Hw 30: Citizenship Symposium cont'd

On Thursday, November 8th, I attended a second symposium speaking. This session was also at noon. I was privileged enough to listen to Congressman Tom Lantos speak about Freedom in America. His daughter was the one who introduced him and she introduced not only has her father but as her hero. This showed that Tom Lantos clearly was an inspiration and had a wonderful thing to talk about. When the Congressman began talking he talked about how he came to America originally with nothing. He came with 5 dollars in his pocket and salami in the other pocket, although salami was taken from him. He then began to describe how much better his life was when he arrived he. He started with nothing and gained everything. The main idea of this speech was "All men are created equal". Congressman talked about how much this was emphasized in the United States and how he enjoyed this aspect of our country. He says, "The image that I have of the U.S is the image that is present in so much of the rest of the world." He continued to state "I am passionately patriotic". During his speech he showed how patriotic and grateful he was for living here in the United States. Tom Lantos was very involved in foreign affairs, especially with the President of France. He spoke about a recent meeting he had encountered with the President where the President of France said, "America, did not teach men the idea of freedom, she taught them how to practice it." This engulfed the entire idea that Congressman Lantos talked about. America is about freedom and we should love her for that.