April 25, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5635

It doesn’t include people who choose

to exercise their constitutional right

to assemble, right to free speech, right

to keep and bear arms, to practice responsible civil disobedience, or to disagree with the Federal Government.

Neither the ultra right nor the ultra

left, neither conservative radio programs nor the liberal media are guilty

of this crime. The criminals who did it

are responsible.

Those who would use this act of barbarism to lay blame on their political

or ideological enemies, do every citizen

of this Nation a great disservice. They

are attempting to place the blame

somewhere other than on the shoulders

of the criminals themselves, not because of their grief, but the callous political self interest.

It also shows they have a shallow understanding of what makes our country

great.

In this Nation, the rights of the individual come first. The guilty must be

found, tried and punished.

The rights of the innocent must be

preserved.

In this Nation, ideas and beliefs are

not crimes. God forbid that they ever

will be.

That is the constitutional prescription for our freedom. It should not be

sacrificed for the short term political

gain or national comfort.

(At the request of Mr. DOLE, the following statement was ordered to be

printed in the RECORD.)

∑ Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, the

sense of the Senate resolution offered

by the Senators from Oklahoma and

the majority leader and minority leader reflects the desire of the U.S. Senate

to voice its outrage at the horrible

bombing of the Federal building in

Oklahoma City as well as our desire to

see swift punishment for those responsible. The resolution also offers the

Senate an opportunity to express concern and sympathy for the lives tragically affected by this crime.

To the families of those injured or

lost in the bombing, I offer my deepest

sympathies. We all offer our thanks to

the rescue workers, volunteers and law

enforcement officials who have responded to the crisis with bravery,

compassion, and extraordinary professionalism. Out of the depths of the despair caused by this criminal act,

Americans are finding renewed unity

and strength as we face together this

adversity.

Right after the blast I was asked if

this type of attack is the price our Nation must pay for a free and open society. I do not accept the thesis that we

must live in fear—for our lives, for the

safety of our children, or for our own

ability to express ourselves. After all,

our Nation is founded on the principles

of protecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. None of these precepts was honored by the terrorists

who ended or forever altered the lives

of the victims of the Oklahoma City

blast.

I personally rely upon my faith to

help understand this tragedy and gain

a sense that justice will be served. As a

Senator, I will join every other government official in the effort to ensure

that the hunt for the perpetrators of

this crime is successful and swift. And

although I cannot support the imposition of the death penalty because of my

longtime conscientious objection to it,

I nonetheless condemn the crime in the

harshest terms and am eager to know

that the criminals are behind bars.

f ∑

THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE

COMBINED JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is a

privilege to join today in celebrating

the 100th anniversary of the Combined

Jewish Philanthropies.

The Combined Jewish Philanthropies

has always been at the forefront of issues vital to the Jewish community,

and I have been proud to work with

members of this organization. As an organization that grew from 5 Jewish

agencies in 1895 to more than 80 agencies in 1995, it has developed into one of

the most successful charitable organizations in the world. Throughout these

years, the CJP has had extraordinary

success in improving the lives of countless people.

The CJP has helped to alleviate the

horrors of the past by assisting in the

rescue and resettlement of hundreds of

thousands of survivors of the Holocaust, and it has faced the challenges

of the present by assisting in the emigration and resettlement of large numbers of Soviet Jews. It has also laid a

solid foundation for promoting social

justice through programs that create

jobs, help the needy, care for the elderly, and educate children.

During my years in the Senate, I

have been proud to work with members

of the CJP on many social programs in

Massachusetts, including Jewish vocational services, family services, and

Big Brother/Big Sister programs. We

have worked together to develop counseling and job training initiatives for

the Jewish community in our State,

and we have helped over 5,000 Jewish

immigrants during the past 6 years

find jobs in Massachusetts. We have

also worked together to ensure that

young persons in need of role models

have the opportunity to participate in

the Big Brother/Big Sister programs in

Massachusetts. It has also been a privilege to work with the CJP against

antisemitism in the former Soviet

Union and for the right of emigration.

The CJP’s centennial celebration

comes during a time of great challenge

and great opportunity for the friends of

Israel. All of us deplore the tragic violence that continues to plague the

peace process in the Middle East. But I

look forward to working closely with

the CJP, the Clinton administration,

and my colleagues in Congress, to secure a just and lasting peace and to ensure that Israel’s vital security interests are protected.

I extend my respect and warmest

wishes as the CJP enters its second

century.

VOLUNTEERS HELP KEEP

CALIFORNIA BEAUTIFUL

fMrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise

today in support of thousands of California volunteers who have contributed

their time and hard work this month

to ensure California remains the Golden State that its people, the rest of the

country, and the world have come to

treasure.

April is Keep California Beautiful

Month, and the nonprofit Keep California Beautiful, Inc., supported by thousands of individuals and businesses, as

well as county, State and Federal agencies, have organized more than a hundred community-based projects to improve and maintain our publicly owned

lands and facilities, from parks in

inner cities to the wide-open spaces we

all love. The specific objectives are to

reduce litter, remove graffiti, expand

recycling, and enhance natural resources in urban and rural areas.

This year, 1995, is the beginning of

what we all hope will be an ever-increasing annual event in the years to

come. As we tighten our belts and

streamline government at all levels,

volunteer efforts like Keep California

Beautiful become even more important. In fact, the synergy created by

the private-public partnership of this

effort will, I believe, actually multiply

our capability to do the hands-on work

needed in all parts of the State.

This year’s success will be the first of

an ongoing annual event for years and

years to come. That way, not only are

we improving California for our children, but hopefully our children will

improve it for their children. It is that

kind of spirit that makes California

special.

I commend my fellow Californians

for their efforts and encourage everyone to get involved in Keep California

Beautiful Month next year.

WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE?

THE VOTERS HAVE SAID YES

fMr. HELMS. Mr. President, the skyrocketing Federal debt, which long ago

soared into the stratosphere, is in a

category like the weather—everybody

talks about it but almost nobody had

undertaken the responsibility of trying

to do anything about it until immediately following the elections last November.

When the 104th Congress convened in

January, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a balanced budget

amendment. In the Senate only 1 of the

Senate’s 54 Republicans opposed the

balanced budget amendment; only 13

Democrats supported it. Thus, the balanced budget amendment failed by just

one vote. There will be another vote

later this year or next year.