Political Quotes

“I want to spend a moment talking about the Freedom from Religious Persecution Act, H.R. 2431, which will be on the floor for debate at the end of this week. The bill is bipartisan, it has over 131 cosponsors, and it was reported out of the Committee on International Relations by a vote of 31 for, only 5 against. Why is this legislation needed? In the past decade, the Government of Sudan has killed or allowed to starve over 1 million of its own people. Starvation is that government's weapon of choice, liberally spiced with high-altitude bombing and mass murder, and even selling Sudanese boys and girls as slaves. In China, as we all know, Catholic priests and bishops are imprisoned, some for decades, simply for practicing their faith. Protestant pastors are thrown in jail just for holding house church services. Muslims suffer persecution, as do Buddhist monks and nuns. My office adopted Bishop Zeng Jingmu. Sunday's Washington Post reported that the Bishop was released 6 months early by the Chinese Government in anticipation of President Clinton's June visit. Bishop Zeng is currently out of prison, yet remains not completely free, but under house arrest, and is allowed to see no one but his close relatives. Still, the fact that he is out of prison is a good development, and a sign that pressure on repressive governments works.”