[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1816-E1817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AHMADINEJAD
______
HON. TED POE
of texas
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, some things do not need to be
elaborated on. Rudy Giuliani, a great American, recently spoke at a
rally in New York City where 20,000 people showed up to protest the
dictator Ahmadinejad and his corrupt regime. Ahmadinejad was in town to
spew more of his hateful deology. This time, he interlaced his anti-
Semitic rhetoric with conspiracy theories on 9/11. This man does not
speak for the Iranian people, who only want freedom to live their lives
without the shackles of a regime bent on preserving its power at all
costs. The courageous opposition group MEK, who organized the rally, is
fighting for this very freedom. The State Department has got them
wrong--they are not a terrorist organization and should not be listed
as one. Mayor Giuliani agreed with me and I'd like to submit his
comments for the record.
God bless you and thank you very much for being here. I
come here today for a very simple reason, to stand with you
in support of the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution
of the United States and also the basic rights guaranteed by
the preamble to the United Nations Charter. We need to remind
the United Nations of what it stands for. According to the
preamble of the United Nitions, it exists to reaffirm faith
in fundamental rights in the dignity and worth of the human
person, and in the equal rights of men and women and of
nations large and small.
The people of Iran are as entitled as all of us to make a
claim on the nations of the United Nations to reaffirm these
goals for them; and that is what you are here to do.
For too long the world has acquiesced in a regime in Iran
that through mass murder, violence and intimidation has
denied basic rights of your brothers and sisters and friends
and relatives and has been a consistent supporter of
terrorism and of terrorist organizations beyond its borders.
All of you are here today to cry out for the world to stand
with you and your brothers and sisters who are oppressed by
the brutal regime in Iran.
They desire freedom! I desire freedom! We all desire
freedom! No one can deny you your desire for freedom! I
believe that desire is placed in your heart and soul by the
Creator! It comes from above. Not from here, not from below,
but from above. It is a basic human desire that the people of
Iran are entitled to and it is a basic human desire that all
good people should support.
And if this institution that stands behind us, the United
Nations, wants to reclaim its lofty goal of protecting human
rights; which is a goal that has alluded it for many many
years, then it must stand with you against the regime in
Iran, against the brutalization that goes on in Iran, and
against the supporting of terrorism.
And it is time here in America to right a wrong that has
been done to you and your cause out of a misguided notion
that the violent and tyrannical regime of Iran could be
mollified. It is about time that we change the listing of the
People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran as a terrorist
organization.
I've studied terrorism for much longer that I'd like to
admit. For over 35 years. I have investigated terrorism, and
I've seen firsthand, in my city, the devastation that
terrorism can bring about.
This is not a terrorist organization. This is an
organization dedicated to achieving freedom and dignity for
its people.
It is time for the rest of our Congress to join 823
members--Democrats and Republicans--who have supported House
Resolution 1431 which calls for the lifting of this unjust,
unfair and inaccurate designation. It has been lifted by the
British government; it has been lifted by the European Union;
it should be lifted by the United States Congress and
President Obama should support it as a defender of freedom.
Just as this great country of America is described as the
last best hope for humanity, you and your cause are truly the
best hope for Iran.
Your quest is as legitimate as solidarity was for Poland.
And it took lovers of freedom and leaders of historical
consequence like Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope
John Paul, to stand with Solidarity no matter the
consequences.
Your goals are our goals, they are the goals of a decent
people; you want to guarantee equal rights for men and women;
you want to see freedom of religion and speech and press;
freedom of assembly in Iran, you want Iran that does not
threaten the existence of other nations; and you want an Iran
that is under no circustances a nuclear power.
It is your members and associates who have consistently
drawn open the secret curtain that Iran tries to draw on its
plans to develop nuclear weapons.
It is your members who have risked their lives and lost
their lives revealing the plans and steps of Ahmadinejad and
the regime to acquire nuclear weapons.
Without your brave investigations and revelations, America
and the world would still be laboring under the inaccurate
information that was contained in the National Intelligence
Estimate of 2007 that said Iran had appeared to abandon its
plans to build nuclear weapons. Your members, your
associates, revealed that to be incorrect, inaccurate, and
dangerously wrong.
If the history of the 20th century has taught us anything,
it is that we must confront tyrants, oppressors, bullies and
terrorists as early as possible.
Acquiescence only leads to increasing loss of human life
and human liberty.
For too long the world has stood still as the people of
Iran, particularly those of you desiring freedom, have been
oppressed, imprisoned and slaughtered by a regime that has no
right to exist.
It's time to make common cause with you in your noble
quest.
It is a risk that is worth taking.
It is a cause that is worth the risk.
If the forebears of this country didn't take the risk for
freedom, then this great nation would not exist.
Your people, the people of Iran, are willing to fight for
freedom; you are willing to speak out against horrible
atrocities to human dignity. And when they do, this country,
America, should strongly stand with them, and speak out for
them.
No more silence! Where is our Ronald Reagan when we need
him? Ronald Reagan
[[Page E1817]]
would have stood with the people of Iran, strongly, bravely,
and forthrightly. When they sought to protest the
inaccuracies and illegitimacy of the elections in Iran,
Ronald Reagan would have America standing with them toe to
toe, body to body and person to person, as he did with
Solidarity. Where is our Ronald Reagan when we need him?
One of the most monumental celebrations of freedom was on
Christmas Day, 1989 in Berlin.
It was in the city of Berlin that severs years earlier
Ronald Reagan standing by the wall that then divided the free
from the oppressed and stood in front of that wall and he was
not afraid to stand up and said, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down
this wall.''
Now, in our time, we need a Ronald Reagan to cry out to the
oppressors of your people to tear down the wall of tyranny,
tear down the wall of oppression, tear down the wall of
terrorism, and of slaughter.
On that Christmas Day of 1989 in Berlin the wall had been
torn down because brave people like Ronald Reagan and many
others were willing to stand with protesters and the
oppressed in those communist countries. They weren't afraid
to speak out and they weren't afraid to confront. Leonard
Bernstein conducted a performance of Beethoven's ninth
symphony that day and he called it a ``celebration of human
freedom.'' I hope and I pray that you and I will go to Iran
together; I hope we can have a celebration of freedom for the
people of Iran because a celebration of freedom for Iran will
be the celebration of freedom for all of us.
But that day is not going to come about by begging
Ahmadinejad to negotiate. It is not going to come about from
weakness. Bullies thrive from weakness. Tyrants are
encouraged by weakness. They know only one thing: Strength.
They must be confronted with America's strength, not
America's weakness. America, the world, all of us must make
it plain that under no set of circumstances will Ahmadinejad
be allowed to have nuclear weapons. That is not negotiable.
No discussion. No argument. No debate.
No! No! No, to nuclear weapons!
And instead, I say Yes to freedom, Yes to democracy, Yes to
a free press, Yes to freedom for women, Yes to human dignity
for Iran and for all of us.
God bless you in your noble pursuit! I stand with you and
all freedom loving people stand with you. God bless you.
____________________