Thượng nghị sĩ Lou Correa nói gì về Việt Dzũng ?

Dem Tuong Niem Nhac Si Viet Dzung (The Son Senator Lou Correa)

  
Good evening.

Minutes ago I was sitting next to the venerable Thich Vien and we spoke and tried to determine Viet's religion. Was he catholic ? was he buddist ? what was he ? I think he was catholic, but as the venerable would say he came to volunteer at my temple many times, just the last two weeks. As so it is with great men, they do not belong to any one religion, but they belong to all of us.

Viet was a man with many talents. I knew him as an entertainer, as a writer, as a singer, as a musician, and yet the one area I knew him the best was in his activism for human rights and religious freedom for all around the world but specially for those in Vietnam. That was his passion, and it should be all of our passion. The one area that I knew him best for was as a reporter. Many times I had the honour to sit with him, and to speak about the role of the press and they free a democratic society, the strong, the awesome responsibility of the press in assuring freedom and democracy.

 And I remembered in those discussions, every once in a while that he would turn to me and asked me a very sharp question, which would put me in a defensive and I would have to answer him very straight, as that the way he wanted to hear ... straight.
Viet was also a very giving man. In many occasions I would ask him to come, and speak to my students at my young senator program and he always came. He never said no. He would show up and spent hours with the students, telling them about the role again of the press in the society, and his opinion is about the role of the press should be in our society.

As I look on here today, I see many elected. I see council members. I see mayor. I am neither. I don't have a resolution today for the family. I don't have the key (?) to the city today. But what I do have is a thought, that we can not forget the lesson that Viet has started. So if I may with the blessing of the family, I am going to see if the State of California can name a part of the state highway in his honour and in his name. So that each time I drive by, each time our children drive by the state highway and they see his name, they will remember and they will ask what this great man was all about.

Thank you very much.