THE SCOTTISH RITE JOURNAL--ARBILIRA.APR





                      CRISIS or OPPORTUNITY 

      REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, 32, K...C...C...H...
                       9th District, Florida
 1530 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515-0909


     Masonry on this continent predates even our great Nation. 
History tells us that America's first Order of Knight Templar was
conferred on a Massachusetts militia captain in Boston in the year
of 1769--seven years before the United States of America was born
on a hot July day in Philadelphia.  Furthermore, there is evidence
of other Masonic occurrences prior to the birth of our Republic.
     From that day to this, Masonry has played as close a part in
the foundation, growth and success of our Nation as any other
organization can claim.  George Washington was a Master Mason.  In
fact, I have often remarked on, as I pass by it in the Capitol
building, the painting memorializing the laying of the cornerstone
of that magnificent building in 1793.  For in that painting, George
Washington wears the Masonic apron presented to him by General
Lafayette.  
     Down through history, President after President has proudly
attested to being a Mason, but we perhaps look proudly to none more
so than our first President and the Father of our Country.
     He once noted that the principles upon which Masonry was
founded could serve only to promote private virtue and public
prosperity, thus he was happy to advance the interests of the
Fraternity and to be considered a deserving Brother.
     As an elected representative of the people, a public servant,
and a man who has throughout my life been devoted to public
service, these words always have meant a great deal to me.  I put
the highest stock in the certainty that private virtue and public
prosperity are not only directly related but essential one to the
other.
     I have spent seven years now in Washington, listening to the
testimony of committee witnesses and the debate on various bills
on the floor of the House of Representatives.  In that time it has
become clear to me that most--if not all--of the problems plaguing
America today, from drug abuse to teenage pregnancy to our
faltering educational performance nationally, are the result of the
erosion of traditional values and the decline of the American
family.
     I wonder what has happened to these principles on which this
Country was founded.  Where would we be without those principles
on which we were brought up?
     Along these lines, I am certain that all of you are aware that
there is a controversy going on right now in Washington, D.C., and
across our Nation, a controversy about desecration of the American
flag.
     Some may deny it, but we are being asked to believe that
protecting by law the desecration of the flag is somehow a test of
our commitment to free speech.  I've heard it said that allowing
the desecration of the flag is the best way to prove we believe in
equal freedom for those with whom we disagree.
     The late Senator from Illinois, Everett M. Dirksen, himself
a Knight Templar, once answered this argument.  He called it false
and sour.  "A person can revile the flag to his evil heart's
content," he said, "But it is only if his contempt takes physical
form--such as trampling, tearing, spitting and burning the flag--
that he can be punished.  Only his violence is punished."
     I couldn't agree more.  I say that by protecting our flag we
deny no one the right of free speech or of peaceful political
protest.  I'll defend the right of anyone to get up and say
whatever is on his mind.  In fact, by defending the flag we ensure
that this right never will be denied!
     All we ask is that the flag be accorded the same respect we
offer to those who protest under its freedoms.
     If living symbols of freedom and liberty mean nothing, if the
ideals and not the evidence are all that matter, why don't we just
open up the archives and tear up the Constitution and Declaration
of Independence?  They're just fading, old pieces of paper, aren't
they?
     The fact of the matter is that they are much more than that. 
They have told generations and generations of immigrants seeking
a better life--immigrants like my parents and some of yours--that
here in America we believe it is an individual's right to choose
and to control his own destiny.
     Old Ev' Dirksen had it right.  He said that "Reverence for our
Stars and Stripes is but our simple tribute to the Republic and to
all of its hopes and dreams."
     In this Country, we don't pledge allegiance to a king or a
President or even a piece of old parchment.  We pledge allegiance
to a flag because its bright stars and bold stripes mean something
that no other flag on earth today means:  Here in America, the
people are the government, and for that reason we will always be
free.  Many nations have constitutions--the Soviet Union has a
particularly well defined one--however, the big difference is that
in the Soviet Union the government tells the people what to do,
while here in the United States, the people give the government its
orders.
     The kind of debate that surrounds the flag desecration issue
is testimony to the erosion of values that I mentioned earlier, as
is the very fact that we must ask what has happened to those
principles that we learned in our homes, our churches and our
schools.
     The search for the answer to this question and a steadfast
belief in family values always have remained at the heart of what
I have tried to do throughout my life and in my years in the
Congress.  Needless to say, I find the principles of the Masonic
Order entirely consistent with this philosophy and I am deeply
proud of my Masonic Brothers and of our Order.  I am particularly
proud to be a Mason and now a Scottish Rite Knight Commander of the
Court of Honour.
     One of those principles is service to humanity, something that
has been a constant hallmark of the Masonic Order.  You here
tonight represent one of the most important aspects of what makes
America strong--the volunteer.  Indeed, it has been Masonic caring
over the years that has helped to make America what it is today.
     You have shown that if we want to do good for our fellowman,
we must use a little "muscle," muscle called voluntarism that is
the core of the American spirit.
     Let us remember that early American idealism was the marvel
of the western world.  It captured the imagination of all segments
of American life--from scientists to salespersons, from preachers
to politicians--all of whom became pioneers in seeking what they
believed to be the best for themselves and their neighbors.  It was
through this idealism that the process of voluntarism blossomed.
     Some of the early voluntary movements were to take care of
immediate problems, but even those citizen-initiated efforts were
principally muscle-building.  Their belief was that opportunity for
self-sufficiency and for contributing to the common good must be
the overreaching goal for every human life.
     Throughout the history of our Country, organizations such as
the Masonic Order have continued to be central to the development
of the American promise of human opportunity and personal
fulfillment.  Unfortunately, our Nation has to an extent fallen
away from those ways and we must get back to them.
     Your leadership benefits each and every one of your
communities, and each of our Valleys and Orients benefits the
Nation and the world.  Your projects have your personal "muscle"
behind them.  They are creative, well-directed projects, and they
represent both a sense of caring for fellow human beings and hard-
won local initiative.
     It is in this way that we can individually as well as together
spread Masonry's message of caring around the world--a message of
human opportunity and personal fulfillment.  This is a message
that, if not uniquely American, certainly is fundamental to our
Nation.  Freedom, opportunity and fulfillment are the promises of
America to the world.
     These values are being tested in today's dramatic times.  In
eastern Europe we are witnessing a powerful but, so far, bloodless
revolution.  We are seeing the first stirrings of liberty in that
region.  The flame of freedom burns brightly in Poland, Hungary and
East Germany today, and faint sparks are being seen in Bulgaria and
Czechoslovakia.
     Slowly, the iron curtain is lifting.  Increasingly, hundreds
of thousands of people are choosing freedom, opportunity and
individual fulfillment over the darkness of communism.  We cannot
help but be inspired to greater efforts by each day's remarkable
new headlines.
     However, with the rise of a new nationalism among the nations
of central and eastern Europe, old tensions will be felt.  Indeed,
the East-West Cold War likely will be replaced by a much more
complex confrontation of anxieties and desires among the re-
emerging European republics and nations.  
     Yes, old antagonisms die hard.  We see it abroad and we see
it here at home.  Also, I fear that the new tensions of the horizon
in Europe will have long arms--long enough to reach America.  I do
not suggest that we turn our backs, as some do, but I do suggest
that the ideals of compassion, brotherhood, philanthropy and human
service that lie at the heart of Masonry will be tested.  My
friends, we must not be found wanting.
     We never have and I don't believe we ever will.  I  can't help
going back to the heartfelt words of Danny Thomas when he joined
our Order.  He said that Masonry teaches "the Brotherhood of man
under the Fatherhood of God.  The world needs to discover the value
of this great truth in human relationships and world affairs." 
Hear, hear, I say.
     I would make the observation that as we--Brothers in Masonry-
-may take inspiration from the dramatic events taking place on the
world scene today, our example, our efforts, will serve as an
inspiration to others.  There are no small good deeds, my friends,
and together we can change the world for the better.
     Each of us working as we can and whenever we can in our
communities, in our jobs and in our families can make of any crisis
a wonderful opportunity.
     I thank God for the privilege and great honor of standing
shoulder to shoulder with all of you in facing the challenges
ahead!
_________________________________
[Editor's Note:  Congressman Bilirakis delivered this address on
November 18, 1989, in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Scottish Rite
Knight Commander Court of Honour Investiture.  Please see the "Of
Current Interest" article titled "Florida Investiture the Best
Ever" on page of this issue for further details.]

 I say that by protecting our flag we deny no one the right of free
speech or of peaceful political protest.  

In fact, by defending the flag we ensure that this right never will
be denied!  

All we ask is that the flag be accorded the same respect we offer
to those who protest under its freedoms.

"Reverence for our Stars and Stripes is but our simple tribute to
the Republic and to all of its hopes and dreams."
                                   Senator Everett M. Dirksen
Service to humanity has been a constant hallmark of the Masonic
Order, and a Mason represents one of the most important aspects of
what makes America strong--the volunteer.  Indeed, it has been
Masonic caring over the years that has helped to make America what
it is today.

If we want to do good for our fellowman, we must use a little
"muscle," muscle called voluntarism that is the core of the
American spirit and Freemasonry.

Freedom, opportunity and fulfillment are the promises of America
to the world.

Each of us working as we can and whenever we can in our
communities, in our jobs and in our families can make of any crisis
a wonderful opportunity.

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