In these difficult times our nation finds itself acting in defense of the rights and liberties we have long cherished. Our enlightened forefathers established this nation on the bedrock foundation of human dignity by recognizing that the natural rights of every born person must be protected if a government of the people, by the people and for the people is to endure.

One of these rights, one that we hold out to the world as a benchmark of our civilization, is the right of every person accused of a crime to be assisted by a legal advocate, someone experienced in the craft of law, to provide aid and counsel and to ensure that all the rights of the accused, considered to be innocent under our law, are jealously protected. This right is guaranteed by the sixth amendment to our constitution, the central organizing document of our republic.

But the scope of our judicial system extends far beyond the criminal courts. Citizens find themselves faced with legal problems that include family law, landlord/tenant issues, employment, discrimination, property disputes, wills and estates, and many other civil concerns. In these cases, all citizens, including those less fortunate among us, are entitled to legal counsel and advocacy by right of their birth as American citizens.

The word advocate stems from the Latin advocatus, and is defined by Webster's as one that pleads the cause of another; specifically: one that pleads the cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court, or, one that defends or maintains a to cause.We know that the Legal Aid Foundation does both of these things.

Over 250 attorneys in our community provide free legal services through this program to citizens living below the poverty level. The Legal Aid Foundation has provided free legal services to the poor of our community for more than 30 years, making it the oldest voluntary pro bono organization in the United States.

Without the Legal Aide Foundation, thousands of people in our community would not receive the benefit of counsel on legal issues that mean food on the table, shelter, basic human rights, and even life or death.

So you see, our Legal Aid Foundation not only pleads the cause of our community's most vulnerable citizens, they defend and maintain the IDEAL of freedom that is so often and in so many ways under attack. Defense of freedom is not just a matter of troops and ships and planes and diplomacy. The defense of our freedom begins right here at home, with organizations like the Legal Aid Foundation, which helps to ensure that the rights our nation was founded upon are remembered and protected -- by providing equal access TO and equal opportunity IN our judicial system. It is this lofty standard and commitment to individual rights and freedoms at every level of our democracy that have made this nation the envy of the entire world.

So today I say thank you to all the volunteers of the Legal Aid Foundation, for working to keep our nation strong and for working to keep our cherished vision of liberty and human dignity alive.