Political Quotes

“one of the pleasures I have as a Member of Congress, having served in the House and the Senate, is having the opportunity to meet people who are special, unique. During the time that I have had in Congress to meet some of these individuals, I have in my own frame of reference chosen a number of heroes. One of those heroes is a Congressman from the Fifth District of Georgia by the name of John Lewis. At home last night, I read Newsweek magazine. I saw an opinion piece written by my hero, John Lewis. This appeared on page 52 of this week's Newsweek magazine, entitled ``Opinion: A Civil-rights Leader Mourns an African-American Population Left Behind.'' I will read what John Lewis said: I was headed to New Orleans as a Freedom Rider in May of 1961. It would've been my first visit, but we were arrested in Jackson, Miss., and never made it. In happier times, though, I have been able to visit New Orleans over the years. It's one of my favorite cities, one of the great Southern cities. The people are friendly, warm, helpful. In the old part of the city, there's so much history when you walk down Canal Street or Royal. One of my favorite places is a shop on Royal where they have lots of art posters by African-American artists. After Katrina, there's a loss of the music, the restaurants and the character in addition to the unbelievable loss of lives. Maybe we will never know the number of people who have been lost.…”