Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and Beijing massacre in China. A quarter of a century ago, the world watched with horror as the atrocities in Tiananmen Square and nearby streets in Beijing unfolded. During this anniversary period, it is with solidarity that we remember the victims of that deep tragedy. The courageous students protesting on those days in April, May, and June of 1989 sought basic freedoms. Prophetic in their presence, they called upon their autocratic, Communist government to embrace liberty, respect human rights, and put an end to deep-seated corruption. Chinese intellectuals like Wei Jingsheng championed political reform. They posted essays on the Democracy Wall in Beijing. For that, he was arrested and imprisoned twice for a total of 18 years. The Democracy Wall and its postings were shut down. Today, still autocratic and still Communist, China faces many of the same challenges, despite promises by its new leadership that reform would occur. Millions of Chinese people remain denied adequate food, housing, and health care, and over 1,200 Chinese dissidents and critics are known to be imprisoned or detained for standing up for freedom of speech. Deep disparities between the rich and the poor of China exist. Eight hundred million Chinese, close to a billion people--60 percent of its people--exist on less than $15 a day, all while the government seizes land and forces evictions.…”