Kay Granger: “I have often had the opportunity to speak on this floor on important issues, but none more important than this, because…”

“I have often had the opportunity to speak on this floor on important issues, but none more important than this, because today I am honored to sponsor this resolution in support of the rights of all Iraqis. It has been said that a nation reveals its character by the values it upholds. In planting the seed of democracy in the deserts of the Middle East, the United States and our allies hope for a rich harvest of freedom for the people of Iraq. Having removed the dictator, the allies have moved to put Iraqis in control of Iraq. Now, as they draft and ratify their Constitution, we will indeed see the character of a new Iraqi nation revealed through the principles it chooses to uphold. That is why I urge the Iraqi Transitional National Assembly to create a government worthy of its people, a government that represents every Iraqi from every corner of Iraq, be they Sunni or Shia, rich or poor, male or female. Human rights are not a privilege granted by the few, they are a liberty entitled to all, and human rights, by definition, include the rights of all humans, those in the dawn of life, the dusk of life, or the shadows of life. Mr. Speaker, the women of Iraq have waited long enough. Having lived in the shadows of Saddam's Iraq, they are eager for the sunlight of a new nation and a new way of life. I have met these women, and I have felt their courage. I have spoken to them, and, more important, I have listened to them.…”