[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 51 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NATHANIEL BENNETT, NATIONAL WINNER OF THE VFW VOICE OF DEMOCRACY 
                                PROGRAM

 Mr. DURENBERGER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
a young man from Minneapolis, Nathaniel Bennett, who was the first 
place national winner of the 1994 VFW Voice of Democracy Program and 
recipient of the $20,000 T.C. Selman Memorial Scholarship Award 
provided by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and its ladies auxiliary.
  A junior at Minneapolis South High School, Nat was sponsored by VFW 
Post 1149 and its ladies auxiliary in Minneapolis. Over 138,000 
students participated in this year's program.
  Now in its 47th year, the Voice of Democracy Program requires 
entrants, all high school students, to write and record an essay on a 
patriotic theme. This year's theme was ``My Commitment to America.''
  In reading Nat's essay, I was struck that rather than speaking about 
the legal obligations of citizenship, Nat spoke about the unique 
contribution each individual can make to our society, and specifically 
about the way he can express his own personal commitment to America 
through his talents and abilities in photography and music.
  Mr. President, I ask that Nat's winning essay be included in the 
Record immediately following my remarks.
  I urge all of my colleagues to read and carefully consider this young 
man's thoughts. We could all learn something from what he has to say.
  The essay follows:

                        My Commitment to America

                         (By Nathaniel Bennett)

       All of us can think of a commitment that we've made to 
     someone else, in marriages, in families and with friends. 
     Commitment means people pledging themselves, often to each 
     other. My commitment to America is no different. It involves 
     America and I pledging ourselves to each other. For America's 
     part, I have been welcomed by my family, my community, a 
     government that is of, by and for the people, and by a 
     society that has made this country great. To make the 
     relationship between my nation and myself work, I must make 
     my own commitment.
       I have always felt a commitment to America, but only 
     recently thought about what that commitment really is. I have 
     pledged allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which 
     it stands, but never fully understood the meaning of 
     allegiance. I studied the Constitution, and discovered that 
     it explains what the government can and cannot do, and gives 
     the people certain rights, but nowhere in the Constitution 
     does it mention a legal commitment. To understand my 
     commitment to this country, I had to look deeper than the 
     letter of the law. I had to look at the moral principles that 
     America is based on, such as freedom of expression, 
     toleration of differences, and belief in peaceful compromise. 
     I had to realize that I, and every other American, must make 
     a moral commitment to America.
       As part of that commitment, it is important that I exercise 
     my right to vote, my right to free speech, and my right to 
     petition the government. Still, this is not enough. I must 
     also contribute to society in my own, individual way. America 
     is not only a political state, it is a society that was 
     shaped by many people, in many ways.
       Many of the greatest Americans were not involved in 
     politics. If Mark Twain had been a career politician, we 
     would not have his novel, Tom Sawyer, and we would not know 
     how fun and profitable it can be to white-wash a fence. If 
     Alexander Graham Bell had spent his life studying 
     Constitutional law, we might still be communication by Pony 
     Express. If the father of the sky-scraper, Louis Sullivan, 
     had been a Washington lobbyist, the world of architecture 
     would be less interesting and a lot shorter. If Harriet 
     Tubman had been a member of Lincoln's cabinet, there would 
     have been many slaves that never made it to freedom. The 
     point is not that these people weren't making political 
     statements. Of course their lives reflected their political 
     opinions. The point is that they contributed to society in 
     their own way.
       Right now, I am experimenting with a few ways to express my 
     commitment to America. I'm no Ansel Adams, whose pictures 
     inspire awe of our nation's natural beauty, but I do take 
     photographs of my surroundings that express my commitment to 
     America. One of my pictures is of a building with a billboard 
     displaying the message, ``Support our troops in Operation 
     Desert Storm.'' Below the billboard, on the building are the 
     words, ``Troops Out'' in black spray-paint. When I took the 
     photograph, I thought of it as merely an ironic urban scene, 
     super-imposing two messages into one image, but now it seems 
     to me it is an example of the American forum. The maker of 
     the billboard, the maker of the graffiti, and I, the maker of 
     the photograph, all considering America's direction.
       I'm not on a par with Bob Dylan, the American troubador, 
     but I play the bass guitar and occasionally I write songs. 
     One of them called ``Indecision'' describes an inner 
     struggle. Two lines read, ``I try to communicate. I do so 
     with perseverance. But hypocristy retaliates with its 
     interference.'' The tunes and lyrics are simple, but the song 
     reflects my occasional frustrations about life.
       And what about this speech? I do not think the great 
     American orator, Fredrick Douglas, will lose his place in 
     history because of me, but I am using this speech to explore 
     and explain my commitment to America. It made me think about 
     how my photograph and music reflect that commitment. Even 
     now, as I recite, I gain more insight into who I am and what 
     my commitment to America means.
       I've discovered that I treasure the freedom of expression 
     that allows me to contribute my music, my photography, and my 
     opinions to American society. My whole generation and I 
     experience this freedom because of many Americans before us; 
     Americans who have given their ideas in political speeches, 
     in songs, in stories and in actions; Americans who have 
     worked in factories and universities and grocery stores; 
     Americans who have given their loyal services and even their 
     lives, in the armed forces. In response to and in honor of 
     those Americans, I contribute my ideas, my talents, and my 
     life to America in order to make it better now and for 
     generations to come. This is my commitment to America. It is 
     the greatest commitment that I can make.

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