Political Quotes

“Today is a day which can be historic. Important items will be discussed on the floor of the Senate, including health insurance for literally millions of American kids. At the same time, there is a debate that has been started in New York at the United Nations Security Council. It is a debate about a genocide. It is, thank goodness, rare that we have to address the issue of genocide in this world, but today we must. We are talking of a genocide today, in New York, at the Security Council, that has caused untold human misery, mass murder, dislocation, torture, rape, and the torching of entire villages. For 4 years the world has watched this tragedy. That's right, for 4 years. Haven't we learned our lesson when it comes to letting genocide continue without taking action? There is a great Senate story involving former Wisconsin Senator Bill Proxmire. In 1967, Senator Proxmire began a streak in the Senate that has never been broken. Mr. President, 18 years earlier, in 1949, President Truman had sent the United Nations Genocide Convention to the Senate for advice and consent. In 1967, it was still languishing, held up by a small band of Senators who opposed it. Many Senators just shook their head because of this opposition. Bill Proxmire rose to his feet. Starting in 1967, Senator Proxmire made a speech every day the Senate was in session, for 19 years, imploring the Senate to adopt the Genocide Convention.”