Political Quotes

“since February 2003, it is estimated that the government-sanctioned violence in Darfur has displaced 2 million people, forced 200,000 people into exile and led to the murder of 300,000 civilians. In July 2004, the United States Congress declared the atrocities in Darfur genocide. Mr. Speaker, I have a deep and personal understanding of the horrors of genocide. My mother, Renee Perl, was forced to flee Austria--alone-- at the age of 14 to escape the Holocaust, leaving behind her family and friends. As my mother fled the Nazis, the world stood by as Hitler sent Jews to their deaths at Auschwitz, Dachau and Treblinka. Six million deaths later, the world pledged ``Never Again''. Yet, only years after the Nazi-era, millions were sent to their deaths in places such as Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda, and the world once again took too long to act. And today, millions of innocent Darfurian men, women and children are being persecuted by the Sudanese government and government-backed militias. To date, however, the perpetrators of these atrocities have faced little to no punishment for their actions and the genocide continues. The 20th century taught us how far unbridled evil can and will go when the world fails to confront it. It is time that we heed the lessons of the 20th century and stand up to these murderers. It is time that we end genocide in the 21st century. The bill we are considering today is an important step in this direction.…”