Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, after ten years in office, City of Humble, Texas Mayor Donnie McMannes will officially bring his stellar public career to an end next month. His tireless efforts have improved our community, and it is with great pleasure that I express my admiration, gratitude and respect to a hometown hero and committed public servant. Donnie was born in Houston and spent much of his childhood in the Heights area before moving with his mother to Humble in 1945 and attending Charles Bender High School, where he became a football star before graduating in 1953. After graduating high school, he married his high school sweetheart, Georgia. He was soon drafted into the U.S. Army. His love for football continued while in the service when he played football for the Army in Germany in what was called the Rhine Conference. In 1955, his team went undefeated and won the Rhine Conference Championship. After completing his service in the Army, Donnie returned home to Texas and to his wife, Georgia. At the age of 23, he joined the City of Houston Police Department. For 27 years, Donnie put on the badge to protect and serve Houstonians. His long career at HPD included assignments in patrol, investigator, and narcotics. He was promoted to detective in the Burglary and Theft Division, where he served for fourteen years. After retiring from HPD, he continued his career as a Texas lawman, working ten more years for Constable Walter Rankin's Precinct One Constable Office. He is a lifetime member of what I refer to as the ``Poe- leece''--a group of my friends in the Texas law enforcement community. Donnie is the epitome of civil servant. After officially retiring from law enforcement in 1995, Donnie decided to become more actively involved in local government and ran for the position of Council Member with the City of Humble. He served on the Humble City Council for 10 years. He then decided to run for mayor in 2005 and has spent the last 10 years as its mayor. Under his leadership, he's overseen many successful projects through the Humble City Council, including bringing the City out of debt and into a surplus. Mayor McMannes has given Humble financial flexibility and the ability to start and complete projects, noting that the projects are always ``paid for by cash.'' Congress could certainly stand to gain from following in Mayor McMannes' commonsense, fiscally responsible footsteps. In addition, working alongside many of his Humble-born and bred friends from the '50s, the City of Humble recently finished managing a total restoration project on the old Charles Bender High School building turning it into the new Charles Bender High School Performing Arts Center. As an alum of Charles Bender High School, this project was close to Mayor McMannes' heart, and appropriately, the new facility is immersed in important memories and milestones in Humble's rich roots. On behalf of the Second Congressional District, I thank Mayor McMannes for his service and wish him and Georgia nothing but the best in their future endeavors. As a resident of Humble, I can tell you that his presence in the city government will be missed. As Donnie likes to say, ``I'm Texas born, Texas bred, and I'll be Texas dead right here on Main Street.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, last year, a National Geographic photographer captured 5,000 desperate people navigating their way through a sandstorm, then eventually breaking through a barbed wire for safety through the border into Turkey. They were among the roughly 11 million Syrians who have now been displaced from their homes over the past 4 years. The rich, the poor, the elderly, and the children, Christians, Muslims, they all share a new identity: a war refugee. Though they may be alive, many of them have little hope for a better life. A Syrian mother and a refugee under World Vision's refugee program said she and her family lived in a small apartment and they were happy before the war; they were never envious of anyone, but after living in a tent with some 25 other families in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, she now envies even the dead in Syria. Unable to work because it is illegal, the more than 3.8 million refugees in neighboring countries wonder every day if they will be given aid to feed their kids. Safe places where children can go to learn, laugh, and play don't exist. Parents worry that their children might also join the ranks of ISIS, become victims of child labor or forced marriage. A 14-year-old girl who participated in Save the Children's programs in Jordan had been married off by her father, not because he loved her less, but because it was one less mouth to feed in the family. Young girls like this one are torn within their identity. They wonder whether they should be playing with fellow children or must be a wife. For the 7 million people internally displaced in Syria--7 million, that is bigger than New York City--those people face a double-edged sword every day because they may be killed by Assad's monsters or by the rebels. In June 2012, government forces executed entire families in front of one another and their neighbors. Ten-year-old Fatima stood bravely before the soldiers with $2 in her hand, asking to spare the life of her 11-month-old baby brother, Mattessem. They still shot. The bullet went through Mattessem and killed their mother. Out of a family of 25, only Mattessem, Fatima, the father, and the grandfather survived those executions. Assad kills his people indiscriminately with barrel bombs that are embedded with chlorine and with shrapnel. These attacks bring scores of victims into the already overworked makeshift hospitals in Syria; 175 of these hospitals have been hit by barrel bombs by Assad. Dr. Sahloul, a Chicago doctor and head of the Syrian American Medical Society, has become one of the dozens of American doctors who have helped the wounded in this war. He has risked being arrested, tortured, and even killed for aiding the opposition. He has treated victims of these barrel bomb attacks and has shared with my committee a young boy's vivid account of the attack. Instead of drawing a sun and animals, this child drew people with their legs severed--severed from their bodies--bloody, and tears in the eyes of the victim. These children have had the first years shrouded in war. They have been deprived of a childhood stolen by war. We are all made the same way, no matter what we look like or where we live, and deep down in our soul, all of us, even these Syrian refugees, just want to be free. For every day the reign of terror continues, the colossal number of 12.2 million Syrians who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance continues to grow. U.S. Government-funded programming is working to meet this need. U.S.-based nongovernment organizations, both religious and secular, are doing great work inside Syria and the surrounding region to address the many needs of the displaced. American funding has provided lifesaving food and essential items for several hundred thousand people inside the constantly bombarded city of Aleppo. Dozens of medical facilities throughout Syria are providing trauma and primary health care, as well as much-needed psychological and social support. Child-friendly spaces are set up in a safe place for children to receive support, to learn, and to play. Mr. Speaker, war is hell, and the noncombatant citizens are the ones who suffer from this hellish violence. Until the war in Syria is over, the lifesaving humanitarian care done by these American angels of mercy give hope to millions of refugees. We thank these selfless people that help those affected by this war in Syria. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, this Easter, Pope Francis focused his message on the worldwide persecution of Christians. Around the world, Christians are being imprisoned, tortured, and killed for their faith. According to the Pew Research Center, no religious group is persecuted in more countries around the world than Christians. Christians faced persecution in 102 countries out of about 190-plus that we have in the world. That was in 2013. So tonight I will mention only eight of those countries: Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Kenya. And I will also mention that terrorist group, ISIS. Christian pastor and American citizen Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian jail for the last 2\1/2\ years because he is a Christian. Weeks before he turned 7, Pastor Abedini's son wrote to his imprisoned father, inviting him to come to his birthday party. In reply, Pastor Abedini wrote: ``Daddy loves you so much. I long to be there for your birthday and to make this reunion happen, but my chains are keeping me from you.'' His son celebrated his 7th birthday last month. It was his third birthday without his dad. His dad is still in the jailhouse because he is a Christian. According to the 2015 Open Doors World Watch List, North Korea is the worst persecutor of Christians in the whole world. Christians are sent to prison camps for possession of Bibles, which is a crime. Some are even executed because they are Christians. The State Department estimates that 80,000 to 120,000 North Koreans are imprisoned in labor camps, many because of their religious beliefs. In November 2013, 80 North Korean Christians were reportedly executed for possession of Bibles and South Korean religious films. Now to Pakistan. In Pakistan, two suicide blasts hit the Christ Church and Catholic Church last month, killing 17 Christians. A Pakistan Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility for the attack, which left another 80 people injured. Last week, two Muslims heading to Friday prayers at their mosque in the same city where the churches were bombed came across a 14-year-old Christian boy. They stopped him and asked him his religious affiliation. And the boy proudly said: ``I told them that I am Christian. They started beating me,'' he said. ``When I tried running, both boys started following me through the street.'' They caught me and ``threw kerosene on me and set me on fire.'' This Pakistan boy, this Christian has burns covering more than 55 percent of his body. In Egypt, over a 3-day period in 2013, Coptic Christians experienced the worst single attack against their churches in 700 years, with 40 Christian churches destroyed and over 100 other sites severely damaged. Thousands and thousands of Coptic Christians are estimated to have fled their homeland of Egypt because of religious persecution. Most Coptic Christians in Egypt have a tattoo of a cross on their wrist, Madam Speaker. It is a sign of devotion to their Christian faith. When his Arabic language teacher told Ayman Nabil Labib to cover that tattoo in the classroom, Ayman pulled out the cross that was hanging around his neck for all in the classroom to see. The teacher was enraged. He choked Ayman and asked his Muslim classmates, ``What are you going to do with him?'' His classmates then beat Ayman to death. He was murdered in an Egyptian classroom because he was a Christian. In Libya, ISIS captured and beheaded 21 people because they were Christians from nearby Egypt. When the victims' families wanted to build a church in their honor, they were attacked by another Muslim mob and beaten. In Syria, the situation is even worse for Christians. In June 2013, a cluster of Christian villages were totally destroyed. The head of all Franciscans in the Middle East reported that ``of the 4,000 inhabitants of the church village of Ghassanieh, no more than 10 people remain.'' In a village of 4,000 Christians, 10 are left. In Syria, it is not just Assad's thugs killing Christians. Two Syrian bishops have been kidnapped by rebel groups. Militants expelled 90 percent of the Christians in the city of Homs. Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch says that, out of a population of 1.75 million, 450,000 Syrian Christians have fled Syria in fear. Then to Iraq. In Iraq, the story is just as bleak. The number of Christian churches in Iraq has declined from 300 in 2003 to 57 today. A place that Christians have called their home since the time of Jesus, Iraq's Christian population has almost entirely disappeared. The population has dropped 90 percent since the first gulf war. In Kenya, Christians are also persecuted. At 5:30 in the morning on April 2 of this year, the terrorist group al Shabaab attacked a school. Collins Wetangula, a student at the school, said when the gunmen arrived at his dormitory, he could hear them opening doors and asking the people who were hiding inside whether they were Christians or whether they were Muslims. Here is what he said: ``If you were a Christian, you were shot on the spot.'' A spokesman for the terror group told the BBC that it attacked the school because ``it's on Muslim land colonized by non-Muslims.'' Of the 147 people who were slaughtered that day because they were Christians, many of them were students--teenagers, kids. When the same terrorist group attacked a shopping mall in Kenya in 2013, they took a number of shoppers captive. One of them was Joshua Hakim. When Joshua got close to his attackers, he showed them his ID, but he covered up his Christian name with his thumb. ``They told me to go,'' he recalled later. ``Then an Indian man came forward, and they said, `What is the name of Mohammed's mother?' When he couldn't answer, they just shot him'' on the spot. There are many more unnamed Christian martyrs who are persecuted for their faith, Madam Speaker. The persecution of Christians has been going on since Stephen was stoned for his faith in Acts 7. But what these current accounts show is that persecutions of Christians around the world are growing in number and are being tolerated more by governments and, in my opinion, encouraged by some non-Christian societies. We cannot deny this reality. We must tell it like it is. People should not make excuses for or cover up the widespread persecution of Christians throughout the world. Governments, terrorist groups, and others should not get a pass and ``tacit hunting permits'' to kill Christians. The problem is rogue States like Pakistan and Iran and rogue terrorist groups like ISIS who get their legitimacy and power from imprisoning and killing Christians. As a country, the United States needs to reexamine its relationship with States that persecute Christians. Maybe we should give these countries less American money until they start protecting--instead of arresting--Christians. We need to be singularly minded when it comes to describing groups like ISIS and what they really are: They are evil; they kill in the name of their radical religion. Madam Speaker, one of the pillars of our Nation and a foundation of our Republic is the principle of religious freedom, religious freedom for all faiths. It is constitutionally protected in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Of the five rights mentioned in the First Amendment, religious freedom and liberty is mentioned first. This is not by accident. Our forefathers were serious about the protection of religious liberty. It is a basic civil right, human right, and an inalienable right. Since Pilgrims came to America to escape religious persecution in Europe, our Nation has stood as a bright beacon to the world for religious freedom for all faiths--Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and others. But the question before us today is: Will we remain a beacon of hope for persecuting Christians around the world? It is properly written in Scripture, a parable by the good Lord. I will paraphrase. He said: A man was traveling down a road, and he fell among robbers. The man was beaten, and his property was stolen, and he was left for dead. Other people traveled down the same road, saw the victim, but they passed over on the other side of the road. They went their own way and avoided this victim. Madam Speaker, we cannot pass on the other side while Christians worldwide are being beaten, beheaded, and brutalized because of their religious faith, being a Christian. We must be that beacon that shines brightly in proud protection of religious freedom for all, including Christians. And that is just the way it is. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, under the leadership of Senator Cornyn and Senator Wyden, the Senate has unanimously passed the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. This bill will help stop modern-day slavery here in America. The House has passed a similar bill under the sponsorship of Carolyn Maloney and myself. We have acknowledged international human trafficking for years. Now, we acknowledge and put sufficient resources behind the fight against the buying and selling of human beings. Slavery in America is not going to be tolerated. The bill penalizes traffickers and buyers. Mr. Speaker, buyers have escaped the long arm of the law for too long. The bill also treats trafficking victims as victims and not criminals. We can no longer deny the scourge of rape and abuse of our children. I strongly encourage the House leadership to immediately bring up the Senate compromise, Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, for a vote. Victims are people, too. Let it be known that America's kids are not for sale, and woe be to anyone that sells them or buys them in the marketplace of slavery. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this week is National Crime Victims' Rights Week. In Congress, we observed this week by hosting the Victims' Rights Caucus Awards. The Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, founded by Jim Costa from California and me from Texas, came together to form the bipartisan caucus. This week, the Victims' Rights Caucus recognized the tenacious individuals who dedicate their time and efforts in supporting crime victims. But this week was also commemorated back in Texas. Kingwood High School observed National Crime Victims' Rights Week for the first time. Under their fearless leader, criminal justice teacher Janet Collins, a former Dallas County probation officer, Kingwood High School heard from community warriors who work every day to protect and support victims. My good friend, Sheriff Adrian Garcia, was Monday's headline speaker (who just so happened to receive our Victims' Rights Award at last year's Victims' Rights Caucus Awards). Kingwood High School students heard the best testimonies straight from the source. Exposing our students to real-life situations in combination with education is so important. Teaching our students how prevalent crime is and ways to prevent it can only benefit our communities. What a great way to start a young group of victims' advocates. It makes me proud to know that our school students are building good character and learning more about the Crime Victims Movement. Supporting victims is something that Americans can do at any age. Janet Collins should be commended for her leadership and pioneering of National Crime Victims' Rights Week in our schools. It is encouraging to see National Crimes Victims' Rights Week being observed not only in Congress, but in our education system throughout the Nation. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, crime victims are not statistics. They are real people with real stories who have had something bad happen to them. As a former judge, I used to see victims in my courtroom every day. Unfortunately, too often victims are left out of the criminal justice process. They are also many times overlooked and forgotten in the legislative process. When I came to Congress, victims did not have an advocate group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. That is why Congressman Jim Costa, a Democrat from California, and I, a Republican from Texas, founded the Victims' Rights Caucus. Supporting crime victims is a bipartisan issue. This week is National Crime Victims' Rights week, and the Victims' Rights Caucus will recognize those tenacious groups and individuals whose life work is to support victims. I was proud to nominate Truckers Against Trafficking for the Suzanne McDaniel Memorial Award for Public Awareness. Much like the award's namesake, Truckers Against Trafficking has pioneered efforts in the victims' rights community. Truckers Against Trafficking is a traveling nonprofit group that works to educate and raise awareness for trafficking in the trucking industry. These truckers know what signs to look for in a trafficking victim and are proactive in their efforts to rescue these victims from their trafficker. Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) recognized community leader Sergeant Jeff Kertson for the Allied Professional Award. Sergeant Kertson oversees several units for the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. This includes the domestic violence, elder abuse, sexual assault, child abuse, sex offender registration, missing persons/runaways units, as well as a predator program and task force. Sergeant Kertson really goes above and beyond to make victim services a priority to ensure a safer Fresno community. The Ed Stout Memorial Award honors the legacy of the Director of Aid for Victims of Crime of St. Louis, Missouri, one of the Nation's oldest three victims' assistance organizations. Ms. Mary Travers Murphy, nominated by Congressman Brian Higgins (NY- 26), has been a champion for domestic violence victims in her community. Her work as the Executive Director of the Family Justice Center of Erie County (FJCEC) raising funds for domestic violence victims has resulted in the opening of two suburban satellite FJCEC centers in Erie County. Her efforts have strengthened her Erie community. Another community leader that deserves recognition is Ms. Kerri True- Funk. She was nominated for the Lois Haight Award of Excellence and Innovation by Congressman Rodney Davis (IL-13). Kerri is the Executive Director of Rape Advocacy, Counseling and Education Services (RACES). Kerri has championed efforts of prevention and education, which makes her the perfect candidate for the Lois Haight Award, working to prevent crime before it happens. Kerri deserves to be honored for her work with RACES--reducing the occurrence of sexual assault among individuals with disabilities through empowerment education. Victim advocates are wonderful people. Many of them I have met over the years are even more special because they have used their personal experience to help others. That is what the recipient of the Eva Murillo Unsung Hero Award did. William Kellibrew, nominated by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), had a traumatic past but he chose to fight back. He is the founder of the William Kellibrew Foundation (WKF), a community-driven partnership that advocates on breaking the cycles of violence and poverty. The WKF provides support networks for victims while they rebuild their lives. People like William are living examples of how survivors can use their experiences to empower others. The Victims' Rights Caucus is also recognizing Robin Smith, the founder of Video Action. Video Action produces training instructional videos to educate victim advocates. Robin reaches a vast audience through her videos which has spread awareness about victims issues to victim advocates. Every single one of these recipients are warriors fighting to protect innocent victims and prevent further crimes. We thank them for what they do for not only their communities, but for our nation. Restoring the lives of victims is not easy work, but it's the Lord's work, saving people one at a time. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

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

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today is April 21, 2015. April 21 is an important day. It is an important day not only in Texas history, but I think in world history. But it is more important to my mother. Because today, Mr. Speaker, my mother is 90 years young. When I was growing up in Texas, April 21 was a holiday. We did not go to school on April 21 in Houston. And my mother told me the reason we did not go to school was because it was her birthday and everybody got off from school on her birthday. Of course, I believed her--and she still says that is the reason we get off--but it wasn't until I took fourth-grade Texas history that I learned there was another reason why April 21 was an important day and a holiday. It is called San Jacinto Day, Mr. Speaker. San Jacinto Day is based upon Texas history that occurred on April 21, 1836--179 years ago. That was the day that the Battle of San Jacinto took place on the marshy plains where Buffalo Bayou meets the San Jacinto River, near the Gulf of Mexico, in a place that we now call Harrisburg, which is near Houston, Texas. It was a battle that was successful for liberty and freedom for people who lived in Texas. The Battle of San Jacinto was won by Sam Houston defeating the invading Mexican army led by Santa Anna. And I will get back to that in a moment. I think it is important, though, we have a little history lesson so we understand why this battle for freedom is so important to all people who believe in freedom. Texas, Mr. Speaker, was wanted by a lot of folks. The French claimed Texas. Of course, the Comanches, the Apaches, and a lot of other Native American tribes claimed Texas--and wanted Texas. But Spain controlled Texas for a great number of years. From 1690 to about 1821, Texas as we know it was part of Spain. In fact, we still have Spanish land grants in Texas, where people own land that they can trace back to the Spanish when they controlled Texas. In about 1821, a portion of Spain--Spanish Texas and Spanish Mexico, if you will--decided they wanted independence from Spain. So, Mexico as we now know it had their war of independence from the European power of Spain, and they were successful in defeating the Spanish and declaring independence and becoming a democratic republic south of the border called the Republic of Mexico. That was 1821. Texas was a part of that revolution and that rebellion. Texans fought in those battles. And all went well until about 1835, when a person by the name of Santa Anna took over the Presidency of Mexico--a republic, a democracy--and made himself a military dictator. He abolished the Constitution--dictators have a habit of doing that, even to this day-- dismissed the assembly or Congress, and he was in total control of Mexico. Now, this did not set well with people in Mexico, which includes what we now know as Texas. Here is a map of the region in about the time of 1821 to 1836. This portion here was Texas. It was part of another state in Mexico called Coahuila. When dictator Santa Anna took control of this entire area, 11 of the states rebelled. They wanted their own independence from their dictator, who destroyed the democracy, or the democratic Republic of Mexico. Several of the states rebelled. In fact, some were somewhat successful. The Republic of Yucatan lasted for a while, went back to Mexico, gained independence again, and was a republic for about 7 years in the 1840s, and then joined Mexico again. There were several other states--and I will put in the Record the names of those states--that wanted independence from Mexico, to go their own way, and some were more successful than others. And what Santa Anna did is assemble his army. He went through Mexico, retaking this land, putting down the rebellion of all of the individuals who were trying to be independent from the Mexican dictator. After he had successfully done that, he moved across the Rio Grande River, where those Texans were causing the same type of controversy of wanting freedom and independence. And what started the actual fighting between the people of Texas--and they were of all races. Tejanos is a special unique name of Texans of Spanish or Mexican birth. Tejanos, Anglos, and Blacks in that area wanted independence. Not all, but many of them did. And there was a controversy, and there were political disputes with the Mexican government. But what set it all off occurred in a small, little town of Gonzales, Texas. In Gonzales, Texas, they had a cannon. It wasn't really much of a cannon, but it was a cannon. And it was to protect themselves from the Karankawas, the Apaches, and other folks. The Mexican Government decided they were going over to take that cannon away from the settlers. The settlers objected. They said, You can't have it. They made themselves a flag that said, ``Come and take it.'' We still have that flag. ``Come and take it.'' It had a cannon with the words ``Come and take it.'' So the Mexican military shows up. The settlers have a skirmish with the Mexican military. Shots were fired. I don't think anybody was really hurt too bad, but the Mexican Army retreated. They left Gonzalez, but they left without the cannon. It is an interesting note that the Texas war of independence started because government tried to take the firearms, the weapons, the guns of the people. If you recall American history, Mr. Speaker, which I know you know quite well, there is a little place called Lexington and Concord, up in Massachusetts, where the British tried to take the guns from the colonists, to take the guns from the armory at Lexington and Concord. The colonists objected. The shot heard around the world started the American war of independence, successful just like the Texas war of independence was successful, but the fighting started when the government showed up to take the weapons of the settlers. In any event, the Battle of Gonzalez took place. The fighting was on. Texans moved into Bexar, which is now San Antonio, which was the central city in the Republic, or in Texas, and took that away from the Mexican military that was there, ran them out of town, and that was toward December of 1835. Then we get to early part of 1836, and this part of history is what most Americans are aware of: Santa Anna now is coming across the Rio Grande River with his three armies to retake Texas and make it part of Mexico again, as he had done with these other rebellious states in Mexico. He showed up at a little place, a beat-up old Spanish church that was over 100 years old at the time, in February of 1836. We call it the Alamo, the cradle of Texas liberty. Assembled at the Alamo, in Bexar--San Antonio, if you will, same place--were 187 Texas volunteers. Now, most of them were not from Texas. In fact, the only natives there were the Tejanos. Eleven Tejanos fought in the Texas revolution at the Alamo, but they were from all the States, 13 foreign countries, and of all races, volunteers, led by my favorite person--William Barret Travis, a South Carolina lawyer--came to Texas; and he is 27, the commander of the Alamo. Santa Anna's army, historians disagree on how many thousands there were, but there were a lot of them; and, after 13 days--we all know the rest of the story. After 13 days of holding the Mexican Army at bay and Santa Anna, Santa Anna was able to breach the walls and kill all of the defenders, all the volunteers at the Alamo. After that occurred, people who lived in Texas started moving from that direction of central Texas towards the east, towards Louisiana. It is called the Runaway Scrape. Why were they running? Because the Mexican armies have invaded Texas and are coming after the settlers in that portion of the State, that portion of Texas--so Sam Houston, who had already come to Texas, was building an army to fight and defend the State of Texas and to fight and defend, from the invaders, Texas liberty. He was building this army. It is interesting how he got to Texas. Sam Houston was famous in his own right before he made it to Texas. He was from Tennessee. He was an attorney general, Member of Congress--twice elected to Congress--and Governor of Tennessee. He eventually left the Governorship and came back to Washington, Mr. Speaker, and advocated on behalf of the Cherokee Indians who he was living with in what is now Oklahoma. He got into a dispute with an Ohio Congressman named Stanbery. Stanbery had impugned the integrity of Sam Houston, and Sam Houston didn't like that. That conversation, apparently, by Stanbery occurred on this House floor. One morning, Sam Houston is coming out of his home, his dwelling over here on Pennsylvania Avenue, and he sees Stanbery. Sam Houston carried a cane. You may see the pictures of Sam Houston with his cane. Sam Houston comes upon--I get all choked up telling the story, Mr. Speaker. Sam Houston comes up on Stanbery. He is walking down the street. Sam Houston, remembering the bad things that Stanbery said about him on the House floor, and he starts to thrash Stanbery with his cane, beats him pretty bad. Stanbery had a pistol. He pulls it out of his vest. He pokes the pistol in Sam Houston's chest and pulls the trigger. The gun misfired; and, therefore, Sam Houston lived. He was tried on this House floor for demeaning a Member of Congress. The Supreme Court sat in judgment of him. The trial lasted a month. Sam Houston took the House floor and talked over a full day, defending himself. After the trial was over, Sam Houston was found guilty, ordered to pay a $500 fine for demeaning a Member of Congress. Sam Houston was represented by Francis Scott Key--yes, the same lawyer that wrote our Star-Spangled Banner. Rather than pay the fine, rather than deal with Congress anymore and Mr. Stanbery, he left Washington and ended up in Texas and became a political figure there. They loved Sam Houston when he came to Texas. They didn't care about his troubles here in Washington, D.C., and he was made general of the Texas Army. So the Alamo takes place. William Barret Travis, the commander, they were all killed. Sam Houston builds his army, and he is ready to defend Texas against the invading army from Santa Anna. That brings us to April 21. Sam Houston did not engage Santa Anna quickly. In fact, he kept moving east. He got as close as he could to Louisiana, and then he moved south, down towards the Gulf of Mexico. Santa Anna is chasing him. Finally, Sam Houston stopped on those marshy plains of San Jacinto, where Buffalo Bayou meets the San Jacinto River--Santa Anna's army, about 1,800; Houston's army, 700, 800--outnumbered. Remember, Santa Anna's armies had yet to be defeated, in all those battles in Mexico, Alamo, a place called Goliad, where Santa Anna killed all the Texas defenders, yet to be defeated. Sam Houston has yet to fight a battle. They assemble there, April 19, 1836. Most battles, even today, are fought when the sun comes up, sunrise; and they were then. They were for thousands of years. Everybody expected battle on April 22 at sunrise, but the Texas Army did not want to wait, so on the afternoon of April 21, there was a council of war. Sam Houston decided that now is as good a time as any. Well, less than a mile away was Santa Anna's army, but it is in the afternoon. Many of the soldiers in Santa Anna's army were taking a siesta. Legend has it that Santa Anna was occupied with a mixed-race lady by the name of Emily Morgan. She was keeping him busy during this time. I don't know if that is true or not. We believe it is true. We named buildings after Emily Morgan. We call her the Yellow Rose of Texas. We still honor ladies in Texas by calling them the yellow rose. But anyway, so he is busy. The Texans line up in one column. There weren't a lot of them; there were only 700 or 800 of them. They didn't have uniforms. They were wearing buckskins and frontier clothes. They have bowie knives and pistols in their belts, tomahawks, rifles. Juan Seguin, Hispanic Tejano, his cavalry are riding the flanks, protecting the flanks, also didn't have uniforms. So that the Texans would not mistake them for the enemy, Juan Sequin had all of his cavalry put in their sombreros, their hats, a playing card so they would know that these are the good guys and they wouldn't mistake them for the enemy. They are marching in a single file, if you can imagine this, this odd-looking bunch of folks. Leading them was a fife guy--a fifer, on a fife--another person carrying a flag. It was Miss Liberty that they were carrying the flag of. Miss Liberty was a partially nude female with the word ``liberty'' written across her. The fifer, he only knew one song. It was called ``Come to the Bower.'' The Bower was a house of ill repute, so he is playing this house of ill repute song on his fife, and the Texas Army is marching down the hill, ready. The Mexican Army, not prepared, no scouts, no lookouts, no one is watching; and they charge in broad daylight in the middle of the afternoon, when battles are never fought. Santa Anna was caught napping. The Mexican Army was caught by surprise. In 18 minutes, a lot shorter time than I have already talked, Mr. Speaker, the battle started, and it was ended. Half the Mexican Army was killed, the other half captured. More were captured than were in the Texas Army. Texas casualties, nine were killed. The enemy was caught by total surprise. They were caught fleeing. Santa Anna changed his clothes, took off his fancy general, Presidential uniform and put on the uniform of a Mexican private, but he was caught, and he was brought to Sam Houston, who happened to be one of the few that were wounded. He was shot in the ankle off his horse. The Texans wanted to hang Santa Anna right there from the closest oak tree. Sam Houston was not about to have a lynching of the enemy leader, and he held him for bargaining power later, to get a better deal for Texas independence. The Texans at San Jacinto, like at the Alamo, all volunteers, they came from every place. They were of all races. They came from several foreign countries. They came from many of the States. One was from Rhode Island, another from Vermont; several were from New York. In fact, several New Yorkers helped in Texas' independence, at the Alamo and at San Jacinto, but from most of the States and, as I said, foreign countries as well. They succeeded in defeating Santa Anna. Texas declared independence earlier that year, on March 2, 1836, about 6 weeks before the Battle of San Jacinto, declared independence from Mexico. And it was won. It was successful on April 21, 1836, which we call San Jacinto Day today. After that battle was over with, military historians say it was one of the most decisive battles in Western Hemisphere history because of the massive amount of land that changed hands because of one battle. After the Battle of San Jacinto, you can see what modern-day Texas looks like right through here, this area. Texas not only claimed what is now modern-day Texas, but it claimed parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and all the way up to Wyoming. This was the Republic of Texas in April of 1836. This land was all claimed by Texas. Texas established a constitution, a government, and became an independent, free nation that lasted for 9 years. Sam Houston, of course, was the President of the Republic of Texas and got elected twice to the Republic of Texas. The Republic of Texas, as I said, lasted for 9 years, and then the majority of Texans wanted to join the United States. It was not an easy task. Many people in the United States didn't want Texas in the Union. Primarily the way for Texas to get into the Union was a treaty because Texas was a country. The United States is a country. There would be a treaty, and Texas would come in as a State. As we know, those folks down the hallway in the Senate, it takes two-thirds of them to approve a treaty. Two-thirds of the States in the United States would never have approved Texas coming into the Union, so how did Texas become a part of the Union? They changed it to a joint resolution. It just takes a majority vote to get a joint resolution passed in the Senate. So Texas came into the Union after several tries unsuccessfully when, apparently, a Louisiana Senator changed his vote from ``no'' to ``yes,'' and Texas came in under a joint resolution. Thus, the Republic of Texas was no more and became a State in the Union in 1845, in December of 1845. When it came into the Union, Texas was allowed to fly its flag at the same height as the United States flag. If you come to Texas, you will notice there are a lot of Texas flags flying at the same level as the American flag. Texas is allowed to divide into five States. We are not going to do that. People would debate who would be called Texas and what would the other four be called. So we are not going to divide into five States. But we have the ability, and we have the right to decide and to divide into five States. But going back to Texas and the way it was when it came into the Union, what happened to all this land? Well, Texas had mounted a lot of debt and, to pay off its debt to the United States and to its creditors, sold this land to the Federal Government and wiped the slate clean. Therefore, Texas now looks like what we all know it looks like. The rest of that land went to the Union. I mentioned and talked to you tonight, Mr. Speaker, about San Jacinto Day, not so much because it is really San Jacinto Day, but about the people who were there 179 years ago. I mentioned there were all types of folks. But similar to our ancestors in the colonial days who said ``no'' to oppression, they weren't going to tolerate it. We still have oppression throughout the world. We have governments and dictators, military dictators oppressing their people. A lot of times, they can't do anything about it, those people. They would like to be free and independent, but they are not. Those folks back in 1836 made a decision that it was more important to them to be free than it was to be safe, secure in their own personal life. So they were willing to give their life for freedom. That is not a trite statement. We have had people from all over the United States who have done that since then, have fought for America, fought for liberty, fought for freedom, even for other people. They have sacrificed their lives so that other people can enjoy those words that most people have never enjoyed, ``freedom'' and ``liberty.'' And when a dictator or any other powerful government shows up, some people have the ability to step up and say: I am not going to take it. I will give up my life so that there can be a free nation. So we are grateful for those folks in 1836, on San Jacinto Day, and the ones at the Alamo who all died and the others who died and the ones that fought and lived, sacrificed their land to make sure that freedom rings in our State. Texans are proud of their history. I mentioned that I learned about San Jacinto Day in Texas history. Kids growing up in Texas today have to take Texas history twice, in the fourth grade and the seventh grade, where they learn about the history of our State. Our history is different than the Thirteen Colonies' history. It received its independence, but it was not from England; it was from a Mexican dictator. And we appreciate that. We appreciate those folks--Sam Houston, William Barret Travis, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie--all those many men and women who sacrificed life and their well-being so that we could be an independent nation that tyrants will not rule. They will not be successful. They will be defeated. And we should admire people like that. I think we do here in the House of Representatives and in the United States. We have had people like that in all of our history. That is what makes us a unique nation, because we can go all the way back to the American War for Independence and trace all of the history; and in much of it, the United States was at war and fighting for our liberty, and we thank those people. We are still involved in war throughout the world today, the people fighting for America. So we are grateful for them, and we are grateful for those folks--Sam Houston and all of his boys of summer and boys of spring--that fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. One hundred years after the battle, Texans built a monument similar to the one down the street, the Washington Monument. We have all seen the Washington Monument. If you come to the battlefield of San Jacinto, you will see a similar monument, but it has a big star on the top of it. It is taller than the Washington Monument because it is in Texas, and the star makes it taller than the Washington Monument. As a side note, the Texas State capitol is also taller than this Capitol. That was built later. And we honor those folks with that monument. We honor them on San Jacinto Day, today. It is not a holiday anymore. Kids don't get out of school. But it is still my mother's birthday. I don't know if she is watching or not, but she is certainly celebrating her birthday down in Texas. So on behalf of those of us here, we commend those folks at the Battle of San Jacinto. And I also want to wish my mom a happy birthday on this April 21, 2015. And that is just the way it is, Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, new technologies have ushered in an American energy revolution. Last year, the U.S. overtook Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the largest crude oil producer in the world. We now have more oil than we can refine or store. A majority of U.S. refineries are built to handle heavy, sour crude but new oil production is light, sweet crude. U.S. refiners simply can't keep up with the new production. Normally producers could simply pump oil into storage containers. But experts say those storage tanks could fill up before the end of this month. Instead of exporting excess oil like producers get to do in other countries, the ban is already forcing U.S. oil producers to leave oil in the ground and lay off workers. About 50% of the working rigs in my home state of Texas have had to shut down in the last 6 months. Over 70,000 people have been laid off since Thanksgiving. The solution to this problem is clear: it is time for the crude oil ban to be lifted. Critics of lifting the ban are afraid that U.S. oil exports will lead to higher domestic gas prices. Fortunately, many studies have debunked this myth. Gas prices are more closely linked to the international market--or Brent price--than the domestic price of crude because refined products like gasoline are traded freely on the international market. So the more crude oil we can put on the international market, the lower the international price of crude oil. The lower the international price of crude oil, the lower the price of gas for Americans. A Rice University study released in March 2015 reviewed previous studies that examined the impact of removing the ban on gas prices. They found that ``all studies underscore that lifting the export ban will not translate into higher gasoline prices. In fact, studies generally project gasoline prices in the U.S. will fall once the ban is lifted.'' U.S. crude entering the global market will increase the international oil supply and decrease the price of gas. The only thing the studies do not agree on is just how much gas prices will drop. Savings could range from 1.8 to 12 cents per gallon at the pump. Lifting the ban will also lead to more jobs and a higher GDP. An IHS study predicts crude oil exports would support nearly 300,000 jobs by 2018. Removing the export ban would add $26 billion to GDP per year and improve labor income by about $158 per year, on average. As it improves the U.S. economy, removing the ban will also improve our national security. The original purpose of the ban put in place back in 1973 was to insulate the United States from the volatility of the international oil market. Ironically, today the ban exposes the U.S. market to volatility. Because our gas prices are tied to the international price of crude, if there is a disruption in the international supply, that directly affects our gas prices. The more crude oil we can put on the market, the more we can minimize those disruptions. Even 1 million barrels of swing capacity matters a lot in the world. So if ISIS continues to wreak havoc and disrupts oil supply in places like Libya and Iraq, having more U.S. crude oil on the market would help prevent a spike in the price of crude oil and gas prices. Lifting the ban would also free us up to help our allies more. Europe gets 40% of its oil from Russia. Exporting crude oil would give the Europeans an alternative to having to depend on Russia. It would also increase our influence in Asia. Japan and South Korea partly rely on crude oil from Iran to satisfy their growing energy consumption. U.S. exports can help diminish that reliance. Ironically, with the so-called deal with Iran it is now U.S. government policy to allow Iran to export crude oil and inject billions of dollars into their own economy. At the same time it is still U.S. government policy to prohibit U.S. producers from doing the same. U.S. exports offer a stable source of energy to our allies and decrease their reliance on dictators and state sponsors of terror. Lifting the ban shows that the U.S. is serious about supporting free market rules around the world. We criticize China for not exporting rare earth minerals and yet here we are not exporting crude oil. Removing the ban will give us more credibility when we criticize other nations' export bans. All in all, it is high time we remove the crude oil export ban. Exporting U.S. crude will lower gas prices, increase American jobs, and strengthen our national security. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, athlete, student, daughter, friend, fighter and hero--this was Lauren Hill. At just 19 years old, Lauren fought the beast of cancer on the basketball court as the world watched. As everyone scrambled and stressed filling out their March Madness brackets, hoping to have the perfect bracket, Lauren was battling a brain tumor. Lauren was a freshman basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a high school student when she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. But Lauren wasn't going to let a tumor stop her. She set off to college to achieve her dream: to play on a college court. And of course, she did it. The NCAA allowed Mount St. Joseph move up its opening game so that Lauren could play. Xavier University even offered their arena so more people could come watch her shoot some hoops. Tickets to the game sold out in less than an hour. 10,000 people came to watch Lauren doing what she loves--play basketball. Among the 10,000 was legendary Tennessee Women's Basketball Coach Pat Summitt and some notable WNBA players. Because the tumor had so aggressively attacked the right side of her body, her dominant side, Lauren shot a left-handed layup just 17 seconds into the game. And by no surprise, she made it. But she was not quite done. She made the last basket of the game. This time, she shot the layup with her right hand. One can only imagine what it was like in the arena that day. The spectators were able to watch such a strong soul and example be able to live her dream in spite of her illness. Tears and smiles filled the arena. When she wasn't on the court, Lauren worked to raise awareness and money for cancer research through her nonprofit foundation. She never let the disease define her, because she was Lauren, a college basketball player, who was just doing what she loved. In watching her strength, she has given so many hope--hope that even in the midst of a battle for life, there is faith. As a father of four kids (three of them being girls), and a grandfather of 11 kids (7 of them being girls), I know how special our girls are. Lauren Hill definitely left an impression not only on her team and school community, but the rest of us as well. Thank you Lauren, for so selflessly sharing your story with the world. Thank you for inspiring and encouraging all of us. President Kennedy would have referred to Lauren Hill as a ``profile in courage.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, while Iran pretends to want peace peace, it continues to prepares for war war. While the administration was negotiating a deal regarding Iran's nuclear weapons, Iran was developing new war technology. Iranian news sources indicate that since 2014, Iran has been developing combat suicide drones. This technology uses drones as suicide weapons to destroy jet aircraft, helicopters, and even warships. The drone development includes drones that elude radar, have tracking devices, and fly for hours with a long range. The Iranian Supreme Leader even stated while the nuclear weapon negotiations were taking place that he wants to destroy the United States. Suicide drones are yet one more example that Iran is determined to have military dominance in the Middle East. Iran wants to annihilate Israel and the United States. The United States should not be disillusioned by the Iranian ruse claiming it wants peace. The best hope for the world is for the people of Iran to rid themselves of the warlord mullahs and replace them with a rational, nonaggressive government. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Freedom to say what you believe is a universal human right but certain rulers do not seem to get that. On March 25th, Prayuth Chan-ocha, the junta leader and acting Prime Minister of Thailand warned journalists, ``You don't have to support the government . . . but you should report the truth . . . or we'll probably just execute [you].'' Prayuth and his fellow generals took over the elected government in a coup last May. The country has been under martial law ever since then. Prayuth can ban any political gathering and the military can arrest and detain whoever whenever they want--including journalists. This latest threat should be taken seriously. Freedom of speech is our first amendment for a reason. It's the building block of all other rights and to promote change for the good of the people. The rulers in Thailand should immediately make clear that freedom of speech, including freedom of the press, is a right that all the people of Thailand can and should exercise. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the United States is now the largest crude oil producer in the world, but instead of exporting excess oil like other nations, the United States oil producers are forced to leave oil in the ground. The solution is clear--lift the crude oil ban. We should follow the Blue Bell Ice Cream philosophy: use all you can and sell the rest--here, in this case, abroad. Exports will improve our national security by increasing United States influence around the world. We can make Middle Eastern oil, politics, and their turmoil irrelevant. Europe gets 40 percent of its oil from Russia, and our exports will give Europeans an alternative to Putin's monopoly and will thwart his aggression. Japan and South Korea rely on crude oil from Iran to satisfy their growing energy consumption. Speaking of Iran, Mr. Speaker, because of the deal, it is now U.S. Government policy to eventually allow Iran to export crude oil, but it is U.S. policy to prohibit U.S. producers to do the same. How nutty is that? Lifting the ban will create thousands of jobs, inject billions of dollars into the economy, and help advance our national interests abroad. Make the same deal with America the Government made with Iran-- allow oil exports. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Rice University Rowing team has taken a step to further rowing sports in the City of Houston. To help raise the funds needed to build a water sports facility on Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston, two of the teams coaches will row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. Coaches Mike Matson and David Alviar, attempting to be the first Texans to complete this feat, will begin this massive undertaking in the Canary Islands, and finish on the Caribbean island of Antigua. The duo will take this challenge in a boat named after Ann McCormick Sullivan. Ann Sullivan was a firefighter with Station 68 in Houston when on May 31, 2013 a 5-alarm fire at the Southwest Inn took the lives of 4 brave men and women, including Ann. This deadly fire completely shook the community. Ann was just 24 years old. Coach Mike Matson was a volunteer firefighter in the City of Stafford and had the opportunity to run calls with Ann. Ann, nicknamed ``mighty mouse,'' was a strong, resilient firefighter, who was never afraid to step into danger to help others. Mike recalls training days when Ann would extend the heavy hose full of water to its full length, a task difficult even to the largest men on the squad. Ann lived up to this name, never wavering in her determination. Coach Mike felt that it was fitting that the boat be named after one of Houston's heroes who truly represents the spirit of resilience needed for this race. Under the name Row4Rice the two coaches will raise money to build proper facilities to host rowing, kayaking, canoeing, and other water sports. They have pledged to donate $5,000 to the Ann McCormick Sullivan Foundation to support women in firefighting. Mike, David and the rest of the Rice rowing team are to be congratulated as they begin this massive undertaking in the spirit of one of Houston's heroes. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, anywhere there is someone in the military, there will be chaplains. They are men of God, doing God's work. Bringing faith in a time of misery, pain and sorrow, chaplains serve their spiritual duty on the battlefields alongside our servicemen and women. Chaplains help battle demons in every sense of the word. While their efforts are spiritual in nature, their courage deserves to be celebrated. The Chaplain Corps was created in 1775 by the Continental Congress to be an essential part of the Army while ensuring American soldiers would have spiritual guidance available anytime. The corps is made up of both ordained clergy who are commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers who serve as chaplain assistants and they can be assigned anywhere they are needed. One of the most famous stories about these brave faith warriors is the tale of the Four Chaplains. It was February 3, 1943. The U.S. Army Transport Dorchester made up a three ship convoy that was moving from Newfoundland to an American base in Greenland. The ship was at full capacity, carrying 902 servicemen, merchant seamen and civilian workers. Only 150 miles from its destination, the Dorchester became a quick target for a German submarine. The hit was detrimental. It was 12:55 a.m., when 902 lives were completely turned upside down. The Dorchester began rapidly taking on water. It was sinking. The ship's captain, Hans J. Danielsen, gave orders to abandon the ship. The fate off the ship however was not much better; the icy waters gave many of the men hypothermia, even killing some of them. All alternatives were bleak. The torpedo hit killed and wounded many of the men. Those who were still alive were desperately trying to get aboard lifeboats and rafts and struggling to find life preservers. As mass chaos erupted aboard, four men remained calm and brave. Aboard the ship were four Army chaplains: Lt. George Fox, a Methodist; Lt. Alexander Goode, a Jewish Rabbi; Lt. John Washington, a Roman Catholic Priest; and Lt. Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister. Witnessing the situation in front of them, the chaplains took charge. They began quickly handing out lifejackets, prayers and words of encouragement. Rabbi Goode even gave his own gloves to a soldier. When there were no more lifejackets, the chaplains simply removed their own and handed them out, no questions asked. In a mere 20 minutes, the ship slipped below the surface of the sea, drifting to its final resting place in the Atlantic. 672 men died. Only 230 survived. Among the casualties were the four selfless chaplains. They were an earthly liaison and a light of peace during a time of complete turmoil. It was a German death wish, but death was defeated by faith, the divine won that day at sea. The Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart were awarded posthumously as well as a posthumous Special Medal of Heroism; The Four Chaplains' Medal was approved by Congress and awarded by the President in 1961. They were from different denominations and even religions, but bound together by a God's love and their faith in his eternal promise. The chaplains lived by a uniting example that transcends religions, countries and generations: laying down their lives for others, there is no greater love. The epitome of selflessness, they fought a silent battle. While in a literal sense they lost, they gained all in the eyes of their creator. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, they were tenacious, they were selfless and they were humble. They were the 350,000 women of the greatest generation who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. For many years their altruistic efforts went without recognition. However, these women were the sustaining fuel and energy in helping the U.S. victory during the great WWII. Not only were they the backbone of the nation, they were the backbones of their families. These women represent the word patriot to its fullest extent. Women joined the war effort in two distinct and important ways: Some supported America at home in factories, machine shops and businesses while taking care of their families. Others joined the military and fought the war in uniform. WWII not only changed American history but changed American society. With over 16 million fighting overseas, typical male roles were left open, creating enormous needs throughout the nation. At the request of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, women stepped right in to assume their position in the workforce. The traditional home was forever altered with more women joining the workforce. America was captivated by the new personas of women. Rosie the Riveter served as a constant reminder that women can absolutely do it too. Women were the concrete foundation in what was a man's world. Women were not only wives and mothers; they were the workforce for the ``Arsenal of Democracy''. They were truck drivers, air plane mechanics, lab technicians, radio operators, meteorologists, translators, and photograph analyzers. Mr. Speaker, on a personal note, when my mother, Dorrace Hill, was a teenager she was one of the home front warriors who answered the call. She went to school during the day, and worked 40 hours a week as a receptionist at the Kyle Hotel in Temple, Texas. But she spent a great deal of time as a Red Cross Volunteer and later an employee at McCloskey Army Hospital--later a VA Hospital--caring for wounded GIs. (After Germany surrendered in 1945 my Army Dad, TSGT Virgil Poe, was sent from Europe to nearby Ft Hood TEXAS to be reequipped for the invasion of Japan when WWII ended. He later met and married my mother in Temple, Texas. Now they live in Houston, Texas.) Other women began serving in America's Armed Forces. These volunteers became members of the U.S. Army, and Navy. As nurses they tended sick and wounded throughout the U.S. and the world. They took care of American warriors worldwide. Texas pioneered these efforts for female warriors. Texas was home to the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). These women were the first women in history to fly America's military aircrafts. Texas is the only state where these women completed WASP flight training. Sweetwater, Texas became home to Avenger Field--the only base in history to train exclusively women to fly military aircraft. These women flew all types of military aircraft that would later be used by male pilots in combat. Women would also serve in the U.S. Navy as WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). These would be both in the enlisted and officer ranks. One of the most influential women during the 1940's was Oveta Culp Hobby. It should be no surprise that she was a Texan. Of course! Oveta was the first director of the Women's Army Corps (WAC) the women's branch of the U.S. Army. Oveta paved the way for women warriors, recognizing that women too could serve their country. She went on to become the first secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. From Rosie the Riveter, to my mother, to Oveta Hobby and the thousands more women who served in the home land and foreign lands, they were that remarkable breed of Americans who deserve our utmost thanks. They were the very heart behind the cause. They became role models for future generations. General George S. Patton once remarked that we should thank God that such men as our warriors lived; we should too praise God that such remarkable women lived. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my mother makes wonderful double- chocolate brownies. As a kid, I would take them to school, and the PTA would sell them in the school bake sale to raise money for projects like uniforms for the school band and cheerleaders. When our four kids were in school, they would take brownies for school bake sales as well. And now my grandkids can still use their great-grandmother's brownie recipe for school bake sales. But warning, Mr. Speaker: the Federal school food police are regulating school bake sales. You see, now the government wants to control and, in some cases, prohibit school bake sales in the name of making kids healthier. No more homemade cupcakes, brownies, or baked goods unless they meet government calorie, sugar, and fat standards. Not healthy, sayeth the bake sale police. The Federal Government is becoming the parent of American kids. What is next? Are they going to tell schoolkids what they can wear? Parents and schools should decide whether to have bake sales or not. Uncle Sam doesn't know better. Parents know better. Let Mom's homemade brownies back in the schools. And that's just the way it is. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on March 28, China will open the doors to a new museum in Chongqing. The museum will be dedicated to a group of American fighter pilots and heroes. The group was originally called the American Volunteer Group, though they are now famously referred to as the Flying Tigers. Known for the shark face art on the nose of their planes, the Flying Tigers were a group of volunteers that fought alongside the Chinese in their defense against the Japanese at the beginning of World War II. The group was formed by Claire Chennault, a retired U.S. Army Air Corps Lieutenant General from Commerce, Texas, with permission from President Roosevelt himself. The Flying Tigers were comprised of over 100 pilots who hailed from the United States Army Air Corps, the Navy, and the Marine Corps. Before the creation of the Flying Tigers, Chennault was in China working as an aviation advisor to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and as the director of a Chinese Air Force flight school in Kunming. In 1941, Chiang Kai-Shek sent Chennault to Washington to obtain a war-time loan and some fighter planes, but Chennault came back with much more than that. With directions from the President and in accordance with the Generalissimo, Chennault headed out to recruit pilots to volunteer with him in China. Since the United States was not yet at war, this all had to be done discreetly. These brave men were secretly discharged from their respective units and sent to Burma for training. Within four months, the Flying Tigers were dropped into the battlefield and instantly made a name for themselves. One of the most famous Tigers was David Lee Hill, known by his comrades as ``Tex,'' due to his South Texas heritage. He's remembered as a hero, both in China and back home. He joined the Flying Tigers in 1941, and was credited with destroying over ten Japanese fighter planes in just his first battle in January of 1942. A couple of months after, Tex was officially named squadron leader, where he began planning for his new position and upcoming missions. On May 7th, 1942, the Japanese began building a bridge across the Salween River that would allow them to easily move troops and supplies into China. However, much to the chagrin of the Japanese, Chennault and Tex learned of their plan. Tex led a flight to the river with the intention of blocking Japanese advancement, and the plan proved successful. According to Chennault, this was one of the most critical missions the Flying Tigers would go on to accomplish. In July of 1942, after many successful combat missions, the Flying Tigers were disbanded. Though they're remembered for their successes and heroic air battles, their success came with a price. Lacking resources that typical U.S. air corps had, such as doctors, nurses, fresh food, and maintenance personnel, the Flying Tigers were constantly facing setbacks. Wounds were rarely properly treated and the threat of disease was constant. Sixteen Flying Tigers gave their lives in 1941 and 1942, though not before taking out nearly 300 Japanese aircrafts. After the deactivation, Tex, and five other former Flying Tigers, officially rejoined the United States Army Air Force. On Thanksgiving of 1943, Tex led troops into Formosa where they were heavily outnumbered by the Japanese. Against all odds, his squadron returned home unscathed, despite having downed over 40 Japanese planes. Tex left active duty in 1946, but joined the Air Force Reserves shortly after, where he would serve until his retirement in 1968 as a brigadier general. His career will go down as one of the most impressive in United States military history. He's been inducted into both the National and Texas Aviation Hall of Fames, and has received numerous awards from both the United States and China. Tex and his fellow Flying Tigers, such as Claire Chennault, will go down in history as one of the most selfless and heroic service groups in United States military history. They went to war when they didn't have to, to defend a country to which they held no allegiance. The selfless acts of the Flying Tigers will forever be remembered, and their duty, honor, and character should help guide Americans for years to come. It's no surprise that many of those feisty, tenacious volunteers were from Texas. They would have made the defenders of the Alamo proud. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it was a cold winter morning in Paris just before lunchtime. Two masked men armed with AK-47s approached a woman standing outside the door of the Charlie Hebdo office, forcing her to let them inside. Once inside the doors, they gunned down the security guard in the lobby and ran up to the second floor shouting, ``Where is Charb? Where is Charb?'' Charb was the nickname for the newspaper's editor, Mr. Charbonnier. After reaching their target, they executed him and 10 others. They exited the building shouting, ``Allah Akbar'' or ``God is the Greatest.'' They killed a police officer outside, fled the scene and continued to yell: ``We have revenged the Prophet Muhammad!'' before getting in their car and speeding away. Over the next two days, the French government conducted a massive manhunt for the two masked gunmen. The brothers were on the run for two days until January 9th when police cornered them in a standoff near the Paris' airport where they held one hostage. Later that day, police rescued the hostage and the terrorists were killed, going out just like they wanted in a massive firefight as ``martyrs''. The two men responsible for the initial attack were Cherif and Said Kouachi, brothers with a long history of terrorist connections. A decade ago, Cherif and Said were involved in a Paris jihadi outfit that worked to send French Muslim men to Iraq to fight Americans. Cherif tried to go to Iraq but never made it because French law enforcement arrested him before he could leave the country. In his trial, Cherif said he dreamed of attacking Jewish targets in France before deciding to try to fight in Iraq. Having already spent 3 years in pre-trial detention, Cherif was released. While in detention, Cherif befriended Djamel Beghal, a French-Algerian champion of jihad who was jailed in 2001 for planning an attack on the American Embassy in Paris. Cherif was also connected to a 2010 plot to break out an Algerian Islamist from prison who was in jail for being connected with a 1995 wave of bombings in the Paris Meetro and on regional trains. Perhaps the most dangerous friend the Kouachi brothers made along the way was the late Anwar al-Awlaki--the American born leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. It has now been confirmed that Kouachi met with al-Awklaki in 2011 and that al-Awlaki financed the attack that was apparently in the works years ago. Hours before he met his maker, one of the Kouachi brothers, called in to a French TV station to brag about his terrorist connections: ``We are just telling you that we are the defenders of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and that I, Cherif Kouachi, was sent by al- Qaida in Yemen. . . . And that I went there and that it's imam Al- Awlaki that financed me.'' Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has also claimed responsibility for the attack. We have heard this story before. Young, vulnerable people across the globe are recruited to travel overseas where they are befriended and brainwashed by radical Islamic jihadists who preach hate and murder. Their terrorist mentors indoctrinate and infect them with the cancer of radical Islam and send them back to their home country to inflict terror and kill. The seeds of violent extremism are planted all over the world and the attacks come whether it is days (or in this case years) later. Lately, we have seen this in America where terrorist groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) have targeted and recruited disillusioned young people primarily through the Internet and social media. This is one of the most overlooked weak spots in our national security today. American passport holders who travel overseas to fight with the Islamic State are not going to come back to open coffee shops; they are coming back to kill. We cannot let them come back at all. That is why I have reintroduced the FTO Passport Revocation Act. This legislation would authorize the revocation or denial of passports and passport cards to individuals affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations. The Benedict Arnold traitors who have turned against America and joined the ranks of foreign radical terrorist armies should lose all rights afforded to our citizens. This bill will help law enforcement locate these individuals by preventing them from traveling internationally so that they can be captured and brought to justice. Most important, this legislation will prevent turned Americans from entering the United States under the radar and undetected. As we saw in France, sleeper cells that are well-financed by groups in the Middle East have a longstanding order to attack whenever the time is right. We need to act before, not after, they come back to the United States. The French prime minister said it best: ``We're fighting a war, not a war against a religion, not a war of civilizations, but to defend our values, which are universal. It's a war against terrorism and radical Islamism, against everything that aims to shatter solidarity, liberty, brotherhood.'' The Paris attacks are a reminder that the cancer of radical Islam stretches far beyond the borders of the Middle East. The United States must do everything in its power to contain it outside our borders before the fight once again comes to us. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, right now, this very moment, a woman in Pakistan is hiding from her husband in a squat brick house. She is covered from head to toe, only showing her eyes. She lives in constant fear, every second of the day. Why is she hiding? Because her husband is trying to kill her. An honor killing, it is deemed. And sadly she is not alone. Honor killings in Pakistan are a common practice. When it is believed a woman has brought dishonor to her family or gone against their will, she is murdered. But there is nothing honorable in hacking, beating or stoning a woman--a wife, a mother, a sister--to death. The existing laws do not protect women from this unthinkable crime, because the idea is supported by the local community. No woman should have to live in constant fear of the man she married, because Mr. Speaker, there is no such thing as an honor killing. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, God, family and country. Those three words are a life motto for one of my constituents, Robert ``Bob'' Lee Wilkinson. Bob is a God-fearing father, grandfather and veteran, who will be celebrating his 80th Birthday this March. After graduating from Shawnee High School in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1954, Bob joined the US Army. He was just 19 years old. His love of country drove him to the armed forces. For three years Bob served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps where he was stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He became a Specialist 2nd Class with top security clearance. Upon receiving an Honorable Discharge, utilizing the GI Bill, Bob attended Oklahoma Baptist University. He graduated with a degree in business administration. He embarked on a successful 38 year career in Human Resources as a Human Resources Executive. Bob met and married his wife, DeLora, shortly after returning to Shawnee from the Army. Bob began his HR career while still in college, working part time at Oklahoma Gas and Electric. After graduation, he became the HR manager for Wonder Bread and Hostess Cakes in Oklahoma City. Bob was recruited to Dallas to join a startup company, Texas Instruments. At Texas Instruments, he became World Wide HR Director, which transferred him all to different cities all over the Lone Star State. One of these cities being Houston, where Bob lives today. After 19 years with Texas Instruments, Bob went to work for Compaq Computer, serving as their HR Director for 17 years. From there he went with Drake, Beam Morin, and a Human Recourse Outsourcing Firm. Bob's contribution to HR was quite the journey and it thankfully led him to the Promised Land, Texas, and we are so glad it did. Texas and Oklahoma are grateful for Bob's passion in HR and his willingness to help others. Bob and DeLora spend their free time traveling to the plains of Montana to visit family. They have two daughters and three grandchildren. You can find them involved in the community and political activities. 2015 will be quite the year for Bob Wilkinson. He celebrates his 80th Birthday on March 13 and this coming May, Bob and DeLora will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary. Congrats to a life and marriage well spent. It is obvious that God, family and country really have been the driving forces in your life, Bob. I am proud to have you as one of my many neighbors in Houston. I thank you for your service to our great country. I join not only your friends and family, but the entire community when I say, Happy Birthday Bob! And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the nation of Israel is surrounded by some mean, aggressive neighbors that want Israel destroyed. The leader of the pack of jackals is Iran. The Supreme Leader of Iran has made it clear he wants the Jewish state to vanish into the sands of time. Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel will be here tomorrow to speak to Congress on the serious plight that Israel faces from our mutual enemy, Iran. The White House is snubbing the head of state because Congress supposedly violated protocol with the invite. Meanwhile, the White House is blissfully working on a backroom deal with Iran regarding their nuclear weapon program, a deal that will end up to be good for Iran, with a short pause in work on its nuclear enrichment. Mr. Speaker, Israel is the lone star state in the Middle East for freedom. So on this Texas Independence Day and on behalf of the people of the State of Texas, the Lone Star State, I want to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak candidly and openly about the true threat from the jackal of the desert, Iran. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to wish a Houston icon, constituent and TV anchor Don Nelson a happy retirement. Don has been a voice to Texans for 39 years and I have known him most of that time. In those 39 years, Don has just about done it all. He did broadcasting at a radio station in Pennsylvania after serving in the U.S. Air Force for 4 years. And then worked in radio in West Virginia and New Mexico before he made it to the promise land, Texas when ABC 13 News hired him. From hosting ``Dialing For Dollars,'' ``Good Morning Houston,'' covering traffic, and interviewing celebrities, sports stars and rodeo entertainers, Don is quite the commentator. Don's genuine, happy personality and work ethic really have made Houston's morning news number one. Our morning commutes won't be the same without him. Hats off to you, Don. You can now sleep in and enjoy your morning coffee. The people of Houston extend our deepest appreciation. Congrats on your retirement, you have earned it. Best wishes in the next chapter of your life. You are quite the legend in local broadcasting. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when this Administration doesn't get its way, it sets aside the Constitution and does what it wants anyway. Much to the displeasure of the White House, Congress has defended the Second Amendment from the President's efforts to infringe on Americans' right to bear arms. So, the White House has now announced through an executive edict by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) a ban on common rifle ammunition used by millions of law abiding gun owners in the United States. Instead of addressing the problem, those who unlawfully possess and use firearms, the ATF is now focused on disarming those who follow the law and exercise their constitutionally protected right. ATF's own mission statement says its duty is to protect our communities from dangers like ``violent criminals'' and ``acts of terrorism.'' Mission aborted. Suppressing the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans for political points is its new objective. This country was founded on a system of checks and balances with certain enumerated powers and limitations. Restricted power is not always convenient, but that's what our Founders intended. This Administration views the Constitution as a suggestion and not the law of the land. It views Congress as a nuisance that gets in the way of its agenda. So, it has used almost every agency of non-elected bureaucrats to achieve a political goal by bullying through kicking, stomping and ignoring the constitutional rights of the people. The President cannot obtain his government oppression of rights through the lawful legislative process. Thus the IRS targeting conservative organizations; the FCC imposing an unprecedented system to control the Internet; HHS restricting the religious liberty of companies; the Department of Justice wiretapping reporters to silence them; the NSA snooping on millions of Americans without a warrant; and the Department of Homeland Security imposing amnesty on this nation are clear violations of the Constitution. There are many other examples and now the ATF's proposal to ban AR-15 ammo is further proof that this Administration sees the Constitution as a mere suggestion, rather than the law of the land. The natural right to bear arms is long ingrained in the soul of the people of this nation. The Administration forgets that America's War of Independence started when King George's Redcoats tried-- unsuccessfully--to take the firearms away from the colonists. Further the Texas War of Independence began in a similar way when the Mexican Dictator tried--unsuccessfully--to take away the guns of Texans in 1835. The guarantees of the Second Amendment are intertwined in our nation's history, and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land whether or not it's convenient to the Administration. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday, the boys from Kingwood Park High School in Houston, Texas won another state swim title. This marks the fourth state championship for the high school. According to the team's head coach, Greg McLain, this wasn't even supposed to happen. But, he said that they believed in each other and worked hard, noting that they didn't do it with superstars, but ``as a team.'' The Kingwood Park Panthers swim team pays homage to the old saying: ``when it comes to talent versus hard work, hard work will always win.'' Congrats to Kingwood Park's State Championship team: David Amoruso, Spencer Balog, Brenden Bennett, Austin Bradshaw, Eric Broussard, Matt Crowe, Trae Floyd, Christian Frey, David Johnson, John Johnson, Hunter Lang, Ryan Logan, Sam Poulin, Tate Stevens. Go Panthers! And that's just the way it is.