Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, although we live in the 21st century, many people today are still deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law by governments that lack the rule of law. One such government is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

About 10 years ago, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs directly oversaw and operated two state-owned labor companies that were involved in the largest human trafficking case ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice. The case thoroughly documented the exploitation and abusive conditions faced by more than 230 workers at the Daewoosa factory in American Samoa. These victims were beaten, starved, sexually harassed and threatened with deportation. The High Court of American Samoa subsequently found these state-owned labor agencies liable for the atrocities and made them pay $3.5 million to the victims. Almost 10 years after the ruling, Vietnam still refuses to acknowledge its part in these atrocities and pay.

Madam Speaker, I ask that the U.S. Congress demand that the Vietnamese government pay the damages and respect the rule of law.

Mr. Speaker, the issues of crime and hurricane recovery are most important for Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. Yesterday I voted for the Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act, and it passed. Law enforcement officials in my district must have the Federal resources needed to protect our citizens.

On Monday, I requested a government review of unresolved FEMA public assistance projects that will help Louisiana move forward with delayed disaster recovery efforts. Lastly, I was able to acknowledge the diverse culture of New Orleans by cosponsoring a resolution to honor black music.

It has been a productive week.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1741, the Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act.

Crime is the number one concern of my constituents in New Orleans and in Jefferson Parishes in Louisiana. Crime is my top concern, too. My district includes the City of New Orleans, which, as of June 1, has already seen 80 murders. Further, according to the FBI's annual report on crime released last week, New Orleans leads the Nation in murders. This says nothing about the incidence of other types of crime, from sexual offenses to robberies.

I hold in my hand a photo of Sergeant Manuel Curry. He was a popular and much-loved member of the New Orleans Police Department. At 62 years of service, he was one of America's longest-serving police officers. Tragically, for the NOPD and for New Orleans, he passed away last week, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, with his family, and with his NOPD colleagues.

Here is an article from today's newspaper. It reports that, within hours of Sergeant Curry's death, three people broke into his home and stole guns, money, jewelry, and medication. While at the funeral home, arranging her husband's burial, his wife was notified of the burglary.

Our thoughts and prayers also go to the family of this couple, Orlander Cassimere, Sr., and his wife of 55 years. Elder Cassimere was scheduled to have preached the Mother's Day sermon this year at the church in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, where he was pastor; but on that day, relatives found him and his wife fatally shot in their home. It is thought that their murders are connected to a relative's plan to testify in a kidnapping and attempted murder case.

Reading these articles makes me angry and sick because of the actions of these individuals who disgraced the memories of Sergeant Curry and of the Cassimeres. They disgrace all of the people of New Orleans and of Jefferson Parishes. If these stories don't paint a picture of out- of-control crime, I don't know what will.

I continue to meet with law enforcement and with prosecution officials in my district, and I am presently working with them to leverage Federal resources. They must have all of the resources they can get.

The Witness Security and Protection Grant Program will go a long way towards addressing the issue of crime in my district because, without adequate protection and assurances, these witnesses will stop coming forward, and crime will remain out of control.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for this effort with this important bill, and I look forward to working with them on other important legislation.

Madam Speaker, May 20, 2009 marks a significant milestone for Taiwan, the first year in office of President Ma Ying-jeou.

What began as a year of confrontation between the Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan, President Ma has become one of cooperation.

The conciliatory initiatives of President Ma has produced, for the first time in decades, face to face productive meetings that have brought about agreement between these former adversaries in a variety of areas; legal, transportation and financial.

Such great progress has not gone unnoticed and President Ma Ying-jeou should be recognized for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, on April 28, 1975, an 8-year-old boy was rushed into an American C-130 to seek freedom in a foreign land. Two days later, on April 30, the Communist forces rumbled into Saigon and marked the beginning of one of the darkest periods in the long and illustrious history of Vietnam.

Immediately following April 30, the Communist government initiated one of the most horrific cultural and political cleansings of our time. Hundreds of thousands of religious, political, and military leaders were thrown into re-education camps. Approximately 300,000 people died at sea while fleeing the horrors of this regime; and of those who remained, thousands more died from famine.

Madam Speaker, today marks the 34th anniversary of that dark day in April when Saigon fell. The 8-year-old boy of whom I spoke now stands before you. I, on behalf of the 1.5 million Vietnamese living in the United States, take this opportunity to remember all who perished in the Vietnam conflict.

I urge my colleagues to work with the Vietnamese communities around the world to promote a free and democratic Vietnam.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act.

The sharp increase in crimes in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes since Hurricane Katrina is on the minds of my constituents in every corner of our district. Because of this serious matter, I am focused on giving our law enforcement officials the tools they need to fight crime and return safety to our streets.

All violent criminals must be fully prosecuted. Crimes committed against individuals based upon their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability are particularly insidious.

This is a Nation of acceptance, where every individual is protected by the Constitution. This promise enables them to pursue their dreams free of persecution and attack. I, as a minority, am acutely aware of freedoms and protections offered by the laws of this land and what is expected of my fellow citizens.

The provisions of this bill will assist prosecutors in enforcing the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It allows law enforcement officials to hold those committing violent crimes accountable for their actions. This is what this bill does.

What this bill does not do is restrict free speech. Freedom of speech and freedom of association guaranteed by the first amendment are respected by the language of this bill. Despite concerns to the contrary, this bill will not subject anyone to prosecution of what they think, say or preach.

Mr. Speaker, I am supporting this bill because hate crimes are an assault on a person's dignity and humanity. They represent a type of behavior that has no place in our dignified society, and it is our responsibility to enable prosecution of these heinous crimes to the fullest extent of the law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 342, to designate May 2, 2009, as ``Vietnamese Refugees Day.''

As the Vietnam war came to an end, millions fled Communist-controlled Vietnam by boat and by land, across the Cambodian, Laotian and Thai borders into refugee camps.

Like me, many of the conflict's refugees came to the United States. In fact, it was April 28, 1975, exactly 34 years ago today, that, as Saigon fell, I climbed aboard a C-130 destined for the United States and my new life. To date, over 2 million Vietnamese boat people and other refugees of the conflict remain dispersed globally.

In the United States, as of 2006, 72 percent of Vietnamese Americans are naturalized United States citizens, the highest rate among Asian groups. Vietnamese Americans have made significant contributions to the cultural and economic prosperity of the United States. They count among their ranks artists, singers, actors, scientists, astronauts, restaurateurs, Olympians and elected officials. While Vietnamese Americans' accomplishments are significant and notable, it is critical that their history and the history of their ancestors be recorded.

Mr. Speaker, on May 2, 2009, the Library of Congress Asian Division is joining many Vietnamese American organizations across the United States in sponsoring a symposium entitled ``Journey to Freedom: A Boat People Retrospective.'' In honor of this significant event, I ask my colleagues to support House Resolution 342 to designate May 2, 2009, as ``Vietnamese Refugees Day.'' By doing so, we enshrine in the hearts and consciousness of Americans the tragic, heroic and uplifting stories of perseverance and the pursuit of freedom of millions of Vietnamese refugees to ensure those stories will stand as an inspiration to generations of Americans to come.

Madam Speaker, I come before the House today to express the views of a freshman Congressman whose knowledge and experience of the workings of Capitol Hill have spanned a little more than 3 months.

While I am greatly honored to be a Member of this governing body and cherish the friendship and support I have received from my colleagues, I would like to use this forum to express a concern: how we operate as a governing body.

Aristotle said, ``Virtue is the mean between two extremes.'' This definition of virtuous state of character was appropriate over 2,000 years ago, and it continues to be true today.

Virtuous character, properly exercised, is to react to circumstances in the appropriate way and to the appropriate degree. I believe that we, as Members of Congress, must govern from a political spectrum that resonates the mean, and not the two extremes.

What are these two extremes? Left-wing liberalism, whose governing stance simply focuses on the immediate, with little attention to moral implications and burdens on future generations, and right-wing conservatism, whose rhetoric seeks to inflame rather than inform.

The future of America is too important for this body to be embattled and impeded by radical ideologies and political maneuvering.

Thank you very much.

We must remember who we represent as Members of Congress--the average American whose language does not reflect the extremes, but who simply asks, how will I pay my bills? How can I raise my children to be successful and moral citizens? And how can I worship and express freely my religious faith?

Our public policy today, depending on who is in power, tends to reflect a limited political agenda, which gets the country in trouble in one manner or another. While history is our mentor, we must look at the state of our Nation today and address our shared problems through the cumulative knowledge we have acquired as we continue to progress and evolve as a Nation.

Neither liberals nor conservatives can relive their past. We, as a governing body, must use all of our knowledge and tools that we have to address the problems of a dynamic and evolving national or global society in the appropriate way and to the appropriate degree. This, of course, requires a delicate balancing act where all Members of Congress are invited to the discussion table--and not as liberals or conservatives, but as problem solvers there to address the human needs of the average American.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 234, to establish a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. My family and I are direct beneficiaries of the sacrifice and service of the men and women who served this great Nation during the years of conflict in Vietnam.

I was born in Vietnam in 1967, during the most turbulent year of the war and while American troops were engaged in combat there. In 1975, my father, an army officer, was captured by the communist forces and sent to a re-education camp for nearly 7 years. I was 8 years old when I left my home country and came to America to make a new life with the tools of freedom and democracy that this great Nation stands for.

To the hundreds of thousands of veterans who returned from the Vietnam War, I say to you that your dedicated service to your country and mine is remembered by millions every day. I thank you for having fought for democracy and freedom even in the farthest reaches of the globe.

To each of the 58,256 servicemembers whose names appear on the solemn granite wall along the National Mall, I say to you that your ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten. Your memories live on today through the millions of people throughout the world enjoying the opportunities, liberties, and freedom that you have fought so long and hard for.

Mr. Speaker, as we reflect today on the sacrifice and service of Vietnam veterans, I ask all Americans to consider our servicemembers engaged today around the globe. Currently, in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have nearly 200,000 service men and women serving this Nation honorably. During the course of these conflicts, 4,716 servicemembers have lost their lives and another 33,852 have been wounded fighting nobly to defeat terrorism and to bring freedom and democracy to oppressed people. We thank them and their families for their service, and they will never be forgotten.

As we chart the way forward in these conflicts, it is our obligation to ensure that the gains we and our coalition partners have made are not for naught, and that we continue on the fight to bring peace, democracy, and freedom to these nations that have been damaged and broken by brutal regimes.

Mr. Speaker, while I am struck by the fact that it is only today, some 34 years later, that we are establishing a day to welcome home from the Vietnam War some of America's bravest, I am pleased that I, a direct beneficiary of their service, can take part in this historic event.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 67, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''