Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, murder in the name of religion has struck again. This time it happened in Dallas, Texas.

On New Year's Day law enforcement officials found the bullet-riddled bodies of two teenage sisters, 17-year-old Sarah Said and 18-year-old Amina Said. They were found in the back seat of their father's taxicab.

Now their father, Yaser Said, a Muslim and an Egyptian-born immigrant, is on the run. Authorities believe he murdered the girls after he found out they had American boyfriends.

Family members say the murder was motivated by a Muslim tradition known as ``honor killing.'' According to this tradition, religious extremists justify homicide in the name of religion in order to correct the ``shame'' that a family member has brought on the family.

Well, in the United States it is absolutely never acceptable, let alone honorable, to murder your own kids. This criminal needs to be tried and sent to prison. We live in a Nation that values life and liberty. And no father has a right to kill his daughters and try to claim the defense, ``My religion made me do it.''

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, soon our United States Supreme Court will hear the case of Kennedy v. Louisiana and decide whether capital punishment is permitted in rape cases where the victim is a child that is 12 or under.

Patrick Kennedy was sentenced in Louisiana to death after a jury convicted him of raping his own 8-year-old daughter. The facts show that he even tried to cover up the rape by cleaning up the evidence and then he blamed the rape on two neighborhood boys.

New Louisiana law allows the death sentence for raping a child that is under the age of 12, so Kennedy v. Louisiana asks the Supreme Court, among other things, to decide whether the eighth amendment of the United States Constitution, the cruel and unusual punishment clause, permits a State to punish the crime of rape of a child under the death penalty.

In 1977, the Supreme Court decided that a death sentence for rape of an adult woman was unconstitutional under a case called Coker v. Georgia. Coker really didn't discuss child rape, even though the victim in that case was 16 years of age. But since the Coker decision, State courts have interpreted it to limit death penalty crimes to certain murders. Those murders are what I call the murder-plus doctrine. There must not only be a homicide, but there must be some felony committed or some other unusual circumstance, like murder during a kidnapping, murder during a robbery, murder during a sexual assault, or murder of a police officer, and that is the doctrine that has been basically substantiated by the Supreme Court.

However, last year, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that Coker v. Georgia doesn't apply in their particular case of capital punishment and rape cases when the victim is under 12 because it would still be murder-plus, murder plus the victim was under the age of 12; thus, it would fulfill the Supreme Court's requirements under the Constitution.

No one has been executed in the United States for a crime other than murder since 1964. Many States, including my home State of Texas, before that time allowed the death penalty for robbery by firearm, kidnapping, and sexual assault. But since those days, only murder plus some other felony is allowed under our Constitution.

There are approximately 3,300 inmates on death row in the United States, and only two of them face the death penalty for an event that did not involve a homicide as well as a felony, and those two are the two that are on Louisiana's death row. One is the petitioner in the upcoming Supreme Court case that the Supreme Court will decide very soon; the other is an individual by the name of Richard Davis, who was recently sentenced to death in Louisiana for sexually assaulting a 5- year-old girl.

Louisiana argues that the rape of a child is like no other crime. It also points out that the recent enactment of similar laws has occurred in other States such as Georgia, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas, my home State. Louisiana argues that it is compelling evidence of a national trend toward treating child rape as a distinct type of crime from other types of crimes.

But the issue will be whether the Supreme Court will allow States to make this decision for themselves, or will the Supreme Court continue to mistakenly go down the path and rely on international law, as it did when it barred the death penalty for 17-year-olds in a case called Roper v. Simmons. In Texas, 17-year-olds are adults, but the Supreme Court said no longer can 17-year-olds be executed for any crime. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will quit using international law and decide whether it is constitutional or not to execute someone for raping a child under the age of 12 based on American jurisprudence and our Constitution.

Madam Speaker, a death sentence fits the crime of child rape because a child rape victim suffers for the rest of their natural lives. Madam Speaker,

before I came to Congress, I was a judge for 22 years in Texas, and before that I was a prosecutor.

Many years ago, when I prosecuted cases, I prosecuted an individual who raped a 9-year-old. When her mother testified on the witness stand, she would not refer to the crime as rape or as sexual assault. She referred to that crime as a fate worse than death. And when she explained to the jury what that meant, she was saying that being sexually assaulted as a child is a fate worse than death. Hopefully our Supreme Court will not require a child victim to be murdered before the Supreme Court will allow the death penalty for the perpetrator, because it is, as this lady has testified many years ago, a fate worse than death. When a person commits a crime of sexual assault, they try to steal the soul of a victim.

So, Madam Speaker, I support a State's right to decide for itself whether or not a child rapist should be executed or not, because children are more important than rapists.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, heroes are people who devote their lives to serving others and making our world a better place in which to live. Linda Kitazaki was one of those people.

Linda was the executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Southeast Texas. I knew her for over 20 years in my work as a judge in Texas. She was an advocate in every sense of the word who worked passionately to fulfill MADD's vision to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. Those who know her best describe her as compassionate, powerful, gracious and inspirational.

Linda became affiliated with MADD back in 1988 because of a near fatal crash involving teenagers who were drinking and driving. The situation was especially troublesome to Linda because the teenagers had been given alcohol by a parent. Because of her dedication to making a difference, she became the Administrator for the Harris County Chapter of MADD.

With the assistance of Penny Ellsworth, who joined MADD because her son was killed by a drunk driver, the two reorganized the Harris County Chapter.

MADD Harris County became the Southeast Texas Region Affiliate Office. With Linda at the helm, the small office grew to serve 10 counties and became one of the most prominent within the organization. Not only does the office provide services to the victims of drunk drivers, it also conducts outreach and education in order to prevent future tragedies. The idea of preventing young people from making bad decisions that would impact them for the rest of their lives truly resonated with Linda.

As a result of Linda's leadership, her MADD office became very strong and has 10 staff members and countless volunteers. She started new programs and initiatives. She was considered a maverick in new fundraising methods in the Houston area which were then replicated for national success in the organization. Her passion and commitment won her Employee of the Year recognition.

She also played a key role in developing the Take the Wheel Program, which focused all of the organization's resources and programs into Harris County because it had the highest number of drunk driving deaths in Texas. By partnering with law enforcement, businesses, government, community and religious leaders, the program seeks to save lives by encouraging personal responsibility in the use of alcohol and educating the public about the dangers of drunk driving.

On Dec. 13, 2007, Linda passed away unexpectedly. She leaves behind a legacy of compassion and exceptional service. On Dec. 19, 2007, friends and family will gather to celebrate the remarkable life of this extraordinary community servant. The State of Texas and our Nation owes much to Linda Kitazaki for making our streets and highways safer.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, today I am proud to recognize Mr. Roosevelt Petry, Jr., President and CEO of GP Industrial Contractors, Inc.

He began his professional career as a draftsman for Bethlehem Steel, performing piping, mechanical, electrical, and structural drafting. He worked for fifteen years on electrical instrumentation, mechanical and pipe designing, residential, and commercial construction, and has been a senior designer, project engineer, project manager, and project superintendent. Each job garnered Mr. Petry the necessary skills for his company to secure massive projects such as the Toyota Center, Minute Maid Park, and other high profile projects around the country.

Mr. Petry received his bachelor's degree from Lamar University in 1997, and one year later, he founded GP Industrial Contractors. He partnered with an acquaintance who owned Gulf Copper Manufacturing Company to form a company specializing in building refineries and petrochemical plants. Piping, steel fabrication, carpentry, maintenance, and engineering, are just a few of the services his company offers.

Mr. Petry attributes all of his success to God, and doesn't think twice about giving back to the community. With a focus on youth education, he shared his knowledge as an instructor at Lamar University, teaching AutoCAD, surveying and drafting. He and his wife recently donated money to create an endowment scholarship at Lamar State College, for nursing and engineering students in Port Arthur. Currently, he hosts the Roosevelt Petry, Jr. Business Hour on KSAP 107.1--the Breeze, in Port Arthur, TX. After Hurricane Rita, Mr. Petry's GP Industrial Contractors were there to help the small gulf coast community of Sabine Pass pick up the pieces, assisting in rebuilding.

He has served the community as Commissioner of the Port Arthur Housing Authority; Chairman of the Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation; Member of the Port Arthur Citizen Advisory Committee; Member of the National Society of Black Engineers; Board of Directors for Junior Achievement; and Board of Directors for the United Way. He also serves on the Military Academy Selection Board for our Congressional District.

Over the years, Mr. Petry's hard work and community involvement have resulted in several honors and awards, including Score's 2007 Business Man of the Year Award; 2006 Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation's Business of the Year Award; 2004 Houston Minority Business Council's Emerging Ten Award; 2002 Lamar State College Port Arthur's Industrial Business of the Year Award; 2004 Make Ready, Inc. 4th Annual Humanitarian Award; and he was featured in the National Society of Black Engineers in 2000.

This Port Arthur native has shown that your environment and circumstances don't predict your future. Hard work and perseverance have been the lifeblood of Mr. Petry's success. Port Arthur's future is brighter because of Mr. Petry's continuing commitment and involvement in our community. Roosevelt Petry seizes the opportunities that come his way and has a positive attitude and zest for life.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, Christmas will be here in less than 1 week. Most of us will be with people that are very important to us.

But not so for Border Agents Ramos and Compean who are locked up tonight for protecting the Texas-Mexico border from smugglers, especially an admitted drug smuggler. These agents are in prison for their failure to fill out proper paperwork after shooting this drug smuggler bringing in $1 million worth of dope to the United States.

The U.S. Attorneys Office made a backroom deal with the drug smuggler for his testimony, and even the U.S. Attorneys Office admits that he told some lies. Be that as it may, our government was on the wrong side of the border war in this case.

The border agents should be freed by Christmas and put the drug dealer in jail. So there will not be justice this Christmas for our border agents because the U.S. Attorneys Office is obviously the grinch who stole Christmas from our border agents.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of government is to protect the people. It is a very simple but yet fundamental principle of the United States Constitution.

Our Federal Government has to protect us from enemies from abroad, and our government does a good job of doing that. Our government also has the secondary responsibility to protect citizens in our country, and our government does a fairly good job of that.

But there is a unique problem where our government seems to be lacking, and that's protecting citizens that are working overseas for American contractors against other American citizens who commit crimes against them.

Today, Mr. Speaker, in the Judiciary Committee, a brave young lady came and testified about what happened to her, an individual by the name of Jamie Leigh Jones from my congressional district down in Texas.

As a young 20-year-old she went to work for KBR Construction Company overseas in Iraq. She was there just a few days when she was sexually assaulted by several individuals. After she was assaulted, Army doctors intervened and treated her initially for her medical injuries, which were devastating. The medical doctors took and prepared a rape kit, as is supposed to be done in cases like a criminal investigation, and for some reason, they never turned that rape kit over to the Federal Government, to the Justice Department, to the FBI. They turned it over to the company, and it has subsequently been damaged and destroyed.

After Jamie Leigh Jones was sexually assaulted, she was imprisoned as a hostage in a trailer, as she says, where she was not allowed to leave, was not allowed to eat or drink water. She frantically was able to find a cell phone that one of her guards let her borrow. She called her father in Texas, and he called me. And within 48 hours the State Department had dispatched two agents from Baghdad Embassy, found Jamie Leigh Jones, rescued her, and brought her back to the United States.

We would hope, then, that our government would continue this investigation to find the rapist who committed this crime against Jamie Leigh Jones.

This occurred in the year of 2005, and for these 2 years we have heard blissful silence from the United States Justice Department on what they are doing, if anything, to find these criminals who committed this crime.

After Jamie Leigh Jones has now come public with this, my office has received numerous phone calls from other workers who were contract workers, civilians, all females who were assaulted while working in Iraq who are now coming forward to tell their stories. And in their case, like Jamie Leigh Jones, nobody has been prosecuted and held accountable for the crimes committed against these women, these American citizens, these American patriots who are working overseas with our military, but yet crimes are being committed against them. And there is silence from the Justice Department about what is being done, if anything.

It seems to me, Mr. Speaker, that Iraq and what has taken place against civilian workers is reminiscent of the days of the Old West, the Wild West, where crime was committed and no one was held accountable for their conduct.

There are hundreds of Department of Justice officials in Baghdad doing all kinds of things. Why aren't they investigating crimes against civilian workers that are being committed by other Americans? We don't know the answer. It's important that our government fulfill its first duty to its people, which is to protect them, and when crimes are committed against American civilians by other Americans in foreign lands, where we have jurisdiction in the green zone of Baghdad, that our government be relentless in bringing those people, those criminals, to the bar of justice and put them in jail rather than remain silent and not responding at all to these crimes.

So I would hope, Mr. Speaker, as this year ends and the next year begins that our Federal Government, our Justice Department, has a renewed interest in the Americans that are overseas. More Americans are serving in Iraq that are civilians than are serving in the military. And we know that crimes are being committed against them. It's important that those criminals be brought to the bar of justice and held accountable in a public trial because, Mr. Speaker, justice is what we do in America.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, crimes against children continue to be a crisis in our civilized communities. How society reacts to such crimes is a reflection on the value or lack of value it places on children.

Recently, a 10-year-old girl was raped in Australia by nine males. The victim and the nine rapists were all native-born Aboriginals. The nine deviants were captured, and all nine admitted their guilt. So what did the Australian judge do to these criminals? Well, none of them went to prison. All of them received a suspended sentence, and the judge made the absurd comment at the trial that the 10-year-old girl ``probably agreed to have sex with the perpetrators.'' I wonder what sentence the female judge would have imposed on the nine had the 10- year-old girl been of European descent. A prominent Aboriginal leader said he believed that ``the chronic leniency toward offenders contributes to the abuse of Aboriginal children.''

Mr. Speaker, a society is judged not by the way it treats the powerful or the rich, but how it treats the weakest among its people, like 10-year-old little girls. The judge in this case is a new member of the Judges Hall of Shame. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues today in support of Senate Joint Resolution 13. The States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut have negotiated an International Management Emergency Assistance Memorandum of Understanding with the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

This MOU creates a framework for cooperation among the participating jurisdictions when they face natural disasters or other emergencies that they have in common. Article I, section 10 of our Constitution requires that any agreement between States and foreign powers obtain the consent of Congress. That is what this legislation will grant.

All of us know too well the significant resources needed to overcome a disaster, whether natural or man-made.

I applaud the initiative taken by these States and their Canadian neighbors to proactively plan for the resource management and mutual assistance that may become necessary in unexpected times of crisis.

As confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office, this resolution will not result in any cost to the Federal Government or impose any costs on State or local governments. I support this measure and urge adoption thereof.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend Peter Welch from Vermont for his comments, and mainly for sponsoring this cross-border initiative showing that the New England States and some provinces in Canada can get along together for cooperation of mutual concern. And I, too, am sorry that Texas is not a part of this initiative as well.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, today I am proud to recognize attorney and philanthropist Regina Rogers. She graduated magna cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and a magna cum laude with a Doctor of Jurisprudence.

Ms. Rogers has earned many honors, including distinguished woman of Northwood University; Distinguished Alumna of the University of Houston; Child Advocate of the Year by CASA of Southeast Texas; Pacesetter of the Year by the Cancer League; Woman of Distinction by KTRK/Channel 13 in Houston; recipient of the Cherish Our Children Award from the Child Abuse Prevention Network in Houston; the Press Club's 2002 Southeast Texas Newsmaker of the Year; and recipient of the 2003 Humanitarian Award from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Beaumont.

She was the first female regent of Lamar University and served as member of the Texas College and University System Coordinating Board as Chair of the Educational Opportunity Planning Committee for Minority Education in Texas, which implemented programs to increase admissions and retention of minority students, and hiring of minority faculty in colleges and universities throughout Texas.

Ms. Rogers is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Ben Rogers ``I Have A Dream'' program, which provided mentors and $2000.00 scholarships to several hundred economically disadvantaged 8th through 11th grade students. She is President of Joe Louis International Sports Foundation; and Member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She is on the Children's Defense Fund Texas Advisory Board, Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation, Holocaust Museum of Houston, and the Pauline Sterne Wolff Memorial Foundation.

Ms. Rogers established the Julie Rogers ``Gift of Life'' program, which has provided over 13,000 free mammograms and more than 4,500 free prostate cancer screenings for the medically underserved in southeast Texas, and over 400 educational outreach programs for thousands more.

While chair of the Southwest Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League in 1994, Rogers helped found the Coalition for Mutual Respect, a group of religious and lay leaders whose purpose is to promote positive inter-group relations by encouraging understanding and respect among Houston's diverse population.

Ms. Rogers established Inspire, Encourage, and Achieve, a program designed to perpetuate her father's legacy of helping young people achieve dignity and respect through knowledge, compassion, understanding, and love. The organization provides workshops on positive life skills, anger management, conflict resolution, literacy instruction, and substance abuse counseling for young people who are incarcerated in the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Justice Center in Jefferson County.

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Ms. Rogers co-founded the Southeast Texas Emergency Relief Fund (SETERF) that provided several million dollars in funds and gift cards to social service agencies, grants to faith-based organizations to assist with home repairs, and loans to small businesses affected by the storms.

Regina Rogers is a lady with a heart as big as Texas. She learned the importance of public service from her parents. She spends much of her life in service of others, and has carried on her parents' legacy by being a tireless advocate for those in need. Through her personal involvement in, and financial contributions to, countless organizations, she has left an indelible mark on southeast Texas, and our community is better because of her compassion and generosity. I am honored to call her my friend.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, today I am proud to recognize the Beaumont Coca-Cola Bottling Company founded in 1907 in Jefferson County, Texas. C.T. Heisig established and managed the first store located on Park Street. Off to a great start, the company purchased over 470 gallons of Coca-Cola syrup during its first year of operation. Today Coca-Cola is the best selling soft drink in the world and this year over six million cases of Coca-Cola products will be sold.

In 1911 Charles Rainwater purchased the Beaumont franchise, and in 1931 a new plant was completed and the company moved to Mariposa Street, where it remained for 54 years. In 1985 operations were moved to its current location at 11450 Eastex Freeway. The current plant employs 207 individuals and contributes nearly nine million dollars to the local economy. The Beaumont Bottling Company alone delivers to over 5,000 customers in eight counties.

The Beaumont Bottling Company has been a great partner in Jefferson County. Its commitment to giving back to our community and helping local charities is greatly appreciated. As the U.S. Representative of the 2nd Congressional District it is an honor to congratulate the Beaumont Coca-Cola Bottling Company and all the members of the Coca- Cola family on their 100th anniversary. I wish Beaumont Coca-Cola Bottling Company another 100 years of continued success.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, few people symbolize the American Dream more than Philippe Cras of Kingwood, Texas. From foreign exchange student to proud American citizen, his life is an inspirational tale of making the most of the vast opportunities available in the United States and giving back to local communities after achieving great success.

Philippe is originally from Belgium and arrived in the United States in 1977 as an exchange student sponsored by a Rotary Club. After attending community college in Oregon, he returned to his home country and later accepted a position with a company in the United States. He and his wife, Mieke, eventually settled in Kingwood, Texas. Philippe and Mieke love the United States and wanted nothing more than to become citizens of our great country. They did achieve this goal.

Later, Philippe purchased property in Kingwood and began building his hotel, Homewood Suites. In June of 2000, the hotel opened its doors combining European style with Southern hospitality for a unique lodging experience.

Philippe is known in the community for many things such as his breakfast which features Belgian waffles that are made in the

shape of Texas. He has also become popular as a cornerstone for community service.

After living in the U.S. for a while, he became frustrated with the fact that voter turnout in American elections was so low. Because of this, he hosted a voter registration drive at his hotel. To encourage residents to participate, he offered a free breakfast for registering.

Philippe is extremely active as this year's president of the Humble Intercontinental Rotary and has been named Rotarian of the Year on occasion. He is especially fond of the Rotary's student exchange program which inspired him as a high school student to move to the United States. His life was forever changed by the impact of Rotary International and he takes great pride in giving back to the organization.

With a heart as big as Texas, Philippe has been a Good Samaritan for many years to many people. After Hurricane Rita hit East Texas, Philippe opened his conference room for storm evacuees, fed them and provided mattresses for them to sleep on.

Philippe is one of the first people to volunteer his assistance and resources if a local nonprofit organization needs help. He has collected thousands of toys for Toys for Tots. He is a major sponsor of the annual tradition known as Fill the Bus which encourages residents to donate school supplies for children. He gave out free breakfast and one-night stays at this hotel for those that donated supplies. The event literally fills a school bus with supplies for children at Humble

Mr. Speaker, this winter it's going to be cold in the Northeast. Home heating oil is needed for those who want to keep warm in the northern States. Gasoline prices continue to rise above $3 a gallon, and crude oil may go to $100 a barrel. So what does the House of Representatives do? Makes it more expensive for American oil companies to do business in America. How so? The non-energy bill that passed this House contains a $21 billion tax increase on the production of oil and natural gas in America. That tax will be passed on to the consumer in the higher prices of energy.

The bill doesn't open up new sources of exploration off our coast or in ANWR. Now, only Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama allow drilling off the coast. You see, States like California, Florida, and northeastern States don't want drilling off their coast but they don't have a problem with consuming the crude oil from States that allow offshore drilling. This bill punishes oil-producing States like my home State of Texas. The Wall

Street Journal stated, In this bill, the biggest winner is OPEC. So, Mr. Speaker, maybe to survive, Texas and the other oil-producing States should just join OPEC and get a better deal on our crude oil.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, at this time of the year, it is common for whatever President is in power to review requests for pardons and for commutations of sentence. And yesterday, the President exercised his constitutional authority and pardoned numerous individuals, at least 29 of them, and I have all of their names here. I count seven drug dealers that were pardoned, one individual for receiving kickbacks in defense procurements contracts, and he commuted one sentence of an individual that was aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine.

I want to make it clear; the President has the absolute power under the Constitution to pardon anybody he wishes or commute the sentence. And I want to read part of the Constitution, a pocketbook Constitution that many

of us here carry that says, ``The President shall have the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States.''

You notice, Mr. Speaker, it doesn't give any conditions, except he can't pardon someone who has been impeached. It doesn't require that a committee decide who is to be pardoned. It doesn't require that the Justice Department do anything or be even involved in the process. It gives the power of pardon and commutation to the President; and he has that right to pardon anyone he wishes, and I uphold his right to do so.

But in jail today in the Federal penitentiary somewhere across our United States are two individuals who I think should be pardoned, or at least their sentences should be commuted. And numerous people on the House, on both sides, have asked the President to look at these cases and pardon these two individuals, especially in light of their appellate court hearing that took place just a few weeks ago in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana. Of course, those two people are Border Agents Ramos and Campion, who I feel like were unjustly convicted by an overzealous prosecution, a comment that was made by one of the Federal judges on appeal, ``overzealous prosecution.''

But be that as it may, and it seems to me that they have been imprisoned a year now, most of that time they have been serving solitary confinement. For what crime? Well, because they supposedly violated the civil rights of a drug smuggler bringing drugs in from Mexico worth about $1 million. And the United States Government, rather than prosecute the drug dealer, prosecuted the Border Agents because they didn't follow policy, protocol, filling out appropriate forms after this shooting took place. But they go make a deal with the drug dealer. They make a deal with the devil, and they get testimony from the drug dealer in their trial. Talking about the Federal prosecution made a deal with him.

But, you see, that whole case kind of has some bad things that happened. We had learned, several of us, that while the drug dealer, granted immunity, that means they are not going to prosecute him, to testify, and before the trial took place, he brought in another load of drugs from Mexico to the United States worth about $700,000.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, in a carefully worded propaganda piece, denied that that ever occurred. But since we saw, and I have seen the DEA report, we knew a second drug deal took place. And now, finally, after this took place and many of us knew about it, the Federal Government has decided to prosecute the drug dealer on that second case; conspiracy to import drugs into the United States, and charging a new indictment with three offenses, conspiracy to commit crimes against the United States.

So the Federal Government makes a deal with the drug dealer. He brings in drugs after the deal is made. Now he is in jail. And it seems to me, justice would demand that these two Border Agents be released at least until this appeal is over with. But I think they should have their sentences commuted or even they should be pardoned by the President.

But I say all that to say the bureaucrats say, Oh, these two Border Agents haven't followed protocol. They haven't applied the right way, they haven't filled out the right forms for a pardon and a commutation of sentence. Well, the Constitution that I just read doesn't require forms to be filled out for people in prison to get a pardon. I don't remember Mr. Scooter Libby filling out some kind of form to get a pardon. He didn't even ever go to jail. He just got a Get Out of Jail Free card. He was pardoned. The President had the absolute right to do that. I don't quarrel with that. President Nixon got an absolute pardon by President Ford. He didn't fill out any forms to get that pardon.

So, Mr. Speaker, I recommend and urge the President to commute the sentences of these two Border Agents. And he can do it on his own. He doesn't need permission from some bureaucracy, and I hope he does so and does so quickly.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, freedom of expression is under attack in our neighbors to the north, Canada. Yesterday, a 16-year-old girl was strangled to death by her father in Toronto, Canada. The reason for the homicide? The girl refused to wear the traditional Muslim head scarf, the hijab.

Her school friends said that she wanted to be more ``western,'' but her devout Muslim father wouldn't have it. But she would remove her scarf at school and change into western clothes. School officials said that she was an energetic and popular student, but she lived in fear of her father. Her father has been charged now with murder, and her older brother has been charged with accessory to the crime.

This is yet another example of religion gone wrong. In a society that values freedom and tolerance, this kind of behavior in the name of religion is unacceptable. Her father needs to be prosecuted and sent to prison. His actions are not acceptable in our culture. No one has the natural right to murder their children in the name of religion.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, in the deserts of Iraq a war is going on against the enemies of America. In the heat and dust of the summer of 2005, a young American went to fight, not against al Qaeda, but for her own survival. She became the ``Hostage of Baghdad,'' held against her will by villains of the desert, thousands of miles away from home in Texas. This is her story.

Madam Speaker, Jamie Leigh Jones was a 20-year-old woman who worked for Halliburton KBR. She was sent to Iraq as part of her employment. She was sent to Baghdad to a place, ironically, called Camp Hope, in the supposed Green Zone that was supposed to be safe.

After being in Iraq only a few days, she said she was held against her will, drugged, gang-raped by Halliburton KBR firefighters, and the people in charge of her held her hostage in a ship cargo container for 24 hours without any food or water. She became an American hostage, held hostage by fellow Americans.

She convinced one of the people guarding her to let her borrow his cell phone. After obtaining the cell phone, Jamie called her dad in Texas and pleaded for help and begged to be rescued. She was scared, she was hurt, she was half a world away from home, and she was alone.

Jamie's dad called me because I represent him in Congress. Her father relayed the tragic assault and crime, and of course needed immediate assistance. My staff and I were able to contact the right people in the United States State Department, and within 48 hours two agents from the embassy in Baghdad found and rescued Jamie, made sure she received appropriate medical attention, and brought her home.

Jamie had been seen by Army doctors in Baghdad and had been given, apparently, good medical care while being treated in Baghdad. A forensic sexual assault examination was performed on her. This examination is commonly called a rape kit. Doctors take forensic samples from a sexual assault victim and then they are preserved as evidence for trial in this rape kit.

But, Madam Speaker, for some unknown reason, the Army doctors turned this rape kit over to Jamie's employer, Halliburton KBR. KBR then lost the rape kit. The rape kit was later found, but it had been tampered with. The photographs are now missing, and the Army doctor's cover sheet with the medical findings are not there. These are critical for prosecution of the rapists.

Madam Speaker, Jamie's brutal injuries were severe. She has had to have reconstructive surgery because of the extent of these injuries by these rapists in Iraq. Once she was home, we pressured the State Department to find out who these villains of Baghdad were; where are they, and why haven't they been prosecuted. After so much time, there is little progress on the investigation. We need to know also if KBR had knowledge of the crime and if they are involved to any extent.

Jamie has decided to go public with her case. This case, like all such cases, remains confidential in our congressional office. Congressional offices do

not divulge the content of personal case files like this because they are considered privileged communication and they are private.

My tremendous case worker, Patti Chapman, worked with Jamie since her rescue and has helped her in this most tragic way, and helped her in a compassionate way. Patti Chapman, like many congressional caseworkers, are angels to the people in our communities. Jamie has had the courage to publicly tell about this most personal crime against her. So my office and now Chairman Conyers of the House Judiciary Committee have contacted the Attorney General and the State Department and we want answers about this case and the investigation.

Specifically, what is going on over there in Iraq? American citizens have civil rights overseas as well. Crimes committed against them must be investigated. Criminals must be held accountable. Our government has the legal and moral duty to capture these villains of Baghdad. Also, hundreds of American civilians like Jamie are in Iraq working in support of America's military mission. When these American civilians become victims of crimes by other Americans, it is unclear who's enforcing the law. Our government must clear up this confusion, because currently there seems to be an environment of lawlessness. These criminals must be held accountable.

Madam Speaker, let me tell you about sexual assault. I was a former judge and saw these victims and their perpetrators in court, and these demons that do these dastardly acts against victims don't commit these crimes for sexual pleasure, but, Madam Speaker, they do it to destroy the inner soul of these victims. Jamie Leigh Jones survived and has been rescued, but the outlaws still roam the deserts of Iraq like the outlaws in the days of the Old West. We need justice. We need the law to intervene and round up these outlaws for their day in court. Let justice be swift, let it be severe, let it be serious, because justice is what we do in America.

And that's just the way it is.