Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, in Iran there is no freedom of speech or press. Criticize the government of Iran and you can be arrested, tortured, and even killed. The MEK, an opposition group that only wants freedom for the Iranian people, has seen that firsthand. Hundreds of its members have been executed for doing nothing more than protesting the government.

It isn't just political dissidents who are persecuted in Iran. There is no freedom of religion in Iran. If you are not a Shiite Muslim, you never know when you might be dragged off to jail.

Just like religious minorities, women too are treated like second- class citizens and denied basic human rights. Domestic violence, that evil tactic of cowardly men, is not illegal in Iran. In October, a string of acid attacks injured women deemed ``badly veiled.'' Again, the people rose up. But these protestors were also met with tear gas, violent beatings, and arrests.

But there's a remarkable thing, Mr. Speaker, about repression: it cannot suppress the innate desire in all of us to be free.

In 2009, we saw the people of Iran fight against tyranny. Thousands of Iranians marched defiantly in the streets, protesting the fraudulent election of Ahmadinejad.

In response, police on motorbikes ran over protestors, fired tear gas, beat them with batons, tortured them, shot them. Over a hundred protestors were murdered in the 2 weeks that followed the election.

Today, President Rouhani would like us to believe that life in Iran has changed. The truth is that life in Iran has not changed. President Rouhani's words are empty lies.

The Iranians are freedom-loving people, and they deserve the basic human rights. Today, with this bill we tell the people of Iran that they do not fight alone. That we stand together with them against the Supreme Leader and all his cronies. And one day, hopefully soon, we will stand with them in Tehran to celebrate the downfall of the Iranian regime.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the United States and Great Britain have come a long way since we overthrew the tyranny of King George and claimed independence, liberty and freedom. Today, both of our nations stand for those three words.

From the Nazis to the Soviets, throughout the 20th century our two countries have fought those who wanted to take away freedom from others.

That fight continues today. Our troops spilled blood together fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. We oppose the mullahs in Iran that want to build a nuclear weapon and use terrorism to kill Americans and Britons in Iraq. We decry the anti-semitism at the UN. We beat back the aggression of the Russian bear. We fight for the freedom of the Internet. Pick almost any conflict around the world and Great Britain has our back.

We have nuclear agreements with lots of countries, but our agreement with the UK is the most comprehensive. That is fitting. It shows how deep our relationship runs.

H.R. 5681 would extend the U.S.-UK nuclear agreement, which has to be renewed every 10 years.

I am an original cosponsor of this bill because the UK is a strong ally of the United States. It is in the interest of the American people that the U.S. and UK continue to strengthen one another.

Mr. Speaker, this week will not just be a typical Thursday. For 100 years ago this day Mrs. Sadie Strawn was born.

Born and raised in Byhalia, Mississippi, Mrs. Strawn has appreciated the beauty of God's country from day one. She attributes her health to the good food of the South and The good Lord who provides it, never taking for granted all that she has been given.

After high school, Mrs. Strawn left the comfort of her family and moved to Memphis in pursuit of a nursing degree.

This was not her first courageous move, as she is known to have been a bit of a daredevil throughout her early years--riding cows, jumping out of haylofts, and swimming down rivers.

It was in college that she met her husband, Malcolm Strawn, and decided to devote her life to raising a loving family.

Nashville was lucky to have the Strawns for 45 years, after which Mr. and Mrs. Strawn packed up and moved to Houston in order to be closer to their grandchildren.

Upon arrival, Mrs. Strawn became immediately involved in the Republican Party as a delegate at the Texas State Convention. She was the oldest person to vote in this year's Midterm Elections!

Mrs. Strawn is the proud mother of Jim, Bill, and Dave Strawn. She has eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, all of whom hope to be just like her when they grow up.

According to her sons, her barbecue meatballs are world famous. She would feed them to anyone that asked to be fed after church on Sundays, and still found time to be active in her boy's scouting.

After 100 years, Mrs. Strawn's is still as active as ever. She walks nearly a mile every day without any assistance. She is an active member of her Church at Paradise Springs Independent Living and plans to be for years to come.

The Strawn boys are continuously thankful for the values that their mother instilled in them: responsibility, commitment, and faithfulness.

At 100 years old, Sadie Strawn still has spunk.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, the call of the wild from mammoth African elephants and rhinos has grown meek and blissfully silent.

The culprit: outlaw terrorists who are tracking and hunting down these massive creatures to fund their filthy, lucre terrorist enterprises. Our enemy is sophisticated and well-funded, but their weapons, surveillance equipment and training, food, lodging, and travel cost a lot of money.

ISIS has a terrorist army that has raised billions of dollars through extortion, drugs, bank robbery, kidnapping, and oil smuggling, but there is one source of funding for terrorism that is being overlooked: poaching.

Madam Speaker, the illegal wildlife trade in Africa is a $7 to $10 billion a year business. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, a rhino horn sells for $65,000 a kilogram in Asia. That is more expensive than silver, gold, diamonds, or illicit drugs.

The number one buyer of ivory is none other than China. With big profits and high demand, poaching has risen dramatically.

Madam Speaker, two-thirds of central Africa's forest elephants have been wiped out in the last 10 years. 100,000 elephants were killed in Africa between 2010 and 2012. In just those 10 years, central Africa has lost 64 percent of its elephants, according to National Geographic.

One of those elephants killed was Satao, pictured right here before he was killed. Satao was called by some as the world's biggest and largest elephant. Satao had tusks that reached to the ground, as you can see, but last June, he was found in a swamp, dead, killed for his tusks. He was 45 to 46 years old. The poachers finally got this old bull.

Terrorists have identified this lucrative industry of systematically killing African animals as another source of cash to fund their murderous enterprises. The al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab generated between $200,000 and $600,000 a month from just tusks, according to the African Elephant Action League. The blood money accounted for as much as 40 percent of al Shabaab's total operating budget.

These terrorist poachers not only kill African animals, but they kill the wildlife wardens guarding them as well.

Other terrorist organizations implicated in the illegal poaching trade include Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance

Army in central Africa and Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Unsurprisingly, these terrorists have also taken advantage of the instability and corruption in African governments. Terrorists sell their bounties under the radar in the illicit market. The penalties for those caught poaching are minimal.

So for terrorists who are looking to avoid detection, make a lot of money, and not face consequences if caught, poaching is their grand bargain.

So what is being done? Our intelligence community has yet to establish a clear understanding of which terrorist groups are the most involved in poaching and who facilitates the worldwide transactions from Africa to other countries.

We need wildlife trackers to track the money trail and the destruction of these creatures. The administration needs to have a plan to stop this eradication of mammoth animals.

Multiple agencies from the State Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others have been involved in efforts to eradicate poaching, but it appears no agency has taken the lead. Talk must turn to action.

Last February, the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking issued a national strategy for combating wildlife trafficking, but there is no implementation plan. Nine months later, we are still waiting for a strategy to go into effect.

Meanwhile, endangered species are being slaughtered, like Satao, and terrorists are being paid from the sales of endangered species' tusks and horns.

Preserving endangered species is a noble goal, but the fact that killers worldwide are using this money to fund terrorism makes it even more urgent we stop this ruthless criminal conduct.

These terrorists kill animals, so they can get money to kill people. The combination of these two evils, the killing of endangered species and innocent civilians to further radical terrorism, is an international threat.

The world cannot allow radical Islamic terrorists to continue the wholesale slaughter of rhinos and elephants to fund their reign of terror. Make terrorists extinct, not these animals. Otherwise, the only rhinos and elephants our grandkids are going to see are the stuffed animals at Toys ``R'' Us.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Federal food police now control what American children are permitted to eat in public schools. The First Lady has said, ``We just can't leave it up to the parents.''

Several things are wrong about this totalitarian control of children. Kids say the portions are so small or the food is so disliked they must smuggle food from home or just go hungry. This leads to the Federal Government food being wasted and thrown away at the end of the day.

What is next?

Are the Federal food bureaucrats going to force-feed schoolchildren with government food?

It should not be the role of Washington and the Federal Government to control what children eat. That is the responsibility of parents.

Americans are not stupid and cannot leave it up to the almighty Feds to determine what is best for our kids. The Federal Government should not raise our children because the Federal Government is not the parent of my kids or my grandkids, whether Washington likes it or not.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to bring American energy to Americans. The Keystone pipeline is the answer.

For over 6 years, the administration has been saying no to energy independence. Six years. That is longer than it took us to win World War II.

Oil is the most reliable and cost-effective source of energy the United States has. The Keystone pipeline, from Canada to Texas, will bring as much crude oil as we get from Saudi Arabia. It will begin energy security

and national security. It will bring jobs.

The pipeline will make Middle Eastern politics and energy irrelevant. It won't cost the taxpayers any money.

I have previously introduced the KFAST bill which will directly and immediately approve the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Instead of leaving Americans at the mercy and the questionable loyalties of unstable Middle Eastern countries, we should take care of ourselves.

If the administration continues to be obstinate and politically stonewall the pipeline, the Canadians will simply sell it to someone else, like China. Now, isn't that lovely?

Build the pipeline. It is the right thing to do.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to recognize the 20th anniversary of the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), one of our Nation's most effective victims' organizations.

Founded by Scott Berkowitz in 1994, RAINN is the Nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Their cutting edge work has changed the outcome for victims of sexual violence for years.

They have made the country more aware of the evil of sexual assault and have aided millions of victims.

RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which provides victims of sexual assault with free, confidential services around the clock and has served over 1.5 million people since 1994.

The hotline expanded its services going online in 2007 helping to reach even more victims.

In addition, RAINN operates the DOD Safe Helpline to aid victims of sexual violence in our military.

Beyond the hotline and other direct victim services, RAINN advocates for policies that change the lives of victims of sexual assault and engages the public to advocate on behalf of victims' rights bills.

They were vital in the passage of the Debbie Smith Act, its subsequent reauthorizations, the DNA Fingerprint Act, and the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act, and the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act.

I worked with RAINN on SAFER for years along with Congresswoman Maloney and Senator Cornyn.

SAFER provides grants to states and localities with existing funds to audit their rape kit backlog and makes this information available to the public.

SAFER also mandates that more current funds go directly to test rape kits.

Despite the various barriers we encountered throughout the years since this idea was brought to me by RAINN, Scott Berkowitz and the incredible staff at RAINN never gave up.

They persevered because they knew it was right.

They knew that SAFER would bring justice to victims and put perpetrators where they belong, behind bars.

Scott's spirit is like that of a Texan, even though he's from New Jersey, but we won't hold that against him.

That is why we work together so well.

Congratulations on 20 years of making a true difference in victims' lives.

Mr. Speaker, on May 31, 2013, Houston Fire Department suffered its most tragic event in its history. Four of Houston's bravest firefighters died in the line of duty, fighting a 5- alarm blaze at a hotel in southwest Houston:

Captain EMT Matthew Renaud, 35, of Station 51;

Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee, 41, of Station 51;

Firefighter EMT Robert Garner, 29, of Station 68;

Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan, 24, of Station 68.

They were the best we had in Houston, and we are still saddened that they are gone.

The hotel's hellish inferno claimed the lives of these four firefighters and injured fourteen other firefighters when the roof collapsed--some critically. One of the brave who survived was Captain William Dowling, also known as ``Iron Bill.''

Iron Bill was injured serving Houston, the community in which he was raised. A graduate of Klein Oak High School, Captain Dowling left Texas to serve his nation as an enlistee with the United States Marine Corps. In 1993, on leave from Marine boot camp training, he married his high school sweetheart--Jacki. As a Marine, Iron Bill served 4 years, including a deployment to Somalia with I Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation Restore Hope, 1995. He returned home to Texas and to Jacki to begin his career and to start a family. Twenty-one years later, Captain Dowling and Jacki have three children: Forrest, Faith and Foster.

Iron Bill's patriotic spirit and love of the community led him to join the Houston Fire Department. He graduated from the Houston Fire Department Academy in 2000 and steadily rose through the ranks. He worked at Stations 12, 19, and 48 before making Captain at Station 68 in January of 2013. Firehouse 68 is located at the corner of Bissonnet and South Gessner in the ``heart of Southwest Houston''. In 2013, the fire apparatus of Firehouse 68 made 14,847 responses, making it the third busiest fire station in the City of Houston. There, at Firehouse 68, Captain Dowling became known as ``Iron Bill,'' a fitting nickname to describe a strong and courageous hero.

It was just five months after he arrived at Station 68 that Captain Dowling and fellow firefighters received an alarm call that would take them to the gates of hell.

On that fateful day, in the heat of the Texas noonday sun, Captain Dowling along with the four other firefighters rushed into the hotel to find potential trapped guests. While the firefighters were in the hotel, the roof collapsed, trapping and killing Garner and Sullivan from Station 68 and Bebee and Renaud from Station 51. Captain Dowling's legs were crushed and burned, but he remained calm, radioed for help and waited for his brothers to pull him from the flames.

The attending physician in the ambulance said that Captain Dowling, though severely injured, kept asking about the condition of his crew. He was more concerned for the safety of others than himself--the testament of a true hero. He told the doctor, on the way to the hospital, to tell his wife and children that he would fight for them. Hearing this comes as no surprise to Captain Dowling's family: they know him as a fighter.

Captain Dowling was seriously injured with burns over thirty percent of his body, and he was placed in a medically induced coma for months at Memorial Hermann Hospital and Medical Center. He subsequently had both legs amputated and suffered brain damage. A long road of recovery was ahead for Captain Dowling, but surrounded by a team of doctors, his family, firefighter family, friends, church

and the entire city and state of Texas, Iron Bill was not alone. Deservingly, Captain Dowling became everyone's hero.

Finally, six months after the fire, Captain Dowling left the hospital and went home, riding in Station 68's newly dedicated fire truck. Of course, he sat in the Captain's Chair. Along the drive home, he was greeted by firefighters and members of the community, who lined the streets and highways from the Texas Medical Center to Tomball.

Since returning home, Jacki left her full time job at Frank Elementary to care for her husband full time. It's no surprise that as a Texas woman, she's strong and determined, but quite simply, the strength that she possesses is amazing. To keep the community updated on Iron Bill, she started blogging on a community Facebook page (entitled ``Capt. William Dowling Iron Bill''). This blog allows the community to rally behind the Dowling family: cry with them, laugh with them, pray for them and see their hero survive.

In the last year, Captain Dowling has received a customized fire tank chair. It's an ATV-like wheelchair, and he loves driving it! At home, Houston Texans' JJ Watt visited Iron Bill and presented him with a Houston Texans' jersey with the #68 proudly displayed. Captain Dowling loves to sing and play guitar--from Bon Jovi to Third Day--and Texas Country music star, Cory Morrow, played for him when he was in the hospital. He was even able to travel to San Diego to see his son Private Forrest Dowling follow in his footsteps and graduate from the Marine Corps' Recruit Training. When Private Forrest Dowling held his newly earned Eagle, Globe and Anchor in the palm of his hand with pride after completing the Crucible, April 17, 2013, Forrest said that the main reason he decided to sign the dotted line and become a Marine, was because of his dad. He said my dad was a Marine and always wanted me to become a Marine as well, so it's what I set out to do. Despite his amazing progress, Captain Dowling has had his share of challenges. His pain is debilitating--so much so that Jacki cried out for help and prayers that he could be seen by a team of experts who had experience with traumatic amputations. She had heard of the work of the team at Brooke's Army Medical Center, which operates the only DOD Burn Center, at Fort Sam Houston and set out to work to get him admitted. The community rallied, launching a change.org petition, emailing and calling BAMC and reaching out to my office. It's rarely talked about, but most Congressional offices spend the majority of their time on ``casework,'' offering constituents help with a federal department or agency.

Within a matter of hours, Brooke's Army Medical Center deemed Captain Dowling admissible, saying they are honored to receive him and that he would be embraced by fellow Marines. Once the appropriate medical records were transferred, an ambulance transported Iron Bill from St. Luke's Hospital to Brooke's Army Medical Center for further treatment.

As Iron Bill gets the medical care that he needs, I hope he knows the community of Tomball and the greater Houston area and, of course, Texas' Second District eagerly awaits his return home. When that happens, I hope we line the streets and cheer for him once again. For our community will always be grateful for his service and sacrifices. Once a hero, always a hero.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, while the eyes of the world are on ISIS, the Russian bear has quietly come out of hibernation. Putin is back after a brief hiatus, seeking to devour his neighbors and reclaim his kingdom while once again sending covert henchmen into eastern Ukraine. The Napoleon of Siberia is systematically trying to reestablish imperial Russia with him as the czar.

According to U.S. General Phillip Breedlove, recently, ``new Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defense systems, and Russian combat troops have entered eastern Ukraine.'' News reports indicate five of the trucks were towing 120-millimeter howitzer artillery pieces, and another five were towing partly covered multilaunch rocket systems.

This sounds like an aggression to me.

Of course, the Kremlin lies and denies it all. And why is this aggression continuing? Because, on the world stage, America looks weak and leaderless. Reset buttons and red lines don't mean anything to Putin. Our hollow objections to Russia are meaningless. The Russian bear needs to stop its cold war II-type aggression and return back to the cave.

Mr. Speaker, what is America's plan?

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, during World War II, the Japanese military forced thousands of women mostly from Korea and China to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese Imperial Army. Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, but most agree the number is around 200,000.

These women were referred to as ``comfort women.'' But there was nothing comfortable about their role. The first so-called ``comfort station'' opened in Shanghai in 1932. These stations were used to satisfy the sexual desires of Japanese troops.

When demand outstripped supply, the Japanese military responded by abducting more women in occupied countries. In other instances, women were lured with promises of work in factories or restaurants before being incarcerated in comfort stations abroad.

An estimated 75 percent of these enforced sex slaves died. Many survivors were left infertile due to sexual trauma or STDs. They also suffered from depression, impaired anger control, and PTSD. These symptoms exist even today, over 60 years later.

Since WWII, the Japanese government has been inconsistent in its message.

Some officials insisted no women were forced into sexual servitude. Other officials claimed their role was ``necessary.'' Still others tried to discredit the few victims that are still alive. Japan would do well to accurately report the history regarding this tragedy.

In 1993, the Japanese released the Kono Statement. In it, they finally confessed to forcing women to work in military-run brothels.

Earlier this year, the Japanese announced that they would be reviewing the ``background'' of the Kono Statement.

It is time for Japan to own up to its actions. Covering these atrocities behind a smoke screen will not change the truth. The stories of these women have been well documented. Victims have a right to be acknowledged. After so many have died, the few remaining survivors deserve an apology. They deserve justice. This would help the diplomatic relationship between Japan and Korea.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Russian bear is back, seeking to devour his neighbors and reclaim his kingdom. Mr. Putin, or the Napoleon of Siberia as I like to call him, yearns for the glory days of the Soviet Union when the great communist empire extended from Latvia in the north to Tajikistan in the south. Putin is systematically reestablishing the Soviet Empire, but this time with Putin as king.

In November 2013, Putin bribed the then President of Ukraine with a payment of $15 billion in exchange for cutting off negotiations with the European Union that would have integrated Ukraine more into the West.

When then President Yanukovych accepted the bribe, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in peaceful protest. With the loss of the support of the people, in February 2014 the corrupt President left his gilded palace, resigned his position, and retreated back to Russia.

The people of Ukraine elected a new government who would represent their desire to be free and move closer to the West.

Putin did not like this one bit. So, he sent in his henchmen, first in Crimea and then in towns in eastern Ukraine, to stir unrest. Then in came the Russian troops to ``protect'' the ethnic Russians from the crisis that Putin created.

We have seen this movie before. The Russians are doing the same thing to the Ukrainians in 2014 as they did to the Georgians in 2008.

In 2008, I was in Georgia just after the Russians invaded. Georgia was moving closer and closer to the West. Russia did not like this, so it decided to create instability. It sent in its henchmen to cause trouble. Then Putin sent in Russia troops and tanks to stop the trouble it created. Six years later, the Russians are still there.

This winter, the Russian bear is not going to go into hibernation. Mr. Putin is going to dial up the pressure. He knows how reliant much of Europe is on Russian energy. When the weather gets colder, much of Europe will be at the mercy of Putin in order to stay warm. Putin is not afraid to use energy as leverage. I know because I was in Ukraine when Russia turned off the gas in 2006. It was cold. Unless Europe diversifies, it is only going to become more reliant on Russian gas.

We have an easy solution to this. The United States is in the midst of an energy revolution. We have more natural gas than we can use. In fact, natural gas is being left in the ground and burnt off at the well head because producers have no domestic buyers. There is a glut in the market. But the government, that institution that always seems to get in the way, says producers cannot sell the gas abroad without permission first from the Department of Energy. The Department of Energy is like any government bureaucracy--slow as molasses. Meanwhile, the Europeans are months away from being subject to Russian blackmail.

That's why I introduced H.R. 4155, the Fight Russian Energy Exploitation (FREE) Act. The bill would free up our gas to go to the former Soviet states like Ukraine and countries in the European Union. Our allies want our gas and are willing to pay for it. If we sell our gas to them, it means more money injected into our economy and more American jobs. It is so simple you wonder why it has not been done already.

Putin is in this for the long-term. Russian troops are still in Ukraine and just like in Georgia, they have no plans on leaving. If the Ukrainian government is not going to move towards Russia, then Putin has decided he is going to make them as weak and unstable as possible so they cannot move towards the West in any meaningful way.

The Russians cannot be trusted. Back in 1994, in exchange for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons, Russia promised to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The B Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was just a piece of paper to the Russians. So much for diplomacy and trusting the Russia bear not to eat more territory.

Appeasement is not the answer. Russia will keep taking as much as the West is willing to let them. Who knows who could be next--Latvia, Estonia, Moldova? What then? When will the West decide enough is enough?

The United States and Europe must come together. It is together that we can offer tough sanctions that will deal a big blow to Putin. As we tighten the economic noose around the Russia bear, we should loosen our ban on the export of crude oil and cut the red tape so we can export more natural gas to our European partners. We should also stand behind President Poroshenko with meaningful economic and military aid. He is doing all he can to prevent the Russians from taking over more of his country, but he cannot do it alone.

Winter is coming. Free people that want to remain free, better take heed.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the amendment is to train and equip Syrian rebels. Well, let us see how that has worked in the past when America has trained and equipped individuals.

The United States has spent billions of dollars in Iraq to train and equip Iraqi soldiers. The first time they came in contact with the ISIS members, they cut and ran.

This is ISIS propaganda that was on the Internet.

This is an American tank now in the possession of ISIS when the Iraqis cut and ran.

This is a Humvee going through a parade; also, four Humvees that, apparently, have never been used that are now in the possession of ISIS when the Iraqis cut and ran.

Now we want to arm Syrian rebels to keep them fighting for America. Well, let us see how that has worked in the past.

In September 2013, The Wall Street Journal reported that ISIS raided a Free Syrian Army weapons depot, taking small arms and ammunition provided by the CIA.

In December 2013, Free Syrian Army weapons warehoused on the Syrian- Turkey border were seized by the Islamic Front. They, like the Iraqis, cannot keep up with American arms.

Second, some say in this amendment we will support the Free Syrian Army because they are going to be examined and we will make sure that they are vetted very well. But let us understand and see how that is working out.

What is a Free Syrian Army rebel today is an ISIS member tomorrow. It looks like, in December of 2013, Saddam al-Jamal, the northeast commander of the Free Syrian Army, announced his defection to ISIS and condemned those who worked with the West.

A Washington Post article, August 18: A high-level security commander of ISIS said that there is no more Free Syrian Army in eastern Syria because they have all joined--yes--ISIS. Isn't that lovely?

It is not a good strategic plan to arm Syrian rebels. If ISIS is a national security threat, then relying on rebels in a Syrian civil war will not protect American security interests.

The United States should have a strategy to defeat the barbarians of ISIS, but we should have that debate on this House floor and not rely on mercenaries to fight American national security interests somewhere overseas.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, it is an exciting and historic time for self-determination in Scotland. Scots (and others) are voicing the pros and cons for Scotland's vote this week on independence. To go it alone or not from the United Kingdom is the question before the feisty Scots.

Thousands of Scots came to the United States for a new life over 300 years ago. My own family line traces back to Scotland and the Weems (Wemyss) clan. (Some would say it explains my personality.) The Weems castle, built in the 15th Century, still proudly stands in the town of Fife, Scotland.

My ancestors fought with Robert the Bruce in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The King of England, Edward II, invaded Scotland with the largest English Army to ever attack Scotland. His army outnumbered Robert the Bruce's common Scot army 4 to 1. But the Scots are fearsome warriors. After days of hand to hand combat, the Scots beat the English and declared Scotland's de facto Independence.

However, Scotland and England were joined under the United Kingdom 400 years ago.

Texas Weems came by way of the Carolinas in the 1700s then they moved to Tennessee and finally settled in early Texas in the 1800s.

From America's struggle for Independence and Texas's successful fight for Texas independence from Mexico (Texas was a sovereign republic from 1836-1845), such causes are noble but difficult. During the Texas War of Independence, at least four Scots fought and died at the cradle of Texas liberty--The Alamo.

If government truly is of the people, by the people and for the people, then people that

are ruled over by a government should be the ones to choose that government. Self-determination is a natural right.

Scotland will have that peaceful choice this week, and do what is best for ``Scotland the Brave.''

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, evil ISIS has arrogantly beheaded yet another Westerner. This time, a British aide worker, David Haines, was executed. His assassin was an ISIS masked outlaw with a British accent.

ISIS has been heavily recruiting turncoat citizens in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. These American passport holders are particularly dangerous since they can easily slip back into our country undetected and bring ISIS' reign of terror to our homeland.

That is why I have introduced the FTO Passport Revocation Act. This legislation would authorize the revocation or denial of passports and passport cards to individuals who fight with foreign terrorist organizations.

The Benedict Arnold traitors who have turned against America and joined the ranks of the terrorist army ISIS should lose their right to reenter the United States. This bill will help law enforcement locate these individuals overseas by preventing them from traveling internationally so that they can be captured and brought to justice.

Once Americans cross over to the dark side and go to war against us, they are not welcome back--unless they are in handcuffs.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) changed the way we view domestic violence in the United States.

On the 20th anniversary of VAWA, we celebrate the progress we have made, but we also take this time to recognize how much further we have to go in ending this horrific crime.

20 years ago domestic violence was viewed as a ``family issue.''

Fortunately, in 2014, we educate men and women on this issue and have many more resources available for victims and tougher punishments for abusers.

As a society, we try to make victims feel comfortable coming forward so they can be protected and move forward with their lives, away from their abuser.

Sadly, though, many individuals and organizations still do not take domestic violence seriously enough.

The NFL had to be shamed into suspending Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games for abusing his fiancee after a video surfaced of him dragging his unconscious fiancee out of an elevator by her hair.

And shamed even further for the Baltimore Ravens to finally terminate his contract and for the NFL to suspend him indefinitely.

That is, only after, the full, more graphic video was released making it beyond clear what happened inside of that elevator.

Ray Rice knocked his fiancee out cold.

Like it or not, professional athletes are role models. Is this the type of person we want our children looking up to?

This summer, the NFL did not care about intimate partner violence as a serious crime. They cared about saving face.

Not saving the faces and bodies and souls of women in this country, but protecting their own image and bottom line.

In the spirit of VAWA, we must continue to speak out against abusers and those that do not take criminal conduct seriously, and we must continue to stand up for victims.

Victims of abuse must come forward for their own safety and that of their children.

What kind of message are we sending these victims when we put men who abuse their partners on a pedestal? When we treat celebrities or professional athletes who commit the same crime differently because of their status?

I am proud of how much VAWA changed the landscape for victims in our country over the past 20 years, but this latest incident demonstrates there is more work to be done.

And that's just the way it is.