[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 63 (Thursday, May 19, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS OF SENATOR THAD COCHRAN AT MISSISSIPPI STATE 
                               UNIVERSITY

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, someone once said that the role of a 
commencement speaker is like the role of a body at a funeral--they 
cannot hold the ceremony without you, but no one expects you to say 
very much.
  Those who graduated from Mississippi State on May 14 were very 
fortunate. For they had the privilege of hearing a commencement speech 
that contained a great deal of wisdom, and that said a great deal about 
America and its future.
  The speech was delivered by our friend and colleague, Senator Thad 
Cochran. Senator Cochran reminded the graduates of the promise of 
America, and the threat to this promise which comes from the loss of 
character.
  It is a message that all of us should read, Mr. President. I ask 
unanimous consent that the text of Senator Cochran's commencement 
address be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           Commencement Address--Mississippi State University

                     (By U.S. Senator Thad Cochran)

       Thank you very much. Dr. Zacharias, I appreciate having the 
     honor of being commencement speaker today.
       I know some of you may wonder why they invited an Old Miss 
     graduate to do this speech. Well, I want you to know I'm 
     pulling for State to beat LSU in the baseball game today, and 
     if some of you are listening to the game instead of to me, I 
     don't blame you.
       And I'm also here at least once each year to cheer for the 
     Dawgs during football season. * * * And my mother's father 
     graduated from State in 1908.
       Also, my father had two first cousins who went to State--
     one was President of the student body and captain of the 
     basketball team in 1935, and the other is a member of the 
     State sports hall of fame and was an Olympic gold medal 
     winner in track in 1924.
       And, I'm a friend of Sonny Montgomery, and John Stennis, 
     with whom I have worked very closely and cordially, in 
     Washington. A good bit of their love and affection for this 
     University has rubbed off on me.
       So, I feel especially honored today to be on this platform 
     * * * and my Mississippi State kinfolk are delighted.
       In his 1953 book, The People's College: A History of 
     Mississippi State, John K. Bettersworth said: ``[This] 
     college has been a symbol of the search of the Mississippian 
     for the better life. This has involved, among other things, 
     pushing out into that broader field of human culture where 
     men learn to live with men as civilized and responsible 
     citizens.''
       Today, your graduation pushes you into that broader field 
     better equipped now with the skills and knowledge to help you 
     reach your goals; and with your goals set higher than they 
     otherwise would have been were it not for your experience 
     here at this fine University.
       As you enter this next phase of your lives, you should 
     think about your resources and your assets. You may think you 
     don't have any--that you are broke or even in debt.
       But, I hope after today you will realize instead that you 
     have what many others around the world wish they had--a 
     country that is strong and free and rich with diversity and 
     opportunity.
       William Faulkner made a speech 42 years ago to the annual 
     meeting of the Delta Council in Cleveland, Mississippi and he 
     said:
       ``The United States is the whole world's golden envy. * * * 
     [There never has been] such a land of opportunity in which 
     all a man needed were two legs to move to a new place on, and 
     two hands to grasp and hold with, in order to amass to 
     himself enough material substance to last him the rest of his 
     days and who knew? even something over for his and his wife's 
     children.''
       In that year, 1952, the United States produced forty 
     percent of the goods and services in the world. Almost half 
     of the value of the economic output of the entire world was 
     produced by the United States. We were the dominant power 
     economically, politically, and militarily.
       And guess what? We still are--William Faulkner's words are 
     still true today. The United States is the envy of the world 
     and a land of opportunity like no other.
       Last year, America's gross domestic product was $6.4 
     trillion--more than twice that of Japan and four times that 
     of Germany.
       We sold more of what we produced, on our farms and in our 
     factories, in the world marketplace than any other country in 
     the world. $430 billion worth.
       America leads the world in technological and scientific 
     achievement. During the last twenty years we have won more 
     Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine and physiology 
     than all of the other countries of the world combined.
       People in other countries want to come here and to live 
     here because of the opportunities we have. Last year, 1 
     million three hundred thousand people were apprehended trying 
     to enter the United States illegally. 10,000 were arrested at 
     Kennedy airport in New York alone.
       A few weeks ago 63 Chinese were found living in the 
     basement of a house in Maryland, hiding from the immigration 
     authorities. Four men from Colombia stowed away on a 
     container ship on its way to New York City. Three of them 
     smothered to death. The sole survivor told their story of 
     risking death to get to the United States which he said they 
     had heard was paradise so they could find a good paying job 
     and take the money back home to their families.
       All around the world struggles for life, for freedom, for 
     opportunity lead so many to yearn for and even to die for the 
     chance to have what you have, what we all have.
       What you have is an unparalleled opportunity to start a 
     business, to go to college, to go where you want to go, to be 
     who you want to be and to do what you want to do.
       But, I must acknowledge our example is being tarnished by a 
     real threat to the American dream of freedom, prosperity, and 
     opportunity. We observe an erosion of pride, self-confidence, 
     self-reliance and character in our society.
       Today in America a crime of violence occurs every 22 
     seconds. Each year, 25 percent of all homes are victimized by 
     crime. The chances of being the victim of a violent crime are 
     now greater than being injured in an automobile accident.
       In 1992, according to a National Education Goals Panel 
     repot, ten percent of those in the tenth grade admitted 
     carrying a gun to school at least once.
       I believe these problems are symptoms of a more serious 
     national ailment--loss of character.
       William Faulkner also said in his Delta Council speech in 
     1952 that our country was founded upon ``the inalienable duty 
     of man to be free and independent and responsible.''
       Last month, I joined with seven other United States 
     Senators from both parties, four Republicans and four 
     Democrats, to sponsor a resolution to urge national 
     recognition of the fact that the present and future well 
     being of our society requires an involved, caring citizenry 
     with good character. This is an effort to support the 
     Character Counts Coalition which is cochaired by actor Tom 
     Selleck and former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.
       Our resolution and the national Character Counts Coalition 
     seeks to make all citizens more aware of the importance of 
     the core elements of character, which are: trustworthiness, 
     respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. 
     We should all become active in this national crusade to help 
     make good character traits an intrinsic part of the lives of 
     all Americans.
       A part of the effort is to support education initiatives to 
     help provide students with opportunities to discuss how to 
     build a strong sense of character in our schools. Churches 
     and other organizations are also becoming involved to promote 
     a greater sense of community awareness of the need for good 
     character.
       Teachers across the country have started integrating 
     discussions of these personal attributes into the daily 
     classwork of their students. Early reports are very positive. 
     They say good character traits are contagious, among students 
     as well as teachers.
       This crusade is important because we must ensure that our 
     country's legacy as the greatest democracy in the world 
     continues to meet the needs and expectations of this and 
     future generations of Americans.
       We are at a critical point in the life of our country. We 
     can continue down the road toward anarchy--with a diminishing 
     sense of responsibility for ourselves and for others, with 
     more crime and more violence.
       Or, we can take the road that leads to a renewed sense of 
     caring, and responsibility that means fairness and justice 
     for all.
       The well being of our society depends upon all of us 
     accepting this responsibility, and realizing in our daily 
     lives our example counts.
       Thank you very much, and good luck!

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