[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3020-3021]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1050
           WE NEED A GREATER COMMITMENT TO PEACE AND SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) for 5 minutes.

[[Page 3021]]


  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, today marks exactly 125 months to the day 
that we've been at war with Afghanistan. That's 125 months that we have 
been sending brave young men and women to be maimed and killed in a 
conflict that is not advancing our values but actually degrading them.
  I've never believed more fervently that this war is a national 
security disaster, as well as a national tragedy and a moral 
catastrophe.
  What we need, Mr. Speaker, is a greater commitment to peace and 
security. What we need is a more generous humanitarian spirit. What we 
need is diplomacy and international dialogue, cooperation, and conflict 
resolution. What we need is to cherish human life and human dignity 
here in the United States and on every corner of the globe.
  Yesterday, we lost one of this body's fierce champions for these 
values, our colleague, Donald Payne. He was a peacemaker, a man of 
conscience, an ambassador of decency and compassion. He would not 
tolerate genocide and despair. He didn't turn a blind eye to human 
suffering, and he didn't care if it was happening in Newark or Nigeria. 
He went to some of the most dangerous places on Earth to make lives and 
conditions better. He was a voice for the otherwise voiceless. He used 
his power to advocate for people who were otherwise powerless.
  In the mid-nineties, I observed Representative Payne at a hearing 
with the Bush State Department. He was arguing, he was pleading with 
the State Department to designate the Darfur genocide. He actually had 
tears in his eyes and tears in his voice, and this is a man known for 
being very mild mannered.
  His compelling arguments and his compassion and passion actually made 
it possible to convince the world to condemn the Sudan/Darfur 
government's role in planning and executing the militia's campaign to 
kill. His leadership had an indelible impact on African nations.
  Congressman Payne shared my belief that the wars we've been fighting 
for the last decade are dreadful mistakes. He was one of those who 
stood with us in 2005, when the war in Iraq was still popular, to say 
no, this is wrong, we have to bring our troops home. But he also 
understood that it wasn't just about ending war, Mr. Speaker. It was 
about also leaving something else behind: hope, opportunity, democracy, 
and human rights.
  He knew that the key to ending violence, terrorism, and instability 
was to build up human capital, to fight hunger and disease, to defend 
and advance women's rights, to build strong schools, and provide decent 
health care worldwide.
  We've lost Donald Payne. But in his honor, let's not lose sight of 
the ideals he made his life's work. Let's not lose sight of the goals 
he fought for so tenaciously.
  Because of Donald Payne's example, I will fight forever for peace and 
for stability worldwide, and believe me, the beginning of this effort 
will be to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

                          ____________________