[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9812]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               FREEDOM'S OBLIGATION BY KACEY L. REYNOLDS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ED WHITFIELD

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 11, 2003

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a young lady 
in my District, Ms. Kacey L. Reynolds of Calvert City, Kentucky. Ms. 
Reynolds is the Kentucky winner of the 2003 Veterans of Foreign Wars 
Voice of Democracy broadcast script writing contest. Ms. Reynolds's 
script, entitled ``Freedom's Obligation,'' has great meaning as our 
armed forces are in the process of liberating the Iraqi people and 
giving them the freedoms we enjoy everyday. At sixteen years old, Ms. 
Reynolds has a true understanding of what freedom means and what 
individuals must do to preserve it. I have attached a copy of Ms. 
Reynolds's script to be placed in the Record. I urge all my colleagues 
to read her inspiring thoughts on the true value of freedom.

    [From the 2002-2003 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest]

                          Freedom's Obligation

                  (By Kacey Reynolds--Kentucky Winner)

       Our forefathers viewed freedom as a quest--a goal they 
     lived, and gave, their lives fearlessly pursuing. Today, most 
     of us view freedom as a privilege we deserve, a complimentary 
     right owed to us, simply because we are American. But our 
     liberty must never be taken for granted and we must never 
     delude ourselves into believing freedom is free. Independence 
     has always come at a price, and we have a responsibility to 
     ensure that it continues so the heroic sacrifices made to 
     secure it were not in vain. Freedom is a blessing and a 
     responsibility and our obligation to it is threefold.
       Our first obligation to freedom is that of education. 
     Thomas Jefferson once said, ``If a nation expects to be 
     ignorant AND free, in a state of civilization, then it 
     expects what never was and never will be.'' Ignorance is the 
     first enemy of liberty. It is through education that we 
     possess the freedom, not only to provide for ourselves, but 
     to choose the manner in which we do so. It is through 
     learning that we open our minds to new concepts and 
     courageous ideals to better govern ourselves. It is through a 
     knowledge of our history that we take pride in who we are and 
     our rich heritage as Americans. Education provides 
     opportunity--the opportunity to be self-sufficient, the 
     opportunity to understand, the opportunity to be free.
       Our second obligation to freedom is that of obedience. 
     America's government is ``of the people, by the people and 
     for the people'', but our founding fathers knew that no 
     people can be truly free if any individual person is allowed 
     to violate the rights of others. Obedience to the law is 
     essential for equality and security. If we expect our 
     government to provide freedom for us, then we have a 
     responsibility to respect each other. Crime is the second 
     enemy of liberty. President Theodore Roosevelt said, ``No man 
     is above the law and no man is below it. Nor do we ask any 
     man's permission when we require him to obey it. Obedience is 
     demanded as a right, not asked as a favor.'' Obedience by 
     each individual provides freedom for all.
       Our third obligation to freedom is that of service, of 
     giving back to our community, our government, and our 
     country. We, as citizens of that freedom, hold a 
     responsibility to dedicate our time, our resources, our 
     passion, and, sometimes, even our lives for the greater good. 
     It is in serving one another that we become united. If we 
     fail to give of ourselves, then we fail the memory of those 
     brave souls who went before us to sacrifice everything. 
     Selfishness is the third enemy of liberty, but volunteering 
     our service affords us the opportunity to give back what we 
     receive. Only in this service can our country provide us with 
     true freedom.
       Without education, how can we be free to govern ourselves? 
     Without obedience to our laws, how can we ensure safety and 
     security for all people? Without service, how can we expect 
     others to fight and die for our freedom? We cannot. We must 
     dauntlessly pursue education, bravely stand up for what is 
     right through obedience and unselfishly give of ourselves 
     through service so freedom can continue to flourish. This is 
     our obligation. It is in being the ``home of the brave'' that 
     makes us ``the land of the free''.

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