Political Quotes

“today I join with my longtime colleague in this endeavor, Senator Boxer, to restate our continuing opposition to legislation changing the current dolphin-safe standard. As usual, she has explained the issue much better than I could, so my remarks will be brief. Throughout the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's, hundreds of thousands of dolphins were senselessly killed every year because of the use of gigantic purse seine fishing nets. Our efforts to require that each nation wishing to export tuna to the United States document that it possessed a dolphin protection program and a dolphin mortality rate comparable to ours largely failed, resulting in unilateral embargoes against noncomplying nations. The senseless slaughter of dolphin justifiably outraged many Americans. Literally tens of thousands of letters, telegrams, and phone calls poured into tuna companies' offices and Capitol Hill. The message heard was loud and clear: Don't allow this needless massacre to continue. Then, in 1990, something remarkable happened. American tuna companies, environmentalists, and consumers came together and revolutionized an entire industry.”