[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 124 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      STATEMENT ON JOSEPH McCARTHY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2005

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the House rejected legislation 
naming a post office after longtime Berkeley Councilwoman Maudelle 
Shirek. I cosponsored this legislation, and I believe strongly that the 
Federal Government should honor Maudelle Shirek for her many civic 
contributions.
  This vote became a news sensation. My colleague, Rep. Steve King, 
told one newspaper that ``if Barbara Lee would read the history of Joe 
McCarthy, she would realize that he was a hero for America.''
  I could not disagree more, and I am alarmed that my colleague would 
exalt such a mean, vindictive, tyrant.
  Senator McCarthy blindly accused his enemies of communism and 
homosexuality without any evidence or genuinely patriotic motive. This 
corrupt bully exploited the fears of the American people to boost his 
own political career.
  Senator McCarthy's only achievement was inspiring an anti-communist 
hysteria that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent Americans.
  As a Japanese American, I know the devastating effects of mass fear 
and hysteria. During World War II, my family and thousands of other 
Japanese American families were forced into camps--deprived of their 
dignity, liberty, and property.
  At a time like this, I am reminded of the words of Special Counsel 
for the Army Joseph Welch, who in a 1954 hearing poignantly asked of 
Senator McCarthy, ``Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?''

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