[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 5, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1001]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE CAIRO-DURHAM ELKS LODGE PROMOTES RESPECT FOR OUR FLAG

                                 ______


                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 5, 1996

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, back on June 14, 1777, the Continental 
Congress of the United States adopted a resolution that gave us the 
stars and stripes that are our American flag. This June 14, 1996, we 
will celebrate the 219th Flag Day and this Sunday, June 9, 1996, the 
Cairo-Durham Elks Lodge will be holding their annual Flag Day 
celebration to commemorate that most significant occasion.
  Mr. Speaker, let me tell you why it is so important that 
organizations like the Elks Lodge No. 2630, serving the towns of Cairo 
and Durham, NY, take the time to recognize Flag Day and the American 
flag. It is because our flag is unique and so is Flag Day. To my 
knowledge, no other nation has a holiday like it. No other nation has a 
special day when its people gather, as those will gather at the 
Catskill Elks Lodge, to honor the flag as a special symbol.
  And that, Mr. Speaker, is what makes our flag and Flag Day unique. It 
represents a unique nation, the strongest, freest, greatest nation on 
Earth. No other flag is anchored so securely in the hearts of a people 
like Old Glory is in ours.
  Let us stop for a moment and consider why that is. It is because of 
civic organizations and people like those in the Cairo-Durham Elks 
Lodge who continually remind us of the importance of our flag. It is 
because of their efforts to raise public awareness of the flag and all 
that it stands for that Old Glory commands the devotion, respect, and 
reverence that it does.
  That is why, Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to address the members of the 
Cairo-Durham Lodge as Brother Elk. The Elks are devoted to promoting 
pride, patriotism, and voluntarism and do more than anyone when it 
comes to those goals. The benevolent and protective order of Elks have 
helped to relight the fire of patriotism in every American citizen and 
through their voluntary acts on behalf of the community, they have 
helped to reach our young people in whose hands the future of America 
depends.
  But, Mr. Speaker, I owe my Brother Elks in the Cairo-Durham area and 
around the country another expression of my personal gratitude. That is 
because they stood beside me and the overwhelming majority of 
Americans, who wanted to see Old Glory, our most visible and beloved 
symbol, protected by the Constitution, our most sacred and beloved 
document. I am referring, of course, to the constitutional amendment to 
prevent the physical destruction of our flag that passed overwhelmingly 
right here in the House Chamber, only to be defeated by just two votes 
in the Senate. As long as lodges like those serving Cairo and Durham 
continue to impress upon our fellow Americans the significance of our 
flag and what it means to America, I am confident we can afford it this 
ultimate protection it so richly deserves.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time I ask that you and all Members of the House 
join me in tribute to the Cairo-Durham Elks Lodge for all they have 
done to spread appreciation for the American flag and our country 
throughout their community. For those efforts, they are all truly great 
Americans.

                          ____________________