[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            IRAQI ELECTIONS

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, 3 weeks ago, I was able to go to Amman, 
Jordan, with the Iraqi Women's Caucus to meet with candidates for the 
upcoming election. I have got a few e-mails from some of them since the 
election that I would like to share.
  One wrote:
  ``My finger is still the color of ink and I'm not afraid. It is a 
shame to be afraid while others who couldn't walk on their legs, but 
they came to the ballot stations and voted and dipped their fingers in 
ink. I am very proud of my people. Yes, they suffered a lot and they 
wanted to end this suffering. The first step was their voting without 
fear.''
  Another one said:
  ``We heard an explosion that was made by a suicide bomber, but I was 
very surprised and so proud when I saw other people who didn't yet vote 
go, `Ha ha ha. It is okay. The terrorists cannot prevent us from voting 
and we will vote after half an hour from this explosion.'''
  Another one wrote saying:
  ``It is a great honor for us as candidates to represent this people 
which proved they were true living nation in spite of mass graves which 
was made by the last regime and terrorists. The Iraqis which I have the 
honor to be one of them were braver than their leaders.''
  Finally, the last e-mail I received:
  ``It was a big day.''
  To my friends, the candidates in the Iraq election, I am very proud 
of you. I am very proud of the Iraqi people. I, too, agree it was a 
very big day, not just for Iraq but for the world.

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