[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK

  Mr. DOMENICI. First of all, let me remind the Senate that 6 months 
ago, a very distinguished group of U.S. Senators from both sides of the 
aisle--Senators Nunn, Dodd, Cochran, Danforth, Bennett, Lieberman, and 
Mikulski--joined me in introducing a resolution calling upon the 
President to issue a proclamation declaring the week of October 16 
through the 22d as National Character Counts Week. That resolution was 
soon joined by many other Senators from both sides of the aisle.
  It was then introduced by House Members. The group in the House that 
put it together and worked very hard to get it passed were 
Representatives Tony Hall, Frank Wolf, Emerson from Missouri, Hamilton, 
Hughes, Henry Hyde, Moakley of Massachusetts, and Smith of Maine.
  Now all of these are bipartisan, about equal from both sides. And 
sooner rather than later, the resolution passed both Houses in 
identical language and was signed.
  We introduced this very simple resolution for two reasons. First, we 
believed that it is time to stand up with thousands of Americans who 
are supporting the issue of character development; and, second we 
believe that there were six core elements of character with which we 
could identify and find no disagreement. We actually took these from a 
group in America, bipartisan in nature, cochaired in terms of its 
spokesmen by former Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas and movie 
actor Tom Selleck, as the cospokesmen for the Character Counts 
Coalition.
  They developed, over a long period of debate, six core elements of 
character. They are very simple but profound. They are trustworthiness, 
respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
  The U.S. Senate, urged by the eight Senators that I have just 
referred to, now believe that these six core elements are fundamental 
precepts that transcend religious, socioeconomic, and cultural 
differences.
  Today, we had a celebration in anticipation of this October 16 
through the 22d National Character Counts Week. A number of 
organizations, many of them from around the country, came and sent 
representatives so as to show the grass roots support across America 
for this endeavor.
  I ask unanimous consent that the formal list of participants be 
printed in the Record at this point.
  There being no objection, the list was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                              Participants

       Don Whatley, Albuquerque Teachers Federation.
       Sal Panzetti, American Youth Soccer Organization.
       Rev. Monsignor Joseph W. Ariano, Boys Town.
       City of Albuquerque, Mary Jane Aguilar.
       Michael Casserly, Council of Great City Schools.
       Frances Hesselbein, Tom Selleck and Michael Josephson from 
     the Character Counts! Coalition.
       Keith Sovereign, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, 
     Community of Caring.
       Sylvia Peters, Crossroads.
       Vic Hackley, Chancellor, Fayetteville University.
       Alma Hobbes, Deputy Director, Dept. of Agriculture for the 
     4-H.
       William Rable, Goodwill Industries.
       Steve Keener, Little League Baseball.
       Diane Berreth, Association for Supervision and Curriculum 
     Development.
       John Martin, Character Education Partnership.
       Dr. Fred Close, Ethics Resource Center.
       Rocco Marano, National Ass'n of Student Councils and 
     National Ass'n of Secondary School Principals.
       Fred Brigham, Nat'l Catholic Educational Ass'n.
       Raul Yzaguirre, Nat'l Council of La Raza.
       Father Leonard Wenke, Nat'l Federations for Catholic Youth 
     Ministries.
       Richard Schubert, Points of Light Foundation.
       nancy Van Gulick, Youth at Risk, Red Cross of America.
       Linda Blick, The Chesapeake Institute.
       Nancy Kennedy, United Way of America.
       C.J. VanPelt, YMCA of USA.
       Terry Bomar, Young Adventurers, Inc.
       Ray Nickoliason and Arlene Bomar, Young Adventurers.
       Ellen Mugmon, Maryland Governors Council on Child Abuse & 
     Neglect.
       Mary Johnston, Sponsor-A-Child.

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, this morning, Senators Nunn, Dodd, 
Cochran, Bennett, Lieberman and Mikulski from the U.S. Senate--original 
cosponsors of this resolution--joined me with our friends from the 
House, and we addressed a number of cameras and hundreds of people, a 
number of newspaper people, and many radio people. We urged that the 
United States take seriously this National Character Counts Week. Many 
superb words of admonition, concern and praise were stated this morning 
by Members of both Houses and by others who joined with us in stating 
to the people of our country that we all want to join with the grass 
roots efforts across our land, which is going to try to put these six 
core elements of character back into our daily lives.
  This group of Senators and Representatives, joined by leaders of 
different organizations--including the leadership of the Character 
Counts Coalition--do not want to tell anyone what to do but, rather, we 
want to join with what apparently is a national effort, growing by 
leaps and bounds, indicating anxiety and concern, feeling confident 
that what we need are the imposition of these six core elements of 
character into our lifestyles, into our schools, into our businesses, 
into all our institutions. Many cities, many counties, many States, 
many public officials and many grass roots organizations today 
expressed their willingness to make these six character pillars of 
character, these six elements of character, part of our daily lives, 
indicating that that week would be used to stimulate the original 
enthusiasm to get this effort going. We were also privileged to hear 
the positive and inspiring remarks about the importance of these 
efforts from a number of distinguished friends and guests: Tom Selleck, 
Frances Hesselbein, and Michael Josephson of the Character Counts! 
Coalition; Keith Sovereign of the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation; Rocco 
Marano of the National Association of Student Councils; John Martin of 
the Character Education Partnership; Diane Berreth of the Association 
for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Fred Close of the Ethics 
Resource Center; Alma Hobbes, Deputy Director, Department of 
Agriculture, 4-H; Fred Brigham of the National Catholic Educational 
Association; and Vic Hackley, Chancellor of Fayetteville University.
  We joined together, not because we are interested in this week, 
October 16 through the 22nd, but because we are interested in this 
effort of reestablishing the basic character, the basic virtue of 
America, back into our society through these six pillars of character. 
We did this because we want this to be an ongoing effort by our 
parents, by those who run playgrounds, by those who run youth 
organizations, by those who run schools and businesses and the like.
  It was a very big success. But it will not be successful unless more 
and more Americans decide that they want to be part of this growing 
grass roots phenomenon of Americans to put character back into our 
daily lives and lifestyles, and pushing hard for such basic principles 
and concepts of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, 
caring and citizenship, becoming part of our daily lives.
  I thank the Senate for yielding me 5 minutes out of order to discuss 
our original success one step at a time. Today was a second success 
since passing the resolution in both Houses and getting it signed by 
the President. The week of October 16 will be the next big success. And 
after that, if it catches on and becomes part of our daily lives, 
indeed we might have started something that will cause this country of 
ours to be less anxious about itself, less concerned, less worried, 
because indeed we will get to the root of our problem which seems to 
have to do with the relationship of individuals to individuals, of 
individuals to society, and whether they can make their hearts and 
their heads come together and work on very simple character qualities 
that must be part of a civilized society.
  To paraphrase the great Greek philosophers: A country without 
character is a country that is lost, and a country with character is a 
country where people have character.
  Those of us joining in this effort believe that wholeheartedly. We 
think it is time everyone make an effort to put that back in our daily 
lives.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. HELMS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Feinstein). The Senator from North 
Carolina is recognized.
  Mr. HELMS. I thank the Chair.
  I want to be certain that the distinguished Senator from New Jersey 
does not wish to speak now, because he has been on the floor, too.
  I thank the Senator.
  I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for me at this point to 
make a relatively brief statement about another matter which is of some 
consequence.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? There being none, the 
Senator is recognized to speak as if in morning business.
  Mr. HELMS. And then, Madam President, of course, I will proceed to 
the Sarokin nomination.

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