Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and, more importantly, I thank him for bringing this very important legislation to the floor today. I thank Mr. Smith for his ongoing commitment to justice in the world in terms of respecting the dignity and worth of people and not ignoring atrocities when they happen, now and a long time ago. It is a pleasure to work with him always. Mr. Speaker, we have tried this bill out of committee more than one time, and now it has come to the floor. It is an honor to speak on it, and it is a great day for the Congress that we have that privilege. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in solemn remembrance of one of the great atrocities of the 20th century, the systematic murder of more than 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children by the Ottoman Empire. Too often, tragically, the truth of this staggering crime has been denied. Today, let us clearly state the facts on the floor of this House to be etched forever into the Congressional Record: The barbarism committed against the Armenian people was a genocide. As international observers wrote at the time, it was a ``campaign of race extermination,'' one that we as Members of Congress and as freedom-loving people have a moral obligation to never forget. If we ignore history, then we are destined to witness the mistakes of the past be repeated. The recent attacks by the Turkish military against the Kurdish people are a stark and brutal reminder of the danger in our own time.…”