[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 131 (Tuesday, September 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1855-E1856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     DEMOCRACY DAY AND A FREE CUBA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CLIFF STEARNS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2003

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, last Wednesday, September 17, the U.S. 
Constitution turned 216 years old, and we celebrated Democracy Day, 
commemorating its signing. Our National Archives held an unveiling 
ceremony, where the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and 
the Bill of Rights are now presented in a new, clearer display in the 
rotunda. There, President Bush, U.S. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 
and Senate and

[[Page E1856]]

House Leaders reminded us that the ideals spelled out in these 
documents--collectively called our ``Charters of Freedom''--are 
spreading unstoppably beyond United States borders.
  I couldn't agree more. On the same day, I delivered a speech to the 
Center for Democracy and Technology's Democracy Day reception. To the 
audience of young people just starting to get involved in national 
affairs, I made similar points as heard down at the National Archives. 
The Constitution, a remarkable document, is the result of numerous 
forces, among them the Age of Enlightenment and the doctrine of natural 
law. In the 18th century, despotism provided the rule of the day 
throughout much of Europe. In challenging the goals and powers of 
Europe's institutions, the men of the Enlightenment advocated the 
liberty of the individual, the right to property, and the freedom of 
expression.
  Rousseau and others outlined the legal equality of man and the 
sovereignty of the governed. Those who met in Philadelphia were well 
acquainted with these thoughts and incorporated them in the American 
Enlightenment. These concepts are clearly reflected in the Declaration 
of Independence and in our Constitution. Several of the amendments to 
the Constitution expand political participation to those who had been 
shut out of the process. The 15th amendment adopted in 1870 recognizes 
the voting rights of former slaves; the 19th extends the franchise to 
women, and the 26th reduced the voting age to 18. These were all steps 
to open the political process to the powerless.
  With our freedom comes responsibility--an obligation to participate. 
People in this Nation have fought, bled, and died to preserve our 
freedom; and they have fought, bled, and died for the right to vote and 
to hold office. Although we are free to not participate, it is an 
insult to these men and women, the martyrs for freedom, if apathy 
replaces activism. I believe that we have a duty to share our freedom, 
to extend the benefits of freedoms to others.
  Technology provides us many powerful tools, including the means to 
advocate for liberty. The repressive regimes of the world share a fear 
of information, and take great strides to control what their people are 
told. We saw in Iraq, and in Yugoslavia, and we still see in China and 
elsewhere, a repression of the Internet. Nearly one in 10 persons in 
the world has the ability to go on line. The Internet poses a 
significant threat to the forces of tyranny and provides a strong 
medium for advocating freedom. New ideas are a tyrant's worst 
nightmare, and through the Internet we can give them many sleepless 
nights.
  On the day after Democracy Day, three former presidents of Eastern 
European nations, who know tyranny, wrote a joint OpEd in the 
Washington Post entitled ``Building a Free Cuba''. Vaclav Havel, former 
president of the Czech Republic, Arpad Gonez, former president of 
Hungary, and Lech Walesa, former president of Poland, resoundingly 
rebuked the Castro regime for imprisoning 75 representatives of the 
Cuban opposition, including coordinators of the Varela Project, 
journalists, and other pro-democracy leaders. They were subject to mock 
trials and jokes of prison terms. At the same time, the free-thinking 
Cubans are making more noise, and Castro and his regime know that their 
days are numbered.
  Finally, the 3 former Presidents eloquently presented what we, the 
free, can all do to help the Cuban freedom-fighters. While the U.S. has 
chosen an economic embargo, our European friends have taken different, 
more lenient approaches. But, Havel, Goncz, and Walesa point out that 
while we disagree on this policy, we can agree on this: vocally support 
the dissidents. Provide encouragement and comfort for Cuban dissidents, 
prisoners of conscience, and their families. Use technology, like the 
powerful Internet, to spread words of freedom like our Constitutional 
amendments did to fellow Americans. Let's make it clear to Cuba that a 
dictator is not welcome to join free countries at the international. 
table. I am grateful and proud of the heritage of the United States, 
and encourage my fellow Americans and fellow liberty-enjoying citizens 
of the world in continuing the flourishing of the flower of democracy.

                          ____________________