[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 50 (Wednesday, April 29, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MY VOICE IN OUR DEMOCRACY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 29, 1998

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, each year the Veterans of Foreign Wars 
(VFW) and its Ladies Auxiliary conduct the Voice of Democracy contest. 
This year more than 93,000 secondary school students participated in 
the contest competing for the 56 national scholarships which were 
distributed among the 54 national winners. The contest theme this year 
was ``My Voice in our Democracy.''
  Hillary Anne Underwood is this year's Latin America/Caribbean winner. 
She is the recipient of a $1,000 Roy Chandler VFW Post 762 and its 
Ladies Auxiliary Scholarship Award.
  I want to congratulate Hillary on her accomplishments and her 
scholarship award. I would also like to share Hillary's award winning 
script with my colleagues.

 1997-98 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition, ``My Voice in 
                            our Democracy''

        (Hillary Anne Underwood, Latin America/Caribbean Winner)

       Welcome! I'd like to thank each of you for attending choir 
     tryouts. ``Democracy'' is the theme song for today.
       Let's being rehearsal by reciting the first of three 
     verses.
       FREEDOM. Isn't it amazing how just one word can hold so 
     much? We live in a democracy, and HERE people are free to say 
     what they please, ask what they may, and be whomever they 
     want to be.
       Our forefathers fought endlessly for freedom through the 
     American Revolution and the Civil War. Through these two very 
     significant wars, the government of the United States 
     separated itself from the threshold of the church, developed 
     the sovereignty of the people that still lives today, wrote 
     the constitution, and have offered insights that have aided 
     other countries in their quests for democracy.
       Today, my voice for democracy can be heard through my 
     greatest freedom . . . the right to vote.
       Freedom is the core of democracy. Without the freedom of 
     speech . . . press . . . and religion . . . Our society would 
     sound like this: ------------ Perfectly silent. No opinions, 
     No thoughts, No voices, . . . ALL of our voices would be 
     mute.

     My Voice, Your Voice
     We are the voices of freedom,
     We are the Chorus of Democracy.

       Excuse me, before we continue, you two, in the back, . . . 
     tyranny and prejudice . . . I am going to have to ask you 
     BOTH to leave. There is absolutely no room for you in a 
     democracy.
       Now, Let us continue with the second verse . . . EQUALITY.
       In our Declaration of Independence and in Lincoln's 
     Gettysburg Address, ``All men are created equal.''
       Some people are still struggling in their never ending 
     fight for equality; where women are regarded as inferior. 
     They are not acknowledged as equal human beings.
       If you listen carefully, you can hear the desperate cries 
     for help from the heart-broken little girls in orphanages, 
     abandoned by their families.
       Can you imagine living in a society like that . . . Where 
     you are practically non-existent because of your gender or 
     race? I consider myself fortunate, we've never had to 
     experience a situation of this kind . . . Because we . . . 
     live in a democracy. There is only ONE single race . . . 
     HUMANITY.

     My Voice, Your Voice
     We are the voices of Equality,
     We are the Chorus of Democracy.

       Congratulations, you are all doing a wonderful job, and are 
     all strong candidates for the choir. Now, let us continue 
     with the final verse . . . JUSTICE. This . . . is the 
     foundation of a government.
       Thomas Jefferson stated: ``Democracy is the only form of 
     government which is not externally at open or secret war with 
     the rights of mankind.''
       This is Justice. This is what people risk their lives 
     everyday in search of . . . democracy, where ``No person 
     shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due 
     process of law''; where we are ``innocent until proven 
     guilty''; where we are guaranteed ``the right to a fair 
     trial.''
       Imagine yourself, your children, your family, being used as 
     an object. A human shield used to protect weapons, people, 
     and their power. You are a pawn with no individual liberties, 
     where a single person has taken your fate into their own 
     hands. This is not justice.

     My Voice, Your Voice
     We are the voices of Justice,
     We are the Chorus of Democracy.

       Democracy is defined as a government in which the supreme 
     power rests in its people. But in defining the word 
     democracy, we are encompassing an endless wilderness of ideas 
     within a tiny barrier of words. The Freedom, Equality, and 
     Justice in a democracy are enjoyed by all of us today.
       This concludes our tryouts. All candidates have had an 
     equal opportunity to become part of a democratic choir. The 
     finalists have been chosen, and they are . . . ALL of us. 
     Each of us is important to the choir, just as every citizen 
     plays an important role in America.
       We must always remember that Our America is unified and 
     free. So raise your voices! Sing out America! Let our voices 
     be heard! Let our song echo throughout generations, as we 
     harmonize in the words of Gerald Lee . . .
       ``America is a single tune, and it must be sung together.''

       

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