July 14, 1982 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 16301 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS THE HOUSE SHOULD PASS THE Civil Rights Act of 1964 and title IX of toxins to be used in Laos and Kampu­ ERA ONCE AGAIN the 1972 Education Act, anyone can chea and is using chemical weapons in see that without an amendment, the Afghanistan. The President's call for HON. BOB TRAXLER progressive measures of one adminis­ open, accurate, and verifiable statistics tration can be taken away by the next. and information on military matters OF MICHIGAN Most Americans favor the guarantee IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES from all nations-including the Soviet of equal rights that an amendment Union-is a welcome one. Wednesday, July 14, 1982 would provide. According to a Harris Given the forum the President was • Mr. TRAXLER. Mr. Speaker, today poll take in April of this year, 63 per­ given, one might have expected a I join 181 of my colleagues in reintro­ cent of those polled favor the ERA, speech that kept to the same glittering ducing the equal rights amendment to and when the pollster read the text of generalities and pious cliches that the Constitution of the United States. the amendment, the percentage of mark all such occasions. But the Presi­ Although the passage of the equal supporters rose to 73 percent. dent really believes in peace and disar­ rights amendment will not magically Unfortunately, the struggle for the mament and is willing to tell the transform the lives of millions of equal rights amendment has been truth-hard as it may be-about what women, it will make explicit for men thwarted by a vocal minority. Their stands in the way. It is an excellent and women alike the basic constitu­ success in killing the ERA does not speech in many ways and I commend tional guarantees of equal protection change the minds of a majority of it to your attention. and due process. Americans who know that justice will At this point I wish to insert in the As we have seen during the past ultimately prevail. RECORD the text of a speech made by decade, the Supreme Court's decisions Throughout my years of public serv­ President Ronald Reagan to the have sometime allowed State and Fed­ ice, I have consistently supported the Second United Nations General As­ eral laws to discriminate against equal rights amendment. In 1972, the sembly's Special Session on Disarma­ women. Some glaring examples of that State of Michigan ratified the ERA, ment, June 17, 1982: discrimination include: employment, and as chair of the State's House Judi­ ciary Committee, I strongly supported TExT OF THE ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO social security, education, tax law, and THE SECOND UNITED NATIONS GENERAL As­ property rights. The Supreme Court that measure. In SEMBLY'S SPECIAL SESSION ON DISARMA­ has stated specifically that the pas­ 1978, I supported extending the MENT sage of the equal rights amendment deadline for ratification of the amend­ ment, and here today, I, along with NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 17, 1982 will change the way the Court views I speak today as both a citizen of the discriminatory laws. As stated in Reed 181 of my colleagues, call upon the House of Representatives to demon­ United States and of the world. I come with v. Reed <404 U.S. 71 <1971)), passage of the heartfelt wishes of my people for peace, the equal rights amendment will make strate the Nation's belief that all of its bearing honest proposals, and looking for it clear that a legal right or obligation citizens should be granted equal rights genuine progress. will not depend on sex, but on the par­ under the Constitution of the United Dag Hammarskjold said 24 years ago this ticular attributes of an individual. States. By passing the equal rights month, "We meet in a time of peace which Just as the 14th amendment pro­ amendment in the House, as we have is no peace." His words are as true today as vides a basis upon which Americans done before, we can demonstrate to they were then. More than 100 disputes can fight discrimination in the law the world our capacity as a body to have disturbed the peace among nations truly reflect the opinions of a majority since World War II and today, the threat of based on race, creed, color, or national nuclear disaster hangs over the lives of all origin, the equal rights amendment of Americans who cherish the princi­ our peoples. The Bible tells us there will be will force Government to show a com­ ples of equality and justice.e a time for peace, but so far this century, pelling interest for discrimination mankind has failed to find it. based on gender. What this boils down THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH ON The United Nations is dedicated to world to is that it will be very hard for the DISARMAMENT peace and its charter clearly prohibits the Supreme Court to uphold legislation international use of force. Yet the tide of belligerence continues to rise. The Charter's that arbitrarily distinguishes between HON. ROBERT H. MICHEL influence has weakened even in the 4 years men and women without a very good since the first special session on disarma­ reason for doing do. OF ILLINOIS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ment. We must not only condemn aggres­ The President claims that he sup­ sion, we must enforce the dictates of our ports equal rights for women, but that Wednesday, July 14, 1982 Charter and resume the struggle for peace. he thinks an amendment to the Con­ • Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, on June The record of history is clear, citizens of stitution is not the correct method for 17, 1982, President Reagan addressed the United States resort to force reluctantly achieving that goal. However, an the United Nations General Assem­ and only when they must. Our foreign amendment is crucial because women bly's Special Session on Disarmament. policy, as President Eisenhower once said, "is not difficult to state. We are for peace, should not have to depend on the atti­ His speech is a refreshing change from first, last and always, for very simple rea­ tude of a particular administration or most of the rhetoric that is found in sons." We know that only in a peaceful at­ a particular Congress to determine the U.N. and is also fundamentally mosphere, a peace with justice, one in which whether or not they will have basic correct in its indictment of the history we can be confident, can America prosper as human rights. of the Soviet Union in the field of dis­ we have known prosperity in the past, he As we have seen, President Reagan armament agreements. I was particu­ said. has not kept his promises to end dis­ larly glad to see the President take To those who challenge the truth of those crimination and promote equality for this opportunity to remind the world words let me point out that at the end of World War II, we were the only undamged women. From his efforts to weaken that the Soviet Union is currently in industrial power in the world. Our military the enforcement of affirmative action violation of "the Geneva Protocols of supremacy was unquestioned. We had har­ programs and laws that provide equal 1925, related rules of international law nessed the atom and had the ability to un­ protection of women in employment and the 1972 Biological Weapons Con­ leash its destructive force anywhere in the and education under title VII of the vention" since it is making available world. In short, we could have achieved e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member on the floor. 16302 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS July 14-, 1982 world domination, but that was contrary to are at work in Central and South America, In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Prolifera­ the character of our people. in Africa, the Middle East, in the Caribbean tion of Nuclear Weapons took effect. The Instead, we wrote a new chapter in the and in Europe, violating human rights and United States played a major role in this history of mankind. We used our power and unnerving the world with violence. Commu­ key effort to prevent the spread of nuclear wealth to rebuild the war-ravaged econo­ nist atrocities in Southeast Asia, Afghani­ explosives and to provide for international mies of the world, both East and West, in­ stan, and elsewhere continue to shock the safeguards on civil nuclear activities. My cluding those nations who had been our en­ free world as refugees escape to tell of their country remains deeply committed to those emies. We took the initiative in creating horror. objectives today, and to strengthening the such international institutions as this The decade of so-called detente witnessed non-proliferation framework. This is essen­ United Nations, where leaders of good will the most massive Soviet buildup of military tial to international security. could come together to build bridges for power in history. They increased their de­ In the early 1970's, again at U.S. urging, peace and prosperity. fense spending by 40 percent while Ameri­ agreements were reached between the U.S. America has no territorjal ambitions, we can defense spending actually declined in and the U.S.S.R. providing for ceilings on occupy no countries and we have built no the same real terms. Soviet aggression and some categories of weapons. They could walls to lock our people in. Our commitment support for violence around the world have have been more meaningful if Soviet actions to self-determination, freedom and peace is eroded the confidence needed for arms ne­ had shown restraint and commitment to sta­ the very soul of America.