[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 75 (Thursday, June 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING MR. CRAIG MEYER WINNER OF THE 1998 VOICE OF DEMOCRACY 
                              SCHOLARSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ASA HUTCHINSON

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 11, 1998

  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Mr. Craig Meyer 
of Bella Vista, Arkansas for his winning entry in the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars 1998 Voice of Democracy Broadcast Scriptwriting Contest. A 
senior at Bentonville High School, Mr. Meyer is already an active 
participant in our nation's democratic process--participating in the 
Political Science Club, the Speech and Debate Team, National Honor 
Society, and serving as the Co-Editor of Literary Magazine.
  The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program, which began 50 years ago, 
provides financial awards to students whose writing expresses the 
spirit of democratic principles. Mr. Meyer's entry exemplifies the 
patriotism and self-sacrifice of those who gave their lives for 
freedom's sake.
  I congratulate Mr. Meyer on his thoughtful and moving essay. Mr. 
Speaker, I just might borrow it sometime!
  I would also like to thank VFW Post 9063 and its Ladies Auxiliary in 
Bella Vista, Arkansas for sponsoring Mr. Meyer. This nation owes a debt 
of gratitude it can never repay to our veterans--those who served our 
country in times of crisis and who continue to serve our communities 
through programs such as this.

                     ``My Voice in Our Democracy''


   1997-98 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition--Arkansas 
                          Winner, Craig Meyer

       It's the voice on the campaign trail, it's the voice on a 
     soapbox in the employee washroom. It's the schoolteacher's 
     voice educating the future. It's the reporter writing his 
     morning column, it's the corporate Public Relations Ad 
     executive writing his press release. It's the museum curator 
     demonstrating Warhol, and the bag lady huddled over a heating 
     grate. It's the smooth jazz sounding out, echoing out over 
     the city skyline.
       The voices of our democracy come together, they form a 
     chorus, form a symphony. From the soft prayer of childhood, 
     to the savage battlefield roar of D-Day, to a suburban 
     ``honey, I'm home!'', to the shriek of a fire engine on the 
     fourth of July, to ``New and improved--available in stores 
     everywhere!'', to the hush after a ghetto gunshot. It's PT 
     Barnum putting his head into a lion's mouth. It's Joe 
     McCarthy hunting down the communists.


                      It's America, it's democracy

       The real beauty of it all is that I get to find my own 
     voice. My role isn't mapped out for me, I'm not locked into a 
     channel. Democracy allows a person to be a citizen and not be 
     a slave. We can not only participate in our government, but 
     we also have the freedom to do what we want to do, to be what 
     we want to be. Our nation allows people to think for 
     themselves--which carries with it responsibility, carries 
     with it the ability to be right and to be wrong. It's all 
     about people having the freedom to decide on their own 
     voices, the freedom to pursue their own destiny--to succeed 
     or to fail. Democracy doesn't reside in a dollar sign or in a 
     bomb, it lives in us. It's not just an ideology or a 
     political theory, it's a way of life.
       How do I spell out both my future and the future of my 
     country? How do I find my voice in our democracy? Through 
     education. Through learning about other's voices--learning 
     from those who have been there, learning from those who 
     experienced history firsthand. Talking to teachers, 
     professors, auto mechanics, veterans--it's learning as much 
     as I can about as many things as I can. I need to learn about 
     both the issues that face our nation, and the issues that 
     face me as a person.
       With all this in mind, my own responsibility is clear--It's 
     up to me to find a voice. It's up to me to see all sides of 
     an issue, to question myself constantly ``am I really seeing 
     the whole picture?'' It's up to me to narrow and define my 
     voice--to not only blend into the chorus of our democracy, 
     but also be able to do an occasional solo. But lets face it, 
     I need to be willing to vote, to serve jury duty, to read 
     that newspaper, to pick up a gun or a musical instrument--I 
     need to be willing to take a stand for my beliefs.
       And this is our democracy--all the glory and the gaudy, the 
     legends (both living and dead) and the truth. The artistic 
     and the autistic, the commerce and the commercialism, the 
     existentialism and the exit sign--this is our America, this 
     our democracy. It runs red through our blood. It rings in our 
     bones, rings in our ears, and it rings in our hearts. We are 
     a part of it, and it's a part of us.

     

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