Louie Gohmert

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. But you prescribe that, do you not?

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, we keep hearing there are all these vicious tax cuts. There are no cuts in this bill. A vote for this bill means we are voting not to raise taxes. And it has done my heart good to hear so many religious references to Jesus and to the Bible. I would point you in that direction. Jesus never said, go ye and use and abuse your taxing authority. Take from others to give. He said, you do it. And I would offer you the example of Zacharius when he met Jesus. What did he do? He went and cut taxes.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma, who also grew up in an area where they knew about drilling for oil and gas. You know, it is important that this be part of the defense budget. It is a matter of national security. It would have been better to be part of the energy. It should have been, but by maneuvering that did not happen. But it is a matter of national security that we can provide oil and gas. Go back through history. Why did the Germans fail in the Battle of the Bulge? Because they ran out of gasoline. And there in East Texas where I grew up, man, they were just pumping that oil and gas right out as fast they could to help the Nation survive. Now, what kind of arrogance and hypocrisy says, you know, I want my car, I want my jet ride, I want my air conditioning, electricity, but I do not want to drill anywhere, well, except in like Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, places we do not care about. But not anywhere else we care about. Folks, it is a matter of national security. We need every part of the solution in order to conquer our energy needs. All the alternative energy needs to be pursued. The majority has passed this time and again out of our subcommittee, out of our committee, and to the floor. This is the thing to do. And I just submit, in conclusion, for anyone whose transportation is a bicycle that you yourself made, without the use of any plastic or metal, you have a right to complain. Everybody else is a hypocrite.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I marveled at Mr. Lantos's good comment that this could have been, as I understood the quote, could have been a day for celebration. And I would submit it is a day for celebration. It should be. It is. This is a great day. A great thing happened yesterday in the cradle of mankind. They elected permanent leaders. Now, there are those Americans who have said that it was quagmire in Iraq. We had to get out. It was a mistake to be there. Some made these statements out of personal heartache and tragedy, but some were made purely from partisan political motivation. So when the question is asked, why should the leadership politicize the Iraqi situation, that is exactly the question I have been asking. Why? Why? Why, leading up to this election for the last 6 weeks, the yabbers got more shrill, more hysterical that we have to withdraw? And surely there are some people that are smart enough to know that that risk, the election that people who saw the fliers that said, ``you vote, you die,'' might actually take it more seriously if they thought we were going to withdraw quickly before the ink went off their fingers. So I say to those who said the freedom, democracy and liberty we were fighting for and the evil that we fought against was not worth it, it is worth it. And the soldiers that have been there know it. That is why the retention among the soldiers that have been to Iraq is way up. I have talked to them. I have not heard people ask, why are we still in Bosnia where President Clinton said we had to go? One of my best friends from college, we served in the Army in Fort Benning together, he just got sent to Bosnia. Why is not anybody saying, let us get out of there? Why are the same people not saying, we should have gotten out of Germany to President Truman? We should have gotten out of Japan? Because our leadership made good decisions, and we are safer of it. Thank God for the heroes that have made America better by spreading liberty around the world.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate my colleague from California's support on this amendment, and as I think she knows, this is an issue that knows no party boundaries, and so I am proud to stand with those who want to end this, and that would include Chairman King. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman King of New York and Chairman Sensenbrenner for their hard work on this important legislation. Some have said it seemed like it was spur of the moment, but those of us who have spent hundreds of hours on this issue this year know otherwise and took it up in committee and subcommittee. I would also like to thank Mr. Dreier for allowing me to bring this amendment up in the Rules Committee. I will be brief, since my amendment is pretty straightforward. This amendment will help ensure that the Federal Government is doing business with ethical contractors. Section 109 of the bill requires the Inspector General to review contracts over $20 million. This review is to be sure that the contracts were properly competed. My amendment adds a subsection that says that during this review if the Inspector General discovers any wrongdoing or misconduct, the Inspector General will refer this information to the Secretary of Homeland Security for the purpose of evaluating whether suspension or debarrment is warranted. Some Members may be familiar with the Darlene Druyun case. She was a top Air Force acquisition official who awarded billions of dollars' worth of contract to one particular defense contractor and all the while she was negotiating with that same defense contractor for a job for herself and her daughter. The officials at the company that negotiated her employment and she, herself, were debarred. Some are familiar with Representative Cunningham. He did wrong, and he will and should be punished accordingly; but the contractors who competed illegally and unethically should also suffer. This amendment helps address issues such as this as it requires the Inspector General to go forward with information to the Secretary to evaluate for possible debarrment or suspension. Suspension and debarrment are less costly to the government than criminal or civil remedies that involve the Department of Justice. In addition, companies learn from the process and as a result they create innovative compliance and ethics programs. Contracting with ethical companies ultimately saves taxpayers' dollars and gives us more quality for the money. For that reason and to that end I humbly offer this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, it was truly great to have the 56th Brigade home this past weekend from Iraq. Commanded by Colonel James ``Red'' Brown of Lindale, Texas, they did a great thing this past year. It was the largest deployment of troops from the Texas reserve unit since World War II. This was not just a difficult year in their own and their families' lives, it was a historical year for the ages. Many believe that the area Iraq occupies was where mankind had its beginning. There, in the cradle of mankind, Iraq, had an historic election of representatives to write a constitution. It drafted and approved its constitution, and now today, because of the efforts of so many military members, including the 56th, that area elected its first true representatives to lead a democratic form of government. There are those who have said it is a quagmire in Iraq and it is a mistake for us to be there. Some made these statements because of personal heartache. Some, on the other hand, were made from partisan political motivation, and some from disdain for our president and a desire to see his efforts fail, even though it risked world stability and national security. But our soldiers were there. They know they have done a great thing. They have seen the admiring faces of Iraqi children that were never present in Vietnam. They have heard gratitude from many there in Iraq, our soldiers have. We have not heard as much here. They not only fought, protected and defended, the 56th, for example, built a school and other important infrastructure improvements. They also saw the frantic efforts of terrorists who were terrified that democracy and the people will begin to rule over them and their oppressive dictatorial ways. They kept many terrorists occupied there, rather than here in America. Some say that the freedom, democracy and liberty they were fighting for and the evil they have fought against simply was not worth it. My friends, it is worth it, and they are our heroes. They and their families have sacrificed for us, and we are grateful. My friend from Lindale, who is also a Texas Aggie and a citizen soldier, Colonel Brown, is an American patriot. He and his distinguished command Sergeant Major Chambless led a band of great American patriots, and they led them well. The quote from the 1800s by philosopher John Stewart Mill certainly applies to our present situation. He said, ``War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.'' Those who have been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and in harm's way on our behalf are some of the better people of whom Mills spoke. Today was just an incredible day in Iraq. That for which we have been hoping and fighting happened. The Iraqis elected their first elected officials who will preside for the next years to come. There have been threats this year against any Iraqi who voted on. Those Iraqis who stuck their fingers into the ink knew they were readily identifiable for two to three weeks to any terrorist that wanted to kill them. What courage. We have voters here who will not even go out if it sprinkles or rains, and yet they were willing to risk the threat of death. They are not out of the woods. They can see the home lights though glowing from where they have gotten. It was particularly distasteful though that so many had stepped up their screaming and their histrionics to ``pull out now.'' Have you wondered why the surrender call became so shrill just weeks and days before this historic election? Many of those knew if things went too well, the President's numbers might go up, the Republicans' numbers might go up. So, some had good motives, some did not. They risked the national security. Now, because of the work of our heroes in Iraq, a great thing happened today, and we are grateful. May God comfort those who have paid with the sacrifice of a loved one in our Nation's defense. May God bless our defenders, our champions, our servicemembers. God bless their efforts and keep them safe. And through their valiant efforts may God continue to bless our America. To those in Iraq, I say I look forward to seeing you in just a couple of days.

Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of order.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, there are two things I want to address tonight, both terribly disappointing to me as a freshman Member of Congress. As a former judge who sent hundreds or thousands of people to prison for felony crimes, I have heard and seen all kinds of stories. But the one that played out last week makes me both heartsick and very angry. A valiant Vietnam veteran, a man of courage and daring, a Navy pilot, a defender of this country, an ace, a true military leader by example, pled guilty, basically, to accepting bribes to push defense contracts to contractors who may not have been entitled to them. For those of us who have served in the military, we know what it is to requisition supplies, equipment or services and get quality in response. On the other hand, we also know what it is to receive supplies, equipment or services and wonder who in the world got their bank account padded or their back scratched to allow such substandard material to be sent. Now to hear that our fellow congressman, Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham, was such a Member of Congress on the take makes me both very sad and very angry. Mr. Cunningham has made true acts and comments of contrition and humility; but my goodness, how much damage has been done. Not only will he be sentenced to satisfy the requirements of justice, retribution and deterrence, his family and friends will suffer. That is what happens when crimes are committed. Let us also not lose sight of the fact that the contractors who paid bribes should be barred from ever contracting with the government again. I do not know who it is, and it does not matter to me who they are or with whom they are friends, they should be barred. But one other thing that has caused me great bewilderment in the last month to 6 weeks or so is the rhetoric against our efforts in Iraq and how it has reached a crescendo and fanatical pitch. In what may well have been the cradle of mankind, the people of Iraq are on the threshold of democratically electing their first permanent leaders under their new Constitution. As a democratic self-governing people, we should as a Nation be uniting in support and encouraging the people of Iraq in their own efforts at self-government. Some, like our colleague and war hero, Mr. Murtha, have been expressing concerns of this type about the war for over 2 years. Others have now jumped on the bandwagon, and still others have raised their pitch dramatically. This historic election is 9 days off. It is true that if the election goes well, it not only is a great victory for freedom, democracy and against terrorism, but it will probably help President Bush. It is also clear, and many realize, if the election goes badly, it will probably exacerbate and lower President Bush's popularity still further. But could Members not wait 9 days, wait until after December 15, to make your points about withdrawal or how we are losing and we cannot win. Obviously, if the people of Iraq think we are about to withdraw before that permanent ink wears off their finger when they vote, they may hesitate to vote or not vote. Heightened rhetoric against our historic assistance in Iraq serves to undermine the election and may assist in its failure. I implore Members, regarding Iraq, please let us put partisan politics aside for the next 9 days until after the election. Sure, it would make you happy to see President Bush's numbers fall lower; but at the cost of democracy and stability in the Middle East and of our own safety, the price is too high. You can go back to your Bush bashing in 9 days, but how about being statesmen and stateswomen until after the Iraqi election. Show that there is one noble thing you can put above partisan politics for the next 9 days. We are doing a great good over there. I have seen. Senator Lieberman has seen it. Mr. Shays has seen it. We have witnessed it. At this time of year, we can note tragedy as I have tonight, but let us also rejoice in this great thing that may well come to pass next week if you will stop trying to poison it before it happens.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. John Adams wrote to Abigail back in the summer of 1776, ``The thing that philosophers up to now have only dreamed about is within our grasp, the concept of self-government.'' And, folks, in the cradle of mankind there in Iraq, there is within their grasp because of what we have done in the name of liberty and destroying terrorism, it is so close. This is not about one Member of Congress who was a hero in Vietnam. This is about a message that is being sent to the world. Right after the minority leader's district that she represents and leads told the world, The military is beneath us. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to defend this Nation and the liberty. San Francisco said no recruiters in our city, a terrible message. Followed by, let's get our troops out and not support them. Join with us as you did in singing a prayer, God Bless America. Let the terrorists know. We don't want to divide you. We want to unite you with us.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 562) to authorize the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the manmade famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933, as amended.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 562 introduced by Congressman Sander Levin authorizes the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in Washington, DC, to honor victims of the 1932-1933 Ukrainian famine. Known by historians as the Harvest of Sorrow, the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 was the result of a naturally caused low harvest and harsh Soviet policies, including forced collectivization and grain seizures in order to neutralize the Ukrainian population. Over 7 million people died of starvation as Russians stopped Ukrainians from entering Russia to obtain food. Attempts by the United States to intercede were stalled by Stalin's regime. Proponents of H.R. 562 hope that building a memorial in the District of Columbia will bring awareness to the event and honor its victims. Finally, no Federal funds will be used for the establishment or maintenance of the memorial. I urge adoption of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1492) to provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1492, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), would establish a grant program within the Department of the Interior to protect, preserve, and interpret historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. While there are two units in the National Park System that recognize the internment period, Manzanar National Historic Site and Minidoka Internment National Monument, there are many who believe other internment sites should also be preserved short of becoming a unit of the National Park System. This bill would further that purpose by providing Federal funds with a partial private match. I urge adoption of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas). (Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion of the debate on this bill, I appreciate my colleagues across the aisle and the wonderful heartfelt comments that have been made. It is deeply moving to hear some of the personal testimonies, and when the gentleman from Samoa spoke saying he wished he were not referred to as a Pacific American, I was reminded of the events immediately after 9/11. Such a horrible evil thing when evil people filled with hate wanting to destroy innocent Americans came and crashed into our buildings, leaving so many devastated and destroyed and killed. But I recall the day after 9/11, and like that flower that grows after a terrible event, so many all over America held hands and sang songs. I remember the day after that event there were no hyphenated Americans in the United States anywhere. We were all Americans. And that was one of the few things that we came away from. What a wonderful thing. Race did not matter. Background, socioeconomic conditions did not matter. We were Americans, and we were proud to be Americans. The other comment that has been made that should be highlighted is that it is important to learn from our mistakes, and that is one of the great things about America. It is one of the very few nations in this world that will stand up and say, you know what, we made a mistake and we are going to fix it. We are going to notice it. Some say Satchel Paige made the quote that often is used: ``Don't look back. They may be gaining on you.'' But I read that he also had a quote later in life: ``It's okay to look back. Just don't stare.'' This bill will allow us to look back, see that we made a mistake, and make sure that it is corrected. With regard to our troops that come home from Iraq and Afghanistan who are doing the service of this country, it is important also that we learn from our mistakes, and without regard to race, creed, sex, gender, socioeconomic conditions, we welcome them home; we thank them for their bravery. In the meantime, this is a good bill. We urge the passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOHMERT

Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, I have great respect for my friend across the aisle, the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), as we have served on Judiciary together. But when the question was asked or put to us in terms of us wanting the courts to create a new right for parents, I would submit to my colleagues, never before was it necessary, because nobody had the audacity to try to say that parents would not have a right to a say in how their children were governed. I was in an exchange program in the Soviet Union back in 1973 and visited a day care center, and I was appalled that the parents were not allowed any say whatsoever in how the children were raised, what they were taught. That was exclusively the right of the State. I thanked God that day that that was not the way it was in the United States. Now, 32 years later, we find ourselves at a point that some think it is evolving for the State to take away the parents' right to have a say in how their children are taught and what they are taught and what goes on in the school. It is not a time that I can thank God that we evolved to this point. I support the resolution. I think it is a great resolution; and coming from the gentleman that is proposing it, it is even more important and appropriate. I support the resolution.