[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15955-15956]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          THE FREEDOM TO . . .

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, there are more than a 
dozen countries in this world that restrict freedom of religion, 
including Iran and China. Imagine being told your religion was 
unacceptable and being carted off to jail for offering a Bible to 
someone. This is not an unusual occurrence in some countries with 
state-sponsored religions.
  In this country, we have a few sacrosanct words known as ``First 
Amendment to the Constitution'' that guarantee no one will be punished 
for the

[[Page 15956]]

religion that they choose to follow: ``Congress shall make no law 
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free 
exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, 
or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition 
the government for a redress of grievances.''
  When a person decides to burn the Koran, the Bible, or any other 
sacred document in this country, he has the freedom to do so even if 
the overwhelming majority of us vehemently disagree with his decision. 
It is difficult for the citizens of some other countries to understand 
or to tolerate this kind of freedom. Yet it is the bedrock of our 
democracy.
  We have the right to disagree, to ignore, to protest against or to 
take the matter to court for a ruling, but we do not have the right to 
determine what another person is to believe. Unfortunately, that kind 
of freedom challenges other governments and cultures.
  The freedoms we hold dear seem uncontrollable to those who would 
dictate what people wear, worship, and support. For example, some 
governments think that if their citizens are educated the next thing 
that will happen is that they will begin to think and ask questions, 
and that can't be tolerated by those in power. Or they believe that 
only one religion is true and, therefore, no others can be taught or 
people might stray from the religion and the religion might falter. In 
the United States, we have no such fear because our Constitution gives 
us the confidence and the courage to tolerate diversity.
  September 17 is Constitution Day and a time that we should all take 
to be grateful for the strength and breadth of our system of 
government. We should reflect on our freedoms and know that they are 
protected.
  That date was chosen because on September 17, 1787, the 
Constitutional Convention met for the last time in Philadelphia to sign 
the document before it was sent to the 13 States to be ratified. The 
Founding Fathers drew upon the wisdom of the ages to give us a gift 
that has endured for more than two centuries, the United States 
Constitution.
  The blueprint for our government is not a long document. You can keep 
a copy in your shirt pocket. I happen to have one here, Mr. Speaker. 
The basic document is under 5,000 words, but it covers the building 
blocks for our three equal branches of government: the executive, the 
legislative, and the judicial arms of government.
  The first 10 amendments lay out the rights of every citizen. How many 
times have you heard the phrase, ``I know my rights.'' Well, we know 
them because they have been delineated for us in the Bill of Rights.
  Winston Churchill famously said in a speech in the House of Commons 
in 1947: ``Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried 
in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect 
or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form 
of government except all those other forms that have been tried from 
time to time.''
  Today I issue a challenge to the citizens to read their Constitution 
on September 17 each year. It will help your understanding of what and 
who you are in this country, and it will strengthen your values.
  In a speech to the Senate in 1850, Henry Clay said: ``The 
Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the 
generation that then existed, but for posterity, unlimited, undefined, 
endless, perpetual posterity.''
  He has been proven correct, Mr. Speaker, and let us all work to 
protect it and keep it that way.

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