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CARE ABOUT DEMOCRACY, JMU GRADUATES TOLD | |
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From: Media Relations Although at its inception the U.S. Constitution "was immediately recognized as an oddball thing, and as such was ridiculed," Quinn said, it has matured in only two centuries into "a powerful idea and it has transformed the world.""Quite simply, there is no idea in all of history that has been more successful in providing democracy and liberty to individuals than the American Constitution," said Quinn. "And there is no idea that has been as successful in enabling people of different ethnicities and religions and races to live together in peace and freedom." James Madison‘s view of democracy can continue to bind the American people only if it is shared by all Americans, Quinn told the graduates. Quinn urged the graduates to carry part of Madison‘s untiring devotion to democracy with them into the future. Said Quinn, "We will not succeed if we as a people respond to the complexities of modern life with ‘I don‘t have a clue‘ or react to the injustice of our still-imperfect world with ‘I couldn‘t care less.‘ " "So in the spirit of James Madison, the namesake of your alma mater, and in the spirit of Will Rogers, I urge you to help keep alive the idea of the American nation," Quinn said, adding, "It is a powerful idea, but only if it is upheld by every individual who calls himself an American. My charge to you, as you go forward with your completed education, is strive never to be the person who responds, ‘I don’t have a clue,‘ or ‘I couldn’t care less.‘ " To download a digital image of Quinn, go to www.jmu.edu/photography/news&events.htm "> |
 
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Publisher: Media Relations For Information Contact: JMU News Bureau |
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