[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14127-14128]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING GOD AND COUNTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2008

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Madam Speaker, for over 225 years 
the United States has been a beacon of hope and freedom throughout the 
world. Millions of people from every corner of the world have left 
their homelands to come to America and start a new life, one based on 
the rights and liberties enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, 
the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
  That freedom comes at a price, however. Whether it is the original 
fight for independence during the American Revolution, the drive to 
defeat communism during the cold war, or the current battle against 
global Islamic extremists, soldiers throughout our history have fought 
and given their lives to keep us safe here at home. I salute their 
sacrifice and dedication to their fellow man, and thank those veterans 
here today for your great military service.
  While our Nation has often had to defend itself from enemies, both 
foreign and domestic, it has been our shared commitment to faith and 
belief in a higher power that has given us the strength to soldier on 
during tough and trying times. America has seen both the good and the 
bad throughout our Nation's history, but in the end I firmly believe 
that each of us will heed the call to the better angels of our nature 
when forced to make decisions that affect our fellow man.
  Together we can continue the great success of the United States. 
Throughout our history, while our ancestors came from all over the 
globe, the great melting pot that is America meant that we have shared 
a common language and a common faith. Our Nation is firmly rooted in 
Christian principles that have made us strong and envied by the rest of 
the world. Whenever a crisis happens in a faraway land across the seas, 
it is men and women like you who pull together in the spirit of 
Christian charity and a desire to help your fellow man. It is our 
military that brings relief supplies to nations like Burma or Indonesia 
after their floods, and the United States Armed Forces that meets the 
challenge of liberating Europe from the Axis superpowers. The can-do 
spirit of our Nation means we never back away from a challenge, and 
that by working together we can accomplish anything we set our minds 
to.
  America is the greatest nation in the world. We have a proud history 
of service, faith and community ties that bind us to the common belief 
in the goodness of mankind. By working together we can continue that 
history and ensure that future generations of Americans will share the 
ideals and values that brought us here today. Thank you and God bless 
the United States of America.

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