1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO 9 LANCER'S BOYS CLUB, FRIENDS SCHOOL 10 BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 2 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 PRESIDENT: Parents, honored guests, 3 gentlemen of the Lancer's. 4 Janet Reno was sworn in as the nation's 5 78th Attorney General by President Clinton on 6 March 12, 1993. From 1978 to the time of her 7 appointment, Ms. Reno served as the State 8 Attorney for Dade County Florida. She was 9 initially appointed to the position by the 10 Governor of Florida, and subsequently was 11 elected to that office five times. 12 Ms. Reno was a partner in the Miami 13 based law firm of Steel, Hector and Davis from 14 1976 to 1978. Before that, she served as 15 Assistant State Attorney and as Staff Director 16 of the Florida House of Representatives 17 Judiciary Committee, after starting her legal 18 career in private practice. 19 Ms. Reno was born and raised in 20 Miami, Florida, where she attend Dade County 21 Public Schools. She received an A.B. in 22 Chemistry from Cornell University in 1960, and 3 1 her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1963. 2 During her three year tenure, Ms. 3 Reno has directed a number of significant 4 prosecutions by the Justice Department. 5 Only a month after taking office, Ms. 6 Reno ordered the FBI to proceed with the gas 7 attack on cult leader David Koresh at Waco, 8 Texas, and took full responsibility for the 9 FBI's subsequent actions. 10 She spearheaded a civil rights 11 investigation of a series of fires of churches 12 in the South, including one where Reggie White, 13 of the Green Bay Packers, was pastor. 14 Ms. Reno and the Commissioner of 15 Immigration and Naturalization cooperated in 16 strengthening surveillance and enforcement 17 along the Mexican border, anticipating a surge 18 of illegal immigrants. 19 She oversaw the investigation of 20 Daiwa Bank of Japan, which pleaded guilty of 21 fraud and conspiracy, covering up over $1 22 billion in losses from illegal bond trading, 4 1 and paid record fines of $340 million. 2 In this, our final meeting of the 3 Lancer's 50th year, it is fitting to note that 4 Ms. Reno's official biography is the shortest I 5 have received this year from the prominent 6 people I've introduced to you. That, to me, 7 reflects the inherent modesty of an effective 8 leader and public servant. 9 It is a privilege to welcome as our 10 guest speaker, for this closing session at the 11 Lancer's 50th year, the Attorney General of the 12 United States, the Honorable Janet Reno. 13 (Applause) 14 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Mr. President, 15 gentlemen of the Lancer's, family, friends 16 and marvelous chorus. 17 It is a great honor for me to be here 18 this evening, because of your commitment to 19 community service. Your commitment to helping 20 others, is to me the tradition that makes this 21 nation great, and I commend you. 22 It is a little over three and a half 5 1 years ago that I received a call, saying 2 that I would be invited by the White 3 House, to talk to the President about 4 becoming the Attorney General. It was a 5 call I had never anticipated and then, 6 suddenly, in three and a half weeks, my life 8 passed before my eyes as I was preparing to 9 answer questions with the United States Senate 10 Judiciary Committee. 11 But what became clear to me is that 12 the people I had known through my life, my 13 American history teacher in high school, my 14 high school classmates who contacted me and 15 cheered me on and answered questions, 16 had been involved in my life had 17 made such a difference and continued with me. 18 From this group that has meant so 19 much to you, you will draw strength and courage 20 and wisdom for the rest of your life. The 21 friends you make here will be with you for the 22 rest of your life. 6 1 And I hope you will draw from the 2 tradition that this organization has 3 established and go forth to figure out how you 4 can help others. Become known for yourself, 5 don't become known for how much money you make, 6 or how big your house is, but become known for 7 who you are, what you stand for, and what you 8 do for others. 9 Public service has been the greatest, 10 most wonderful undertaking that I have ever 11 been engaged in. I have been in the private 12 practice of law, in small firms and large 13 firms. I have worked for the legislature. I 14 have been a prosecutor. And now, I serve as 15 Attorney General. 16 There is no money in the world that 17 can ever substitute for the satisfaction of 18 public service. Now, granted, you get cussed 19 at, fussed at, criticized, in the paper, and on the 20 television. You get calls telling you just 21 what you did wrong. But you also get so many 22 different rewards. 7 1 As a prosecutor in Miami, I was 2 responsible for collecting child support. It 3 can be one of the most difficult tasks I know. 4 The person claims not to have very much money. 5 You have to continue to go after them, find 6 them. 7 The parent who has custody of the 8 child is calling you regularly to find out why 9 you haven't gotten child support. And then, on 10 Sunday night, she calls you at home, screams at 11 you, says she's going to lose her apartment the 12 next day if you don't get the child support 13 collected. 14 But when you finally do, and she sees 15 you next, she gives you a big hug, and says 16 she doesn't know what she would do without you. 17 Those are the rewarding moments. 18 It is a touching moment when you have 19 dealt with the family of a homicide victim. 20 You have struggled to find the person who did 21 it. You struggle to develop the evidence 22 sufficient to prosecute them. You get the 8 1 conviction. You get the sentence the defendant 2 deserved. And suddenly, you walk out of the 3 courtroom and the victim's family is there to 4 thank you. No money that I could make in 5 private practice will ever substitute for those 6 moments. 7 And you help defendants. One day, I 8 was walking through a downtown office building, 9 and a man came up to me and he says, "I want to 10 thank you." And I said, "What do you want to 11 thank me for?" And he said, "You arrested me 12 and convicted me." I said, "You're the first 13 person that ever thanked me for that." 14 He said, "No. Let me tell you what 15 happened." He said, "I had a real drug 16 problem. I'd lost my job, then I lost my 17 family, and I got arrested and your prosecutor, 18 with your approval, got me into a drug program, 19 made sure I stayed there as a condition of my 20 probation. I've been drug free for two years. 21 I've got this job I'll never lose. And I've 22 gotten my family back. And I just wanted to 9 1 thank you." 2 That is why public service is so 3 rewarding. Not to be a person who is famous, 4 not to be somebody just to be the Attorney 5 General of the United States, but to do 6 something that can truly help other people. 7 As you consider what you undertake 8 for the rest of your life, consider public 9 service. It does not have to be for all of 10 your professional life. You can practice law 11 in private practice, become a judge, go back to 12 private practice, engage in other activities. 13 But remember, public service is a wonderful 14 undertaking. 15 You know full well the value of 16 community service. You know because of the 17 Lancer's that you can truly make a difference, 18 that you can touch the lives of others, and 19 that you can do that regardless of whether you 20 undertake service in government. It doesn't 21 make any difference how old you are. 22 One of my favorite scenes is from a 10 1 community meeting that I went to where an old 2 man stood up, and he said, "Do you know how old 3 I am?" I said, "No, sir." And he said, "I'm 4 84 years old." 5 He said, "Do you know what I do three 6 mornings a week, three hours each morning?" I 7 said, "No, sir." He said, "I volunteer as a 8 teacher's aide." 9 A young woman who had been seated 10 next to him stood up, and she said, "I'm the 11 first grade teacher for whom he volunteers, and 12 the gifted kids can't wait for their time with 13 him because he expands their horizons more than 14 I can. The kids with learning disablities 15 can't wait for their time with him 16 because he has the patience of Job, 17 and he's raised their reading level far 18 more than I could in the entire year." 19 It doesn't make any difference 20 whether you're 18 or 84, each of us can touch 21 the lives of others and make a difference. 22 But I would like to challenge you to 11 1 an undertaking, from this point on, in the 2 community you live in, continue to reside in, 3 go to learn in, always be part of that 4 community in trying to develop a structure in 5 the community that reweaves the fabric of 6 society and communication and care around 7 families and children at risk, who are alone, 8 afraid, and disenfranchised. 9 As a prosecutor, I wanted to focus 10 attention on juvenile justice because I 11 thought, let's get kid's off to a fresh start, 12 let's make a difference. But I would pick up 13 the presentence investigation of an 18 year old 14 who we had adjudicated delinquent, or an armed 15 robbery, and I would read that presentence 16 investigation of his first 17 years. 17 I could find five places along the 18 way where, if society and the community had 19 intervened in that child's life, we could have 20 kept him from crime. We could have kept him 21 from dropping out. We could have kept him from 22 drugs. And we could have given him a safe, 12 1 constructive future. 2 But we had waited because we didn't 3 want to invest in children as a nation. And 4 for too long in these last 30 years, children 5 have been the forgotten and neglected people of 6 our society. 7 I started to figure out what we could 8 do earlier. And I worked with the school 9 system to develop a dropout prevention program 10 focused on 11 year olds. But that was too 11 late, because already the child had begun to 12 fall a grade level behind and act out in other 13 ways to attract attention to themselves. So we 14 developed an early neighborhood intervention 15 program surrounding Head Start. 16 But at that moment in 1985, the crack 17 epidemic hit Miami . And I had to 18 figure out what to do about crack involved 19 infants, newborn infants and their mothers. 20 The judge wouldn't send the child home with the 21 mother. The epidemic hit so suddenly that baby 22 after baby continued to stay in bassinets in 13 1 the nursery, and we had a real problem. 2 But as I went to that nursery with 3 the doctors, to try to figure out what to do 4 with these infants, you could see the 5 difference. A crack baby who had not been held 6 or talked to, except when changed or fed, for 7 six weeks, was not responding with human 8 emotion. 9 A baby who had been born with severe 10 birth defects, across the nursery, but who had 11 both parents or one parent with her, around the 12 clock, was beginning to respond with human 13 emotions, with smiles, with recognition. And 14 you understood how important those first years 15 of life were. 16 But then the child development 17 experts sat me down. And they said, "Janet, 18 fifty percent of all learned human response is 19 learned in the first year of life. The concept 20 of reward and punishment and a conscience is 21 developed during the first three years." 22 And I thought to myself, what good 14 1 are all the prisons going to be 18 years from 2 now if these children never understand what 3 punishment means, and if they never develop a 4 conscience? What good are the great education 5 programs going to be if we have to spend our 6 money on remedial programs because we didn't 7 build a firm foundation in the first three 8 years? 9 And I became dedicated to trying to 10 develop communities in the place that I loved, 11 Miami. But now, as Attorney General, I am 12 still dedicated to that effort, because I 13 realize that, unless we make an investment in a 14 child's whole life, from the time he or she is 15 born, we are not going to build enough jails to 16 solve the crime problem. We are not going to 17 have enough people with the skills necessary to 18 fill the jobs, to maintain this nation as a 19 first-rate nation. 20 Our medical institutions will be 21 brought to their knees because we will prefer 22 to pay monies for crises that cost a lot five 15 1 years from now rather than paying for 2 preventive medical care that could ensure a 3 child a strong and healthy future. 4 So as you grow into positions of 5 leadership in the community you choose to live 6 in, think about how we can reweave the fabric 7 of community around our children. 8 Some people say it takes a lot of 9 money, and to some extent, it will take some 10 money. But that investment will more than pay 11 off in money saved down the line. 12 We've got to make sure that every 13 child in America has appropriate, preventive 14 medical care from the time they are born. It 15 makes no sense in a nation that says to a 16 70-year-old person, you can have an operation 17 that extends your life expectancy by three 18 years, and yet we turn to the family of a child 19 who needs preventive medical care, and we say, 20 "sorry, you make too much money to be eligible 21 for Medicaid, but you don't have health 22 insurance, and so we can't help you." 16 1 That's just plain wrong. 2 It is important that we establish 3 early childhood education programs. If those 4 first three years are so important, why are 5 waiting until kindergarten? Traditionally, the 6 family filled that role. But in so many 7 instances, either both parents are working, or 8 single parents are working, or parents are 9 indifferent. And we've got to make sure in our 10 school systems that Educare, solid, 11 constructive child care is available to all 12 children in an appropriate way. 13 We've got to focus on our schools. 14 Something is wrong with a nation that 15 pays its football players in the six-digit 16 figures and pays its school teachers what we 17 pay them in this nation. 18 (Applause) 19 We've got to develop. 20 The Carnegie Foundation says today "that 21 children are more alone than at any time in 22 history." 17 1 Alone in terms of no adult around 2 them during a significant number of hours, 3 after school and evening hours. We have got to 4 make sure there are programs for young people 5 throughout this land, that provide constructive 6 opportunities for continued education, for 7 appropriate recreation that can make a 8 difference. 9 There is so much that we can do. But 10 how do we go about it? It doesn't take just 11 money. One of the most touching scenes I've 12 seen recently is in a school in Sacramento, 13 California. A large number of immigrants, 14 lawful immigrants, were in the school. They 15 were learning English. They were being tutored 16 after school. The program was special, for a 17 police officer, who had worked from 7 to 3, on 18 the regular shift, was volunteering at 4:30, 19 because she had been a school teacher 20 previously in life, and she wanted to 21 contribute on her own time. 22 A high school student was there doing 18 1 his community service requirement for his high 2 school. And the kids couldn't wait until their 3 time with him because he told them funny 4 stories and made the education seem so much 5 more relevant to them. 6 Each one of us can make a difference 7 in our community, if we build a structure that 8 can make a difference, and give our children 9 rungs and ladders to climb on, even to 10 developing the skills necessary to fill the 11 jobs that can earn a living wage. 12 There is so much that we can do if we 13 look at a community and a child as a whole and 14 figure out how we provide the rungs of the 15 ladder. 16 But what I would urge you, also, is 17 that as you engage in public service, as you 18 take the marvelous qualities the Lancer's have 19 given to you, and move forward in your life to 20 become leaders in your community, don't forget 21 your single most precious possession, your 22 family. 19 1 Raising children is the single most 2 difficult thing I know to do. About 11 years 3 ago, a friend died, leaving me as the legal 4 guardian of her 15-year-old twins, a boy and a 5 girl. The girl was in love, and I've learned 6 an awful lot about raising children in the last 7 10 years. 8 (Laughter) 9 It takes hard work, intelligence, 10 love, and an awful lot of luck. But it is the 11 single, most rewarding thing I know to do. I 12 will never forget putting that young lady on 13 the plane to send her off to college, and then 14 going to see her graduate cum laude in three 15 years. And on each occasion, she threw her 16 arms around my neck and said, "Thank you. I 17 couldn't have done it without you." 18 Those are the moments you never 19 forget. 20 And then I remember my childhood. My 21 mother worked in the home. My father worked 22 downtown. My mother taught us to play 20 1 baseball, to appreciate Beethoven's symphonies, 2 to bake a cake, to love poetry. She punished 3 us, and she loved us with all her heart. And 4 there is no child care in the world that will 5 ever be a substitute for what that lady was in 6 our life. 7 And, in raising us, she taught me 8 some of the most important lessons of my life. 9 We were four children in a family, a year 10 apart, and we lived in a small wooden house, 11 which we were quickly outgrowing. My father 12 did not have enough money to hire somebody to 13 build a bigger house. 14 And one afternoon, my mother 15 announced that she was going to build the 16 house. And we all looked at her and said, 17 "What do you know about building a house?" And 18 she said, "I'm going to learn." And she went 19 to the brick mason, and to the plumber, and to 20 the electrician, and she asked them how you 21 build a house. And she listened, and she came 22 home. She dug the foundation with her own 21 1 hands, with a pick and shovel. She laid the 2 block. She put in the wiring. She put in the 3 plumbing. And my father helped her with the 4 heavy work when he came home from work at 5 night. 6 She and I lived in that house, and it 7 is still my home. She lived there until she 8 died, just before she came to Washington. And 9 every time I came down that driveway, as a 10 prosecutor and had a very difficult problem 11 that I didn't know how to handle, that house 12 standing there in the woods, was a 13 symbol to me that you can do anything 14 you really want to; if it's the right 15 thing to do, put your mind to it. 16 That house taught me a more 17 important lesson, in August of 1992, when 18 Hurricane Andrew hit that area head on. At 19 about 3:00 in the morning the winds began to 20 howl with an unearthly noise that I have never 21 heard before. 22 You could hear trees beginning to 22 1 crash around the house. My mother got up, sat 2 down in her chair, folded her hands, and sat 3 there totally unafraid, though she was very old 4 and ill and frail. But she knew how she had 5 built that house. She knew that she had put in 6 the right materials, that she had built it the 7 right way, that she had not cut corners. 8 When we came out in the light of day, 9 the whole area around the house looked like a 10 World War I battlefield. There were barely any 11 trees standing. But the house had only lost 12 one shingle and some screens. And it's a 13 symbol to me: Build it the right way. Build 14 your life the right way, put one block on top 15 of another, in terms of education, in terms of 16 experience, in terms of service, but do it 17 right. 18 For one of the lessons I learned was 19 when I decided to run for office the first 20 time. I campaigned for the Florida 21 legislature, and I tried to do and act on what 22 I do and say, what I believed to be right. 23 1 A man had run for office and had been 2 elected to the legislature 15 years before. He 3 was the only legislator in Florida to vote for 4 a resolution ending the segregation of our 5 public schools. He knew that he was going home 6 to overwhelming political defeat because of 7 that vote. But he did it as a matter of 8 conscience. 9 He was campaigning for mayor, and he 10 got himself elected. But as he and I 11 campaigned that November, he said, "Janet, just 12 keep on doing and saying what you believe to be 13 right. Don't pussyfoot. Don't equivocate. 14 Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth, and 15 you'll wake up the next morning feeling good 16 about yourself. But if you try to be 17 everything to everybody, and please everybody 18 all of the time, and say what you don't really 19 believe, you'll wake up the next morning 20 feeling miserable." 21 Well, I didn't feel exactly good the 22 next morning because I had lost my election. 24 1 But I remembered what John Orr taught me, and 2 it has been one of the most important lessons 3 in my life. For now, when I approach problems, 4 I know I have tried to study it as hard as I 5 could, prepare myself as thoroughly as I can, 6 and then make the best decision I know how, and 7 move on to the next issue. 8 It also helps to have learned, as 9 somebody put a biography of Abraham Lincoln on 10 my bedside table, that Abraham Lincoln lost his 11 first election. It helps to know how to lose. 12 It's not the end of the earth. And remember 13 that as you face the losses of the future. 14 But always remember, as you serve 15 your community, as you seek public service or 16 not, as you pursue profession, the occupation, 17 the calling that you undertake, remember to put 18 your family first. 19 To seek jobs where people will adapt 20 a workplace to a family, where through 21 flex-time and appropriate leave time you can 22 spend quality time with your family. You-all 25 1 grow up before you know it, and you should 2 enjoy your children as they grow. 3 In these three and a half years I've 4 had a chance to travel across this country to 5 see people doing so many things, wonderful 6 prosecutors trying their best, people 7 rebuilding communities. 8 In Boston, yesterday, I saw young 9 people and police officers, doctors and judges, 10 working together in community initiatives. That 11 encouraged me. 12 And after these three and a half 13 years, I can tell you, flat out, I have never 14 been so confident of America's future, because 15 of the spirit of young and old, alike, that I 16 sense across this land. 17 Some suggest -- they look at the 18 future pessimistically. I think you can look 19 at the future with great optimism, particularly 20 from what I have heard about the Lancer's, and 21 the contributions that you will make in this 22 next century. 26 1 One of the reasons that I have looked 2 forward to coming here tonight is because I 3 understand that you ask great questions. And 4 probably better questions than newspaper 5 reporters. 6 (Laughter) 7 So I would welcome your questions, 8 now. 9 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 10 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Here we go. 11 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 12 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: First of all, 13 don't let people talk about cynicism in this 14 country. You hear it, but mostly you 15 hear it in newspaper editorials; they didn't do 16 this right, they didn't do that right. They 17 can pick out what's wrong with Cal Ripkin, the 18 cynics, and anybody that can do that, they're 19 few and far between. 20 First of all, just look at what you 21 can do when you touch the life of a person. 22 And what I think is so important, in terms of 27 1 how we reach out. One of the first steps, 2 as we seek employment or I , as an 3 employer, is to formulate a workplace so 4 parents can spend more time with their 5 children. 6 I've developed flex-time, parental 7 leave time, job-sharing programs, telecommuting 8 programs. It all doesn't fit perfectly, but 9 we're recognizing that children and family are 10 important. Government can be so important in 11 terms of early childhood development programs. 12 And state after state, across this nation, is 13 developing healthy start, and fresh start 14 programs that are so constructive in terms of 15 early childhood development, health care and 16 appropriate Educare. 17 These are government programs that 18 are making a difference, and they are catching 19 on in state after state after state. Now 20 sometimes -- and I get a little bit cynical 21 myself when I say this -- I think they do it 22 because I persuade them. When I first started, 28 1 saying, "Look. You'll save money if you make 2 this investment up front." 3 I will give you an example, 4 last night I was at the Hartford Connecticut 5 Downtown Council. It was mostly the 6 businessmen of Hartford, who were interested in 7 the commerce of Hartford. I talked to them 8 about the things I've talked to you about 9 tonight: About building community around 10 children. 11 I got applause after applause. 12 Businessmen, who came up to me, saying that 13 really makes sense. Cut through that 14 underbrush of cynicism that you will find, and 15 you will find, in America. A great number of 16 people who want to work with you in developing 17 programs. 18 You will find young people 19 volunteering in child care institutions. There 20 is so much that we can do. It's going to vary 21 from community to community because there may 22 be a private, not-for-profit corporation doing 29 1 a wonderful job in one community that the 2 government has to do in another. 3 In terms of teachers, the single most 4 important thing that you can do, as you grow up 5 and you have a family, is to become involved in 6 your child's school. One of the things that 7 I've tried to establish is parental leave time 8 that permits parents to go spend time at their 9 child's school volunteering, participating in 10 educational groups. 11 But just keep talking and believing 12 and putting family and children first. And 13 it's beginning to catch on. People are talking 14 about it, and it's exciting. 15 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 16 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: One of the 17 issues -- and anybody that has seen me on 18 television will know that what I say if there 19 is a matter pending, an investigation pending, 20 or a prosecution pending, that I really cannot 21 comment on it because it would interrupt the 22 investigation. Or if it's a prosecution 30 1 pending in Court, I can't really comment on it, 2 except as to matters that are a matter of 3 public record, because the case should be tried 4 in court, and not in the headlines. 5 So I really cannot respond to your 6 question except to say that what we are trying 7 to do is to resolve the matter as peacefully as 8 possible, and trying to do everything we can to 9 make sure that it's resolved without any sort 10 of violence; that we uphold the law and that we 11 retain our legal options. 12 Each issue is going to differ. Waco 13 is a totally different situation than the 14 Freemen, and we have to make our best 15 judgements, try to do everything we can to 16 resolve it peacefully. 17 These are difficult issues. But 18 Director Freeh of the FBI has done so much in 19 terms of developing the negotiation capacity of 20 the FBI. 21 Today I talked with a number of the 22 agents who are out in Montana, by telephone. 31 1 They are really dedicated to this goal. 2 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 3 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I had always 4 wanted to be a lawyer because my mother had 5 gotten me very interested. They were both 6 very interested in American history. 7 My grandfather was a lawyer, and I 8 had a chance to watch him. And my 9 father was a newspaper reporter who, when we 10 were little, would take us to court with him, 11 because he covered the police station and the 12 courthouses. So I saw lawyers and police 13 officers. 14 So when I was 13 years old, I told my 15 mother I wanted to be a lawyer. And she said 16 that's the one thing I would forbid you to do. 17 Because in those days, ladies didn't become 18 lawyers. 19 I was so shocked, because here's the 20 lady that had built a house, who seemed to be 21 encouraging me to do so many things: She 22 encouraged me to be a Foreign Service Officer, 32 1 to be a physicist, to be any number of things. 2 And I thought it was kind of close-minded of 3 her not to want me to be a lawyer. But I 4 listened to her. 5 So when I went to Cornell I decided 6 to major in chemistry and become a doctor. And 7 I found the chemistry fascinating, but I 8 realized that I really wanted to be a lawyer. 9 So I went ahead and applied to law school. And 10 when I called to tell her that I had been 11 accepted at Harvard Law School, she whooped 12 with joy over the telephone, and 13 confessed she had always wanted to do it herself. 14 And the reason I wanted to be a 15 lawyer is because the law seemed 16 the best place to make sure that people 17 didn't tell me what to do, even if it was the wrong 18 thing to do. So that they didn't boss me 19 around the wrong way. And that I could reach 20 out and try to help others, and serve others, 21 and use the law to make the right decisions. 22 And I've never regretted it. It has 33 1 been a wonderful profession for me. I've been 2 able to do so many different things in the law. 3 To draft laws for the legislature, now to this 4 wonderful opportunity to serve the nation as 5 Attorney General, to collect child support, 6 which as I say can be a real drudge, but very 7 rewarding. 8 I've represented people in private 9 practice. I've represented big corporations. 10 And the law is a wonderful, wonderful 11 profession. I love it, and I love lawyers. 12 But I don't like greedy and indifferent 13 lawyers. And most lawyers, fortunately, are 14 not that. But I think sometimes the profession 15 gets a bad name because there are some people 16 who are more interested in making money than 17 making sure that the law serves the people. 18 I think all lawyers, however, have an 19 extraordinary challenge. About 80 percent of 20 the poor and the working poor in the United 21 States today do not have enough money to have 22 real access to legal services. And I think all 34 1 of us, as lawyers, have a special 2 responsibility to develop new programs, to 3 engage in voluntary legal service for people 4 who can't afford it, to ensure all Americans 5 their rights. 6 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 7 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I'm not 8 talking just about government programs. I'm 9 talking about a church that I talked with 10 yesterday, that organizes day care and evening 11 care programs for parents who cannot afford 12 child care for their loved ones. And not just 13 child care, but good, educational 14 opportunities, good opportunities for field 15 visits. It is a wonderful school. 16 But, then, they have a Summer Camp to 17 go to with afternoon care, with a day care 18 for the children. 19 They organize children during the summer, 20 bring in people to work with them, bring in 21 community leaders to talk with them. 22 That's what a church can do. I'm 35 1 talking about people who volunteer as Little 2 League coaches in the inner-city where it's 3 difficult to be a coach. That's not government 4 at work, that's people selling popcorn and hot 5 dogs on a hot summer afternoon to get money for 6 team uniforms. 7 I'm talking about doctors who 8 volunteer their services to help the needy and 9 to help the poor, and who go out of their way 10 to set up office hours so that people can go to 11 the place where the service is needed. 12 I'm talking about an extraordinary 13 person I saw yesterday, who begs, borrows and 14 steals from private foundations to set up a 15 program in a prominent hospital that serves 16 children who have been witnesses to violence, 17 either domestic violence in the home or 18 otherwise. And that hospital has made a public 19 contribution to the community through its 20 efforts. 21 There is so much that we can do in 22 terms of community organizations, private 36 1 not-for-profit organizations, business 2 organizations. One of the most exciting things 3 to see in a city or community is when business 4 groups form partnerships with particular 5 schools and adopt particular schools. 6 I've adopted an elementary school in 7 Washington, D.C., that I try to attend as 8 regularly as possible. 9 The American Bar Association has 10 established pro bono programs where lawyers 11 offer their skills in community mediation and 12 in teaching conflict resolution in the schools. 13 That's not a government program. 14 What I'm trying to say is, take the 15 government programs, take the private 16 contributions, take the business community, 17 take the schools, and come together reweaving 18 the pieces. Sometimes it may be a government 19 piece, sometimes it may be a private 20 not-for-profit piece, sometimes it may be a 21 volunteer; but I'm convinced that it's not a 22 matter of money. It's a matter of putting 37 1 together a comprehensive package that can make 2 a difference. 3 If we develop great childhood 4 development programs early on, they can go for 5 naught. If that child is left to his own devices, 6 from the moment he leaves school at 3:00 until 7 his parents get home at 7:30, doesn't have 8 appropriate supervision. 9 There is so much that we can do, if 10 we use the resources we have, as wisely as 11 possible, to make a difference up front. 12 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 13 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Never heard 14 anything like that. I have talked to Pat 15 Shroeder, I wouldn't even think that there was 16 a chance it was true. 17 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 18 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: What we had 19 suggested, from the Justice Department's 20 perspective, is that there are some instances 21 where an award may be excessive. And that what 22 should be done is a combination where the judge 38 1 could cap the award in appropriate proceedings. 2 We devised, made a recommendation 3 and it was passed. But the law didn't go far 4 enough, as far as President Clinton was 5 concerned, in terms of protecting consumer 6 interest; and so he vetoed the bill. 7 But the cap that we devised seemed to 8 meet the needs of a number of different people, 9 while at the same time providing for that 10 extraordinary case, where punitive damages in 11 substantial amounts were clearly warranted in 12 order to prevent further reckless disregard of 13 human life. 14 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 15 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I wondered 16 about that all the time. I looked at a 17 periodic table the other day, and I realized 18 how old fashioned I had become. 19 (Laughter) 20 But I will tell you something. 21 When I went to Harvard Law school, 22 there were 544 in our class 39 1 and there only 16 women. And the Dean and his 2 wife had the women out to dinner so that they 3 would to make them feel at home. 5 And he would go around asking us what 6 we majored in. I told him I majored in 7 chemistry. He said, "Well, you'll do okay." He 8 said it's surprising, but those who have 9 majored in the natural sciences seem to do 10 better at law school. That's the only 11 advantage I've seen of my chemistry degree. 12 (Laughter) 13 Except I'm very glad I did, because I 14 have a much greater feeling for the sciences, 15 for the physics I took, the chemistry I took, 16 the calculus I took. And I could have learned 17 my government on my own, I think. But I know I 18 couldn't have learned my chemistry on my own. 19 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 20 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: When I took 21 office, the ATF had already had its 22 confrontation with David Koresh and his 40 1 followers at the Branch Davidian Compound. 2 What we tried to do in that situation was 3 resolve it peacefully. But in that situation, 4 you had an occurrence where four agents had 5 been killed, and numerous others wounded. 6 So you can't judge each situation on 7 the same basis. We have tried to learn from 8 everything we could in that case, to apply it 9 to the future. But in that situation you will never 10 know what is the right thing to do, 11 because, based on everything that one knows 12 now, he could have done something drastic six 13 weeks down the line, and we would be testifying 14 before Congress as to why we didn't go in 15 earlier and do something. 16 So you just have to take each case, 17 try to do everything you can to resolve it 18 peacefully. I can't tell you -- certainly, in 19 this time -- there have been these incidents. 20 But there have been other circumstances, over 21 the last 30 and 40 years, and I think we've got 22 to be prepared for all circumstances. 41 1 The Ruby Ridge Case arose before I 2 took office. And, again, as I look back over 3 history, and as I look back over things that 4 you tend to forget, that occurred 10 and 15 5 years ago. I'm not so sure it's on the rise, 6 but I think it's something we've got to be 7 prepared for. 8 Clearly, in this modern time, where 9 people can put all sorts of information on the 10 Internet, it is important that we be able to 11 respond to issues of terrorism, such as the 12 World Trade Center, or the Oklahoma City 13 bombing, and to take appropriate precautions, 14 while at the same time adhering to 15 constitutional principles and doing it the 16 right way. 17 We should not let our circumstances 18 rush us into judgement. 19 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 20 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: You have to 21 understand my position with regards to the 22 media. My father was a newspaper reporter for 42 1 the Miami Herald for 43 years. My mother was a 2 reporter for the Miami News. My grandfather 3 was the chief photographer for the Herald. My 4 aunt was the music critic of the Herald. 5 (Laughter) 6 And my brother is a columnist for the 7 New Day Newspaper, right now. 8 (Laughter) 9 My father taught me along the way 10 though, in his 43 years, never to believe 11 everything that you read in the newspapers. 12 And so, I would see the perspective of it. I 13 would see how -- he would wake up in the 14 morning just furious because some copy editor 15 had butchered what he had called in. 16 I have been -- I'll give you an 17 example. I have an availability to the press 18 every Thursday morning, because I think the 19 media and a free press is very important. But 20 I do think there's a certain cynicism because 21 they'll start asking their questions: 22 "Ms. Reno -- so the question will 43 1 become -- don't you think that this is going to 2 happen, and this is going to happen, and this 3 is going to happen?" 4 I said, "First of all, I don't deal 5 in 'what ifs,' and it's not going to happen 6 unless you-all -- if you-all just keep raising 7 these issues, and raising these hypothetical 8 issues that cause the problems. Just report 9 the news, and let's talk about what has 10 happened." 11 And we get along very well. We've 12 gotten to know each other over these three and 13 a half years, since we do it every Thursday 14 morning. And they appreciate it, and I've had 15 a very good working relationship with the 16 Justice Department press that traditionally 17 covers it. 18 I think, on the whole, the media is a 19 very important instrument in terms of 20 uncovering wrongdoing. But I think it also has 21 a real responsibility to report the good things 22 that are happening in this country. 44 1 And in the last eight years, I would 2 say, I think the media is coming to realize 3 this important responsibility and is fulfilling 4 it in the better way than it has, so that you 5 see less cynicism from the media and more 6 recognition of some of the wonderful things 7 that people are doing in the community. 8 And on the Internet, I think that's 9 one of the great challenges. And what we have 10 done is put together a working group in the 11 Department of Justice, to analyze First 12 Amendment issues, to analyze constitutional and 13 free speech issues at the same time, 14 recognizing the technology of the Internet. 15 There are some fascinating issues of 16 consumer fraud, of what happens, can you -- one 17 of the things we have to study, pursuant to 18 Congressional mandate, what if somebody puts a 19 bomb recipe on the Internet. Should that be 20 permitted? Or is that covered by free speech? 21 There are so many fascinating issues, and we're 22 trying to address it. 45 1 For those of you who understand 2 computers, there are some fascinating 3 challenges that we face with computers, for 4 example. Now, with hackers being able to break 5 into computer systems, we're faced with some 6 real challenges. 7 We had a situation recently where a 8 hacker in Argentina broke into the Harvard 9 University computer system. They did not have 10 a warning on their system that it might be 11 subject to surveillance. Because he 12 was also invading other systems, and in order 13 to protect other systems -- we had to 14 figure out who it was. 15 Through the use of another computer, 16 and through careful profiles, we were able to 17 narrow the intrusion so that we intercepted, 18 pursuant to court order, in an appropriate, 19 very legal way, we worked it out so that we 20 intercepted only his intrusion and were able to 21 identify him and trace it back. 22 So one of the great and fascinating 46 1 challenges that we face is how do we use the 2 new technology? How do we continue appropriate 3 law enforcement tools while at the same time 4 adhering to constitutional principles. 5 And if you really think it out, and 6 remember that we control the technology and the 7 technology shouldn't control us, I think we're 8 going to be able to do it. 9 There has been no typical day, but I 10 get up early in the morning, and I like to try 11 to walk. I get frustrated when I can't, but I 12 like to walk from about 6 to 7 in a few 13 different parts of Washington. I then almost 14 always have an 8:30 hearing, or meeting, with 15 mid-management people just to go over the new 16 materials that have come into the Department, 17 in the last 24 hours. 18 At 9:00, I meet with my senior staff, 19 and we discuss the complex issues that we face 20 that day. I will then have a series of 21 meetings. I may go to the White House for a 22 national security meeting or to an event, or 47 1 meet with a group that wants to discuss the 2 Americans with Disabilities Act and how we 3 should be implementing it. 4 I usually just have lunch at my desk. 5 I bring my lunch, and then I will 6 go to a meeting. This afternoon I went 7 to a meeting with the ABA, a group of 8 lawyers who are interested in what they can do 9 in teaching conflict resolution in the schools 10 and in working with children and families, and 11 conflict resolution in mediation. 12 I, then, went to the White House for 13 a budget meeting, and I'm here tonight. But 14 each day is different, and it's fascinating. 15 You don't know what the day is going to bring. 16 It is one of the most rewarding experiences to 17 have so many different issues thrust at you, to 18 try to make the best judgement you can. 19 I have 107,000 people working with me 20 in the various branches of the Department of 21 Justice. And remember that includes the FBI, 22 DEA, the Marshall Service, INS, the Bureau of 48 1 Prisons, and most of the government lawyers. 2 And it's just incredible the variety of issues 3 that come my way. 4 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 5 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I don't think 6 we have to. I've not seen anything yet, and 7 the example I gave in response to the question 8 of, here is this modern technology and here is 9 the -- it is a living constitution that is 10 changing and adapting to it, and understanding 11 the technology, but not changing the basic core 12 principles. 13 And I think that how we use those 14 basic core principles, how we use the checks 15 and balances, how we understand how government 16 should be limited, I think the same applies, 17 that we can't let government control its 18 people, and we can't let technology control 19 people. 20 I think it's a challenge. But I 21 don't think that the constitution is dead by 22 any means. I think that all of law is 49 1 dependent on the people. There is a marvelous 2 statement on the East side, along 9th Street, 3 in Washington, on the East side of the building 4 of the Department of Justice. And it says, 5 "The common law is derived from the will of 6 mankind, issuing from the people, framed by 7 mutual confidence, and sanctioned by the light 8 of reason." 9 And I think that's a wonderful 10 statement of what the law is. That's one of 11 the reasons I'm concerned with the number of 12 Americans who are poor, who don't have access 13 to lawyers, because if too many people are 14 thwarted in the quest for justice because they 15 can't get to a lawyer, then they're going to 16 rebel against institutions. 17 And I think it is important if the 18 law, and if our democratic institutions are to 19 have real meaning for all people to feel they 20 have access to the law. That's my concern more 21 than the constitution as a living document. 22 But there is one issue that I have 50 1 concern about in terms of the constitution. We 2 can go into court and get a court order that 3 says, under the constitution or under the laws 4 of this country, you've got to do this, you've 5 got to have a better this, or do this; or if 6 you keep children here, you've got to have 7 better equipment, or something like that. 8 But we have also got to figure out 9 ways to provide that. Where do we get the 10 resources to do it? How can we do it more cost 11 effectively? We've got to think of the real 12 world issues that surround court orders to make 13 them truly effective, and to make them truly 14 mean something. 15 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 16 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: A young lady, 17 who is age 10, asked me that the other night. 18 "Do you think there will ever be a 19 woman president of the United States?" And I 20 think I felt very confident, and it made me 21 feel really good to say, "I think in your 22 lifetime, you will see a woman president of the 51 1 United States." 2 I think one of the -- if you look at 3 it, because I just look at women lawyers, now, 4 and if you think -- I'm 57 years old, and if I, 5 when I was 21, there were only 16 women in our 6 entering class at Harvard out of 544 -- I think 7 now the class is about 45-percent women. 8 So they're coming up and they are 9 assuming leadership positions. In the 10 Department of Justice, six women hold 11 leadership positions. The head of the Bureau 12 of Prisons is a woman. Extraordinarily 13 difficult job, so ably done by a woman who 14 began as a prison psychologist from Morgantown, 15 West Virginia, at the start of her career. And 16 just by shear ability and people skills worked 17 her way to the top, and does an incredible job. 18 The head of the Immigration and 19 Naturalization Service is a woman. And so, I 20 think women are taking their positions 21 throughout the country and, I think, shortly, 22 we will see a woman as president. 52 1 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 2 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I'm 3 personally opposed to the death penalty for the 4 reason that I think the whole purpose of the 5 law is to value human life, and that is 6 inconsistent with taking it. 7 Secondly, I used to ask, I did all 8 the interviewing, the final round of 9 interviewing, when I hired prosecutors at home. 10 And I used to ask them, "What is your view on 11 the death penalty." You would see them look 12 around, and say, "Oh, I'm for it," thinking 13 that that is what I wanted to hear. They 14 didn't know what I thought. 15 And I would say, "Why?" "Well, I 16 don't know. Well, it's a deterrent." "Well, 17 why do you think it's a deterrent?" "Well, I 18 don't know." 19 Most of the studies show that there 20 is nothing that proves that it is a deterrent, 21 or that it is not a deterrent. And before we 22 start taking people's lives, I think we ought 53 1 to have the very sound and rational grounds for 2 doing so. 3 Finally, I think that all punishment 4 is arbitrary. When a father spanks his two 5 boys, one will say, you spanked me harder than 6 you spanked him. And if he feels he has been 7 unfair, he'll make up for it as time goes by. 8 For a sentence, short of death, you 9 can make up for it by pardon, clemency, 10 mitigation procedures. But once you carry out 11 that death penalty, there's nothing you can 12 make up for. 13 And so I think there is only one 14 purpose for the death penalty, and that is 15 vengeance. If I had walked into my home, while 16 my mother was alive, and somebody had slain her 17 and was still there, I, if I had the physical 18 power to do so, would tear them apart, from 19 limb to limb. Because vengeance is a very 20 personal thing. 21 But I don't think government should 22 engage in that vengeance. At the same time, as 54 1 a prosecutor, then I am satisfied that the law 2 is being applied correctly. When I'm satisfied 3 of the person's guilt, I can ask for it. But 4 if I were in the legislature, I would vote 5 against it. 6 Also, one point influences me. I was 7 asked by the Governor of Florida, some eight 8 years ago, to reinvestigate the case in another 9 jurisdiction in Florida, a case we had not 10 handled, in which a man had been prosecuted, 11 convicted and sentenced to death for the 12 poisoning death of his seven children in 1968. 13 He had always proclaimed his 14 innocence. He was saved from the electric 15 chair by a Supreme Court order which set aside 16 the Florida death penalty statute, but remained 17 in prison those 21 years. 18 We reinvestigated, and determined 19 that the evidence had been insufficient to 20 charge him originally. It was clearly 21 insufficient to proceed on now. Because of the 22 death and the incapacity of some of the 55 1 witnesses, we could not tell exactly what 2 happened. 3 But we felt that he was probably 4 innocent and that he should go free. And for 5 as long as I live, I will remember that man, as 6 I looked over my shoulder, walking out of the 7 court house, a free man for the first time in 8 21 years. I thought, what if the death penalty 9 had been imposed? 10 And so, it is a matter that I know I 11 have responsibility for at a federal level, and 12 one that I pursue very, very carefully, and 13 with all deliberation. 14 PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible) 15 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I have a 16 great idea for you. The same mother that built 17 the house and said I couldn't become a lawyer 18 wouldn't let us have a television in the house 19 because she said it contributed to mind rot. 20 (Laughter) 21 (Applause) 22 I have an admission to make. I faded 56 1 regularly, but I don't watch television except 2 for special programs that are interesting or 3 special features. And I don't watch the 4 evening news, and I scan the papers. And if I 5 see somebody, you know, I'll read it enough to 6 make sure I know what's going on, and so far, I 7 haven't missed anything. 8 If somebody has -- if they think I -- 9 they need -- that I need to know that somebody 10 has gotten on television and said, Janet Reno 11 did this, this and this, I'll hear about it the 12 next day. I don't have to see it. 13 But one of the great lines, and I 14 keep it on my wall, directly across the desk 15 from me, so I can look at, and see it, is by 16 Abraham Lincoln. And he said, "If I were to 17 read everything bad that people said about me, 18 I might as well close the shop for business." 19 I intend to keep on doing the best I 20 know how, the best I can, and I intend to keep 21 on doing it until the end. If the end brings 22 me out all right, what people said about me 57 1 won't make any difference. If the end brings 2 me out wrong, 10 angels saying I was right 3 won't make any difference. And I think -- 4 don't watch television so much. 5 (Laughter) 6 But at the same time, television is a 7 marvelous medium for helping people to 8 understand. And I think one of the best ways 9 we can cope with this is to let the media know 10 that we want to be informed, we want to know 11 what's going on, but we want to know the whole 12 picture, and not just what bad is happening in 13 the world. 14 By the way, on a woman becoming 15 president, after I graduated from law school I 16 tried to get a job with a very prominent Miami 17 law firm. And they flat out wouldn't give me a 18 job. I came to interview and they kept me 19 waiting, and then they told me I could leave. 20 And I learned from one of the young associates 21 in the firm that they wouldn't give me a job 22 because I was a woman. 58 1 Fourteen years later, they made me a 2 partner in their law firm. And that year, they 3 hired their first black lawyer, one of the 4 first black lawyers to be hired by any major 5 Miami law firm. 6 I was his supervisor. He became a 7 partner. He became the Secretary of Labor, in 8 Florida, the vice chairman of the Board of 9 Regents, and one of the community's most 10 prominent lawyers. 11 So, yes, times are changing. 12 (Applause) 13 PRESIDENT: Ms. Reno, if you would 14 please join me here at the podium. In 15 appreciation for the time you have spent with 16 us this evening, and the charge you have given 17 us to become more involved in our communities 18 and our careers, and most importantly our 19 families, we would like to present you with 20 this sterling silver plate. 21 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Oh, thank 22 you. This is like Christmas. 59 1 PRESIDENT: It reads, "To Honorable 2 Janet Reno, with appreciation. Lancer's Boys 3 Club, June 7, 1996. 4 Thank you very much for a wonderful 5 evening. 6 (Applause) 7 (End of Proceedings) 8 * * * * * 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22