Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, John Kerry joined the growing chorus of those who are just plain confused on stem cell research.

There are two different types of stem cell research: adult and embryonic. Adult stem cell research works. Embryonic stem cells do not.

Look at the science. The private sector knows this. The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation claims that embryo stem cell research is the most promising research. Yet, it devotes only $3 million of its $80 million research and education budget for embryo stem cell research. They spent $15 million on adult stem cell research.

Why do they say embryo stem cell research has the most potential, but they spend five times as much money on adult stem cell research? Adult stem cells have already successfully treated Parkinson's, blindness, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, multiple sclerosis, and the list goes on. There have been no successful treatments with embryo stem cells. None.

Let the truth prevail on this. Let us fund what works. Let us fund what is saving lives. Let us do the right thing and not play politics.

Mr. Speaker, in a review of the book ``Prelude to War,'' Time Magazine saw fit to detail, as the book does, the location of the secret bunker used by Vice President Cheney in the aftermath of 9/11. Both the book's author and Time Magazine were wrong to reveal the location of this site. This is not tabloid material, a photographer catching a celebrity on vacation.

Vice President Cheney did not go to this site to relax, he went there in case our President was attacked and killed by terrorists. He went there to be ready to take control when our Nation was under attack.

Identifying this site is unacceptable and wrong. By detailing the complex and its location, the book and the magazine have combined to compromise a part of our national security. They compromised the ability to protect the man who is first in line for the Presidency. That was wrong.

Madam Speaker, we often hear negative comments about fathers and fatherhood, about ``deadbeat dads'' and absent fathers.

It's easy to forget that there are millions of American fathers who love their wives and their children.

They get up every morning and go to work to support their families.

They go to baseball games and ballet performances and school plays.

They help their kids with their homework, chaperone proms and mow the lawn.

They treat their wives with respect and model healthy relationships.

They make sacrifices and invest in the next generation.

Current research shows that these daily acts of responsibility and faithfulness have a major impact on child well-being.

Statistics show us that marriage is the foundation of responsible fatherhood, and that fathers who are married to the mothers of their children are more likely to be involved in their children's lives.

But, we don't need statistics to tell us that committed, involved fathers are essential to the preservation of the family.

On Sunday, thousands of families in my district will celebrate Father's Day.

Amid all the distractions of our society, many will stop, for just a minute, to honor ``Dad.''

It seems that politics and social change and the faddish nature of our culture have not been able to erase the enduring value of fatherhood and the imprint that fathers have in my district and across this great nation.

Mr. Speaker, a few years ago I had the privilege of visiting with Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet dissident who is now an Israeli cabinet minister. I asked him what his reaction was, as he was in the Soviet Gulag at that time, to the ``Evil Empire'' speech. Here is his reaction as expressed in a recent quotation:

``In 1983 I was confined to an 8 by 10 foot prison cell on the border of Siberia. My Soviet jailers gave me the privilege of reading the latest copy of Pravda. Splashed across the front page was a condemnation of President Ronald Reagan for having the temerity to call the Soviet Union an `evil empire.' Tapping on walls and talking through toilets, word of Reagan's `provocation' quickly spread throughout the prison. We dissidents were ecstatic. Finally, the leader of the Free World had spoken the truth, a truth that burned inside the heart of each and every one of us.

``At the time, I never imagined that 3 years later I would be in the White House telling the story to the President. When he summoned some of his staff to hear what I said, I understood that there had been much criticism of Reagan's decision to cast the struggle between superpowers as a battle between good and evil. Well, Reagan was right and his critics were wrong.''

There is no doubt that Natan Sharansky speaks for millions of people who today are free. A great President, with a great legacy, Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, last week as I reflected on the anniversary of D-Day, I recalled President Reagan's speech on the 40th anniversary of that first day of liberation of Europe on June 6, 1984. President Reagan spoke of ``the men of Normandy'' who ``had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead, or on the next.''

As he so often did, his conviction and passion, his grace and sincerity connected a distant event to the struggle each and every human being faces every day, fighting to know what we are doing is right.

Later that day he told a different audience, ``We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared so that we may always be free.''

Newsweek called this freedom, which President Reagan mentioned in 1984, the freedom ``from self-doubt, from the Soviet threat, from uneasiness about our national power and capacity to do great things.''

This was Reagan's gift to his country. He knew that America was great and that our greatness had not come without a price. Indeed, we will always remember, Mr. President. We will always remember so that we may always be free.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a big day for Iraq. As The Washington Post reports this morning, ``A diverse group of secular figures, political independents, and technical specialists was appointed Tuesday to serve as Iraq's caretaker administration.''

As we come to the turnover of sovereignty to this government, we must keep in mind how important our effort in Iraq is. A free Iraq would be a death blow to the terrorists. For too long the people of this region have had no say in the direction of their nations. On June 30, we move one step closer to seeing a nation choose its own course.

The President has been a firm, steady leader during this trying time. He has rightly said that we have not freed Iraq to make them into Americans; we have freed Iraq to allow them to live in freedom. Iraq has the potential to be a great ally in the Middle East. Success there is critical.

Mr. Speaker, one of the distressing things about this partisan election year is to hear our friends on the other side politicizing national security. One of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle said that we were not at war when President Clinton was in office, suggesting that it was President Bush's fault that we are at war today.

I would like to ask, what would you call it then in the 1990s when terrorists attacked our country, not once, but four times? In 1993, they killed innocent Americans at the World Trade Center; in 1996, they killed Americans at the Khobar Towers; in 1998, they attacked two U.S. embassies in Africa; in 2000, they attacked a U.S. Naval vessel, the USS Cole, again killing Americans.

Terrorists have been at war with us for years. We failed to admit it, despite the body bags.

Then in 2001, 9/11 happened.

We were at war long before President Bush came to Washington. All President Bush did was muster the courage and moral vision to admit it and fight back.

These political games only cloud the true issue that we are at war, and the more we hesitate to fight it, the more aggressive our enemies become.

Mr. Speaker, on Friday several Federal agencies announced a national law enforcement initiative aimed at combating the growing volume of illegal child pornography distributed through peer-to-peer file trading networks.

Since last fall, the effort has resulted in hundreds of searches nationwide, the identification of thousands of computers used to traffic in child pornography, and the arrest of more than 65 individuals.

This action should be commended and further action encouraged, but Friday's announcement is a disturbing confirmation that peer-to-peer programs are being manipulated. They are becoming an ever-more dangerous platform used by child predators, some convicted child molesters, to attack kids.

Parents need the ability to protect their kids before they are harmed by cyberpredators using peer-to-peer software. H.R. 2885 would give parents the tools and help parents prevent this from happening in the first place. I urge support.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

The Davis amendment would force military medical personnel to be complicit in the taking of innocent human life. It would divert precious medical resources such as staff, time, equipment, and facilities away from the front lines of battle.

Let us not forget, abortion is violence. It is the most violent form of death known to mankind. It is violence against women and children. We should not be subsidizing it.

The American working family should not be forced to fund the extremists' health care agenda of this amendment. Our military should not sacrifice what it needs on the front lines.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Davis amendment.

Mr. Speaker, last month our economy created 288,000 jobs; 867,000 jobs have been created this year alone. Manufacturing employment is up, weekly jobless claims are at their lowest since October of 2000, our economy is on the rebound, and we have tax relief to thank for that. It is proof that when working families keep more of their own money, it works.

Today, we are going to act to prevent a tax increase. Current law says that the 10 percent tax bracket which was created in the 2001 jobs plan will expire. If that happens, 73 million working people will pay higher taxes next year, with an average tax increase of $2,400 in the next decade.

Today, we will see who in this House wants to prevent this tax increase. Working families need every penny we can let them keep.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we were reminded of who the real enemies are in Iraq. A video was released showing the brutal murder of a young man from Pennsylvania, 26 years old, a small businessman who was there to help rebuild Iraq. I offer my deepest condolences to his family and friends, and I join with my colleagues to call for bringing these terrorists to justice.

The fact is, Nick Berg's murder comes from the same terrorist extremists as the September 11 attacks. It was not about revenge; it was about intimidation. They brutally murdered an innocent civilian on camera so that the world could see it and tremble. These terrorists will use any convenient excuse to take innocent life if they believe it will advance their agenda.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's murder should not shake us. It should steel our resolve to do the right thing in Iraq, and it should remind us that there can be no negotiating with an enemy who hates freedom, despises human rights, and uses any excuse to brutally murder innocent civilians.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the issue of Kashmir and an important report that was just released and should arrive at each House office this week. The continued courageous leadership of Prime Minister Vajpayee of India and President Musharraf of Pakistan is vital in moving forward to bring an end to the suffering of the Kashmiri people. I visited the region in January; and the suffering of the people is horrific, all in the midst of a land of great beauty. It is time for this tragic suffering to end.

I would like to recommend this report to my colleagues. The report offers over 60 recommendations for progress in bringing peace to Kashmir, including an end to the use of rape as a weapon of war, promoting education for Kashmiri children and others.

Until the Kashmiri issue is settled, the stability, security, and economic viability of South Asia and the international community are at risk.

Mr. Speaker, as a military veteran, I was saddened and outraged to hear the stories this past week of physical and psychological abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers.

This outrageous behavior goes against everything America stands for. It is a serious breach of military discipline. It is a disgusting and a shameful violation of human rights. It is un-American, and it jeopardizes the future freedom in Iraq and the Middle East, and it is sad that the 99.9 percent of the U.S. military which has conducted themselves honorably will now be defamed because of the actions of a few.

In a war for hearts and minds, these actions do not help, and those responsible should be held accountable; but let us remember the terrorists we are fighting.

In Saudi Arabia this weekend, terrorist extremists murdered five Western oil workers, tied one body to a car and drove around with it like a hood ornament. One terrorist murdered a pregnant woman and her four daughters, and then put a bullet in her stomach to make sure the job was complete. We remember the scenes from Iraq of the bodies of aid workers drug through the streets recently.

I have no doubt the U.S. will exact justice on our soldiers. If we could only get the terrorist extremists and their leaders to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, peer-to-peer file-sharing software poses a danger to our children. At any given time, 22 million children are online sharing files on peer-to-peer networks. They usually trade music and photos. But another group of peer-to-peer users has a different agenda. Most parents do not know about it. Most kids do not have a clue.

Pornographers and child predators use these networks to expose young children to the crudest forms of pornography imaginable, much of it child porn, always disguised using innocent-sounding terms. Often, these predators attempt to arrange meetings with young people through this software. These contacts pose a significant risk to the safety of our children when they use the computer.

This week, the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will take up this issue. Among the solutions to be discussed is my bill, H.R. 2885, the Protecting Children From Peer-to-Peer Pornography Act. The bill addresses the cyberdangers of file-sharing programs, like KaZaA.

Congress must act to protect children from this threat. If left unchecked, peer-to-peer networks will become the worst base of operations which child molesters, pornographers, and predators use to attack our kids in our homes online.