[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13612]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CONSTITUTION DAY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 226 years ago today about three dozen 
patriots helped form a more perfect union when they signed their names 
to a document that guides us still. The U.S. Constitution and the 
timeless principles that inform it have endured, ensuring liberty and 
freedom for the people of this country through war and peace, turmoil 
and prosperity.
  So on this September 17, like every Constitution Day, we take a 
moment to reflect on just how fortunate we are to live in a nation 
that, unlike any other before or since, was founded on an idea. A big 
part of that idea is the fact that our rights come not from men but 
from the Creator, and that for this reason they cannot be taken away.
  That is the context in which our Constitution was written, and it is 
the context of the Bill of Rights that was added to it, and it is just 
one of the things that makes America exceptional.
  The first thing that every Senator, Congressman, or President does 
upon assuming office is take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. 
On this Constitution Day I join my fellow lawmakers in recommitting 
myself to that solemn oath, to doing everything I can to ensure that 
the principles of constitutional self-government are adhered to and 
defended in Washington. This glorious document that binds us is the 
guarantor of our freedom and the light that continues to guide our 
people.
  Today we remember that with pride--and with optimism about the future 
of this great country.
  I yield the floor.

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