Tom Lantos
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 12th district
In office January 5, 1981 – February 11, 2008
Preceded by	William H. Royer
Succeeded by	Jackie Speier
Born	February 1, 1928(1928-02-01) Budapest, Hungary
Died	February 11, 2008 (aged 80) National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Annette Lantos
Religion	Jewish (non practicing) [1]

Thomas Peter Lantos (February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008)^[2] was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a small portion of southwest San Francisco. Lantos had announced in early January 2008 that he would not run for reelection because of cancer of the esophagus,^[3][4] but died before finishing his term. Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to have served in the US Congress. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... This article is about the U.S state. ... Map Californias 12th congressional district is one of 53 California Congressional Districts. ... is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... William Howard Royer (b. ... Jackie Speier is a Democratic member of the California State Senate representing San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Budapest (disambiguation). ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, also known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital, is considered the flagship of the United States Navys system of medical centers. ... Bethesda is an urbanized, but unincorporated, area in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a church located there, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalems Pool of Bethesda. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. ... For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation) and Shoah (disambiguation). ...

Personal and family life

Born as Lantos Tamás Péter (pronounced ['lɒntoʃ 'tɒmaːʃ 'peːtɛr]) to a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, Lantos was part of a resistance movement against the Nazis during the German occupation of Hungary. In his floor speeches, he sometimes referred to himself as one of the few living members of Congress who had fought against fascism. For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Budapest (disambiguation). ... Members of the Dutch Eindhoven Resistance with troops of the US 101st Airborne Division in front of the Eindhoven cathedral during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... // In Hungary, the Great Depression induced a drop in the standard of living and the political mood of the country shifted further toward the right. ... Fascism is a term used to describe authoritarian nationalist political ideologies or mass movements that are concerned with notions of cultural decline or decadence. ...

He sought refuge in a safe house established by Raoul Wallenberg; in 1981 Lantos sponsored a bill making Wallenberg an Honorary Citizen of the United States. He moved to the United States in 1947, and though he became fluent in English, he retained a marked Hungarian accent for the rest of his life. Raoul Gustav Wallenberg (August 4, 1912 – July 16, 1947?)[1][2][3] was a Swedish humanitarian sent to Budapest, Hungary under diplomatic cover to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. ... A non-United States citizen of exceptional merit may be declared an Honorary Citizen of the United States by an Act of Congress, or by a proclamation issued by the President pursuant to authorization granted by Congress. ...

Lantos considered himself a secular Jew^[1] . Upon immigrating to the United States under the auspices of Hillel he attended the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley, receiving his Ph.D in 1953. This article is becoming very long. ... 2000 Census Population Ancestry Map Immigration to the United States of America is the movement of non-residents to the United States. ... Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life (Hillel International) is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world. ... The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. ... Sather Tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ...

From 1950 to 1980, Lantos was a professor of economics, an international affairs analyst for public television, and a consultant to a number of businesses. He also served as a senior advisor to several U.S. Senators. Face-to-face trading interactions on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. ... Foreign affairs redirects here. ... Public broadcasting (also known as public service broadcasting or PSB) is the dominant form of broadcasting around the world, where radio, television, and potentially other electronic media outlets receive funding from the public. ... For other uses, see Consultant (disambiguation). ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States...

Lantos made his first run for office in 1980, when he defeated one-term Republican congressman Bill Royer by 5,700 votes. He never faced another contest nearly that close, and was reelected 13 times. He was the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress.^[5] GOP redirects here. ... William Howard Royer (b. ... There are many famous Holocaust survivors who survived the Nazi genocides in Europe and went on to achievements of great fame and notability. ...

Lantos and his wife Annette have two daughters, Annette and Katrina, and 17 grandchildren. Lantos' wife is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints^[6]. Annette Lantos is a first cousin of the sisters Zsa Zsa, Eva, and Magda Gabor.^[7] Katrina, who married ambassador and former U.S. Representative from New Hampshire Richard Swett, was a candidate for Congress in New Hampshire, running for the House of Representatives in 2002 against Charlie Bass and in 2008 for the U.S. Senate against John Sununu. His daughter Annette was married to Timber Dick, "an independent businessman in Colorado,"^[8] until Dick's death on April 10, 2008 from burns suffered in an automobile accident.^[9][10] Katrina Swett, J.D., Ph. ... For other uses, see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (disambiguation). ... Zsa Zsa Gábor (born Sári Gábor on February 6, 1917)) is a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. ... For other persons named Gabor, see Gabor (disambiguation). ... Magda Gabor Magda Gabor (June 11, 1915 - June 6, 1997) was a Hungarian-American entertainer born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (modern day Hungary). ... For other uses, see Ambassador (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see New Hampshire (disambiguation). ... Richard Dick Swett (born May 1, 1957) is an American politician from the U.S. state of New Hampshire. ... Charles Foster Bass (born January 8, 1952) is a member of the United States House of Representatives for the second district of New Hampshire. ... John Sununu is the name of two U.S. politicians: John H. Sununu, Governor of New Hampshire (1983-1989) and White House Chief of Staff for George H. W. Bush (1989-1991) John E. Sununu, his son, U.S. Congressman (1997-2003) and U.S. Senator (2003-present) This is... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

Lantos appeared in the Academy Award-winning film The Last Days, a documentary of the Holocaust's effect on Hungarian Jews, and "To Bear Witness", another documentary.^[11] Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...

Lantos often brought a small white terrier named Mackó (pronounced [mɒtskoː]; "little bear" in Hungarian) to his Capitol Hill office. Lantos' previous dog, a small poodle named Gigi, was also a fixture in Washington.

Tom Lantos was an honorary member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

Political positions

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Lantos

Lantos was a strong supporter of the Iraq War from the start, but from 2006 onward made increasingly critical statements about the conduct of the war, and as the chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs he held 20 oversight hearings on the war in 2007. (See separate section below about the war in Iraq.) Mayor[3] Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is the current mayor of San Francisco. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... A Chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. ... The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs (also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives which is in charge of bills and investigations related to the foreign affairs of the United States. ...

Lantos was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus^[12] and repeatedly called for reforms to the nation's health-care system, reduction of the national budget deficit and the national debt, repeal of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, and has opposed Social Security privatization efforts. He supported same-sex marriage rights and marijuana for medical use, was a strong proponent of gun control^[13] and was adamantly pro-choice.^[14] The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) the single largest caucus in the United States House of Representatives, and works together to advance progressive issues and causes. ... Health care in the United States is provided by many separate legal entities. ... Historically, the United States government has tended to spend more than it takes in, with national debt that was close to $1 billion at the beginning of the 20th century. ... The U.S. public debt, commonly called the national debt or the gross federal debt, is the amount of money owed by the United States federal government. ... The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 was a sweeping piece of tax legislation in the United States. ... This article concerns proposals to change the Social Security system in the United States. ... International recognition Civil unions and domestic partnerships Recognized in some regions Unregistered co-habitation Recognition debated Civil unions legal, same-sex marriage debated See also Same-sex marriage Civil union Registered partnership Domestic partnership Timeline of same-sex marriage Listings by country This box:      Same-sex marriage, also called gay... A catalog page offering Cannabis sativa extract. ... Gun Politics in the United States, incorporating the political aspects of gun politics, and firearms rights, has long been among the most controversial and intractable issues in American politics. ... Issues of discussion The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. ...

Lantos was a well-known advocate on behalf of the environment, receiving consistently high ratings from the League of Conservation Voters and other environmental organizations for his legislative record.^[15] His long-standing efforts to protect open space brought thousands of acres under the protection of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including Mori Point, Sweeney Ridge and — most recently — Rancho Corral de Tierra, which will keep its watersheds and delicate habitats free from development permanently.^[16][17] In 2005 he opposed an effort to expand public use of the Farallon Islands, a protected wildlife haven. The League of Conservation Voters is an American environmentalist lobby. ... This is a list of environmental organizations, organizations that preserve or monitor the environment in different ways. ... The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service, which surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. ... Farallon Islands, with border of Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Southeast Farallon Islands (from nautical chart of 1957) View of research station at Marine Terrace, with Farallon Island Light above The Farallon Islands are a group of islands and rocks found in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast...

Lantos consistently championed local transportation projects that need federal funds and, given his seniority in Congress, proved successful at delivering this support. For the movement of people or objects, see transport. ...

He also championed human rights. For example, Yahoo turned over the email records of two pro-democracy dissidents to the Chinese government that allowed it to trace them. One was given ten years in a Chinese dungeon. Lantos had Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang testify at a congressional hearing with the weeping mother of the political prisoner seated directly behind him.

Foreign affairs issues

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon with Lantos and his wife, Annette Lantos

Lantos served as the chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The United Nations Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal divisions of the United Nations. ... IPA pronunciation: This is a Korean name; the family name is Ban Ban Ki-moon (born June 13, 1944)[1] is a South Korean diplomat and the current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ... The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs (also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives which is in charge of bills and investigations related to the foreign affairs of the United States. ...

Through its more than 20 years of work, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus^[18] — of which Lantos was co-chair with Representative Frank Wolf — has covered a wide range of human rights issues, speaking out for Christians who want to practice their faith in Saudi Arabia and Sudan, fighting for Tibetans to be able to retain their culture and religion in Tibet and advocating for other oppressed minorities worldwide. Lantos’ efforts to protect religious freedom in 2004 resulted in a bill to halt the global spread of antisemitism.^[19] Frank Rudolph Wolf, born January 30, 1939, American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1981. ... Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism, also known as judeophobia) is prejudice and hostility toward Jews as a religious, racial, or ethnic group. ...

Lantos was involved with his colleagues on the International Relations Committee on many decisions that affect other aspects of American foreign policy. Lantos spoke out strongly against waste, fraud and abuse in the multi-billion dollar U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq, and has warned that the U.S. may lose Afghanistan to the Taliban if the Bush Administration fails to take decisive action to halt the current decline in political stability there. For a history, see Timeline of United States diplomatic history For the published diplomatic papers, see The Foreign Relations of the United States For Foreign relations under George W. Bush, see Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. ... The Taliban (Pashto: - , also anglicised as Taleban) are a Sunni Islamist and Pashtun nationalist movement[2] that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by a cooperative military effort between the Northern Alliance and NATO countries. ... George W. Bush administration is the administration of the 43rd president of the United States of America, 2001-present George H. W. Bush administration is the administration of the 41st president of the United States of America, 1989-1993 This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise...

Lantos, then the ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, tried to disrupt U.S. military aid to Egypt. Lantos argued that the Egyptian military had made insufficient efforts to stop the flow of money and weapons across the Egyptian border to Hamas in Gaza, and had not contributed troops to internationally-supported peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Lantos was a strong advocate of Israel Ḥamas (; acronym: , or Ḥarakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya or Islamic Resistance Movement) is a democratically-elected Palestinian Sunni Islamist[1] militant organization and political party which currently holds a majority of seats in the legislative council of the Palestinian Authority. ...

1991 Persian Gulf War

See also: Nurse Nayirah

Lantos was a strong supporter of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. During the run-up to the war, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, of which Lantos was co-chairman, hosted a young Kuwaiti woman identified only as "Nurse Nayirah", who told of horrific abuses by Iraqi soldiers, including the killing of Kuwaiti babies by taking them out of their incubators and leaving them to die on the cold floor of the hospital. These alleged atrocities figured prominently in the rhetoric at the time about Iraqi abuses in Kuwait. Nurse Nayirah was a creation of public relations firm Hill & Knowlton for promoting the 1991 Gulf War. ... See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... Nurse Nayirah was a creation of public relations firm Hill & Knowlton for promoting the 1991 Gulf War. ...

The girl's account was later challenged by independent human rights monitors.^[20] "Nurse Nayirah" later turned out to be the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States.^[20] Asked about his having allowed the girl to give testimony without identifying herself, and without her story having been corroborated, Lantos replied, "The notion that any of the witnesses brought to the caucus through the Kuwaiti Embassy would not be credible did not cross my mind... I have no basis for assuming that her story is not true, but the point goes beyond that. If one hypothesizes that the woman's story is fictitious from A to Z, that in no way diminishes the avalanche of human rights violations."^[20]

Lantos and John R. MacArthur, the foremost critic of the Nayirah issue, each had op-eds features in The New York Times, in which each accused the other of distortion.^[21] MacArthur suggested that Lantos may have materially benefited from his having accommodated Nayirah.^[22] Nayirah was later revealed to have connections to a lobbying firm in the employ of a Kuwaiti activist group, and her story has since come to be regarded as baseless propaganda.^[22] This article is about American journalist John R. MacArthur. ... Citizens for a Free Kuwait (CFK) was a front group established by the Hill & Knowlton PR firm to promote the 1991 U.S. war in the Persian Gulf (Operation Desert Storm). ...

War in Iraq

On October 4, 2002, Lantos led a narrow majority of Democrats on the House International Relations Committee to a successful vote in support of the Resolution for the Use of Force, seeking the approval of the United Nations and under the condition that Bush would allow UN weapons inspectors to finish their work and that Bush would need to return to Congress for an actual declaration of war before invading Iraq. The resolution later passed the House and the Senate with a total of 373 members of Congress supporting it. "The train is now on its way," said Lantos after his — and the President's — victory.^[23] In later hearings on the war, Lantos continued his enthusiastic support. At one point he was confronted by witnesses who questioned the likelihood of enthusiastic Baghdadis welcoming the invading Americans; Lantos called this a kind of racism, to suggest the Iraqis might be so ungrateful. is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Starting in early 2006, Lantos has distanced himself from the Bush Administration's Iraq policy, making critical statements at hearings, on the House floor and in published media interviews about the conduct of the war. During hearings of the House International Relations Committee, where he was then the ranking member, Lantos repeatedly praised the investigative work of the office of the Special Inspector of Iraq Reconstruction General Stuart Bowen, which uncovered evidence of waste, fraud and abuse in the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars intended to help secure and rebuild Iraq.

Lantos was an immediate and consistent critic of the troop surge advocated by President Bush. On the night in January 2007 that Bush announced his plan, Lantos responded, "I oppose the so-called surge that constitutes the centerpiece of the President's plan. Our efforts in Iraq are a mess, and throwing in more troops will not improve it." And during a joint House hearing on September 10, 2007 featuring General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Lantos said, "The Administration’s myopic policies in Iraq have created a fiasco. Is it any wonder that on the subject of Iraq, more and more Americans have little confidence in this Administration? We can not take ANY of this Administration's assertions on Iraq at face value anymore, and no amount of charts or statistics will improve its credibility. This is not a knock on you, General Petraeus, or on you, Ambassador Crocker. But the fact remains, gentlemen, that the Administration has sent you here today to convince the members of these two Committees and the Congress that victory is at hand. With all due respect to you, I must say … I don't buy it." At the same hearing, Lantos drew comparisons between some of the current U.S. activities in Iraq to U.S. support two decades ago of Islamic militants in Afghanistan: "America should not be in the business of arming, training and funding both sides of a religious civil war in Iraq. Did the Administration learn nothing from our country’s actions in Afghanistan two decades ago, when by supporting Islamist militants against the Soviet Union, we helped pave the way for the rise of the Taliban? Why are we now repeating the short-sighted patterns of the past?"^[24] is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... David Howell Petraeus (born November 7, 1952) is a general in the United States Army and commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I), the four-star post that oversees all U.S. forces in the country. ... Ryan C. Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Clark Crocker (born on June 19, 1949 in Spokane, Washington) is the current United States Ambassador to Iraq. ...

Darfur

On April 28, 2006, Lantos and four other Democratic U.S. Representatives (Sheila Jackson Lee, Jim McGovern, Jim Moran, and John Olver), along with six other activists, took part in a civil disobedience action in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. They were protesting the role of the Sudanese government in carrying out genocide in the Darfur conflict and were arrested for disorderly conduct.^[25] is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950 in Queens, New York), an American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995. ... Rep. ... James Patrick Jim Moran Jr. ... Rep. ... For other uses, see Civil disobedience (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... For other uses, see Genocide (disambiguation). ... Combatants JEM factions NRF alliance Janjaweed SLM (Minnawi)  Sudan African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Commanders Ibrahim Khalil Ahmed Diraige Omar al-Bashir Minni Minnawi Luke Aprezi Strength N/A N/A 7,000 The Darfur conflict is a crisis in the... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Hungarian minorities

Tom Lantos stood up for the rights of Hungarian minorities several times^[26][27] as a member of the US House of Representatives. In a 2007 letter he asked Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia to distance themselves from the Benes decrees, a reasonable process in the Hedvig Malina case, and to treat members of the Hungarian minority as equal^[28][29]. He indirectly blamed the Slovak government for ethnically motivated attacks on Hungarians because the country's governing coalition included ultra-nationalist parties^[30]. The American Hungarian Federation recognized Congressman Lantos for his "Leadership in Support of Democracy, Human Rights and Minority Rights in Central and Eastern Europe,” awarding him the organization's highest award the "Col. Commandant Michael Kovats Medal of Freedom" at the October 19, 2005 Congressional Reception commemorating the 49th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Robert Fico (15 September 1964 in Topoľčany) is the current Prime Minister of Slovakia (since July 4, 2006). ... The Beneš decrees were a series of laws enacted by the Czechoslovak government of exile during World War II in absence of Czechoslovak parliament (see details in Czechoslovakia: World War II (1939 - 1945)). Today, the term is most frequently used for the part of them dealing with status of Germans... Approximate area in south Slovakia inhabited by ethnic Hungarians Hungarians or Magyars are the largest ethnic minority of Slovakia, numbering 520,528 people or 9. ...

Lebanon

On August 27, 2006, at the Israeli Foreign Ministry building in Israel, Lantos said he would block a foreign aid package promised by President George W. Bush to Lebanon and free the funds only when Beirut agreed to the deployment of international troops on the border with Syria. Lantos was meeting at the time with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni after talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Development aid. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Foreign Affair Ministers of Israel, 1948-present Moshe Sharett 1948-1956 Golda Meir 1956-1966 Abba Eban 1966-1974 Yigal Allon 1974-1977 Moshe Dayan 1977-1979 Menachem Begin 1979-1980 Yitzhak Shamir 1980-1986 Shimon Peres 1986-1988 Moshe Arens 1988-1990 David Levy 1990-1992 Shimon Peres 1992... U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney meets with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tzipi Livni, at the White House. ... The Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew: ראש הממשלה, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ... Ehud Olmert (‎; Arabic: ‎; pronounced , born 30 September 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel. ...

Planned Retirement and Death

On January 2, 2008, Lantos announced he would not run for a 15th term in the House due to being diagnosed with esophagus cancer, but planned to complete his final term. Lantos was quoted as saying, "It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress," he said. "I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country."^[31][32] Lantos died on February 11, 2008 of complications from esophageal cancer before finishing his term. A special election was held to fill his seat on April 8, 2008 and was won by former State Senator Jackie Speier who Lantos had endorsed as his successor.^[33]. is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... California State Senate chamber The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. ... Jackie Speier is a Democratic member of the California State Senate representing San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. ...

Shortly after his death, Roy Blunt, the House Republican Whip stated that "Chairman Lantos will be remembered as a man of uncommon integrity and sincere moral conviction -- and a public servant who never wavered in his pursuit of a better, freer and more religiously tolerant world."^[34] Roy D. Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is a Republican politician from Missouri, currently representing that states 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. ...

On June 19, 2008, President George W. Bush posthumously awarded Lantos the Medal of Freedom. In a ceremony at the White House, Bush stated "We miss his vigorous defense of human rights and his powerful witness for the cause of human freedom. For a lifetime of leadership, for his commitment to liberty, and for his devoted service to his adopted nation, I am proud to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously, to Tom Lantos, and proud that his loving wife Annette will receive the award on behalf of his family."^[35] George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Congressional scorecards

See also

• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart

Project Vote Smart provides the following results from congressional scorecards.^[36] Project Vote Smart (PVS) is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. ... Project Vote Smart (PVS) is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. ...

• American Civil Liberties Union — 91% for 2005–2006
• Americans for Democratic Action — 100% for 2006
• American Land Rights Association — 9% for 2006
• Americans for Tax Reform — 0% for 2006
• AFL-CIO — 100% in 2006
• Campaign for America's Future — 100% for 2005-2006
• Conservative Index-John Birch Society — 11% for Fall 2004
• Children's Defense Fund — 100% for 2006
• Drug Policy Alliance — 83% for 2006
• Drum Major Institute — 100% for 2005
• Family Research Council — 0% for 2006
• FreedomWorks — 0% for 2006
• Gun Owners of America — 0% for 2006
• Humane Society of the United States — 100% for 2005-2006
• League of Conservation Voters — 92% for 2006
• NARAL Pro-Choice America — 100% for 2006
• National Association of Wheat Growers — 37% for 2005
• National Education Association — 100% for 2005-2006
• National Federation of Independent Business — 14% for 2005-2006
• National Journal — Composite liberal score of 86.2% for 2006
• National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws — 20 for 2006
• National Organization for Women — 95% for 2005-2006
• National Rifle Association — F for 2006
• National Right to Life Committee — 0% for 2005-2006
• National Taxpayers Union — 10% for 2006
• Population Connection — 100% for 2006
• Republican Liberty Caucus — 16% for 2005
• Secular Coalition for America — 70% on 2006 scorecards^[37]
• United States Chamber of Commerce — 33% for 2006

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American organization consisting of two separate entities: the ACLU Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on litigation and communication efforts, and the American Civil Liberties Union which focuses on legislative lobbying and does not have non-profit status. ... Americans For Democratic Action (ADA) was formed in January 1947, when Eleanor Roosevelt, John Kenneth Galbraith, Reinhold Niebuhr, Hubert Humphrey and 200 other activists. ... Americans for Tax Reform is an interest group seeking to reduce the overall level of taxation in the United States, at the federal, state and local level. ... American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL-CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 54 national and international unions (including Canadian), together representing more than 10 million workers. ... Campaign for Americas Future is an American non-profit for progressive ideas and action. ... The John Birch Society is a conservative American exceptionalist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. ... The Childrens Defense Fund is a child advocacy group. ... The Drug Policy Alliance is a New York City-based non-profit organization with the principal goal of ending the American War on Drugs. Its publicly-stated goals include nationwide availability of medicinal marijuana, the creation of drug-related public health measures, ending abuses of asset forfeiture, repealing non-violent... The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a non-partisan, non-profit policy institute founded during the civil rights movement. ... The Family Research Council (FRC) is a Christian conservative non-profit lobbying organization, formed in the United States by James Dobson in 1981 and incorporated 1983. ... FreedomWorks is a non-partisan conservative non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. with over 850,000 grassroots activists. ... Gun Owners of America is the second largest gun rights organization in America. ... HSUS logo The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a Washington, D.C-based animal welfare advocacy group. ... The League of Conservation Voters is an American environmentalist lobby. ... NARAL Pro-Choice America (pronounced NAY-ral) is a pro-choice organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose restrictions on abortion and expand access to abortion. ... Category: ... The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States, representing many of the countrys teachers along with other school personnel. ... The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is a lobbying organization with offices in Washington, DC USA, and in all 50 state capitols. ... National Journal is a weekly magazine that provides Insight for Insiders through nonpartisan reporting on the current political environment as well as emerging political and policy trends. ... The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws or NORML (pronounced normal) is a US-based non-profit corporation whose aim is, according to their most recent mission statement, move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults... The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist group, founded in 1966, claiming a membership of 500,000 people and 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm rights... The National Right to Life Committee is a right to life/pro-life organization, that was founded in in Detroit as a non-sectarian, non-partisan group, opposed to abortion, euthanasia and infanticide. ... National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is an pro-taxpayers advocacy organization in the United States, founded in 1969 by James Dale Davidson. ... Population Connection is an organization in the United States, formerly known as Zero Population Growth. ... The logo for the Republican Liberty Caucus // The Republican Liberty Caucus is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party by: A. Promoting these ideals among Party officials and its various organizations; B. Identifying and supporting candidates... Logo of the Secular Coalition for America The Secular Coalition for America is a lobbying group representing atheists, secular humanists, and freethinkers in American politics. ... The United States Chamber of Commerce is the worlds largest not-for-profit business federation, representing 3,000,000 businesses (via its Federation of local chambers and association members. ...

Controversies

During a 1996 Congressional inquiry into the "Filegate" scandal, Rep. Lantos told witness Craig Livingstone that "with an infinitely more distinguished public record than yours, Admiral Boorda committed suicide when he may have committed a minor mistake." Boorda, the Chief of Naval Operations, had recently taken his own life after his right to wear Combat V decorations had been questioned. Lantos was criticized by some (including fellow Congressman Joe Scarborough) who interpreted the remark as a suggestion that Livingstone too should kill himself.^[38] The White House FBI files controversy of the Clinton Administration, often referred to in the press as Filegate,[1] arose in June 1996 around improper access in 1993 and 1994 to Federal Bureau of Investigation security-clearance documents. ... Jeremy Michael Boorda (November 26, 1939 – May 16, 1996) was an admiral of the United States Navy and the 25th Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). ... The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is the senior military officer in the United States Navy. ... The Valor device, also known as V-device, V device, and Combat V, is an award of the United States military which is authorized by the military services as an attachment to certain awards and decorations. ... For the artist of the same, see Joe Scarborough (artist) Charles Joseph Joe Scarborough (born April 9, 1963) is the host of the program Morning Joe and former host of Scarborough Country on MSNBC and served in the United States House of Representatives, from 1995 to 2001, as a Republican...

On May 3, 2000, Lantos was involved in an automobile accident while driving on Capitol Hill. Lantos drove over a young boy's foot and then failed to stop his vehicle. He was later fined over the incident for inattentive driving.^[39] is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In 2002, Lantos, who was on the House Committee on International Affairs, took Colette Avital, a Labor Party member of the Israeli Knesset, by the hand and, according to Ha'aretz, tried to reassure her with these words: "My dear Colette, don't worry. You won't have any problem with Saddam. We'll be rid of the bastard soon enough. And in his place we'll install a pro-Western dictator, who will be good for us and for you."^[40] He later denied saying this, but Avital confirmed it, according to Ben Terrall, an adviser to Maad H. Abu-Ghazalah, a Libertarian Party candidate who ran against Lantos that year.^[41] The Israeli Labor Party (‎, Mifleget HaAvoda HaYisraelit), generally known in Israel as Avoda (‎) is a center-left political party in Israel. ... Type Unicameral Speaker of the Knesset Dalia Itzik, Kadima since May 4, 2006 Deputy Speaker Majalli Wahabi, Kadima since May 4, 2006 Members 120 Political groups Kadima Labour-Meimad Shas Likud Last elections March 28, 2006 Meeting place Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel Web site www. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ...

In June 2007, Lantos called former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder a "political prostitute" at the dedication ceremony of the Victims of Communism Memorial, which caused a political backlash from the German government. Lantos was referring to Schröder's ties to energy business in Russia, and remarked that this appellation would offend prostitutes.^[42] June 2007 is the sixth month of that year. ...   [] (born April 7, 1944), German politician, was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. ... President George W. Bush dedicates the Victims of Communism Memorial on June 12, 2007 The Victims of Communism Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. at the intersection of Massachusetts and New Jersey Avenues and G Street, N.W., two blocks from Union Station and within view of the... Nord Stream AG is a consortium for constraction and operation of the planned Nord Stream submarine pipeline between Vyborg in Russia and Greifswald in Germany. ...

In October 2007, Dutch parliament members said Lantos insulted them while discussing the War on Terrorism by stating that the Netherlands had to help the United States, because they liberated them in the Second World War, while adding that the upheaval over Guantanamo in Europe was bigger than over Auschwitz at the time.^[43] October 2007 is the tenth month of that year. ... Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a controversial[1] United States detention center operated by Joint Task Force Guantanamo since 2002 in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, which is on the shore of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. ... Auschwitz, in English, commonly refers to the Auschwitz concentration camp complex built near the town of Oświęcim, by Nazi Germany during World War II. Rarely, it may refer to the Polish town of Oświęcim (called by the Germans Auschwitz) itself. ...

Electoral history

Contains Morgan Hill, California. ... The U.S. House election, 1980 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1980 which coincided with the election of Ronald Reagan as President. ... United States Peace and Freedom Party logo The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a ballot-listed minor political party in California. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... The U.S. House election, 1982 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1982 which occurred in the middle of President Ronald Reagans first term. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... United States Peace and Freedom Party logo The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a ballot-listed minor political party in California. ... The U.S. House election, 1984 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1984 which coincided with the re-election of President Ronald Reagan in a landslide. ... The American Independent Party is a California political party. ... The U.S. House election, 1986 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1986 which occurred in the middle of President Ronald Reagans second term. ... The U.S. House election, 1988 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1988 which coincided with the election of George H. W. Bush as President. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... United States Peace and Freedom Party logo The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a ballot-listed minor political party in California. ... The U.S. House election, 1990 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1990 which occurred in the middle of President George H. W. Bushs term. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... The American Independent Party is a California political party. ... The American Independent Party is a California political party. ... The American Independent Party is a California political party. ... Map Californias 12th congressional district is one of 53 California Congressional Districts. ... The U.S. House election, 1992 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1992 which coincided with the election of Bill Clinton as President. ... United States Peace and Freedom Party logo The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a ballot-listed minor political party in California. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... The U.S. House election, 1994 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1994 which occurred in the middle of President Bill Clintons first term. ... The U.S. House election, 1996 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1996 which coincided with the re-election of Bill Clinton as President. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... The Natural Law Party was a United States political party affiliated with the international Natural Law Party. ... The U.S. House election, 1998 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1998 which occurred in the middle of President Bill Clintons second term. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... The U.S. House election, 2000 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 2000 which coincided with the election of George W. Bush as President. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... The Natural Law Party was a United States political party affiliated with the international Natural Law Party. ... The U.S. House election, 2002 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 2002 in the middle of President George W. Bushs first term. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 109th Congress were held on November 2, 2004. ... This article is about the American political party, Green Party. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. ... Elections for the United States House of Representatives will be held on November 7, 2006, with all of the 435 seats in the House being contested. ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli newspaper in the English language. ... j. ... j. ... For the in-memory database management system, see In-memory database. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Project Vote Smart (PVS) is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Author:Tom Lantos

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Congressman Tom Lantos' Remarks on the 25th Anniversary of the Tragedy at Jonestown and the Death of Congressman Leo Ryan

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
• Biography at Find A Grave, retrieved on 2008-05-04
• Notable Names DataBase — Tom Lantos
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Tom Lantos profile
• Tom Lantos for Congress, Campaign site
• They're jumping in head first Akiva Eldar, Ha'aretz, September 30, 2002
• Lantos' D.C. office is a living tribute to Wallenberg Janine Zacharia, Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, April 20, 2001
• Lantos Lashes Out at Germany and France
• Lantos set to retire after 27 years in public office -- Article in the Canadian Hungarian Journal