W. Akin

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. Now, does the current law allow us to do the same thing on those as we do on a transmitted signal?

Mr. AKIN. If I could just interrupt for a minute, I don't think any of us want to impugn anybody's motives. Our objective here is and the reason we were sent here by our constituents is to solve problems, which you have outlined is a reasonable balance between the privacy rights of Americans and the necessity of the government to do what it is number one tasked to do, which is to protect our citizens. But when we get that balance wrong and the director of the people that have to collect that intelligence say that we have got to have judges, you are going to knock out more than half of our intelligence-gathering capability, then it says we need to get back to the drawing board and get this thing done the right way. I certainly appreciate your attention to the details to looking at the language. And I certainly hope that our Democrat colleagues will allow enough debate and discussion to solve the problem.

Mr. AKIN. So until February we are able to do this collection at this point, but we have to deal with this problem. Now, the gentlewoman from New Mexico made reference to September 11, and I think each of us have our own memories. But mine was being at the site in New York City and seeing that wall along the side of a city block, four-by-eight sheets of plywood. Covering over the wall was a piece of that kind of slick, greasy plastic that's waterproof, and it had little dots of mist because it was a misty day. And underneath it were pictures. Some black and white, some in color, a picture of a guy with his dog, a husband and wife. And as I looked at those pictures, it reminded me of the many times in the morning where eyes had met gently saying good-bye for the day, a gentle brush of the hair that would be no more, that ended in violent, fiery tragedy and death. And for us to hobble our Intelligence Committee and knock out 60 percent of their intelligence gathering is un-American, it is something that we will not tolerate in this Chamber, and until we get it right, I will never be quiet on this subject. And I know the gentleman feels as strongly as I do.

Mr. AKIN. Well, I appreciate the good work that attorneys do, Mr. Speaker, and I particularly like different attorney jokes. And this one particular joke is the only one I have heard that isn't funny, and that is, how many attorneys does it take to collect intelligence on our enemies? And the answer, exactly as the lady said, should be zero. There should be no doubt about this. Now, you have talked about somewhat subtle or finer points of law, but the bottom line is there is an agency that is charged with following the law and protecting our citizens. Now, the opinion of that agency on this point is what is critical, isn't it? Because if they believe they can't do the collection, then there is going to be 60 percent or more of intelligence gathering that is going to be hobbled. They are not going to have that capability. And their belief is that what you are saying is true because you quoted them; is that right?

Mr. AKIN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. AKIN. It was in such a hurry that we didn't have time for any amendments.

Mr. AKIN. And so on the motion to recommit, we did the best thing we could to try to fix this problem, which was going to basically muzzle 60 percent of our intelligence-gathering capability. And that, I guess, you could look at it as an amendment on the motion to recommit. It was merely a sentence or two. And that sentence said something to the effect that nothing in this bill will prevent us from trying to capture bin Laden or prevent us from gathering information on al Qaeda, and they're attacking this country, something to that effect.

Mr. AKIN. Now, there was one procedure that the Republicans were allowed to do, and that's called the recommit; is that correct? We couldn't make any amendments. We couldn't discuss it.

Mr. AKIN. So my understanding, with the bottom line, with the bill that has been proposed, we would lose about 60 percent or more of our intelligence leads that we are collecting through electronic surveillance needs; is that correct?

Mr. AKIN. But if the gentleman would yield, what I understand the Democrat solution is saying, that you can't do that. That as soon as Osama bin Laden lights up his computer, we don't know where he is calling to, and, therefore, we have got to get some judge to give us permission to tap into.

Mr. AKIN. But now in the last number of years, the way that transmissions are made is different. We are going now through these fiber-optic cables and through these tremendous switching networks; is that correct?

Mr. AKIN. We have a format that was put into law years ago, as I understand it, that when a signal is transmitted into the air that we can tap into that and listen for terrorist talk; is that correct?

Mr. AKIN. I want to keep it simple. So we are dealing with collecting intelligence on these terrorists.

Mr. AKIN. One of the problems of being as competent and technical as you are is there are some of us, people like me from Missouri, as an engineer, like to try to put things in plain simple terms. The first thing I would like to ask, because you are the expert, but I have a little bit of a sense of what's going on here, and first of all the problem is that we are trying to collect intelligence on terrorists that are trying to kill our citizens. Is that what we are dealing with?

Mr. AKIN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. AKIN. I believe that what you have described is pretty much what we worked out last summer. Just going back to last summer when this problem reared its ugly head, we were approaching September 11. The Democrats had been unwilling to deal with it. We had been going back and forth and back and forth. And as I recall, we basically told the other party we are not leaving for summer break until you get this thing fixed because our Nation is exposed. We are not collecting the information that we need and we have to deal with that. So at the last minute, we passed a 6-month, if you will, patch that takes us to February; is that correct?

Mr. AKIN. Yet in the State of Missouri we don't call that common sense.

Mr. AKIN. Sixty percent of our intelligence-gathering capability is going to be hobbled?

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Ron Levy, an exceptional leader from my district in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 1999, Ron has served as President and CEO of SSM Health Care-St. Louis. Prior to that, Ron served with SSM Health Care for 30 years, beginning as a resident at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin in 1976. During his tenure, Ron has served in various capacities at SSM which have included: President of St. Clare Hospital and Health Services in Baraboo, Wisconsin; President of SSM St. Mary's Health Center in Richmond Heights, Missouri, and President of SSM Physicians Organization in St. Louis, Missouri. Ron's leadership over the years has been invaluable not only to the SSM health care system, but to the community as a whole. In 2005, Ron served as chair of the Missouri Hospital Association. Ron has served as a member of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, and since its inception has worked tirelessly to ensure access and coverage for healthcare services for the medically uninsured and underinsured in the greater St. Louis region. I am pleased to be able to honor Ron Levy today. He is a shining example of the great leadership we have in Missouri and I know all of my colleagues join me in wishing him the very best as he begins the next chapter in his life and career.

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, coming from the Second Congressional District, my memory is just long enough to recall some actual personal encounters with Bob Young. Bob was almost a caricature of politics in North County, St. Louis. Bob was a guy who was a pipefitter, he was a war hero, he was in the Third Army under Patton, came back, got into politics. He served 20 years in the Missouri legislature, house and senate, and then came down here for about 10 years or so and was very plain spoken. He wasn't noted for sugar-coating things, but he had a wonderful sense of humor, fiercely loyal to labor unions, but reasonably conservative in a lot of other regards, left a family that was involved in politics as well. But somebody who had a real cheerful twinkle in his eye, a good sense of humor and somebody I know that the St. Louis area will long remember as a good leader and a good man. So we are sorry for his passing. On the other hand, we are thankful for the richness of his life.

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. I rise to call attention to a tragedy of our own making. In May of this year, a U.S. soldier, Alex Jimenez, along with several of his friends, were captured by al Qaeda. As our intelligence officers wanted to tap into wires to try to find his whereabouts, they were hobbled and had to wait 10 hours for lawyers to get through the FISA Court to allow them to get the critical information they needed. That information lost, this soldier and his compatriots have never been found, although the bodies of one or two have been found. The Democrats want to expand this FISA process now to our warfighting capabilities and hobble our soldiers to have to wait for hours and hours for lawyers to approve gathering information. Back when I was in the State of Missouri, we had jokes between farmers and lawyers. They were kind of funny. But this is not a funny joke. How many lawyers does it take to rescue a hostage? The answer should be zero. Now, the Democrats want to undermine our relationship with Turkey which will cripple our military's efforts. If the Democrats want to pull our troops out of Iraq then have the courage to defund the war. Otherwise, stop handicapping our military with bureaucratic red tape that will undermine their mission. The lives of our military personnel are on the line.

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Middendorf-Kredell Branch Library in O'Fallon, Missouri, recipient of the 2007 Federal Depository Library of the Year Award. The Federal Depository Library Program was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its Government's information by disseminating information from all three branches of the Government to over 1,240 libraries nationwide. The depository libraries are responsible for collecting, maintaining and assisting users with no-fee access to the information in an impartial environment with professional assistance. It is the high level of professionalism demonstrated from staff and the enthusiasm to disseminate information in a user friendly fashion that has rendered the Middendorf-Kredell Branch Library the distinguished title of Federal Depository Library of the Year. Middendorf-Kredell Branch Library utilizes creativity and innovation in developing various programs. They were one of the first Federal depository libraries to move to an online environment in September 1995 by creating a Government information web site. A standout feature of the web site includes ``Uncle Sam for Kids,'' one of the first of its kind in the Nation to help kids obtain Federal information for school assignments. We are so thankful for Middendorf-Krendell Branch Library's leadership in creating programs that are emulated throughout the country and are appreciative for the great work they are doing in Missouri. Congratulations on an outstanding achievement.

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor one of my constituents, Mr. Dennis Hahn. Dennis has been selected to receive the 2007 Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge's George Washington Honor Medal. The Freedoms Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching young people the principles upon which our Nation was founded. They work to convey the close link between the rights and the responsibilities of citizens in society. Dennis is a charter member of the St. Charles, Missouri chapter of the Fernando de Leyba, the Sons of the American Revolution, founded in 1997. He is a charter member and Vice President of the Missouri Postal History Society since 2001. Dennis is an active member and Treasurer at the First Baptist Church of St. Charles, Missouri, as well as Sunday school teacher, Chairman and member of numerous committees, current President of the school board, and member of the St. Charles City Economic Development Commission. Dennis is married to Shirley Hahn, a public school teacher for the St. Charles school district. He is also the father of the three children and grandfather of five. As one who has a deep and abiding love for American history and the patriots who have gone before us, I want to thank Dennis Hahn for his commitment to preserving our history and congratulate him for being selected for the 2007 George Washington Honor Medal.

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor one of my constituents, Mrs. Jane Bridges Ferrenbach Evens. Jane has been selected as the 2007-2008 Freedoms Foundation--Missouri (St. Louis) Chapter ``Spirit of '76--Patriot.'' The Freedoms Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching young people the principles upon which our Nation was founded. They work to convey the close link between the rights and the responsibilities of citizens in society. Jane has been an active member of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge since 1972, organizing and promoting the chapter with enthusiasm. She served as the National Chair of Development for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution for the last 6 years and is currently acting Senior Advisor to the Development Department. Jane has also volunteered her time and energy to numerous other organizations, including the St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Youth Emergency Service, Hosea House, Girls Club of St. Louis, Kirkwood Rotary Club, to name just a few. A native of Webster Groves, Missouri, Jane is married to Robert D. Evens. She has two successful daughters, both working in the medical field, and two grandchildren. As one who has a deep and abiding love for American history and the Patriots, who have gone before us, I want to thank Jane for her commitment to preserving our history and congratulate her for being selected 2007-2008 ``Spirit of '76--Patriot.''

Mr. AKIN

Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor one of my constituents, Mrs. June C. Jablonsky Lanz. June has been selected as the 2006-2007 Freedoms Foundation ``Spirit of '76--American Patriot'' regional award. The Freedoms Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching young people the principles upon which our Nation was founded. They work to convey the close links between the rights and the responsibilities of citizens in society. June is a thirty-nine-year member of the National Society of Daughters of the Revolution, DAR. As State Regent of the Missouri State Society of DAR, June successfully placed the 1809 Cold Water Cemetery on the U.S. Department of the Interior's Register of Historical Places and restored and rededicated the Madonna of the Trail Statue in Lexington, Missouri. June is a member of the Missouri Historical Society, the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge and a Friend of the St. Louis Art Museum. She has published a history of Missouri State Society Daughters of the Revolution, which includes American Revolutionary Patriots reported buried in Missouri. She has provided this to the National Society DAR and other research facilities. Married for 55 years, June and her husband, George Lanz, have four daughters and seven grandchildren. As one who has a deep and abiding love for American history and the patriots who have gone on before us, I want to thank June Lanz for her commitment to preserving our history and congratulate her for being selected 2006-2007 Regional ``Spirit of '76--Patriot''.