Kendrick Meek: “I am privileged to rise in strong support of the Helm-Burton bill, which I am a cosponsor on, and also I signed the…”

“I am privileged to rise in strong support of the Helm-Burton bill, which I am a cosponsor on, and also I signed the Cuban Democracy Act. But I did not just sign those bills just for the sake of it, Mr. Speaker, I signed on it because I believe very strongly in the Cuban people and what is happening to them in Castro's Cuba. From time to time, Mr. Speaker, we are called upon to take strong action against what we see as something that is anti-democratic and in my opinion, it is evil. In the past this body took strong action, an economic embargo, against the evil of apartheid. I strongly supported that. Apartheid in South Africa needed to be released. This country and this Congress came to their aid. Our efforts were successful, Mr. Speaker, and apartheid was ended. Only a few months ago I had the privilege of greeting the elected president of a free democracy and that is South Africa, President Nelson Mandela. If it were not for this Congress, we would not have been able to do this. I strongly supported the economic embargo against the military thugs who terrorized the nation of Haiti. Today Haiti is making strides and moving toward democracy. And I have had the privilege to greet the democratically elected President of Haiti. Mr. Speaker, the time has come that we take strong and decisive action against Fidel Castro's Cuba.”