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Congressman Ander Crenshaw to unveil ABLE Act on Tuesday, November 15.
Congressman Ander Crenshaw issues statement in honor of Veterans Day.

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We, as a Nation, still mourn, still experience outrage, and still value commitments to our families and to our country.

As our Nation continues the healing process, let us draw inspiration from citizen acts of heroism in reaction to the evil deeds of our enemies. Stories of new heroes-firefighters, police officers, soldiers and airline passengers emerged from the ashes of these acts of terrorism. And a new wave of patriotism materialized. Suddenly, our flag - the symbol of our country and its people - became the embodiment of the strength of our commitment to freedom and peace. A new generation of our citizens understand the words, "Freedom isn?t free."

But make no mistake, it will be our military that will now pick up the standard and bear the responsibility to protect our great Nation. It will be our uniformed troops who will serve in distant lands, who will miss graduations and birthdays, who will not be home for Christmas. And, as in the past, they will go into harm's way unafraid and with the determination that draws strength from those who fought and died before them.

Many have asked, "How long will this patriotism last?" To them, I say how long can a day last? September 11, like December 7, will be a day not measured in hours and minutes but in our collective loss. Three-thousand and thirty of our people are gone. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. How long will we shed tears as we salute the flag? How long will our throats catch as we raise our voices and look skyward as we sing The National Anthem? How long will the memory last? Until we can't remember anymore.

And as we look to our future and think about our past, perhaps, Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best when he wrote: What lies before us, and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Thank you for honoring the people who gave their lives on September 11 and for those in the military who died in the service of their country as the battle continues. God bless you and God bless America.

-End-
Extension of Remarks
The First Tee Program

The Honorable Ander Crenshaw Tuesday, July 16, 2002


Mr. Speaker, sports have been traditional vehicles for teaching important life lessons, but today, sport at its highest levels, is played in an atmosphere where we have a preponderance of athletes who deny they have responsibility to be role models, let alone idols of the young.

There is, however, a sport that not only continues to teach positive life lessons, but also depends on an adherence to them for its very existence. That sport, of course, is golf.

For that reason, I rise today in support of the efforts of the First Tee initiative. This two-year old program has as its mission to impact the lives of young people around the world by creating affordable and accessible golf facilities to primarily serve those who have not previously had exposure to the game and its positive values. The core values this program strives to instill are confidence, courtesy, honesty, integrity, judgment, perseverance, respect, responsibility, and sportsmanship. Further, while these kids are learning these important life management skills and enjoying the outdoors, they are not engaged in mischievous, delinquent activities.

On August 27, 2000, with 129 facilities in development in 38 states and one in Canada, First Tee surpassed their initial goal of having 100 golf-learning facilities in development. Since that time, the First Tee has redefined its goals for the long term by pledging to impact the lives of 500,000 youth by 2005. The program is overseen and has the active support of a committee comprised of members representing the Ladies Professional Golf Association, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, United States Golf Association and the Augusta National Golf Club. In addition, former President George Bush serves as Honorary Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, First Tee will not only have a positive impact on our society today, but will for years to come.

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