Political Quotes

“I have had the honor of being the ranking Democrat for the U.S. Senate on the Helsinki Commission. I work with Senator Wicker, who is the Senate chairman of the Helsinki Commission. The two of us have worked very hard on many issues. As I am sure everyone here knows, the Helsinki Commission is the implementing arm for U.S. participation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe--the OSCE. It is probably best known for its human rights basket. It does deal with security, military security. It does deal with economic and environmental security. But I think it is best known for its human rights and the impact human rights have on the security of the OSCE region. In March of this year, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Mr. Ilkka Kanerva, appointed me to serve as the assembly's first special representative on anti-Semitism, racism, and intolerance. Since that time, I have focused my work on the urgent issue of anti-Semitism and community security, anti-Muslim bigotry, and discriminatory policing. So let me share with my colleagues the work I have done this year on behalf of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and on behalf of all Members of the Senate. My appointment came after horrific back-to-back terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen in January and February. In both instances, Jewish institutions were targeted--a kosher supermarket in Paris and a synagogue in Copenhagen.…”