Political Quotes

“I thank my friend from Vermont for his raising this important issue and appreciate the opportunity to join him today. The relationship between the United States and the Philippines is tremendously important for both our nations and both of our people; yet I fear that today, because of the way in which the new government of President Duterte is approaching this issue, we may find ourselves at something of a crossroads. If the current trends continue, we can expect that over 6,000 people will be dead as a result of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines by the end of this year--6,000 people. This is not a situation in which there is occasional error or the overzealous application of force. This is systematic, widespread, brutal, and beyond the bounds for a constitutional democracy. And as my colleague from Vermont pointed out, these dead are not just drug dealers--although that would be troubling enough given the lack of due process--but also include addicts, who need help, as well as innocent bystanders. I understand President Duterte's desire to stop the devastation caused by illegal narcotics. I believe that most of my colleagues do. We, too, have seen what drug trafficking and addiction can do in our communities. We also have a long history of both successful and unsuccessful efforts to combat narcotics, but we have learned that there is a right way to approach this issue--with law enforcement, due process and rule of law, with treatment--and a wrong way.…”