[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 2, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       THE OKLAHOMA CITY TRAGEDY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] is 
recognized during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I think that, before we begin our 
legislative business, we must pause, remember, and offer our prayers to 
those who faced the senseless and brutal bombing in Oklahoma. I believe 
we can agree that a safe, secure, and open nation is important to all 
of us.
  As Americans, we must recognize how interdependent we are--young and 
old--black, white, yellow, and brown--rich and poor--we all mourn with 
our fellow citizens in Oklahoma.
  And, we pray for those who were injured or died because of this 
tragedy, as well as for those--friends, families, and loved ones--who 
must live with it--and, for us, as a nation.
  Tragedies such as this remind us of how vulnerable we are--how 
fleeting and precious life can be.
  We are also reminded of the need, many of our citizens have, for 
direction--for strong, moral leadership.
  If the Oklahoma bombing does nothing else, it should compel us to 
assume those roles for which we were elected--to legislate in the best 
interests of America--to lead in the best tradition of the Congress of 
the United States. Now, more than ever, we need forceful leadership--
leadership that can put aside party and politics and put the people in 
front--leadership that can overlook minor differences and concentrate 
on major results.
  It is easy to stand in the way. Many can do that. It is difficult to 
make a way. Few can do that.
  But, I offer this challenge to my Democrat and Republican colleagues 
alike--each a leader in his or her own right--let the bickering end--
let breakthroughs begin.
  There are so many perils in this world--injury, disease, famine, 
nature's occasional vengeance, the unknowns and uncertainties of life, 
and the assurance of death.
  One wonders why, given these natural hazards, any person would create 
further hazards of the kind that caused the harm, the death, the 
destruction and the pain of the Oklahoma bombing.
  Consider this, however--to those who watch us on C-SPAN, when we are 
in session--we display attitudes that far too often fuel division and 
fight consensus.
  To those who watch us on C-SPAN, our philosophy, our point of view, 
more often than not, seems to become paramount to concordance or 
compromise.
  And, while no Member has the intent of promoting malice--to those who 
watch us on C-SPAN, at the very least, we seem to wink and nod at the 
very worst in relationships.
 We live in a time of much hope--and a time of great despair.

  Hope--engendered by what we can be. Despair--engendered by what we 
are.
  Let us lead by example.
  When Nelson Mandela was freed from the jail that confined him by the 
jailer that kept him, he did not use the power he later secured to hurt 
him, instead he used the conditions that caused his incarceration as an 
example of what humankind could be.
  Nelson Mandela invited his jailer to his inauguration--as a special 
guest.
  As we begin our legislative business--let us lower the volume--let us 
eliminate the venom--let us stand for consensus--let us not forget 
those principles that made this a great nation, all are created equal, 
with certain inalienable rights and that among those rights are life, 
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--let us not forget Oklahoma.

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