[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6511-6512]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE ASHE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ``CANS AND PANS'' STEEL DRUM BAND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Yesterday, I was honored to join the Ashe County High School ``Cans 
and Pans'' Steel Drum Band at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center where 
these fine young people performed for our Nation's wounded warriors. It 
was a true privilege to give these student musicians, their committed 
parents and their band director, Scott Turnmyre, a tour of the Capitol 
before they played for our brave men and women in uniform.
  Earlier in the morning while we shared breakfast together, I was 
struck with how unique this group of young people is. Their desire to 
perform for our Nation's brave men and women in uniform illustrated the 
depth of their character and the caliber of their families and of the 
communities that have raised them. Their music, no doubt, lifted the 
spirits of our troops at Walter Reed Medical Center. The fact that they 
would travel hundreds of miles was nothing short of inspiring for all 
who were in attendance.
  I want to thank Band Director Scott Turnmyre for the long hours and 
hard work he put into getting this trip together and for rallying the 
people of Ashe County to this very worthy cause. Their generous 
donations helped make this trip a reality.
  The people at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel also deserve praise. 
When they learned about the band's plans to play for the troops at 
Walter Reed, they graciously reduced the band's room rates during peak 
tourist season. Kenny Lincoln, Monica Rao and Lisa Schmitt at the hotel 
went the extra mile to help make this trip possible for the Ashe County 
Steel Drum Band.
  Mike Asgedom at the Union Station parking garage also generously 
reduced the parking rate for the band's charter bus. Here on Capitol 
Hill, Stefan Bieret and Ted Daniel in the Sergeant at Arms Office 
provided on-site parking for the bus while Scott, the students and 
their parents joined me for breakfast in the Capitol and for a tour.
  Of course, I don't want to forget the fine people serving at Walter 
Reed Army Medical Center. They took care of every detail from parking 
to setup to greeting the students. Nancy Popejoy, Dayna Jamison and 
Latanya Torrence dotted every ``I'' and crossed every ``T,'' and I 
applaud them for a job well done.
  I also want to thank Walter Reed Health Care System Commander, 
Colonel Patricia Horoho. Colonel Horoho took time out of her very busy 
schedule to thank personally each of the students, and she presented 
them each with her commander's coin in recognition of their outstanding 
performance. Colonel Horoho, who also is an Appalachian State 
University alumna, is a fine example of a dedicated leader who went 
above and beyond to welcome and to congratulate the students.
  Yesterday's performance was an illustration of the generosity and 
kindness of the people of the Fifth District. It was a proud moment for 
Ashe County High School. The band members' director, Scott Turnmyre, 
and the parents are to be commended for their service to our wounded 
warriors at Walter Reed.
  Mr. Speaker, the remarks made by President Bush and by Pope Benedict 
during the Pope's visit to the United States last week were profound 
and should be available widely. So I am offering them today to be 
included in the Record.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

  Remarks of President Bush and His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI at the 
                      White House, April 16, 2008

       President Bush: Holy Father, Laura and I are privileged to 
     have you here at the White House. We welcome you with the 
     ancient words commended by Saint Augustine: ``Pax Tecum.'' 
     Peace be with you.
       You've chosen to visit America on your birthday. Well, 
     birthdays are traditionally spent with close friends, so our 
     entire nation is moved and honored that you've decided to 
     share this special day with us. We wish you much health and 
     happiness--today and for many years to come.
       This is your first trip to the United States since you 
     ascended to the Chair of Saint Peter. You will visit two of 
     our greatest cities and meet countless Americans, including 
     many who have traveled from across the country to see with 
     you and to share in the joy of this visit. Here in America 
     you'll find a nation of prayer. Each day millions of our 
     citizens approach our Maker on bended knee, seeking His grace 
     and giving thanks for the many blessings He bestows upon us. 
     Millions of Americans have been praying for your visit, and 
     millions look forward to praying with you this week.
       Here in America you'll find a nation of compassion. 
     Americans believe that the measure of a free society is how 
     we treat the weakest and most vulnerable among us. So each 
     day citizens across America answer the universal call to feed 
     the hungry and comfort the sick and care for the infirm. Each 
     day across the world the United States is working to 
     eradicate disease, alleviate poverty, promote peace and bring 
     the light of hope to places still mired in the darkness of 
     tyranny and despair.
       Here in America you'll find a nation that welcomes the role 
     of faith in the public square. When our Founders declared our 
     nation's independence, they rested their case on an appeal to 
     the ``laws of nature, and of nature's God.'' We believe in 
     religious liberty. We also believe that a love for freedom 
     and a common moral law are written into every human heart, 
     and that these constitute the firm foundation on which any 
     successful free society must be built.
       Here in America, you'll find a nation that is fully modern, 
     yet guided by ancient and eternal truths. The United States 
     is the most innovative, creative and dynamic country on 
     earth--it is also among the most religious. In our nation, 
     faith and reason coexist in harmony. This is one of our 
     country's greatest strengths, and one of the reasons that our 
     land remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for millions 
     across the world.
       Most of all, Holy Father, you will find in America people 
     whose hearts are open to your message of hope. And America 
     and the world need this message. In a world where some invoke 
     the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and 
     hate, we need your message that ``God is love.'' And 
     embracing this love is the surest way to save men from 
     ``falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism.''
       In a world where some treat life as something to be debased 
     and discarded, we need your message that all human life is 
     sacred, and that ``each of us is willed, each of us is 
     loved''--and your message that ``each of us is willed, each 
     of us is loved, and each of us is necessary.''
       In a world where some no longer believe that we can 
     distinguish between simple right

[[Page 6512]]

     and wrong, we need your message to reject this ``dictatorship 
     of relativism,'' and embrace a culture of justice and truth.
       In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do 
     as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires 
     us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but ``in a 
     spirit of mutual support.''
       Holy Father, thank you for making this journey to America. 
     Our nation welcomes you. We appreciate the example you set 
     for the world, and we ask that you always keep us in your 
     prayers.
       Pope Benedict XVI: Mr. President, thank you for your 
     gracious words of welcome on behalf of the people of the 
     United States of America. I deeply appreciate your invitation 
     to visit this great country. My visit coincides with an 
     important moment in the life of the Catholic community in 
     America: the celebration of the 200th anniversary of 
     elevation of the country's first Diocese--Baltimore--to a 
     metropolitan Archdiocese and the establishment of the Sees of 
     New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville.
       Yet I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I 
     come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel, and one with 
     great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America's 
     Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent 
     contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my 
     visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal 
     and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen 
     the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly 
     to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be 
     citizens.
       From the dawn of the Republic, America's quest for freedom 
     has been guided by the conviction that the principles 
     governing political and social life are intimately linked to 
     a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The 
     framers of this nation's founding documents drew upon this 
     conviction when they proclaimed the self-evident truth that 
     all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights 
     grounded in the laws of nature and of nature's God.
       The course of American history demonstrates the 
     difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and 
     moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which 
     faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, 
     which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a 
     constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the 
     struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In 
     our time, too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans 
     continue to find their strength in a commitment to this 
     patrimony of shared ideas and aspirations.
       In the next few days, I look forward to meeting not only 
     with America's Catholic community, but with other Christian 
     communities and representatives of the many religious 
     traditions present in this country. Historically, not only 
     Catholics, but all believers have found here the freedom to 
     worship God in accordance with the dictates of their 
     conscience, while at the same time being accepted as part of 
     a commonwealth in which each individual group can make its 
     voice heard.
       As the nation faces the increasingly complex political and 
     ethical issues of our time, I am confident that the American 
     people will find in their religious beliefs a precious source 
     of insight and an inspiration to pursue reasoned, responsible 
     and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more human 
     and free society.
       Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal 
     responsibility. Americans know this from experience--almost 
     every town in this country has its monuments honoring those 
     who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at 
     home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the 
     cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the 
     common good, and a sense of responsibility towards the less 
     fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic 
     life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to 
     reasoned public debate.
       In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out 
     to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for 
     the cause of good. Few have understood this as clearly as the 
     late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual 
     victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland 
     and in Eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows time 
     and again that ``in a world without truth, freedom loses its 
     foundation,'' and a democracy without values can lose its 
     very soul. Those prophetic words in some sense echo the 
     conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell 
     Address, that religion and morality represent ``indispensable 
     supports'' of political prosperity.
       The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to building 
     a world ever more worthy of the human person, created in the 
     image and likeness of God. She is convinced that faith sheds 
     new light on all things, and that the Gospel reveals the 
     noble vocation and sublime destiny of every man and woman. 
     Faith also gives us the strength to respond to our high 
     calling and to hope that inspires us to work for an ever more 
     just and fraternal society. Democracy can only flourish, as 
     your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and 
     those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the 
     wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting 
     the life and future of the nation.
       For well over a century, the United States of America has 
     played an important role in the international community. On 
     Friday, God willing, I will have the honor of addressing the 
     United Nations organization, where I hope to encourage the 
     efforts underway to make that institution an ever more 
     effective voice for the legitimate aspirations of all the 
     world's peoples.
       On this, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration 
     of Human Rights, the need for global solidarity is as urgent 
     as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their 
     dignity--as brothers and sisters dwelling in the same house 
     and around that table which God's bounty has set for all his 
     children. America has traditionally shown herself generous in 
     meeting immediate human needs, fostering development and 
     offering relief to the victims of natural catastrophes. I am 
     confident that this concern for the greater human family will 
     continue to find expression in support for the patient 
     efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and 
     promote progress. In this way, coming generations will be 
     able to live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can 
     flourish--a world where the God-given dignity and the rights 
     of every man, woman and child are cherished, protected and 
     effectively advanced.
       Mr. President, dear friends, as I begin my visit to the 
     United States, I express once more my gratitude for your 
     invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent 
     prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its 
     people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God 
     bless America.

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