[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 120 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1734-E1735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHELLE FORTIER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. W.J. (BILLY) TAUZIN

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 11, 1997

  Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a constituent 
of mine, MIchelle Fortier, who won the Veterans of Foreign Wars 1997 
Voice of Democracy broadcast scriptwriting contest for Louisiana. This 
is tremendous accomplishment which deserves recognition. I applaud 
Michelle for her hard work and wish her all the best in future 
endeavors.

[[Page E1735]]

  I am happy to share with my colleagues Michelle's outstanding winning 
script by entering it into the Congressional Record:

                      Democracy--Above and Beyond

                         (By Michelle Fortier)

       Ever since I was a little girl, I can remember being told 
     exciting accounts in American history, but it wasn't until 
     recently that I began contemplating how these long and 
     inevitable struggles have influenced my own life. Democracy 
     must be the most powerful word in the English language, and 
     so often I have taken it for granted. This word affects 
     everything that I do, but I hardly ever noticed it. To the 
     citizens of these United States, democracy is a way of life, 
     but to people of foreign lands, it is a hope, a dream.
       Now that I've almost reached voting age, I realize how much 
     Democracy has meant to my life. In just one short year, I 
     will take on the awesome responsibility of making decisions 
     affecting my country. That is truly a wondrous privilege.
       I used to wonder why people would be willing to fight and 
     die for the principles we hold so dear today. It wasn't until 
     I was older that I realized exactly what those people had 
     been fighting for. Those early Americans were fighting for 
     the nights of future generations to not have to live in fear. 
     They fought for me, and I realized how much I had not 
     acknowledged. All the choices and privileges I have came with 
     a price, and it was paid through the blood and sweet of 
     Americans, past and present. Americans who have gone above 
     and beyond the call to duty. This preservation of rights has 
     been the basis for all of America's conflicts ever since the 
     footprints of pilgrims imprinted the sandy shores of 
     Plymouth, Massachusetts because democracy is a never-ending 
     process. Every decision we make or every right we engage in 
     is a continuation of the ideals expressed so long ago.
       Every time I turn on the news I hear stories of people of 
     foreign nations struggling to gain their independence or even 
     a single basic right, and I think, ``Would I be willing to 
     die for the sake of freedom for future generations? Would I 
     fight to keep my country free? Would I go above and beyond 
     what was dutifully expected of me? I'm sure all Americans who 
     have seen war or conflicting times, such as depression or 
     civil strife, have contemplated these questions. But to live 
     in a country whose basis was founded on the dreams and 
     visions of the brave men and women who came searching for 
     more than their own personal gain and has been kept alive 
     through the sacrifices of those willing to risk life and limb 
     to preserve our nation's freedom is to have a proud heritage. 
     We've seen endless accounts of this throughout this great 
     nation's history. The horrors of Gettysburg, the 
     friendlessness of the World Wars, to the struggles of the 
     immigrants who came to America searching for opportunity and 
     independence. They have all contributed to the dignified 
     heritage I display as my own. It is truly an honor to have 
     been born in a land that serves as a beacon of moderm 
     democracy.
       From the recent free elections in Bosnia to the new 
     democratic societies of the former, Soviet Union, we can see 
     that democracy is growing like a virus. It infiltrates a 
     group of people with such fury that it spreads to anyone 
     close enough to experience it. More and more each day I 
     realize that the voice of democracy can be silenced no 
     longer. It screams in the souls of imprisoned people, and 
     it's echoes can be heard all over the earth. People are 
     standing up for their inalienable right to be free. People 
     are finally going above and beyond.

     

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