September 12, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6285 

the 19th century, an advocate for abolitionism, women’s suffrage, and the 

equality of all people. He worked tirelessly on behalf of emancipation. As a 

pivotal figure in Underground Railroad 

activities, he was an inspiration to 

enslaved Americans who aspired to 

freedom and equal rights. 

As one of our Nation’s most powerful 

voices for justice and the equality of 

all people, Frederick Douglass’ 

writings and teachings still speak to 

Americans today. Moving a statue of 

Frederick Douglass to the Emancipation Hall not only will recognize the 

accomplishments of one of the most 

important political activists in American history, it also will help correct 

the imbalance of influential African 

Americans honored in the halls of our 

Nation’s Capitol. 

It is particularly fitting that this 

long overdue legislation will be enacted near the commemoration of the 

150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the preliminary proclamation on September 22, 

1862, that paved the way for the Emancipation Proclamation to be signed on 

January 1, 1863. 

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise 

today to praise my Senate and House 

colleagues for passing H.R. 6336, a bill 

that will allow a statue of American 

hero and Rochester resident, Frederick 

Douglass, to reside permanently in the 

U.S. Capitol. I am proud that after a 5- 

year delay, Congress is acting to ensure that millions of visitors who come 

to Washington every year will see 

Frederick Douglass among the pantheon of statues of great Americans in 

our Capitol. 

I want to thank my good friend and 

colleague Senator DICK DURBIN for 

working with me and co-sponsoring the 

Senate bill that would ultimately lead 

to the passage of H.R. 6336. I also want 

to thank Representatives LUNGREN and 

BRADY for their bipartisan support in 

the House that helped bring this bill to 

the Senate for final passage. Lastly, I 

want to especially thank Delegate NORTON for her tireless efforts towards 

bringing the statue of this great American to our Capitol. 

Bringing Frederick Douglass to the 

U.S. Capitol is an important step toward ensuring that Americans depicted 

in the art of the Capitol reflect the 

true heritage of our Nation and the 

people who have helped to make it 

great. Currently there are only two African Americans depicted in the U.S. 

Capitol: Sojourner Truth in Emancipation Hall and the Rev. Martin Luther 

King, Jr. in the Rotunda. There is little doubt that more needs to be done to 

make sure that a greater diversity of 

outstanding Americans is represented 

in the U.S. Capitol. There is no doubt 

that a statue of Frederick Douglass, a 

man of towering influence not only 

during his lifetime in the 19th century 

but also, through his writings and actions, to the present day, has earned a 

place in our Capitol. 

He was born into slavery in Maryland, and at the age of 20 escaped to 

freedom. After living in Massachusetts, 

he moved to Rochester, NY, where he 

spent 25 highly productive and influential years and gained prominence as a 

leading national voice for the causes of 

human freedom and equality. 

During his time in Rochester, he published and edited The North Star, the 

most prominent African American 

newspaper in the country. Douglass 

was also a leader in the Underground 

Railroad in Rochester and Western 

New York. His influential best-selling 

autobiography, Narrative of the Life of 

Frederick Douglass, served as a rallying cry for the abolitionist movement and helped bring an end to that 

cruel institution. 

During the Seneca Falls Convention, 

a historic gathering near Geneva, NY, 

to promote women’s rights in 1848, 

Douglass participated as the only African American and one of only 37 men 

out of 300 attendees. Douglass’ presence 

at the convention in Seneca Falls visibly displayed his belief that the women’s rights movement and that of 

emancipation went hand-in-hand. 

Douglass’ beliefs on equality helped 

shape our great country and inspired 

generations of men and women elected 

to serve here in the halls of Congress. 

The passage of H.R. 6336 rightfully 

guarantees that Douglass’ legacy will 

forever be recognized in the Capitol of 

a grateful Nation. 

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent 

that the bill be read three times and 

passed, the motion to reconsider be 

laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in 

the RECORD. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The bill (H.R. 6336) was ordered to a 

third reading, was read the third time, 

and passed. 

f 

COMMENDING THE FOUR AMERICAN PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO 

DIED IN BENGHAZI, LIBYA, INCLUDING AMBASSADOR J. CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, AND CONDEMNING THE VIOLENT ATTACK 

OF THE UNITED STATES CONSULATE IN BENGHAZI 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed 

to the consideration of S. Res. 551. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will report the resolution by 

title. 

The legislative clerk read as follows: 

A resolution (S. Res. 551) commending the 

4 American public servants who died in 

Benghazi, Libya, including Ambassador J. 

Christopher Stevens, for their tireless efforts 

on behalf of the American people, and condemning the violent attack on the United 

States consulate in Benghazi. 

There being no objection, the Senate 

proceeded to consider the resolution. 

Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, the 

deaths of Ambassador Stevens and his 

team are heartbreaking. It is easy for a 

lot of people to forget that our diplomats are on the frontlines of the 

world’s most dangerous places and they 

are there trying to make the world a 

safer and better place at great risk to 

themselves and their families. 

Chris Stevens was all that and more. 

He was a foreign service professional 

down to his toes, a guy who had served 

on the Foreign Relations Committee 

and embraced tough odds and tough assignments overseas. He had the guts 

and grit to serve as our envoy during 

the rebellion, and his presence there reminded Libyans that America stood 

with them for freedom in the face of violence. He was continuing that noble 

work as Ambassador with enormous 

skill. 

He was an important part of the work 

we are doing in Libya, and we will not 

let this deplorable violence turn back 

the progress he helped make possible. 

Let’s remember that Libyans fought to 

protect the consulate and rescue the 

Americans inside, and that Libyans 

took Chris to a hospital in a desperate 

and potentially dangerous attempt to 

save his life. Indeed, the best way to 

honor his memory and that of the four 

American public servants who perished 

in Benghazi is to continue their work. 

The United States must continue to 

support the aspirations of the people of 

Libya for political reform based on 

democratic and human rights and the 

development of an inclusive government that ensures freedom, opportunity, and justice for the people of 

Libya. This is what Chris Stevens 

would have wanted. 

The violence in Cairo and Benghazi is 

unacceptable and unjustifiable. The 

stupidity of one filmmaker, no matter 

how offensive, is not now, and never, a 

rationale for violence. A despicable act 

like this hurts us all—Americans and 

peaceful people who aspire to build 

their own democracy. I commend 

President Obama for committing to 

bring the perpetrators of this attack to 

justice, and I am confident that this is 

precisely what the United States Government will do. 

This is one of those moments when 

Americans must unite as Americans. It 

is exactly the wrong time to throw political punches. It is a time to restore 

calm and proceed wisely. 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I 

rise today to pay tribute to a man who 

was killed in service to his country, a 

man who hails from my State of California, Ambassador John Christopher 

Stevens. 

I was shocked and saddened to learn 

of the deaths of Ambassador Stevens 

and the other three Americans who 

were killed during the horrible attack 

on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya. 

My deepest condolences go out to their 

families. They remain in my thoughts 

and prayers. 

He was struck down in the consulate 

by an act of mob violence which should 

never have taken place. There is simply no justification for this type of action and I condemn it in the strongest 

terms. 

mmaher on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE

S6286 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 12, 2012 

I would like to begin by telling you a 

little bit about this dedicated public 

servant, someone with a unique and 

distinguished biography. 

Born and raised in Piedmont CA, Ambassador Stevens graduated from Piedmont High School before receiving his 

undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkley in 1982 and 

a J.D. from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law in 1989. 

Before he joined the Foreign Service 

in 1991, he was an international trade 

lawyer in Washington, DC, and from 

1983 to 1985 he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. 

His overseas postings were consequential and showed he was an effective Foreign Service officer. He served 

as the deputy principal officer and political section chief in Jerusalem, a political officer in Damascus, a consular/ 

political officer in Cairo, and a consular/economic officer in Riyadh. 

In addition to his service abroad, 

Ambassador Stevens was the director 

of the Office of Multilateral Nuclear 

and Security Affairs, a Pearson Fellow 

with the Senate Foreign Relations 

Committee, special assistant to the 

Under Secretary for Political Affairs, 

Iran desk officer, and staff assistant in 

the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. 

He also served twice in Libya before 

becoming Ambassador: as deputy chief 

of mission at our Embassy in Tripoli 

from 2007 to 2009 and special representative to the Libyan Transitional Council from March 2011 to November 2011. 

In May 2012, he became the first U.S. 

Ambassador to Libya following the fall 

of Qadhafi. 

As you can see, he had a long and distinguished career as one of our top diplomats, someone who learned the language and culture of a region of the 

world critical to U.S. national security 

interests. 

Clearly, this was someone who was 

committed to helping the Libyan people achieve their goal of a free and 

democratic country after decades of 

brutal dictatorship. 

As Ambassador, he immediately went 

to work to help Libya build a new future, engaging government officials, 

academics, businessmen, and civil society leaders on a daily basis. 

Sadly, his term as Ambassador and 

his service to his country ended far too 

soon. 

This attack and the assault on our 

Embassy in Cairo serve as sobering reminders that we must continue to pay 

attention to the events in the countries involved in the Arab Spring. 

While in some countries like Egypt 

and Libya autocrats have fallen and 

the people have elected new leadership, 

tensions remain high and uncertainty 

about the future abounds. 

There is still a lot of work to be done 

to ensure that these countries fully 

embrace democracy, human rights, and 

the rule of law. 

It is critical that those responsible 

for these acts are brought to justice. 

And I call on the Governments of Libya 

and Egypt to work closely with the administration to ensure that this does 

not happen again. 

Ambassador Stevens was one of our 

best. He will be sorely missed. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be 

agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, 

the motions to reconsider be laid upon 

the table, with no intervening action 

or debate, that all Senators be added as 

cosponsors to the resolution, and all 

statements related to the resolution be 

printed in the RECORD. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The resolution (S. Res. 551) was 

agreed to. 

The preamble was agreed to. 

The resolution, with its preamble, 

reads as follows: 

S. RES. 551 

Whereas on September 11, 2012, 4 American 

public servants, including United States Ambassador to Libya, John Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith, were killed in a reprehensible and vicious attack on the United 

States consulate in Benghazi, Libya; 

Whereas Ambassador Stevens— 

(1) was a courageous and exemplary representative of the United States; 

(2) had spent 21 years in the Foreign Service; 

(3) was deeply passionate about representing the United States through his diplomatic service; and 

(4) was an ardent friend of the Libyan people; 

Whereas Ambassador Stevens served as 

Special Envoy to the Libyan Transitional 

National Council in Benghazi during the 2011 

Libyan revolution; 

Whereas Ambassador Stevens was a dear 

friend of the Senate, having served on the 

staff of the Committee on Foreign Relations 

of the Senate in 2006 and 2007 as a distinguished Pearson Fellow; 

Whereas Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith— 

(1) was a husband and a father of 2 children; 

(2) joined the Department of State 10 years 

ago; and 

(3) had served in the Foreign Service, before arriving in Benghazi, in Baghdad, Pretoria, Montreal, and The Hague; 

Whereas the 2 other individuals from Ambassador Stevens’ team who perished in the 

attack made great sacrifices and showed 

bravery in taking on a difficult post in 

Libya; 

Whereas the violence in Benghazi coincided with an attack on the United States 

Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, which was also 

swarmed by an angry mob of protesters on 

September 11, 2012; 

Whereas on a daily basis, United States 

diplomats, military personnel, and other 

public servants risk their lives to serve the 

American people; and 

Whereas throughout this Nation’s history, 

thousands of Americans have sacrificed their 

lives for the ideals of freedom, democracy, 

and partnership with nations and people 

around the globe. 

Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) recognizes the dedicated service and 

deep commitment of the 4 American public 

servants, including Ambassador John Christopher Stevens and Sean Smith, in assisting 

the Libyan people as they navigate the complex currents of democratic transition 

marked in this case by profound instability; 

(2) praises Ambassador Stevens, who represented the highest tradition of American 

public service, for his extraordinary record 

of dedication to the United States’ interests 

in some of the most difficult and dangerous 

posts around the globe; 

(3) sends its deepest condolences to the 

families of those American public servants 

killed in Benghazi; 

(4) commends the bravery of Foreign Service Officers, United States Armed Forces, 

and public servants serving in harm’s way 

around the globe and recognizes the deep 

sacrifices made by their families; and 

(5) condemns, in the strongest possible 

terms, the despicable attacks on American 

diplomats and public servants in Benghazi 

and calls for the perpetrators of such attacks 

to be brought to justice. 

f 

NATIONAL PRINCIPALS MONTH 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed 

to S. Res. 552. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will report the resolution by 

title. 

The legislative clerk read as follows: 

A resolution (S. Res. 552) recognizing the 

month of October 2012 as ‘‘National Principals Month.’’ 

There being no objection, the Senate 

proceeded to consider the resolution. 

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent 

that the resolution be agreed to, the 

preamble be agreed to, the motions to 

reconsider be laid upon the table, with 

no intervening action or debate, and 

any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the RECORD. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The resolution (S. Res. 552) was 

agreed to. 

The preamble was agreed to. 

The resolution, with its preamble, 

reads as follows: 

S. RES. 552 

Whereas the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National 

Association of Elementary School Principals 

have declared the month of October 2012 to 

be ‘‘National Principals Month’’; 

Whereas principals are educational visionaries, instructional and assessment leaders, 

disciplinarians, community builders, budget 

analysts, facilities managers, and administrators of legal and contractual obligations; 

Whereas principals work collaboratively 

with teachers and parents to develop and implement a clear mission, high curriculum 

standards, and performance goals; 

Whereas principals create school environments that facilitate great teaching and 

learning and continuous school improvement; 

Whereas the vision, actions, and dedication 

of principals provide the mobilizing force behind any school reform effort; and 

Whereas the celebration of National Principals Month would honor elementary 

school, middle school, and high school principals, and recognize the importance of principals in ensuring that every child has access 

to a high-quality education: Now, therefore, 

be it 

Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) recognizes the month of October 2012 as 

‘‘National Principals Month’’; and 

(2) honors the contribution of principals in 

the elementary schools, middle schools, and 

high schools of the United States by supporting the goals and ideals of National 

Principals Month. 

mmaher on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE