Political Quotes

“I rise today to call attention to the National Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. I want to thank and commend my colleague, the gentleman from California, Mr. Lehman, for organizing this special order and for his longstanding commitment and leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, each year, throughout the United States and the world, Armenians and countless others pause to remember the 1.5 million victims of this crime against humanity. On this day of remembrance, which marks the 79th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide, the lessons of a tragedy need to be proclaimed far and wide, for regrettably, conflicts around the globe remind us that genocide remains a tool of political ambitions. It is therefore vital that we rekindle and keep alive the collective memory of the Armenian genocide. Horrible as it was, we must not be allowed to forget this era of unprecedented cruelty and inhumanity. The world must live with this terrible open wound; 1.5 million Armenians perished in 1915 and 1916 alone in forced massacres. For the Armenian community this remembrance day honors all those who were persecuted and serves as a harsh reminder that institutionalized genocide was perpetrated against an entire people. For many Armenian families here in America and abroad, this day is observed so that the horror endures to help ensure that similar horrors will never again be permitted to occur.”