Alcee Hastings: “my colleagues have made the case for the extension of the Voting Rights Act, and I echo their sentiments. When this…”

“my colleagues have made the case for the extension of the Voting Rights Act, and I echo their sentiments. When this matter comes to the floor, if it comes, and it should today be made in order as a rule, then I will have an opportunity to speak more in that regard. But today I rise, in addition to asking in the world's oldest democracy that we extend the Voting Rights Act, that we recognize that on yesterday the world's largest democracy was attacked in a significant and condemnatory way. These events seem to take place on days of the 11th, and yesterday in India, despicable acts took place by those who would take the lives of innocents. In Madrid, in London, in Bali, the same thing happened. I do acknowledge the fact that hurriedly yesterday the foreign minister of Pakistan condemned those bombings, and I commend him in that regard. It was said earlier and reported today in one of our newspapers that in Europe it was said after September 11, ``We are all Americans now.'' Today, after yesterday in India, ``We are all Indians now.'' ____________________”