Political Quotes

“I rise to support House Concurrent Resolution 74, as introduced by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Hastings]. Mr. Speaker, after that terrible conflict commonly known as the Korean war, for some 44 years now our Nation has had to maintain an effective presence in the demilitarized zone that is separating North Korea from South Korea. Even until now, Mr. Speaker, the crisis in the Korean Peninsula remains one of the most tense in the world. North Korea has an army of over 1 million soldiers, compared to South Korea's 600,000 sailors and soldiers. Mr. Speaker, history has demonstrated several times that all the bullets, the guns, the cannons, and all other manner of military weapons are not worth a dime if the country cannot feed its soldiers. Recent reports indicate, Mr. Speaker, that there is currently a shortfall of approximately 2.3 million tons of grain in North Korea. What this simply means is that the North Korean people are starving and there is serious concern if the crisis has been alleviated or do we expect more problems in the future. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is only proper that the People's Republic of China, our Nation, and the two Koreas should engage in meaningful dialog.”