USVI Public Records

Document text

PROCLAMATION 6023—SEPT. 20, 1989 103 STAT. 3093 All Americans have an obligation to ensure that this shining experi- ment in self-government continues to succeed. As citizens of a free Nation, each of us has both the right and the responsibility to become educated and informed; to vote for those who represent us; and to par- ticipate at all levels of government. This week, let us give thanks for the freedom we so enjoy, and let us pause to learn more about our rights and duties as American citizens. For, as President Washington stated in his first Annual Message to the Congress: Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness. . . . To the security of a free Constitution it contributes in various ways—^by convincing those who are intrusted with the public administration that every valuable end of government is best answered by the enlightened confidence of the people, and by teaching the people themselves to know and value their own rights . . . to distinguish between oppression and the necessary exer- cise of authority . . . to discriminate the spirit of liberty from that of licentiousness—cher- ishing the first, avoiding the last—and uniting a speedy but temperate vigilance against en- croacnments, with an inviolable respect to the laws. The Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 153), designated September 17 as "Citizenship Day" in commemoration of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of all who, by birth or by natviralization, have attained the status of citizenship, and author- ized the President to issue annually a proclamation calling upon offi- cials of the government to display the flag on all government buildings on that day. Also, by joint resolution of August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 159), the Congress designated the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as "Constitution Week" in recognition of the historic importance of the Constitution and the significant role it plays in our lives today. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 17, 1989, as Citizenship Day and call upon appropriate government officials to display the flag of the United States on all government buildings. I urge Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders of civic, social, and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies and programs to commemorate the occasion. Furthermore, I proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23, 1989, as Constitution Week, and I urge all Americans to observe that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty- nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth. GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6023 of September 20,1989 Law and Order in the Virgin Islands By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation WHEREAS; I have been informed that conditions of domestic violence and disorder exist in and about the Virgin Islands endangering life and property and obstructing execution of the laws, and that the law en- 103 STAT. 3094 PROCLAMATION 6024—SEPT. 21, 1989 forcement resources available to that territory, including the National Guard, are imable to suppress such acts of violence and to restore law and order; and WHEREAS; such domestic violence and disorder are also obstructing the execution of the laws of the United States, and endangering the se- curity of Federal property and function, in and about the Virgin Islands. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, including Chapter 15 of Title 10 of the United States Code, do command all persons engaged in such acts of violence to cease and desist therefrom and to disperse and retire peaceably forthwith. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty- nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth. -. . v , . ; -' i GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6024 of September 21,1989 United States Marshals Bicentennial Day, 1989 T'L By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Two hundred years ago, on September 24, 1789, President George Washington signed into law Senate Bill Niunber One, known as the Ju- diciary Act. This Act established the Federal judicial system and cre- ated the Office of the United States Marshal. Only 2 days later. Presi- dent Washington nominated the first United States marshals responsi- ble for enforcing the Nation's laws and carrying out the orders of its coiirts. Since then. United States marshals and their deputies have participated in many events shaping the development of our federal system of gov- ernment. For more than a century, marshals and their deputies were the only civilian police power available to assist the President, the Congress, and the courts in upholding the rule of law in our rapidly ex- panding country. As American pioneers pushed to the West, U.S. marshals faced grave dangers and constant hardship on the frontier. They later helped to maintain social order and facilitate the difficult task of Reconstruction following the Civil War. United States marshals also played a vital role in enforcing provisions of the Civil Rights Act during the turbulent years of the 1960's. During 2 centuries of service to our country, more than 300 United States marshals and deputy marshals have died in the line of duty. Their supreme sacrifice reveals the great personal risks that U.S. marshals continue to accept each day. Today, United States marshals are engaged in virtually every Federal law enforcement initiative. Marshals provide for the security of Federal courts, including the protection of judges, witnesses, jurors, and other