[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 15, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H5138-H5141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2030
                      DORNAN REPLIES TO GUNDERSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ney). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of May 12, 1995, the gentleman from California [Mr. Dornan] is 
recognized for 5 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California, Mrs. 
Seastrand, who will follow with 30 minutes that I think Members are 
going to find fascinating.
  Mr. Speaker, I had 60 minutes tonight but everybody was jumping the 
gun and assuming that in a special order tonight at 8:30 East Coast 
time or later, 9:30 after the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Klink, 
does his special order, that I was going to respond to the Member from 
the Third District of Wisconsin, Steve Gunderson, on his peculiar point 
of personal privilege yesterday.
  I have talked to the parliamentarians and my honor was impugned at 
several points during Mr. Gunderson's strange point of personal 
privilege. If I had been here, I could have taken his words down time 
after time and had them stricken from the Record. I stood not 
mesmerized but fascinated at home. I will at some point, as the 
parliamentarians agreed, take a point of special privilege during the 
middle of the day, probably earlier than he did his. He did his around 
3:30. That will be done in good time, probably next week, and I will 
set straight the perversion of facts that took place.
  I am going to include for the Record the reply of the reporter, a man 
of honor, Marc Morano, to Representative Steve Gunderson, it is 
fascinating; I want to put in the reply of the Family Research Council, 
it is fascinating; and I am going to put in again Billy Graham's 
beautiful address in the Rotunda on May 2 that he titled ``The Hope for 
America,'' where he said that we are paying an awful price for what has 
happened in our land with moral issues. And then he said, ``We are a 
society poised on the brink of self-destruction.''
  In the few moments left, Mr. Speaker, I will read from a letter from 
one of the outstanding researchers over at Family Research Council, he 
was a stalwart at Empower America, and it was in response to a good 
friend of mine saying the Christian Coalition might be obsessed with 
the issue of homosexuality.
  Likewise CATO's David Boaz used the term to attack the Family 
Research Council in the New York Times. Funny you don't hear anyone 
accused of being obsessed with taxes, defense of our country, 
deregulation, education, or any number of other issues no matter how 
passionately they argue or how often. The ``obsession'' tag is used 
specifically in the homosexual debate, and I think I know why, he 
continues.
  Because it implies a secret, hypocritical propensity for 
homosexuality. It is a nifty little smear that homosexual activists use 
routinely. That is why I winced when I found the nameless mutual friend 
of Mr. Knight's and myself had used the term unknowingly at the Road to 
Victory conference.
  We have seen a debauching of the English language, a synonym for 
cheerful, happy, mirthful, good-natured, the word ``gay,'' the root 
word of gala, substituted for the death in their prime of life of over 
300,000 young males in America who have the word ``gay'' and ``gaiety'' 
put in the place of ``sad'' and ``play.''
  We have seen a word created that is phony. I have four years of 
Latin. There is no such word as homophobia. Phobia of man, homo? If 
they mean homosexual phobia or decadence phobia, that would be more 
accurate, but it is not a phobia. It may be an aversion to seeing the 
collapse of our society or, as Billy Graham put it, a great Nation on 
the brink of self-destruction. I shall be back with that theme soon.
  Mr. Speaker, Fair is fair and facts are powerful. Here is Mr. 
Morano's powerful rebuttal to the Member from Wisconsin who will retire 
in less than five months, effective Jan. 3, 1996.

         Marc Morano Replies to Representative Steve Gunderson

       The following is my response to Congressman Steve 
     Gunderson's (R-WI) point of personal privilege delivered on 
     the House floor on May 14, 1996:
       It is an outrage that a U.S. Congressman would interrupt a 
     session of Congress and take to the House floor and slander 
     the character of a reporter whom he never met. Congressman 
     Steve Gunderson said on the House floor that ``hate and 
     prejudice are the motives by which Mr. Morano * * * sought to 
     totally misrepresent the fund raising events and their 
     purpose.'' He further states that I ``intentionally 
     falsif[ied] information'' and that my report is ``the 
     journalism of bigotry and prejudice.'' How Congressman 
     Gunderson knows all of this about me remains a mystery.
       The Washington Times reported today that at least three 
     other people who attended the night dance can corroborate my 
     account. John Cloud, a city paper reporter said he witnessed 
     ``* * * a fair number of people using drugs.'' A columnist in 
     Metro Weekly described the dance as follows: ``We spent much 
     of our time out on the dance floor trying to cop a feel, or 
     back in the sponsors lounge trying to cop a feel, or outside 
     in the designated smoking area trying to cop a feel and a 
     smoke.'' In addition, Jim Jennings, who works for one of the 
     sponsors of the event admitted to seeing ``very provocative 
     dancing.''
       The freedom of the press is a fundamental right set forth 
     in the Constitution. Congressman Steven Gunderson's character 
     assassination of me on the House floor has a chilling effect 
     on free speech. Will reporters in the future now hesitate to 
     come forth with a controversial story for fear our elected 
     leaders will use their office to attack the reporters entire 
     career, question their motives and engage in vicious name 
     calling? Congressman Gunderson, by impugning my professional 
     reputation, has proven that he is not above ``questioning 
     other peoples motives'' and stereotyping whom he knows 
     nothing about. The fact of the matter is that my report is 
     entirely factual. I ask Congressman Gunderson to publicly 
     apologize for his unfounded assault on my character. The 
     dignity of his position demands that a retraction be 
     forthcoming.
       The following is a detailed response to Rep. Gunderson's 
     point of personal privilege delivered on the House floor on 
     May 14, 1996. First, I reaffirm that the report of my 
     observations of the Cherry Jubilee's Main Event

[[Page H5139]]

     was totally factual and without misrepresentation. Second, 
     Congressman Gunderson personal attack on me violates his own 
     philosophy, which he states, ``May I suggest that to begin, 
     we stop questioning other people's motives.'' Third, the 
     Congressman, who did not attend, claims to know more about 
     the event than myself who was in attendance and personally 
     witnessed the activities. Fourth, I was contracted to produce 
     a video by the Family Research Council, not write a report. 
     The report is my intellectual property not in any way 
     commissioned by the Family Research Council.
       Let us look at the allegations put forth by Congressman 
     Gunderson in his point of personal privilege on May 14, 1996:
       (1) Rep. Gunderson stated: ``Throughout his [Morano's] 
     entire story, not one source is ever identified or quoted.''
       The story is a personal account of what I witnessed. I was 
     the source.
       (2) Rep. Gunderson stated: ``There is no record that Mr. 
     Morano purchased tickets for any of these events. He clearly 
     did not use his name and address at any time, nor did he seek 
     to obtain any `press credentials' for the events.''
       I did attempt to obtain ``press credentials'' but was told 
     they were not issuing any. I made at least three phone calls 
     to the organizers on the Thursday and Friday preceding the 
     event. I was forced to purchase one ticket from someone 
     outside the entrance and another ticket from the organizers 
     inside the entrance. The Sunday Recovery Brunch which 
     followed the Main Event was not open to the press. I went to 
     the Rayburn House Office Building on Sunday to cover the 
     event but was told no press or cameras were allowed.
       (3) Rep. Gunderson claimed, ``But fact is not the basis for 
     the story. Rather hate and prejudice are the motives by which 
     Mr. Morano . . . sought to totally misrepresent the fund 
     raising events. . . .''
       Rep. Gunderson is violating his own advice that we ``stop 
     questioning other people's motives.'' I reported on what I 
     personally witnessed; to suggest otherwise is without 
     foundation.
       (4) Rep. Gunderson stated: ``Nor does the video show any 
     illegal activity . . . if there any doubt such illegal 
     activity would have been filmed if it actually occurred? I 
     don't think so.''
       I was forced to be very discreet with the video camera and 
     did attempt to videotape the act of oral sex which occurred 
     just off the dance floor but because of the concealment 
     device used to hide the camera, the footage did not come out. 
     Security eventually saw my camera and threatened to 
     confiscate it and the tape. I was forced to hastily remove 
     the camera from the building.
       (5) Rep. Gunderson accuses me of ``bigotry and prejudice'' 
     for the following sentence: ``The homosexual community's 
     credo seems to be `Die young and leave a pretty corpse.' ''
       Rep. Gunderson uses this sentence taken out of context to 
     accuse me of ignorance regarding death by AIDS. This sentence 
     was part of an opinion piece on the event that I wrote for 
     Chronicles Magazine. The whole context is as follows: ``There 
     were few if any men who could be described as overweight. In 
     fact, the overwhelming majority had bodies sculpted from 
     weight lifting. Beer and bottled water were the beverages of 
     choice, while apples, bananas, and oranges were in plentiful 
     supply. The image of young active health conscious men, 
     drinking bottled water and consuming fruit is a study in 
     contrast. The reckless lifestyle inherent in the gay 
     experience results in a notably reduced life span. The life 
     expectancy of a homosexual male is estimated to be no more 
     than about 41 years old, regardless of AIDS. The homosexual 
     community's credo seems to be ``Die young and leave a pretty 
     corpse.''
       I did not in any way seek to imply that people who die of 
     AIDS ``die pretty'' as Rep. Gunderson infers. I was using an 
     old expression to draw a contrast between the healthy 
     vigorous party goers and the reality of the shortened life 
     span of homosexual males. Rep. Gunderson takes this sentence 
     out of context in order to accuse me of ``bigotry and 
     prejudice''. Congressman Gunderson exploits the tragedy of 
     the AIDS crisis to smear my name.
       (6) Rep. Gunderson claims that the outside stairwell was 
     closed off because of ``construction.''
       This is simply not true. The outside stairwell was open for 
     several hours and many people proceeded down there. One party 
     goer, noticing people down in the stairwell referred to it as 
     ``screw alley.'' Security closed the stairwell down several 
     hours after the dance began. Security erected orange cones to 
     close it off and stationed an officer right in front of the 
     entrance.
       (7) Rep. Gunderson states that ``security reported no 
     fights, no harassment, no drugs, no smoking, nor any sexual 
     activity. Security made no reports of illegal activity or 
     trouble.''
       The question that needs to be asked is why Security did not 
     report the activities it surely witnessed. According to the 
     Washington Times (May 15), John Cloud, a City Paper reporter 
     who attended the dance witnessed ``. . . a fair number of 
     people using drugs.'' The Washington Times also reported (May 
     15) that ``A columnist for the Metro Weekly, a Washington 
     homosexual newspaper, described the dance: `The stately place 
     was incredible--we felt like we were in a hallowed hall. We 
     spent much of our time out on the dance floor trying to cop a 
     feel, or back in the sponsors' lounge trying to cop a feel, 
     or outside in the designated smoking area trying to cop a 
     feel and a smoke.' ''

  Mr. Speaker, here is the inspiring act of Congress awarding to Dr. 
Billy Graham, and his loyal wife of 52 years, Ruth, the Congressional 
Gold Medal.

      One Hundred Fourth Congress of the United States of America


                         at the second session

       Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, the 
     third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-
     six.


  an act To award a congressional gold medal to Ruth and Billy Graham.

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       The Congress hereby finds the following:
       (1) Ruth and Billy Graham have made outstanding and lasting 
     contributions to morality, racial equality, family, 
     philanthropy, and religion.
       (2) America's most respected and admired evangelical leader 
     for the past half century, Billy Graham's crusades have 
     reached 100,000,000 people in person and reached over 
     2,000,000,000 people worldwide on television.
       (3) Billy Graham, throughout his 76 years of life and his 
     52-year marriage to Ruth Graham, has exemplified the highest 
     ideals of teaching, counseling, ethics, charity, faith, and 
     family.
       (4) Billy Graham's daily newspaper column and 14 books have 
     provided spiritual counseling and personal enrichment to 
     millions of people.
       (5) Ruth and Billy Graham have been the driving force to 
     create the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center at 
     Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, whose 
     vision is to improve the health and well-being of children 
     and to become a new resource for ending the pain and 
     suffering of children.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate 
     are authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, to 
     Billy and Ruth Graham a gold medal of appropriate design, in 
     recognition of their outstanding and enduring contributions 
     toward faith, morality, and charity.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 
     inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary.
       (c) Gifts and Donations.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury may accept, 
     use, and disburse gifts or donations of property or money to 
     carry out this section.
       (2) No appropriation authorized.--No amount is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section.

     SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       The Secretary of the Treasury may strike and sell 
     duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to 
     section 2 under such regulations as the Secretary may 
     prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, 
     including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
     overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.

     SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.

       (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this 
     Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 
     31, United States Code.
       (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of 
     title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this 
     Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
     Constance A. Morella,
       Speaker of the House of Representatives pro tempore.
     Al Gore,
       Vice President of the United States and President of the 
     Senate.
       Approved February 13, 1996, William J. Clinton.
  Mr. Speaker, here are the prepared remarks of Dr. Billy Graham.
  A beautiful title, Mr. Speaker.

                          The Hope for America

       Mr. Vice President; Speaker Newt Gingrich; Majority Leader 
     Bob Dole; Senator Strom Thurmond; Members of the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate; distinguished guests and 
     friends * * *
       Ruth and I are overwhelmed by the very kind words that have 
     been spoken today, and especially by the high honor you have 
     just bestowed on both of us. It will always be one of the 
     high points of our lives, and we thank you from the bottom of 
     our hearts for this unforgettable event. We are grateful for 
     all of you in the Senate and House who have had a part in it; 
     and President Clinton for his support in signing the 
     resolution.
       As we read the list of distinguished Americans who have 
     received the Congressional Gold Medal in the past--beginning 
     with George Washington in 1776--we know we do not belong in 
     the same company with them, and we feel very unworthy. One 
     reason is because we both know this honor ought to be shared 
     with those who have helped us over the years--some of whom 
     are here today. As a young boy, I remember gazing at that 
     famous painting of Washington crossing the

[[Page H5140]]

     Delaware. Only later did it occur to me that Washington did 
     not get across that river by himself. He had the help of 
     others--and that has been true of us as well. Our ministry 
     has been a team effort, and without our associates and our 
     family, we never could have accomplished anything.
       I am especially grateful my wife, Ruth, and I are BOTH 
     being given this honor. No one has sacrificed more than Ruth 
     has, or been more dedicated to God's calling for the two of 
     us.
       However, I would not be here today receiving this honor if 
     it were not for an event that happened to me many years ago 
     as a teenager on the outskirts of Charlotte, NC. An 
     evangelist came through our town for a series of meetings. I 
     came face-to-face with the fact that God loved me, Billy 
     Graham, and had sent His Son to die for my sin. He told how 
     Jesus rose from the dead to give us hope of eternal life.
       I never forgot a verse of Scripture that was quoted, ``As 
     many as received him, to them gave he power to become the 
     sons of God, even to them that believe on his name'' (John 
     1:12, KJV). That meant that I must respond to God's offer of 
     mercy and forgiveness. I had to repent of my own sins and 
     receive Jesus Christ by faith.
       When the preacher asked people to surrender their lives to 
     Christ, I responded. I had little or no emotion; I was 
     embarrassed to stand with a number of other people when I 
     knew some of my school peers saw me; but I meant it. And that 
     simple repentance and open commitment to Jesus Christ changed 
     my life. If we have accomplished anything at all in life 
     since then, however, it has only been because of the grace 
     and mercy of God.
       As Ruth and I receive this award we know that some day we 
     will lay it at the feet of the One we seek to serve.
       As most of you know, the President has issued a 
     proclamation for this day, May 2, 1996, to be a National Day 
     of Prayer. Here in Washington you will see and hear of people 
     throughout the District of Columbia praying today. It is 
     encouraging and thrilling that here, and across the country 
     people have committed themselves to pray today for our 
     leaders, our nation, our world, and for ourselves as 
     individuals. I am so glad that before business each morning, 
     both the House of Representatives and the Senate have a 
     prayer led by Chaplain Ogilvie of the Senate, who has had so 
     much to do with this event today, and Chaplain Jim Ford, who 
     used to be chaplain at West Point when I went almost every 
     year to bring a message to the cadets.
       Exactly 218 years ago today--on May 2, 1778--the first 
     recipient of this award, George Washington, issued a General 
     Order to the American people. He said. ``The . . . instances 
     of Providential Goodness which we have experienced and which 
     have now almost crowned our labors with complete success 
     demand from us . . . the warmest returns of Gratitude and 
     Piety to the Supreme Author of all Good.'' It was a message 
     of hope and trust, and it also was a challenge for the people 
     to turn to God in repentance and faith.
       We are standing at a similar point in our history as less 
     than four years from now the world will enter the Third 
     Millennium. What will it hold for us? Will it be a new era of 
     unprecedented peace and prosperity? Or will it be a 
     continuation of our descent into new depths of crime, 
     oppression, sexual immorality, and evil?
       Ironically, many people heralded the dawn of the 20th 
     Century with optimism. The steady march of scientific and 
     social progress, they believed would vanquish our social and 
     economic problems. Some optimistic theologians even predicted 
     the 20th Century would be ``The Christian Century'', as 
     humanity followed Jesus' exhortation to love your neighbor as 
     yourself. But no other century has been ravaged by such 
     devastating wars, genocides and tyrannies. During this 
     century we have witnessed the outer limits of human evil.
       Our mood on the brink of the 21st Century is far more 
     somber. Terms like ``ethnic cleansing'' ``random violence'' 
     and ``suicide bombing'' have become part of our daily 
     vocabulary.
       Look at our own society. There is much, of course, that is 
     good about America, and we thank God for our heritage of 
     freedom and our abundant blessings. America has been a nation 
     that has shown a global compassion that the rest of the world 
     seemingly does not understand. After World War II because we 
     had the Atom Bomb, we had the opportunity to rule the world, 
     but America turned form that and instead helped rebuild the 
     countries of our enemies.
       Nevertheless, something has happened since those days and 
     there is much about America that is no longer good. You know 
     the problems as well as I do--racial and ethnic tensions that 
     threaten to rip apart our cities and neighborhoods; crime and 
     violence of epidemic proportions in most of our cities; 
     children taking weapons to school; broken families; poverty; 
     drugs; teenage pregnancy; corruption; the list is almost 
     endless. Would the first recipients of this award even 
     recognize the society they sacrificed to establish? I fear 
     not. We have confused liberty with license--and we are paying 
     the awful price. We are a society poised on the brink of 
     self-destruction.
       But what is the real cause? We call conferences and 
     consultations without end, frantically seeking solutions to 
     all our problems; we engage in shuttle diplomacy; and yet in 
     the long run little seems to change. Why is that? What is the 
     problem? The real problem is within ourselves.
       Almost three thousand years ago King David, the greatest 
     king Israel ever had, sat under the stars and contemplated 
     the reasons for the human dilemma. He listed three things 
     that the world's greatest scientists and sociologists have 
     not been able to solve, and it seems the more we know, and 
     the greater our technology, the more difficulties we are in. 
     In perhaps the best-known passage of the Old Testament, Psalm 
     23, he touches on the three greatest problems of the human 
     race.
       First, David said, is the problem of emptiness. David 
     wrote, ``The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.'' He was 
     not talking just about physical want, but spiritual want.
       I stood on the campus of one of our great universities some 
     time ago, and I asked the Dean, ``What is the greatest 
     problem on your campus?'' He replied in one word: 
     ``Emptiness.'' The human heart craves for meaning, and yet we 
     live in a time of spiritual emptiness that haunts millions.
       ``Nirvana'' is the Hindu word for someone who has arrived 
     into the state of perpetual bliss. Media reports said that 
     Kurt Cobain, the NIRVANA rock group's leader, was the 
     pacesetter for the nineties, and the ``savior of rock and 
     roll.'' But he said the song in the end which best described 
     his state of mind was ``I hate myself and I want to die!'' 
     And at age 27 he committed suicide with a gun.
       Second, is the problem of guilt. David wrote: ``He 
     restoreth my soul, he leadeth me in the paths of 
     righteousness.'' Down inside we all know that we have not 
     measured up even to our own standards, let alone God's 
     standard.
       Third, David pointed to the problem of death. ``Yea, though 
     I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear 
     no evil: for thou art with me.'' Death is the one common 
     reality of all human life. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown 
     did not realize his time had come when he stepped on that 
     plane in Croatia a few weeks ago.
       From time to time I have wandered through Statuary Hall and 
     looked at all those statues of some of the greatest men and 
     women in our nation's history. But one thing is true of every 
     one of them: They are all dead.
       Yes, these three things--emptiness, guilt, and the fear of 
     death--haunt our souls. We frantically seek to drown out 
     their voices, driving ourselves into all sorts of 
     activities--from sex to drugs or tranquilizers--and yet they 
     are still there.
       But we must probe deeper. Why is the human heart this way? 
     The reason is because we are alienated from our Creator. That 
     was the answer David found to these three problems: ``The 
     Lord is my shepherd.'' This is why I believe the fundamental 
     crisis of our time is a crisis of the spirit. We have lost 
     sight of the moral and spiritual principles on which this 
     nation was established--principles drawn largely from the 
     Judeo-Christian translation as found in the Bible.
       What is the cure? Is there hope?
       Ruth and I have devoted or lives to the deep conviction 
     that the answer is yes. There is hope! Our lives can be 
     changed, and our world can be changed. The Scripture says, 
     ``You must be born again.'' You could have a spiritual 
     rebirth right here today
       What must be done? Let me briefly suggest three things.
       First, we must repent. In the depths of the American Civil 
     War, Abraham Lincoln called for special days of public 
     repentance and prayer. Our need for repentance is no less 
     today. What does repentance mean? Repentance means to change 
     our thinking and our way of living. It means to turn from our 
     sins and to commit ourselves to God and His will. Over 2700 
     years ago the Old Testament prophet Isaiah declared: ``Seek 
     the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 
     Let the wicked forsake his way, and the evil man his 
     thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on 
     him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon'' (Isaiah 
     55:6-7. NIV). Those words are as true as they were over two 
     and a half millennia ago.
       Second, we must commit our lives to God, and to the moral 
     and spiritual truths that have made this nation great. Think 
     how different or nation would be if we sought to follow the 
     simple and yet profound injunctions of the Ten Commandments 
     and the Sermon on the Mount. But we must respond to God, Who 
     is offering us forgiveness, mercy, supernatural help, and the 
     power to change.
       Third, our commitment must be translated into action--in 
     our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our society.
       Jesus taught there are only two roads in life. One is the 
     broad road that is easy and well-traveled, but which leads to 
     destruction. The other, He said, is the narrow road of truth 
     and faith that at times is hard and lonely, but which leads 
     to life and salvation.
       As we face a new millennium, I believe America has gone a 
     long way down the wrong road. We must turn around and go back 
     and change roads. If ever we needed God's help, it is now. If 
     ever we needed spiritual renewal, it is now. And it can begin 
     today in each one of our lives, as we repent before God and 
     yield ourselves to Him and His Word.
       What are YOU going to do?
       The other day I heard the story of a high school principal 
     who held an assembly for graduating seniors, inviting a 
     recruiter from each branch of the service: Army, Navy, Air 
     Force, Marines to each give a twelve minute presentation on 
     career opportunities they offered to the students. He 
     stressed the importance of each staying within their allotted 
     time.

[[Page H5141]]

       The Army representative went first, and was so eloquent 
     that he got a standing ovation, but went eighteen minutes. 
     Not to be outdone, the Navy presentation was equally superb, 
     but took nineteen minutes. Air Force then gave a sterling 
     presentation, which lasted twenty minutes. By now, the 
     principal was irate, and admonished the Marine recruiter that 
     he had only three minutes before the students had to leave 
     for the next class!
       During the first two minutes of his shortened time, the 
     Marine didn't say a word, but individually and carefully 
     studied the faces of each student. finally, he said, ``I've 
     looked across this crowd and I see three or four individuals 
     who have what it takes to be a Untied States Marine. If you 
     think you are one of them, I want to see you down front 
     immediately after the assembly.''
       Who do you think drew the biggest crowd!
       This afternoon, as I look out across this distinguished 
     group gathered here, I see more than a few men and women who 
     have what it takes, under God to lead our country forward 
     ``through the night'' into the next millennium--individuals 
     who represent civil and governmental authority--as well as 
     doctors, lawyers, clergy, artists and media.
       Again, Ruth and I are deeply humbled by this award, and we 
     thank you for all that it represents.
       We pledge to continue the work that God has called us to do 
     as long as we live.
       Thank you.

                          ____________________