Political Quotes

“I too want to stand to thank the gentleman for introducing what I think is a very important and critical resolution. I just wanted to reflect for a second. I know the hour is late, but I will be brief. When the hostages were taken in Iran, I can remember clearly, there were elected officials that began to want to introduce resolutions to ask students because they were from Iran, Iranian Americans, to actually not be able to be teaching assistants or to leave, and that whole fever erupted across the country. I can remember a scene in a restaurant where there were Iranian Americans, and in fact, it was in Ohio at the time, that people were saying, why do you not go home? These people were home. That type of fever prevailed. Now we have amongst us over 1 million Iranian Americans that live in the United States and live in neighborhoods, and people who know them, and people look back with embarrassment and shame about what happened. We do not want to see that happen again. So the feelings and thoughts have to be I think for us to realize that we need to learn our lesson and look back from what happened at that time. Also, I just wanted to reflect on the children of people of Arab American descent and some of the comments that are made to them. It is incumbent upon us, and that is what we are doing tonight to spread this word, and to ask Americans that feel this passion for fairness to talk to other Americans when they make a comment that is a broad brush.”