[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 184 (Saturday, November 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17444-S17445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    GROWING USE OF VIOLENCE TO SHOW DISAGREEMENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, like most everyone here who serves in the 
U.S. Senate, I have a home in my home State, Nevada, and a home here. I 
announce that because my wife, recently one night, presented to me 
something she received in the mail from our home here in Washington, 
and I want to refer to it.
  In March 1993, I was the first Member of this body to come to the 
floor and renounce the senseless killing of Dr. David Gunn as he left 
his job at a health clinic in Pensacola, FL. I came to the floor again 
in 1994 and offered a sense-of-the-Senate resolution condemning the 
specific tactic of soliciting signatures on petitions that express 
support and justify the use of murderous violence against those who 
oppose the pro-life position.
  I am prompted again today to come to the floor and address this issue 
after finding in our mailbox this despicable piece of literature. This 
flier is simply abdicating violence. It abdicates clearly an invasion 
of a person's privacy, who happens to be a physician who I do not know 
and do not want to know, as well as the man's family.
  It is well known that I advocate a pro-life position, and during my 
years in the House and Senate have voted accordingly. Because of my 
affiliation with this position, I also feel it is my responsibility to 
stand up and condemn tactics such as this flier, which are used by 
fringe elements of the pro-life movement.
  This is a piece of trash. The people who put this in my mailbox 
violated Federal law. They have no right to put this in my mailbox.
  ``Guilty of crimes against humanity.'' I am reading from the 
document--``The National Socialist Party in Germany made gassing 
gypsies, Poles and other non-Aryans legal.''
  They go on to insinuate this man, whose name, work, and home address 
are on this document--with phone numbers for both is a Nazi. They 
direct me to call this doctor and his spouse, asking them to ``end this 
slaughter, because they say he has no conscience.''
  They say, ``In reality it is murder.'' This man, whose name I am not 
going to disclose, ``should be tried for crimes against humanity.''
  They quote various pieces of scripture from the Old Testament. They 
go on to say, ``He so lacks conscience that slave owners would have 
used him to apprehend runaways.''
  ``He is the equivalent of a slave trader.''
  ``Don't allow your children to play with his.''
  ``We will haunt him.'' I am skipping around on this document.
  ``In the meantime, organize to have his lease canceled,'' and it goes 
on and on.
  Mr. President, this is wrong. This is wrong.
  Two months ago, I came to the floor to express my outrage over the 
bombing of the family car of a Nevada forest ranger. This car was 
located 3 feet away from his family who was in their living room. I am 
concerned about the growing use of violence as a means of showing 
disagreement with the Government and with other individuals. It is this 
extremist mentality that is at the foot of devastating acts, such as 
the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin and, I believe, the Oklahoma 
bombing and, of course, the shooting of Dr. Gunn.
  Extremists advocate violence as an alternative to meaningful debate 
and meaningful discussions. Individuals who carry out such violence or 
endorse it believe they are above the law.
  As I have stated earlier, I am personally pro-life, but Roe v. Wade 
is the current law in our country, and I, as a citizen of this country, 
respect the law of the land. In fact, I personally disagree with the 
judgment rendered by a court, however, I believe in following the law.
  This does not mean that those who disagree with the Supreme Court's 
decision cannot work within the legislative process to change the law. 
The debate over abortion elicits some of the strongest emotions that 
people feel.
  However passionate and vigorous debates can be, they should be 
healthy and they should be speeches, comment, and discourse that are 
civil in nature, not statements like ``crimes against humanity,'' 
``gassing gypsies,'' ``don't play with their children.''
  Mr. President, when you arrive at a passionate, vigorous debate, I 
believe this represents what our democracy is all about, which is a 
participatory and functioning democracy at work. We have a 
responsibility to decry the violence and the advocacy of violence as a 
legitimate means to solve our differences. We cannot acquiesce to the 
violence through our silence, and I am not going to. It is incumbent 
upon this body, this Congress, this country to make it unmistakably 
clear that such tactics are shameful and are to be denounced.
  Without quick condemnation of such tactics, as this flier in my 
mailbox, violence will continue.
  I shed tears at the assassination of President Kennedy, at the 
assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, especially when his 
granddaughter cried pain of love for her grandfather. We cannot stand 
by and allow this to happen.
  I hope we will all speak out against it and that the people who are 
spewing forth this filth will stop doing it, because it does not help 
the cause.
  Mr. President, how much time do I have remaining?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 3 minutes remaining.
  Mr. REID. I yield back my time.
  Mr. NUNN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia. 

[[Page S 17445]]

  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be given 10 
minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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