Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, ``We eat all we can and we sell the rest.'' That is the slogan for the Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham, Texas, that makes the best ice cream in the world. With the U.S. overabundance of natural gas, especially in Texas, that should be America's foreign energy policy: ``Use all we can and sell the rest.'' In fact, we have so much natural gas in the Dakotas, they are flaring off gas wells.

Mr. Speaker, Ukraine has been invaded by the bully bear Putin. Ukraine buys 60 percent of its natural gas from Russia. In fact, numerous former Soviet republics in Europe are held hostage and rely on Russia for natural gas. We should give these nations an option to buy our gas, but we can't even start the process until our government speeds up the approval of exporting gas.

Russian aggression can be responded to with an energy policy that helps Ukraine and the United States. Meanwhile, the roar of the Russian bear threatens to devour more sovereign territory in Ukraine.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 105 Motion to Recommit, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, this is March 6, and I want to talk about March 6 in a historical perspective, history that is very important that Americans know about.

Yesterday, on the House floor, I talked about the things that are going on in the Ukraine and compared Mr. Putin's aggressive actions toward Europe, similar to the actions of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

Before I do that today, I would like to yield some time to two of our Members who have discussions on other issues. First, I would like to yield as much time as he wishes to consume on a different issue to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf).

Stuttering Foundation

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, I believe history is something that we should remember and talk about.

Today, is March 6. It probably doesn't mean much to a lot of folks in the United States, but to those of us from the State of Texas, March 6 is an important day.

I want to put it in context. There are 3 important, very important days for those of us from Texas, March 2, March 6, and April 21, and I will get to the significance in just a moment.

Many, many years ago, parts of Texas, Mexico, Central America, and even South America, were controlled by the European country of Spain. It controlled all of that area.

The people of Mexico decided that they wanted to have their own independent country. It sounds familiar, does it not?

They rebelled against the Spanish, and they formed the Republic of Mexico. They established a Constitution. It was called the Constitution of 1824.

As sometimes happens with new democracies, the President takes over. His name was Santa Anna. Santa Anna, when he took power legally, constitutionally, under a democratic regime, did what some dictators, unfortunately, still do. He abolished the government. He abolished the Constitution of 1824. He created a centralist, authoritarian government.

But several areas, states, if you will, in Mexico dissented, objected, vocally objected, even rebelled. Those areas of Mexico were Coahuila y Tejas, the state of Coahuila and Texas; Durango; Jalisco; Nuevo Leon; Queretaro; San Luis Potosi; Tamaulipas; Yucatan; Zacatecas; and a couple of others.

Most of those areas, those states did nothing more than just object, dissent, and quickly Santa Anna moved in to quell any disruption or disturbances.

But there were three of those areas that actually formed their own republics, if you will. There was the Republic of the Rio Grande, the Republic of the Yucatan, and the Republic of Texas.

Santa Anna quickly, of course, moved to stop these new countries, if you will, areas, that were seeking independence from this totalitarian dictator named Santa Anna. As history has shown, they all failed-- except the Republic of Texas.

That is what I would like to talk about this evening, Mr. Speaker. What happened in Texas was that the people objected, people of all races, both Tejanos--and Tejano is a uniquely Texan name; a Tejano is someone of Mexican or Spanish descent that is, or was, born in what is now Texas--and the Anglos as well dissented, objected to Santa Anna's imperialistic dictatorship.

It started over a cannon. In October of 1835, the Mexican government sent some military over to the little town of Gonzalez, Texas, and demanded that the colonists, the people there, give up their cannon, their arms, and they objected. They refused to do it, and so there was a skirmish between the Mexican regulars and the colonists who lived in Gonzalez.

Shots were fired on both sides. I don't know that anybody was really hurt too bad. A couple of folks were wounded. More importantly, the Mexican military left, and they did not get the cannon, and thus started the Texas War of Independence.

You may have heard of the flag, the Come and Take It flag. The Texians, as they called themselves, painted a cannon on a white background and wrote underneath it, ``Come and Take It,'' being defiant.

In any event, that started the battle. That started the Texas War of Independence against a dictator, a person who had abolished, remember, the Constitution of the Republic of Mexico.

Santa Anna then decided he would put down this rebellion, all of these rebellions that I talked about, and he successfully did so in other parts of Mexico, in those areas that I had mentioned. Then he moves across the Rio Grande River with three different armies coming into Texas to put down this so-called rebellion against his dictatorship.

So the first battles of Texas independence were successful, in 1835, October of 1835, and that brought us into 1836.

Success was not the norm in 1836. On March 2, 1836, 54 Texans, including Lorenzo De Zavala, Thomas Rusk, Antonio Navarro, and that famous person, Sam Houston, gathered not too far from San Antonio in a place called Washington-on-the-Brazos, declared their independence from Mexico, wrote a constitution, declaration of independence, rather, very similar to the American Declaration of Independence. It was signed by all of them on March 2, 1836.

Turned out March 2 also happens to be the birthday of Sam Houston. Imagine that. That is the first important date.

Meanwhile, assembled down the road from Texas, declaring independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos, were a group of volunteers. They were all together in this old, beat-up Spanish church that was 150 years old at the time. It was a town called Bear. We know it now as San Antonio.

The place that they assembled themselves to fight off the invasion of the dictator was the Alamo.

This is an artist sketch of the way the Alamo looked at the time that the 187 volunteers defended the place.

You will notice, Mr. Speaker, the flag that is flying over the Alamo was not what a lot of people think, the Lone Star flag, which was the flag of the Republic of Texas, the flag of Texas now. It is the flag of 1824. It is very similar to the Mexican flag.

But what the defenders had done was remove the Mexican eagle and put the number 1824. Why did they do that? Because when they went into the Alamo, what they were wanting--what they were trying to do was reestablish a constitutional government in Mexico, and they wanted the constitution of 1824. That is why that flag flew over the Alamo.

The people who entered the Alamo did so on February 23, 1826. They did so before March 2, before the declaration of independence, because they knew that the invaders were coming under the direction of the president, the dictator, and the general, Santa Anna.

It is interesting, these people who were in the Alamo, they were all volunteers, Mr. Speaker. They came from almost every State in the United States and 13 foreign countries, including Mexico; and I will just mention some of the States that they came from.

They came from Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, several from Massachusetts. They came from the State of Mississippi, Missouri, as far away as New Hampshire, New Jersey, several folks from New York, North Carolina, Ohio.

A great number came from Pennsylvania and, of course, South Carolina, even one from Rhode Island; and many, many came from the State of Tennessee. There were also native Texans in the Alamo, if you would refer to them as that; and they were the nine--at least nine Tejanos that fell in the Alamo. There may have been more. We don't know. There was also one from Vermont and several from Virginia.

They were also from foreign countries, Denmark, several from England, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, Wales, France, and some other countries as well.

Mr. Speaker, I will now place into the Record a list of the defenders who fell at the Alamo and the States or countries that they were from.

The Defenders of the Alamo

1) Buchanan, James, Alabama; 2) Fishbaugh, William,

Alabama; 3) Fuqua, Galba, Alabama; 4) White, Isaac, Alabama;

5) Baker, Isaac G., Arkansas; 6) Thompson, Jesse G.,

Arkansas; 7) Warnell, Henry, Arkansas; 8) Jennings, Gordon

C., Connecticut; 9) Grimes, Albert (Alfred) Calvin, Georgia;

10) Melton, Eliel, Georgia; 11) Shied, Manson,

Georgia; 12) Wells, William, Georgia; 13) Wills, William,

Georgia; 14) Lindley, Jonathan L., Illinois; 15) Bailey,

Peter James III, Kentucky; 16) Bowie, James, Kentucky; 17)

Cloud, Daniel William, Kentucky; 18) Darst, Jacob C.,

Kentucky; 19) Davis John, Kentucky; 20) Fauntleroy, William

H., Kentucky.

21) Gaston, John E., Kentucky; 22) Harris, John, Kentucky;

23) Jackson, William Daniel, Kentucky; 24) Jameson, Green B.,

Kentucky; 25) Kellogg, John Benjamin, Kentucky; 26) Kent,

Andrew, Kentucky; 27) Rutherford, Joseph, Kentucky; 28)

Thomas, B. Archer M., Kentucky; 29) Washington, Joseph G.,

Kentucky; 30) Despallier, Charles, Louisiana; 31) Kerr,

Joseph, Louisiana; 32) Ryan, Isaac, Louisiana; 33) Garrand,

James W., Louisiana; 34) Smith, Charles S., Maryland; 35)

Flanders, John, Mass.; 36) Howell, William D., Mass.; 37)

Linn, William, Mass.; 38) Pollard, Amos. Mass.

39) Clark, M.B., Mississippi; 40) Millsaps, Isaac,

Mississippi; 41) Moore, Willis A., Mississippi; 42) Pagan,

George, Mississippi; 43) Parker, Christopher Adams,

Mississippi; 44) Baker, William Charles M., Missouri; 45)

Butler, George D., Missouri; 46) Clark, Charles Henry,

Missouri; 47) Cottle, George Washington, Missouri; 48)

Day, Jerry C., Missouri; 49) Tumlinson, George W.,

Missouri; 50) Cochran, Robert E., New Hampshire; 51)

Stockton, Richard Lucius, New Jersey; 52) Cunningham,

Robert W., New York; 53) Dewall, Lewis, New York; 54)

Evans, Samuel B., New York; 55) Forsyth, John Hubbard, New

York; 56) Jones, John, New York; 57) Tylee, James, New

York.

58) Autry, Micajah, North Carolina; 59) Floyd, Dolphin

Ward, North Carolina; 60) Parks, William, North Carolina; 61)

Scurlock, Mial, North Carolina; 62) Smith, Joshua G., North

Carolina; 63) Thomson, John W., North Carolina; 64) Wright,

Claiborne, North Carolina; 65) Harrison, William B., Ohio;

66) Holland, Tapely, Ohio; 67) Musselman, Robert, Ohio; 68)

Rose, James M., Ohio; 69) Ballentine, John J., Pennsylvania;

70) Brown, James Murry, Pennsylvania; 71) Cain (Cane), John,

Pennsylvania; 72) Crossman, Robert, Pennsylvania; 73)

Cummings, David P., Pennsylvania; 74) Hannum, James,

Pennsylvania; 75) Holloway, Samuel, Pennsylvania; 76)

Johnson, William, Pennsylvania; 77) Kimble (Kimbell), George

C., Pennsylvania; 78) McDowell, William, Pennsylvania; 79)

Reynolds, John Purdy, Pennsylvania; 80) Thurston, John M.,

Pennsylvania; 81) Williamson, Hiram James, Pennsylvania; 82)

Wilson, John, Pennsylvania.

83) Martin, Albert, Rhode Island; 84) Bonham, James Butler,

South Carolina; 85) Crawford, Lemuel, South Carolina; 86)

Neggan, George, South Carolina; 87) Nelson, Edward, South

Carolina; 88) Nelson, George, South Carolina; 89) Simmons,

Cleveland Kinloch, South Carolina; 90) Travis, William

Barret, South Carolina; 91) Bayliss, Joseph, Tennessee;

92) Blair, John, Tennessee; 93) Blair, Samuel C.,

Tennessee; 94) Bowman, Jesse B., Tennessee; 95) Campbell,

James (Robert), Tennessee; 96) Crockett, David, Tennessee;

97) Daymon, Squire, Tennessee; 98) Dearduff, William,

Tennessee; 99) Dickinson, Almeron, Tennessee; 100)

Dillard, John Henry, Tennessee; 101) Ewing, James L.,

Tennessee; 102) Garrett, James Girard, Tennessee.

103) Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Tennessee; 104) Haskell,

Charles, M., Tennessee; 105) Hays, John M., Tennessee; 106)

Marshall, William, Tennessee; 107) McCoy, Jesse, Tennessee;

108) McKinney, Robert, Tennessee; 109) Miller, Thomas R.,

Tennessee; 110) Mills, William, Tennessee; 111) Nelson,

Andrew M., Tennessee; 112) Robertson, James Waters,

Tennessee; 113) Smith, Andrew H., Tennessee; 114) Summerlin,

A. Spain, Tennessee; 115) Summers, William E., Tennessee;

116) Taylor, Edward, Tennessee; 117) Taylor, George,

Tennessee; 118) Taylor, James, Tennessee; 119) Taylor,

William, Tennessee; 120) Walker, Asa, Tennessee; 121) Walker,

Jacob, Tennessee.

122) Abamillo, Juan, Texas; 123) Badillo, Juan Antonio,

Texas; 124) Espalier, Carlos, Texas; 125) Esparza, Gregorio

(Jose Maria), Texas; 126) Fuentes, Antonio, Texas; 127)

Jimenez, Damacio, Texas; 128) King, William Phillip, Texas;

129) Lewis, William Irvine, Texas; 130) Lightfoot, William

J., Texas; 131) Losoya, Jose Toribio, Texas; 132) Nava,

Andres, Texas; 133) Perry, Richardson, Texas; 134) Andross,

Miles Deforest, Vermont; 135) Allen, Robert, Virginia; 136)

Baugh, John J., Virginia; 137) Carey, William R.,

Virginia; 138) Garnett, William, Virginia; 139) Goodrich,

John Camp, Virginia; 140) Herndon, Patrick Henry,

Virginia; 141) Kenny, James, Virginia; 142) Main, George

Washington, Virginia; 143) Malone, William T., Virginia;

144) Mitchasson, Edward F., Virginia; 145) Moore, Robert

B., Virginia; 146) Northcross, James, Virginia.

147) Zanco, Charles, Denmark; 148) Blazeby, William,

England; 149) Bourne, Daniel, England; 150) Brown, George,

England; 151) Dennison, Stephen (or Ireland), England; 152)

Dimpkins, James R., England; 153) Gwynne, James C., England;

154) Hersee William Daniel, England; 155) Nowlan, James,

England; 156) Sewell, Marcus L., England; 157) Starr,

Richard, England; 158) Stewart, James E., England; 159)

Waters, Thomas, England; 160) Wolfe, Anthony (Avram),

England; 161) Wolfe, son age 12, England; 162) Wolfe, son age

11, England.

163) Burns, Samuel E., Ireland; 164) Duvalt, Andrew,

Ireland; 165) Evans, Robert, Ireland; 166) Hawkins, Joseph

M., Ireland; 167) Jackson, Thomas, Ireland; 168) McGee,

James, Ireland; 169) Rusk, Jackson J., Ireland; 170) Rusk,

Jackson J., Ireland; 171) Ward, William B., Ireland; 172)

Courtman, Henry, Germany; 173) Thomas, Henry, Germany; 174)

Ballentine, Richard W., Scotland; 175) McGregor, John,

Scotland; Robinson, Isaac, Scotland; 177) Wilson, David L.,

Scotland; 178) Johnson, Lewis, Wales; 179) Brown, Robert,

France.

180) Day, Freeman H.K.; 181) Garvin, John E.; 182) George,

James; 183) McCafferty, Edward; 184) Mitchell, William T.;

185) Mitchell, Napoleon B.; 186) Roberts, Thomas H.; 187)

Smith, William H.; 188) Sutherland, William Depriest; 189)

White, Robert; 190) John (last name unknown).

As I mentioned, they were all volunteers. They did not look like an army. They were everything from lawyers, doctors, shopkeepers, frontiersmen, adventurers, people who had served in other armies. They were all, though, freedom fighters who volunteered to go into the Alamo on February 23.

Commanding the Alamo was my favorite person in all of history, William Barret Travis. William Barret Travis was a lawyer. That is one reason I like him. I am a lawyer. But he was a 27-year-old individual, first born in South Carolina, raised in Alabama, and found his way to Texas; and he was a revolutionary. He wanted independence for the State of Texas--or the Republic of Texas.

He took command of the Alamo, and he sent out ``scouts''--would be the term--asking that people who lived in the area come to the Alamo and help defend the Alamo, fight against this imperialistic dictator, and get Texas independence.

He sent his best friend, who also came from South Carolina, Jim Bonham, out as a scout, along with others--Juan Seguin was one--trying to get folks to come to help out at the Alamo.

Unfortunately, only one small town responded in the affirmative, and that was Gonzales, Texas, where it all began. There were 32 volunteers from Gonzalez, all men--young men--primarily the entire population of Gonzales, Texas, marched from Gonzalez to the Alamo. They were the only reinforcements that were there.

Now, if you would, Mr. Speaker, think about frontier life, the harsh frontier where the male population--basically the entire male population of a small town leaves. They headed to the Alamo where they figured that they were not going to be able to return.

The ones that were left were those strong-willed frontier women and their children, who later had to forge their own history, absent their spouses--remarkable women, remarkable men who went to the Alamo.

It is said, in history, that when these 32 defenders showed up at the Alamo, Travis looked down and said to his friend: They came here to die.

Now, William Barret Travis, in his plea for help to go and fight for liberty, independence--as I told you, most of the folks did not go. They were there already, the ones that were going to fight. He sent out many dispatches, and he sent a letter asking the people to go to the Alamo.

I have a copy of that letter, and I have another copy on my wall in my office. I have had that since the days I was a prosecutor and a judge in Texas, and many other Members from Texas have what I think is the most passionate plea for liberty written by anybody anywhere in the world.

So you see the surroundings, 186 men surrounded by thousands of other enemies, military. Here is what he said in that letter, Mr. Speaker. It is dated February 24, 1836, at the Alamo.

To all the people of Texas, fellow citizens, and

compatriots, I am besieged with 1,000 or more of the enemy

under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continuous bombardment

and cannon fire for over 24 hours, but I 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 wall. I shall never surrender. I shall never

retreat. I call upon you in the name of liberty, patriotism,

and everything dear to our character to come to my 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 that

never forgets what is due his honor and that of his country.

Victory or death, William Barret Travis, commander of the

Alamo.

We all know what happened later. He and his fellow freedom fighters were killed. Some historians say that before

it was impossible to leave the Alamo, William Barret Travis brought the whole group--garrison, 186 volunteers, drew a line in the sand and said: if you are with me, cross the line.

Everybody crossed. They had the opportunity to leave, but they did not.

After 13 days of glory, if you will, at the Alamo, Travis and his men sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. March 6, 1836, that is why I mention March 6, because today is March 6. It is an anniversary of those people who gave up their lives willingly to fight for freedom, similar to the history of the United States.

You know, America took 7 years to gain independence from the British. They lost a lot of lives, men and women, during that. It seems as though freedom always has a cost. Good things always do. Important things always do.

You see, some people in history have down in their soul, Mr. Speaker, that living free is more important than anything, including their own lives; and if they can't live as free people, they will fight and give up their lives in exchange for that belief. Those are remarkable people who have done that throughout history all over the world.

But today, we remember those 186 defenders of the Alamo, people like William Barret Travis, Davy Crockett from Tennessee, Jim Bowie from Louisiana, the 11 Tejanos that I have mentioned, because they were willing to do that.

Travis said, in the last letter that he sent from the Alamo, that victory will be worse for Santa Anna than defeat because of the losses. It turns out that was true. He was able to delay Santa Anna's march into Texas while a Texas Army was being built, surrounded by their commander, General Sam Houston, which I will get to in a minute.

Jim Bonham is another person of interest, I think. He was the scout, along with Juan Seguin, who went out to send the word: come to the Alamo for help.

As legend says, when he got to Washington-on-the-Brazos, where the Texas Republic was being formed, on March 2, 1836, drafting the declaration of independence, he asked for those men there to come to their Alamo.

They refused to do it. They said forming a government was more important than going to the Alamo. Bottom line, they didn't go.

So he gets on his horse, and he starts to ride back to the Alamo. The men there at Washington-on-the-Brazos tried to stop him: What are you doing? You will be killed.

And he said: My friends have the right to know that no one is coming.

I don't know if that happened or not. Some historians say it did. It just shows you the type of people that they were at the Alamo.

So after 13 days, Santa Anna did what he said he was going to do. He flew the red flag, blew the bugles. It was said that they would not offer any quarter to anyone unless they surrendered at a certain time.

They did not surrender. None of the men in the Alamo were given any quarter. They were all killed. Santa Anna then continued his march through Texas.

Remember, if you will, Mr. Speaker, he had already established his domain militarily over other peoples in Mexico that had the desire to object to his dictatorship and suppressed them militarily.

Now, he had moved that experienced army into Texas, one at the Alamo, and was moving towards Sam Houston, who was moving his army toward the eastern part of Texas, toward the United States. That time in history is called the ``Runaway Scrape.''

The colonists, everybody between San Antonio and the American/Texas border, was moving east. They were leaving their property. It was being burned. They left in what is called the Runaway Scrape, not only the volunteer army, but the families as well.

So Sam Houston kept moving toward the east. He did not pitch a battle right away. He formed the army, as I said, all volunteers. Juan Seguin and his band of scouts, cavalry, if you will, had ended up joining Sam Houston.

And then, in April 1836, on the plains of San Jacinto--most Americans don't even know where that is--but it is down there near Houston, Texas. You probably have heard of that place.

In the marsh, in the swamp, these same type of individuals who were at the Alamo were in Sam Houston's army. It was a little larger, almost 600, and these were individuals of all races.

They were people from the United States, foreign countries, from Mexico, Tejanos; and they finally decided, on April 20, that they were going to stop where they were on the plains of San Jacinto in the marsh and pitch a battle.

Now, the plan was to have the battle held April 22. What had happened was Santa Anna had already caught up with them. He had pitched his tents, he had his thousand or so soldiers. He had two other armies still in Texas moving in to reinforce him, and everyone expected this battle to take place on April 22.

But history and war determines when battles are to take place. Sam Houston talked to his commanders. They decided it was time on April 21 to do battle. Now, history has always shown that battles take place at dawn. They still do. Well, these Texans they didn't get around to it until the afternoon on April 21. And they decided that they would just attack the Mexican Army, Santa Anna, who was not prepared for an attack. And sure enough, in the middle of the afternoon, this outnumbered Texas Army attacked Santa Anna's army.

The battle lasted 18 minutes. Something that I thought was quite unique and clever, once again, as I have mentioned, his Tejanos, of course, were fighting for Texas' independence. They were pushing for Texas' independence against the dictator Santa Anna. But they weren't wearing uniforms, not like the Mexican Army. They wore whatever they had. They looked pretty rough and pretty tough.

So Sam Houston, to make sure that the Tejanos weren't mistaken for Santa Anna's army, he had all of them put a playing card in their hatband. In those days, playing cards weren't little like we have today; they were big. So they would stick a playing card in their hatbands so they could be recognized.

His cavalry protected the flanks. The Texas Army marched in one long column. They didn't have enough for two columns. They marched down and in 18 minutes defeated Santa Anna's army, caught them by surprise, and captured almost all of them. In fact, they captured more than were in Sam Houston's army. Casualties on the part of the Texans were minor. Sam Houston was wounded in the leg. And the rest, they say, was Texas history. It was American.

Texas quickly declared and set up its own government and claimed a lot of Texas. Things have changed. When Texas became a country in 1836, here is a map of what they claimed was Texas. I won't make any editorial comments about whether we think that still should be Texas or not, Mr. Speaker, but, anyway, you see what is now modern-day Texas over here. But Texas claimed part of New Mexico, part of Arizona, all of Oklahoma, Colorado, and up to Wyoming. And you may ask: Well, how did you lose that land? Well, when Texas became part of the Union, Texas sold that to the Federal Government to pay off its debts for the war.

So, anyway, that is the way Texas used to look. It doesn't look like that anymore. We have no plans to retake this territory, Mr. Speaker. I just thought I would mention it. Anyway, that was the Republic of Texas. And Texas was an independent country for 9 years. Some say we should have stayed an independent country. I don't know about that.

Texas wanted to join the Union. Finally, after several votes, Texas got into the Union. After one Louisiana Senator switched his vote, Texas joined the Union and became part of the United States. Because of the fact that Texas was a republic, Texas can divide into five States. I don't see that happening, not like California, who is thinking about it. I don't think that is going to happen in Texas. Texas flies the Texas flag even with the American flag because Texas was a republic.

I think Texans still have that independent spirit that our ancestors had. Things are different in Texas. It is a whole different country, and the reason is because our history is different. The reason, Mr. Speaker, is because the people of Texas of all races, backgrounds, and religions still have that

independent spirit about freedom, remembering our ancestors who gave their lives and gave their property so that we could have freedom and independence, and Texas could be an independent country even for 9 years.

That is why historically I think that we appreciate those people who want independence. We appreciate people who want liberty. Right now, it is those folks in Ukraine trying to keep out some dictator--I call him a dictator--President Putin of Russia.

So, Mr. Speaker, we celebrate today and honor today, March 6, because it is one of those three important days: March 2, Texas' independence; March 6, 1836, the Alamo failed, we remember those people; and then April 21, 1836, is when Texas actually got independent and started its quest into being an independent entity.

In closing, I would like to read the lyrics of a song that Marty Robbins wrote a long time ago. Mr. Speaker, you are old enough to maybe even have heard of this song, but Marty Robbins wrote it in honor of the people at the Alamo. It goes like this. It says:

In the southern part of Texas in the town of San Antone,

There's a fortress all in ruin and the weeds have overgrown.

You may look in vain for crosses and you'll never see a one,

But sometime between the setting and the rising of the sun,

You can hear a ghostly bugle as men go marching by;

You can hear them as they answer to that roll call in the

sky:

Colonel Travis, Davy Crockett, and 180 more;

Captain Dickinson, Jim Bowie, stand present and accounted

for.

Back in 1836, Sam Houston said to Travis: ``Get some

volunteers and go fortify the Alamo.''

Well, the men came from Texas and from old Tennessee and a

lot of other places.

They joined up with Travis just to fight for the right to be

free.

Indian scouts with squirrel guns, men with muzzle loaders,

Stood together heel and toe to defend the Alamo.

``You may never see your loved ones,'' Travis told them that

day.

``Those who want to can leave now, those who fight to the

death, let 'em stay.''

So in the sand he drew a line with his army sabre,

Out of 185, not a soldier crossed the line.

With his banners a-dancin' in the dawn's golden light,

Santa Anna came prancin' on a horse that was black as the

night.

He sent an officer to tell Travis to surrender.

Travis answered with a shell and a rousin' yell.

Santa Anna turned scarlet: play Deguello, he roared.

``I will show them no quarter, every one will be put to our

sword.''

185 holding back 5,000.

Five days, 6 days, 8 days, 10; Travis kept holding again and

again.

Then Travis sent for replacements for his wounded and lame,

But the troops that were comin', never came, never came,

never came.

So twice Santa Anna charged and then blew recall.

But on that fatal third time, Santa Anna breached the wall

and he killed them one and all.

Now the bugles are silent and there is rust on each sword,

And the small band of soldiers lie asleep in the arms of the

Lord.

In the southern part of Texas, near the town of San Antone,

Like a statue on his pinto rides a cowboy all alone.

He sees the cattle grazin' where a century before,

Santa Anna's guns were blazin' and the cannons used to roar.

His eyes turn a little misty, and his heart begins to glow,

And he takes his hat off slowly to those men of the Alamo,

To the 13 days of glory at the siege of Alamo.

And, Mr. Speaker, that's just the way it is.

I yield back.

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

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 4 o'clock and 39 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Monday, March 10, 2014, at 2 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, first, Vladimir Putin invaded Georgia. Now, the Russian bear is after Ukraine.

Ukraine is almost totally dependent on Russia for energy. Russian imperialism has proven that it is willing to use gas as a political and economic weapon to intimidate its neighbors. Twice it turned off the fuel switch in Ukraine, and I was even in Ukraine the last time Putin turned off the gas during the winter. It was cold.

Many other European nations are also at the mercy of the Kremlin when it comes to energy. We can help European countries who depend on imperialist Russia for energy by selling them natural gas from America. The demand is there, and the American supply is overwhelming. The only thing standing in the way are the bureaucrats in the Department of Energy.

That is why today I am introducing legislation that would require the Department of Energy to expedite and approve permits to Ukraine, all former Soviet nations, and all members of the European Union.

Let's eliminate Russia's natural gas monopoly. Let's respond to Russian aggression. Let's encourage the Europeans and former Soviet Republics to ``Buy American.''

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Russians are invading Ukraine. I think a history lesson is in order.

I take you back to 1938. Adolph Hitler annexes a neighbor, Austria. Just took them. Took them over. The West, the world, the freedom-loving people watched. He got away with that. He took them over because he wanted to, in his statement, unify the German-speaking peoples.

That was in March of 1938. Then in October of 1938, Adolph Hitler just decided that he wanted part of Czechoslovakia, the Sudetenland, saying the same thing, that German-speaking people were being persecuted and that he wanted to help them, and he annexed the Sudetenland.

The West really agreed to that. We have heard about the appeasement of Chamberlain. Agreed to it, waived his paper, peace in our time. Not long after that, Hitler decided he wanted more Czechoslovakia. Then he invaded Poland, and then World War II started, and he invaded other countries. That was in the beginning of 1938.

Now take you to today. Vladimir Putin, Russia. He invades the Republic of Georgia, and he did so in August of 2008, and he took one- third of the country.

I happened to be in the Republic of Georgia shortly after the Russians invaded. I saw the Russian tanks on the horizon. Remember, Mr. Speaker, Putin invaded Georgia, took one-third of the land, and the Russians are still there. The world just moved on.

The Georgians are trying to figure out some way to deal with Putin's imperialistic attitude, but the Russians were there, are there--no consequences for that action.

Now that brings us to March of 2014. Of course, Georgia as we all know was a former Soviet Republic. Now Putin has his eyes on another former Soviet Republic, Ukraine. The Russian military, even though they went in with unmarked uniforms, just decided to move in and take over part of Ukraine--Crimea. That is the latest activity.

This is similar to what Adolf Hitler did back in the thirties and the forties. So, yes, Putin is similar to Adolph Hitler in that he has this appetite for other people's land, and he tries to justify it some way and he just waits to see if anybody is going to do anything about it.

This is a photograph taken by the Associated Press, Mr. Speaker, and it is some Ukrainian women that are holding up signs. Here is a photograph of Adolph Hitler over here on the far right. They are holding a sign. This is a Russian flag with a swastika in the middle. Here is another poster being held up showing the Russian flag, comparing Putin to Hitler and the Nazis' quest and their appetite to take other people's sovereign land.

I think the analogy is in order. I think the world should understand that Putin has it somewhere in his brain that he can just, on his own, justify the taking of other people's sovereign land. I think it is important that we recognize the obvious. And what we will do about it, we shall see.

When the Russians moved into Georgia, I personally don't think much happened to the world, other than the Georgians didn't complain too much. So the Russians understood that they could do it and get away with it, Putin did. Six years later, deja vu, it is all over again. He believes that he can get away with the invading of sovereign nations because of this reason: these nations, to some extent, depend on Russia for their energy, including, specifically, natural gas.

The Kremlin is working to reestablish its empire by bullying countries like Ukraine, its neighbor who broke away from the Soviet Union years ago but never was quite able to get away from the influence and intimidation of Putin.

Russia has used its competitive advantage to maintain a stronghold over Eastern Europe and the European states that were formerly aligned to the Soviet Union. This is my opinion: that Russia--Putin--has its goal to try to rebring in those former Soviet Republics under the sphere of influence of Russia under some new name. That is my opinion. It looks like they have already started this.

Seventy percent of the gas that goes to Ukraine comes from Russia. Six nations in the European Union rely on Russia for 100 percent of their natural gas.

Much of Europe relies on the Kremlin for natural gas, although they don't get 100 percent of their gas from them.

So you have got Europe, the former Soviet Republics, and Ukraine depending on energy, natural gas, from Russia. The Russians know that. Reliance on the Russian gas shapes the foreign policy of Eastern European countries, Western European countries, and especially the former Soviet Republics, and jeopardizes, I think, political and economic reforms.

Russia understands the stranglehold and the monopoly. They can get away with the bullying because they are the source of natural gas. Two times in the last 10 years, for political reasons, they have been punished economically--that is, the Ukrainians--by the Russians turning off the gas.

I happened to be in the Ukraine when the Russians turned off the gas one winter. Mr. Speaker, it gets cold in the Ukraine without heat. The Russians did that to make sure that the Ukrainians, I believe, come around and support Russian politics.

This past weekend, the Russians warned that the Ukrainians were not going to be able to continue to get some kind of discounted rate unless they reinstated the former Ukrainian President. They are blackmailing the Ukrainians. They want a president different than the one the Russians support.

So we can change that. People back home in Texas, like most Americans, don't think it is legal or right for the Russians to invade another country and just start moving in and taking over, but they ask this question: What are we going to do about it?

Remember, back when Hitler was in charge, it took a while for the West to react--and finally had to react militarily. Maybe we should try to react sooner and not have to react militarily, and we should do it economically.

The way to do that, I believe, is to give the Ukrainians, the former Soviet Republics, and Eastern and Western Europe an alternative to being held hostage by Putin because of their energy issues and the lack of natural gas and the lack of having an alternative.

Where should they look? They should look to the United States, and the United States should look to helping out these countries. Also, it would help us economically. We should be ready and eager to export our abundant natural gas to our European friends.

I think very few people in the energy industry would have believed 5 years ago that the United States would have so much natural gas that we would be able to export it; that we can produce it in such an efficient and clean way that we can export it to foreign countries. This is an opportunity to do so, and we should do so.

There is an ice cream company down in Texas that makes the best ice cream in the world. It is Blue Bell Ice Cream from Brenham, Texas. Their slogan is:

We eat all we can and we sell the rest.

That should be our slogan with natural gas. We use all we can in the United States and we sell the rest.

Who should we sell it to? We could start with these Eastern European Nations that are being intimidated by the Russians. We should help them economically, but also help the United States, and we should start with the Ukrainians.

An abundant and steady supply of natural gas exported from the United States would be beneficial to our allies, Eastern Europe, and let the world know that they are not going to be held hostage by the kleptocratic Kremlin any longer.

We can export natural gas in several ways. That debate has already taken place here in the House of Representatives and in the Department of Energy about whether or not we should or could export natural gas, setting aside the Ukrainian issue.

I think that we should. We have that opportunity. It is something that we can do to relieve the pressure of the intimidation by Putin and his attitude about moving in and taking over other people's property. The demand is there in Europe and the supply is overwhelming in the United States. The only thing that stands in the way is our own government.

So what do we do about that?

For the first time in our history, we can export natural gas to foreign countries. The United States has so much, we could not use all of it in our lifetime. It is beneficial to the United States to sell natural gas abroad. It will create jobs in the United States. It will create an income. It will make us--and we have heard this phrase since we were children--``energy independent'' by using natural gas, but also by selling it to our allies and our friends. The only thing that is stopping it, as I mentioned, is bureaucratic red tape.

It is ironic we talked about the year 1938. In 1938, Congress passed a law that required that any company that wanted to export natural gas had to get approval from the Department of Energy. That is in addition to the other permitting requirements that are required by FERC.

Over the last 70 years, this bureaucratic requirement that began in 1938, ironically, was hardly noticed anywhere in the United States because we were importing natural gas into the United States. By exporting, the United States can now become the Saudi Arabia of natural gas.

So technology has changed and we have an abundant amount of natural gas here in our own country. We can update the 1938 law and dismantle the bureaucratic roadblocks and take the Department of Energy out of the export license-granting process altogether. I think this country should be supporting and not stonewalling the development of this valuable resource. We can do that by legislation.

I have introduced legislation today, in fact, that would have the Department of Energy expedite the approval process for exporting natural gas to the Ukraine, former Soviet Republics, and to Europe. Let's get on with it.

Sure, it will take some time to get all of the logistics set up so we can actually send it to these countries, but we should help them. We should give them an alternative. We can do it on an economically good basis for these countries and for the United States. We can encourage folks to look to the West, as many of the Ukrainians already do, and give them an alternative.

The second thing that we can do to let the Russians know that we don't really approve of Putin moving into other people's countries-- just like Hitler moved into other people's countries--is to look at it diplomatically, in the sense that until the Russians move out of somebody else's land--the Ukrainians--they shouldn't be getting any diplomatic visas into the United States. You stay out of the United States. You respect the international rule of law. Don't be an aggressor nation. Come into the world community of non-aggressing nations, like Russia says they are.

So there should be some consequences for this activity of invading other countries. What are the consequences? No visas for Russian diplomats to come to the United States. That is a good place to start. Meanwhile, let's approve exporting natural gas to the former Soviet Republics.

So I have introduced two bills that would do both of these things. They are something we can do immediately. Let the Ukrainians know that they have a friend in the United States, and we really do believe in supporting freedom and letting a nation itself figure out what they want to do, who they want to rule over them. Let them figure out that process.

It is difficult, and they disagree, as I am speaking tonight, on what course they should take, but let them decide, not let the Russians force them into becoming another puppet of Putin.

I hope we can move this legislation as fast as we possibly can.

And that's just the way it is.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 6 o'clock and 41 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, March 6, 2014, at 9 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, it's no secret that March is the month for Texas. Starting with the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, the fall of the defenders of the Alamo on March 6, and one of my personal favorite times of the year: the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo--the world's largest rodeo. All in the same week, Houston saddles up to reflect on Texas history and partake in the Houston Livestock Show, where millions of people flock to from all over the world for this one-of-a-kind Texas tradition.

Everyone knows about the Texas stereotype. When ``Northeasterners'' find out I'm from Texas, often times I am asked if people ride horses around town and if cowboy boots are worn every day. The truth is, during the Rodeo season, that stereotype comes to life. You bet you'll see trial riders parading through downtown Houston. Most years, it's on Texas Avenue, the historic street built to accommodate the early longhorn cattle drives coming to town on their way to the rail station.

Fun and games set aside, there is a very rich history behind the Houston Rodeo, in particular. The tradition began in 1931 when a few men came up with a unique idea to get together and have a ``Fat Stock Show.'' As strange as it might have sounded back then, the idea worked. Year after year, the show grew a little more. It used to be held in the Sam Houston Coliseum but has since been housed in different locations. I'll never forget the first year the show made its way to the Astrodome before officially landing at Reliant Park. Not to mention when the country music king, George Strait, honored and thanked the Astrodome for hosting so many years of the Houston Rodeo. He sang his famous ``Cowboy Rides Away.'' Other famous artists who have performed include Elvis Presley, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and my all-time favorite, Charlie Pride.

To think that just a handful of men made it their mission to show off their livestock and share their passion of agriculture with Texas 83 years ago is fascinating. Not knowing the fate of their simple idea, the rodeo has evolved into the world's biggest and best-known livestock exhibition, the largest regular-season rodeo, some of the best musical performers, and the city's most popular and popular occasions. Additionally, the rodeo holds everything from the world's largest barbeque cook-off to a Texas-size fair.

Each year, Houston experiences a significant economic lift. With the millions of people who travel to Houston for the rodeo, the city

counts on a nice boost. Texans know how to show the tourists a good time and make themselves a pretty good living. The show itself has brought in more than $320 million in the past years and has created more than 7,000 full-time jobs. Not to brag but this is something Texans should take the utmost pride in.

The men of the Houston Rodeo are also known as the ``founding fathers.'' In 1930, they wanted to create more than just a rodeo. To put it simply, they wanted a rodeo with a purpose so they created a charitable event that contributed to the educational and scientific advancement of Texas agriculture. Throughout the history of the Rodeo, it has awarded $300 million to Texas youth in various forms, such as scholarships and educational programs. The best part is, all the work is done by several hundred generous volunteers.

As Texans put on their cowboy hats and boots, and saddle up for the rodeo, a Texas-sized thank you goes out to all of the thousands of volunteers who make the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo a success. For those who have never been, this is like the Texas version of Mardi Gras, but with cowboy hats. And there's nothing quite like it. For Texans, it's their cultural duty to attend. Every year, they know it's a good time comin'. God bless Texas. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, recent attention on Iran has focused on its nuclear weapons program--but this is not the whole picture.

Iran is also the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism.

Using both its own military operatives and its proxy Hezbollah, Iran has planned attacks around the globe.

Iran has no problem sending members of its Revolutionary Guard Corps and Quds Force to target Western interests abroad.

They also have their very own terrorist organization--Hezbollah--to do their bidding.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps funds, trains, arms, and directs Hezbollah, one of the world's deadliest terrorist organizations.

Years ago Hezbollah was a limited, regional threat. Today, it is an international movement.

Right now, Hezbollah is most actively engaged in Syria.

With Iran's backing, Hezbollah supports the murderous Assad regime, which slaughters innocent Syrians every day.

Without Hezbollah, Assad would have been defeated. Instead, Iran has stayed in the fight and more than 140,000 lives have been lost.

Unfortunately, Iran and Hezbollah are not confined to attacks in the Middle East.

In Afghanistan, the Iranians provide arms and training to Taliban fighters who use them to kill U.S. and Afghan forces.

In Africa, Iran and Hezbollah have planned attacks in Nigeria, Sudan, and Kenya, and are expanding their terrorist and criminal networks in Senegal and Gambia.

In Europe, Iran has attempted to assassinate foreign diplomats and tourists.

A 2012 attack in Bulgaria killed six and injured 32 people. Other attacks were also planned in Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

The same has been true in Asia. Iran and Hezbollah have planned numerous plots in India and Thailand.

Perhaps most troubling is Iran's expansion into Latin America and the fact that our State Department denies it is happening to this very day.

Despite clear evidence that Hezbollah is colluding with drug organizations to launder money and gather support, the Obama Administration continues to downplay this threat.

Hezbollah uses Venezuela banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars a year and smuggle narcotics to U.S. and European markets.

It has also conducted terrorist training on Margarita Island for recruits from Venezuela and other Latin American countries.

No one is safe, including Americans abroad and even here at home.

In October 2011, the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. was targeted in Washington, DC. There is strong evidence linking Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to this attack.

Anyone who hoped that the new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani would have stopped all this is wrong.

Like his predecessor, he continues to support terrorism.

Just last month Iran's parliament claimed that Hezbollah has ``tens of thousands'' of missiles prepared for a battle with Israel.

Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, described it best when he said the Iran-Hezbollah relationship was ``a partnership agreement, with the Iranians as the senior partner.''

International efforts to combat this expanding threat have improved, but still fall short of what needs to be done.

I commend the European Union for blacklisting Hezbollah's military wing, but they must understand that there are not two separate Hezbollahs.

There is one Hezbollah. The military wing and political wing are not separate. The entire organization needs to be sanctioned in order for those tools to really bite.

2014 marks the 30 year anniversary of Iran's placement on the State Department's ``State Sponsors of Terrorism'' list.

This problem will only get worse if the Administration allows Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

Clearly, it is time for the United States and its allies to develop a coherent and comprehensive plan to stop Iranian-backed terrorism.

We can start by renewing the sanctions on Iran rather than easing them. Iran only can be forced to do the right thing internationally because their moral code regarding right and wrong is amiss.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, America's best athletes carry the banner of Old Glory into the Olympic Games. They are a remarkable breed and have dedicated their lives in training to represent Team USA in lands far, far away.

This year is no different as they hit the snowy Winter Games in Russia, and they are already doing quite well. As the ``Star-Spangled Banner'' plays, they stand on the podium to receive gold, silver, and bronze medals--but lurking in the creepy shadows of the medal ceremony is the U.S. taxman.

The IRS wants a piece of the gold even though these medals were won overseas. It is absurd that the IRS can levy a tax on these medals. These athletes are ambassadors for America. Their medals should not be taxed by the IRS. Are some winners going to have to sell their medals to pay the taxman? Who knows?

Congress should pass Congressman Farenthold's legislation this week that would keep the greedy hands of the IRS off the medals of the Olympians.

Mr. Speaker, the taxman should not be able to steal the gold, silver, and bronze.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, before I get into my official remarks this afternoon, I, too, want to thank Trudi Terry for her service to the House. A lot of folks don't know, especially folks throughout America, that as Chief Clerk of Debate--and all the clerks--they get here in the morning before we ever get here, and they don't go home until long after Congress is over because they have got to make sure that everything we say is appropriately recorded in the Congressional Record that is prepared by the clerks during the night before the sun rises the next day. It is a tremendous job, and our clerks do a tremendous job.

Trudi, when you told me you were leaving yesterday, I told you, It can't be. Just say it isn't so. We depend on you. Now, you know, you sit right in the middle of the House, right between the Republicans, right between the Democrats, right down the center of the aisle making sure that you take care of all of us. I personally appreciate what you have done for me over the last 9 years since I have been in the House of Representatives, and I know that all Members appreciate the House staff for what you do.

If people ever watch C-SPAN, occasionally they will see the clerks are always here, Mr. Speaker. They are always here. They are never sick. They never miss. Even when the House is closed down because of bad weather, there the clerks are. They are still here.

So I appreciate their service. I know all Members of the House appreciate the service of all of you. And you don't get near the credit. You make us all look good, and I appreciate that very much.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk and address the House on a more serious note this afternoon, and it has to do with not the economy, it doesn't have to do with money or the debt, all those things that all Americans are concerned about, but it is dealing with something that, to me, is really serious, if not more serious, because it has to do with people-- children, primarily. What I am talking about is something that we thought doesn't happen in this country anymore, and that is slavery.

Yes, we still have slavery throughout the world today in 2014. It is called human sex trafficking. And what we are talking about, and what I am talking about, has consequences throughout the United States. It is not just happening in foreign countries. It is not just isolated and happening a little bit. The scourge is happening throughout the world and, yes, has even come to the United States. That is one reason why this is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

It is vital that mothers and fathers understand the crime of human trafficking. I have four kids and I have 11 grandkids. Children are the greatest resource that the country has, and things are happening to them that a lot of Americans are unaware of, and it happens in our neighborhoods.

Here is how it happens, a small example that happened in Houston. A young girl goes to the mall, like teenagers do, middle schoolers. Parents drop kids off at the mall on a Saturday, for example, and then come pick them up later in the day. The young girl was there with some others. She got to talking to a young male. When you think of sex traffickers, a lot of them think of the old guy in the trench coat. No. Many of them are young people.

A good-looking guy in his early twenties starts talking to this young girl, and before you know it, they hit up a good conversation and he starts telling her things that she wants to hear. He buys a few things for her there in the mall. Before you know it, she is picked up, and he and this young girl, this middle schooler, go somewhere in a car. But they disappear into the Houston community, because now she has been kidnapped and is used, unfortunately, in the sex trade, in the sex slavery trade as a young teenage girl.

These traffickers will find young girls anywhere. They will find them at salons. They will go to massage parlors. Human trafficking occurs in many different places. Sometimes there are storefronts that are for one business, but it is nothing more than a outlet of sex trafficking, and traditional businesses, unfortunately, are nothing more than fronts for forced prostitution of minors. They are held and forced to have sex with others for money so the trafficker can get money, and that filthy lucre goes to the slave trader. It happens in far-off places, and it happens in America.

The victims are the ones I want to talk about today. There are domestic victims in the United States like the girl I mentioned in Houston, and there are international victims in other countries, and they are trafficked into the United States or throughout the United States for two purposes: for sex or for labor, forced labor.

I have recently been to Central America and South America--Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and even Peru--and I have been able to see the sex trade, the sex trafficking business in those countries. It happens domestically in those countries as well as other countries throughout the world, but some of those girls are forced to come to the United States--not all of them, but some of them are. And be mindful, we do have girls in the United States who are transported throughout the country, domestic sex trafficking.

I got to talk to some of these young girls in the shelters about their lives. I met one girl. I asked her, How did this happen to you? And she said, Well, when I was 9 years old, my mother sold me to a trafficker for a cell phone. And she got sold for a phone for mom, and then she goes into the sex trafficking business. After they reach a certain

age, then they just disappear into the society. This girl was rescued in Guatemala. There are shelters that help these young girls.

I got to talk to several of these girls. And we are talking about the youngest that I met was 7, and they go all the way up to 17 to be minors. But I got to talk to some girls, five of them in one shelter, that were 12 years of age or younger--five of them. There were other girls in the shelter. These five girls I talked to, Mr. Speaker, all had children that were the product of forcible rape by one of the customers that had abused them.

It is sex slavery, and it is sex trafficking throughout the world. They are forced into terrible, abusive conditions, whether it is work slavery or whether it is prostitution, forced prostitution.

There are also young women--and males, too, but primarily young women--that are trafficked in our own neighborhoods for sexual servitude. As many as 100,000 children in the United States a year are at risk for sexual exploitation. And worldwide, Mr. Speaker, trafficking is a billion-dollar business. It is a $32-billion business a year. That is just a number, but what does that mean? That trafficking criminal activity is second only to narcotics trafficking in the United States or in the world. The difference between trafficking or selling drugs is that, when you sell drugs, the product is sold one time; but when you traffic young children, the trafficker sells that young child numerous times, numerous times a day.

And the consequences are much less for trafficking children than they are for trafficking drugs. That is another issue we need to resolve. But the consequences are something that keeps this dastardly crime operating.

Mr. Speaker, these traffickers are so bold that they brand these young girls with tattoos so that other traffickers, or pimps, whichever you want to call them, know that this property belongs to this trafficker. They will brand them somewhere on their body.

The New York Times, Mr. Speaker, has reported that a girl in New York City was branded with a barcode so that her trafficker could keep up with her whereabouts. Barcodes. Barcodes are put on property. And I think this should be disturbing that this is happening to young children in the United States.

Where do traffickers operate? They operate wherever there is a business. Unfortunately, they operate at big sporting events like the Super Bowl. New Jersey and New York have done an excellent job preparing for this year's Super Bowl by warning parents, warning children, and warning people who come to New York about the issue of sex trafficking, especially of children.

So what can we do? What should we do about this issue that is taking place in other countries and the United States? The first thing we need to do is to treat these children like victims rather than criminals. They are treated like criminals.

When the police go out and they go into an area and they raid that area, they take these girls who are forced into prostitution. Many times they file criminal charges on them. Now, in all fairness to the police, there are not places to put trafficking victims. There are just not enough shelters. But they are treated and observed by the community as criminals as opposed to victims. So we must change the mindset and laws in this country to treat them as victims, because that is what they are. They are victims of criminal conduct. They are not criminals themselves.

The second thing we need to do is to prosecute those that are involved, and that includes not just the trafficker, but that includes the demand, that includes the customer, that includes, as it is said in the trade, the john, who seems to get away with this miserable conduct.

And the third thing we need to do is to raise awareness in all communities about this scourge.

It is unfortunate that my hometown of Houston, Texas, has become a major hub of this crime because of our interstates, our ports, our airports, and our proximity to the southern border. So young girls are smuggled into this area of Houston and then farmed out throughout the United States as property.

Of course, it is something that people are aware of in our Houston community, and law enforcement is doing a good job to make folks aware of this crime and working together to close these places where these young children are trafficked. Other communities throughout the country are following the example of law enforcement--the media, government officials, nonprofits, churches, and communities working together--to stop this type of conduct.

We need to be aware that it occurs. Denial seems to be the biggest problem in the United States. People I have talked to of all backgrounds don't believe that this is an issue, don't believe that this is a problem and do not want to believe that this criminal conduct is occurring. And it is. It is occurring right in the United States.

I have recently introduced some legislation along with Carolyn Maloney from New York, bipartisan legislation. It certainly is bipartisan if it is Carolyn Maloney, who is from New York and a Democrat, and, of course, I am a Texas Republican. We get through the language barrier, but we have been able to file this legislation that is excellent. It is the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. It is also bipartisan. The Senate has filed our same bill over there. Senator Cornyn from Texas and Senator Wyden from Oregon have filed the same bill in the Senate.

This bill looks at this problem in a broad scope. Hopefully, we will pass this bill because it will go a long way to solving this problem that we have. What it does is it focuses first on rescuing the victims of the crime.

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding, according to Shared Hope International, that in the United States there are 220-plus beds for minor trafficking sex victims--220-plus. That is all. The SPCA says there are 5,000 animal shelters in the United States, as there should be.

There are no shelters, not even that many shelters for the young women that are trafficked throughout the country. So we need to focus on the victims, take them out of the criminal justice system and put them in shelters, and find an avenue and funds to do that. We need to rescue the victims. That is our most important job. No matter where that victim is from, we must rescue them out of that environment that they have been forced into, into this modern day slavery.

What it does to create revenue--because we are always talking about money; where are we going to get money--this doesn't create new funds, in the sense that it is a tax requirement. What it does is it allows Federal judges, when they have these people before them, they not only have the ability to put them in prison, where they should, but in similar crimes like trafficking, prosecution and trafficking, and other types of crimes, Federal judges can impose a fee on the defendant, and that money goes into a special fund that helps victims of crime. It gives them the resources for those shelters. It gives law enforcement resources to investigate this criminal conduct. So it makes those criminals pay the rent on the courthouse, pay for the system that they have created by imposing judges, imposing fines and fees on them, and that money is specifically used not to bring down the debt, but it is specifically used to help victims of criminal conduct. I think that is something that is important that we do.

It also goes a little bit further, and it starts enforcing our punishment for these criminals. What I mean by that, the law in the country is pretty good to punish the trafficker, but the person who is getting away with all of this conduct is the demand. The customer is getting away. If there wasn't a demand, this act wouldn't be happening, but the system lets that person, unfortunately, get away with it.

Now the law will be changed, if it passes, that the demand, the customer, the john, can get the same punishment as the trafficker. Not only that, we apply the RICO statute, the racketeering statute, to let it be used in organized crime. In other words, you have the hotel clerk, the cab driver, the pimp, the john, all working together to have this victim abused, and the RICO statute can be applied to all of those

people involved in that criminal conduct, and they can all be punished accordingly. So hold all of those individuals accountable for their conduct because it is important that they be treated and punished for the conduct of sex slavery against victims of children.

Mr. Speaker, slavery was supposed to end in the United States in 1865, but this new form of slavery deals with destroying the dignity, the self-worth, the hope, the soul of certain people; women primarily, young women primarily.

If we don't do anything else in this country in this congressional session, we need to understand that this problem, this scourge, is affecting the quality of life of people--females, young children. We have an obligation to rescue them, let them understand that we are on their side, and let them once again have some dignity, have some self- worth, and have some hope because that is what we are supposed to do in life, to take care of people.

So I thank the Speaker for allowing me to make these comments on the House floor. Let's rescue the victims, treat them like they should be treated, and then punish the traffickers and those that seek the demand for this, and treat them like they should be treated, and that means put them in the jailhouse for a long time because that is where they belong.

And that's just the way it is.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the State of the Union is tonight, but the President has already said that he would ignore Congress if he doesn't have his way. He is going to rule by pen and phone: the pen to write down laws and executive orders, bypassing Congress; the phone to call lower-level operatives I suppose, like the EPA, the IRS, NSA, and impose new rules and, thus, again, bypassing Congress.

Mr. Speaker, nowhere in the Constitution is the phrase ``executive order.'' It is not in this Constitution. This is not an imperial kingdom where the ruler makes his own rules as he goes along.

We all learned in ninth-grade civics that Congress makes the law, and the President can approve or disapprove it. It is in the Constitution.

Rather than rule by pen and phone, the President should be bound by the law and rule by the Constitution and by his oath, but the Constitution seems to be a mere suggestion to this administration.

Madam Speaker, this is America; it is not Burger King. The President cannot always have it his way.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the tragedy of human sex trafficking cannot be fully realized until one sees the pain of hopelessness in the victims' eyes.

On a recent trip to Honduras, I visited two shelters for sex trafficking victims: La Alianza and El Refugio Shelters. Some of these victims were as young as 12 years of age. They had been raped, drugged, abused, and exploited. These shelters are helping them to regain their lives, their dignity and, yes, their hope.

But don't be fooled into thinking that this vile crime of sex trafficking only happens somewhere else. It happens in the United States as well. The average age of girls trafficked in the United States is between 12 and 14 years of age.

Like Honduras, our country lacks shelters for these girls. There are about 5,000 shelters for animals throughout the country, according to the ASPCA, but there are only 226 beds available for domestic minor sex trafficking victims, according to Shared Hope.

This has got to change, Mr. Speaker. It is time for us to rescue the child victims of sex slavery and then put the traffickers and the child abusers in the jailhouse where they belong.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, modern day slavery of children will not end without public awareness.

So in conjunction with the Polaris Project and Cindy McCain, Clear Channel is donating billboard space around Phoenix to inform the people of Arizona about the despicable crime of human trafficking.

Human trafficking increases around major sporting events such as the Super Bowl. New Jersey is getting ready for this year's Super Bowl by doing all they can to fight human trafficking. Arizona is working to bring awareness a year before their Super Bowl.

Human sex slavery happens right here in America. Until we acknowledge the fact that young girls are being sold on the streets, this despicable crime will continue.

I commend Clear Channel and activists and organizations, like Cindy McCain and the Polaris Project, in their fight against human trafficking.

We need to rescue the victims and put the slave traders and their cohorts in crime, the child abusing consumers, behind bars.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, a large number of Spanish-speaking Americans live in my congressional district. They recently brought to my attention the new 2-month-late Obama enrollment Web site: cuidadodesalud.gov. Here it is right here on the Web site. But in English that translates to: ``cautionofhealth.gov.'' Sounds like a warning to me.

Only the government could be so incompetent to get the title of the Web site wrong. This site is riddled with embarrassing computerized English-to-Spanish translations. Some things are in Spanish, some things are in English, and some things are in Spanglish. This incompetence is insulting and confusing to Americans who speak only Spanish.

Ironically, the Web site does tell the truth: people should be cautious about government health care. The name of the Web site should be officially changed to ``Caution:ObamaCare.''

It is hard enough to sign up for ObamaCare. If the government decides to have a Spanish ObamaCare Web site, you would think the government and its vast resources could at least have a Spanish Web site in accurate Spanish.

And that's just the way it is.