Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague from Oklahoma. Many of my other colleagues may not be aware of his interest and dedication to the continent of Africa. He has traveled there probably as much if not more than any other Member of the Senate. It has been a great opportunity, experience, and education for me to travel there over the years, but my few visits do not come close to the commitment that has been made by the Senator from Oklahoma. I greatly respect his knowledge of the area and appreciate his cosponsorship of the amendment which is pending which we hope will be cleared. I have been to eastern Congo twice, 2005 and 2010--Goma. Goma is one of those places you will never forget once you visit them. This is one of the poorest places on Earth. You see the poverty in every direction. You see the disease. You see the victims of war in every direction because there has been an ongoing war in this part of the world which literally rivals some of the great wars of our history in terms of the innocent people who have been killed, maimed, raped, and have suffered displacement. On top of all of these things in Goma is an active volcano that erupted not that many years ago, covering this poor, godforsaken part of the world with lava. It troubles me to go there and see the suffering that goes on every day. The ongoing war that is taking place--the rebel groups, M23--have now taken over sections of eastern Congo. Eastern Congo is known as the rape capital of the world.…”