Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, as an American, I take great pride when I see that nations value human rights. It brings me a great deal of joy to stand before you on the anniversary of Vietnam Human Rights Day and to honor the nation of Vietnam for its commitment to human rights. Ten years ago, in Hanoi, a brilliant man by the name of Dr. Nguyen Dan Que wrote a manifesto that called upon the people of Vietnam to respect human rights, to accept a multiparty system, and to restore the right of the Vietnamese people to choose their own form of government through free and fair elections. Today we honor that manifesto, as well as the many innocent people who were tortured, imprisoned, or held captive against their will for their peaceful protests against oppression by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Those of us in the United States were reminded last week that we are not perfect. In fact, we are far from it. Because we are imperfect, it is important that we recognize the struggles other nations have undertaken in the pursuit of freedom so that we may never forget what a special privilege freedom is.”