[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 82 (Thursday, June 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MR. WALKER'S ESSAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 4, 2003

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I applaud Mr. Walker for this wondrous 
achievement. His essay is an example of the exceptional scholarship 
from the young men and women of our great nation.

   [2002-2003 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest: Tennessee 
                                Winner]

                          Freedom's Obligation

                           (By Logan Walker)

       On a cold, breezy day, a cool wind whips through the air 
     unfurling the flag in the midday sun. The breeze heightens to 
     a gust and in the furious waves, the flag lets out a crack 
     like a whip. The crack resounds through the air reminding all 
     who hear it of the flag's presence. But what does that flag 
     mean? It means one thing: freedom. In America we pride 
     ourselves on our institutions of checks and balances, all 
     created with the purpose of maintaining freedom. But with 
     freedom comes responsibility and obligations, but what is 
     freedom's obligation?
       This complex question is answered rather simply. Freedom's 
     obligation is to protect principle over property, to guard 
     ideas over oil, to defend the helpless, not the helpful. This 
     is freedom's obligation.
       For thousands of years people have been fighting over the 
     lines on maps or the resources in a region, but America is 
     more than that. Freedom demands of us to overlook our petty, 
     selfish needs to satisfy the calling of a higher government: 
     The government of humanity. Freedom is not about money, 
     capitalism, oil, or land. It is about ideas, people, 
     happiness, and liberty.
       In the past twenty years a massive amount of criticism has 
     risen against the United States for the wars it has 
     participated in. Many claim our participation has been based 
     solely on money rather than morals. Other critics claim that 
     we simply make up moral justifications for fighting wars that 
     we are really only interested in for monetary or political 
     gain. Take for example the Kosovo War and the Gulf War. Both 
     Yugoslavia and Kuwait were strategic oil suppliers. On the 
     other hand, the United States gave detailed moral 
     justifications for its involvement. Perhaps it is time that 
     critics examine the fact that if you fight for any moral 
     cause, you will most likely help your own, and the world 
     economy, because any economy operates better and more 
     effectively when it is not under the iron hand of a 
     repressive regime.
       But freedom's obligation is not just to one country, our 
     own United States, but to all forms of democracy around the 
     world. Many critics suggest that the United States is too 
     much of a policeman in the world, but how could one assume 
     so? What is America about? It is about freedom for all of 
     mankind and justice for everyone. When someone is ten feet 
     outside of our borders, do they become any less human? No. 
     Then do they deserve any less protection than we would give 
     another human life within our borders? Freedom's obligation 
     is not merely to protect any specific people's freedom, but 
     to help people to understand that any group's cry for freedom 
     is paramount to a regime's sovereignty.
       A sad example, Taiwan is in a constant state of protest 
     over democratization, but China, a repressive Communist 
     relic, refuses to let them break away. Should the people of 
     the United States simply sit back and take the money of the 
     Chinese Government while ignoring the wails for freedom 
     sounded by the people of Taiwan?
       Freedom is not about Gross Domestic Product, the 
     Stockmarket, or Armies. It is about people, principles, and 
     morality. Freedom gives great benefits, but it also demands 
     great sacrifice. The crack of the flag is not just there to 
     remind us that we are Americans. It is there to remind us 
     that we are a free people! A regime demands no sacrifice 
     because it does what it wants at the expense of the helpless. 
     Freedom, however, demands that we give up something of 
     ourselves so that others, anywhere in the world, can share at 
     least a fraction of what we have here. That is what brave 
     American forces have been fighting for.
       The Bible, the Quran, the Torah, and the Book of Buddhist 
     Principles all suggest that you give something of yourself, 
     whether it be your time or your money, to help someone else. 
     They all stress the personal and moral rewards of sacrifice. 
     But there is another document that preaches the benefits of 
     sacrifice: the Constitution, because wherever freedom 
     resides, sacrifice must follow, because freedom is love and 
     love is sacrifice.

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