Bainbridge High School senior Jacob Tobin, son of Scott and Karen Tobin, presented his local, district and area winning oratorical address, titled “What are we doing with our liberty,” Tuesday night at American Legion Post 62.

Following the address, Post 62 Cmdr. Bob Strickland and American Legion Post 502 Cmdr. Leepoula Wise, whose posts are co-sponsoring the oratorical contest, presented Tobin with checks for his March 21 trip to the state oratorical contest in Macon.

This marks the second consecutive year a BHS oratorical winner has won the local, district and area competition and advanced to state. Last year, Allyson Lumpkin won state and advanced to nationals.

Tobin began his address by pointing out two examples of how citizens of other countries, who do not have freedom, were persecuted and killed for seeking it.

“In 2005, a group of Christian missionaries went to China to talk to a group of Cuban people about Christianity,” Tobin said.

The missionaries were eventually murdered by the Chinese government along with all of their students.

“What would those people have given for the freedoms and liberties we have?” Tobin asked.

“There was another instance where a young man in Korea wrote to his government to ask why the Korean people do not have freedom. He too was killed by his government,” he said.

“There is a reason people in other countries come to us and consider us a model country because of the freedoms we have. Their thoughts and emotions lean toward freedom, which they greatly desire,” Tobin said.

He said only 60 percent of registered voters went to the polls and voted in the last election. That means more than 100 million people did not vote.

“So many great Americans have fought and died for our liberty and right to vote in a free country,” Tobin said. “We have our liberty. What are we doing with it.”