In 1984, Congressman Frank Wolf took a trip that would forever change his life.
Wolf went to Ethiopia, where he witnessed one of the worst famines in modern history. At the time, the first-term Republican U.S. Representative from Virginia’s 10th district had never crossed the Atlantic Ocean. He never imagined the setting in which he was about to be engulfed—infants with bloated stomachs, children starving and dying all around him; a situation brought about by crippling drought and inadequate government resources.
Since that trip nearly 30 years ago, Wolf has boarded many a plane to grim locations. He traveled to Romania in 1985, when the Soviet bloc country wasvstill viciously ruled by Nicolae Ceaușescu, a dictator who hammered his people with repression. Several years later, Wolf flew to China to visit Prison Number One, where Tiananmen Square protesters were being detained. He’s met with the Dalai Llama, and his name appears in the diary of President Ronald Reagan.
A reoccurring theme of Wolf’s trips is brutal human strife and suffering. It’s this dire human condition that has marked the career of the 73-year-old politician.
The extensive global experiences are also content for his new memoir, “Prisoner of Conscience: One Man’s Crusade for Global Human and Religious Rights.” Co-authored with Anne Morse, the 288-page book highlights a fascinating and rigorous demand for tolerance and freedom worldwide.
Without oozing partisanship, Wolf said his book is intended to keep human rights concerns and threats on the minds of Americans. Human rights can’t be left by the wayside just because there are severe challenges at home, Wolf believes.
“I’m hoping to get people interested,” Wolf said. “There are people still being tortured, people being persecuted for their religious beliefs.”
Human rights has always been a bipartisan issue, and that’s the way it should be in Wolf’s opinion. But it’s been diminishing in importance and, like nearly everything in Washington, has become more political.
Is it a funding issue? Wolf isn’t convinced.
It’s more a lack of cohesive push for human rights causes. There’s no leadership from the top and not enough support in both houses of Congress, Wolf said.
During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, human rights were a focal point of both Republican and Democrats. Even as recent as the Clinton years, there were concerted efforts to lessen suffering around the world. But in George W. Bush’s two terms, and continuing to Barack Obama’s, governmental and public advocacy has gradually declined, Wolf said.
From the nation’s capital, Wolf sponsored legislation that created a Religious Freedom Commission, and measures that allow for a special government envoy to advocate religious freedom around the world.
But there still needs to be more awareness in both the public and private sphere when it comes to poverty and harsh conditions around the globe, Wolf said.
Toward the end of his Zondervan-published book, Wolf gives his perspective on a range of issues: America’s debt crisis and how it relates to national security; how Chinese cyber-espionage efforts against the U.S. Government and industry erode U.S. National safety; how China supports the Sudan government in genocide in Darfur and Southern Sudan, and why the United Nations hasn’t acted on the tragedy in Darfur.
“Prisoner of Conscience” also includes poignant photos from Wolf’s trips and his political career. One photo shows him standing to applaud President Bill Clinton during the 1994 State of Union Address when Clinton said he would oppose granting “Most Favored Nation” trading status to China. The photo displays Wolf’s Republican colleagues seated and gazing at the Virginia representative.
“They were wondering ‘what is Wolf doing,’ because I was on the Republican side of the aisle, and I stood up.”
While Clinton eventually abandoned his position – a policy that greatly disappointed Wolf – the congressman says the picture speaks to the current fault of Congress making human rights a partisan issue.
“The Congress has never been more polarized,” Wolf said.
Demonstrating his opposition to this environment, Wolf spoke of his best friend during his time in Congress, the now-retired Ohio Democrat Tony Hall. It was Hall who first pushed Wolf to visit Ethiopia in 1984, which is where Wolf said his passion for human advocacy blossomed.
Noteworthy in Wolf’s crusade for religious tolerance, his efforts are without preference for any one religion. Wolf believes anyone, anywhere in the world, should “have the ability to worship and have those fundamental freedoms.”
“I think we, in the United States, have an opportunity to advocate and speak out.”
Speaking out led to one enormous victory for Wolf in the 1980s, when Wolf and few of his colleagues requested President Reagan withdraw Romania’s “Most Favored Nation” trading status. Pictured in the book is Wolf, along with Sens. Bill Armstrong and Jesse Helms and then-National Security Advisor Colin Powell discussing the Romania matter with Reagan. Shortly after the conversation, Reagan obliged Wolf’s recommendation, and withdrew Romania’s MFN status until they implemented better human rights policies.
Despite the horrors he’s seen, Wolf remains optimistic with respect to global religious freedom and basic rights. He believes, by the end of his lifetime, the Communist Chinese regime will come to an end. Whether that happens with Wolf in Congress or not – or whether it happens at all – it’s grand, bold causes like this for which Wolf has fought for 16 terms.
Mr. Wolf, where do you stand on basic human rights for women? We want to know! Speak up, or you will lose the female vote from now on, along with the rest of the loons in Richmond who hate women so much.
http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/27120/
Vasso,
You can find a glowing endorsement of the book here:
www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/JJE147_FrankWolf_101911_WS
If you want to purchase it, I suggest you wait a couple of months for a used copy. I don’t think “Prisoner of Conscience” is going to be a keeper.
By the way Jonathan, while the topic of the article may be his book, the intent of the article is not.
P.S. you forgot to add a URL where one can buy the book and how much it cost.
Election season. You gotta love it. I wonder where he stands on the civil rights violations with respect to reproductive rights towards the women of the 10th district (and the rest of the state) or the voter suppression laws coming out of Richmond. It’s admirable that he stands for freedom OF religion, but what about those of us who believe in legislative freedom FROM religion? Bi-partisan? REALLY? How many times has he voted with the Democrats and against his party in say, oh, the last 4 years? 32 years. That’s great. Thanks for your service. NEXT ! ! !
Citizens for Frank Wolf’s Retirement,
Why are you making this a partisan discussion about transportation and Congressional effectiveness? Isn’t the topic of the article Frank Wolf’s human rights record and the book he wrote that was published by Zondervan and co-authored by Anne Morse?
“He’s worked very hard on northern VA transportation issues and in securing federal funding.”
Oh really? What funding has Frank secured recently for the 10th district? Not that I support “pork”, but you would think a 32 year veteran of the House, who represents a wealthy district near our nation’s capital would be able to get more “pork” if he were actually effective.
Meanwhile we all sit in traffic and are on the hook for paying for a parking garage and Metro station at an international airport governed by a group of un-elected officials that is important due to its location near the federal government. Frank couldn’t make an argument that this project deserves federal funding? Or pressure MWAA to fund it through passenger facility charges?
The guy is mailing it in, and based on his history of sponsoring and co-sponsoring bills, he has been mailing it in for 32 years.
Real Truth,
I don’t think a moderate Republican would appear on AFA radio nor would he receive 100% approval ratings from another SPLC designated hate group, the Family Research Council. If he were moderate, he would have co-sponsored the Apartheid override. If he were moderate, he wouldn’t use the very narrow definition of “religious persecution” that excludes from scrutiny, abuses like the murder of Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador.
With so many conservatives coming across as generally intolerant, socially sanctimonious, and fearful of change, I have always had a sense that Wolf is, dare I say to his credit, a moderate conservative willing to contemplate the issues and to seek understanding among his colleagues across the isle. This democrat has felt for some time that Frank Wolf is fine example of a tolerant legislator navigating his own party’s mean spirited bigotry and partisanship. Rather than seek attention for extremist sound bytes Wolf seeks a maximum of sense with a minimum of sound. I don’t usually agree with his party but I am grateful for his moderation and reason.
I have to say that I don’t have a problem with Wolf. He’s worked very hard on northern VA transportation issues and in securing federal funding. I also liked what he did in proposing that math, engineering and science majors be given interest free loans. On the time or two that I felt strongly about writing a letter (I’m generally ticked off at congress on the whole) he’s been the first one to acknowledge my concerns and the responses were thoughtful and not just total BS). I also appreciate the fact that he tends to do what is right for district and doesn’t get embroiled in a bunch of nonsense (a la Eric Cantor). Unless he stops doing his job or decides to go off the deep end I’m fine with Wolf as long as he has the desire to serve.
Frankie dear, what have you done for us lately…. or for that matter what have you done for us at all? nothing. What a dolt. 30+ years with very little to show. Guess he couldn’t get a real job or want a real job. Frank wolf is a corrupt politician that has a pension for life thanks to the hard working taxpayers.
NSE,
Remember the Karl Rove doctrine, “look at the strength of your opponent”. Human rights is Frank Wolf’s strength. If he is ever to be defeated in a general election, it’s important to examine and expose his human rights record.
You may want to start with his book. Anne Morse also coauthored books with Chuck Colson, and Colson was just caught in a big fat political lie and a violation of the non-profit exemption of his $50M mega ministry.
http://www.loudounprogress.org/?p=3697
So this explains what Frank has been up to during his current term. He sure as heck hasn’t been fighting for any federal support for 10th District initiatives that is for sure. Nor is he part of the very important battles over the budget, debt ceiling or really anything of note. Just a fly on the wall, waiting for the party boss to tell him how to vote.
He makes sure to weigh in on signage on a highway though.
32 years in Congress and the guy has very little to show for it. I suggest Frank devote more time to human rights issues, and step aside. Join a NGO or something. Stop wasting our seat in Congress.
Actually Tom,
This isn’t partisan at all. The Clinton era sanctions against Iraq literally starved the entire country resulting in the death of 500,000 children.
http://www.globalissues.org/article/105/effects-of-sanctions
The war against the people of Iraq resulted in 1,000,000 civilian deaths.
There is no disputing that when Congressman Wolf identifies a human rights abuse, he is a persistent and effective advocate. The issue is cases where, for political reasons, Wolf turns his back on suffering people. For example, I’ve searched for any statement from Wolf during the Rwandan genocide, the most intense in terms of the killing rate, of any genocide in history. I’ve uncovered nothing. At the time, Congress was consumed with the Monica Lewinski affair.
I should also note that Wolf’s bragging about the Reagan Apartheid veto override occurred on AFA radio. AFA is an SPLC certified hate group. That isn’t very good company for a human rights activist to keep.
“Since the infamous shame of Abu Ghraib, perhaps most of us feel just way too humiliated to talk about other countries’ lack of human rights in the old self-righteous way.”
What a disgraceful thing to say. One incident that is not at all representative of our government (whoever is in charge), our culture, our people, or our way of life, and you take it to say we cannot stand for freedom and liberty at all?
The Pentagon was investigating Abu Ghraib before it ever got to the press. There is zero evidence higher-ups knew about it while it was going on. The perpetrators were tried and convicted.
The fact is that with our faults, the United States is a beacon of light and hope for oppressed people everywhere. We do stand for liberty and justice, and for the most part our policies promote those things. Yes we get some things wrong, but so do all countries and peoples.
Your real agenda I think is revealed in your comment about the “needless Iraq War.” You just didn’t like that he supported our operations there and so any incident will do to bash those who supported that war.
Congressman Wolf has done as much or more than any other member of that body to promote human rights around the world, and he has been astoundingly successful in many of his efforts. His actions have been applauded by people from across the political spectrum. Shameful how you cannot put your partisan hatred aside for someone who works in a bipartisan manner on such an important topic.
If Frank Wolf is a prisoner of anything, it’s a “do nothing” spirit. The man has been a cipher in an important district for far too long—his great work on gangs of stinkbugs not withstanding. For me, he’ll always be remembered as the guy who gave $1 million from taxpayers to that bogus Journey Through Hallowed Ground organization.
Repr. Wolf decries the diminished concern for human rights— well let’s examine that for a minute. Since the infamous shame of Abu Ghraib, perhaps most of us feel just way too humiliated to talk about other countries’ lack of human rights in the old self-righteous way. As for misery and suffering… Nothing creates it like war does—and Mr. Wolf was adamantly FOR the needless Iraq War and wouldn’t deign to listen to any opposition in 2002..early 2003. As a result, how much needless suffering was unleashed? How much longer did we have to stay in Afghanistan in order to get Bin Laden? Wolf is influential enough to have promoted a wiser course. It is his wisdom—not his good intentions that I question.
It’s important to scrutinize Congressman Wolf’s record in more detail. For example, President Reagan supported the South African Apartheid regime to the bitter end. Reagan even veto’d legislation to halt U.S. foreign aid to the South Africa. Congress override the veto. 180 congressmen co-sponsored the legislation. In an interview, Wolf bragged that he too voted to override Reagan’s veto. He did, but he didn’t co-sponsor.
Wolf has my vote.
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