[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 59 (Thursday, May 8, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E888-E889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   FRANK KELLY'S VISION FOR HUMANITY

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                          HON. WALTER H. CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 1997

  Mr. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, we in Santa Barbara are blessed to have as 
our neighbor and community leader Frank Kelly, the Vice President of 
the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Frank has been a voice for peace, 
justice and basic human rights for many years, and I am pleased to 
count him as a close friend.
  Recently, Frank authored a thought-provoking article in the Santa 
Barbara News-Press calling on Congress to enact a resolution calling 
for ``A Day of Celebration for Humanity.'' I commend Frank's piece to 
my colleagues, and I look forward to discussing the important issues 
raised in it as we debate the critical public policy decisions of the 
105th Congress.

           [From the Santa Barbara News-Press, Mar. 30, 1997]

                A Chair For Everyone At Humanity's Table

                          (By Frank K. Kelly)

       By kneeling at the feet of grieving Israeli families whose 
     daughters had been killed by a Jordanian soldier, King 
     Hussein of Jordan demonstrated the compassion that goes 
     beyond all boundaries.
       He kissed them and asked to be regarded as a member of each 
     family. To the parents of one girl he said: ``I feel like I 
     have lost a child.''
       In the wars of this bloody century, millions of children 
     have been slaughtered. All

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     of them belonged to the great human family. All of us have 
     been wounded by those losses, although we may not realize it. 
     We are all related to one another--and the King of Jordan 
     brought that home to us in a powerful way.
       The time has come for the human family to celebrate its 
     unity, its diversity, its tremendous gifts, its abilities in 
     many fields, its infinite capacities for compassion and 
     creativity. Although this is an age of terrible tragedies and 
     immense sufferings, it is also an age of unprecedented 
     strides in many areas.
       I believe we should consider ``A Day of Celebration for 
     Humanity''--an annual festival to remind us of the marvelous 
     capacities of human beings.
       There are many acts of kindness, many outpourings of love 
     and devotion, many works of art emerging from the minds and 
     souls of those who share the DNA molecules that make us 
     human.
       Let us salute one another, let us bow down as the King of 
     Jordan did to comfort the afflicted ones among us, let us 
     blow horns around the world, let us dance and be grateful for 
     all the blessings we have, for the hopes we have, for the 
     signs of love we can see everywhere if we open our eyes.
       In the midst of our celebration, we will not forget that we 
     have to help one another, care for one another, extend our 
     hands to those who need food and shelter and encouragement. 
     We will take everyone into the circle of humanity--and leave 
     no one out.
       Each year--perhaps on New Year's Day--there should be a 24-
     hour, worldwide remembrance of the achievements of people 
     around the Earth. The resources of the Information Age are 
     available now to bring together all of us in that 
     commemoration.
       Artists, musicians, film producers, writers, dancers, 
     singers and composers, sculptors and painters, television and 
     radio communicators, could be asked to give their services 
     for a ``Festival of the Human Family.''
       It could be organized by a Committee for Humanity, formed 
     by representatives of the arts and sciences. Jacques 
     Cousteau, the oceanographer; Yehudi Menuhin, the violinist; 
     King Hussein of Jordan; and Maya Angelou, the poet, might be 
     asked to serve as honorary chairpersons.
       The committee could include leaders from all countries 
     represented at the United Nations, journalists and educators 
     from every continent, legislators and judges, business 
     executives, presidents of trade unions, philosophers and 
     members of all religions, children of all ages, women from 
     many backgrounds, and Nobel Prize winners. Its headquarters 
     might be in Geneva, where many international organizations 
     have offices.
       On the day of celebration, the creative attainments and 
     highest qualities of compassion and courage demonstrated by 
     human beings would be presented in global broadcasts--perhaps 
     with introductory statements by George Lucas and Steven 
     Spielberg, visionary film producers, and Arthur Clarke, 
     author of ``2001,'' on their hopes for humanity in the coming 
     century.
       On that day, the noblest aspirations of human beings would 
     be hailed. The finest works of the human spirit would shine 
     around the world. The day would be an occasion of renewed 
     confidence for every human person on this planet--every 
     member of the huge family which now includes millions of 
     mysterious beings. it would depict the crises through which 
     humanity has passed in its epic journey from the seas to the 
     stars. All the peaks of human experience would be recognized 
     and acclaimed.
       The day might end with the singing of the ``Ode to Joy'' 
     which concludes Beethoven's Ninth Symphony--with choirs from 
     every nation, with voices being heard from every part of the 
     beautiful planet on which humanity arose.
       Such a day could give us new ways of seeing that Thomas 
     Merton was right when he said: ``It is a glorious destiny to 
     be a human being.''
       We were created with divine sparks that cannot be 
     extinguished. We were shaped by a mind which gave us a sense 
     of belonging to the universe. With the creative power shared 
     with us by that loving mind, we can find the ways out of our 
     tremendous problems and overcome the dangers that beset us in 
     this time of testing.
       In his inaugural address in January of this year, President 
     Clinton urged us to remember that the greatest progress we 
     have yet to make is in the human heart. He referred to Martin 
     Luther King's high dream of human equality and he declared: 
     ``King's dream was the American dream. His quest is our 
     quest.''
       King's vision was more than an American vision. It was a 
     vision for the whole human family. It is time to revive that 
     vision--and to join with people everywhere to show what can 
     be done by the members of that awesome stream of people 
     moving forward together.
       I urge the U.S. Congress to adopt a nonpartisan resolution 
     calling for ``A Day of Celebration'' and urging legislators 
     and other leaders of all nations to join Americans in making 
     that day a worldwide day for human unity. I urge the 
     president and the executives of all countries to give their 
     support to that proposal.
       The time has come to take a giant step for humanity!

       

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