[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E845-E846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE WHITLEY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION'S ANTIDRUG CAMPAIGN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 6, 1997

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Whitley County 
Board of Education and the students of Whitley County, KY, on their 
remarkable campaign to fight illegal drugs.
  Last week, I met with school officials and students from Whitley 
County. They briefed me on their aggressive campaign to discourage drug 
use and protect their children from drug dealers. I was very impressed 
with their grassroots effort to bring this issue to the forefront in 
their county.
  The citizens of Whitley County are clearly behind this campaign--and 
I have the evidence to prove it. I recently received a petition with 
over 17,000 signatures from concerned citizens in Whitley County who 
want to protect our families from illegal drugs. This effort is a clear 
sign that the people of Whitley County are charting the course for a 
brighter future.
  This petition was sent to local, State, and national officials to 
emphasize their concern on this issue. Their petition states:

       We hereby declare that the cultivation, manufacturing, and 
     trafficking of illegal substances in our community is having 
     an extremely negative impact on our youth. We request that 
     you expand the education efforts relative to prevention of 
     substance

[[Page E846]]

     abuse and to include teaching criminals, through their 
     arrest, conviction and imprisonment, that we do not want 
     drugs sold to our children.

  I am very proud of the people of Whitley County and their effort to 
protect our children from the destructive forces of illegal drugs. I 
would also like to thank the superintendent of schools, Lonnie 
Anderson, for his dedication to this campaign. Furthermore, I would 
like to thank the drug-free schools coordinator, Cathy Stout, for her 
hard work on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, America's future is seriously jeopardized by illegal 
drug use. Winning this battle is essential to make our Nation a better 
place. The citizens of Whitley County have set a strong example for the 
rest of us to follow and I commend them for their hard work to protect 
their community.

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