By MATT COMBS
The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Although former Congressman Nick Joe Rahall may have been invited to speak to students and faculty at WVU Tech Monday to celebrate Constitution and Citizenship Day because of his nearly 40 years spent in Congress, he quickly told the gathered youth that civic participation isn’t just for the elderly.
(Register-Herald photo by Rick Barbero)
Introduced by WVU Tech Campus President Carolyn Long, Rahall noted that he was just 27 years old when he was first elected to Congress in 1976, becoming the youngest member of the U.S. House at that time. Holding one of his college textbooks on the Constitution, Rahall explained that he was no expert on the document like his mentor, the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd. Rahall cracked a slight smile before telling a few stories about Byrd, who Rahall said carried a pocket Constitution in his jacket every day.
In a way, WVU Tech was celebrating Constitution Day because of Byrd.
Rahall began his speech by discussing the importance of the Constitution to the United States and the history of the document.
“Today, our Constitution, its durability through 230 years of social and political upheaval is unique,” Rahall said.
The 19-term congressman compared the early troubles of the nation that led to the Constitution to today’s current political climate. Although Rahall said that he himself has never seen such a harsh political climate as he sees today, he added that many of the political problems of the day were also seen at the founding of the nation.
“Our country has survived. Our system of government has survived,” Rahall said.
Additionally, only 63 percent of those surveyed could name one freedom guaranteed under the First Amendment.
“Did our Founding Fathers envision America as we see it today?” Rahall asked the crowd. “Perhaps so, perhaps not so. Certainly, they knew that times would change, but they recognized the strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen of this country.”
Rahall called for greater public involvement and interest in the politics of the nation. While noting that his first elected office was as the congressman for West Virginia’s then-4th Congressional District (now the 3rd District since 2002), Rahall urged those in attendance to get involved locally.
“Our notions of citizens, our nation, we are in need of renewal,” Rahall said. “We seem to have forgotten that citizenship is an activity, not a state of being.”
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