This is 30 minutes. [applause] thank you for that very generous introduction. Congratulations to the class of 2014. Lets give them another round of applause for this wonderful congressman. [applause] this wonderful accomplishment. [applause] i have got to warn you in advance i have done a number of these graduations. You will bear with your parents today. You might witness them shedding a tear or two. When you see that come you might think they are replaying the years in their minds. You might think a remember when he first learned how to ride a bike when you took your first steps. You think they will be wondering where all those years have gone by. But you would be wrong about that. Those tears you see are tears of joy. From knowing the tuition bills will finally stop coming. [laughter] [applause] parents at that your are the most genuinely happy people here today. [laughter] by the way, this is probably good time to let you know i hate giving commencement addresses. I really do. The graduates and their families simply want to get on with it. Dylan worst thing the only worse thing than sitting through commencement address is having to sit there and address by a politician. [laughter] is itcan say about that sucks to be you right now. [laughter] i thought about lecturing you to going out into the world of working hard and all of that stuff. But i got bored with that. I thought about giving a speech about all the great things that are happening in louisiana, but i knew you would be bored with that. I thought about giving a speech telling you if you like your health care plan, you could keep your health care plan. [laughter] but i decided i do not want to live you today. To you today. [laughter] that is good . Debt is good . You only need to know that if youre going to work for the government in d. C. My parents immigrated to this great country nearly half a century ago. They came without much, but they had heard about the idea of america. That is what america really is. It is an idea and a central tenet of that idea is freedom. When my folks arrived in louisiana in 1971, by mother was pregnant with me. I was what you would politely called a free existing condition. [laughter] my dad did look around for a handout for the government to pay the hospital bill. He worked out paying for me on an installment plan. Aortly after was born, yes half but they would take me back if you skipped a payment. He asked if they would take me back if he skipped a payment. They said no. [laughter] america wasidea of that if you work hard, if you apply yourself, you will be successful. When he got to baton rouge, he got a job and went through the yellow pages and looked up company after company. He finally wore a guy down on the phone from the railroad company. It is pretty amazing. My dad has got an accent. Not a southern accent like me, but an accent. He not only convinces guide to high him, but he told the guy who said you could start on have a caront drivers license. You had to pick me up on the way to work monday morning. [laughter] i could tell you lot of other amusing stories about my folks adjusting to life in america. I want to fastforward to the most significant thing that has happened to me. It happened when i was a child. A friend i knew gave me a rather odd Christmas Present that year. Ofgained my very first copy the bible. Some can later, girl and you invited me to church. Here i was looking for a date and you must use looking to save my soul. I found the gospel message intriguing good i will be honest, i was skeptical. Im an analytical soda person. I decided to investigate all of these fanciful claims. I started reading this bible and often times hiding in my closet not sure how my parents would respond. Ihort story is this read the words of jesus christ and i realize that they were true. I used to say that i found god, but i think it is more accurate to say that he found me. It happened because there were people brave enough to preach the gospel in my life good many years later, i became a candidate for political office. When i may 1 debates i got this question what was the single most important moment in your life . I had just endured endless hours of debate prep sessions with my Political Consultants and staff. That is wasted around and be savagely grilled by the people that you pay come you clinical consultants and staffers. I knew exactly what they hoped i would say. Argan i should try to appeal to female voters and offer a i asked forry when my wifes hand in marriage and the birth of our first child, a baby girl. ,es, those were great moments but i decided to do something new in politics. I told the audience the truth that day, that the most significant moment in my life was a moment that i accepted jesus christ as my personal lord and savior. [applause] my Political Consultants began shifting uncomfortably in their seats. I have got to make, i enjoyed that moment. Sshought of matthew 10 33 whoever denies me before men, ive will also deny him before my father who is in heaven. N, the powerr roma of god brings out the celebration and everyone who believes. Is anay college intellectual pursuit involving reason and logic. I went to brown university. It is a place that prides itself on intellectual reasoning. One of the good things about going to brown as i was quickly able to become president of the College Republicans on campus. Only other republican student brown became the vice president. [laughter] some kids go off to college and they lose their way. You become convinced that their faith is not intellectual pursuit. Nothing could be further from the truth. Reason and logic lead to truth. Eason and logic lead to god theres a general view among many elites in america that the truly enlightened folks realize that all of the state and religion stuff is just quaint and antiquated thinking from an earlier era or that it is a nice and wrestle place for those who are not as right or intellectual periods as they are. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. True intellectual curiosity will lead to an understanding of our creator. I have noticed examples of this with thef you of faith National Political reporters. Usually from places like boston or new york or washington, d. C. They would come to interview me in my first years as governor. During his interviews, they would Say Something like this governor, you are a smart guy. We know you went to brown. Tell me, how is it you call yourself prolife . How do you say you oppose gay marriage . How do you oppose gun control . Be honest. Youre just saying that to get elected in the deep south, right . Have fun, i like to with these reporters. I would lean over and whisper number 10 to confide in them and say, just between us, do me a favor tell your editors the bad news. Tell them i absolutely believe everything i said. [applause] those interviews ended rather abruptly. They never came back after that for some reason. I want to shift gears and Talk Straight with you about the world we live in and the culture to which our students are about to the into. The world is increasingly hostile to matters of faith. American culture is in many ways become a secular culture. It you are going into world that is far more secular than the one your parents entered. A few months ago, i had the opportunity to speak at the Reagan Library out in california. I talked about the silent war on religious liberty in america today. The decoration independent says we are nation constituted with the laws of nature and of natures god. We are people endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. Explicit the source and justification for the very existence of the United States of america is and always has been contingent upon the understanding of man as a created being where the greater withnges infused him his rights o. Me, im a catholic christian. My parents are hindus. There are so many more with the rich keep the street of faith. I know men and women with the faith. Pestry of i know men and women who look to the majesty of the world and wondered and inwardly seek the author of it all. These days we think this diversity of the leaf is tolerated under our law and constitution believes is tolerated under our law, but that is wrong. This diversity is the foundation of our law and constitution. America does not sustain and create things. Faith created and sustained america. [applause] america did not have been religious freedom amended america. 1798dent john adams in road to the massachusetts militia meant to remind them that our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government than any other unit in 1798, this is simple, commonsense. In 2014, were forced to confront a question that would have been on thinkable to president adams and many others throughout history. What happens when our government decides it no longer needs a moral and religious people . Today the American People are mired in a silent war. It is a war against the propositions on the declaration of independence. It is a war against the spirit that motivated abolitionism. It is a war against the soul of countless acts of charity. It is a work as a conscience that drives social change. There is the war against the heart that binds our neighborhood together. It is a war against americas best self and best moments. It is a war. A silent war against religious liberty. This war has been waged in our sports and the halls of political power. It is pursued with graham and relentless determination a group determinedded elites to transform our country from a man sustained by faith and where faith is silenced and privatized and circumscribed. Their vision of america is not the vision of the founders. It is not even a vision of 10 years ago. It is a vision in which individuals devotion to almighty muchs afforded about as respect as a casual hobby and is not as many rights and protections. These elites faced little opposition. My question to our graduates is would you be a part of that . Margaret thatcher famously said this america was created by philosophy. The secular elite understands this just as well as she did. They know that to take over america, they must make war on this philosophy. A real undercurrent dropping fraction debate in a number of areas of policy. Why is this happening . What does it mean for the country and the people of faith. It is a representative fundamental challenge for our american identity and exceptional history that makes our nation great . Incident three storylines playing out in our state and the all of them have overlapping effects. First, the freedom to exercise your religion the way you run your business large or small is under assault. You likely heard obama demonstrations take in a hobby lobby. Presentttle against obamas contraception mandate will end up at the Supreme Court decision. They filed suit after being told they would be fined 1. 3 million per day if they didnt pay for this type of insurance. Hobby lobby is nothing less than an all american success story. The sound of the company was