Political Quotes

“I yield myself the balance of my time. Tonight, as Pastor Youcef sits in prison, awaiting a hangman's noose, I want him to know and the people of Iran to know and the people of the world to know that we stand with him. Our thoughts and our prayers are with him. I would say to those international guests who might watch this telecast that you will never understand America until you understand that, in our Constitution, the very First Amendment contains the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion. It contains the freedom of religion. It is not our Second, our Sixth, our 16th, or our 26th Amendment. It is our First Amendment. It is the first thing mentioned in the First Amendment--the freedom of religion: Congress shall not act to establish a religion and shall not prohibit the free exercise thereof. That comes before the freedom of the press or speech or assembly or petition of grievances. If you want to understand America, you must understand this basic belief that the Americans have in the right of the freedom of religion. So we ask, we implore, the authorities in Iran: free Pastor Youcef. Keep faith with the documents you've signed. Free him. Return him to his family. I urge support, Mr. Speaker, of the Members for House Resolution 556. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.”