[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 51 (Friday, April 19, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SOUTH DAKOTA VOICE OF DEMOCRACY WINNER

                                 ______


                            HON. TIM JOHNSON

                            of south dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 19, 1996

  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Nicole Sanderson of 
Wagner, SD, was recently selected as a State winner in the Voice of 
Democracy broadcast script writing contest conducted each year by the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its ladies auxiliary. 
The contest theme for this year was answering America's call, and of 
the more than 116,000 secondary school students who participated in 
this year's contest, Nicole was also named a winner at the national 
level. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Nicole's winning script be reprinted in 
the Congressional Record. She deserves to be commended for her 
exceptional efforts in writing this script and participating in this 
contest. Nicole's insights and enthusiasm will serve as a model to 
others her age.

                        Answering America's Call

              (By Nicole Sanderson, Post 7319, Wagner, SD)

       Alexander Hamilton once said, ``The sacred rights of 
     mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or 
     musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam in the 
     whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity 
     itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal 
     power.'' Not in the course of human events would one discover 
     a more substantial remark or a clearer understanding of the 
     prospect of the American dream than that of Alexander 
     Hamilton's. Hamilton truly believed that the so-called 
     ``American experiment'' would succeed and over generations 
     would prove to be a powerful existence. Hamilton realized 
     that to simply live under the wrath of tyranny with no 
     objections would be surrendering the very rights he deemed 
     necessary, but to fight for the rule of one's own hand was 
     justification for every rebellion in the cause for justice 
     and freedom.
       In the two hundred years since our forefathers signed the 
     Constitution, America has gained the respect of those very 
     nations who believed we were a failing idea from the start. 
     She has grown to be the strong, influential nation Hamilton 
     and many others had foreseen, regarding with utmost respect 
     those ideas we were founded on. Today, however, America is 
     lacking the respect from her own citizens that we once so 
     eagerly prided ourselves on.
       Many Americans have turned to the idea of hatred, deceit, 
     and revenge. But why? Has the American dream failed them or 
     have they simply failed the American dream? With crime rate 
     on a drastic increase and disregard for the law a common 
     occurrence, Americans have lost the sense of direction that 
     the founders of this great country so generously provided and 
     intended for us. We must not sit back and watch as the 
     destruction of our country continues, but we must speak out 
     to those who are disrespectful to the constitution and to the 
     American people. We must prove to them that America is not 
     the villain they see, but merely one modest voice in the 
     choir of heroes.
       When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, that was not the 
     dream intended for our country, and when the innocent people 
     of the Oklahoma City bombing were so brutally victimized, 
     that was not the dream America would one day prosper from 
     either, but merely the blatant disrespect for human life and 
     the rights of all who care for this country. Once again, I 
     ask why? America is about freedom and responsibility. America 
     is the dream of unity and everlasting respect. Why, then, are 
     there demonstrations burning the very flag in which we should 
     so gratefully salute, burning the very idea our forefathers 
     worked, fought and died for. The authors of the Constitution 
     did not attempt to establish a government and a symbol for 
     all to honor so that one day their descendants could 
     flagrantly burn and degrade their accomplishments. We must 
     encourage those voices that they did not choose America, but 
     America chose them, and now they must return her kind favor 
     and participate in the Government which tries so very hard to 
     guarantee their freedom, their responsibility, and their 
     prosperity.
       Never have I been so disappointed with my fellow citizens 
     as when I see such horrendous disregard for human rights. 
     Does not the Declaration of Independence directly state that 
     ``all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their 
     creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are 
     Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?''
       Then why are people committing such acts of violence 
     against one another, so unthinkable to our choice of freedom, 
     hindering every possibility of justice among free, self-
     governed men? As a young citizen of this remarkable country, 
     I feel it not only my privilege, but also my duty to protect 
     and honor her at all times and to create within her the 
     direction our fathers intended.
       We must not blind ourselves to the needs of our nation, but 
     we must stand up and fight to regain the pride and honesty we 
     once knew. America is calling us, pleading for us to help 
     her. As the future of this great nation, we must not only 
     believe in the ideas of unity among the people, freedom and 
     equality for all men, and the pleasure and possibilities of 
     good government, but we must also act on them. Answering her 
     calls will not be easy, but it will be necessary to fight the 
     hatred that is growing stronger every day.
       This nation calls to us from the graves of those long since 
     gone, from the patriotic memorials of those we honor, and 
     from the very idea we hold strong in our hearts, the idea of 
     freedom, asking us kindly to remember those who gave so 
     graciously to this country their lives and their freedom so 
     that we might have ours. We must never forget how fortunate 
     we are to be Americans and how wonderful it is to be free. 
     America is calling out to you. Are you listening?

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