Dan B. Your Answer
Assemblyman John Campbell's Capitol Communication
Wednesday, June 30th, 2004
4th of July: In each of the 4 years that I have been a member of the state
Assembly, we have had many "celebrations" on the Assembly floor. These
"celebrations" are orchestrated by the Democrats who control the House and
often involve singing and dancing. Every one of my 4 years have seen
substantial celebrations of Cinco de Mayo (Commemorates the Mexican victory
over the French at the Battle of Puebla), St. Patrick's Day (for the patron
Saint of Ireland) and Chinese New Year's Day, among others. But never once
have we celebrated America's Independence Day, the 4th of July.
So, this year, Republican Assemblyman Jay LaSuer of San Diego arranged for
Vietnam War hero Admiral Jeremiah Denton to come to California to be a part
of a 4th of July ceremony. As you may know, Admiral Denton was a Navy
pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 8 years in a Vietnamese
prison. In 1966 while in prison, he was interviewed by North Vietnamese
television in Hanoi after torture to get him to "respond properly." During
this interview, he blinked his eyes in Morse code to spell out the word
"torture." He was asked about his support for the war in Vietnam to which
he replied "I don't know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only
news sources I have are Vietnamese. But whatever the position of my
government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long
as I live." Four of his 8 years in prison were spent in solitary
confinement. He later wrote the book "When Hell was in Session"
chronicling his experience in Vietnam.
When he stepped off the plane after being released from prison in 1973, he
said, "We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country in
difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our
Commander-in-Chief for this day. God bless America." He was later elected
to the U.S. Senate from his home state of Alabama, becoming the first
retired Admiral ever elected to that body. I could go on and on about his
accomplishments.
Suffice it to say, Jeremiah Denton is unquestionably an American hero.
The Democratic leadership refused to allow him on the Assembly floor and
there will be no 4th of July celebration. A memo from the Democratic
speaker's office said, "problems have arisen both with regards to the
spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to the
ceremony." Apparently, they said that he did not believe in the
"separation of church and state" and they didn't like the policies he
supported as a United States Senator and therefore they would not allow him
to be on the Assembly floor or to speak.
Upon hearing about this, Governor Schwarzenegger offered his meeting room
last Monday for a ceremony with Admiral Denton. The room was overflowing
with people. Only one elected Democrat was in attendance. A number of
veterans of the last 4 wars were present. Admiral Denton gave a very
moving speech about the 4th of July and about the undeniable commitment of
our founding fathers' to their faith in God. He talked about how the war
on terrorism may be the most difficult war we have yet fought. And he went
on to say that he fears that partisan attacks on our mission and our troops
in Iraq and Afghanistan sound too familiar to what he experienced in
Vietnam. Following his speech, The Governor came out to personally spend
time with him.
Then this American hero, whose debt from us all can never be repaid, flew
home to Alabama.
The Assembly did meet on that day. And we did have a ceremony that lasted
nearly 20 minutes. That ceremony was to celebrate the career of a reporter
from the LA Times on the occasion of his retirement. Democrats universally
praised him as being "balanced." He was allowed to speak for about 10
minutes. Admiral Denton was no longer in the building.
Four years of Cinco de Mayo and not one recognition of the 4th of July. An
LA Times reporter praised, and the very person whose sacrifice allows him
to express his opinion is banned. It is perverse. It is wrong. And it is
disrespectful to all the men and women in uniform who have stared death in
the face and to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the American
people.
Admiral Jeremiah Denton is a hero not because he was politician, but like
all the other men and women of the Armed Forces, because he defended the
ideals set forth with America's independence.
Democrats are always railing about intolerance and discrimination. But yet
in practice, it is they who engage in regular state-sanctioned
discrimination and who are intolerant of the presentation of other views.
Maybe they are worried that people will listen.
I do not send you this to bash Democrats. I send you this to demonstrate
the huge chasm that exists between registered, voting Democrats, and
elected Democrat leadership. I hope those of you who are not Democrats,
will send this to your friends who are. If you are a Democrat, don't be
ashamed. Be angry. Change your party and your leadership, or leave it.
Fortunately, we do not need the approval of the Speaker of the Assembly to
celebrate our nation's independence this Sunday. Nor do we need his
permission to thank those who fought to give us and to maintain our
freedoms. On this 4th of July, as the burgers cook and the fireworks fly,
let us remember...and give thanks.
As a final offering, I give you a poem that Admiral Denton read to us this
week, through eyes clouded with tears:
It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."
Amen. God bless America.
Assemblyman John Campbell |
