[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 2 (Thursday, January 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E43]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE HONORABLE ROBERT T. 
        MATSUI, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 4, 2005

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of 
Congressman Robert Matsui. Bob Matsui was one of those elected 
officials who earned the right to be called a ``statesman.'' He was a 
force for compassion, competence and integrity--as well as a wonderful 
human being whom I was honored to call my friend. I extend my heartfelt 
sympathies to his loving wife and family.
  Mr. Speaker, Bob Matsui embodied America's promise, demonstrating how 
a citizen of humble beginnings could rise to the heights of American 
governance. Bob also reminded us of our country's sins. During the 
Second World War, Bob's family was interned in the Tule Lake internment 
camp. This time of curtailed liberties and rampant xenophobia is one of 
the darker moments of American history.
  Mr. Speaker, internment left an indelible mark on Bob Matsui's 
family. Bob's mother contracted German measles at Tule Lake, and as a 
result, Bob's sister was born blind.
  The experience also deeply affected Bob, inspiring him to use his 
platform in Congress to reclaim the dignity of those wrongly interned. 
Bob worked tirelessly to enact the Japanese American Redress Act, in 
which the government formally apologized for internment and offered 
compensation.
  Mr. Speaker, James Baldwin once said, ``I love America more than any 
other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on 
the right to criticize her perpetually.'' Bob Matsui loved America in 
just this spirit. When John F. Kennedy told Americans to ask what they 
could do for their country, Bob pledged to become a public servant. He 
served diligently for 26 years.
  Mr. Speaker, we will miss Bob's leadership as the new Congress wades 
through the murky waters of Social Security policy. Our Democratic 
House Leader, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, was quite accurate when she 
noted that ``America's seniors have lost their best friend in the 
Congress.'' I would add only that so have this nation's children and 
all of us who seek balanced, progressive solutions to the challenges at 
the center of people's lives.

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