[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 8]
[EXTENS]
[Page 10095]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              MAINE VOICE OF DEMOCRACY SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS H. ALLEN

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 18, 2004

  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues an 
essay titled ``My Commitment to America's Future,'' by Joseph B. 
Faucher of Augusta, Maine. Mr. Faucher is a winner of the 2004 Voice of 
Democracy broadcast scriptwriting contest. Each year the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars of the United States and its Ladies Auxiliary hold a Voice 
of Democracy audio essay competition for high school students. This 
year's theme was ``My Commitment to America's Future.'' I congratulate 
all of this year's 59 Voice of Democracy Scholarship winners.
  It is vitally important that we encourage our young people in their 
understanding of and commitment to civic virtue. The life and health of 
our democracy are dependent on citizen engagement. Democracy must be 
constantly re-created. In Mr. Faucher's words, a commitment to America 
is ``a commitment to protect the freedoms, liberties, and rights that 
this country was founded on . . . to make this country an even better 
place for the next generation . . . to put time, effort, and thought 
into being American.'' The rest of his essay speaks for itself.

                 ``My Commitment to America's Future''

                          (By Joseph Faucher)

       I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of 
     America. . . . By the time I was four, I could recite the 
     Pledge of Allegiance verbatim. I would stand straight, place 
     my hand over my heart, and say those words without much 
     thought. Pledging allegiance to one's country should never be 
     taken lightly.
       It was not until I was in the fifth grade and learning 
     about American history that I began to understand and 
     appreciate the Pledge of Allegiance. And, I can honestly say, 
     each year my depth of understanding for those words increases 
     as does my commitment to this great country.
       ``I pledge allegiance,'' what does it truly mean? To me, it 
     is promising my commitment to America. A commitment to 
     protect the freedoms, liberties, and rights that his country 
     was founded upon. A commitment to make this country an even 
     better place for the next generation. A commitment to put 
     time, effort, and thought into being an American!
       The founding fathers provided America with a very solid 
     foundation, the Constitution, the living, written backbone of 
     our country. Imagine, in less than 100 working days, in a 
     document of just 4543 words, fifty-five men with many 
     conflicting and diverse ideas drafted a constitution that has 
     served this country for over 216 years. In all that time, in 
     spite of all the advances in science and technology, changes 
     in culture and society, and influences from other countries 
     and peoples, there have only been 17 revisions in the form of 
     amendments.
       It is important to note that people in the 18th century 
     were not all that different than people in the 21st century. 
     There have always been differences in philosophy, political 
     ideology, and priorities. But in spite of these differences, 
     the founding fathers were able to produce a document that has 
     survived the test of time and has influenced all countries 
     that have developed constitutions since then.
       We should not let our differences in political ideologies 
     impact negatively on America. Differences can spawn 
     creativity. Differences should not divide a country but make 
     it stronger. America, not a person, not a group, not a 
     people, but a united nation. A united nation as a whole has 
     one mind set and one set of goals. We should not let our 
     differences affect our allegiance. My commitment to America 
     will not waver regardless of whether I agree or disagree with 
     a particular person or group whether it be my neighbor, the 
     mayor of my city, the governor of my state, my 
     Representatives in the House and Senate, or even the 
     President.
       After September 11th, American flags were flown everywhere 
     in our country. They were on houses, cars, pins, and other 
     items. Where are all those flags now? My commitment to 
     America cannot come just at times of great tragedy and 
     trauma. It is not enough to remember that I am an American 
     when tragedy strikes. Our commitment must be consistent, 
     every day, every minute, every second. It simply does not 
     take long to do something to remind myself, and others that 
     we are Americans, and that everyone has the responsibility to 
     make a tangible, visible commitment to America.
       Commitment is not just enjoying all of the freedoms, 
     rights, and liberties America has to offer. Commitment is not 
     just taking a stand when I think one of my freedoms or rights 
     has been violated. My commitment to America must include 
     getting involved; to be active in civic organizations, to 
     communicate and give input to my representatives, to voice my 
     opinion without putting anyone else's down, from the time of 
     my 18th birthday onward to vote in every election no matter 
     how small, and to take the time to truly understand the 
     issues, to encourage others to become involved, and to 
     cherish and never take for granted all that America provides.
       As part of my commitment to America, I will not take for 
     granted what it means to pledge allegiance to the flag. I 
     will take my commitment seriously and work toward fulfilling 
     it every day for the rest of my life. I will stand straight, 
     place my hand over my heart, and say the words with great 
     pride, strength, and meaning; I pledge allegiance to the flag 
     of the United States of America and what it stands for and 
     what it means to me.

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