Austin Scott: “I rise today to speak to the Nation and to honor the South Cobb High School marching band--the Blue Eagle Band--for…”

“I rise today to speak to the Nation and to honor the South Cobb High School marching band--the Blue Eagle Band--for being selected to march for Barack Obama, the first African American to be elected President, in this extraordinary and historic inaugural parade. This is an extraordinary story, Madam Speaker, but it is not just a Georgia story; it is an American story. For, when these young people were recognized and were selected for marching in this parade, they didn't have the money to come and no means, but people all across this country, from as far away as Arizona and California--over 16,000 donations and over 85 corporations--provided a way for these young people to come, young people who happen to come from the lower end of the economic stream. So you see, Madam Speaker, I am so proud to represent this extraordinary school from Austell, Georgia, from Cobb County, my district. Next Tuesday, when we're watching this parade and when we see this Georgia high school band go by, it will not just be a Georgia story; it will be an American story. It will not be just a story of small achievement; it will be a story of America.”