[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 9 (Thursday, February 7, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING NANCY PELOSI ON EARNING THE POSITION OF DEMOCRATIC WHIP

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                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 7, 2002

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, one of the things we all prize and value is 
the friendships each of us have made with our colleagues, our staff, 
and the people that work in this building and on the Hill. It is indeed 
a unique place where lasting friendships are made--and that is among 
the many things that make this a special place to work.
  As Wallace Stegner once wrote, ``Friendship is a relationship that 
has no formal shape . . . there are no rules . . . or obligations . . . 
or bonds, as in marriage or the family. It is held together by neither 
law . . . nor property . . . nor blood, there is no glue in it but 
mutual liking. It is therefore rare.''
  Nancy Pelosi is a wonderful, bright and strong person, and I treasure 
her friendship. Maya Angelou once stated that ``the most called-upon 
prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.'' And I'm sure Nancy 
will master the art of lending her ear to over 200 people all at the 
same time!
  From the moment she first arrived in 1987, it was clear that Nancy 
Pelosi not only had leadership skills, but that she had steadfast 
resolve and determination. When I look at her career, I can think of no 
one whose fought harder and has been more dedicated to promoting the 
basic values of human rights, freedom and democracy.
  She was one of the first Members to join the Central American working 
group to promote peace and democracy in the region. She was one of the 
first to raise our awareness about the need to invest in breast cancer 
and HIV/AIDS research. She wouldn't let Congress go home in 1996 
without passing a law to protect the historic Presidio park in San 
Francisco. She taught us that in order to tackle the basic problems of 
poverty, we need to allow women and their families to plan for their 
future. And we need to ensure they have enough resources to raise their 
children.
  But when she led the fight on our trade relationship with China, the 
world knew just how committed and focused Nancy Pelosi could be. She 
never, ever forgot the tens of thousands of political prisoners and 
dissidents that were being held in Chinese prisons for simply trying to 
express themselves freely. And she was undoubtably responsible for the 
release of dissident Wei Jing Sheng [Way Zhing Zhang] from Chinese 
prison.
  Nancy never lost sight of the basic values of democracy, and her 
belief, her tenacity, and her commitment to those values could not be 
challenged. There's an image that comes to mind; I think we all 
remember the lone Chinese dissident standing in front of a tank in 
Tiananmen Square. Wherever that tank went, he tried to stop it. He was 
standing up for his belief that Chinese citizens should be treated with 
dignity, respect, and should have the right of free expression. Every 
time I see that often-played film on the news, or see that picture in a 
magazine, I think of Nancy.
  Nancy is like that dissident; wherever there is injustice, wherever 
there is inhumanity, wherever there is indecency, Nancy will stand 
firmly in the way. She will have the courage to stand up and say, 
``that's not right,'' and you know what? Others will follow. That's why 
she is a leader.
  As our whip, Nancy will get our votes, but she will also raise our 
consciousness. She will remind all of us about what's important, about 
why we are here, and she will never let us forget where we came from. 
She will lead us by example, and she will push us to be better Members 
and better citizens. She will, to paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, make us 
do the thing we think we can't. And in many ways, today's swearing in 
is just another example of how Nancy has followed the words of John F. 
Kennedy, ``Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.''
  I have no doubt Nancy will help us all do the things we think we 
can't, and she will make these things happen.
  Congratulations to Nancy on earning the position of Democratic Whip.

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