Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to speak for peace. I can no longer keep silent. Mr. Speaker, the time for silence is long past. As we debate the rule on the Defense Authorization Act of 2006, I believe that somebody, someplace, sometime, must stand up and speak up for the cause of peace.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for us to bring the conflict in Iraq to an end; 12,000 of our young men and women, the sons and daughters of America, have been wounded, and more than 1,600 of our soldiers have died. Tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens are dead, wounded, living in fear and chaos, uncertain about tomorrow.

How many more of our young men and women will we have to lose in a car bombing, a kidnapping or armed conflict before we understand that this war was unnecessary?

I have said it before, and I say it again today: war is vicious. It is evil. It is bloody. It is messy. It destroys the hopes, the dreams, the longing and aspirations of a people. It leaves little children without fathers and mothers. The war in Iraq is tampering with the very soul of our Nation.

In these Chambers we have struggled with many human problems. We have made decisions that have changed the course of history. Today I ask of my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to search their souls and ask themselves, is it possible for a great Nation to come to a point where we decide to lay down the burden of war? Is it possible for a great Nation, a powerful Nation with a proud people to evolve to that level where we study war no more; where we decide we are going to destroy the tools and instruments of violence and war and devote all of our intelligence and all of the resources of this great Nation to lay the foundation for peace?

The way of peace is a better way, a more excellent way. We cannot and must not continue to move down the road that leads to a more bloody war, more violence, more death. If we fail to take heed, if we fail to listen and be guided by the spirit of history, the future will not be kind to us.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast rollcall votes No. 176 through 199 on May 17 through 19, 2005 because I was attending to a personal matter. Had I been present I would have cast the following votes: On rollcall No. 176, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 177, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 178, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 179, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 180, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 181, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 182, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 183, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 184, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 185, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 186, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 187, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 188, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 189, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 190, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 191, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 192, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 193, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 194, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 195, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 196, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 197, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall No. 198, I would have voted ``yes''; On rollcall No. 199, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Mr. Speaker, what does it profit one political party to rule this government with an iron fist and destroy the foundation our Founding Fathers built? This is the central question we are asking the Senate Republican conference today.

It is unreal. It is unbelievable that Senators sworn to uphold the Constitution would end filibusters on judicial nominations. This is not only a grab by one party to dominate every branch of American Government. It is a choke hold on the voices of millions of American voters. Where is our honor? Where is our honesty? Where is our respect for the American people who place their trust in all of us, not one political party?

Mr. Speaker, I thought the principles of American democracy stood for something. I hope the Senate Republican leadership will not fall for this miscarriage of justice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the House to inquire of the majority whip the schedule for next week.

I yield to the gentleman from Missouri.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority deputy whip for that information. I will continue to yield to the gentleman to ask about the gang violence and the first responder bills. Which day will we consider each bill, and what type of rule is anticipated for each bill?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Deputy Whip, does leadership anticipate having votes next Friday?

I yield to the gentleman from Missouri.

Mr. Speaker, continuing to yield to the gentleman, I understand we have appropriation bills coming up, and we understand we may have a number of appropriation bills on the floor prior to the Memorial Day district work period. Which appropriation bills will be considered prior to the recess?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri for all of that valuable information. We appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a progressive disorder that occurs when motor nerve cells in the central nervous system cease functioning and die. Each year, over 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with this illness. There are 600 patients in Georgia alone. Sadly, there is no known cause, cure, or means of control in the advanced stages, ALS care can cost up to $200,000 per year, depleting the financial resources of patients and relatives.

In Georgia, families impacted by ALS are blessed to have the support of The ALS Association of Georgia, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against ALS and the support of patients and their caregivers. Over 80% of all monies raised goes directly to patient services. Services offered include information and referrals, home nursing visits, support groups, coordination of medical care, equipment loan, children's counseling, respite care, public education and awareness, and research support. The suffering of patients and the anguish and struggle of caregivers must be supported and alleviated as much as possible.

I commend The ALS Association of Georgia for all of their good work in serving patients with this devastating disease. During the month of May, which is ALS Awareness Month, I urge all citizens and my colleagues here in Congress to become educated about ALS and to lend their aid to combating this disease.

Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark) for yielding me time.

Madam Chairman, gas prices are going up every single day, and this bill does nothing to bring down the costs at the pump. In fact, it might just make the problem worse.

The energy czars must be the majority leader and company, and they wrote this bill behind closed doors. This bill is immoral. It is a shame and it is a disgrace. This bill was conceived in darkness and born in a den of iniquity.

This bill does not do one thing to bring down the price of gasoline at the pump. We can do better. We can do much better. We should vote against this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 787, to designate the United States Courthouse located in Sacramento, California, as the Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse.

It is so fitting and appropriate that we honor Bob Matsui. In spite of what the American Government did to him and his family, this good and decent man never lost faith in America. He loved America. He loved the people of his district. He was a wonderful human being. Every day he tried to do his best to bring America together, to create one America, one family, one House, the American House.

Mr. Speaker, with this legislation I think we are doing the right thing by honoring Bob Matsui.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, why are we here tonight? We have not been ordained or called by some all-powerful force to play God or play doctor.

Every day American families make life-and-death decisions governed by their own faith and led by their own hearts. This Congress does not interfere with most personal decisions of these American citizens. Why then, Mr. Speaker, why have we come here tonight?

Where is the respect for individual responsibility that is waved like a banner in this Chamber? Where is the respect tonight for States' rights that we said we hold so dear? If we really believe in those values, we will stay out of Terri Schiavo's life today and let the decision of her husband and the ruling of the Federal court stand.

Leadership must lead. Tonight this leadership is a taillight. It is not the headlight for democracy and for a citizen's right to privacy that it should be.

This is demagoguery. This is a step in where we have no business. This is walking where the angels fear to tread. We are playing with a young woman's life for the sake of politics. This is not about values. This is not about religion. It is pandering for political gain with the next election in mind.

Mr. Speaker, how much further can we slide down this slippery slope of hypocrisy? How much lower can we sink? How much more unprincipled can we be?

In a democracy, sometimes we disagree with individual decisions. Sometimes it is hard to bear judgment that we do not understand. But if we truly believe in individual freedom and the right to privacy, then we must get out of the way and let people be free.

This is a matter that should rest with the family, their consciences, and their God. The Florida courts have spoken, and we should not intervene.

This is a very, very sad night for the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, is it possible for us to let this young woman take her leave in peace?

Mr. Speaker, I take this time to ask the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) about the schedule for next week.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I would like for my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), if he could, to be a little more definite about next Friday.

Is the gentleman telling us that the supplemental appropriations will come up next Tuesday?

What kind of rule will we have? Will it be an open rule or a restricted rule?

I ask my friend from California which day would he expect us to consider the budget and what type of rule would he anticipate for considering the budget?

If we have consideration of the rule on Tuesday, what day does the gentleman expect the budget to come to the Floor?

I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California (Mr. Dreier) for being so helpful in providing us the information.

Mr. Speaker, America has lost more than an entertainer. We have lost one of the most committed and dedicated citizens that I have ever known. We grew up with Ossie Davis. During the March from Selma to Montgomery, during the struggle in Birmingham he was one of the people that the Civil Rights Movement depended on to help mobilize people and support for our efforts.

He was a fighter for civil liberty, for civil rights, for social justice, and for peace. Whether it was speaking out against violence abroad or violence here at home, he lent his voice. Whether it was narrating a film or serving as master of ceremonies at a civil rights rally, he was there. He dedicated his life and his art to the causes of justice and peace.

Ossie's career spanned the last five decades as a writer, and actor, director and producer for the theater and in film. He was a trailblazer for African Americans. He served our country in World War II as a surgical technician in the first black station hospital and also entertained his fellow soldiers as a writer and producer of stage shows. He came home from war and used his talents both on stage and off to make the world a better place.

He and his wife Ruby Dee shared their lives and their art and together received Kennedy Center Honors for their lifetime achievements in the arts, the National Medal of the Arts and the Screen Actor Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was a friend, a great talent, a leader, and a great American. He will be greatly missed.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise tonight on this day, February 1, 2005, for February 1, 1960, 45 years ago, became a history-making day when four young men, four young African American students, took seats in an orderly, peaceful, nonviolent fashion at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were denied service, but they continued to sit. Their actions inspired hundreds and thousands of African American college students to start sitting in and sitting down all across the American South to end segregation and racial discrimination in places of public accommodation. By sitting down, Mr. Speaker, they were truly standing up for the very best in America.

Some of these young people had lighted cigarettes put out in their hair and down their backs. Others were beaten, arrested, and jailed. Some were charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace while they were very orderly and very peaceful. They went to jail by the hundreds and thousands as sit-ins spread all across the South like wildfire. The action of these students brought about what I like to call a nonviolent revolution in the American South.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is fitting and appropriate that we pause to pay homage to the memory and contribution of these four young students and hundreds and thousands of others who followed in their footsteps.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for yielding.

The right to vote and to have every vote counted is precious and sacred. It is the heart and soul of our democratic process. We cannot be true to ourselves as a democratic society unless we get it right.

I think, Mr. Speaker, it is fitting and appropriate that we pause, that we have this discussion, that we have this debate, and that Congress hold further hearings on questions about the Presidential election in Ohio and elsewhere.

Our electoral system is broken, and it must be fixed once and for all. What happened in Florida in 2000 and in Ohio in 2004 tends to dramatize the fact that there is something wrong with our democracy. More and more of our citizens have grown uneasy.

I hear people on the other side saying we should forget it, we should get over it. How can we get over it when people died for the right to vote, where people suffered for the right to vote? The right of every vote to be counted must be upheld by this body.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise and speak in honor of a wonderful colleague and a beloved friend, Bob Matsui. No one, but no one, was more able and more respected in this body than Bob Matsui. I came here a little over 18 years ago, and I met this man who was so thoughtful, kind, and gentle. Sometimes in this body we call each other ``the honorable, the gentleman, the gentlewoman.'' Bob Matsui was honorable, and he was a gentleman. He was honorable in the truest sense of that word.

I remember when I first came here in the fall of 1986. During freshman orientation, we had a dinner at Statuary Hall. My 10-year-old son, John Miles, came with me; and Bob Matsui took the time to engage my son in conversation. My young son, only 10 years old, really appreciated that. Bob Matsui took the time to talk to him and almost treated him like another member of the freshman class. He grew to admire and like Bob Matsui. When I informed him that Bob Matsui had passed, he said, ``Daddy, I really liked him. I am sorry. I am so sorry.''

We lost a colleague, and some of us have lost a friend. The American people have lost a champion and a warrior who fought to protect Social Security and looked out for the young and all of those who have been left out and left behind in America.

There are people in this business that we meet from time to time who love the world, but they do not necessarily like people. Bob Matsui not only liked people, but he loved. He loved all of us, and we loved him.

A few short years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a weekend in Bob's district. He took me to a university where we had a community meeting

with students and faculty. We listened, we spoke, and we listened. As a matter of fact, on the campus when we arrived, there were chickens running all around. I said, Bob, I feel really at home with all of these chickens. So when I got up to speak, I said to the president of the university, I said, Mr. President, I know there is some controversy about chickens on the campus, but do not move the chickens; let the chickens stay here. And Bob laughed and laughed, and we got an agreement out of the president that the chickens would remain on the campus.

We visited schools, we visited a synagogue, a church, and a service in memory of Dr. King. During that trip, I witnessed the love that Bob Matsui had for his people and the love that they demonstrated for him.

I tell my colleagues, it seems so unreal, so unbelievable; it is almost impossible to comprehend the loss of a friend, the loss of a brother, a colleague, a husband, a father, a grandfather. What more can be said about this man? His life was not in vain. He gave of himself. He was just a warm, decent, good human being who treated each and every one of us with respect.

When I was walking across the grounds of the Capitol today a few hours ago, a police officer came up to me and said, ``Congressman, when you speak to Mrs. Matsui, please tell her on behalf of all of the Capitol Police officers that her husband was a good man and he treated us well.''

As a Nation and as a people, this is a great loss. Bob Matsui represents something very special. I, for one, I do not believe that we will ever be so lucky or so blessed to witness his likeness again. May God bless his soul.

At this very difficult time, our prayers and our thoughts are with his beloved wife, Doris; his son, Brian; his daughter-in-law, Amy; his granddaughter, Anna; his staff; and the people of the Fifth Congressional District of California. May they find comfort and peace in the love and memory of this great and beloved man.

Mr. Speaker, each and every day more and more information comes to light, and every single day we see more and more proof that there was no justification for this war in Iraq, no justification.

Did this administration and this President mislead, deceive, lie; or did they just fail to tell the truth? There was never ever any growing threat or any growing danger to our Nation. This President and his administration owe the community of nations, members of Congress, the American people, and the families of those who lost their lives in Iraq an apology.

This administration should come clean and tell the truth, nothing but the truth, the whole truth.

Now we learn that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were destroyed after the first Gulf War. At the time we invaded Iraq, Iraq not only lacked any weapons of mass destruction; it lacked the capability to build them, and this administration knew it. They knew it. It is time to tell the truth and nothing

but the whole truth. The truth will set you free.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague and my friend, the dear gentlewoman from Texas, for yielding me this time. I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Alabama, (Mr. Davis), for bringing this resolution before us.

Mr. Speaker, 41 years ago last month, domestic terrorists bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, claiming four innocent lives and changing the course of American history. On that Sunday morning, four beautiful young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley went to church and never came home. Four young lives, so full of promise, cut short by hatred.

Church is usually a safe haven, but it was anything but safe when segregationists who opposed the integration of Birmingham schools, lunch counters, and restaurants targeted the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on Sunday, September 15, 1963.

As long as I can remember, I will never ever forget that Sunday. It was one of the most painful and one of the darkest hours of the Civil Rights movement. Within 3 hours of the bombing, I made my way to Birmingham. I stood in front of the church and witnessed the devastation, the pain and the hurt. I kept asking myself: What is it, what is it in human beings, what is it in our makeup that would make us so mean, so hateful, and so vicious toward our fellow human beings? What is it, what is it in us that would drive human beings to plant a bomb in a church on Sunday morning knowing that others will be killed?

I recall attending the funerals later that week. There was so much pain, so much sorrow, so much sadness, so much hurt. As horrible and tragic as their deaths were, those four young girls did not die in vain. Their blood has liberated not just the Nation, but a people. Their murders did not stop integration, as the terrorists had planned

it. Instead, their deaths shed new light on the struggle for civil rights and spurred support for the movement.

While we in the Civil Rights movement were profoundly saddened by the loss of four precious flowers from God, we did not despair. Rather, our resolve to continue to fight was solidified. In the words of my friend, my brother, my colleague, and mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., their deaths called us to ``work passionately and relentlessly for the realization of the American Dream.''

In their honor, we persevered. And in their honor, we celebrated the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

So, Mr. Speaker, I think it is fitting that, today, we honor the memory of these four young lives and recognize the importance of this tragedy in the cause of civil rights for all Americans. Like all my colleagues who have spoken before, I ask each of you to join in supporting this long overdue recognition by passing this resolution.