Thomas Daschle: “I rise to salute Lisa Kaufman of Freeman, South Dakota--an outstanding young woman who has been honored as South…”

“I rise to salute Lisa Kaufman of Freeman, South Dakota--an outstanding young woman who has been honored as South Dakota's first place winner in the eleventh annual National Peace Essay Contest sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace. More than 5,000 students in the 50 states participated in this year's contest. Students wrote about the way in which war crimes and human rights violations are accounted for in various international conflicts. Ms. Kaufman was chosen to represent South Dakota in a special program for state-level winners here in Washington this past week, where she participated in a three-day simulation of high-level discussions with the goal of finding the best way to address war crimes and human rights violations to ensure a stable peace in Cambodia. She has received a college scholarship to reward her achievement. I also commend Ms. Vernetta Waltner, the faculty coordinator for the contest at the Freeman Academy, for her involvement and for encouraging participation in this type of program. I am pleased that Ms. Kaufman and our next generation of leaders are helping build peace to promote freedom and justice among nations and peoples. Their commitment and dedication is a lesson to us all. The title of Ms. Kaufman's essay is 'Justice Leads to Peace.' She richly deserves public recognition for her accomplishment, and I am proud to ask unanimous consent that her winning essay be printed in the Record.”