Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the daily atrocities in Syria. Few would have predicted that 8 years ago peaceful protests would turn into violent conflict that has left more than half a million men, women, and children dead, millions more displaced, and the entire region feeling like a lit fuse ready to explode into further conflict. Shortly after coming to Congress, I met Mouaz Moustafa, a young Syrian American from Arkansas who has been leading a Syrian pro- democracy group here in Washington called the Syrian Emergency Task Force. After meeting Mouaz, I studied his efforts and learned more and more about the horrific events happening in Syria over the past few years. {time} 1915 Mouaz led me through the Caesar file photos in a special exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Earlier this year, he introduced me to Omar Alshogre, who was arrested as a teenager and survived the torture, starvation, and other brutalities in Assad's prisons for more than 3 years. Seeing those photos and hearing Omar's personal testimony were powerful experiences. I believe what is happening in Syria today is a modern-day holocaust, and our obligation to end Assad's reign of terror is something that all Americans must confront. I am grateful for The New York Times and its recent extensive front- page story, in last Sunday's newspaper, going inside Assad's torture prisons.…”