[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LINDSEY SEDLACK WRITES A POEM FOR PEACE

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring my colleagues' 
attention to a beautiful poem, ``Helping the World,'' that was sent to 
me by an eight-year-old girl from my district. The author Lindsey 
Sedlack, is the great-grand-daughter of Ben Swig, a great humanitarian 
of the San Francisco Bay area and a longtime friend. Mr. Swig was a 
benefactor of my cause that needed help, including the Salvation Army 
and the Jewish Community Federation. This poem by his granddaughter 
embodies his humanitarian spirit.
  Lindsey's awareness of the social problems of our times, the love and 
sensitivity she brings to these issues and her dedication to make this 
world a better place for all of us gives us hope for the future. It is 
a young generation of multitalented individuals like Lindsey who will 
comprise the next generation of leaders. Mr. Speaker, I ask that her 
poem be included in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to encourge 
young leadership like Lindsey's.

                           Helping the World

                          (By Lindsey Sedlack)

     If I were wind,
     I would blow free.
     Wishing the world
     was as happy as me.
     I would carry seeds
     across the world,
     making flowers and plants
     for boys and girls.
     On hot summer days,
     I would make a cool breeze
     that would cool people down
     and russle through the leaves.
     I would blow all the war and fighting away wishing that only 
           peace would stay.
     I wish that the homeless could have their own town.
     I wish that people would stop cutting trees down.
     I wish people would stop making animals extinct
     and would draw more pictures on paper with ink.
     If I were the wind I would blow free
     wishing the world
     was a happy as me.

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