[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 18, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary 
of President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address and celebrate the many 
moments of altruism that have emerged from the simple words, ``Ask not 
what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your 
country.'' It is this expression of love of country, this spirit that 
President Kennedy evoked in all of us that causes me to rise today for 
my maiden speech on the floor of the House of Representatives. Even 50 
years later, we take from this speech the reminder that we still have 
work to do to improve our country, and that work is incumbent upon us 
to finish.
  As a young child, I remember watching the ceremony on January 20, 
1961. I remember the poet Robert Frost read a poem from the podium as 
his eyeglasses fogged up. I remember President Kennedy taking the 
stage, and I could have never imagined the impact he would have on my 
generation and the generations to come.
  Here in Washington, President Kennedy is never far from my mind 
because I have the distinct honor of coming to work to the same office 
that President Kennedy had when he was a Member of Congress. Our space 
is a historic treasure. I am so fortunate to be entrusted with the 
safekeeping of this memorial and all that it represents to the people 
of Massachusetts and every American who has been inspired by President 
Kennedy.
  My first days and weeks in Congress have been an incredible 
privilege, serving my community in Massachusetts and working to find 
solutions for the challenges that our country faces.
  President Kennedy's words are timeless, and we can and should learn 
from them today. He called on our country to remember that ``civility 
is not a sign of weakness.'' His words should inform our national 
conversation as we hopefully renew our commitment to respect and 
graciousness, where politics means more than stark division and glaring 
partisanship.
  Our country needs healing, and Kennedy would believe that it is up to 
all of us to participate in restoring this type of civility. Fifty 
years ago he said, ``Let both sides explore what problems unite us 
instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.'' I welcome this 
challenge, and I will spend my time in Congress living up to those 
words.
  Good ideas are not restricted to one political party or the other, so 
I look forward to hearing from my constituents of all political 
stripes. If my neighbor in Weymouth has an idea to create jobs, I want 
to hear it. If a resident of Plymouth has a proposal on how we can move 
our country forward, I want to help. If a fellow citizen in Barnstable 
has a plan to make our country safer and stronger, I look forward to 
working together.
  In closing, let us remember that President Kennedy had a long-term 
vision for this country. He understood that a change in direction takes 
time, and we understand that a return to the values that he kept will 
not be immediate. As he said, ``All of this will not be finished in the 
first 100 days, nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in 
the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on 
this planet. But let us begin.''
  So as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of President John F. 
Kennedy's inauguration, let us begin anew.

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