Tom DeLay

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney), a member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is not about discrimination. It is about marriage and judicial activism, but the timing is really important. I would just quote, since we are doing a lot of quoting around here, Paul Kates, director of Public Education for the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights project, who said, ``Once more States agree with Massachusetts. We think it is more likely that we will win in the Federal courts,'' in which case same-sex marriage policies can be imposed across multiple States and even nationwide. It is a concerted strategy to go this route. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth). (Mr. HAYWORTH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time on each side?

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), a former judge.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to just mention that we are talking about marriage. I know some think this is a debate or a constitutional amendment on gay marriage and same-sex marriage. No, we are talking about marriage and the definition of marriage. That is what this debate is about. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Neugebauer).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have the utmost respect for the gentleman from Massachusetts. I respect his feelings. No one is attacking his feelings or his relationships. There are many loving relationships between adults. But, Mr. Speaker, what we are saying and what this amendment is about is children, having children, raising children, and the ideal of marriage between one man and one woman raising those children. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have been here before. Abortion was up to the States, and it was supposed to be up to the States. Unfortunately, those who wanted more abortions in the States and the States were not doing what they wanted had a concerted strategy to use the courts to get abortion. And they worked over the years, went to the Supreme Court, and they got their abortions. And we have abortions. The same thing is happening now on marriage. They are trying to get marriage redefined in this country, so we know that we will end up in the Supreme Court. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), a member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), a member of the Committee on the Judiciary and subcommittee chairman.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. Pence asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson). (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just point out that I have here hundreds of letters from Hispanic pastors, churches, leaders, civil rights leaders; African- Americans, civil rights leaders, pastors, from all over the country. They do not say that the marriage protection amendment is discrimination. In fact, they say just the opposite: It is discriminating to undermine the definition of marriage by judicial fiat. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce).

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to say that there were people running around the halls screaming ``protect marriage.'' In fact, there were 50 African American pastors trying to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus, who refused to meet with them. So I am going to bring up one letter out of hundreds of thousands of letters that I have from particular pastors. From this particular pastor, Dr. Creflo A. Dollar of the World Changes Ministries at College Park, Georgia, and I will not read the letter, but I will quote him, because he says that this is not a civil rights issue. This is an African American pastor from an African American church. Dr. Dollar says, ``This is not a civil rights issue, as many would have you believe, and attempts to frame it as such are an insult to the millions of Americans who have been the victims of actual discrimination in the past.'' Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record Dr. Dollar's letter. It is a privilege for me to voice my enthusiastic support for the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment currently pending before Congress. The institution of marriage is a fundamental building block of the American way of life, and we are here today to say that it must not be allowed to be redefined or reconstituted. The American family is under attack--we are in the middle of a character crisis that threatens the very foundations of our society--and our message this morning is clear. There is only one kind of marriage, and that is between a man and a woman. Any attempt to deviate from that standard by any means--be it legislative, judicial or executive--is equivalent to spiritual treason. The sacred covenant of marriage was created by God Himself and is not subject to interpretation by anyone. Our support for this amendment should not be viewed as homophobic, exclusionary or discriminatory. The ministries represented here today extend the love of God to all people, including those who exemplify lifestyles that we don't agree with, and our doors are open to everyone. To attempt to categorize our collective stance in any other way is both irresponsible and inaccurate. This is not a Civil rights issue, as many would have you believe, and attempts to frame it as such are an insult to the millions of Americans who have been the victims of actual discrimination in the past. Part of what makes America the greatest country in the world is the freedoms that our citizens enjoy to make whatever religious, social, professional and lifestyle choices they desire, within the reasonable boundaries of a civil society. However, for America to redefine herself for every movement that comes along would weaken who we are as a nation, not to mention the profound negative impact such a change would have on our children. We speak as one voice for the millions of Americans in our congregations and all over the country who can all be heard making the same plea today--please don't begin a process of de-stabilizing the United States of America by changing the rules for all of us in order to accommodate a few of us. For mainstream Americans, this issue is not negotiable. We urge the members of Congress to approve this amendment and to do it swiftly. Part of the responsibility of an elected official is to represent the best interests of his or her constituency, and we affirm today that the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment is the right thing to do for America. We wholeheartedly support President Bush and his stance on this vital issue. We must seize this opportunity to make a lasting statement to all who would alter the fundamental institution on which our society is based. I shudder to think about the America my grandchildren will inherit tomorrow, if we don't take decisive action to protect our heritage today. We are confident that the members of Congress will stand up for what is right, and not allow themselves to be bullied by a noisy minority. Our future as a nation hangs in the balance. Thank you and God bless you . . . Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin).