Trent Franks

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. I now yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) for 5 minutes.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I want to just thank all of my colleagues that joined in this tribute to this noble leader of over a billion Catholics, and I just suggest, Mr. Speaker, that this is one Baptist who is very grateful that Karol Wojtyla walked our way. We are grateful for his courage to stand against the Soviet communism. We are grateful for his courage to stand against the Nazis. We are grateful for his courage to stand for that imago dei, that image of God, in every human being, for his commitment to human dignity. We are grateful most of all, Mr. Speaker, that he reminded us that we are the Easter people, that ours is a solemn hallelujah, and that we need never be afraid again. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all my colleagues, I wish this great, noble leader an eternal godspeed and a conviction that he has heard those words that are the greatest words any human being can hear, and that being, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my upcoming Special Order.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for his humanity and courage to deal with this issue. Mr. Speaker, perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to first remind ourselves again of why we are really all here. Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.'' Mr. Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No State shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' It is unconscionable that judges holding responsibility to protect Terri Schiavo's constitutional rights have chosen to abandon those responsibilities so that now Congress has no honorable alternative but to respond as we are. Hubert Humphrey once said that a society is measured by how it treats those in the dawn of life, those in the shadows of life, and those in the twilight of life. It is true that Terri Schiavo lives among us in the shadows of life. But she is not brain dead or comatose. She is awake and she is able to hear, she is able to see, she is often alert. She can feel pain, she interacts with her environment, she laughs, she cries. She expresses joy when her parents visit her and sorrow when they leave. Mr. Speaker, she reminds me so much of another woman, whose name I will not mention, who was in much the same circumstance as Terri and a young nurse insisted every morning on singing to this patient. Of course, her colleagues upbraided her and said, well, she can't hear you; those are just reflex actions. But she continued day after day, year after year, to sing to her every morning. Finally she left the hospital, and yet a few years later, the patient regained her state of mind and came back, as it were, to a healthy, clear mind. And all of the nurses gathered around her and met with her and they said, Do you remember? Do you remember when we took care of you, when we turned you to keep you from getting bed sores? When we washed you? When we tried to feed you? And she said, No, I don't remember anything except someone singing. Mr. Speaker, Terri Schiavo represents the mortality and helplessness of us all as human beings. And whether we realize it or not, we are at this moment lying down beside her listening for that song of hope. If we as a Nation subject her to the torture and agony of starving and thirsting to death while her brother, her mother and her father are forced to watch, we will scar our own souls. And we will be allowing those judges who have lost their way to drag us all one more ominous step into a darkness where the light of human compassion has gone out and the predatory survival of the fittest prevails over humanity. If the song of hope is to be silenced, Mr. Speaker, let it not be tonight.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 67 pertaining to H. Res. 101, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, the Peoples Republic of China is planning to enact an anti-secession law this March. This law will give China jurisdiction over Taiwan and provide Chinese leaders the right to use force against Taiwan if China suspects secessionist activities in Taiwan. Predictably, Taiwan has reacted to this proposal with considerable alarm. If Chinese leaders persist, and are successful in enacting this law, Taiwan might very well be forced to enact an anti- annexation law in response. This battle of laws is most unfortunate in view of the fact that cross-strait relations have been improving recently. On January 15 of this year, China and Taiwan agreed to have direct charter flights during the Chinese New Year. Both sides have agreed to continue to work toward restoring direct trade, transport and postal ties; ``three links'' of vital importance. The economies of China and Taiwan have grown increasingly interdependent: Taiwanese businesses have invested as much as $100 billion in China and as many as one million Taiwanese people now live and work on the mainland. Mr. Speaker, the latest controversy relating to China's proposed anti-secession law has once again highlighted the political division between China and Taiwan. It is apparent to me that China is seeking to force its own style of government on the 23 million people of Taiwan. China has totally ignored Taiwan's contributions to the economic well being of their country. China has continued to ignore the repeated gestures of good will offered by President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan. By unilaterally attempting to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, China is also challenging America's resolve to stand behind the Taiwan Relations Act, which unequivocally states that it is the policy of the United States ``to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan.'' The Taiwan Relations Act also affirms that one of the objectives of the United States is ``the preservation and enhancement of the human rights of all the people on Taiwan.'' Mr. Speaker, it is my view that China's proposed anti-secession law is provocative and dangerous and poses a grave threat to peace and stability in the region. We must make it known that China's latest attempts to enact any form of an anti-secession law will do irreparable harm to the goodwill that is building between the peoples of Taiwan and China. Further, it will almost inevitably lead to escalating tension in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese people should not have to allow the authoritarian government in China to mandate the annexation of free Taiwan, and freedom-loving people in the world should not sit idly by as that happens.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. When the Philippines fell in April of 1942, more than 75,000 American and Filipino servicemen and countless civilians became prisoners of war. This number was decimated during the brutal Bataan Death March, which saw the death of over 16,000 POWs. Many soldiers survived the march, only to find themselves facing murderous treatment in prisoner- of-war camps scattered throughout the island. When General MacArthur began his campaign to retake the Philippines in 1945, he made it a priority to liberate soldiers and civilians who were interned in these camps. This commitment was particularly important, since it was widely believed that captives would be killed by their retreating captors if measures were not undertaken to liberate them in advance of the main campaign. General MacArthur's commitment to the civilian internees and prisoners of war on the island manifested itself in a particularly heroic way in the Allied raid on the prison camp at Los Banos. It was here that Filipino guerrilla forces and the men of the 511th parachute infantry regiment of the 11th Airborne division worked in concert to organize a multipronged assault with elements attacking from land, air and sea to liberate the prisoners of the camp. The Allied forces took great risks to free their fellow soldiers and civilians who had fallen behind enemy lines. These truly heroic acts serve not only as examples of the humanitarian compassion of American servicemen and -women but also as an example of our Nation's longstanding commitment to leave no fellow soldier, living or dead, in enemy hands. Mr. Speaker, as we have military personnel spread throughout the world today, many of whom are daily risking capture and torture at the hands of brutal terrorists, it is more important now than ever to recognize and honor the heroism and willing sacrifice of those soldiers who risked their own safety not to take a strategic objective, but simply to bring a comrade home. Our soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors must be able to take a small measure of comfort that whatever happens to them in battle, that this Nation will always have the will and the resolve to find and repatriate all of those who were lost while on duty. Mr. Speaker, evil has aggressively manifested itself in many forms throughout human history, and for the last 200 years, whether fighting totalitarian evil of monarchial, fascist or fanatical roots, American servicemen have made a habit of putting themselves squarely in evil's way. They have done so, secure in the knowledge that if they fall into the hands of the enemy, they will not be forgotten. Indeed, every effort possible will be undertaken to bring them home. Mr. Speaker, this is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of over 2,000 prisoners from the camp at Los Banos, and at a time when our military is deployed in harm's way around the globe, let us recognize those individuals who sacrificed to bring their brothers and sisters home, and let us honor the heroic actions of the past by officially reaffirming our Nation's commitment to leave no fighting man or woman in enemy hands at any time, now or in the future. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 18) recognizing the historic commitment of the United States to the recovery of and full accounting for Americans who are prisoners of war or in a missing status.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.J. Res. 18, the legislation under consideration.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), a true American hero.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to simply say that I think all of us hold the commitment in our hearts and the understanding in our hearts that no greater love hath any man than this, than a man who lays down his life for his friends. There are so many men and women who have laid down their lives for American causes and for the cause of human freedom. This is our day to recognize that, and I pray that we never forget them. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, only a few months ago, for the first time in history, ballot boxes were coming in from remote places like Khyber Pass in Afghanistan on the backs of mules. What a great time it is to live in this world. And last Sunday we saw free elections in a nation whose people have been crushed and oppressed since the days their country was called Babylon. We saw young men carrying old men to the polls. We saw one gentleman whose leg had been blown off by a terrorist bomb who said, I will crawl to vote if that is what it takes. And one of Saddam Hussein's former generals said, When I voted today, it felt so good inside, like I was free. Mr. Speaker, the United States of America has been a leader in freedom, and we have now had the privilege of becoming the unipolar superpower of the entire world. No nation on Earth can actually challenge us in military, economic, or technological terms; and truly every nation sees America now as the flagship of humanity. This Nation now possesses a greater opportunity to promote freedom in the world than we have had since the Republic began. But it is because we have had such great victories and opportunities that more than ever before we must be deeply humble and remind ourselves that we are only briefly the temporary stewards of this God- given greatest Nation in the history of humankind. And we only have a short time to fulfill our privileged and sacred mission of making America such a beacon of liberty that the light of freedom will some day fall across the faces of every person on this planet. Last Sunday tells me, Mr. Speaker, that this is the generation who lives in the window of time where we can firmly set the world on that course. This is freedom's day, and we must seize it while we can. And while I do not often quote Shakespeare, he said, ``There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted'' or delayed, ``all the voyage of their lives is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea, we now find ourselves afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures.'' Mr. Speaker, as we take this current to freedom, let us remember that the best leverage to maintain freedom's march in the world is to make sure that its foundations are secure beneath freedom's home; and then, Mr. Speaker, let us take this tide of freedom as it serves so that one day all generations will bask in this glorious sunlight of liberty just as it has now begun to dawn on the people of Iraq.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, there have been many external threats to this Republic across the years. Recently, we have been highly focused on the war on terrorism and diminishing global nuclear threats. We have always been able to face such external threats successfully because our country has had a strong internal foundation. But, today, it is critically important to sound a past-due warning about the internal threat to this republic. We are going to awaken to the fact that our own courts, in spite of their sacred duty and charge to defend the United States Constitution, have now become the greatest threat to its survival. The rule of law itself and the underpinnings that hold this Nation together are now at stake. This undermining of our Constitution did not develop overnight. One hundred and eighty-four years ago, Thomas Jefferson wrote: ``The object of my great fear is the federal judiciary. That body, like gravity, ever acting, with noiseless foot, and unalarming advance, gaining ground step by step, and holding what it gains, is engulfing insidiously the special governments into the jaws of that which feeds them.'' Only 3\1/2\ decades after Thomas Jefferson wrote these ominous words, United States Supreme Court ruled in it their Dred Scott decision that ``all blacks, slaves as well as free, were not and could never become citizens of the United States.'' The Supreme Court said that blacks ``had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit.'' Mr. Speaker, we can all see the sickness and evil in that twisted reasoning today. It is a sickness and an evil that precipitated the worst loss of American life in any war in the history of this Nation, 600,000 dead soldiers: husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers. In the face of these historical realities, it is astonishing today that we do not seem to collectively recognize the dangers represented by an unrestrained judiciary, especially since many of the great conflicts in our society's recent history have been precipitated by arrogant court decisions imposed by an unjust court and imposing an unjust mandate on the entire Nation. Not so long ago, our courts mandated racial segregation in our public schools. That was the so-called ``separate but equal doctrine.'' And people died on the streets reversing that obscene ruling. American courts have now declared that protecting viable unborn children from the hideous act of partial birth abortion is ``unconstitutional.'' The courts are now beginning to attack the very foundation and makeup of our country and any civil society, that being marriage and the family itself. They have said it is ``unconstitutional'' to protect a 9-year-old girl from Internet pornography or for her to pray a certain prayer in school or for her to voluntarily say her Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States using the words ``under God.'' Mr. Speaker, are these the causes that our American heroes lying out in Arlington National Cemetery died for? And I am just wondering when those who still have breath say will enough is enough. As we seek to protect America from the external threats that we face like terrorism, we would do well to remember that it is not the water on the outside of the ship that sinks it. It is the water on the inside. And, Mr. Speaker, I submit that there is water on the inside of this ship. When courts forcefully interject false and unconstitutional notions that go against justice, natural law and common sense, without allowing the issue to go through the legislative process of debate and consensus, it abrogates the miracle of America and abridges the freedom of the people to govern themselves. Daniel Webster's admonition to all of us is so very appropriate. He said, ``Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands, for miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years may never happen again. So hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fall, there will be anarchy throughout the world.'' Mr. Speaker, the commitment to true justice in the heart of this Congress and in the heart of the one who occupies the Oval Office are now the only two remaining barriers which prevent judicial oligarchy and the subsequent fall of the American Constitution. May those of us in this Congress find the courage to assume our constitutional power to prevent the judicial destruction of the United States Constitution. And, Mr. Speaker, may God give the people of this Nation the insight and soundness of mind to maintain the presidency of the United States in the hands of George W. Bush, who will protect America and the world from such an irrelevant revocable tragedy. God bless America.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, one of the core principles on which our nation is founded is the belief in an individual's God-given right to pursue happiness without government interference. Traditionally this has been understood as an endorsement of the quintessential entrepreneurial spirit and of free-market economics. The great, late president Ronald Reagan liked to talk about America as a city on a hill, a light that offers guidance to the nations of the world. I rise today to pay tribute to a small island nation that has been a shining example in a sometimes troubled region of the world. Under the capable leadership of Prime Minister Nelson Oduber, the government of Aruba has led the way in exemplifying stable and democratic good governance and in creating an ownership society with a growing, prospering private sector. Most of us understand the vital role a lively private sector plays in a nation's success. During Mr. Oduber's terms in office, a long list of government owned companies were either fully or partially privatized. Among them were water production facilities and power plants, the public transportation company, the seaport and the airport, the national telecommunications company and the postal services. Many of these former government agencies today are 100 per cent privately owned. The government has demonstrated that its belief in a free market with a plethora of empowered stakeholders is much more than lip service. The companies on their part showed that they were well able to get the capital from the financial markets without help from the government. Today, not one of these companies' employees is on the taxpayer funded government payroll. In addition, the companies can quickly and proactively respond to market forces without any government interference. While it sometimes seems easier to criticize countries that are doing things wrong, I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to pay tribute to a small nation, a stable ally of the United States, that has put into practice the principles we believe are essential in creating a better, freer, more prosperous and more secure world.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 161) recognizing the outstanding efforts of the individuals and communities who volunteered or donated items to the North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II from December 25, 1941, to April 1, 1946, as amended.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I would just remind all of us that we are fortunate to have people like those in North Platte, Nebraska, that have such a patriotic spirit and are so committed to serving our troops. I would encourage my colleagues to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran), another cosponsor of this resolution.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), cosponsor of the resolution. (Mr. TERRY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), the sponsor of this resolution.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I stand today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 161, sponsored by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne). This very appropriate resolution recognizes the true American spirit demonstrated by the people of North Platte, Nebraska, during the Second World War. It is the spirit of unwavering dedication to a cause and noble sacrifice for our troops. This is the same spirit that won the Second World War, Mr. Speaker. The actions of these Americans to build a community center, a canteen, if you will, for our troops, at their own expense and not at the U.S. Government's expense exemplifies the generous heart and patriotic resolve of the people of the Great Plains. Their past devotion to our men in uniform is unforgettable, and it is only fitting that when our country is now at war with terrorism that we recognize the efforts of those on the homefront in our history. I commend the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) for his fine work with this legislation. Today, we in the United States Congress are honored to express our sincere gratitude to the people of North Platte, Nebraska, and our great friend, the gentleman from Nebraska, and to join him in this fine resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration, H. Con. Res. 161.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. Daniel Webster said, Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands, for miracles do not cluster. And what has happened once in 6,000 years may never happen again. So hold on to the Constitution, for if it should fall, there will be anarchy throughout the world. Mr. Speaker, Daniel Webster is no longer with us, but if we could just realize that we will soon no longer be here either and if we do not uphold and defend the Constitution and the foundation of this republic and society itself, which is marriage and the family, generations will lose this beacon of freedom that we have.

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I stand tonight with these distinguished Members in support of House Concurrent Resolution 467, declaring genocide in Darfur, Sudan. To date an estimated 30,000 civilians have been murdered, more than 130,000 have been forced from their homes and have fled to neighboring Chad, and more than 1 million people have been internally displaced. If the international community fails to act, what awaits these people is a terrible season of prolonged suffering and painful death. Even now, mothers who have traveled miles fleeing their husbands' murderers are watching their children starve. They are helpless to end the violence. We are not. We must act. We cannot wait until thousands more have died. Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we can prevent the loss of life. There is a way that our actions can matter. We have seen the faces of women holding their emaciated babies to their chest with tears streaming down their faces, and we have seen the photos of burned-out villages. What is reflected in the eyes of these women is at once utter relief at having found the camp and unimaginable grief in the tragic and needless losses they have endured. Some of them bear the physical scars of beatings and branding, but many more of them bear the emotional scars of brutal rape by the evil Janjaweed militias. Mr. Speaker, even in the camps, the people are not safe from harm. The people in this crisis make an impossible decision every day. They have to decide whether to send the old men and boys for firewood fearing that they will be killed, or whether to send the women and girls for firewood fearing that they will be raped. Mr. Speaker, this horrifying choice is unacceptable. America and the world must demand that humanitarian aid workers have access to these suffering souls in order to bring them the food that they need, and further that credible peacekeepers enter Sudan in order to provide the critical and desperately needed security so that their lives, their future is not further marred by the horrible choices they were forced to make in order to survive. Mr. Speaker, the people of Darfur should have a future. We must pass House Concurrent Resolution 467. Anything less would be a disgraceful failure before the eyes of God and humanity.