This week I’m staffing Capitol Resource Institute’s City on the Hill Youth Leadership Conference here in Sacramento. For 21 years now, City on the Hill has been teaching teenagers 14-18 about Sacramento’s legislative and political process by the best means possible: first-hand experience. During the week-long conference, these young conservative leaders become mock legislators, debating bills actually making their way through the legislature this year. They are divided into two parties and then must run for leadership. A Speaker of the Assembly is elected and then doles out committee chairmanships. If a student is able to get their bill through the committee process, they get to debate it on the floor of the legislature on Saturday.
 
I’m a huge fan of this incredible program, not just because I staff it every year, but because I attended twice as a student. No other program taught me the legislative process (and the tough political environment it creates) like City on the Hill. In fact, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland is a graduate and former staffer.
 
Today the students were at the state capitol where they met with Senator Tom McClintock and lobbied their representatives. A few years ago the students started the tradition of singing our National Anthem in the rotunda at the end of the mock legislative session. While they were at the capitol today, the students wanted a practice run before their legislative session on the Assembly and Senate floors this Saturday. One student suggested singing God Bless America as well as the National Anthem, and the other students enthusiastically agreed.
 
Just moments after the students finished their impromptu patriotic expression, no less than four CHP officers descended upon the rotunda, along with two sergeant-at-arms. They confronted our staff and demanded to know why our students were singing in the rotunda without a permit from the Rules Committee. Apparently in the five minutes it took to sing the two patriotic songs, someone had called security and complained. It certainly wasn’t the dozens of tourists who stopped in the tracks, removed their hats, and clapped appreciatively when the performance ended.
 
The City on the Hill students were absolutely shocked by the government response to their patriotic expression. Why would their elected officials send armed guards to stop them from expressing such love for their country? And why do citizens need a permit to sing patriotic songs in their public buildings?
 
Unlike most of their peers, these forty-five young patriots are spending one week of their summer vacation to learn about government, policy, politics and leadership. Many of them worked for weeks or months to raise their conference tuition. But instead of honoring the dedication and sacrifice of these students, instead of welcoming them with open arms, the majority party at the capitol sent security. 
 
This Saturday the City on the Hill students will once again be on the floor of the legislature, running the session as they debate their bills. I encourage you to stop by sometime on Saturday and watch these intelligent, articulate, and creative students in action. But I especially encourage you to be at the capitol rotunda at 1:15 pm. That’s when the students will once again sing our National Anthem.
 
You see, despite the way they were treated today, these young people are committed to jumping through the legislature’s bureaucratic hoops to obtain a permit for their patriotic expression. City on the Hill students are extremely grateful to Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa and his outstanding staff for obtaining the last-minute permits we need to exercise our “freedom” in the place where freedom should be most fervently guarded.
 
The following is a clip of the City on the Hill students singing the National Anthem (without a permit!) two years ago…

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.