to take our ideas and spread them, believe them and not back off.”
Preparation for a future attack must be part of the overall U.S. consciousness, Giuliani said. Yet people must relax and go about their lives unaffected. He also mentioned the two things that got him through Sept. 11.
“[I have] a tremendous … optimism that our ideas will prevail,” he said. “The world is not going in the direction of dictatorships. Not respecting other religions [and] a lack of rights for women … the world isn't going there.
“We're right and they're wrong, and we're going to prevail.”
The second thing Giuliani mentioned was having a sense of humor about almost anything that happens in life.
He also tried to provide some perspective for those in attendance.
“The reality is I am virtually [able] to guarantee that no one in this room is going to die of terrorism,” he said. “There are many greater risks we face — crime, disease, accidents. All are greater threats than terrorism.”
