Political Quotes

“I come to the floor with a sense of both relief and concern, relief that this bill, this rule, the bill underlying this rule no longer requires sex segregation in the armed forces; concern that it does express a sense of the House that sex segregation return to the armed forces of the United States. Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying that says 'if you don't know something, you better ask somebody.' I hope we will listen to those who do know something about this complicated issue. A report is due in March from military experts. Meanwhile, the armed services have told us that sex-integrated training is safest and best for our country. Perhaps that is to be turned around. We certainly should not move in advance of that. Training, it seems to me, is precisely where women and men should first meet. Delay puts both at risk if for the first time you meet the opposite sex after you have been trained when you may be in a theater of war or elsewhere in danger. Mr. Speaker, I hope that our country has learned after all these years that there ought to be a profound presumption against segregation based on race or sex.”