Congressional Record—House H3643
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May 19, 2010 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3643 she hadn’t read the bill, but she felt was to put an injunction against one of ple in Kinston, North Carolina, based free also to talk about the potential ef- the four New Black Panthers, prohibit on a race decision of Loretta King who fects of Arizona’s immigration law. him from standing at that same polling had brought this false and specious And then we have the assistant Sec- place with a billy club and intimi- case that cost the American people retary of State, Posner, who repeated dating voters in the 2012 election. But $570,000 all while this Justice Depart- to us that they brought up the Arizona after that, it’s apparently not a prob- ment that has enough resources to in- immigration law to the Chinese early lem. vestigate Arizona with no rational rea- and often and apparently made the It was a false testimony on the part son why, with no constitutional thing statement of mea culpa for the United of Assistant Attorney General Thomas that he can point to, he can’t even in- States that we had laws that were dis- Perez. They didn’t achieve the highest vestigate ACORN. criminatory and perhaps bigoted. But penalty that was available to them, With that, Mr. Speaker, I would yield he hadn’t read the bill either. even though he testified otherwise, and back the balance of my time. The President of the United States the Justice Department canceled the f didn’t read the bill. He misinformed case, the most open-and-shut voter in- ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN the American people, unintentionally timidation case in the history of Amer- HERITAGE MONTH or willfully. The Attorney General of ica. the United States, who is looking into And then we have the case of The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. suing the State of Arizona, hadn’t read Kinston, North Carolina, where the MAFFEI). Under the Speaker’s an- the bill, but he misinformed the Amer- people of Kinston, North Carolina, nounced policy of January 6, 2009, the ican people unintentionally or will- voted that they wanted to have non- gentleman from California (Mr. HONDA) fully. The Secretary of Homeland Secu- partisan elections in their citywide is recognized for 60 minutes. rity, Janet Napolitano, hadn’t read the elections. A lot of communities in Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise bill but was misinforming the Amer- America opt for that. Something like today to recognize the Asian American ican people unintentionally or will- 70 percent of the communities in Amer- and Pacific Islander Community and to fully. And the assistant Secretary of ica don’t want to have partisan elec- commemorate Asian Pacific American State, Posner, hadn’t read the bill or tions. So they say you can’t put a Re- Heritage Month. As chairman of the Congressional intentionally was misinforming the publican or a Democrat, no ‘‘R’’ or Asian Pacific American Caucus, better Chinese. All of this going on in the De- ‘‘D,’’ by your name. You get elected to known as CAPAC, I feel privileged to partment of Justice has been directed represent this city without having a be here tonight with my colleagues to by the President of the United States party identification. speak of the Asian and Pacific Islander to investigate Arizona’s immigration Kinston, North Carolina, voted to do American history accomplishments. law. that overwhelmingly. The same person Additionally, I will be highlighting Now, if the President gave that order inside the Justice Department that those issues affecting our community without reading the bill, you would dropped the charges for the voter in- and the priorities for CAPAC. think he would have someone around timidation in Philadelphia, Loretta In celebrating the APA Heritage him who had read the bill and had King, also sent a letter to Kinston, Month, I want to give thanks to the briefed the President. There’s no sign North Carolina, because they are a cov- late Representative Frank Horton from of that. So apparently they’re taking ered district and covered by the Voting New York, and to my good friend, their marching orders from Rights Act and they have been labeled former Secretary Norman Mineta, MoveOn.org or the ACLU. discriminators since the middle 1960s, along with Senators DANIEL INOUYE And so the Department of Justice is have to get approval if they are going and Sparky Matsunaga of Hawaii. It is investigating. They’re looking for a to change any system of their elections because of their efforts that May is way to bring suit against the State of under the Voting Rights Act because now designated as Asian Pacific Amer- Arizona on what could the basis be. they are a covered district. And I asked the Attorney General this ican Heritage Month. So she denied the will of the people of The first 10 days of May coincide last week before the Judiciary Com- Kinston on the basis that African with two important anniversaries: the mittee, Can you point to a single com- Americans who wanted to vote for an- arrival of the first Japanese immi- ponent of the Constitution that may other African American wouldn’t know grants on May 7, 1843, to the U.S. and have been violated by Arizona’s law? to vote for that African American un- the completion of the transcontinental No. Can you point to a Federal statute less they had a ‘‘D’’ beside their name. railroad on May 10, 1869. that would be in conflict with Arizo- Well, that seems to me to be a race- In 1992, Congress passed public law na’s immigration law? No. Can you based decision, not one based in law or number 102–450, the law that officially point to any case law, any controlling logic. designated May of each year as Asian precedent that would indicate that Ari- I don’t think it’s logic that people Pacific American Heritage Month. zona doesn’t have the authority to en- can associate necessarily a ‘‘D’’ with force their immigration—the immigra- skin color. I’d like to think that they b 2000 tion law? No. were voting without regard to skin Today I, along with Congresswoman But still at the direction and order of color, that they were actually voting JUDY CHU, introduced a resolution hon- the President of the United States, the for people that will do the best job of oring the accomplishments of my dear Attorney General is using the force of representing them in Kinston, North friend, Norman Mineta, who cut his the Justice Department to investigate Carolina. teeth in politics in California’s 15th Arizona and Arizona’s immigration law That’s strike number two against Lo- District in Silicon Valley, which I rep- all while inside that Justice Depart- retta King and the Justice Depart- resent today. Throughout his career, ment they have canceled the most ment. Norm has broken through many glass open-and-shut voter intimidation case She had a third strike against her, ceilings, himself, but also for the rest in the history of America—that’s the and that was a rule 11 being applied for of us. He is a close personal friend, and New Black Panthers—smacking billy filing a specious case that was un- I consider him a dear mentor. clubs in their hand, calling white peo- founded, and it cost the Federal Gov- Norm was the very first Asian Amer- ple coming in to vote in Philadelphia ernment $570,000 to pay that out be- ican mayor of a major city, the first ‘‘crackers’’ and intimidating them cause she brought a case that couldn’t Asian American to hold a Presidential from voting. And the Justice Depart- be supported that was false and spe- Cabinet post. Not only did he pierce ment says we don’t have enough evi- cious and unfounded. And there’s bet- through the glass ceilings, he dedicated dence to convict. ter language for that to be found under much of his energy building the infra- And the Assistant Attorney General, the rule 11 language that’s there. structure needed for the Asian Amer- whose name is Thomas Perez, testified All of this the Justice Department ican and Pacific Islanders to grow and before the Judiciary Committee that can investigate and continue with the thrive to what it is today. they achieved the highest possible pen- most open-and-shut voter intimidation Norm had a hand in establishing and/ alty. And the highest possible penalty case. They canceled the will of the peo- or strengthening so many of our key VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:14 May 20, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00099 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K19MY7.129 H19MYPT1 jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with HOUSE H3644 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 19, 2010 national organizations. They span from month of May, the very month when important decisions are being made. policy advocacy, coalitions like Na- Japanese immigrants first set foot on And, in fact, here in the very Halls of tional Council of Asian Pacific Ameri- U.S. soil and when Chinese immigrants Congress we have seen what diverse cans, to voter engagement organiza- worked tirelessly to complete the first and fruitful coalitions are capable of tions like APIA Vote, to organizations transcontinental railroad, to celebrate accomplishing when we work together and fellowship programs that develop the contributions of APIs to this coun- to advance our issues. the future leaders of our community try. When the congressional Asian, His- such as the Asian Pacific American In- For far too long, Asian Americans panic, and Black caucuses unite as one, stitute for Congressional Studies, to have not been at the table where im- we are a strong voice and no longer an the Congressional Asian Pacific Amer- portant decisions were being made.