Transcript [PDF] - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

15
Chairman BERMAN. The ranking member has yielded back her
time.
Without objection, the resolution shall be considered as read and
open for amendment at any point. Members now will be recognized
to strike the last word or to offer amendments. The gentleman from
New York, the chairman of the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee,
Mr. Ackerman, for what purpose do you seek recognition
Mr. ACKERMAN. I was hoping not to go first, but I guess the alphabet
will have its way. I move to strike the last word, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman BERMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Chairman, this is not one of those issues
that Members of Congress look forward to voting on. I think it
makes us a little bit uncomfortable. It is not as easy for most of
us to just put out a sign that says yes or no without the kind of
emotional involvement that so many of our fellow citizens have because
of their mother country from which they or their parents or
ancestors might have come from.
There is an argument to be made, and you have cited most of
them, Mr. Chairman, that have been already before us and we
have already considered. Turkey is an important, strong, necessary
ally of the United States in so many efforts and so many ways. The
role that they play in the Middle East as an intermediary, the geographic
place which they occupy being so important to the world
scene and their attitude toward democracy being the democracy
that we point to that says democracy can work in Islamic countries.
All of these are of great importance to us.
And then there is the argument of forgive and forget. Why don’t
we just ignore what so many have called to our attention, just let
it go by the boards and not address it at all But overriding all that
I think, Mr. Chairman, is the issue of justice and the issue of history
and the issue of the historic record.
It is like telling victims of a crime well, it happened already. Forget
it. It is what kept rape victims quiet for so many years. It is
what kept Holocaust survivors quiet for 40 years. You know, when
you think about it, it was 40 years before Holocaust victims ever
spoke up about the atrocities they experienced during the Holocaust.
Forgive and forget. It is easy to say, I suppose, if you are not the
one or party to the one who has been damaged or hurt. You cannot
forgive someone who hurt somebody else, and neither can you erase
the problem from your memory. If you forget an injustice then it
doesn’t occur. If you forget something that was wrong, you will no
longer be able to tell right from wrong because wrong then goes
away.
I have given this a lot of thought and thought about it in personal
terms, especially because we have those who still are around
on this planet who say that the Holocaust involving the Jews committed
by the Nazis did not occur. We hear it every day from the
rantings of a mad man in Iran. Some people laugh at it, some people
are confused by it and some people are inspired by it, and some
people say oh, it is only words, and so many others say if you don’t
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