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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
“Freedom Project still raking in responses”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He didn’t know if he’d even get a response from the former defense secretary.
Donald Rumsfeld surprised Alex Robson, though. He included a typed note in addition to his answer to Robson’s question:
“What is Freedom?”
“Your project reminds Americans how fortunate we are to live in a nation of liberty,” he wrote, “and how blessed we are to have men and women willing to step forward and defend it. It is important that moms and dads, and the brothers and sisters fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, know that we at home value their great sacrifice to our nation. Keep up the great work!”
Robson, 18, plans to.
Nearly two years ago, he started the Freedom Project. Via letter, he and a couple of friends at Georgia College and State University contact people and ask them to define freedom. To ensure a broad perspective, any and everybody gets included.
When Robson and I talked recently, an apology was the first thing out of my mouth after “Hello.” See, I wrote about the project in mid-October, after I got a request and self-addressed stamped envelope. It’s still on my desk. He understood.
“It’s a big question,” he told me.
In the past two months, the names of new contributors impresses. Among them: Ted Turner, the tycoon billionaire; Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South African peace activist; and Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who wants to be president.
Now, the public can view some of the responses. The Freedom Project will have a booth at the annual Taste of Mill Creek and Craft Fair, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Mill Creek High - Robson’s alma mater.
The most thought-provoking answers will be on display. Some will be selected because of name recognition, like former president Jimmy Carter. Others will be heroes Robson thinks people ought to know, like Medal of Honor winners and members of the Triple Nickles, the first black U.S. paratroopers. He’ll display letters like Rumsfeld’s and have a stand so people can fill out their own cards.
In the future, Robson would like to start a nonprofit so that he can give out scholarships. By next year, he hopes to recognize a student from every county high school who writes the best response to his question.
“It will be based purely on the merit of what somebody thinks of freedom,” he said. “There might be 10,000 scholarships out there, but so many students don’t have the right scores or something. With this, it won’t matter if you are C student or an A student.”
For now, though, he’s still posing his question.
He plans to contact athletes of defunct Negro League baseball teams. And he’s already preparing letters for every sitting U.S. governor, senator and member of the House of Representatives.
“It takes a long time to find all the addresses, and it’s just two of us,” said the freshman English major. “We’re working in between finals.”
And doing as Rumsfeld asked.
Other responses can be found at www.definefreedom.com.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
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