[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 21 (Monday, May 24, 2004)]
[Pages 903-906]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Commencement Address at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, 
Wisconsin

May 14, 2004

    Thank you all very much. Dr. Ferry, members of the faculty, 
trustees, and families, distinguished guests, most importantly, members 
of the Class of 2004, I appreciate the warm welcome to this fine 
university and to this great State. Thank you for such a wonderful 
welcome. I am honored to be with you on graduation day as you become 
proud alumni of CUW.
    I thank you as well for the honorary degree. I kind of like the 
sound, ``Dr. Bush.'' [Laughter] I don't think Laura is going to call me 
that. [Laughter]
    My congratulations to my fellow honorees today, especially General 
Vessey, a fine officer who served our country with distinction and 
honor.
    I'm here today with one of your alumni, Class of 2000. He can't rise 
for applause because he's working. But I want his parents to know he's 
doing a really fine job. And everyone at Concordia can be very proud of 
Officer Scott Eichstaedt of the United States Secret Service.
    I am told that when the name of your commencement speaker was 
announced on April the 1st--[laughter]--a lot of students thought it 
might be an April Fool's Day joke. [Laughter] And some of you may still 
have doubts. I saw a person when I walked in, said, ``Is it him, or is 
it the guy on `Saturday Night Live'?'' [Laughter]
    All of you have worked hard and have come far, and you can always be 
proud of the achievement we mark today. Through it all, you've had a lot 
of fine people standing with you. This graduating class is a credit to 
the superb and caring teachers at Concordia. And today we also honor the 
people who believed in you and prayed for you and paid for you--
[laughter]--the parents of the Class of 2004.
    Many of today's graduates are on your way to full-time ministry, and 
that commitment is one of the greatest that a man or woman can make. All 
of the graduates leave Concordia with a commission and a calling. In the 
Lutheran tradition, all work in an office, on a farm, in the home, or in 
the halls of government, should be done in the glory of God. And that is 
accomplished by doing our work with excellence and care and an awareness 
of the needs around us.
    We find our examples in great lives. Important work in this world 
can be done by towering figures like Martin Luther, who changed history 
and your own lives with an act of conscience. Work of lasting value can 
also be done by a solitary soul, condemned and stripped of all power, 
like Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Every life holds the possibility of serving 
God. And in every great life, that possibility is realized in service. 
After all, Bonhoeffer said, ``The Church is the Church only when it 
exists for others.''
    This teaching of faith is confirmed in our daily experience. Many of 
us find that there is much more to life than getting and keeping. True 
fulfillment comes with the responsibilities we assume, to care for our 
families and to love a neighbor as we want to be loved ourselves. This 
is more than a familiar saying; it is the foundation of a meaningful 
life.
    A person shows his or her character in kindness and charity, and 
what is true in our lives is also true in the life of our Nation. You 
can fairly judge the character of society by how it treats the weak, the 
vulnerable, the most easily forgotten. Our own country, at its best, 
strives to be compassionate, and this isn't easy. Compassion is not 
merely a vague feeling of empathy; it is a demanding virtue. It involves 
action and effort and deep conviction, a conviction as old as Scripture 
and present at the founding of our country. We believe that everyone has 
a place and

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a purpose in this world, that every life matters, that no insignificant 
person was ever born.
    America rejects the ethic of sink or swim. America rejects social 
Darwinism, because strength is not the same as worth. Our greatest 
failures as a nation have come when we lost sight of our compassionate 
ideals in slavery, in segregation, and in every wrong that has denied 
the value and dignity of life. Our greatest strength as a nation is that 
we bravely face our flaws and do our best to make things right. Our 
greatest successes as a nation have come when we broadened the circle of 
protection and inclusion, and this work is not finished. We will press 
on until every person shares in the promise of our country.
    The mission statement of this university directs each of you towards 
a life of service to the church and to the world. It's not my place to 
tell you how best to serve the church, but I do have a few thoughts 
about how you can make your mark in the world. Wherever you are headed, 
I urge you to do the work nearest you and help to build a more 
compassionate society.
    First, America needs your efforts and energy in the fight against 
poverty and despair. A compassionate society does not look away from a 
man being dragged down by addiction or a mother being abandoned by the 
father of the child or boys and girls with no role models in life who 
wonder if anyone cares about them. These personal tragedies are often 
failures of love, and they must be answered with love and caring and 
kindness. Government can play many important roles, but it cannot take 
someone's hand and be their friend. You have that power. If you follow 
this calling, you can help transform our society, one heart, one soul at 
a time.
    This call is heard and followed here in the Milwaukee area at 
Lutheran Counseling and Family Services. It was founded over 100 years 
ago to help children in need. Today, it offers services and counseling 
that help teens and preteens escape drug and alcohol abuse. When 
children hurt this deeply and this early, they often need an entirely 
new path, a new way. The CEO of the program, Dr. Chuck Meseck, says 
this: ``The clinical work is important, but in helping a person, faith 
is what really heals them completely.''
    Around our country, there are so many people with loving hearts who 
despair at the suffering they see around them. And so I made a decision: 
Instead of ignoring or resenting religious charities and faith-based 
groups, this country will encourage these good works in every way we 
can. The Federal Government now allows faith-based groups to compete for 
billions of dollars in social service funding without being forced to 
change their identity and their mission. We must support the best, the 
most effective sources of compassion and hope, and we will not 
discriminate against people of faith.
    Second, America needs your good heart in meeting a basic 
responsibility, to protect and honor life in all its seasons. A 
compassionate society shows a special concern for those at the beginning 
of life, those at the end of life, and those who struggle in life with 
disabilities. Most of you, at some point, will be called to care for a 
dying relative or a frail and aging parent or someone close to you with 
a terrible sickness. Often, in their pain and loneliness, they will feel 
they are nothing but a burden and worthless to the world, and you will 
need to show them that's not true. Our worth as human beings does not 
depend on our health or productivity or independence or any other 
shifting value the world might apply. Our worth comes from bearing the 
image of our Maker. And the hardest times of your life may be the most 
important, when you bear witness to this truth by your sacrifice and 
loving kindness to another soul.
    This commitment to the value of every life also challenges our 
society. Technologies that have extended life also make treatment 
decisions harder at the end of life. New methods of research hold 
promise in treating disease. These innovations show the resourcefulness 
of humanity, and they must be guided by all the wisdom of humanity. Our 
standards must be high and clear and fixed. Life is not just a tool or a 
commodity or a means to other ends. Nothing good or just can be built on 
the destruction or suffering of others.
    These convictions have deep roots in our Nation's founding. Our 
Declaration of Independence calls life an endowment of the Creator, and 
on Earth, an unalienable right. Applying this belief has always been a 
test of

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our democracy. Your education has prepared you to add to these debates 
with respect for others and with confidence in your own beliefs. By your 
voice and by your example, all of you can help to build a culture of 
life in America.
    Third, America needs your idealism to show the good heart of our 
country to the whole world. A compassionate society sees needs and 
suffering beyond its borders and cares enough to act. Americans show 
this care by adopting orphans from other lands, by resettling tens of 
thousands of refugees each year, by sending surgeons and dentists on 
medical missions, by spending years living among and serving people in 
faraway countries. The kingdom you serve is not bounded by coasts or 
rivers or checkpoints. The hymns you sing are sung in every language. 
The needs of all the world are your concern, and I hope that, with your 
generous spirit and global vision, you will point the way for others.
    The moral ideals of America are also universal. Because we believe 
in the rights and dignity of our own citizens, we believe in the rights 
and dignity of people everywhere. So in Africa and elsewhere, we are 
leading the fight against AIDS and other diseases. Where there is 
famine, our country provides food. Where there is desperate poverty, our 
country provides developmental aid. Where there is natural disaster, 
even in hostile nations, America is eager to help. And where there is 
tyranny, oppression, and gathering danger to mankind, America works and 
sacrifices for peace and freedom. The liberty we prize is not America's 
gift to the world; it is the Almighty God's gift to all humanity.
    At this hour, our fellow citizens are sacrificing for the security 
and freedom of Afghanistan and Iraq. Their mission is like others we 
have given to past generations in our military, to defeat the violent 
and to rescue the innocent. The mission of our military is also vital to 
the interests of America. We will not allow Afghanistan and Iraq to fall 
under the control of radicals and terrorists who are intent on our own 
destruction. On these matters, the compassion and the vital interests of 
our country speak as one: For the sake of peace and for the sake of 
security, we stand strong for freedom.
    The great events of these historic times can seem remote and beyond 
the control of individuals. Yet, we have recently seen how much 
difference, for good or ill, the choices of individual men and women can 
make. In Iraq, the cruelty of a few has brought discredit to their 
uniform and embarrassment to our country. The consequences of their 
failures of character reach well beyond the walls of a prison. Yet, 
those failures cannot diminish the honor and achievement of more than 
200,000 military personnel who have served in Iraq since the beginning 
of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The character of the men and women who wear 
our uniform has been shown in countless acts of goodness and decency and 
unselfish courage. Our American military comes from all parts of the 
country. Six are members of the graduating class, and we thank them all.
    One person can do so much harm or so much good. One person can show 
the compassion and character of a whole country in an hour of testing. 
Never doubt that you can make a difference, because the call that comes 
to you is yours alone. And a great deal depends upon your answer. By 
bringing care and hope into other lives, you can fill your own life with 
purpose. By caring for life at every stage, you can make our country a 
more just and welcoming place. By showing the generosity of America, you 
can help change the world. Each of you has gifts to offer, and I am 
confident you will use those gifts where they are needed.
    I wish you well on the journey ahead. I thank you for the warm 
welcome and the honorary degree. I leave today a proud member of the 
Concordia University Wisconsin Class of 2004.
    May God bless you. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 3:15 p.m. in the field house. In his 
remarks, he referred to Rev. Dr. Patrick T. Ferry, president, Concordia 
University Wisconsin; and Gen. John W. Vessey, Jr., USA (Ret.), former 
chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. This item was not received in time for 
publication in the appropriate issue.

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