[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 18, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H3551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CALLING FOR JUSTICE IN DARFUR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, we see from time to time, way too 
often from my perspective, a divisive, partisan discussion, debate, and 
oftentimes nearly fisticuffs on this House floor. But, Mr. Speaker, I 
rise tonight to speak about an issue that each of us, every one of us, 
can agree upon, where there is no partisan or political consideration. 
And that, Mr. Speaker, is what is transpiring, has transpired over the 
last several years in Darfur.
  Mr. Speaker, we know that there have been 2 million citizens of Sudan 
who today no longer live in their homes or their villages, and we know 
that there have been 450,000 people killed in Sudan. It is something 
that demands our attention. It is something that we as a Congress, we 
as a country and we as a world must come together to bring the death 
and destruction, the inhumanity, the hunger, the violence to an end.
  Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity several weeks ago to join the 
Honorable Steny Hoyer, the distinguished majority leader of the House 
of Representatives, in a visit to Darfur. And there, of course, we had 
the opportunity to meet with government officials, but we also had the 
opportunity to see for ourselves the conditions that human beings are 
living in today. And while I hope our meetings with government 
officials were useful, I know the view I saw, the scenes that were 
brought to my attention, the people I met transcend any meeting I could 
have with a government official to discuss what is going on but was an 
opportunity for me to have my life changed as a human being to see that 
we all have a cause to see that life prevails and justice endures.
  Upon my return, Mr. Speaker, yesterday I took the opportunity to 
visit the Holocaust Museum. This week is the week of remembrance of the 
Holocaust, and while there, I saw the quote from Isaiah, Isaiah 43:10, 
that says: ``You are my witness.'' Mr. Speaker, that speaks to me and 
should speak to all of us. We are the witness of the holocaust today. 
And many Members of Congress, much more so than I and for longer 
periods of time than I have paid attention to this issue, have been 
trying to rise to the occasion and bring awareness to the world. And I 
commend my colleagues who have been outspoken on this issue for a long 
time, and I join them tonight.
  And today I was back to the Holocaust Museum, where President Bush 
spoke. And, yes, it was a remembrance of the death and destruction that 
the Jewish community, the people of the Jewish faith suffered, but it 
also brought home the importance of addressing genocide and death 
today. And I commend our President for his demands that the Sudanese 
government allow an African Union/U.N. peacekeeping force, that they 
reach out to the rebel leaders, that they end their support for the 
violent Janjaweed militia and they permit humanitarian aid to pass. And 
President Bush outlined some steps that we as a country are willing to 
take and requests that we can make to the United Nations.
  Congress has designated this week as the ``Days of Remembrance'' in 
order to commemorate those victims of the Holocaust. While at that 
Holocaust Museum, I learned much about the reach of the Holocaust and 
saw images of death and dehumanization. And as I reflected upon the 
Jews past and considered the future of African tribes in Darfur, I have 
to ask a question: Are we going to wait until the proportions of death 
are similar to the Holocaust before we take action?
  The exhibit that moved me the most, Mr. Speaker, was the list of 
10,000 individuals who took action during the Holocaust. They have been 
identified by the Israelis as ``the Righteous Among the Nations,'' 
those who risked their lives to save innocent Jews during Nazi rule.
  When the conflict in Darfur has ended, everyone will feel sorrow for 
the unnecessary loss of life. But will our Nation be among those, will 
we as individuals be among those who feel shame for inaction or pride 
for standing up for justice in Darfur?

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