July 31, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1665 women for this sacrifices they have have nals know that they cannot succeed as long If America is gone from Iraq, will that in- made in this war and rebuked the defeatists as American troops are in Iraq helping good sane fanatic from Iran, Ahmadinejad press who would set an arbitrary date for surrender. people form a democracy. the button that will lead to a premature Ar- Therefore, I respectfully submit the text of These criminals hide in the casbahs and mageddon in Israel? mountains while promoting their lackeys to A hundred years ago, when Teddy Roo- Mr. Wham’s speech for the RECORD in the kill themselves and others, hoping that such sevelt was President, he spoke these words hopes that others will stand with him in sup- killings will aid the second-guessers in about this nation’s destiny: ‘‘We have no port of our troops and the mission for which America to oppose the Commander-in-Chief choice as to whether or not we shall play a they fight. by insisting on a day of surrender—a day to great part in the world. That is already the [From the Sentinel, May 8, 2007] leave the Middle East—a day to quit any re- case. ‘‘All that we can decide is whether we 2007 TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS sistance against the terrorists. shall play it well or play it ill.’’ These second-guessers proclaim to the Thus far, we have played it well but we are (By Jim Wham) world that the war is lost; their words bring now at the crossroads of the decision that I want to commend the 15th Street Church smiles to the evil faces of those marauders. will affect all mankind. The question is, will of God for this event at the Bandshell. This These quitters are like a quarterback shout- we stay and fight for freedom and for peace evening of prayer and song forms the perfect ing to the other team. ‘‘We’re not going to or will we forfeit the field to those vicious occasion to recognize the men and women pass, we’re runnin’ around the left end.’’ criminals who in no way respect the God- serving this country in the Armed Forces of We are running away from you—the terror- given miracle of life. the United States. Each one of them and ists—is the message of the quitter. Rudyard Kipling—the great British patriot their families are making a sacrifice unlike If they want to win a war they say is lost, and poet of the 19th and 20th Centuries put any other. they, the second guessers not the President, to verse the lesson of perseverance in long Every American when called to serve in must change their tune because quitters lasting battles. Here’s the way he wrote it: the Armed Forces of the United States per- never win. ‘‘How do we know, when the long fight rages, forms the duty assigned to him or her by the The Scripture proclaims ‘‘If the trumpet On the old, stale front that we cannot shake, Commander-in-Chief and not by Congress- gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare And it looks as though we were locked for men and Senators. himself to the battle.’’ There are far too ages. I thought of each life of these men and many uncertain trumpets being sounded in How do we know they are going to break? women and all others who served their coun- Washington today and in the national news There is no lull in the level firing, try. The course and destiny of their lives are media. These uncertain trumpets inspire Nothing has shifted except the sun. set by chance assignment of that duty. Some nothing but joy in the haunts of the terror- Yet we can feel they are tiring, tiring— come back unscathed, others marked by ists who love to hear those mournful tunes in Yet we can tell they are ripe to run. grievous wounds and others never come the USA. Something wavers, and, while we wonder, back. When these friends from Hell see the leader Their centre-trenches are emptying out, The month of May is the month we pay of the Senate on television proclaim the war And, before their useless flanks go under, honor to the men and women on Armed Serv- is lost, the terrorists around the world ap- Our guns have pounded retreat to rout.’’ ices Day a couple of weeks from now, and plaud and promote more suicide bombers to then a week later, Memorial Day—a day hasten the day of American surrender. In other words, we win by hanging on. when everyone in this land of liberty must And when they see and hear the Senate My friends, American forces are going to stop, look to the story of the soldiers, sailors leader condemn the Vice President, they ap- win this war against terrorism. The war is and marines who fell on battlefields—went plaud again and try to kill him in Pakistan. not lost and no one should listen to the quit- down in sinking ships—in crashing planes— Don’t these second guessing quitters know ters because they are the losers of the in the deserts—in the jungles—in the that the United States has a vital interest to present and the future. towns—all over this world during the entire contest the terrorist in the Middle East—in If we but stand fast with the troops and lifetime of this nation. that caldron of hatred and insanity which is our Commander-in-Chief, the fiends of Hell The unknown soldiers and the unsung he- the launching pad for terrorists against this will lose. And the sacrifice of these gallant roes—there are thousands and thousands of country and its allies? men and women we honor today will not them. These gallant men and women most Don’t be second-guessers give any thought have been in vain. They must not be let likely will never be known by the people for at all to the downside of an American sur- down by quitting and surrender. what they did. They served and they did not render by pulling out of that part of the f ask for glory. Their deeds of valor on battle- world? fields and oceans and in the air never had a Every concerned American who stops, THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY chance to be forgotten because they re- looks, and listens to the present day hap- ASSEMBLY mained unspoken and unknown. penings knows the disastrous downside of an The American people never forget these American pull-out from Iraq. known and unknown living and dead Ameri- It would proclaim to the world an Amer- HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS cans—this ever expanding LEGION OF ican confession that terrorism has won a vic- OF FLORIDA HONOR has never let their country down and tory over the United States. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES no one in this country should ever let them World power of the United States would Tuesday, July 31, 2007 down. evaporate. Jesus tells us ‘‘Blessed are the peace- No longer would the United States lead in Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, makers for they shall be called the children the battle for peace and freedom which is so I hereby submit, for the RECORD, the text of of God.’’ The peacemakers—they are the men necessary to the salvation of our own way of my report to you on the activities of the U.S. and women in the American Armed Forces— life. Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary As- the peacemakers who in defending freedom Do the quitters ever envision their day at sembly, held in early July in Kyiv, Ukraine. do so to bring peace to the world—God’s the Baghdad airport—when a thousand trans- I had the honor to chair the U.S. Delegation, world and to the children of God. port planes land and take off with the Amer- The tyrants foment conflict and war. The ican army to the dismay of every decent per- which included Senator BEN CARDIN as the armed forces of the U.S. are always against son who knows that there goes the last best deputy head of delegation, as well as our Ma- the tyrant—never in support of the tyrant, chance for peace and freedom? jority Leader, Mr. STENY HOYER. Other partici- and these American men and women we Why can’t these quitters envision that into pants on the U.S. Delegation were Represent- honor today—honor them for opposing a tyr- the vacuum left behind, the criminal gangs atives CHRIS SMITH, MARCY KAPTUR, LOUISE anny of a new dark age, a tyranny of world- of the Taliban, al Qaeda, the death squads of MCINTOSH SLAUGHTER, MICHAEL MCNULTY, wide terrorism—a dark age spawned from the both Sunnis and Shiites will seize the oppor- ROBERT ADERHOLT, MIKE MCINTYRE, HILDA L. dens of terrorists throughout the world even tunity in a common cause against their own SOLIS, G.K. BUTTERFIELD, DORIS MATSUI and in this country and in our allies Britain and people and against America and her allies by Israel as well as in countless other nations. joining together these legions of evil against GWEN S. MOORE. These insane religious fanatics misuse the decent people of the Middle East. As the report details, the delegation was ac- their religion to cultivate and persuade Doesn’t it occur to the quitter that a coali- tive at the Annual Session of the OSCE Par- thousands of suicide bombers to destroy tion of Iran, Iraq and Syria under despotic liamentary Assembly, which is an inter-par- multi-thousands of innocent people who are leaders will bring pressure and threat of con- liamentary body consisting of 56 participating unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at quest against Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as States from North America, Europe, the Cau- the wrong time when the suicide bomber ex- Saddam Hussein attempted to do in the cuses and Central Asia, as well as numerous plodes himself in their midst. 1990’s Desert Storm? This war in Iraq is no civil war—it is a war Can’t the quitters envision the utter chaos partner states from the Middle East, North Af- against gangs of vicious mad dog criminals that will come when the nuclear bomb is de- rica and Asia. Like the OSCE as a whole, its who want to kill off any democratic govern- veloped in Iran or acquired from North Korea mandate embraces the comprehensive defini- ment that can be formed—a government that and those reckless fanatics threaten their tion of international security to include not only people yearn for and deserve. These crimi- surrounding countries to joint the crowd? the traditional military political-military issues

VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:47 Aug 01, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A31JY8.029 E31JYPT1 mmaher on PROD1PC69 with REMARKS E1666 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks July 31, 2007 but also human rights, economic cooperation President Viktor Yushchenko, who took the the status of the camp to a general Plenary and environmental protection. opportunity to discuss Ukraine’s commit- Session of the Assembly. This report fol- In submitting this report, I want to stress the ment to democratic development and chal- lowed her second visit to the detention facil- ´ value of American engagement in world af- lenges. President Yushchenko urged dele- ity at Guantanamo on June 20, 2007 and gave gates to recognize, in their respective par- the Assembly a balanced presentation which fairs, particularly by Members of Congress. In liaments, the genocidal nature of the concluded that the facility should be closed. Kyiv, we engaged in a dialogue on issues of Ukraine Famine, the Holodomor. OSCE The OSCE PA Special Representative on concern not only to us, but to our counterparts Chairman-in-Office Miguel Angel Moratinos, Gender Issues, Tone Tingsga˚ rd (Sweden), from other countries. Having served as the the Foreign Minister of Spain, also addressed hosted an informal working breakfast to dis- President of the OSCE PA, I remain active as the plenary before taking questions from the cuss gender issues where she presented her President Emeritus as well as a Special Rep- parliamentarians. plan for future actions addressing gender At the Standing Committee, the leadership resentative on Mediterranean Affairs. Senator issues within the OSCE PA. Members of the body of the Assembly composed of the Heads U.S. Delegation participated in the discus- CARDIN serves as a Vice President. In Kyiv, of Delegations representing the 56 OSCE par- sion at this meeting. our colleague HILDA SOLIS was elected Vice ticipating States, I presented a summary of During the course of the Kyiv meeting Chair of the ‘‘Third’’ Committee on Democ- my activities as Special Representative on members of the U.S. Delegation held a series racy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. Mediterranean Affairs, including my visits of formal as well as informal bilateral meet- Members of the U.S. delegation introduced in June to Israel and Jordan. During the ings, including talks with parliamentarians resolutions, suggested amendments and par- Kyiv meeting, I convened a special meeting from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, ticipated in the voting which led to the adop- on the Mediterranean Dimension of the Kazakhstan, parliamentary delegations from OSCE, attended by approximately 100 parlia- the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation, tion of a declaration. The text of the declara- mentarians from Algeria, Egypt, Israel, and including Israel, and Afghanistan. The U.S. tion can be found on the Assembly’s Website, Jordan as well as many of the OSCE partici- Delegation hosted a reception for parliamen- www.oscepa.org. pating States. tary delegations from Canada and the United Our activity was not confined to the meeting The Standing Committee also heard re- Kingdom. halls. We also met President Yushchenko and ports from other Assembly Special Rep- On the final day of the Kyiv meeting, the other Ukrainian officials, in recognition of the resentatives. The OSCE PA Treasurer, Sen- Assembly re-elected Go¨ ran Lennmarker importance of Ukraine. We laid wreaths at ator Jerry Grafstein (Canada), reported that (Sweden) as President. Mr. Hans Raidel (Ger- Babyn Yar and at the Ukrainian Famine me- the Assembly was operating well within its many) was elected Treasurer. Four Vice overall budget guidelines and that KPMG, Presidents were elected in Kyiv: Anne-Marie morial. We traveled to Chernobyl, the site of the Assembly’s external auditors, again had Lizin (Belgium), Jerry Grafstein (Canada), the nuclear accident in 1986. delivered a positive assessment of the As- Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland), and Panos These activities, I would argue, advance our sembly’s financial management. The Stand- Kammenos (Greece). country’s national interest. The U.S. Delega- ing Committee unanimously approved the Rep. Hilda Solis was elected Vice Chair of tion represented the wonderful diversity of the Treasurer’s proposed budget for fiscal year the General Committee on Democracy, United States population. It also highlighted a 2007/2008, including an increase of 4.18% over Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, diversity of opinion on numerous issues. It last year’s expenditures. OSCE PA Secretary which is responsible for addressing humani- nevertheless revealed a common hope to General R. Spencer Oliver reported on the tarian and human rights-related threats to International Secretariat’s activities. security and serves as a forum for examining make the world a better place, not just for Members of the U.S. Delegation actively the potential for cooperation within these Americans but for all humanity. The delegation participated in the work of the Assembly’s areas. She joins Senator Cardin, whose term helped to counter the negative image many three General Committees: Political Affairs as Vice President extends until 2009, and me have about our country. and Security; Economic Affairs, Science, as OSCE PA President Emeritus, in ensuring COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND Technology and Environment; and Democ- active U.S. engagement in the Assembly’s COOPERATION IN EUROPE, racy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Ques- proceedings for the coming year. Washington, DC, July 25, 2007. tions. Each committee considered its own While the Delegation’s work focused heav- Hon. NANCY PELOSI, resolution as well as nine of the 10 supple- ily on OSCE PA matters, the venue pre- Speaker, House of Representatives, mentary items registered before the session. sented an opportunity to advance U.S. rela- Washington, DC. One supplementary item was debated in ple- tions with our Ukrainian hosts. While in DEAR MADAM SPEAKER: I write to thank nary. Senator Cardin introduced a supple- Kyiv, the U.S. Delegation met with Ukrain- you for designating me to head the U.S. Del- mental item on ‘‘Combating Anti-Semitism, ian President Yushchenko for lengthy talks egation to the Sixteenth Annual Session of Racism, Xenophobia and other forms of In- on bilateral issues, his country’s aspirations the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organi- tolerance against Muslims and Roma,’’ and for further Euro-Atlantic integration, energy zation for Security and Cooperation in Eu- seven other U.S. delegates introduced a total security, international support for rope (OSCE PA), and to report to you on the of 25 amendments to either a committee res- Chornobyl containment, and challenges to work of our bipartisan delegation. The dele- olution or to a supplementary item. All were Ukraine’s sovereignty and democratic devel- gation participated fully in the activity of adopted. opment. The President discussed the polit- the Standing Committee and the plenary ses- The U.S. Delegation also was instrumental ical situation in Ukraine and the develop- sions as well as in the Assembly’s three com- in garnering necessary support for supple- ment of the May 27 agreement that provides mittees. mentary items and amendments proposed by for pre-term parliamentary elections sched- Joining me as Delegation leaders were our friends and allies among the partici- uled for September 30, 2007. Commission Co-Chairman Senator Benjamin pating States. The supplementary items con- The Delegation also visited and held L. Cardin and Majority Leader Steny H. sidered and debated in Kyiv, other than Sen- wreath-laying ceremonies at two significant Hoyer. Other Helsinki Commissioners who ator Cardin’s, included ‘‘The Role and the sites in the Ukrainian capital: the Babyn also participated include the Ranking Mem- Status of the Parliamentary Assembly with- Yar Memorial, commemorating the more ber, Rep. Christopher H. Smith, and Rep- in the OSCE’’; ‘‘The Illicit Air Transport of than 100,000 Ukrainians killed there during resentatives Louise McIntosh Slaughter, Small Arms and Light Weapons and their World War II—including 33,000 Jews from Robert B. Aderholt, Mike McIntyre, Hilda L. Ammunition’’; ‘‘Environmental Security Kyiv that were shot in a two-day period in Solis and G.K. Butterfield. They were joined Strategy’’; ‘‘Conflict Settlement in the September 1941; and the Famine Genocide by Representatives Marcy Kaptur, Michael OSCE area’’; Strengthening OSCE Engage- Memorial (1932–33) dedicated to the memory R. McNulty, Doris Matsui and Gwen S. ment with Human Rights Defenders and Na- of the millions of Ukrainians starved to Moore. tional Human Rights Institutions’’; ‘‘The death by Stalin’s Soviet regime in the larg- This year’s Assembly, hosted by the Ban on Cluster Bombs’’; ‘‘Liberalization of est man-made famine of the 20th century. Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s Parliament, in Trans-Atlantic Trade’’; ‘‘Women in Peace The delegation traveled to the Chernobyl Kyiv, July 5–9, brought together 234 parlia- and Security’’; and, ‘‘Strengthening of Coun- exclusion zone and visited the site where on mentarians from 50 OSCE States, representa- teraction of Trafficking Persons in the OSCE April 26, 1986, the fourth reactor of the tives from several Mediterranean Partners Member States.’’ Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, re- for Cooperation, as well as delegates rep- Attached is a copy of the Kyiv Declaration sulting in the world’s worst nuclear acci- resenting Afghanistan, a Partner for Co- adopted by participants at the Assembly’s dent. While in the zone, the delegation vis- operation. Five delegations were headed by closing plenary, which includes the input of ited the abandoned city of Prypiat, the once parliamentary leaders. The U.S. delegation, the U.S. Delegation. bustling residence of 50,000 located a short with 13 Members, was the largest in Kyiv. Following her appearance before the Hel- distance from the nuclear plant. Members The designated theme for this year’s Annual sinki Commission in Washington on June 21 toured the Chernobyl facilities and discussed Session was ‘‘Implementation of OSCE Com- during our hearing on ‘‘Guanta´ namo: Impli- ongoing economic and environmental chal- mitments.’’ cations for U.S. Human Rights Leadership,’’ lenges with local experts and international Assembly President Go¨ ran Lennmarker Belgian Senate President Anne-Marie Lizin, efforts to find a durable solution to the con- (Sweden) opened the Inaugural Plenary Ses- the OSCE PA Special Representative on tainment of large quantities of radioactive sion which included an address by Ukrainian Guanta´ namo, presented her third report on materials still located at the plant.

VerDate Aug 31 2005 06:47 Aug 01, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A31JY8.030 E31JYPT1 mmaher on PROD1PC69 with REMARKS July 31, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1667 I hope this summary of the Delegation’s to understand how societal efforts to achieve Yet this is precisely the result the Roberts activity is useful to you, and let me again racial integration, including through affirm- Court wants us to take at face value. It is up thank you for making this trip possible. The ative action in higher education, are now in to us to confront them on this and insist, Seventeenth Annual Session of the OSCE serious jeopardy. that if they are going to take this new turn Parliamentary Assembly will be held early To be sure, Justice Kennedy in his concur- in our basic law, they must state their real ring opinion stopped the majority short of reasons for it. Otherwise the Court will con- next July in Astana, Kazakhstan, and I hope slamming the door on race-based diversity in tinue pretending that its rulings are con- we can count on your support once again in our schools; and even the Chief Justice tried sistent with the Brown line of cases—and ensuring that U.S. interests abroad are ad- to explain why the use of race in law school thus devoted to ‘‘conservative’’ principles— vanced through active participation in the admissions is different. Specifically, the until there is nothing left of Brown. If that OSCE PA. Court said it was tolerable to consider race is not the epitome of ‘‘judicial activism,’’ Sincerely, as one of several factors in Grutter because what is? ALCEE L. HASTINGS, individual applicants were evaluated in a I often wonder what the unanimous Brown ‘‘holistic’’ way and because ‘‘the expansive Chairman. Court would think of a country fifty-three freedoms of speech and thought associated years later that has proven itself too impa- f with the university environment’’—and fos- tient to achieve racial justice after centuries tered by diversity—‘‘occupy a special niche BRINGING DIVERSITY TO THE of being too slow to recognize it. Perhaps, in our constitutional tradition.’’ knowing painfully the legacy of invidious FOREFRONT OF CURRENT ISSUES Yet anyone reading between the lines of discrimination they were seeking to over- the majority opinion could feel the Chief turn, they actually would not be surprised by HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL Justice straining to explain Grutter’s con- this most recent turn of events. After all, stitutionality before making the point he every half century or so, the nation seems to OF NEW YORK really wanted to make: Grutter is a weak back away from solving the problems of ra- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES precedent with ‘‘expressly articulated key cial injustice, only to recommit itself to the Tuesday, July 31, 2007 limitations’’ and that ‘‘the lower courts’’ cause when the pot is about to boil over. have ‘‘largely disregarded’’ this ‘‘in extend- From the beginning of the Constitution to Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I stand ing Grutter’’ beyond ‘‘the unique context of Dred Scott; from the Civil War and emanci- today to call attention to the issues of diversity higher education.’’ pation to Plessy; from Brown to today—we this country is facing at the moment. I would It is important that we read the narrow- always seem to be better at articulating our also like to enter into the RECORD an opinion ness of this interpretation of Grutter along- ideals than delivering on them. side the sweeping rhetoric that Chief Justice But it doesn’t have to be this way. One of editorial by Lee Bollinger, president of Colum- Roberts really wants this holding to signify: bia University, from this week’s edition of the the things I learned in leading the litigation ‘‘The way to stop discrimination on the basis in the affirmative action cases was that deal- New York Amsterdam News, entitled, ‘‘What’s of race is to stop discriminating on the basis ing with issues of race is not something that next for diversity?’’ of race.’’ This is the language anti-affirma- people in the mainstream of American life Diversity has been, and continues to be, an tive action advocates and a host of others want to talk about, but with the proper lead- will seize on. In this way, the methodical ership, they will. issue faced by America’s institutions of higher process Thurgood Marshall and others fol- education. Brown v. Board of Education was a For example, while we were eventually lowed to achieve the Brown revolution will praised for enlisting the support of forty of monumental step forward in achieving diver- be used by the Roberts Court to undo it. sity for the students in these institutions, but the Fortune 500 largest US corporations and The difference is that the Brown decision from leaders in the military, it was exceed- Supreme Court decisions like Grutter v. brought the law down to earth, where it ingly difficult to get those advocates to sign Bollinger, have caused many to wonder if we could finally see that separate school facili- on to the cause of affirmative action in high- have forgotten what those involved in Brown ties were, as a matter of fact and experience, er education. Like many of our political v. Board of Education sought to do. Instead of ‘‘inherently unequal.’’ The Seattle and Lou- leaders, they were convinced that a majority seeing the Supreme Court continuously striv- isville decision removes the law to its for- of Americans would oppose them, and point- malistic and disconnected position of a cen- ed to Prop 209 in California for proof. It was ing to achieve diversity, Americans see the tury ago, where, as empty rhetoric, it imag- decisions of the Supreme Court slowly chip- only after the Late President Gerald Ford ines an America that never was—and because agreed to stand with us that things began to ping away at the precedents set forth in Brown of it, may never be. change. ‘‘I don’t want future college students v. Board of Education. The question, ‘‘What’s In doing so, it obscures the larger debate to suffer the cultural and social impoverish- next for diversity?’’ is one at the forefront of about race in this country. Stripped bare, ment that afflicted my generation,’’ he current issues and it calls all those who sup- however, these school decisions are not wrote in the New York Times. That is what port diversity to support all that promotes it about precedent, they are about broad philo- inspired General Motors to sign on—only sophical differences about the role of public then were we ‘‘in business.’’ and denounce all that contradicts it. institutions in dealing with issues of race in I believe that programs meant to achieve di- I fear this latest Court decision represents America. Undergirding them is the feeling the first act and scene of a national tragedy versity like affirmative action are necessary, that Justice Scalia has made explicit, that of withdrawal from Brown and Grutter’s and those who oppose such programs should society is tired of mending centuries of slav- promise of a more inclusive America—a per- be questioned for their motives. I hope that ery and Jim Crow segregation, and that it is ilous shift in the direction of constitutional the questions brought forth by worried Ameri- now up to those who have been discriminated law from the last half century. But the cans will be answered in a timely fashion. Di- against to ‘‘make it’’ on their own, as other scenes that follow are still ours to write—if groups have. For them, to consider race even only we have the courage and will to take up versity has not been achieved, therefore I do for the noble end of integration does more not agree with those who believe diversity the pen. As President Ford said, ‘‘If history harm than good by inflaming racial tensions. has taught us anything . . . it is the notion aimed programs should be phased out. I sup- These arguments make many Americans of America as a work in progress.’’ port affirmative action, as well as other pro- uncomfortable, and so they avoid them. I say grams aimed at achieving diversity, and call let them be put on the table and debated, not f for the support of all others who feel the hidden beneath phony ‘‘interpretations’’ of PERSONAL EXPLANATION same. Brown. How should we respond to the fact that cities are more segregated today than WHAT’S NEXT FOR DIVERSITY? they were a half century ago, or that the un- (By Lee C. Bollinger) employment rates among African Americans HON. JIM McDERMOTT For those of us who worked over so many in our inner cities is a multiple of the na- OF WASHINGTON years to reach the Supreme Court and affirm tional number? IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES the constitutionality of affirmative action in The problem for the Chief Justice is that higher education, which occurred in 2003 in wishing Brown stood only for the simpler Tuesday, July 31, 2007 Grutter v. Bollinger, this is the moment we proposition of ‘‘stopping discrimination’’ Mr. MCDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I was have been dreading. The recent 5–4 decision does not make it so. From the very begin- limiting voluntary desegregation programs ning, Brown impelled us to take affirmative unable to be in Washington, DC, yesterday in our nation’s public schools represents an steps to achieve racial justice. And it is ab- because my flight from Seattle was cancelled. inversion of the historic Brown v. Board of surd to think the Court that decided Brown As a result I missed several recorded votes. Education decision’s clarion call for racial would have struck down these local school Were I able, I would have voted in support of equality in education. And it is all too easy districts’ efforts to carry out this mission. H.R. 2750, H. Res. 580, and H. Res. 579.

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