[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26170]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MAHATMA GANDHI

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, today is a very special day. Today, 
October 2, marks the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. To honor him, the 
United Nations approved a resolution that, beginning today, designates 
October 2 as International Day of Nonviolence.
  It's a start, one that was inspired by Sonia Gandhi after she 
successfully led an international conference called ``Peace, 
Nonviolence and Empowerment--Gandhian Philosophy in the 21st Century.'' 
There is a yearning for peace, for an end to world hunger and poverty, 
and a world in which peace and justice for all is not a dream but a 
reality.
  Gandhi showed us the way. He said: ``Nonviolence is not a garment to 
be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an 
inseparable part of our being.''
  Gandhi's philosophy is a legacy he left to benefit the whole world. 
It is up to us to preserve this great gift. And I will do my part. I 
have introduced House Resolution 653 to express the sense of the 
Congress that the concept of nonviolence and the teaching of Gandhi 
remain relevant in this world.
  As Gandhi himself said: ``Nonviolence is the greatest force at the 
disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of 
destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.''
  The U.N. resolution itself shows Gandhi's remarkable ability to 
change the world. A record 143 nations co-sponsored the U.N. 
resolution, Gandhi uniting us again.
  Let us resolve to honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to 
Gandhi's philosophy of peace through nonviolence. It is the only path 
to true peace in the world.

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