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 the Human Rights Campaign Democrat Tom Daschle Praises HRC: 'This Great Organization' 'No Exaggeration to say HRC Helped Give USA a 50-50 Senate' |
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Text of Sen. Tom Daschle's Speech Human Rights Campaign, February 16, 2002
Without those senators, Jim Jeffords would have been just a principled man making a courageous walk across the aisle. With them, and because of them - and you - we now have a chance to take action on our ideals. Let me tell you: it is so much easier to stand up to the voices of intolerance when you have more voices of understanding. So, thank you, HRC. In the days since September 11, we've heard so much - and rightfully so - about the heroism of passengers on doomed planes, about the heroic efforts of firefighters and rescue workers and survivors, and about the bravery of those who are being called to duty overseas. As far as I'm concerned, every one of those people deserves every word of praise they've gotten - and more. In these difficult times, we also need to remember America's other heroes: those who fight intolerance. Those who honor diversity. Those who challenge us to be better ... not because they don't love this nation, but because they do. That is what this evening is all about. That is what the Human Rights Campaign is all about. And that is why I am so proud to be here with you this evening. The cause we celebrate tonight has defined this nation since its founding: to deepen the meaning of fundamental fairness, to live up to the ideals enshrined in our founding documents, and to build a good and just society on this bedrock principle: equal opportunity for all, special privileges for none.
Unfortunately, barriers still do exist. Some are invisible - they exist in people's hearts and minds. To break down those barriers, we need to teach tolerance. But some of the barriers are there for all to see - they're written into our laws. To break down those barriers, we need to change people's minds, yes ... but we also need to change the law. Today, in 38 states, you can be fired from your job because of who you are, not how hard you work. That's wrong, and we need to put an end to it by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Right now, ENDA's got 44 senators sponsoring it. Senator Kennedy is holding a hearing on it this month ... we're going to vote on it this yea r... and we're going to fight for it until it is the law of the land. We also need to outlaw crimes of hate. Two years ago, a man you may have heard of came to visit the United States Senate. His name is David O'Malley - a staunch Republican and a law enforcement officer for 27 years. By 1998 he had risen to the rank of commander of the investigations unit for the Laramie, Wyoming, Police Department. Like a lot of people, David O'Malley had long believed that every violent crime is a hate crime, so why make the distinction? And then came that autumn morning when Matthew Shepard was found beaten unconscious and left for dead on a split-rail fence. David O'Malley came to Washington the last time we debated the issue of hate crimes. He told us that he used to make jokes about gay issues, and didn't give it a second thought. But as he investigated Matthew Shepard's murder, he began to understand a world he had once ridiculed. He saw loving parents who had lost a son. He saw devoted friends. He saw a community that was scared to death that what happened to Matthew could just as easily happen to them. He saw a local police department that was trying to bring the killers to justice but - without federal help - was stretched to the breaking point. He saw that hate crimes are indeed different than all other crimes. They marginalize, they dehumanize, they intimidate. And so, Mr. O'Malley came to the Senate that day as a transformed man with a simple message: We need a national law to punish hate crimes and prevent them, once and for all.
I say tonight: they couldn't be more wrong. They've failed to learn one of the most basic, most powerful lessons of our history: we have always used times of challenge to strengthen and expand our democracy. Remember, our Constitution - written in order to "secure the blessings of liberty" - was written at the time when we were fighting for our very existence as a nation. It was during the Civil War that the Congress authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad. Imagine that - a plan to connect the distant shores of a nation that was, at the time, being torn apart. It was during World War I that women went to work in record numbers and an American president, Woodrow Wilson, first publicly spoke in favor of women's suffrage. It was during - not after - World War II - that we passed the G.I. Bill, to educate a generation that fought for freedom. And it was during the difficult and divisive Vietnam years that we lowered the voting age to 18. The story of America is the story of an ever-widening circle of human dignity and expanding opportunity. It is precisely the times when our Democracy is challenged from external forces that we strengthen it internally. And with your help, we're going to do so again, today. People say that September 11 changed everything. And sometimes it seems like that's true. But I'll tell you one thing that did not change on Sept. 11 - that will never change: America is not strong in spite of our diversity. We are strong because of our diversity. Such a broad cross section of society died in the attack on the World Trade Center. People from 63 nations ... People of all races, religions, and ethnic groups. It is no surprise that gays and lesbians were among the victims ... and among the heroes. One of the passengers who managed to bring down that plane in Pennsylvania - possibly saving our nation's Capitol - was Mark Bingham. In all the news reports, he was described as the owner of a public relations company, and a rugby player. Nobody mentioned - perhaps because it didn't matter - that he was the captain of a gay rugby team. We were haunted by the images of New York firefighters carrying out the coffin of their chaplain Mychal Judge, who died while administering last rights to a fallen firefighter. Nobody mentioned - perhaps because it didn't matter - that he had long been a champion of equal rights. The terrorists who attacked our country sought to tear our nation apart. But in the wake of those attacks, we didn't turn on each other - we turned to each other. That is the America the terrorists hate. They think our acceptance of difference is repulsive. They think our pluralistic society is blasphemy. If you ask me, it's a miracle. To me, that is what tonight is about - celebrating the miracle that is our democracy, working to elect leaders who reflect its rich diversity, and strengthening it for generations to come. Thank you. |
