Ed Royce: “The world's problems can seem overwhelming at times. It is fashionable to blame conflict in Africa on poverty and other…”

“The world's problems can seem overwhelming at times. It is fashionable to blame conflict in Africa on poverty and other environmental factors. But sometimes just getting rid of one person does make a big difference. History is full of captivating leaders with bad ideas who do great damage. It's a lesson I learned as chairman of the Africa Subcommittee, when Liberian president Charles Taylor ran a gangster regime in West Africa that brought havoc to neighboring Sierra Leone, where he pioneered this idea of using child soldiers and using amputations and using the techniques that Joseph Kony does now. After the hard-fought removal of Charles Taylor, and after his imprisonment, that region is peaceful. Mr. Speaker, it isn't an exaggeration to say that the fate of hundreds of thousands of people--certainly of 30,000 children--rests in the hands of a few men. Kony's removal won't guarantee peace, but it will make it possible. I urge the passage of this legislation.”