[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 120 (Friday, September 14, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H5693-H5698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0050

  In my community, there is a situation going on that preceded this 
tragedy. A Pakistani woman lost her life through some unfortunate 
incident in a store. We came together with that community because we 
want justice. We respect civil rights, but we want to find out what 
happened to that woman. We are going to continue that fight and that 
unity.
  In Houston, Texas, I believe we are going to share on Sunday 
afternoon as well with a community forum to have people come together 
and talk about how we are united and not how we are divided. So I again 
want to thank the distinguished gentleman from Michigan, and I also 
want to acknowledge the ranking member of the Committee on the 
Judiciary, one of the original cosponsors, the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Conyers), who likewise offers very strong support for this 
resolution.
  It is important that we pass this tonight. I am sorry that it is at 5 
or 10 minutes to 1 a.m., but what this resolution will allow us to do 
is to go back and encourage and push our local fathers and mothers to 
ensure that the governments of our communities, the people of our 
community understand what being American is all about. I thank the 
gentleman again for his leadership on this. Each of us must be soldiers 
and, with this message, go back to convey to our communities that we 
will not accept this kind of intolerance.
  Mr. BONIOR. I thank my colleague for her eloquent statement.
  Mr. Speaker, under my reservation of objection, I yield to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), who I have worked with on 
a number of these issues over the years.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I think it speaks well of all of us in 
this body and of our country that today, as we get to the business of 
designing our counterattack against savagery that has been unleashed 
against our countrymen, that we take this time to ensure that the rage 
that is felt throughout our country does not take us in the same evil 
direction that we plan to fight.
  It is very easy to do. We understand that. Because as we are fighting 
a group of fanatics overseas, it is very easy for Americans to lose 
sight that people who perhaps are Muslim in their faith, and those 
people who are responsible for the attack may well and probably were 
Muslims, to generalize in that way. But that would be just a

[[Page H5694]]

crime against our own citizens and against innocent people.
  Our greatest strength as a Nation is that we are a people who 
recognize that we are of all races and of all religions. I was very 
proud today that at the National Cathedral we had all faiths 
represented there, including Islam. And if we break that strength, we 
are actually weakening ourselves. We as a people do not want to 
compromise that policy and that strength of our country, which is that 
we are of all races and all religions. We are bonded together by a love 
of liberty and a commitment to each other. U.S., United States. That 
means us, and us now includes many Muslim fellow citizens. And they are 
heartbroken, as we are, at what has happened.
  Just one thought. And I will be very quick because I know other 
people want to express this. Bin Laden wants us to alienate all the 
Muslims of the world, and especially to alienate our fellow Muslim 
Americans. That is part of this terrorist plot. Their strategy is that 
we, as Americans, will be so enraged, and we have a right to be enraged 
and angry, that we will strike out blindly and, without thinking, will 
alienate all of the Muslim world against us, including those Muslims 
who live as Americans next door to us.
  We cannot be stupid enough to fall for his strategy. We must proceed 
in seeking revenge for those people, our fellow citizens that have lost 
their lives; and we must do it in a smart way and make sure that we do 
not alienate those Muslims. Instead, we need to recruit and reach out 
to Muslims throughout the world who are good and decent people, who are 
freedom-loving people, who will join us in a crusade to see that a new 
standard of morality is set for all of mankind. And that standard is 
that no noncombatants will ever, no people will ever tolerate an attack 
and murder of noncombatants in order to achieve their ends. In this 
goal we can enlist the Muslim community and we should try to do so.
  It would be a crime against our own goals if we in some way fell to 
bin Laden's strategy and tried to strike out at all Muslim countries. 
We need to recruit the good people of that community.
  I appreciate the gentleman's leadership on this. It is really 
important we do this tonight.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to my two colleagues from 
California, who have done very good work in this area, I want to yield, 
under my reservation of objection, to one of the leaders of the 
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the gentleman from Oregon 
(Mr. Wu).
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding 
to me, and I thank him for his leadership in bringing this resolution 
to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American 
Caucus, I have received troubling reports of incidents involving south 
Asians being accosted, accused. Now, grief and anger are very, very 
understandable this week. We have been grievously attacked. Grief and 
anger are understandable reactions; but we must stand together as one 
people, as Americans, as unhyphenated Americans.
  The goal of terrorism is to instill fear, to divide, to break down 
that delicate fabric of civility that holds us together. Now, heinous 
things happened this week, but I would like to point out what did not 
happen. It is my belief that the terrorists struck us and then stood 
back, and what they hoped would happen is that riots would break out in 
New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, my home of Oregon; that 
pandemonium would prevail; abandonment of duty. Instead, people rose to 
the occasion as one society, as one people. People stood at their 
posts, did their duty even unto death, even going into buildings that 
were burning and collapsing. We stood together as one people this week, 
and we will not be divided. Americans will not accuse fellow Americans 
based on race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin.
  Tonight, I was at a candlelight vigil at the memorial for the 
internment of Japanese Americans which occurred during World War II. 
There are many eloquent phrases carved into the stone at that memorial, 
but I think the core concept which was carved into the stone there is 
that we must remember the mistakes of the past so that we will not 
repeat them. So let us, as we launch into this future, let us be at our 
best. Let us remember and learn from past errors. Let us have the 
courage to face the difficult days ahead and to seize this moment to 
build a free and safe world for all people, regardless of background.

                              {time}  0100

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I 
yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, it is beyond my possible understanding how in 
America, even the isolated incidents that have happened, could happen 
if we really view what those same people would like to have us do. We 
do not know who perpetrated this crime for sure. We think it may be 
Osama bin Laden or his allies. We do not know if Osama bin Laden is 
backed completely by Iraq or by other groups. We are not sure where the 
money comes from.
  It is my personal wish, and I believe this body's wish, to find out; 
and once we find out, we eradicate the capability of those people who 
struck us so viciously once and for all. That is a reasonable response, 
and I believe America wants to make that response.
  But we cannot make that response with clean hands if in fact we use 
the opportunity of this disaster to seek revenge against others in our 
society.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot explain hate, and I would not try. What I would 
like to do for a moment is just share something from my own youth.
  When I was in high school, I worked for Rabbi Kasen in Cleveland 
Heights. I was in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, which is not bad 
for an Arab kid from Cleveland, and I got one of the best jobs a kid 
could get, I was working for the rabbi delivering poultry. I did not 
know much about the rabbi, but over the years as I would return the car 
at the end of the evening back to his home rather than where I picked 
up the poultry, I would learn a little more and a little more.
  By the time I was done working for him, I had discovered that his 
entire family had been wiped out in the Holocaust. He bore a tattoo on 
his arm, and he was a Holocaust survivor. But I discovered something 
else, something more important that I think everyone in America has to 
understand when we look at these acts of violence.
  He was a man of God because he bore hatred towards no one, including 
those who had so terribly disrupted his and his family's life. Instead, 
he felt pity for them because they would know no salvation, they would 
know no rest. They would be the recipients of only evil forever after, 
while he would go on doing his little duty of running a small shop in 
Cleveland Heights. He would run a little shop and he would raise his 
children.
  That lesson is a lesson America has to understand. We cannot let our 
grievances, no matter how great, turn into acts of violence. America 
has a right to respond to those who would hurt us and prevent them from 
doing it in the future, but we can only do that with our heads held 
high if we in America take the lead that Rabbi Kasen taught me as a 
boy, and do not seek to strike out against those who have done wrong; 
but rather, in fact, do not do what they did because only by, as 
Christians say, by turning the other cheek, will we have clean hands to 
seek the proper outcome, and that is justice for the acts done against 
us.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I 
yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra).
  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And 
this is a fitting time to say it. In the 9 years I have been in this 
Chamber, I have never seen the gentleman from Michigan take on a task, 
an assignment, without giving it his all, his commitment and his 
conviction. And I think all of us stand very proudly with the gentleman 
from Michigan in this case because oftentimes there are populations in 
this country that do not have people standing for them.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting in this House at 1 in the morning that as 
we send out some powerful messages what has happened over the last few 
days, that we do not forget to send this message as well.
  This resolution is important, and I thank the gentleman from Michigan

[[Page H5695]]

and all those who drafted this resolution. It is important because, as 
we know, a house divided cannot stand. We have demonstrated tremendous 
resolve in this Congress in the last few days, issuing resolutions 
which have committed this country and our young men and women to things 
that perhaps we will not want to think about as days pass, but we have 
done it in unanimous votes or near-unanimous votes.
  As we send those messages, I think it is appropriate that one of the 
messages that is sent will be a message to all Americans that we will 
stand united, that we are not a house divided, and we want everyone to 
know that within our house that we call America, our neighbors deserve 
to be treated equally, whether the individual is of Arab-American 
descent, whether South Asian American, whether American Muslim, we are 
all Americans and everyone deserves to be part of that house united.
  I believe it is so important that we conclude this day's session by 
giving not just this message that we are prepared to take on with 
resolve those who chose to try to plunder this country, but also send 
the message that all of us recognize that this will be done as a team; 
that when we take on this task that Congress has set forth with the 
President, that it is recognizing that we are a fabric made up of so 
many different people.
  This Sunday we will be holding memorial services for one of our 
Americans who perished on one of those flights that was destined to a 
life of infamy. We will be honoring Mrs. Tooran Boloorehi, who happens 
also to be Arab American.
  I hope that when we have these services for all of the Americans who 
perished, we will remember that we are honoring them for their service, 
for their life, and more importantly, for the dignity that they showed 
in this country. It is time for us to recognize that the more we come 
together, the more we will be that house that not only is not divided, 
but is a house that will portray to the rest of the world what we can 
do when we bring the diversity of the world together.
  Mr. Speaker, that is why at the end of the day, our resolve through 
these resolutions that we pass will demonstrate not only that we will 
defeat terrorism, but that we will bring the world together, because in 
America we have proven it makes no difference being hyphenated as an 
American or not, we will come together.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand with the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Bonior) and all of my colleagues who have taken the time after a 
very long week to say to all of our American brothers and sisters, we 
stand together with them because they deserve it, and we will prove to 
them when they decided to come to America, they were right.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I 
yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee).
  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I have a special responsibility to speak 
tonight. I represent Bainbridge Island just west of Seattle. It is full 
of great people, and it is a great place to live. In early 1942, the 
United States Government herded up some American citizens of Bainbridge 
Island and marched them down to a dock and put them on a ferry boat and 
put them in camps.
  I think the Congressman from that district owes it to the people now 
who are feeling the human passion and anger that is very 
understandable, to urge this country not to repeat, or even its private 
citizens, to repeat those kinds of mistakes.
  I also have a responsibility tonight to speak in favor of this, 
because in my district some knuckle-head defaced a mosque in Lynnwood, 
Washington. Near my district, an armed man was arrested yesterday 
threatening to burn down a mosque. The child of my staffer's sister had 
to be taken out of day-care because somebody phoned in a bomb threat 
due to the heritage of the folks at the day-care center. I do not think 
those acts are American.
  Mr. Speaker, let me tell the American act. Today I asked one of my 
staff to go to that mosque in Lynnwood, Washington and talk to the 
people. By happenstance, when he drove up to the mosque, there were 
about 50 cars that drove up loaded with foodstuffs and flowers and 
Christians who had come from their churches to tell that mosque that 
that was not an American way and not consistent with religious liberty 
and our brotherhood in this country. That was an American thing to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say I am proud of some things that are going 
on in my district, too. Let us tell the people who are angry about 
this, and I understand anger. Tomorrow morning I am going to call two 
of my constituents whose son was lost in the Pentagon. I understand 
passion and sorrow and anger.

                              {time}  0110

  But those who have it, let us tell them that if you want to have an 
effective strategy to win this war against terrorism, let us let the 
Muslim people of the world know that we stand against terrorism and for 
brotherhood and respect for all religious faiths.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Delahunt).
  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. The 
hour is late. There probably are very few folks here in this Nation 
that are watching us tonight. But I think this is one of those truly 
great moments in the history of this institution, tonight.
  Let me echo the sentiments expressed earlier by the gentleman from 
California about the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Bonior). Since I have been here for some 5 years, there 
is no one that has advocated for justice, for human rights as the 
gentleman who will be sorely missed in this institution.
  It is clear that across the Nation, the anguish and the grief runs so 
deep. And the events of this week have saddened us all, all Americans. 
It has really seared the hearts of the Members in this institution and 
Americans everywhere. Our pain has given rise to a profound anger. And 
as the gentleman from Washington indicated, it is a righteous anger. It 
is a righteous anger, almost in the Biblical sense of that term. Our 
challenge now, and truly I suggest the test of our democracy, is to 
harness that anger and to respond in a manner that is firm, that is 
clear, that is resolute and is just, and that befits a great Nation. 
And that not just merely respects our ideals but honors our ideals. I 
believe that we are doing that right now.
  I have never been as proud of serving in this Chamber as I am at this 
very moment. So many Members have stayed, and we are all tired. We are 
all weary. It has been an extraordinarily emotional week for all of us. 
But this is truly a proud moment. Now I think it is critical that we 
remind ourselves and our fellow citizens that we must never confuse 
that righteous anger with hate. They are different.
  Earlier tonight, both the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas, 
and the Democratic leader, the gentleman from Missouri, observed with 
great eloquence that America is great because America is good. That is 
true. We rightfully claim a unique moral voice among the family of 
nations. That is why, despite the imperfections that were alluded to by 
the gentleman from Texas in his remarks earlier, America represents the 
hopes and dreams of a world that truly yearns for peace, for freedom 
and for justice. Hatred has no place in America. Hatred had no place in 
America in the aftermath of the outbreak of World War II. And it has no 
place in America tonight. Hatred is an attack on and an insult to our 
values and our moral authority. Those who committed the atrocities that 
stunned the Nation represent the face of hatred. We can never yield to 
hate. For if we do, they will have robbed us, not just of our innocence 
but our values and our ideals and everything that this country is 
about.
  Mr. BONIOR. I thank my colleague for a beautiful statement.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for 
yielding and for his leadership in bringing forth this resolution which 
I strongly support, and I do so for several reasons. First, I represent 
a district from rural areas and smaller cities. We do not have a large 
number of Arab Americans in my district. But perhaps that is all the 
more reason to support it. Imagine living in an area

[[Page H5696]]

where you have come to experience the freedom and democracy and 
economic opportunity and live in an area where there are few other 
people with whom you might identify based upon your religion or your 
ethnic heritage. It is all the more important that we strike a blow for 
that very freedom, that very principle in all parts of our country. 
Second, this is the founding principle upon which our country was 
founded. People fled all parts of the world to come here to experience 
religious freedom and freedom from tyranny. And so many of the people 
who have come here from Middle Eastern lands and other lands with a 
Muslim heritage have done so because others in those lands have 
mistreated them and have not lived by the principles that we espouse in 
this country.
  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I believe that the very 
success of the endeavor that we are now undertaking, which I think will 
be a long-term endeavor, to root out terrorism and to respond to those 
who have caused this hateful, devastating, despicable disaster that has 
taken place in this country. If we are truly going to be successful, we 
have to send the message that we are not directing this at anybody 
because of their religious beliefs or because of their ethnic heritage, 
we are directing this against terrorists. If we do not have that 
message, not only with Arab Americans in this country but with those of 
that background across the entire world, we will face a far greater 
maelstrom as we go along.
  We must convince the people of the world that we are directing this 
as peace-loving people against those who would take away that peace and 
that freedom from us. If we do not convey that message, then we will be 
all the longer in struggling with the crisis that we face today. So I 
am very, very strongly resolved with the President and with every 
Member of this body that we are going to very forcefully respond to the 
terrorists who caused this despicable act. I also think we have to at 
the same time send forth a message that we are doing this as freedom-
loving Americans who respect all other Americans and are not doing this 
directed at anybody from anywhere in the world simply because of their 
heritage or religious beliefs.

                              {time}  0120

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation, I yield to my 
friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan, and I 
want to say what an honor it has been to work with the gentleman 
through my time in Congress on so many concerns relating to this issue 
which is before us. The gentleman and I share many common beliefs, 
values, and constituencies.
  I am privileged to have one of the largest constituencies of Arab-
Americans and Muslims and Arab-Christians and Asian-Indian 
constituencies in the United States; and I know, as has been recited 
tonight, that we are talking about Americans, our brothers and sisters, 
individuals whose sons and daughters serve this country; individuals 
who have built many of our communities; individuals who provide jobs 
for many of our families; individuals who own and operate many of our 
small businesses; individuals who are stalwart citizens in the 
community; individuals who believe in our Constitution; individuals who 
believe in our way of life; individuals who help describe what is good 
about America.
  So it is appropriate that we are here past 1 o'clock in the morning 
to make a statement about what America represents, about what America 
stands for, about the principles which bring us to this House.
  Now, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) has been in this House 
much longer than I have, but I will say, as someone who has had the 
privilege of serving in this House for almost 5 years now, every day 
that I come into this Chamber and I walk along this counter, I see 
carved in the counter certain principles expressed in single words. 
Starting from my left, you see the word ``peace,'' and then next to it 
carved in the wood is the word ``liberty,'' and right here in the 
center is the word ``tolerance.'' Behind me carved in wood, the word 
``justice,'' and right around the corner, the word ``union.''
  These principles literally physically frame our debate every minute 
that we are here on the floor of the House of Representatives. You 
cannot miss them. They look out at us every moment; and by reference, 
they look out at America.
  Arab-Americans are our brothers and our sisters, and we have the 
responsibility to stand up for them, just as in the last few hours we 
took a stand on behalf of those poor souls who perished by claiming the 
right to pursue justice on their behalf, because we do not need any 
more victims in this country. America does not need to incur any more 
losses on our soil, and we do not need to incur it at the hands of 
American citizens turning against U.S. citizens, turning against our 
own people. So tonight we plead for tolerance.
  Now, tonight all across America people stood outside their homes and 
held candles in the darkness. Those candles were held to send out the 
light of hope in the darkness of despair.
  The previous night thousands of people surrounded the Reflecting Pool 
between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and a ring of 
light framed the water, reflecting the stars above.
  We know that light always shines in the darkness. That is the promise 
of so many of our holy scriptures. We know the light of tolerance 
shines in the darkness of hate. We know the light of justice shines 
through the darkness of prejudice. We know the light of liberty shines 
through the dark hold of emotional, spiritual, and physical chains. We 
know the light of peace shines through the darkness of terrorism. We 
know the light of union shines through the darkness of division.
  My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing; long 
may our land be bright, with freedom's holy light, protect us by thy 
might, great God, our king.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to commend our 
majority leader, and especially the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Bonior), our minority whip, for his sponsorship of this important 
resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 227, now before this body for 
consideration.
  Mr. Speaker, I realize it is 1:30 in the morning, but this is 
certainly a very important issue that must be addressed by this 
institution. Certainly not taking anything away from the thrust of all 
the energies and the efforts that are made, not only by our President 
but by the Congress, concerning the tragedy that has just taken place 
in the past couple of days, but I must say that the United States 
Congress must express its firm opposition and strong condemnation of 
those in our country who advocate hatred, bigotry and racism against 
our fellow Americans whose cultural roots are from the Middle East, 
from South Asia, and especially our fellow American citizens who are 
members of the Muslim faith.
  In my desire in echoing the sentiments of my friend from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt), I, too, would like to express my sincere 
appreciation and commendation to you, our minority whip, for your 
leadership and certainly the outstanding service that you have rendered 
to our Nation. I, too, will sorely miss not only your handsome face, 
but just being here as a fellow colleague and a Member of this 
institution.
  I will always remember the gentleman as a true warrior, who has 
always advocated truly what freedom really means, the principles of 
human rights, and certainly the rights of working men and women all 
over America and their struggles and efforts in making ends meet and 
providing for their children.
  I thank the gentleman.
  I, too, would like to associate myself with the gentleman from Oregon 
(Mr. Wu), as chairman of our Asia-Pacific Congressional Caucus 
expressing some concerns about the hate crimes that are now evident 
throughout some of our communities in America simply because our fellow 
Americans are Arab-Americans.
  We have taken also an understanding of what happened after the 
Oklahoma

[[Page H5697]]

City bombing, and what was the first reaction by our local and Federal 
officials? It seems to me that all Arab-Americans were profiled. This 
is certainly not in good standing as far as I am concerned as far as 
what America should really be about.
  I thank my good friends, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. 
Rahall), the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), and the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Becerra). I certainly appreciate the comments made 
earlier about this very important issue.
  In my youth, Mr. Speaker, I lived among people from various different 
cultural backgrounds. This, of course, was in the State of Hawaii, 
where you get to appreciate what it means to be going or living 
alongside or being with a student who happens to be of Filipino 
ancestry or Japanese or Chinese or Korean or Pacific Islander, or even 
those who are African-Americans.
  But I am always reminded, and seemingly also, Mr. Speaker, in the 
past couple of days, that a great many of number of our colleagues of 
the House have always used the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 
1941, as a reminder, and in a very similar fashion, of what happened in 
the past couple of days.

                              {time}  0130

  Mr. Speaker, there is a very strong distinction that I want to share 
with my colleagues about what happened to Americans who happened to be 
of Japanese ancestry. The fact that it was our government that took 
some 100,000 Japanese Americans, born and raised here in this Nation, 
confiscated their properties, took everything that belonged to them, 
took them to what was known as ``relocation'' camps, I call them 
concentration camps, and, yet, despite all the bigotry that was heaped 
upon the Japanese in World War II, there were some 6,700 Nisei soldiers 
who volunteered from California, from all over the country, and 
especially from the territory of Hawaii, that organized two combat 
units known as the 100th Battalion of the 442nd infantry combat groups, 
and because of the racism President Roosevelt felt, as it was also with 
General Marshall, that maybe in their spirit of really wanting to 
defend the enemies of our Nation, sent them to Europe, which they did, 
they went to Europe.
  I want to share with my colleagues the results of their value and the 
courage that they displayed in defending this flag, despite the fact 
that their parents and their brothers and sisters were being placed in 
concentration camps throughout America. Mr. Speaker, 18,000 individual 
declarations were given to these men who died and fought for America, 
the Japanese Americans. Over 9,000 Purple Hearts were awarded. The 
100th Battalion was sometimes known as the Purple Heart Battalion.
  Mr. Speaker, 314 percent, the casualty percentage of those Japanese 
Americans who fought so bravely on behalf of our Nation. Some 562 
Silver Stars, medals, were honored. Ironically, only one Medal of Honor 
was given to these Japanese Americans and, thank God, in 1996 when 
Senator Cochran introduced a bill to review the whole efforts of why 
only one Medal of Honor was given, despite the fact that some 52 
Distinguished Service Crosses were given to these Japanese Americans.
  But in view of the recent review that was made, and for which I am 
very grateful, the record has now been changed to 21 Medals of Honor 
were given to these Japanese Americans, including the distinguished 
Senator from Hawaii, Senator Inouye.
  I wanted to share this with my colleagues because I do not know if I 
would have been able to do what they did in World War II. Put yourself 
in their shoes. After spilling your guts out and being wounded and all 
that you have done for your country and you had to come back from 
Europe looking for your parents and brothers and sisters in a 
concentration camp. I do not know if I could do that, Mr. Speaker. But 
this is what these men did to defend the honor of our Nation.
  I say this with sincerity, because I want my colleagues to know that 
we are now at the shadow of getting the same type of attitude, the same 
type of concern of hatred and bigotry towards people who are totally 
innocent from what has happened. So just because it was the Japanese 
military that bombed Pearl Harbor, I sincerely hope, and I am sure that 
my colleagues will agree with me, that this should not be the case 
given to our fellow Arab Americans throughout this country.
  Yes, we should say never again that this should ever happen to our 
country, but always it seems that this happens all the time. I wish I 
did not have to be known as a Pacific American or a Chinese American or 
an African American. I never hear anybody saying I am a French American 
or British American or German American. Why is it that we have to do 
these labels? Is it not ironic that this is not French America, this is 
not British America, this is not Russian America, this is the United 
States of America. We are a united America. The strength of our Nation, 
Mr. Speaker, lies in its diversity, and I think this is what makes us 
so unique. This is what makes this country so powerful and so much a 
great example before all of the nations of the world, what truly 
freedom means and what democracy is all about.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his very eloquent 
and passionate statement. I appreciate it.
  Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird).
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for 
yielding me this time. I thank those who have spoken so eloquently 
tonight on this matter.
  Mr. Speaker, in the immediate aftermath of the collision of those 
jets with the World Trade Center, the President of the United States 
addressed the people of this great country and he said, America is 
being tested, and he assured us that we would pass the test. We will 
pass that test. But we will pass it only if we pass it with compassion 
and unity and strength of all our diverse peoples, from all faiths, all 
national origins, all ethnicities, all united as one united people in 
this great United States of America.
  These agents of aggression, of hatred against Arab Americans, are 
precisely the opposite of what makes this country great and what makes 
this country worth defending. We must stand united. We must unite to 
reject these acts of hatred, because we can only conquer terrorism with 
unity, and ultimately with love for our fellow human beings.
  I rise in profound support, and I thank the gentleman from Michigan 
for his initiative and for all of those who have spoken on this 
resolution.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, under my reservation of objection, I yield 
to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I too want to stand to thank the gentleman for 
introducing what I think is a very important and critical resolution. I 
just wanted to reflect for a second. I know the hour is late, but I 
will be brief.
  When the hostages were taken in Iran, I can remember clearly, there 
were elected officials that began to want to introduce resolutions to 
ask students because they were from Iran, Iranian Americans, to 
actually not be able to be teaching assistants or to leave, and that 
whole fever erupted across the country. I can remember a scene in a 
restaurant where there were Iranian Americans, and in fact, it was in 
Ohio at the time, that people were saying, why do you not go home? 
These people were home. That type of fever prevailed.
  Now we have amongst us over 1 million Iranian Americans that live in 
the United States and live in neighborhoods, and people who know them, 
and people look back with embarrassment and shame about what happened. 
We do not want to see that happen again. So the feelings and thoughts 
have to be I think for us to realize that we need to learn our lesson 
and look back from what happened at that time.
  Also, I just wanted to reflect on the children of people of Arab 
American descent and some of the comments that are made to them. It is 
incumbent upon us, and that is what we are doing tonight to spread this 
word, and to ask Americans that feel this passion for fairness to talk 
to other Americans when they make a comment that is a broad brush.
  I want to close by saying that I lived in Iran in 1978. I have been 
on the other side of this type of situation, and I was there during the 
turbulence during the

[[Page H5698]]

fall of the Shah. At that time I can remember Iranians who told other 
Iranians to not make the comments because we were obviously American in 
our look. I want to thank those people that helped thousands of us to 
not have the harassment. I have been in those shoes, in a sense, and we 
have to just I think as Americans, Mr. Speaker, put ourselves in the 
shoes of these Americans of Arab descent, and I think this message will 
go out. I hope the media also, I say to the gentleman, keep hammering 
this in, that our country was founded on fairness and freedom that has 
been so eloquently expressed here tonight.
  I thank the gentleman for doing something good and right for the 
people of this country.

                              {time}  0140

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for adding to what I 
think has been a very extraordinary dialogue here this evening on 
something that is very fundamental to what we are about as a country, 
and that is the words that not only the gentleman shared with us here 
this evening, but the words of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) 
and others who referred to the notion of tolerance, justice, liberty, 
union, and peace. These are all ideals that we cherish deeply in our 
Nation.
  I am so proud of the folks who came here this evening to speak and to 
make that differentiation that is so important to so many millions of 
Americans today who have lived in fear as a result of the actions that 
have been taken against their brothers and sisters.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just end with this. The Prophet Mohammed has 
taught that God does not judge according to our bodies or appearances, 
but he looks into our hearts, he scans our hearts, and looks into our 
deeds.
  The holy Qu'ran teaches ``Oh, Mankind, we created you from a single 
soul, male and female, and made you peoples and tribes so that you may 
come to know one another,'' so that we may come to know one another.
  As leaders and as Members of Congress, if we could take the message 
that we articulated so well this evening and spread that throughout our 
country over these next days and weeks and months, I think we will have 
done a good service. When the world watched our national prayer service 
earlier today, as many alluded to in their speeches on the floor today, 
they heard the healing words of many faiths: a Muslim Iman, a Jewish 
rabbi, and Christian clergy, Mr. Speaker.
  These Americans, like the rest of the world, all worship God in their 
own way, but the common faith they share, what we have witnessed in the 
torrent of goodness this week, the neighbors helping neighbors, 
strangers helping strangers, is that hate can never conquer our 
Nation's spirit. That is the common faith that they share, that hate 
can never conquer our Nation's spirit.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, this week, thousands of people in New York 
and Washington lost their lives in a brutal assault on our Nation that 
was a calculated strike at the heart of our freedom and national unity. 
Millions of Arab Americans, South Asian Americans and American Muslims 
around the country have shared our sorrow and outrage at Tuesday's 
terrorist attacks. They have donated their blood, their money, their 
food and their time to the rescue and recovery efforts at the World 
Trade Center and the Pentagon.
  Now these same individuals who have mourned and prayed with us have 
come under suspicion by their neighbors and the threat of additional 
violence in the form of hate crimes at their homes, schools, community 
centers and mosques. As a part of our effort to protect America from 
violence, we must unequivocally condemn the attacks against these 
groups and pledge to protect their civil rights and civil liberties.
  My district is home to one of the largest Arab and Muslim communities 
in the country. It is vital that we distinguish the beliefs of these 
Americans from the perpetrators of Tuesday's violence, and recognize 
that American Muslims share our values and contribute significantly to 
our communities. If we fail to do so, then we will have seriously 
undermined freedom--the same principle we find ourselves vigorously 
defending in the wake of Tuesday's attacks.
  All Members should stand to condemn any acts of bigotry, violence or 
discrimination against Arab Americans, South Asians and American 
Muslims and call upon Americans of every faith and heritage to stand 
together in this time of national crisis. We must pledge that in our 
pursuit of national security government agencies will work to avoid 
activities that encroach upon the civil rights and civil liberties of 
citizens or legal residents of the United States.
  As we should have learned from the shameful history of internment of 
Japanese-Americans during World War II, the civil rights and civil 
liberties of discrete groups of minorities should be specially 
considered during times of domestic and international turmoil. Our 
sense of community with fellow Americans of Arab and South Asian 
descent and those of the Muslim faith should not be counted as another 
casualty of Tuesday's senseless violence.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their time this 
evening, and I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 227

       Whereas all Americans are united in condemning, in the 
     strongest possible terms, the terrorists who planned and 
     carried out the attacks against the United States on 
     September 11, 2001, and in pursuing all those responsible for 
     these attacks and their sponsors until they are brought to 
     justice and punished;
       Whereas the Arab-American, South Asian-American, and 
     American Muslim communities are a vital part of the Nation;
       Whereas on September 12, 2001, in a mass for the Nation and 
     the victims of the terrorist hijackings and attacks, Cardinal 
     Theodore McCarrick, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., 
     reminded all Americans in prayer that ``we must seek the 
     guilty and not strike out against the innocent or we become 
     like them who are without moral guidance or direction'';
       Whereas the heads of State of several Arab and 
     predominantly Muslim countries have condemned the terrorist 
     attacks on the United States and the senseless loss of 
     innocent lives; and
       Whereas vengeful threats and incidents of violence directed 
     at law-abiding, patriotic Americans of Arab or South Asian 
     descent, particularly the Sikh community, and adherents of 
     the Islamic faith have already occurred: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the Congress--
       (1) declares that in the quest to identify, bring to 
     justice, and punish the perpetrators and sponsors of the 
     terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, 
     that the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, 
     including Arab-Americans, American Muslims, and Americans 
     from South Asia, should be protected; and
       (2) condemns any acts of violence or discrimination against 
     any Americans, including Arab-Americans, American Muslims, 
     and Americans from South Asia.

  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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