Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as we remember 9/11, it should renew our determination to see justice brought to those responsible and to protect our homeland against further attack.

This week, we will take up legislation on both of those points. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our intelligence community, we have captured most of those responsible for murdering nearly 3,000 of our innocent civilians on 9/11.

This week, we will create a framework to bring these terrorists to justice. It will provide a system that is fair and firm and ensures that these terrorists are never again given the chance to do us harm.

We will also work to prevent further attacks on America by strengthening our surveillance capabilities on terrorist activities. In the war on terror, intelligence-gathering is crucial, and we must give our intelligence community the tools it needs to protect America.

Mr. Speaker, nothing is more urgent than strengthening our national security.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler) for his efforts to raise awareness of this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, passing this bill would be a win for millions of Americans who cherish religious freedom in America. And it would be a win for those who understand our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

We all know in 1976 Congress passed a law allowing citizens to sue the government if they feel their constitutional rights have been violated. In recent years, groups like the ACLU have twisted this law to advance their agenda of eliminating any public expression of religion.

By using the threat of a lawsuit combined with uncertain jurisprudence on the issue, these groups have been able to bully local governments into removing any expression of religion whatsoever, and this affects public seals, Boy Scouts, veterans memorials, Ten Commandment displays, among other things.

Slowly but surely, groups like the ACLU are using the practice to remove any public acknowledgment of religion. This bill protects religious freedom by eliminating the unfair advantage groups like the ACLU enjoy. By denying these groups the ability to collect attorneys fees in establishment clause cases, this bill puts America's countless cities, towns and localities on a level-playing field. No longer would the taxpayers in these towns be forced to foot the bill to defend their constitutional right to freedom of religion. The bill addresses a real concern in a meaningful way. I urge all Members to support its passage.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to comment on Senator Jim DeMint's decision to put a hold on Andrew van Eschenbach's nomination to head the FDA. This has to do with a drug, an abortifacient called RU-486. This drug has been linked to eight deaths, nine life- threatening incidents and more than 200 hospitalizations.

The FDA is charged with safeguarding public health, so it only makes sense that the FDA Commissioner would support suspension of the drug, RU-486, until a full investigation can be completed on its effect on women's health. Nine other drugs have been suspended in the past 8 years that didn't cause a single death, yet this known health threat remains on the market as we speak. Madam Speaker, this is nothing less than irresponsible, and it is time the FDA exerted some leadership on the issue.

Senator DeMint has acted in the interest of women's health and common sense. I thank him for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague from Michigan how this bill will impact those whose religious convictions prevent them from having their photo taken for government ID. I represent some 25,000 members of the Amish community. Many of them do vote, but, because of their religious beliefs, will not allow their photo to be taken. They wouldn't object to a fingerprint or biometrics. But I would respectfully ask the gentleman to explain how the bill deals with this issue, given our Nation's long tradition of protecting freedom of religion, and if this matter could be addressed as the bill moves along.

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, in the 5 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we have made great strides in fighting global terrorism, but this war is not over. The recently uncovered plot to bomb U.S.-bound passenger jets made it clear that we are still threatened.

As we remember 9/11, we must renew our commitment to winning this war against Islamic terrorists. Make no mistake, the enemy hasn't lost its resolve. Osama bin Laden put it this way. He said, ``The whole world is watching this war and the two adversaries. It is either victory and glory or misery and humiliation.''

Our enemies are determined, but they will be defeated if we remain vigilant. As Congress deliberates this month, we must continue to make the protection of the American people our top priority. America's greatest strength lies with our people's love of freedom. By doing what it takes to win this war, we will show that our love for freedom is stronger than our enemy's desire for bloodshed and tyranny.

Mr. Speaker, since this Chamber last met, there has been some good news regarding American energy. Over the past 2 weeks, gas prices have been dropping, providing some relief for Labor Day travelers.

Just this week a group of oil companies announced a discovery of a petroleum reserve that could increase America's proven reserves by as much as 50 percent. This is good news, Mr. Speaker. But more can be done.

This year alone, the House has passed several meaningful bills aimed at boosting our domestic energy supply. In May we authorized environmentally responsible energy exploration in Alaska. In June we passed legislation to streamline the process for building new refineries in our country. We also authorized access to the enormous reserves known to exist off our coast on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Mr. Speaker, the House has a strong record on energy independence. But there are only a limited number of

days left on the calendar. Now it is time for the Senate to take action on these bills and keep the good energy news coming for the American consumer.

Mr. Speaker, as we head into August, it is worth noting our record so far this year in defense of traditional values.

Last month this body affirmed the role of fathers by passing a resolution to promote responsible fatherhood in America. Also in June, we got serious about enforcing broadcast decency standards by increasing fines for violating the law tenfold. Just this week the President signed the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act.

Last week we defended the Pledge of Allegiance from the whims of activist judges who seek to ban it from our schools. Although the Marriage Protection Amendment failed to get two-thirds support, it gained votes in both the House and Senate this year. Earlier this month we passed legislation to enforce laws prohibiting illegal online gambling. And last week we affirmed the dignity of human life by rejecting taxpayer funding of human embryo-destroying research.

Mr. Speaker, it has been a good first half of the year for millions of Americans who wish to see traditional American values defended on Capitol Hill. And I look forward to future successes when we reconvene after August.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. domination of the Tour-de-France continues. For 7 consecutive years, Lance Armstrong dominated the event, but his departure last year left the cycling world wondering who would step up to claim his crown.

On Sunday we found out. His name is Floyd Landis. Floyd hails from Farmersville, Pennsylvania, just outside of Ephrata, in the heart of Lancaster County.

His parents were attending a service at Martindale Mennonite Church during their son's triumphant ride through the streets of Paris. His dad said, ``I was praying for him.''

Mr. Speaker, Floyd's performance was an inspiration. Though in need of a hip replacement, his determination and willpower was unwavering.

One writer who has been covering the event for 18 years called it, ``the best performance in the modern history of the tour.''

On behalf of the entire 16th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, as well as Lancaster, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Floyd and his family.

He has represented his hometown and his country well, and I applaud his tremendous performance in cycling's most prestigious event.

Mr. Speaker, President Bush issued the first veto of his Presidency yesterday, and it was the right thing to do.

By sustaining that veto last night, after more than a year of rhetoric, much of it misleading, we have come down on the side of protecting human life. And we have saved the American taxpayer from being forced to fund unethical and unsuccessful research involving the destruction of human embryos.

Though a chapter in this debate has now been closed, this issue is not going away. As we move forward, I hope we will keep in mind what we have learned. The choice doesn't have to be between doing stem cell research and not doing stem cell research. There are ethical, life- affirming methods of doing this research that are producing successful treatments today using adult stem cells.

Let's move forward with stem cell research, Mr. Speaker, but let's do it in an ethical way.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for yielding. In her opening remarks, the chief Democratic sponsor of this bill told us that embryonic stem cell research will cure Alzheimer's. This is yet another example of the misinformation the bill's proponents have been spreading for the past year.

Let me read from a Washington Post article by Rick Weiss: ``Given the lack of any serious suggestion that stem cells themselves have practical potential to treat Alzheimer's, the Reagan-inspired tidal wave of enthusiasm stands as an example of how easily a modest line of scientific inquiry can grow in the public mind to mythological proportions. It is a distortion that some admit is not being aggressively corrected by scientists.''

Said Ronald D.G. McKay, stem cell researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, ``Embryonic stem cell research may never cure any disease.''

However, ethical adult stem cell research has already resulted in nine FDA-approved therapies for major diseases. We should support ethical research that works.

In this binder I have information from established medical journals for over 70, 72 to be exact, successful treatments that have been discovered using ethical research of adult stem cells; not a single embryo has been destroyed in the process.

In this binder I have the successful treatments derived from embryo- destroying stem cell research. Not a single cure. The score is 72-0. All it has to show for itself are failed experiments, disgraced researchers, tumors and dead laboratory rats.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the President for doing the right thing and vetoing this unethical and unnecessary legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to sustain the President's veto. Reject H.R. 810.

Mr. Speaker, marriage has been under attack for years in America. Regardless of where we look, we have seen a gradual weakening of the institution that historically we have relied on to nurture America's kids.

And while marriage has taken a beating from divorce and other factors, the statistics still show that the best home for kids is still with a mom and dad who are married and love each other. That is the ideal we are talking about here: the best home for kids. By protecting marriage, this amendment promotes such an environment for our kids.

Statistics show children living with their mom and dad are safer, that they are less likely to be abused or neglected, that they have fewer health problems, that they engage in fewer risky behaviors than their peers, that they are more likely to do well in school, that they are better off economically, that they display increased ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Study after study shows us this, Mr. Speaker.

But most Americans do not need a scientific study to tell them that marriage is important for our children and our families. When given the chance to have their voices heard on this issue, they have overwhelmingly come down on the side of protecting marriage. Twenty States have now passed voter referendums to amend their constitution to protect marriage. Six more will have it on the ballot this November. Six more next year. There is a pattern here. Every time the people are actually given a chance to vote on this, they choose to protect marriage overwhelmingly. In more than half of the 20 States, they have amended their constitution with over 70 percent of the vote or more.

These numbers should tell us something, Mr. Speaker. They should tell us that people understand intuitively what studies show us empirically: Marriage is important, it is the foundation of the family and it is the safest harbor to raise children.

This amendment protects marriage from the whims of activist courts that would further undermine this institution by radically redefining its definition. It would see to it that the people have a say on an issue of fundamental importance to our Nation.

It is the right policy, Mr. Speaker, and I urge all my colleagues to support the Marriage Protection Amendment today.

Mr. Speaker, it has been less than a month since President Bush signed the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act into law, and it is already working. By increasing fines tenfold, this law seeks to deter broadcasters from breaking indecency laws.

And yesterday, The Washington Post reported that this deterrent is working. Orders for electronic editing equipment used to filter on-air obscenities have spiked. Some radio stations are requiring their DJs to either clean up or pay fines out of their own pockets. Radio giant Clear Channel has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for their on-air personalities, allowing them to be fired for using offensive language.

Some claim this is creating a chilling effect on free expression. Mr. Speaker, this is not a chilling effect, it is enforcing the law. Decency standards have not changed, but the incentive for obeying them has changed significantly, and that is exactly what the President and this Congress intended when we passed this important legislation.

For the sake of parents and children across the Nation, I am glad to see this law having an impact on cleaning up the airwaves.

Mr. Speaker, the plague of child pornography is a global program in need of a global response. A study released recently by the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children paints a sad and sobering picture.

Of the 184 countries studied, more than half have no laws addressing child pornography at all, and in most of the countries, the existing laws are inadequate.

This perverse form of exploitation horribly scars its victims, not only in the actual production of this sordid smut, but their pictures are then broadcast to the world online.

At a meeting recently of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, I offered a resolution on behalf of Chairman Chris Smith and the U.S. delegation, calling on the nations of the world to address this growing problem.

The resolution calls on lawmaking bodies of the world to take a hard- line stance against this horrific practice and enact stiff criminal penalties for production and consumption.

I am pleased the resolution was unanimously adopted. Child pornography is a despicable business, and this resolution is a positive first step in the fight against it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Leach, Mr. Sensenbrenner, for their hard work and leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, it is time that we enforce the law when it comes to Internet gambling.

Dozens of Web sites entice Web surfers to bet online with free software offers. Online sites advertise openly on TV. Stores carry books on how to get rich by gambling online.

The only problem? Online gambling is illegal.

This bill makes that clear and provides mechanisms to effectively enforce the law.

This year Americans will send $5.9 billion to offshore, unregulated online casinos. The Justice Department warns that many of these sites are fronts for money laundering, drug trafficking, and even terrorist financing. And unregulated online gambling also takes a toll in untold numbers of personal lives destroyed.

Gambling online is unique. No casinos, horse tracks, or betting parlors are required. All you need is a computer, credit card, and Internet access. With that, players are able to play 24 hours a day from the privacy of their homes. Minors are easily able to defy age requirements if they wish to play. And the online environment and credit card payment system combine to promote addiction, bankruptcy, and crime.

Currently, online gambling operations avoid Federal and State law enforcement by locating offshore, and this bill addresses this loophole in three ways: first, it clarifies previous law, making it a Federal felony to use wire communications facilities to transmit bets or wagers. Secondly, it cuts off the flow of money to online gambling sites by regulating the payment systems they use to collect the money. And, finally, it authorizes penalties against those who facilitate illegal online gambling.

Simply put, Mr. Speaker, the law is being flouted, and this bill does something about it. I strongly urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor Corporal Brandon M. Hardy of Cochranville, Pennsylvania, who laid down his life for his country.

At the age of 10, Brandon watched on television as the U.S. military liberated the people of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm. This was his inspiration to dedicate his own life to serving his country. And that's what he did.

In July of 1999, directly after graduating from Octorara Area High School, Brandon enlisted in the United States Air Force. After serving for 5 years in the Air Force, Brandon joined the Marines and was sent to Iraq. On April 28 of this year, Brandon lost his life while conducting combat operations in Iraq.

Brandon Hardy understood what it means to live a life with purpose. He served a cause greater than himself. He served the cause of liberty. He gave his life so that we might be safer, and so 26 million Iraqis might have the chance to live in freedom.

In May, I had the opportunity to travel to Iraq, and each Iraqi official I met with--from the Prime Minister down to a local police chief--thanked America for sacrificing so much on Iraq's behalf. They deeply understand the difference that men and women like Brandon Hardy have made for Iraq and for the world. And we at home know that the Global War on Terror is being waged to keep us safe, as well. Marine Corporal Brandon Hardy served others and gave back to his country, and his life made a tremendous difference in the world because of it.

As an airman, Brandon served in supply management, and he completed his service with the Air Force as a staff sergeant on July 6, 2004. Brandon further demonstrated his dedication to defending our Nation when he re-enlisted in the military--but, this time, with the Marine Corps on January 19, 2005. On June 3, 2005, Brandon graduated from Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Parris Island, South Carolina. He was assigned to the Hawaii-based 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment as an amphibious assault vehicle crewman and was promoted to corporal on April 1, 2006.

The 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion's mission is ``to transport the surface assault elements of the landing force from amphibious shipping to inland objectives during the amphibious assault and to provide support to mechanized operations ashore. The amphibious assault vehicles are primarily utilized to transport personnel in tactical operations.'' The battalion is part of the 1st Marine Division, a multi-role, expeditionary ground combat force, that provides fully trained units and personnel to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and other objectives in the Global War on Terrorism.

On April 28, 2006, Brandon made the supreme sacrifice for his country. He was killed while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar Province in Iraq when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.

Brandon earned a number of awards throughout his career in both the Air Force and Marine Corps, which demonstrates his professionalism and outstanding ability as an airman and a Marine. His awards include an Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Medal with Valor, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, a Purple Heart (death), and an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

May God grant to Brandon's family and his fiancee the peace that passes all understanding. My prayers and most heartfelt gratitude go out to them, and I offer them my deepest condolences. I am humbled by the dedicated service and sacrifice of their loved one, Corporal Brandon Hardy. Brandon joins the revered ranks of the many thousands of men and women throughout American history who have gone before him in battle to secure the liberty of the United States of America. He is an inspiration to us all.