[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 CITIZENSHIP DAY AND CONSTITUTION WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 21, 2001

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, although we were not in regular session this 
past Monday, I would like to remind my Colleagues that September 17th 
was Citizenship Day and that this week is Constitution Week. The tragic 
events of the past week should remind us just how important our 
Citizenship and our Constitution are and what they mean to each and 
everyone of us.
  This year's observances of Citizenship Day and Constitution Week come 
as we mourn for those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of 
September 11th. The National Conference on Citizenship urges every 
American to honor the victims by working constructively within our 
democratic process, so the United States will remain the world's 
foremost defender of freedom and a beacon of tolerance toward all men 
and women of good will.
  The National Conference of Citizenship was founded in 1946 to sustain 
the unity of purpose that had bound together all Americans during World 
War II. In 1953, Congress granted this Conference a Charter that 
charged the organization ``To encourage ever more effective 
participation in citizenship activities and to promote a spirit of 
cooperation on the part of all citizens.''
  Given the events of the past week, let us rededicate ourselves to 
this purpose. We are about to enter a period of our history that will 
perhaps be as important to our freedom as were the trials and 
tribulations of World War II. Over the past few days, we have seen how 
all our lives are bound together. Today, let all Americans continue to 
express this newfound sense of unity of purpose that we have not seen 
since World War II and remember that we are a nation of laws and 
principle.

                          ____________________