H 8542 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 6, 1995 gentlemen, the government is begin- and the need for responsible behavior by port of that country, protections ning to govern and Congress has little, every member of the international community against discrimination. if any, control over the FBI, the ATF, to confront the oppression that afflicts millions I am very pleased to say that at the and IRS. of women. request of myself and the gentlewoman Shame Congress. Clean hands? My as- With the assistance of the U.S. Ambassador from California [Ms. WATERS] about 70 sets. to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright, Mrs. Members of this House have joined in f Clinton has laid the important groundwork for sending a letter to Mr. Mugabe object- continued dialog between Secretary of State ing strenuously to his bigoted attack WHAT I LEARNED ON SUMMER Christopher and the Chinese Foreign Minister on people who simply have a different VACATION in their upcoming meeting. sexual orientation, noting that this (Mr. HAYWORTH asked and was Hillary Clinton deserves our gratitude for her kind of denunciation of people who are given permission to address the House efforts which engage China while steadfastly decent citizens is contrary to the re- for 1 minute and to revise and extend advocating the need for advances in human spect for human rights that we had his remarks.) rights which are necessary for China's genu- hoped Mr. Mugabe would show. Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, we ine integration in the international arena. I am including at this point in the might entitle this, ‘‘What I Learned on f RECORD the letter and the list of signa- Summer Vacation.’’ The fact is, going tures, as follows: back home, we reorient ourselves to OUR COMMITMENT TO GET THE His Excellency ROBERT MUGABE, the great and good common sense of JOB DONE President, Harare, Zimbabwe. the American people. (Mr. BASS asked and was given per- DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: We were distressed Did I hear uniformity among the con- mission to address the House for 1 to read your attack on people who are gay and lesbian. stituents of the Sixth District of Ari- minute and to revise and extend his re- As Members of Congress dedicated to pro- zona? Of course not. Good people can marks.) tecting the human rights of all people, we disagree, but overwhelmingly the peo- Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud believe that you are gravely mistaken in ple of the Sixth District of Arizona told to say that today the House Repub- your denunciation of people based on their me, ‘‘Stay the course, stick to your licans are ready to finish the job we sexual orientation and your assertion that principles, work hard to reform this started 8 months ago. We are ready to they should be excluded from the protection government.’’ balance the budget for the first time in of their ‘‘individual freedom and human rights.’’ Indeed, we have heard today already a generation, to help save this country When individuals are mistreated by gov- broad bipartisan consensus, and so in for our children and our grandchildren, ernment because of some basic characteris- that spirit of bipartisanship, I extend and we are ready to pass a plan that tic of their nature, human rights are vio- my hand to my friends on this side of will protect, preserve, and strengthen lated. Attacking decent individuals who are the aisle, saying the problems we Medicare for our senior citizens. fully respectful of the rights of others, who confront are too great for politics as We are willing to take the heat on are productive and responsible citizens, but usual. this controversial issue to save a bro- who happen to be gay or lesbian is wrong. As Let us get about the business of gov- ken system that three, I repeat, three strong supporters of the struggle of the peo- erning America. of President Clinton’s own Cabinet sec- ple of South Africa against the oppressive, dehumanizing apartheid system, we wel- f retaries say needs to be dealt with im- comed the inclusion in the Constitution of mediately. We are ready to pass a plan South Africa of recognition that discrimina- FIRST LADY DESERVES OUR that will help end our country’s wel- tion based on an individual’s sexual orienta- PRAISE fare system that creates poverty, de- tion is wrong. We strongly urge you to re-ex- (Mr. RICHARDSON asked and was pendency, destitution, breaks up fami- amine this issue and to follow the example of given permission to address the House lies, and discourages people from work- the new government of South Africa in re- for 1 minute and to revise and extend ing. specting the human rights of all people. We are committed to ending a system , his remarks.) Member of Congress, that has created debt and has rewarded Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, the MAXINE WATERS, First Lady deserves credit, first for inefficiency. Member of Congress. We are not afraid to take on the spe- going to China, and second for speak- COSIGNERS OF THE LETTER TO PRESIDENT ing out so forcefully for human rights cial interests and the status quo here ROBERT MUGABE OF ZIMBABWE and women’s rights. in Washington. In fact, the only ones Neil Abercrombie, MC; Xavier Becerra, The First Lady spoke out eloquently interested in preserving the old ways MC; George Brown, MC; Ronald Del- against forced abortions and forced are the defenders of the old order who lums, MC; Lloyd Doggett, MC; Anna sterilizations and other women’s rights live and breathe inside Route 495 in Eshoo, MC; Elizabeth Furse, MC; Ste- abuses common in other countries, Washington, DC, and if we learned any- ven Gunderson, MC; Alcee Hastings, such as rape, mutilation, and domestic thing during this August recess, it is MC; Steny Hoyer, MC; Patrick Ken- violence. She also stressed the impor- that the American people want us to nedy, MC; Zoe Lofgren, MC; Edward stay the course and continue with this Markey, MC; Marty Meehan, MC; tance of women to families and the George Miller, MC; Joseph Moakley, need for setting new standards for revolution in 1995. MC; Eleanor Holmes Norton, MC; women’s health, economic welfare, f Frank Pallone, MC; Jack Reed, MC; family planning, and the status of Martin Sabo, MC; Charles Schumer, women in general. PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS OF MC; , MC; Melvin Watt, Mr. Speaker, the First Lady showed ALL PEOPLE MC; Sidney Yates, MC; Gary Acker- guts and commitment in China, and (Mr. FRANK of asked man, MC; Howard Berman, MC; Wil- she deserves our praise. and was given permission to address liam Clay, MC; Norman Dicks, MC; Mr. Speaker, the First Lady has worked the House for 1 minute and to revise Richard Durbin, MC; Sam Farr, MC; Sam Gejdenson, MC; Luis Gutierrez, continuously on issues related to women, chil- and extend his remarks and include ex- MC. dren, and families for the past 25 years. This traneous material.) Sheila Jackson-Lee, MC; Tom Lantos, week she has combined her skills and experi- Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. MC; Nita Lowey, MC; Jim McDermott, ences with the role of diplomat. Speaker, sadly, just before we left for MC; Carrie Meek, MC; Norman Mineta, Amidst tenuous -Chinese rela- recess, the President of Zimbabwe, MC; James Moran, MC; , tions, the First Lady has walked a fine line in Robert Mugabe, engaged in an unjusti- MC; , MC; Lucille Roybal- BeijingÐbalancing the urgent need for wom- fied wholly prejudicial attack on gay Allard, MC; Bernard Sanders, MC; en's rights and the administration's policy of men and lesbian citizens of his coun- David Skaggs, MC; Edolphus Towns, MC; Henry Waxman, MC; Thomas constructive engagement with China. try. Barrett, MC; Sherwood Boehlert, MC; Mrs. Clinton has successfully pointed out The attack was in sharp contrast to Peter DeFazio, MC; Julian Dixon, MC; the need for a forum of openness of free the leadership of, for instance, Nelson Eliot Engel, MC; Thomas Foglietta, speech in Beijing. Her remarks underscore the Mandela, who has included in the Con- MC; Henry Gonzalez, MC; Jane Har- magnitude of the U.N. Women's Conference stitution of South Africa, with the sup- man, MC; Maurice Hinchey, MC; Eddie