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[Pages S5750-S5751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN UNITY
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, last week marked another
Constitution Day celebration. It could not have come at a better time
because, for just one little moment, it helped us pause and contemplate
two very important things.
First, we took time to think about those values that our Founders
knew. They knew that these values were essential to the establishment
of a model republic.
Second, we remembered the progress we have made in deciding for
ourselves how the passage of time changes or does not change what we
can do to make that ``more perfect Union'' even more so.
Free speech, petition, and protest, the right to defend ourselves,
the right to cast a vote--these are the freedoms that unite us in times
of turmoil, whether we find ourselves in the midst of all-out war or
just a particularly contentious election year.
I would argue that how a nation reacts to that turmoil says more
about its foundation than it does about who controls the news cycle on
any given day.
Divisive voices are hard at work in this country, and they are doing
their very best to convince our friends, families, and neighbors that
our foundation is weak and that our founding principles are no longer
good enough. I find that very sad.
They want us to believe that America as we know it is suddenly
irredeemable, that it just can't be safe.
You might ask yourself: Why are they saying all of this in spite of
hundreds of years and millions of Americans proving the exact opposite
is true?
Here is what I think. They say it because they want us to give up.
They want our neighbors, our families, and our friends to give up, call
it quits; our best days are behind us. We have all heard them say this.
They say: Throw the Constitution in the trash. Rewrite it. Start over.
And after you throw the Constitution in the trash, then let's reimagine
the world's greatest democracy through our very own destructive lenses
of socialism, critical theory, and political correctness. That is what
they say.
As I am sure we have all seen, they have come up with some fairly
persuasive methods to try to get their way. But I believe that, in the
end, these efforts will all be in vain because when push comes to
shove, we, the American people, always manage to remember where we have
come from and to remember who we are.
It is interesting. I think somehow we Americans always find our way
home, back to those first principles. Indeed, I pray that continues.
Our Founders saw what tyranny really looked like. They saw it up
close and personal because they had to live through it. They knew
exactly--exactly--what would happen if they put the fate of the
Republic in the hands of men alone. So what did they do to give that
insurance policy, if you will, that democracy and a democratic republic
would continue and would stand? They drafted a Constitution,
recognizing
[[Page S5751]]
that our rights are a gift from God and that these rights are not a
product of government action or they are not subject to the whims of a
mob.
They were also forward thinking. They gave us everything we need to
improve upon their work.
I think it is important to remember we have done just that. Over the
course of more than two centuries, we have built a nation that is
freer, more equal, and, yes, striving every day to be that ``more
perfect Union,'' not because outside forces compel us to do so but
because we, as Americans, chose to make it that way.
When I see that a friend or a neighborhood has forgotten this, I like
to remind them that two of the most emotional and powerful words in the
English language are ``remember'' and ``imagine.''
I tell them: Stop for just a moment. Close your eyes and remember
what you really love about this country. Remember the special moments.
Remember what your parents and your grandparents have told you about
love of country. Remember the sacrifices they have made. And, now, just
imagine: What would your children and grandkids accomplish? What would
they accomplish if they, too, are allowed to grow up in a place where
liberty and justice is for all, where they are allowed to dream these
big dreams and then dream up a way to make those dreams come true?
These are things that are valued above all else.
Of course, as we look at our past and we remember, we look at the
future, and we know that in finding common ground--when we find common
ground--we see potential, and potential gives us hope. I like to say
that hope is staking a claim on an action, on a goal that you are going
to achieve.
So it is my fervent hope that we will continue to stand on our
constitutional principles and that we will defend the foundation of
this Nation that has given so many Americans the opportunity to make
these big dreams come true
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
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