Mr. Speaker, over 200 years ago, at the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a curious woman asked Benjamin Franklin, ``Sir, what have you given us?'' He replied, ``A republic, if you can keep it.'' That is our challenge…
Mr. Speaker, over 200 years ago, at the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a curious woman asked Benjamin Franklin, ``Sir, what have you given us?'' He replied, ``A republic, if you can keep it.''
That is our challenge today. A couple of things that are vital to maintaining, to help that republic, include the active involvement of our citizens in our government and the active community service of others, reaching out to others in their communities. No one understands this better than a man named Melvin Jones who I would like to honor here today, the club he started, the Lions Club, as well as a program that the Lions Club are undertaking called Liberty Day.
This man, Melvin Jones, is a living example of what it means to be a community servant. As he went out and founded the world's largest network of community service organizations, the Lions Club International, I am proud to be a member of the Watertown, Minnesota, Lions Club.
Melvin Jones was born on January 13, 1879, in the cavalry outpost at Fort Thomas in what was then Arizona Territory, to Captain Calvin Jones and Lydia Gibler Jones. Like many children growing up in the Wild West, his early years were filled with memories of horses, blue-clad troopers, bugles and war cries, wagon trains, rugged settlers and windswept dust. At the age of 7 his father was transferred east to St. Louis and later to Quincy, Illinois. Marked by the effects of growing up during times of war, Melvin's attendance in school was sporadic.
After the move east, he attended public schools in both Quincy and St. Louis and attended Union Business College and Chaddock College in Quincy. After college, he moved to Chicago and took a job with the insurance agency Johnson and Higgins. In 1909 he married women's professional golfer, Rose Amanda Freeman, who later unqualified as Melvin worked tirelessly to get Lions Club rolling. In 1913 Melvin's success in the insurance industry opened the doors of his being the sole owner of Melvin Jones Insurance Agency.
Later in 1913 an acquaintance invited Melvin to meet some of the boys who turned out to be a members group of businessmen called the Business Circle who welcomed Melvin to the club with open arms. Like many such groups during that time, the Business Circle was a scratch-my-back-and- I-will-scratch-yours club. Although Jones enjoyed the club, he was uncomfortable with the exclusivity and introduced new ideas to expand the group's membership and purpose. In 1915 Melvin Jones was elected secretary of the Business Circle. As secretary, he pondered how much could be accomplished if everyone redirected their energy and pooled their abundant intelligence, talents, and ambition towards the greater good of their communities.
Jones broached this idea with other similar organizations with mixed reviews at best. So Melvin Jones set out to launch his own organization to put this unique vision into action. Although the reviews of this novel idea were mixed, Melvin Jones trudged on; and on June 17, 1917, he assembled 20 delegates representing 27 clubs nationwide in the east room of the Hotel LaSalle in Chicago. A consensus was easily reached that a national organization should be formed dedicated to community service. After spirited debate, the group voted by secret ballot to name this new organization the Association of Lions Clubs. Jones advocated for the name Lions because it was a symbol of courage, strength, fidelity, and vital action. It helped set the standard for the club. Jones insisted during the draft of the organization's constitution that no club shall hold out as one of its objects financial benefits to its members. He followed this model throughout his life.
The novel idea of a national organization committed to community service caught on fast. In 1920, the club became international when it chartered a new club in Windsor, Ontario. One of the profound moments of the club's history occurred at the 1925 Lions international convention in Cedar Point, Ohio. At the Cedar Point convention, Helen Keller addressed the members challenging the Lions to become ``knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.'' From then on the Lions Clubs have made one of their biggest priorities to serve the blind and the visually impaired.
By 1927, the Lions Club had grown to 11,083 local clubs supporting 60,000 members performing charitable service in communities all over the world. In 1950 when Lions membership surpassed the 400,000 mark, the International Board of Directors conferred upon Melvin Jones the title of secretary general of Lions International, which was changed to founder and secretary general in 1958. The 1950s and 1960s were marked by major international expansion by the Lions of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Melvin Jones played a central role in the Lions operation until the time of his death.
Throughout his life, Jones's refusal to accept the limitations of old age was an inspirational reminder to his peers of his dedication to serving others. At the age of 81, even after several strokes the year before, he commuted alone on a daily basis from his suburban Chicago home, never missing a moment of the Lions 1960 international convention where thunderous applause for the founding father shook the rafters.
On June 1 of 1961, Jones's perfect attendance record ended with his passing into the next life and joining his maker. Soon after his passing, the International Board of Directors proclaimed January 13, Melvin Jones's birthday, as a day of memory each year through the world. In 1965 the Melvin Jones's Lions International Memorial was erected and dedicated near his birthplace at Fort Thomas, Arizona. In June of 1999, the Lions International Board dedicated a prestigious 50- foot spire, recognition as an international shrine. During his remarkable life, Melvin Jones accumulated dozens of awards, honors, and accolades. In 1932 Herbert Hoover invited him to the White House as part of the conference of business leaders to discuss the economic problems of that time. In 1945 he represented the Lions Club at a conference in Washington, D.C. for preliminary planning of the United Nations and later that year in San Francisco as a consultant at the historic organization of the United Nations. And in 1953 after 32 years in cramped quarters of the McCormick Building in Chicago, the Lions Club International's very own building was dedicated on Michigan Avenue, a beautiful symbol and living monument to the founder.
Lions Club International is the largest network of service clubs in the world. Today there are more than 44,600 clubs and 1.4 million members throughout the world spanning 190 countries. Lions Clubs continue to embrace, giving back to their communities by building a brighter future for their communities. Lions Clubs perform a wide range of services from simple things such as cleaning up local parks to helping with medical advances. And ever since Helen Keller addressed that convention, they have had a dedication to helping those with sight issues and advancing those with blindness.
This brings us to the Lions' role in a new project for the new century. As many of us are well aware, over the years civics has become only a voluntary study in many schools around the country. In fact, many history books have left out the two most important documents in our Nation's history: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This is very unfortunate and will have detrimental effects on our Republic as young people are learning less and less about government and about our beginning as a country. This leads to the apathy and cynicism about our government often associated with our younger generations. If we educate our children about our foundation, it is more likely that they will take a stronger interest in our government and be more attentive, informed voters when they become adults.
In the summer of 1966, two members of the Youth Service Committee of the Lions Club in Denver, Colorado, decided to start a small program in Denver schools to distribute books containing just the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The program immediately got traction and volunteers sought out private donations for the printing of these little booklets.
Teachers loved the concept, but they lacked an appropriate day on which to teach about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution because students were out of schools on the most logical day, the July 4 holiday. A theme day was established and through a contest it was named Liberty Day. The first official celebration of Liberty Day was September 17, 1999, the same day as the signing of the Constitution. However, many thought it was celebrated too close to the start of a school year. It was moved to December 15, the day of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. Many thought it was too close to Christmas. It was then decided that the best day would be the Father of the Constitution's, James Madison's, birthday on March 16. However, this day still lacked significance to many students. Lions Club members and volunteers recruited elected State officials in Colorado that included the Speaker of the Statehouse, Russell George, former Senator Gary Hart, and Attorney General Gale Norton, and others to go to the schools, speak to the classes, and distribute the books. The response was unbelievable. Instead of doodling, scribbling, or discarding the books, students lined up to have their books autographed and flooded the speakers with thank you notes for what they had learned. To make things easier for teachers, Lions Club members and volunteers have taken on the role of schedulers for both the officials and teachers.
An idea this powerful could not stay in one place for very long. Almost immediately, the little Denver project began expanding across the country. Today, every State has its own booklet on Liberty Day, and many have appointed statewide Liberty Day coordinators who are raising money to print these books; and I am proud to be the State chairman of Minnesota's Liberty Day program. Other national service organizations have even chimed in to contribute to the Liberty Day cause. Liberty Day is not just spread all over the United States. It is spread all over the calendar. Although March 16 is still the official date, Liberty Days are now being celebrated practically every week of every month somewhere around. Liberty Day has evolved into more than just a celebration for students. It is a celebration in which the whole community can participate.
Many communities celebrate by holding public lectures, displaying sections of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution in public places, staging mock debates on issues our Founding Fathers grappled with more than 200 years ago. The little booklets that started with Liberty Day are used for far more than just Liberty Day celebrations and educating students on our founding documents. Boy Scouts use them to study for their merit badges, immigrants to study for their citizenship tests, even Congressmen use them to distribute at town meetings, and grandparents to give to their grandchildren. As in many parts of the country, Liberty Day has taken on an importance to thousands of students in Minnesota.
Liberty Day celebrations are terrific opportunities to connect with our constituents and to provide an example and opportunity to give back something to our community. It is also a chance to leave a lasting impression in the minds of young and old alike and erase some of the cynicism that they may have towards government and public officials. In my district, I have had the honor of participating in about a dozen of these celebrations, talking to thousands of students and hundreds of adults, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive.
I really challenge all of my colleagues, many of whom already do this, to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to give so much back to the community with the minimum commitment of time. To learn more about this exciting program, I highly encourage everyone to contact the National Liberty Day organization and visit their Web site at www.LibertyDay.org.
In many of my programs, we do in fact involve the whole community. The
VFW, the American Legion often participate in bringing the flags up. The schools often participate by singing a patriotic song or the band playing patriotic music. Local officials such as school board members, the mayor, or legislators or members of the Lions Club would come and participate, giving their message as to what liberty means for them. And there is a very powerful message that these students really appreciate hearing.
In my remarks at these Liberty Day programs, I remind them that, in fact, President Bush reminded us that in every generation the world has raised up enemies of human freedom and that they have attacked America, as he said, because we are freedom's home and defenders. I tell them that their grandparents' generation will all remember where they were on that Day of Infamy on December 7, 1941; and I encourage them to talk to their grandparents about that memory and what it meant to them and how they valued freedom ever since.
I tell them that people of their parents' generation, of my generation, will remember where we were on November 22, 1963, when we first heard that John F. Kennedy was shot. I tell them of my memory of being in first grade in a four-room schoolhouse and our teacher coming in and telling us that and looking to the back of the room and seeing the picture of President Kennedy on top of the bookcase. And I tell them that in a similar way, all of them, indeed everyone today that was living at the time of September 11, will remember the vicious and cowardly attacks on our country on that day. I describe to them how I will never forget that day, in being in my office here in Washington, D.C., seeing smoke from our Nation's military headquarters, the Pentagon, out of my office window, having the Capitol as a prime target across the street and a fourth hijacked plane heading our way.
How I will never forget returning to the Capitol after being evacuated later that day and seeing, even though it was a bright sunshiny day, that instead of the crowds of students and others that usually throng the Capitol, there was only beefed-up security forces, and F-16s flying overhead, making it seem more like the movie set of a science fiction film than our Nation's Capital.
And how I will never forget going to the Pentagon 2 days after the attack and having the workers there tell me that they had not yet found a piece of the airplane longer than 6 feet long. How I would never forget going with several Members of Congress to Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site in New York City and the utter devastation that I witnessed, with seven buildings totally destroyed and the others looking as if a giant had taken a can opener and pried away at the edges.
But I tell them that in New York City if you stopped and turned up towards the harbor, that you could see that the Statue of Liberty still held that Flame of Liberty high. And that as you talked to the people there in New York, and for me back home in Minnesota and all my other colleagues, I know you experience the same thing back in your own States, you could tell that the spirit of America was as strong as it has ever been.
I asked them to think about where do we get that source of the spirit of America? In answering that question, I describe to them a vacation that I took where I learned about the spirit of America, the first vacation in fact that I took outside of the State of Minnesota when I was 10 years old.
I took a vacation with my family to visit my uncle and his family in Virginia. My uncle Earl was a World War II veteran of Pearl Harbor, was in the Navy at the time, did not really enjoy the fact you could not dig a foxhole in the middle of the ocean, so switched to the Army, retired working with the Army in Newport News at Fort Eustis.
He was a history buff. He took us all around the Tidewater, Virginia area to the historic sites there, to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. And I describe Jamestown as the place where the first settlers came over and braved the treacherous crossing on the ocean to come and settle this land back in 1607, and how a young captain there, John Smith, got in trouble with the natives, but that a young lady came and helped him out. And, you know, it is true, thanks to the movie, all of our students can tell us who that young lady was. Pocahontas. I, of course, kid them that their younger brothers and sisters were the ones that made them watch the movie.
Then I talk about Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia, right nearby and describe that it is a lot like my State capital, in my case in St. Paul in Minnesota, but that instead of having the legislators, several of which are often there at the Liberty Day programs, how they had people like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and a guy who said, ``Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased by the bonds of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.'' And many of these students do know who said that: Patrick Henry. And it is good to have many of them reminded of the historic events that took place there.
Then I talk to them about the fact that that was the place where the Virginia legislature made the motion for independence that was carried to the Continental Congress, a place similar to our body here, that made the motion for independence that led to the Declaration of Independence. And how just a few miles away from there, in Yorktown, is where we ultimately won the Revolutionary War, our battle for independence, when General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington.
And I describe that clearly in those historic places and the events that took place there, that that is part of the source of our American spirit, but that I learned more about the American spirit than its strengths later on in that trip. How my uncle took me to the Newport News shipyards and how I could see, looking through the chain-link fence, them building a ship. The ship happened to be pretty big. It was the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier. And I described that one of the biggest honors that I have had in my term in Congress, my first term in Congress, was having the opportunity to fly out aboard that same carrier many years later.
And I asked the students, do you know how a plane stops on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean on such a short runway? There is always at least one or several smart young students that know. And they are enthralled when you talk about the risks that these pilots take, how an arm drops down from a plane with a hook on the end of it and has to catch one of the cables strung along the flight deck. How you go from 150 miles an hour to zero on the way in. And the experience that you have when you come out aboard this heaving, windblown flight deck, with the Hornets and the Tomcats crowded in around you, and the sailors in their multicolored suits standing at attention to salute you.
I tell them I have never seen a more dedicated, capable, committed group of young men and women than those I have seen defending our freedom here in America today, and say that clearly that is also part of the source of America's strength, the strength of the American spirit.
But I say I found out even more about that source of the strength of the American spirit later on that same trip, when we had one day where we came here to Washington, DC. I tell how I was really inspired by coming to the Capitol and the White House and seeing the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.
But I say the one place that inspired me most and that in my mind had the deepest source of that American spirit was in a building that has a room in it as big as the auditorium that we are normally giving these presentations in, and I say in this room its prime purpose is to house just two documents, and that those two documents are so vital and critical that they are kept in an environmentally controlled case that will recede down into a vault in the evenings or when it is threatened.
Then I ask them to guess what are those documents? And by that time they always know, and they are impressed with how much we hold these documents in reverence, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
To help them better understand those documents, I use the example of football. Since we are in the State of
Minnesota and the people we love to compete against and beat are the Green Bay Packers, I always put it in the context of the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers and say, you know, if you are going to play football, the first thing you need to do is you need to agree on what the goal is. And if the Packers say it is the team with the least points that wins and we think it is the one with the most, and you do not decide that ahead of time, you really do not get much out of the game of football.
But I describe that that is the role of the Declaration of Independence. It tells everybody what our goal is, what is the goal of government. And the goal of government is that governments are instituted amongst men to secure our rights, and that they derive their just power from the consent of the governed; you, the students, I say, as you turn 18.
That is what the Declaration of Independence tells us. It talks about our rights, those inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I tell the students that even though you have heard this so many times, seemingly from before you were born, that you think that there is nothing big about that. But that back in 1776 those words, those ideas, were radical.
Back then, they still had a Holy Roman Emperor in Europe, the Manchu Dynasty still ruled in China, the Shoguns still ruled in Japan, and the Declaration of Independence brought to birth for the first time the idea that we were free and that governments got their power from the governed.
But getting back to the football example, I say, okay, now that we all agree on what the goal is, you need to know more, and you need to know the rules of engagement. And let us just say the Packers say, okay, they get five downs to make a first down and the Vikings only get three, that would not be fair. The students understand that. And in a similar way we cannot decide that one party gets 5 years if they get elected as a President and the other party's candidate would only get 3. We have to all do it the same.
I describe that in the case of Minnesota, that our coach, Vikings Coach Tice, cannot all of a sudden decide he wants to switch with the referee, or the referee cannot decide that he just wants to switch and be quarterback instead of Dante Culpepper; that there has to be rules, and that the Constitution defines those rules.
I say that we here, colleagues, are very much like the coach; we pass the laws, which is very similar to calling the plays. How the President and the administration are very much like the quarterback and the team. They carry out those laws, carry out those plays. And how the court system is very much like the referees, how they blow the whistle when we go out of bounds.
I talk about how it is for this understanding that Liberty Day was established, and how George Washington was the father of our country, but that James Madison was really the father of the Constitution and therefore the father of our government. And that even though we declared independence in 1776 and we won the Revolutionary War at Yorktown in 1781, it was not until that Constitution was ratified that we began having Presidents and Congresses.
I tell them how Madison was elected to that very first Congress. And one of the things that always captures their attention, even if it is 4,000 students in an auditorium, is when I put the microphone in front of a student and bend down and show them the pin that recognizes us as Members of Congress.
I ask the student, What is the only thing it says on this pin? Everybody is focused, because they are waiting to hear what the child has to say, and they always get it right, sooner or later. The only thing on our pins is it says 108. And that 108 means that we are a Member of the 108th Congress. I tell them, James Madison was in the First, we are in the 108th.
Our Congresses last every 2 years. That is why we have campaigns every 2 years, which makes sense to them. So how long has our Constitution been functioning? Two times 108; and, you know what? There is always a smart kid, they always get the answer right, 216 years.
I congratulate the math teachers and I describe to them how significant that is, how our Constitution is a century longer than most other countries' constitutions. How during that same time, France has had five constitutions.
I tell them that just as their football team, their school football team, needs fans in the stands that are engaged, that know what the goal is, to get the most points, and know what the rules of the game are, they need all of that for their team to be successful; that for our government, for our country to be strong and successful, that we need to have people that are engaged in a similar way, that know what the goal is, independence, and that know what the rules are, our Constitution.
I challenge them to renew their commitment to learn more about our heritage, to learn more about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the ideas behind it, and to continue to be informed about their government, about civic life, and challenge them to be involved.
Finally, given the times we are in, I tell them, you know, we are in scary times. You hear and see scary things. But I encourage them to remember what President Bush said: that we are in a battle between fear and freedom, and that if we succumb to that fear and lose all our freedoms, that the terrorists have won, and that we need to be strong in that.
I tell them that not did just President Bush tell us not to be fearful, but another guy told us not to be fearful. When I tell them that this other guy's name was in a movie series called Star Wars and his name is Yoda, and encourage them to do the same that he told Anikan before the Jedi Council, which I describe is very similar to the group that they are viewing, and they always get a good chuckle out of that; but I tell them, Remember what Yoda said, that fear is the path to the dark side; that fear leads to anger and anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering.
I encourage them to follow the words of their President, to follow the words of Yoda, to follow the words and example of the veterans, many of which are at the events, and as described by President Reagan, those veterans, the men of Normandy, and tell them as Reagan said of the men of Normandy, that they had faith that what they were doing was right; that they had faith that they fought for all humanity; and they had faith that a just God would show them mercy on this beachhead or the next. And how they knew that word was spreading back home in the dark, and that they could feel in their hearts that the people in Georgia were filling the churches at 4 o'clock in the morning; that the people in Kansas were kneeling on their porches and praying; and that the people in Philadelphia were ringing the Liberty Bell.
I remind them that we have been given the responsibility and the honor to again fight freedom's fight. But that if we redouble our efforts to understand what our Constitution and what our Declaration of Independence tell us today, to follow through with the strong active civic involvement, and that if we follow the examples of those that came before us, by filling our churches, kneeling on the porches and praying and ringing the Liberty Bell, that we will do, as John F. Kennedy said, by having the energy and the faith and the devotion that we bring to this task light our country and all who serve it and that the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
Mr. Speaker, that is a powerful message that our students appreciate hearing and really need to hear. We need to make sure that we are inspiring the next generation with the message of the Constitution, the message of the Declaration of Independence, the message of our Founders, and the heritage that has been built up by so many people over the centuries of this country.
I would really like to thank the Lions Club, the members, all of those whom have been involved in bringing this Liberty Day to the success that it enjoys today. Specifically, I would like to mention Andy McKean, the director of Liberty Day, Colorado and a member of the Denver Lions Club, who has played a vital role in promoting Liberty Day nationwide. I would also like to thank our very own Frank Loreno, the Minnesota Lions Club Liberty Day coordinator. He has been tireless in his working to promote this program
throughout Minnesota. However, it is with great sadness I report that Frank has recently been diagnosed with cancer. He is recovering well, but I ask that he and his family be kept in our thoughts and prayers.
It is important for all of us to remember our veterans, many of whom gave the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our liberty, to ensure that it is protected. And it is the volunteers of Liberty Day, it is these veterans, it is individuals who have sacrificed their own time and effort for the good of their neighbors, these are the true inspiration for the importance of Liberty Day.
Mr. Speaker, Liberty Day is a wonderful concept and a valuable part of teaching all Americans about the importance of civics. I strongly encourage everyone to support Liberty Day and to volunteer to help advance this noble cause.