[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        TRIBUTE TO RAMSEY CLARK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fox of Pennsylvania). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Gonzalez] is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise because I was very privileged today 
to attend, I think, a very significant ceremony in which Ramsey Clark, 
the former Attorney General in the Kennedy and subsequent 
administrations, from Texas and our area, served, and I was visited by 
Maury Maverick, Jr., who then escorted me to the ceremony in the Gold 
Room today.
  And I would like to place in the record the remarks that Maury 
Maverick made with respect to Ramsey Clark. For instance, he points out 
that once he was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps. Once he 
was the Attorney General of the United States. And I was here when he 
was named Attorney General and had a lot to do with working with him.
  And Maury says he reminds him very much of Stephen Crane's Civil War 
novel, ``The Red Badge of Courage.''
  In any event, I was privileged to have been at this reception earlier 
this day, and thanks to Maury Maverick, his father, Maury Maverick, 
Sr., the original Maury Maverick, was one of those that first 
recognized me, totally unknown, a young student emerging from what we 
call the west side of San Antonio, the Mexican-American section, which 
at that time was really, really split and divided, and it was thanks to 
their magnificent friendship that it aroused in me an interest in 
political or public work.
  So that I am placing that at this point in the Record, the remarks 
that Mr. Maverick prepared honoring Ramsey Clark, as follows:

       Regarding so-called anti-terrorist legislation, one must 
     face that threat to liberty and constitutional due process 
     with the courage of a Ramsey Clark.
       If what we are about to have is a new McCarthy era then I 
     know something about the terror of the old one. As a member 
     of the Texas House of Representatives of the 1950s I was one 
     of the two legislators who filibustered to death the Texas 
     Un-American Activities Committee. Are we on the road to 
     having such committees again?
       A paralysis of fear swept America in the 1950s and it will 
     happen again if judges, congressmen, and the President run 
     out on the Bill of Rights.
       The ultimate answer to terrorism is Jeffersonian liberty, 
     three meals a day, and human dignity.
       Democrats with the knowledge of history of Franklin 
     Roosevelt and Republicans with a sense of justice of Potter 
     Stewart must stand up to the emerging new McCarthyism.
       The bullies are on the move, The courage of Ramsey Clark 
     must be shown by lawyers and politicians if we are not to 
     have a new McCarthy era.
       A new McCarthy era will be a worse disgrace than the last 
     one because it will mean we didn't learn anything.
       My brother and sister lawyers, friends and fellow citizens, 
     I give you that former corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and 
     former Attorney General of the United States: Ramsey Clark.
     

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