[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 131 (Saturday, September 26, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H8975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           AMERICA'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor of our Congress 
today to continue the discussion in our Record on America's 
responsibility for the rights of all people across the world.
  On this day and in this year, such a discussion seems appropriate. 
Today we mark the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, a document somewhat overdramatically labeled as the Magna 
Carta for all humanity. Still, despite the United Nations' own spotted 
record of tolerance for human rights abuses, this document should be 
marked and underlined.
  The declaration echoes the cries of freedom that began in the west 
some 2700 years ago, among the ancient Greek ruling class. From the 
birth of Athenian democracy to the Magna Carta's promise of fairness 
through Thomas Jefferson's own Declaration of Independence, we in the 
west have separated ourselves from those civilizations who believed 
that the iron fist of oppressive order was preferable to a society 
based upon the premise that free men and women would create the 
strongest of all societies.
  The West's experiment in freedom, which freed the ancient Greeks from 
the fear of Persian aggressors at the Battle of Marathon, sustained the 
``kids who saved the world'' on the bloody beaches of Normandy in their 
battle over Hitler's Nazis, and who strengthened Nelson Mandela's 
resolve as he watched his life slowly pass away in prison protesting 
apartheid, must be defined today.
  As Woodrow Wilson once said, I believe in democracy because it 
releases the energy of every human being.
  As America leads this world into the 21st century, it must reaffirm 
the first principles that launched its winning ways at the battle of 
Lexington. The respect, the adoration and America's founders' near 
worship of man's freedom is not a weakness, it is our civilization's 
greatest strength. When we turn a blind eye to the Buddhists being 
oppressed in Tibet, we weaken ourselves. When we ignore Christian 
persecution in Sudan for the sake of a possible oil pipeline, we weaken 
ourselves. When we allow our allies, whether Salvadoran or Saudi, to 
torture political opponents, America becomes less than it once was. We 
must do better. We must see more, and we must say more.
  Like our ancestors of freedom from ancient Athens, England, Normandy, 
and South Africa, that stepped out in faith for freedom, we must do 
what Frances Bacon once suggested. We must have the faith to pursue an 
unknown end. We must take the first step in China, Tibet, Sudan, the 
Middle East, Central America and all across the globe, as we reach into 
the 21st century, ensuring that the rights of all men and women are 
respected.
  It is a daunting task. It is a marathon project, when we observe what 
has been happening in China, Sudan and across the globe. But an ancient 
Chinese saying goes like this: A journey of a thousand miles must begin 
with a single step.
  Let us hope that this Congress, this community, this country, and 
this world is ready to take that first step for freedom into the next 
century.

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