[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       JOURNEY IN FAITH: WORKING FOR SPIRITUAL RENEWAL IN AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 1999

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of speaking at the First 
Annual Summit Meeting of Journey in Faith, a non-profit organization 
dedicated to the moral and spiritual revitalization of America in the 
New Millennium. The mission of Journey in Faith is to equip the future 
leaders of America to be moral and spiritual strongholds for the next 
generation. It was an honor to open the first annual summit of this 
worthwhile organization. I submit the full text of my remarks at this 
point in the Record:

       Thank you for your kind introduction. President Bradley, 
     ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be with you this 
     morning--to welcome you to Capitol Hill, and to our 
     International Relations Committee room.
       I was reading some of the background material that Gene 
     Bradley sent to me, and I noted that among the dangers we 
     confront as we close out the 20th Century is the continuing 
     violence worldwide; terrorism in the Middle East, tribal-
     based massacres of people in Africa, the conflict in Kosovo, 
     and the narco-guerrillas in Latin America.
       I couldn't help but wonder whether it is just a coincidence 
     that we are meeting in the room of the one Committee of the 
     House of Representatives whose responsibilities includes 
     concern for these events and their impact--not only on 
     America--but throughout the world.
       I'm especially pleased that Gene invited me to address you 
     as you open your conference, because he and I go back a long 
     way--to when our hair was darker, and we had more of it.
       We have shared an interest in bringing government and 
     business together in the planning and conduct of our Nation's 
     foreign policies.
       Gene Bradley founded ``Journey in Faith'' as a non-profit 
     organization in the conviction that leadership by men and 
     women of strong religious faith is needed now more than ever, 
     as we stand on the brink of a new millennium.
       The 20th Century was perhaps the most paradoxical in 
     recorded history.
       It saw the greatest advances ever in human progress, as 
     recorded in material terms; expansion of personal liberty and 
     freedom, advances in medicine, improvements in the physical 
     quality of life, to mention just a few.
       The 20th Century also recorded the greatest slaughter of 
     human beings ever. Beyond the two World Wars, we have seen 
     government sponsored genocide efforts--deliberately and 
     brutally eliminating millions of innocent men, women and 
     children, as never before.
       The 20th Century also marked the emergence of our Nation to 
     stand as a colossus on the world stage. Yet, as we look to 
     the 21st Century, our Nation also stands at a crossroads.
       On the one hand, we are the world's leading superpower. We 
     are perceived as a symbol of strength and of integrity. We 
     are the ``city on a hill,''--to be an inspiration to other 
     nations.
       Founded as a nation rooted in the Scriptures, enriched by 
     our Judeo-Christian traditions of law, morality and the 
     intrinsic worth of every human being--we are poised for a new 
     era of leadership.
       On the other hand, our Nation is beset by an assault on 
     moral values--on our homes, families and neighborhoods--as 
     never before. It is both overt and subtle and takes many 
     forms.
       We need a resurgence of the moral values that have made our 
     Nation strong--the values that built our Nation; that enabled 
     us to succeed in a revolution, to go through the fires of a 
     Civil War, to survive two World Wars, and to emerge stronger 
     than ever.
       We need a resurgence of moral values so that America can 
     beat back the assaults that threaten us, and I believe that 
     no challenge facing us is more serious than drugs, which are 
     flooding into our country from abroad at an unprecedented 
     rate.
       Drugs are destroying our children, destroying families, 
     destroying schools and communities. Drugs cost our economy 
     billions in lost wages and salaries, in health care costs, in 
     welfare costs and the burdens on our judiciary and 
     corrections systems, not to mention the tragic loss of life.
       Each year, there are more than 16,000 drug-related deaths 
     and 500,000 drug-related injuries. There are 12 million drug-
     related property crimes. Drugs play a role in most of the 
     violent crime that afflicts our cities and towns.
       New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani recently informed our 
     Committee that 70 percent of all prisoners are incarcerated 
     for drug-related crimes.
       The cost of caring for each new born crack baby is 
     estimated to be $100,000. It is also estimated that one-third 
     of all new AIDS cases in the United States are drug-related.
       Those statistics reflect a trend that began during the 
     1960s and 70s, when opposition to the Vietnam War helped to 
     glamorize drugs, sex and even violence.
       Drugs were further glamorized through such media events as 
     that famous Woodstock festival--and in movies such as ``Easy 
     Rider.''
       Even today, elites of Hollywood and the entertainment 
     world--and in some political circles--still consider drugs as 
     a form of recreation. There are even widespread efforts to 
     legalize drugs.
       Yet, without question, drugs are a prescription for 
     despair. For the addict, and for the addict's family and 
     loved ones--there often must be a turning to a higher power 
     if the deadly clutches of drugs are to be escaped.
       Where ever drugs gain a foothold, crime, destruction and 
     chaos follow. Yet, where we see these scourges, we also see 
     the possibility of hope.
       Even as drug use is rising among some segments of our 
     population, there has also been a resurgence in religious 
     affiliation.
       In the midst of danger, there is opportunity, and Journey 
     in Faith reflects recognition of that opportunity. Our nation 
     is in a struggle to defeat the scourge of drugs.
       It is a struggle that can, and must, be won, and I would 
     like to welcome all of you as partners in a revitalization of 
     American culture by making it drug free and by making 
     international narcotics trafficking a top foreign policy 
     priority.
       You are launching ``Journey in Faith'' at an historic 
     moment when we are poised to enter the new millennium. It 
     promises to be a dramatic turning point in human history. The 
     question is whether it will be a millennium marked by 
     darkness or light.
       If America succumbs to the scourge of narcotics, then the 
     forces of darkness will have won, and the light that makes 
     America the world's shining city on the hill will have been 
     extinguished.
       Working together, we can defeat those forces of darkness by 
     applying a sense of moral values in our foreign policy as we 
     reach out to try to make this a safer and more peaceful world 
     for all men and women.

     

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