Washington DC – February 3, 2012 – US Congress conference – Uphold Justice enable peaceful resettlement of Camp Ashraf residents
Thank you, very much, Professor.
General Phillips, your remarks were so pointed. And it really goes to the essence and your beautiful wife Dawn her presentation, her heartfelt defense of the allegations that have been put fourth about MEK, one of their great leaders. It is a disgrace that this nation has allowed Camp Ashraf to reach this point where the lives of people have already been taken.
I refer to some remarks and questions asked at a hearing by Congressman Daniel Rohabacher when he said, why was a United State’s unit deployed at Camp Ashraf ordered away just hours before it was viscously attacked? Why? Was that an accident?
When the militia under the Iraqi Government came in and murdered in cold blood innocent people killing 34, eight of whom were women, injuring 300 people. And what did our country do? I probably not, I received such great access anyway even when I call repeatedly people at the State Department. Their bureaucracy operates like an imperial government. Incredible. They won’t even call you back. They don’t obey Court orders from the second highest court in the United States. Right under Supreme Court of United States in the Second Circuit.
That basically says we to know why MEK is still on the terrorist watch list. Why? And they thumb their nose. And how do we hold ourselves out as the protectors of humanity? By the way, we have kept this little puppet despotic dictator Maliki in office. Thousands of U.S. servicemen wounded, given up their lives. For what? To have a puppet who is dancing to the Mullahs in Iran. (Applause)
Hundreds of dollars of dollars, treasure that belongs to the citizens of this country spent, not to mention the blood and the treasure of our sons and daughters and their sacrifice. And we allow this petty tyrant who now thumbs his nose at us after we went in under the cause of liberty and justice to free people, to hold 3400 people who we promised sanctuary to, to be threatened, to be killed.
And, oh, yes, the greatest joke of all, the greatest travesty of all to say we have a moderate, beautiful setting where you call Camp Liberty, which is nothing more than a modern prison to suppress and kill the hopes and dreams of people and eventually lead to their death. Camp Liberty. What a joke. (Applause)
I have to tell you I have great respect for Secretary Clinton. I think she’s a great secretary but she is being misled by the policy makers of this country who think that by appeasing the Mullahs in Iran by playing games with Maliki that somehow we are going to bring this business about the nuclear development to an end. We’ll get a reasonable solution. Teddy Roosevelt said it best. You speak softly but carry a big stick. It’s about time — that we send the signals back to Maliki, to the Mullahs that you are not kidding us. And one of the first things you can do is to let these people go.
And do you know for years we have heard, going back to biblical times, let my people go. That’s what we ask for. We ask for truth, we ask for justice. 1996 I spearheaded and led passage of the Iranian Olympian Sanctions Act. 1996. That act, if enforced, if we really went to impose sanctions, we could have brought about a difference. We did some business with some of the very same companies. I’ll name them. Seimens. The great German company. Who do you think helped put together the nuclear program? Seimens. Did we cut them off? Did we impose those sanctions? Oh, no.
President after President, Democrat and Republican, suspended. We are going to be able to work things out with the Mullahs. In 1997, what did we do? Put MEK on the terrorist list. Incredible. People who have worked for President Obama, General Jones, he questions it. He said they shouldn’t be on it. Louis Freeh. They shouldn’t be on. James Woolsey, head of the intelligence. Shouldn’t be on it. You think by appeasing dictators, by appeasing the Iranian Government that somehow they are going to change their policy? Never.
Shows weakness. It shows a lack of moral fiber and character. That’s not what our nation is or should be about. So I say, State Department wake up and do the right thing for the right reason. And let our people go.
