Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I also welcome this opportunity, however it is a very, very sad time for this country in light of the very brutal slaying of James Byrd. It is important and it is appropriate that this House pass this resolution and state emphatically how important it is that we resolve the racial separation that exists in this country today. Officially we have to protect everybody's civil rights, and we know that this resolution requests that we do that. But, far beyond the legal responsibilities of protecting civil rights, we have to put the prestige and the leadership of this Congress forward and say that it collectively represents our personal sense of outrage. This goes way beyond our outrage at the violation of Mr. Byrd's legal civil rights. Racial hatred is wrong. It is wrong in actions, it is wrong in the mind, and it is wrong in the heart. While the legal system will attack the actions, we have to, through our message, say that racial hate is wrong in our heart and in our mind. Every one of us and every American has to say in every way they can I love you, I accept you, and I want to reach out to you. We in this country of every race and especially to those that are most vulnerable and in the minority have to say every way possible that we want to share our lives, we want to share our neighborhoods, we want to share our schools, we want to share our families.”