Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 6 o'clock and 48 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Monday, April 18, 2005, at 2 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to speak about international villains, international outlaws. We need to know who they are and who they are not because these terrorists are not ministers of good, but they are ministers of evil.

The terrorists are not freedom fighters as some say, for they oppose all freedoms. Terrorists are not moral because they preach, praise, and practice immoral acts. Terrorists are not for children because they murder children. They murder their neighbor's children, and they murder their own. Terrorists are not for any peace, but are for any chaos. Terrorists are not for democracies, but proclaim the value of totalitarian dictatorships.

Terrorists are not for justice so we must bring them to justice. As related in Proverbs, when justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous and it brings terror to the evil doers. So I say let us bring terror to these evil doers.

I have dealt with local terrorists, street terrorists, all my life, first as a prosecutor and a judge in a criminal court in Texas for 22 years. These people are mean, they are violent, and you can deal with them one way. You do not ask them to try to do better. You do not blame their culture or their lack of culture for their conduct. You do not reason with them. You do not negotiate. You hold them accountable for their choices.

They live for crimes of violence, so you punish them. You make the price high, too high for them to pay so they stop it, so they leave us alone, for it is a right of all of us to be left alone. If they choose not to leave us alone, they must face quick, sudden, and decisive action.

We must continue to deal with international terrorists the same way we deal with local street terrorists. We seek them out and we hold them accountable for their choices. It is not rational to stop once we have them on the run.

In Iraq, for example, we must finish the job. The phrase ``cut and run'' may be in the vocabulary of the French Government, but it is not in our vocabulary.

I have been to Iraq. I was there on election day January 30; and the people I talked to, those Iraqis were afraid that we would leave before the job was done. The terrorists want to wait us out because of the comments that they hear on this very House floor, that we should leave the job before it is through. Well, they will not wait us out because we will finish the job. So we will stay the course. We will finish the job before us. For it is far better to fight terrorists on their soil than on American soil, and we will know of no retreat or defeat.

We must train the Iraqi security forces so that they can protect their own borders against the insurgents. We must continue to seek out the terrorists in Afghanistan as well, but we must also deal with the cocaine and heroin traffic that is there because it funds those terrorists.

We must also allow our local law enforcement to fight that same secondary terror, that is, the terror of drugs, that is here in the United States that affects many American families, because those drugs that the terrorist cartels market in our land, they fund their evil ways. We must protect our homeland and support our first responders. For as our troops in lands across the seas battle these evil villains, our first responders are the ones who battle them here on the homeland, and they are always counted faithful.

On September 11, we all remember what we were doing. I was driving my Jeep to the courthouse, and I heard on the radio about the first plane that hit the World Trade Center; second plane, World Trade Center; third plane, crashes in Pennsylvania because of some heroes; fourth plane, hits the Pentagon.

Later that day, as many Americans like myself were watching television, I noticed the phenomena. I noticed thousands and thousands of Americans in New York City when those terrorists hit those buildings. They were running as hard as they could to get away from that terror. But there was another group of people, not very many, but they were there. When that terror hit the World Trade Center, they were running as hard as they could to get to that terror. Who were they? They were emergency medical technicians, they were firefighters, and they were cops. Because these people responded, and these are the people who we count on first, the people responsible for the deaths of the 3,000 on that day will be held accountable.

So we will not waiver in our battle against these international villains. There is no substitute for victory. For we are a people committed to remaining and continuing for centuries to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Mr. Speaker, ``I don't do it for the money, I don't do it for the glory. Providing for our future is my responsibility. I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekend has been too strong. I just work straight through the holidays and sometimes all night long. You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door. I am solid, I am steady, I am true down to the core.''

This is taken from Toby Keith's ``American Soldier.'' And, Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a young American Marine from a tranquil town in southeast Texas of approximately 34,000 people, Marine Lance Corporal Wesley Joel Canning, who died valiantly serving our country and our Nation in Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Lance Corporal Canning, in just 21 short years, had already exhibited a lifetime of courage and boldness. He was killed in combat on November 10, 2004, in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, during the successful American offensive against the insurgent enemy in Fallujah.

He was a native of Friendswood, Texas. Wes, as he was called by his friends and family, graduated from Friendswood High School in 2002 and left for boot camp in July, just 2 months after his graduation. Resolute about becoming a Marine since his junior year, he had approached his parents with the idea. His father, Joe Canning, recalls their hesitations: ``He decided he wanted to become a Marine,'' his father said. ``Spend 20 years in the service and pursue a career in the criminal justice system. I tried my best to talk him out of it, telling him to go and get a good education, but he was hooked on becoming a Marine. And after doing everything I asked him to do, talking to recruiters from the other branches of service and friends and relatives who had served, he seemed more convinced than ever that the Marines was absolutely the right thing for him to do.'' In the end, ``His mom and I gave him our blessing.''

The devastating terrorist attack on September 11, which occurred before he

ever graduated from high school, further fueled this desire. According to his mother, Jo Ellen Canning, ``9/11 didn't deter his efforts. He wanted all the more to go and protect his country.''

He graduated from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. He steadfastly pursued a post that would allow him to see action. Open for deployment in Iraq, he stayed at Camp Pendleton in California rather than accept another assignment.

In mid-March of 2003, with the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lance Corporal Canning's wish came true. ``He went to the front lines at the beginning of the war. There was not much telephone contact, so we watched TV the whole time until he made it home,'' Mrs. Canning recounts. In a letter to his parents that month, he described going in with the initial push and penetrating Baghdad.

He then returned to Texas after completing his first of ultimately two tours he volunteered for in Iraq. He excitedly did two things that, as his dad told me, ``they advise the boys not to do.'' He trekked out to Lone Star Ford, bought a new little black pickup truck, so he could show his band of Marine brothers back at the base in North Carolina his proudly displayed bumper sticker, ``Don't Mess With Texas.'' He also wedded his sweetheart from Fort Collins, Chayla.

Married just 11 months, and only 11 months, he was once again deployed in September of 2004 to Iraq, where he was looking forward to participating in the training of Iraqi soldiers and police. Now he is a husband, a family man, and he decided to serve 4 years, go back to school, and build a life with his new bride, Chayla, who, in spite of the obvious strain, loved being a Marine wife. She said, ``Wes wanted to protect our family so our little brothers wouldn't have to. He was very protective of everybody.''

Two months after being deployed to Iraq for a second tour, he left the following voice mail message for his father, who could not answer the phone because he was working on an offshore oil rig: ``Hey, Dad, it's me. I love you and miss you. We're still over here.''

Two days later, Lance Corporal Canning was killed in action precisely on the 229th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, November 10, 2004.

Myrlene Kennedy, the principal of Wes's high school, recalls, ``He was kind to students and adults alike. He had a quick smile, a captivating personality, and that allowed him to have many friends.'' Wes's teachers said, ``He knew pretty much what he wanted to do. Following his ambition, he joined the United States Marine Corps after graduation in 2002. He began that journey he dreamed of and talked about with teachers and friends. He loved wearing his Marine Corps T- shirt to class his senior year.''

Wes's philosophy was written in his own high school yearbook: ``Everything happens for a reason.'' For the Marine Corps Reserve Unit in Galveston, Texas, a unit like the one Lance Corporal Canning was a part of, his death constituted the first time it had to bring home one of its own flag-draped caskets, the flag that was presented to Chayla, in addition to the Purple Heart Lance Corporal Canning was awarded. When asked by a reporter if she deemed her son a hero, Mrs. Canning swiftly replied, ``He's always been a hero.''

Today, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the United States Marine Corps alone has lost 49 Texans in combat-related casualties. While our military cannot replace individuals of exceptional character like Lance Corporal Canning, I believe his service will provide a sterling example for the men and women who carry forward his tenacious fight against terror, tyranny, and treachery.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, just this last week, April 1, which would have been Lance Corporal Canning's 22nd birthday, marked another momentous occasion, his best friend, Jason Powell, graduated from the United States Marine Corps Depot that had christened Lance Corporal Canning.

Lance Corporal Canning, as LeAnn Womack said, achieved ``something, something worth leaving behind.'' He has touched other lives and inspired a fellow man to carry the torch and legacy of the Corps. Moreover, Lance Corporal Canning helped establish a democracy in Iraq, this historic start which I was privileged to observe on January 30 in a land far, far away.

I believe if today we could hear from Lance Corporal Canning himself, as a member once and always of the United States Marines, as a member of the few and the proud, he would resonate the remainder of Toby Keith's American Soldier: ``And I will always do my duty no matter what the price. I have counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice. I don't want to die for you but if dying is asked of me, I will bear that cross with honor 'cause freedom don't come free. I am out here on the front line. Sleep in peace tonight. I am an American soldier, an American, an American Soldier.''

So, Mr. Speaker, we extend our prayers, our condolences to his parents, relatives, fellow students at Friendswood High School in Texas, and his beloved wife. May this American hero's devotion to his country continue to kindle our dreams and ambitions as a free and independent people.

So Semper Fi, Lance Corporal Canning. Semper Fi.

Madam Speaker, media stories about sex crimes against children are presently being reported at an alarming rate in the United States. These crimes are also some of the most underreported of criminal acts. Last month in Colorado, an ex-convict for sexual assault of a child, a child predator, continued his dastardly deeds against kids and assaulted several children. This child molester was able to slither and sneak into a quiet Colorado community and prey on the innocent children because of registration loopholes in current law.

One of the victim's grandmothers said, ``People have the right to know where sex offenders are living. The police should know. The public should know.'' We know the number one thing child predators desire is to remain anonymous. Those days are over. No longer can ex-convicts for child sexual assault move in and out of our neighborhoods without us knowing who they are. While some States have registration laws for convicted child predators, when those criminals move across State lines, they slip through the system.

We know that the recidivism rate of a convicted child molester is extremely high. When many leave the penitentiary, they continue their evil ways against our greatest natural resource, our children.

So today, Madam Speaker, I am introducing my first bill, the Child Predator Act of 2005, to hold these outlaws accountable and impose tougher sentences for child predators who reoffend. This act closes loopholes in the present law and places tools in the hands of parents who want to safeguard their children from these people. This legislation amends the Wetterling Act of 1994 in six ways.

First, the Child Predator Act defines the term ``child predator'' as a person who has been convicted of a sexual offense against a victim who is a minor if the offense is sexual in nature and the minor is 13 years of age or younger.

Second, child predators must report change of residence within 10 days of a move.

Third, the Child Predator Act requires community notification. Child predators would have to notify, at a minimum, schools, public housing and at least two media outlets such as newspapers, television stations or radio stations covering that community.

Fourth, child predators who knowingly fail to register would be charged with a Federal felony.

Fifth, the Child Predator Act would also mandate a national registration database. This would be available on a free access Internet Web site.

Finally, the Child Predator Act would require prominent designation of a convicted offender as a child predator.

The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children confirms that the sexual victimization of children is overwhelming in magnitude, yet largely unrecognized and underreported in the United States. Statistics reveal that one in five girls and one in 10 boys are sexually exploited before they reach adulthood. Less than 35 percent of those child sexual assaults are reported to authorities.

While through previous legislation we have significantly reduced the prevalence of this terrible and real nightmare to children, we must stay the course. We must remain ever vigilant and keep in this fight. Child predators, like their criminal counterparts in other arenas, are innovative. They stalk neighborhoods, playgrounds, Cub Scout dens, houses of worship, and as of late they exploit the Internet to target youngsters.

Madam Speaker, we must put child predators on notice and let them know once and for all that we will not tolerate this continuing victimization of children. I wish to extend an invitation for Members of this body to consider enlisting in the Victims Rights Caucus that I recently founded and cochair with the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris).

During my 22 years as a felony court judge in Houston, Texas, I have seen scores of victims come through my courtroom. Ironically, as large a contingent that victims are, they are one of the most underrepresented groups in the United States. This session of Congress, in cooperation with my fellow representatives, I hope to change this.

We must always remember that victims do not choose to be victims. As L.H. Harrington of the President's task force on victims of crime once said, ``Somewhere along the way, the criminal justice system began to serve lawyers, judges and defendants. Victims are treated with institutionalized disinterest. The neglect of crime victims is a national disgrace.''

Madam Speaker, to be a victim is an unforgettable nightmare but to become a victim at the hands of the criminal justice system is an unforgivable travesty. The first duty of government is to protect its citizens. We as a people are not judged by the way we treat the rich, famous and influential but by the way we treat the weak, the innocent, the children.

Mr. Speaker, this morning on the west lawn of this fine building, the Capitol of the United States, I participated in the National Anthem Project. Sponsored by the National Association For Music Education and supported by its honorary Chair, First Lady Laura Bush, as well as Jeep, Chrysler, Save America's Treasures, the Girl Scouts of America, the NBA, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Education Association, the American Legion and many, many more, this 3- year project will get America singing our national anthem again, the ``Star-Spangled Banner,'' proudly and strongly singing it again and will help people understand the important role that music classes play in teaching our culture.

During the most forgotten American war, the War of 1812, some say the second American revolution, between the United States and England, the British invaded the United States and they torched this city, Washington, consuming numerous public buildings, including the White House and this Capitol, leaving it, as they said, in a most magnificent ruin.

Next on their list was the city of Baltimore, not far from here. They attempted to attack Baltimore by sea. American forces under the command of Colonel George Armistead defended Baltimore in the harbor with Fort McHenry standing in the way of the British and Baltimore, and they thwarted this destruction by the British.

A young lawyer on a British ship trying to seek the release of a friend watched this 25-hour British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry throughout the night, and the next morning he saw the largest United States flag he had ever seen flying at dawn and inspired this young lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key to write the words that later became our national anthem. He watched the flag fly as the British ships left the harbor in defeat.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, the lyrics to the ``Star-Spangled Banner'' that we have officially called our national anthem for 75 years are foreign to many of our citizens. According to a Harris poll, fewer than 30 percent of American children can sing this patriotic song. This is somewhat tragic. We must revive America's heritage starting by equipping our Nation's music teachers with the resources they need to preserve our tradition in freedom, freedom in song.

Unfortunately, when budget cuts are made in the area of education, music classes in schools across the country are the first to be asphyxiated. But considering that so much of our history is chronicled through songs, songs like the ``Star-Spangled Banner,'' and that three out of four Americans cite music class in their public school as the primary place they learn about American history, how can we let this trend continue? Are we going to deprive future generations of Americans the vibrant spirit of our land?

Cicero, the Roman orator, author, and politician, once said: ``Not to know what has been transacted in former times is always to remain a child. If no use is made of the labors of the past, the world must remain always in the infancy of knowledge.'' And even though he warned us about the tragedy of this apathy of history, we have deserted our commitment to the far-reaching study of civics, civics education and American history in these United States. We must ask ourselves how many of our students can identify such names as John Paul Jones, Susan B. Anthony, Paul Revere, and Nathan Hale.

To answer this question, we have to examine where a number of the curricula in our Nation's classrooms begin the American tale. Now, in many American classrooms they do not start American history with the American Revolution. They start it with World War II to the present. They just do not have enough time, according to educators. So how can we blame our young

children who become our young leaders if they do not know our history?

Moreover, according to the Fordham Institute, which seeks to focus on effective education reforms, few history teachers ever learn much history themselves. More than half of high school history teachers did not major or even minor in history in college. As a result, teachers charged with imparting information to young Americans about the history of their country and the history of the world rely on the textbooks available to them, often textbooks that the teachers themselves had little to do with selecting or reading. At some places in the United States we still use coaches to teach history.

Mr. Speaker, this state of affairs is why I am proud to support campaigns like the National Anthem Project and encourage my fellow Americans to help us regain our appreciation for this legacy. Luckily, I come from Texas where the knowledge of our State's history is not neglected, but hallowed. In fact, State standards mandate the study of Texas history first in the fourth grade and then more comprehensively in the seventh grade. Lone Star students among other topics learn about the Texas Revolution, the establishment of the Republic of Texas, and subsequent annexation to the United States.

As my colleague Senator Robert Byrd has said, ``An American student regardless of his race, religion or gender must know the history of the land to which they pledge allegiance. They should be taught about the Founding Fathers of this Nation, the battles they fought, the ideals that they championed, and the influences they have made throughout the world. They should be taught about our Nation's failures, our mistakes, our inequities. Without this knowledge, they cannot appreciate the hard-won freedoms that are our birthright.''

So, Mr. Speaker, to reclaim and be the home of the brave and the land of the free, as our ``Star-Spangled Banner'' recites, we must learn our history, know our history, teach our history to our kids and be proud of our history; and we must get America singing about the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a day we honor women and their contributions to the American way of life. American women, from the frontier era to the

space age, have steadily blazed the trails and stayed the course to bring recognition of the accomplishments of women not only in the United States but across the world and across the seas.

Each of us can identify at least one woman who forever marked our life in a positive way. My grandmother lived to her late nineties and was always the most influential person in my life. In the 1950s, after my grandfather was killed by a drunk driver, she went to work as a clerk in the ladies' ready-to-wear section of a department store; and while she would have continued to work there, they forced her to quit at the age of 75.

She taught me the values of public service, and this is why I have dedicated my life to public service. She was the most influential woman in my life. All of us have people like that, women who have influenced us in a positive way. Those American women, they are a rare breed.

In other countries, like Iraq, where I recently traveled on a fact- finding mission, women recount the decades of torture and execution and oppression they experienced under the tyrant and dictator Saddam Hussein. For most women it has only been since our toppling of that vicious and murderous tyrant that they have been allowed to pursue opportunities that we take for granted, like employment. On the historic election day, which I was privileged to observe this year, for many Iraqi women this was their first chance to ever vote.

Yet as encouraging as these illustrations are, millions of women are victims to a destructive force known as domestic violence. In fact, in the United States alone, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, nearly one-third of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a boyfriend or a husband at some point in their life. Moreover, the Department of Justice's statistics show that in 2003 alone 9 percent of all murder victims were killed by their spouse or their partners. Eighty percent of those victims were females.

Mr. Speaker, this is a serious problem, not just for our Nation's women but also for our Nation's families. It is a serious problem for children, children that live in those homes with all of that serious, serious turmoil.

Domestic abuse scars children through the images of violence and fighting; the ramifications if they try to intervene; the emotional anguish they suffer for years. Domestic abuse in some cases results in withdrawal or unhealthy perfectionism, and in other cases they act it out.

The American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family concluded in 1996 that a child's exposure to the father abusing the mother is the strongest risk factor for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. In addition, the American Medical Association has calculated that family violence costs taxpayers in the range of $5 billion to $10 billion a year in medical expenses.

It is not only a family problem and a criminal problem; it is a health issue. Domestic violence costs us in police and court costs, shelters, foster care, sick leave, and nonproductivity.

As a former judge and founder of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, this epidemic is of great alarm to me. I believe we must work to eliminate this domestic abuse while protecting the victims that have already resulted from this trend.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that all of us on this day, as we recognize the worth of women, are determined to make sure that they live in a safe environment in their homes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about two young men. They both grew up in Houston, Texas. They both grew up without any family support. They both were basically raised by others. They were both named Michael. And they both chose careers in the criminal justice system.

Michael Lopez chose in the criminal justice system the career of crime. He started committing violent crimes at the age of 11. He spent a lot of time in and out of the criminal justice system. He was a gang member, a drug abuser, committed numerous robberies against other juveniles, a burglar, and a thug in his own community.

Michael Eakin also chose criminal justice as a career, but he chose it as a police officer. Their paths crossed on a quiet peaceful night in Houston, Texas, after Officer Eakin stopped Lopez and his fellow gang members who were cruising Houston, Texas, looking for criminal opportunities.

When Officer Eakin stopped the vehicle, Lopez jumped from the vehicle, took off running and Officer Eakin made the decision to chase Michael Lopez. After capturing Lopez, Lopez pulled out a pistol, pointed it at point blank range and shot Officer Eakin, and then he fled in the darkness of the night.

Lopez was 17 and on probation for criminal offenses. Eakin was 24 and a rookie police officer. Lopez was charged with capital murder of a police officer. In Texas, a 17-year-old is an adult by State law for criminal law purposes and not a juvenile.

It is a long-established rule of law that the States determine the age of accountability for criminal law purposes. Not the Federal Government, not the Federal courts.

I was the judge in the Lopez case, having been a judge for 22 years in criminal cases. A jury heard the case in my court. A jury found the defendant Michael Lopez guilty of capital murder of a police officer. Court TV even showed this on national television. The same jury unanimously found the defendant would be a continuing threat to society in the future. The jury unanimously found there was no mitigation that would warrant a sentence less than death with Michael Lopez.

The defendant was assessed the death penalty by a jury in 6 hours. During sentencing I referred to the defendant as a street terrorist based upon the evidence in the case. On appeal, the highest court in Texas referred to the defendant as a mean little guy and upheld the death penalty.

Now the Supreme Court has gotten involved in these types of cases and declared once and for all that no one 17 or under can be executed for the crimes that they commit. Citing international court decisions and the so-called evolving United States Constitution, the Court yesterday struck down these types of cases five to four.

The Supreme Court of the United States should not look to foreign courts for guidance but to the United States Constitution because that is what they are sworn to uphold. The Supreme Court once again has discriminated against victims based upon the age of the defendant. Whether or not a person agrees or disagrees with the death penalty, whether or not a person feels the age of accountability should be 17 or 18 or 21, there is no precedent in law that the Supreme Court may arbitrarily say a 17-year-old is a mere child and an 18-year-old is an adult.

The Supreme Court has once again promoted the philosophy that America is becoming the land of excusable conduct in our criminal courts. There should be consequences for criminal conduct even for 17-year-olds.

The Supreme Court has replaced the law of the land with its own personal opinion and European thought. This is an affront to the rule of law, to the Constitution, to the 10th amendment. It is an affront to the peace officers in the United States, and it is an affront to Officer Michael Eakin and his family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the unique history of the great State of Texas. Today, March 2, marks Texas Independence Day. On this day, 169 years ago, Texas declared its independence from Mexico and its dictator, Santa Anna, the 19th century Saddam Hussein.

In 1836, in the small farm village of Washington-on-the-Brazos, 54 Texians, as they called themselves in those days, gathered to do something bold and courageous: Sign the Texas Declaration of Independence and once and for all ``declare that the people of Texas do now constitute a free, sovereign, and independent republic.''

As these determined delegates met to declare independence, Santa Anna and 6,000 enemy troops were marching on an old beat-up Spanish mission that we now call the Alamo, where Texas defenders stood defiant, stood determined. They were led by a 27-year-old lawyer by the name of William Barrett Travis. The Alamo and its 186 Texans were all that stood between the invaders and the people of Texas. And behind the cold, dark, damp walls of that Alamo, Commander William Barrett Travis sent the following appeal to Texas requesting aide.

This appeal read in part: ``To all the people of Texas and Americans in the world, I am besieged by a thousand or more of the enemy under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual bombardment and cannon fire for over 24 hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded surrender at its discretion, otherwise the fort will be put to the sword. I have answered that demand with a cannon shot, and the flag still waves proudly over the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. I call upon you in the name of liberty, patriotism, and everything dear to our character to come to our aid with all dispatch. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself for as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country. Victory or death. William Barrett Travis, Commander of the Alamo.''

After 13 days of glory at the Alamo, Commander Travis and his men sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. Those lives lost would not be in vain. Their determination paid off. And because heroes like William Barrett Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie held out for so long, Santa Anna's forces took such great losses they became battered, demoralized, and diminished. As Travis said, ``victory will cost them more dearly than defeat.''

General Sam Houston, in turn, had the time he needed to devise a strategy to rally other Texas volunteers to ultimately defeat Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. The war was over, and the Lone Star flag was visible all across the broad, bold, brazen plains of Texas.

The Alamo defenders were from every State in the United States and 13 foreign countries. They were black, brown, and white, ages 16 through 67, and they were all volunteers. They were mavericks, revolutionaries, farmers, shopkeepers, and freedom fighters. They came together to fight for something they believed in: Freedom.

Freedom has a cost. It always does. It always will. And as we pause to remember those who lost their lives so that Texas could be a free Nation, we cannot forget those Americans that are currently fighting in lands across the seas for the United States' continued freedom and liberty today.

Texas Independence Day is a day of pride and reflection in the Lone Star State. It is a day we remember to pay tribute to heroes like William Barrett Travis, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Jim Bonham, Sam Houston, and the rest of those volunteers who fought the evil tyrant and terrorist Santa Anna. It was an effort to make Texas free, and that effort was successful.

On this Texas Independence Day, let us not forget those brave men and women in our military that are fighting to preserve and uphold our freedom from a new world threat of terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that the Congress and the country will join me in celebrating this Texas Independence Day. In Colonel Travis' final letter and appeal for aid, he signed off with three words that I leave with you now: ``God and Texas.'' ``God and Texas.'' ``God and Texas.'' And the rest, as they say, is Texas history.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 66) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a resolution (H. Res. 112) and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a young American marine from my Southeast Texas district, Marine Lance Corporal Fred Lee Maciel who died valiantly serving our Nation in Iraq. He was assigned to the Third Marine Division. Lance Corporal Maciel in his 20 years had already exhibited a lifetime of sacrifice and selflessness. In the deadliest event for American forces in Iraq since the start of the operations in March of 2003, he and 30 other servicemen were killed in combat when the helicopter in which they were traveling crashed in Al Anbar Province in Iraq.

Lance Corporal Maciel and all his brethren aboard this helicopter, including 6 other U.S. marines from Texas, were on their way to begin security preparations for the ultimately successful and historic Iraqi elections that I personally had the honor to witness several days later. Lance Corporal Maciel died so that freedom could live in the birth of this new democracy that we call Iraq.

This Lance Corporal was a native of Spring, Texas. He graduated from

Spring High School in 2003 and joined the United States Marine Corps that September. He is remembered as an athlete, a leader in the school's Naval Junior ROTC, and a role model for other students. Gloria Marshall, the principal of Spring High School, recalls Fred's participation in basketball and football as well as his rise through the ranks of the ROTC program to become a leader and an officer. She said, ``Fred is greatly mourned at our school. The teachers and the students all mourn him. He was truly a fine, fine young man.'' Lance Corporal Maciel was scheduled to return home following the January 30 elections in Iraq and had plans to marry his fiancee, Jamie Hommel.

Last week when I spoke to Fred's mother, Mrs. Patsy Maciel, she told me that her son went to Iraq to protect Texans and Americans from terrorists. Under extremely grueling circumstances, Lance Corporal Maciel contributed to that very cause. He inspired his follow marines with his courage, commitment, his character.

Fred's father, Fred Copenhaver, told me that his son had marveled at the thought of becoming a State trooper upon his eventual discharge from the United States Marine Corps. Now Fred pays tribute to his son with a freestanding wall proudly featuring photographs, notes and ribbons in honor of his son.

To date in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, our United States Marine Corps alone has lost 48 Texans, 3 from the Houston area in combat-related casualties.

And while our military cannot replace individuals of unique character like Lance Corporal Fred Maciel, I believe that his service will provide a stirring example for the men and women who carry forward his unbendable fight against tyranny, terror, and treachery.

Country western singer Billy Ray Cyrus sang, following the first Gulf War, about America's valiant youth who readily insert themselves between us and international villains. He said, ``All gave some and some gave all. And some stood tall for the red, white and blue, and some had to fall.''

At his memorial service, Pastor Robert Hogan reminded Fred's family and friends and the hundreds of other people at the funeral that he had paid the price for freedom and thus had not died in vain. Pointing to the fruitful elections in Iraq that Sunday, Pastor Hogan said Fred was so loving and willing to give his life for his country and for causes he believed in.

Lance Corporal Maciel died in helping establish democracy in a land far, far away. You know, some causes are worth dying for. And liberty is one of those causes. Fred's brother Carlos echoed his brother's life was not wasted when he said he died for what he believed in.

We live in a culture sometimes where people do not believe in anything. And so I believe that if today we could hear from Lance Corporal Maciel himself, a member of the once and always United States Marine Corps, as a member of the few and the proud, he would resonate the remainder of the refrain from Billy Ray Cyrus's Some Gave All: ``And if you ever think of me, think of all your liberties and recall, yes recall some gave all.''

Lance Corporal Maciel we will remember, we will forever remember your fight against these international outlaws.

Mr. Speaker, as we extend our prayers and our condolences to his parents, his relatives, his fellow students at Spring High School in Texas and his fiance, may this American hero's devotion to his country continue to kindle our dreams and ambitions of a free people.

So Semper Fi, Lance Corporal Maciel, Semper Fi.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment by my colleague from Delaware. This amendment takes a common sense approach in saying that those who want to board our Nation's airplanes must show documentation showing their full legal identity. The REAL ID Act, which I strongly support, requires that these driver's licenses must meet tough federal standards, chief among them are the requirements that applicants must demonstrate their legal presence. As a member of the Aviation Subcommittee and as a Member from the great state of Texas, I strongly feel we need to put just as much of an emphasis on protecting the skies as we do our land borders. This amendment would simply require the Homeland Security Department to better track those attempting to conceal their identities before boarding airplanes and allow those officials greater authority to screen these passengers and detect threats before they may occur. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, just last October, FBI agents, in cooperation with Baytown, Texas, and LaPorte, Texas, police, both law enforcement departments in my district, shattered a major document forgery operation being run out of a trailer house just across the street from the massive Exxon Mobile Refinery in Baytown, Texas. The result: six men were arrested and charged with numerous Federal counts of conspiracy and producing false documents, including Texas driver's licenses, resident alien cards, and industrial safety training cards used for employment in the strategic petrochemical industry.

The REAL ID Act that our Chamber passed today was a sensible first step toward desperately needed immigration reform in the United States. Still, however, in order to truly construct a watertight system, we cannot, when legislating here in Congress, just hitch our wagon to the newest pony when we have a solid team of stallions sitting around with nothing to do. Before discussion of any new proposals or their benefits, we must first ensure the laws currently on the books are being enforced. We must expect people from other nations to respect our borders.

Not only is it essential that we enforce existing laws; we must also reduce the incentives we offer foreigners to come to our country illegally. CNN reported a short time after the forgery bust I just mentioned that precious American dollars are being hijacked on unreimbursed medical care and education for illegal aliens who, in the darkness of the night, manage to come across our borders.

Have Texas and other border States merely become free HMOs for illegals, with Americans, many of whom do not even have their own medical care, paying the cost?

Similarly, in the Washington Times, they had an article dealing with the invasion of illegal immigrants and the exorbitant cost to taxpayers in the health care and prison areas. It was reported that one in every four uninsured people in the United States is illegal. Moreover, its study revealed that in 2000 alone States like Texas, which are on the Mexican border, have losses in almost $190 million in unreimbursed costs for treating illegals, with an additional $113 million in ambulance fees and follow-up medical services.

Mr. Speaker, why, as unintentionally as it may be, are we rewarding brazen lawlessness? During my tenure on the bench as a felony court judge in Houston, Texas, I can recall that approximately 15 to 20 percent of the criminals I sentenced in my court for the most serious felony crimes were illegal immigrants. And while these individuals were doing time in the penitentiary, Texans, Americans no less, were once again paying the price for their incarceration.

Americans pay for the illegal immigration. Americans always pay. As that noted scholar Pogo once said: ``We have found the enemy, and it is us.'' I believe, though, as we continue to heed vital lessons from the tragedy of the September 11 attacks on our soil, that we are making progress in securing our borders from unlawful immigration, while tightening the noose of the perpetrators of senseless violence and terror who harm our citizens.

I commend the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary; the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), chairman of the Committee on Government Reform, for their leadership towards these collective goals.

Mr. Speaker, 2 days ago, amidst intimidation and threats and actual violence, the people of Iraq spoke out against the past oppression of Saddam Hussein and his dynasty of tyrants and spoke loudly for democracy. And I was there, privileged to be there, to witness this birth of a new era in this Nation of Iraq. I saw how the Iraqi people boldly, with the courage of a free people, said no to the outlaw desperadoes that plague their land almost daily, with the terror of abuse, ambush, and assassination. A people yearning to be free cannot be deterred by the acts of cowardly villains who harm the innocent and the unarmed.

Even on this day, January 30, Iraq's Election Day, a day of promise, there were still 212 reported acts of violence against these people, 44 of whom died, one being an 8-year-old mentally challenged boy. Yet 60 percent of these proud Iraqis walked to 30,000 polling stations with watchful Iraqi security police on rooftops of schools armed with M-16 rifles.

Yet they ventured out with their families. They stood in lines, received historic ballots with 111 selections from which to choose. They entered a cardboard voting booth, and they made their free choice. They all cast a vote for Iraq.

I talked to these people, the young and the elderly, who were all defiant of the violence and proud to be voters in this first free and fair election that carries the hope of democracy. I even saw husbands taking photographs of their wives while their wives were voting.

The atmosphere of democracy unfolding was almost carnival in nature. After voting, each Iraqi dipped their right forefinger in an inkwell to record the fact that they voted. Some even left the polling place singing as they held their finger up high, a symbol that has come to be termed a badge of courage. They wanted all to know they had participated in this day. One young girl told me that she got there very early that morning so she could be the first person in her community to vote.

This election was planned and conducted by Iraqis. The security force of 100,000 officers were all Iraqis. The votes will be counted by Iraqis, and the 275 members of this new parliament will all be Iraqis.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the United States made a sound decision in helping start this democracy. Similar to the events following World War II when America launched democracies in the nations of our enemies, Japan and Germany, the skeptics and critics said it could not be done, and those skeptics and critics are still around today. But today Japan and Germany are not only thriving democracies but they are also world economic powers and they are our allies.

So this, too, will be our hope and desire for Iraq and for Afghanistan. These two nations will become democracies in spite of the hardships and detractors here at home and abroad. Those people who utter words of gloom, doom, and despair, history will prove those people wrong. History corroborates that freedom can grow in the desert of oppression.

Our efforts have not gone without appreciation by the Iraqi people. The individuals I spoke to on that Sunday morning and afternoon said they love Americans, especially our military. They are truly grateful.

As Election Day drew to a close on Sunday afternoon, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and I spoke with the president of Iraq. And in an almost emotional tone, he told us that the Iraqi people recognize that America has sacrificed their young men and women for Iraq, for this day to come.

We should be happy for the Iraqi people and proud that we have sown the seed of freedom in this land far, far away. And we must remember the words 40 years ago of a young man from Massachusetts, President John Kennedy, when he stated our commitment then and our commitment today. He said, ``Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.''

We are doing that in Iraq, Mr. Speaker.