[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16715]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN SUPPORT OF THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, recently, I visited with Reverend Jacob 
Bazzel Mull and his wife, Elizabeth, in Knoxville, TN. They host the 
Mull Singing Convention, a popular gospel radio program.
  Reverend Mull is a legend with an interesting story to tell. He was 
born in 1914 in Burke County, NC, into a musical family. When he was 11 
months old, he lost his eyesight after falling into an open-pit 
fireplace. As a child, he played in a gospel group made up of his 
mother, father, brothers and sisters.
  He began preaching in 1939 and hasn't stopped since. In 1942, he 
moved to Knoxville to start his first radio program, and the rest is 
history. He became well-known nationwide during the 25 years he sold 
Chuck Wagon Gang Records on several 50,000-watt radio stations.
  This year, all of his many accomplishments were recognized when he 
was honored by the Gospel Music Association for his ``outstanding 
contributions to gospel music.''
  During our visit in April, Reverend Mull gave me 2,000 letters and a 
number of petitions with thousands of names on them from Americans 
angry over the Ninth Circuit's decision declaring the Pledge of 
Allegiance unconstitutional. Reverend Mull solicited these letters from 
his listeners across the country, and I was delighted to see the 
passion people across America have for the Pledge. It made me proud to 
answer all of those letters.
  It is inspiring to me that every day Reverend Mull brings out the 
best in America. He challenges us to think, and he encourages us to be 
involved in issues. He also reminds us to turn to our religious faith 
for guidance. I ran for the U.S. Senate because I wanted to find out 
how to bring out the best in people in Tennessee and across this 
country, all day, every day.
  I believe the answer to how we do that lies with the people. In 
August of 2002, I spent the night with Jim Coley, a Tennessee 
Government high school teacher, and his family. One idea that came out 
of that visit was the importance of putting the teaching of American 
history and civics back into our classrooms. From that discussion, we 
came up with the framework for the American History and Civics Act of 
2003 that just passed the Senate.
  The bill establishes summer residential academies for teachers and 
students to encourage the teaching and learning of American history and 
civics in a more inspired way than is happening today. We can't expect 
our students to learn what it means to be an American if we don't teach 
them.
  I would also like to see students in every classroom across this 
Nation beginning each schoolday with the Pledge of Allegiance. That 
could be followed with a student or teacher explaining in his or her 
own words what it means to them to be an American.
  After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, we saw how quickly 
we Americans could come together as one people, united in purpose, 
despite our diverse backgrounds. Although we are almost 2 years removed 
from that time, there is no reason this sense of unity and purpose 
cannot continue as part of our lives every day. Americans have a 
reputation for being resourceful, resilient, and having common sense. 
These are good qualities for helping to bring out the best in the 
entire Nation.
  I thank Reverend Mull for his commitment to this country, for 
inviting me to visit with him, and for sharing American's outpouring of 
support in favor of the basic values and principles on which this 
Nation was founded. I also appreciate the opportunity to bring Reverend 
Mull's good work to the attention of our country.

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