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Search for a politician who stands up for they believe in.

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http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 11/-1/NEWS

Steve Israel: Teen's essay opened our eyes
Chester girl profiled a principled politician
Published: 2:00 AM - 03/22/10

A politician who stands up for what he or she believes in.

That's all 14-year-old Beth Green of Chester wanted. So back in November, I asked you to help Beth find a local politician she could write about for the national Profiles in Courage essay contest, inspired by John F. Kennedy's book.

Beth's quest scratched a raw nerve in these troubled times, when partisan politics too often trumps principled leadership. Your nominations poured in — with some politicians, or their staffers, even nominating themselves. But Beth said no one met the criteria for a politician "who chooses principle over partisanship "» to do what's right rather than expedient."

"I was really disappointed," she says. "I learned how rare it is to really stand up for what you believe in."

So her research led her all the way to California, where, thanks to Google searches and visits to the microfilm section of the New York Public Library, she found a retired congressman.

He had sacrificed his career by standing up to powerful, politically connected interests to save hundreds of thousands of acres of pristine land from development.

And you know what?

Beth's essay was just named one of 10 national finalists out of 1,863 entries.

What's more, Beth is the youngest finalist since the Profiles in Courage essay contest was established in 2002. This is even more impressive when you know that the judges who chose Beth include some real heavy hitters, like Caroline Kennedy and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Marion Wright Edelman.

Some accomplishment, huh?

Even super-smart Beth, a straight-A ninth-grader at the Solomon Schechter school in Westchester, was speechless when she found out.

"My mouth was wide open," she says.

But regardless of who wins first prize when it's announced in April — and we're all rooting for her — Beth Green is already a winner. And not just because of the talent and hard work that produced an essay that begins:

"Hiking today in Mineral King in California is an experience that leaves one in awe of the surrounding beauty. Comprised of pine, fir and aspen, with glimpses of groves of Giant Sequoias, numerous cascading waterfalls, and twenty-one lakes, it is truly a national treasure. It is hard to grasp that this Eden would have been lost, paved over for parking lots, hotels and stores if not for Congressman John Krebs "» (His) determination to do what was right despite strong opposition rescued this fragile wilderness area for future generations."

Makes you want to read more, right?

Beth went on to explain that in the '60s, Disney had won the right to develop that wilderness into a ski resort, making the familiar-sounding promises of thousands of jobs and a billion-dollar boost to the economy.

But Krebs said that the cost of losing some 723,000 acres wouldn't be worth it.

He bucked Disney — and big-bucks supporters like labor unions — to try to turn that land into Sequoia National Park.

"Standing firm, Krebs explained at public forums that development would cause irreversible harm to the valley and the park surrounding it," Beth wrote.

Krebs won the battle when Congress designated the land a national park. But he lost re-election to an opponent who said Krebs cost the region jobs.

But like I said, Beth Green is already a real winner.

She opened our eyes to show us — and our politicians — what's really important.

A 14-year-old girl showed us that people are crying out for real leadership today, when our problems are so great and all of that political infighting makes so many of our politicians seem so small.

Beth Green didn't settle for run-of-the-mill — and neither should we.

Steve Israel's column runs Mondays. Reach him at [email protected]
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