Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I call these groups the victims' posse that helps us in this issue. The last thing I want to mention, Mr. Speaker, is I used to prosecute criminals. I was a judge in criminal court for 22 years. Sexual assault is what it is called now, but the crime really is rape. It is rape of America's greatest resource: children. We cannot tolerate this. We ask sometimes: Why are we even here? Well, I can tell you why we are here. We are here to make sure that all Americans, including American children and those immigrants that have been sold into the United States, are protected from crimes like rape. Mr. Speaker, children are not for sale. I am glad to see that the House is making sure that they will not be for sale in the future. I thank the gentlelady for the time. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, it is worth noting that this effort to combat human trafficking in the United States, in my opinion, is led by the ladies of the House on both sides, the Republicans and the Democrats. The spunk of my friend from Missouri and all of the others who have spoken and will speak later on these pieces of legislation is obvious. There are 12 bills, Mr. Speaker. They are bipartisan bills on one subject. As long as I have been here, I have never seen so much attention by all Members of the House on both sides of the aisle moving and trying to fix a problem as this. Twelve pieces of legislation--many of those passed last year, they just never got voted on in the Senate--and we are bringing them up again. Once again, it is the ladies to whom America owes a great gratitude to. My grandmother used to say that there is nothing more powerful than a woman who has made up her mind. The ladies of the House have made up their mind on the issue of trafficking. They are not going to tolerate it, and neither are the rest of us. Mr. Speaker, it is ironic to me that this tremendous amount of legislation--this important subject--is getting so little play in the national media. It seems that the media and America, I guess, is more concerned about the disappearance of air in footballs than they are about the disappearance of America's children that are being trafficked across the United States. The worst thing that is taking place among our youth is the slavery that is happening to them. The runaways, the throwaways, and the stowaways of America's children are disappearing into this scourge of slavery, as it has been rightfully called. Many of us remember how we got involved in trying to prevent this. My first experience was meeting a little girl in Peru at the age of 7 whose name is Lilly. Lilly could not speak because of the numerous assaults that had been committed against her before she was rescued. It is not just kids in South America or Central America or overseas; it is America's children that are being trafficked. We have to make it clear that these young girls, primarily, that are on the streets and that are being sold and bartered by these slave masters are not criminals. These are not prostitutes. These are victims of crimes. America needs to change its focus and its understanding that when we see that occurring, that person is a victim, not a criminal. As has been mentioned, Mr. Speaker, this is one of the leading ways that criminal organizations are making money because, in the drug trade, you get drugs and you sell them one time; plus the risk of apprehension is greater for drug sales than with the selling of kids. Children can be sold multiples times a night, and they are. When the trafficker is captured, very often, nothing happens, so that is why this lucrative trade continues to make money, but it also continues to make money because there is a demand in this country for this scourge. These men, primarily, that abuse children are criminals. They are sex offenders. They are child molesters. Some call them johns. They are not johns. John was a good guy. He is in the Bible. Why would we call them that? They are child molesters, and we need to recognize them for what they are. We need to know who they are. Their names need to be published, and they need to go to jail for what they do because we have to go after the demand. That is why I have introduced the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act along with my friend Carolyn Maloney from New York. Carolyn Maloney--a New York Democrat and a Texas conservative Republican, that is just about as bipartisan as you can get, Mr. Speaker. We are separated by a common language, to coin the phrase; but on this issue, like most Members of the House, we are united that we are going to stop this. This bill does a few things. It goes after the trafficker, the slave master. It helps law enforcement capture them and put them in jail. That is why we build prisons. Then it goes after the victim--the child--rescues them, restores them, and finds a place for them. Did you know, Mr. Speaker, that in the United States, according to the Humane Society, there are about 3,000 animal shelters? We need them all. I have got three Dalmatians. I got one of them from a shelter in Dallas. I call him the weapon of mass destruction. We need those shelters. But did you know that, according to Shared Hope International, there are only about 300 beds for minor sex-trafficked victims in the United States? That ought not to be. They need more places to go when the police rescue them. God bless the police. Many times, when they find these children, they know they are sex-trafficked victims, but there is no place to put them, so they put them in the juvenile justice system. That is not a good idea, but that is the only place they are safe. We need to find residences and homes for them. That is what this bill does. The third thing it does is it goes after the demand, the person in the middle, the customer that abuses children, the rapist. We are going after those guys, Mr. Speaker. The days of ``boys being boys'' is over. Those people are going to be arrested and prosecuted for the crimes that they have committed. Mr. Speaker, I insert into the Record some of the numerous anti- trafficking organizations that have helped all of us in this legislation. Anti-trafficking, Child Welfare, and Law Enforcement Organizations Children at Risk (Houston), Rights for Girls, Shared Hope International, End Child Prostitution and Trafficking--USA, National Children's Alliance, National Association to Protect Children, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Equality Now, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Fraternal of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Criminal Justice Association, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, ``Our diplomacy is at work with respect to Iran where, for the first time in a decade, we have halted the progress of its nuclear program and reduced its stockpile of nuclear material.'' This absurd claim by the President last week earned him three Pinocchios from The Washington Post. Many disagree, including a former International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, official, who says: It appears that the production of centrifuge components continues. No new nuclear components have been installed, but it does not mean that the production of those came to a halt. For over a decade, the United States, along with the rest of the U.N. Security Council, has tried, but failed, to reach a deal with Tehran on its nuclear weapon program. Iran has defiantly marched toward developing nuclear weapons, while refusing to negotiate with the United States in good faith. Instead, its leaders have continued to call for the destruction of Israel and the destruction of the United States. Now, isn't that lovely. Just this November, in the midst of nuclear negotiations, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps released this statement: The United States is still the great Satan and number one enemy of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation. Iran's actions over the years are not surprising. After all, it is the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. Using both its own military operatives and its proxy, Hezbollah, Iran has planned attacks, terror, and murder throughout the globe. Hezbollah is the puppet, but Iran pulls the strings. Finally, after years of Iran stalling and defying calls to halt its nuclear weapon development, the West played hardball with sanctions, primarily targeting Iran's bank and energy industries. The sanctions worked. Iran's GDP dropped for the first time in 20 years, and Iran finally came to the negotiating table. Then came the white flag and the great retreat of 2013. The administration relaxed sanctions just when Iran was beginning to feel the consequences of its actions. Relaxing sanctions has helped Iran, helped its economy, and resulted in Iran reverting to its defiant ways. Mr. Speaker, sanctions worked. Now is not the time to retreat, appease and play the Chamberlain. If anything, we should increase sanctions. Congress is trying to do that, but the President has now publicly told Congress--and Iran--that he will veto any legislation that increases sanctions. This seems to be at odds with United States national security. Negotiators in Europe and the U.S. want to relax sanctions. They are acting like timid sheep. They cannot lay down with the jackal of the desert, Iran, for they shall be his mutton meal. Mr. Speaker, loosening up on sanctions is foolish, dangerous, and not dealing in reality. Further, the Iranian negotiations do not even discuss intercontinental ballistic missiles. Why is Iran building intercontinental ballistic missiles? Prime Minister Netanyahu said it best: Iran isn't building ICBMs for Israel. They have missiles that can hit us. They are building ICBMs to hit America. Iran wants ICBMs to carry a nuclear weapon across the pond to us, the U.S. A top adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently said: Obama is the weakest of all U.S. Presidents. Now is the time for the leader of the free world to prove Iran wrong. The world, including our enemies, are watching. The U.S. must make it clear and unequivocal: there will be no reductions in sanctions without verified steps to show that Tehran is abandoning, not just freezing, its nuclear weapon program. If Iran obtains nukes, the consequences are all bad. Israel will be less secure. The United States will be less secure. Other nations, like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, will all seek and obtain nukes to balance power in the Middle East. The Iranian Government cannot be dealt with like normal countries. This ``hug diplomacy'' with them is not in the national security interest of the U.S. Their Supreme Leader has never wavered on his religious and political agenda to destroy the United States. Iran must be forced to cease its nuclear weapon program by sanctions. We must impose such sanctions that cripple Iran's economy to force the Iranians to stop their nuclear weapon development. And hopefully at some point the people of Iran will soon have had enough warmongering by its leaders and replace their government. And, Mr. Speaker, that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in the trenches of the Argonne Forrest in northeastern France, sat thousands of allied troops. It was the fall of 1918, it was World War I. The battle was muddy, rainy and most of all it was bloody. It was one of the largest and deadliest battles in U.S. military history, involving over a million American soldiers. Among the masses, in the front line trenches, sat James Vernon ``Pinky'' Wilson, a marine from Texas, who amidst chaos felt called to write what would become one of the most famous songs in college history, the Aggie War Hymn. Pinky Wilson grew up in the small Texas town of Florence, about 30 miles north of Austin. In 1917, he was a junior enrolled at Texas A&M University when he volunteered to serve our country in World War I. Wilson fought with the 6th Marine Regiment and by choice he became buck private in the Marine Corps, turning down two commissions, remaining a buck private throughout his military career. Not long after joining his Marine outfit as a replacement, Wilson saw firsthand the rigorous and relentless fighting in the Champagne area of France. In November of 1918, Wilson found himself right in the middle of the Battle of the Argonne Forrest. By the time Wilson took his first muddy spot in the trenches, the battle had been waging on for 37 days. For the remaining days, the Germans gave everything they had, fighting to the death. Knowing that the end was near, the Germans were desperate to try and steer the war in their favor. They bombarded and pelted the Marines with infantry, artillery, and machine gun fire. While sitting in the foxhole watching this bloodbath unfold before him, Wilson was struck with an idea. In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News in 1975, Wilson recalled that it was during the Champagne battle he had a running idea of writing a song. A fight song that a quartet would sing for Texas A&M. He took out a pencil and some letters from home and began scribbling the lines of the song that would become one of the most recognizable songs in Texas history. Wilson sat with his lyrics in the trenches until the war was over. Since he wrote the song and knew it perfectly in his head, melody, lyrics and all, he never bothered to keep the original copy he wrote. The tenor of the War Hymn as it was officially named, takes digs at the arch rival of Texas A&M, the University of Texas Longhorns. By the time the Battle of the Argonne Forrest was over, it had been a 47 day nightmare that the allies were able to wake up from. And they woke up victorious, the war was over. The bloody battle that began on September 26, 1918, concluded World War I. It lasted until the Armistice, on November 11, 1918. What is remarkable about the class of 1917 at Texas A&M University is that they all volunteered to serve our country. Some as officers and some as enlisted men. These men went on to fight in World War I to serve and protect America and her freedoms. They were the fathers of the Greatest Generation. They came back and had families, instilling the same sense of selfless service in their sons and younger generation. When World War II started, the entire graduating classes of 1941 and 1942 at Texas A&M University did the exact same thing; they all volunteered to serve our country. The Aggies at A&M have a long tradition of service to the military. A&M commissions so many officers into our military that the number rivals our service academies. Much like the writing of our Star Spangled Banner, the Aggie War Hymn was born from a place of true patriotism during a time of pure terror and a fight for freedom. While the original version that Wilson wrote had a first verse, the second verse makes up the war hymn. And still, almost 100 years later, this second verse marks one of the most notable and famous A&M traditions. After the war, Wilson eventually returned to A&M to earn a degree and graduate with the class of 1920. He went on to become a successful Texas Rancher. His alma mater will be forever grateful for his contribution to not only his school, but to the State of Texas and his country. To quote the Aggie War Hymn, ``Rough tough, real stuff, Texas A&M,''--those Aggies who fought in WWI, WWII and those who have served and are currently serving our country embody this line to the fullest extent. James Vernon ``Pinky'' Wilson is one of the remarkable men who answered the call of his country. There truly are none quite like the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggie spirit is engrained and rooted deep into Texas A&M. They are hard core patriots, committed cadets and forever rivals of the University of Texas. They are and will always be the pulse of Texas A&M. Gig 'em. And that's just the way it is. The Aggie War Hymn (By Pinky Wilson) Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck! Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck! First Verse All hail to dear old Texas A&M Rally around Maroon and White Good luck to dear old Texas Aggies They are the boys who show the real old fight That good old Aggie spirit thrills us And makes us yell and yell and yell So let's fight for dear old Texas A&M We're going to beat you all to Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem Rough Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M! Second Verse Good-bye to Texas university So long to the orange and the white Good luck to dear old Texas Aggies They are the boys that show the real old fight ``The eyes of Texas are upon you . . .'' That is the song they sing so well So good-bye to Texas university We're going to beat you all to Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem Rough Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M!

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, for years, Texas college football has been dominated by Texas and Texas A&M, both of which are large public universities. So how have a couple of small, private, Christian institutions like Baylor and TCU dethroned the kings of Texas football and become the top two programs in the state? It's simple really--their success has been built on good coaching. While the Longhorns and Aggies consistently bring in top ranked recruiting classes, Baylor and TCU typically bring in much less heralded players, yet have had more success. This means that these two programs have coaches who can turn what most consider to be ``lesser'' talent into better football players. They each hired relative unknowns to guide their programs. Baylor put its faith in Art Briles while TCU put its in Gary Patterson. Both Briles and Patterson come from similarly humble backgrounds and have developed strong work ethics and good attitudes. Briles hails from a small town in West Texas called Rule, where his father was the head football coach at the local high school. Briles played for his father and went on to become an all-state quarterback, earning a scholarship to the University of Houston where he played wide receiver for legendary Coach Bill Yeoman. On their way to watch Art play in the 1977 Cotton Bowl, his parents and aunt died in a tragic car crash. Though Coach Yeoman knew about this before the game started, he didn't tell Art until after the game was over. Briles went on to transfer to Texas Tech so that he could be closer to his girlfriend who was a student there at the time. They are now happily married. Prior to his coaching career, Briles earned his master's in education from Abilene Christian University, my alma mater. He would go on to become one of the most successful high school coaches in Texas history, winning four state titles at Stephenville. After coaching at Stephenville, Briles moved on to Texas Tech as an assistant and to Houston as its head coach. Then, in 2008, after a remarkable turnaround at Houston, he was hired by Baylor in hopes that he could do the same for their program. Flash forward to 2015, and Briles has just finished coaching the team to its second straight Big XII conference title, which seemed virtually unimaginable before he arrived. TCU's Coach Gary Patterson also comes from humble roots. He grew up in a small town in Kansas called Rozel and played football at Dodge City Community College before transferring to Kansas State. After graduating from Kansas State, Patterson became a grad assistant there before moving up the ranks at several small schools around the country. In 1998 he was hired as TCU's defensive coordinator and would be named the head coach just two years later. Briles and Patterson have each enjoyed huge amounts of success, but got there through different means. Patterson is known as a defensive mastermind and is one of the only coaches in history to win the national Coach of the Year award more than once. Briles, oppositely, is an offensive tactician and has engineered one of the greatest program turnarounds in recent memory. Both Baylor and TCU were low level football programs when Briles and Patterson arrived. Baylor was considered one of the worst football programs in the country, regularly winning only one or two games per season. TCU had just been left out of the Big 12 and were now members of the Western Athletic Conference, which isn't even a football conference anymore. Now, both are considered two of the top coaches in America and have brought back respect to these once forgotten programs. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the recent announcement of Houston Astros legend Craig Biggio's entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame is an achievement long in the making. In his franchise record 20 seasons with the Houston Astros organization, Biggio was loved by fans for his work on and off the field. On the field, Biggio holds Houston Astros franchise records in games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, and extra base hits. Biggio has played in seven all-star games, won five Silver Sluggers awards, and four Gold Gloves. However, off the field is where Biggio has really shined. He's a supporter of the Sunshine Kids Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing positive group activities and emotional support for kids receiving cancer treatment. In 2007, Biggio received the Roberto Clemente award for best exemplifying the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and individual contribution to his team. A dedicated family man, Biggio has been married to his wife, Patty, for 22 years. He also has two sons, Conor and Cavan, and a daughter, Quinn. Biggio is currently a baseball coach at St. Thomas High School in Houston and has led the Eagles to back-to-back TAPPS 5A State Championships. His achievements speak for themselves. I'm proud to have known him and proud to be able to call him a fellow Houstonian. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for bringing this resolution to the House floor so quickly. Mr. Speaker, it was a cold winter morning in Paris just before lunchtime when two masked men with AK-47s approached a woman standing outside the door of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper, forcing her to let them in. Once inside the door, they gunned down the security guard in the lobby and ran up to the second floor shouting, ``Where is Charb? Where is Charb?'' Charb is the nickname of the newspaper's editor, Mr. Charbonnier. After reaching their target, they executed him and 10 others. They exited the building shouting, ``Allahu Akbar,'' or ``God is the greatest.'' Then they sped off. They would kill an injured Muslim police officer lying on the ground before they fled. The two terrorists got away, but not for long. French law enforcement found and killed the men in a standoff near the Paris airport. That same day, another terrorist killed a female police officer and attacked a kosher supermarket and murdered four Jewish men. Once again, French law enforcement took care of the terrorists and rescued the hostages. These terrorists killed because they didn't like what people had to say. Mr. Speaker, it is a fundamental human right to have freedom of expression, freedom of press, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. No amount of violence can take those rights away from us. It is basic. Mr. Speaker, this resolution says we are not going to let Islamic radical terrorists steal those rights from anyone, whether it is the French, whether it is someone else in the world or even here in America. Mr. Speaker, after all, they killed at the kosher cafe because they not only didn't like what people were saying, they didn't like those people because they were Jews. France did an excellent job bringing swift justice down on these terrorists, but the fight is certainly not over. There may be, and probably are, hundreds of others around the world plotting to kill neighbors and countrymen and people in other Nations because those terrorists don't agree with what those people say or what those people look like or what those people's personal religion may be. They think they have the right to kill in the name of a radical Islamic religion. Mr. Speaker, the threat is serious and it is deadly. This resolution remembers those folks who were killed because they believed the way they did or because they looked the way they looked or because their religion was different than others. We mourn when the French mourn. As stated earlier, the French are our oldest and first ally. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have two portraits in this House Chamber, one of George Washington and one of Lafayette, the first great Frenchman who helped the United States. We have a close bond with the French. And it is important that we let them, the world, and especially the terrorists know that our bond with freedom-loving countries will remain strong, especially in time of need, when people are attacked because of their beliefs and the idea that they can express a difference of opinion. I want to congratulate French law enforcement for their speedy and quick resolve in disposing of these terrorists, and we should let them know that we appreciate all law enforcement who fight back against terrorists who want to kill us because we don't agree with them. Once again, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for bringing this resolution to the House floor.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, two years ago, one of my constituents--Mr. Victor Lovelady--was killed in Algeria after being taken captive by terrorists. Before his death, Victor displayed some of the very best qualities of the American spirit: courage, compassion, and selflessness. I would like to take a moment to tell you his story. Like many Americans, Victor Lovelady was a hard worker who put in long hours to provide for his family of four. For most of his life, Victor worked as an industrial engineer and master electrician in his hometown of Nederland, Texas. However, when work in his area slowed, he spent nearly three years traveling back and forth daily to work in Houston from Nederland. He did this so that his children would not have to change schools. The 150 mile round trip was an hour and a half each way. After his kids finished high school, Victor moved to Atascocita, Texas (25 miles north of Houston) where I live Congressional District 2. Victor never had a pension plan and always had to pay his family's insurance by himself. He never had more than two weeks off in a year. He longed to be able to retire and spend more time with his wife and children. When Victor was given the opportunity to work overseas for British Petroleum he weighed the pros and cons. He knew a few years at this new job would provide him with enough money to retire and be with his family. He also believed that working in Africa would be safe. On January 9, 2013, Victor arrived in the remote area of In Amenas, Algeria to begin his new job at the BP Gas facility. In the early hours of January 16th, an army of gun wielding terrorists crashed their trucks through the gates of the gas plant. Within minutes they had seized control of the facility and held hundreds of its employees hostage. Victor Lovelady and several other workers were having tea when suddenly a colleague entered the cantina with a gunshot wound to his stomach. The man had been shot when Mokhtar Belmokhtar's al-Qaeda linked terrorists stormed the facility and opened fire on the innocent workers. Putting thoughts of himself aside and disregarding the sound of gunfire, Victor began cleaning and dressing the man's wound. Victor then hid him in a food container for his safety. Even as the sound of gunshots grew louder and louder, Victor immediately lifted other men into the cantina's false ceiling to hide them from the attackers. In total, Victor secretly secured three men into the ceiling hiding spot. Heavily armed jihadists were going room to room at the plant to capture victims. Only when it sounded like the militants had finally entered the cantina did Victor quickly try to hide and save himself. Unfortunately, he fell and injured his ankle attempting to climb into the ceiling. Moments later, the terrorists captured him and held him hostage. The facility was under the control of the terrorists for three grueling days. Hostages were rounded up one by one, handcuffed and strapped with explosive devices. The terrorists were threatening to blow them up if the U.S. and Algeria did not release jihadi prisoners. Sadly, Victor was killed when Algerian military forces moved in to rescue the victims and attack the terrorists. In total 40 civilians from 10 countries were killed by the terrorists and in the rescue attempt. 29 terrorists were also killed. Victor's selfless and heroic actions saved four lives that day. A once ordinary man became extraordinary in the face of danger and violence. Courage like this should be applauded and remembered. This is why I nominated Mr. Lovelady for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is our nation's highest civilian honor and recognizes individuals who have made ``an especially meritorious contribution'' to our society. It is clear that Victor Lovelady not only meets, but exceeds this standard. The events in Algeria last year have disappeared from public view in the sands of time. The media has moved on to other tragic events. There have been more terrorist attacks throughout the world. Americans and non-Americans have been murdered. But it is the Americans such as Victor that we should always remember and honor. While we continue to mourn their loss we should, to paraphrase General George Patton: ``Thank God that such people ever lived.'' Two years after his death, Victor Lovelady may not be a household name, but there is no doubt that he is an American hero. He worked hard to provide an honest living and when in danger, thought first to protect others instead of himself. When people hear Victor's story today, they are inspired because of his acts of bravery, conviction, and compassion--in other words, to act as a true American. Four people live today, because Victor died hiding them. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and all of our colleagues take a moment today to remember the heroism of Victor Lovelady. Our prayers are also with his wife, Maureen, and his two children, Erin and Grant, who carry on his legacy. I am honored to call this Texan my constituent and we will continue to honor the sacrifice he made as a courageous husband, father, and American. Victor Lovelady was from an amazing breed--the American breed. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the President addresses the Union tonight, promising more government, more spending, and more taxes. Obviously the President did not read the November memo from America. The majority of the Union rejected the President's policies in the election of persistent Big Government. King George III and the British imposed the Stamp Act 250 years ago this year. The colonists decried the new tax. Higher taxes and more confiscation of property and wealth is not a sound solution; after all, taxes are already too high; after all, revenue into the Federal coffers is at a record level; after all, Americans are already hammered by ObamaCare taxes; and after all, raising taxes is not a proven economic theory to grow the economy. We need less tax. We should consider the fair tax that does not discriminate in taxation. The President should remember history and not follow the old failed policy of King George III of more taxes but should pivot the Union to less taxation, less government, and more freedom for our citizens. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, a 10-year-old girl walked into a crowded Nigerian market with a bomb strapped around her body. She walked through a metal detector, and the bomb exploded, killing her and dozens around her. The device reportedly was controlled by Boko Haram terrorists. Days earlier, Boko Haram invaded the town of Baga, Nigeria, armed with grenades, explosives, and assault rifles. News reports say up to 2,000 bodies have been found, many of them children and the elderly who could not escape. Boko Haram means ``Western education is sinful.'' They have inflicted genocide in their reign of terror in Nigeria. Their goal is to impose shari'a law in that country. This al Qaeda-affiliated group of thugs, bandits, and outlaws slaughter both Christians and Muslims in the name of religion. 10,000 people were killed last year in Boko Haram terror. Boko Haram abducted 200 Nigerian girls and made sex slaves out of them. These girls are still missing. Mr. Speaker, Boko Haram is not going away. They are part of the cancer of radical Islamic terror that has to be eliminated. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman. When laws are not enforced, there is chaos, especially if the security laws are not enforced. So Madam Chair, as the President said, I am obligated to enforce the law because, Madam Chairman, the Constitution is not a mere suggestion, whether the other side likes it or not. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chair, ``America is a Nation of laws, which means, I, as the President, am obligated to enforce the law. I don't have a choice about that. That is part of my job. ``With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that is just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed. ``There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply, through executive order, ignore those congressional mandates, would not conform with my appropriate role as President.'' Those are the words of the former constitutional law professor, and now President, on March 28, 2011. Those very words condemn executive amnesty. The United States is ruled by law, not by one person. The United States is not a monarchy. If it were, we would have kept King George III. The executive amnesty is not only unconstitutional, Madam Chair, it is at cross-purposes to security. The Department of Homeland Security cannot secure the U.S. border, no matter how many programs and how much money we spend on homeland security, as long as the Executive undermines law and security by unilaterally ignoring those very security laws. We can give all the money we want to the Department of Homeland Security, but that doesn't do any good if we do not make sure the law is enforced. Madam Chairman, we will use this example that has already been used by my friend, Mr. Culberson. We have tax laws in this country. God knows we have too many tax laws in this country. But if the Executive makes a decision, I am just going to ignore these tax laws for a certain group of people, none of us would like that. The Executive doesn't have that authority to just ignore law for whatever reason, even if it is a good reason, because that does not establish the constitutional power of who the Executive is. Madam Chair, those of us in Texas have a vested interest in homeland security. The United States border with Mexico is almost 2,000 miles. Sixty percent of the border is in Texas. Forty-five percent of the entire border is in one Member's district, Mr. Will Hurd. The Texas border with Mexico is the distance from New Orleans to Washington, D.C. We have got a vested interest in border security and the rule of law, because failure to enforce the rule of law affects people on the border. It affects American citizens. It affects legal immigrants. Now, there is a lot that has been said about immigration. I am for immigration. We do need some changes in immigration. The United States allows a million people to legally come into the United States. But when laws are enforced, there is order. When law is not enforced, there is chaos.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, around 11 a.m. on January 7, on a cold winter day in Paris, France, two men armed with AK-47s forced a woman entering the offices of a French newspaper to let them in. After murdering the security guard in the lobby, they ran up to the second floor and shouted, ``Where is Charb? Where is Charb?'' Charb is the nickname for the newspaper's editor, Mr. Charbonnier. Over the next 5 minutes, the two men would seek out and execute Mr. Charbonnier and 10 other people in the newspaper. They left the building, shouting the Islamic phrase, ``Allah Akbar'' or ``God is the greatest.'' They then murdered a policeman, ran back to their car, shouting, ``We have revenged the Prophet Muhammad.'' You see, Madam Speaker, these killers murdered because the paper exercised the human right of free speech and a free press. The assassin brothers were on the run for 2 days, but on January 9, the police cornered them at a standoff near the Paris airport. The police rescued a hostage, and the brothers were killed, going out just like they wanted to, in a massive firefight as martyrs. On the same day, another gunman, but an accomplice of the two brothers, took hostages at a kosher grocery store on the east side of Paris. Police stormed the grocery store and killed the terrorist, but not before he had murdered Jewish hostages. You see, Madam Speaker, these three killed because people disagreed with them. They killed the Jews because they were Jews. They killed the people at the newspaper because they had the audacity to print things that these folks--these terrorists--did not approve of. The French authorities did a superb job hunting down and killing these terrorists. The two brothers responsible for the initial attack have a history of terrorist activities. One brother said he even dreamed of killing Jews in France. Hours before one of them met his Maker, they called a French TV station, saying, ``We are telling you that we are defenders of the Prophet--peace and blessings be upon him--and that I was sent by al Qaeda in Yemen and that I went there, and it is the imam al-Awlaki that financed me.'' Yes, Madam Speaker, we have heard this before, young people traveling overseas where they meet radical Islamic jihadists who preach hate and murder in the name of religion. They are indoctrinated and infected with the cancer of radical Islam and sent back to their home country to inflict terror and kill men, women, and children. They kill in the name of their radical religious beliefs. We are even seeing this in the United States. Groups like ISIS are encouraging Americans to join their reign of terror. Americans who travel overseas to fight with ISIS are not coming back home to America to open coffee shops. They are coming back to do mischief and kill us. That is why I have introduced and reintroduced the FTO Passport Revocation Act that would authorize the revocation or denial of passports to individuals affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations. The Benedict Arnold traitors who turn against America and join the ranks of foreign radical terrorist organizations should lose their rights. This bill will help law enforcement locate these individuals by preventing them from traveling internationally so they can be captured and brought to justice. Most importantly, this legislation will prevent traitor Americans from entering the United States undetected. Madam Speaker, the French people held a solidarity rally in honor of the murdered. It was also a statement of freedom. Some estimated over 2 million attended the rally in Paris. Marching arm in arm with French President Hollande were 40 world leaders, including German Chancellor Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Abbas. Unfortunately, the United States President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State did not choose to show up and support this solidarity meeting. That is unfortunate. The French are a close ally and our oldest ally. We have a portrait of the great Frenchman Lafayette in this very Chamber across the way from George Washington. Freedom is under attack by these terrorists. They are a threat to civilization, order, and liberty. The United States should be more outspoken in our support for the French people and our opposition to terror. We should support our allies like the French and mourn when they mourn and be resolved to track terrorists down anywhere in the world where they are. They are at war with us, Madam Speaker. The French Prime Minister said it best: We are fighting a war, not a war against religion, not a war of civilizations, but to defend our values, which are universal. It is a war against terrorism and radical Islam, against everything that aims to shatter solidarity, liberty, and brotherhood. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this week 226 years ago, the first presidential election in United States history was held across the 13 original colonies. Nowadays things change in the blink of an eye, so one can imagine how much our country has changed in 226 years. Texas was still a part of the Spanish Empire in 1789 and the United States had just recently gained its independence from the British Empire. Back then, voting eligible citizens would walk or ride their horses down cobblestone roads to the nearest poll. Oddly enough, the first voters voted by voice, rather than the secret ballot that we're all used to now. Voters wouldn't even vote for who they wanted as President, but would actually vote for their state's electors. The chosen electors would then cast their vote for President. Though we still have electors, citizens now vote for who they believe should be President rather than their state's electors. Electors are instead chosen by state governments and then each one is expected to vote with the will of the people of their state. The Electoral College voting system has been one of the lone constants in an ever-changing political and voting landscape. It was used in the first Presidential election and has been used in every election since. While the Electoral College has remained in place since 1789, voting rights have changed significantly over the years. For the first Presidential election, an eligible voter was defined as any white, land-owning male. However, our country has progressed a great deal since then and now defines an eligible voter as any citizen over the age of 18, regardless of race, gender, or societal status. We should be proud to live in a country whose government recognizes everyone as equal and allows each individual to vote, regardless of race or gender. From 13 colonies to 50 states and from voting by voice to voting on touch-screen computers, our elections have come a long way since 1789, and I expect the next 226 years to be just as great. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, everyday men and women of the police force put on their uniform and head out into the unknown. They encounter callous criminals and outlaws who have no regard for the law or their fellow man. But yet every day, these police officers still get up and put on the uniform. They bravely face what could very well be some of the most dangerous situations and potentially their last moments on this Earth as they work to protect us: our families, our friends, our children. Because that's what they do, they work to restore and maintain peace in our communities and neighborhoods. When New York Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu woke up on the morning of December 20th to put on their uniform, they had no idea it would be their last day. The two patrol officers were sitting in their squad car, working overtime, when a hateful and spiteful criminal struck. The ruthless murderer shot and killed the two officers in cold blood. Officer Ramos and Officer Liu's lives were robbed from them. Officer Liu was married only two months before, and now his wife is left as a widow. Officer Ramos was a devoted husband and father, active in his church with plans to join the ministry. These two men of solid character, were targeted and attacked. So much hate has been hurled at police officers. Recently, two more New York Police Officers were shot while investigating a robbery call in the Bronx when they were shot and wounded by criminals. The disrespect of our law enforcement must stop. The soulless thugs who hunt down police officers and kill them have to be punished to the highest degree. Underneath these uniforms are moms, dads, sisters, brothers, cousins and friends. Protecting us is their job. It is their duty to bring safety to our communities, to separate anarchy from order, and to bring justice to crime victims. No police officer should have to be any more fearful than they already are for their life while on patrol. As Americans, we must let them know that we support them and are grateful for all they do for our communities. A nationwide campaign called Project Blue Light was launched to show support for the special men and women in our police force. A single blue light in a window or front porch shows support for our peace officers. Neighborhoods, communities and towns should beam the glow of blue in support of these community warriors. Take the time to thank a police officer. To many, the unknown is terrifying, but to police officers, it's just another day. Today, on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, we lift up all those who put their lives on the line every single day for us. They deserve the utmost respect and support not just today but every day of the year. During my other life, I was a prosecutor and criminal court judge in Houston, Texas. I have known and still know individuals who wear the badge or the star over their heart. Some of those peace officers I knew gave their lives for the safety of others. Peace officers put their lives between us and criminals. They stand between the law and the lawless. I have had the opportunity to know peace officers from all over the U.S.--including New York and especially New York City. Years ago, I taught at the New York State Police Academy. After those folks from New York and I got through the language barrier, I found them to be some of New York's finest of people--some of the best peace officers in the country. Peace officers are necessary in our society because some in our country refuse to follow the law. Ironically, we hire these men and women to do society's dirty work then society criticizes them for their actions. Peace officers are the last strand of wire in the fence between the fox and the chickens. They have earned and deserve our respect. America should mourn the ambush and assassination of all those in law enforcement who have given their lives for order in America--especially the men in blue of New York. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Red Ryder BB gun is a ghost of Christmas past because, this year, Santa gave drones. Here a drone, there a drone, everywhere a drone. Just more eyes in the sky and these eyes could be anywhere and on any person. How comforting is that? It is estimated that by 2030, 30,000 drones will be over the skies of America. People are rightfully concerned that these eyes in the sky could be a threat to their constitutional right of privacy. Mr. Speaker, we are entering a world of unchartered drone technology. That is why I am reintroducing the Preserving American Privacy Act. This bill seeks to ensure the privacy of Americans. It establishes specific guidelines for about when and what purposes that law enforcement and private entities can use drones. Technology may change, but the Constitution does not. The Christmas spy machines that have useful purposes also need constitutional rules to prevent unlawful surveillance by law enforcement or private organizations. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, the permitting for the Keystone pipeline has taken longer than it took for the United States to win World War II. Isn't that lovely? The pipeline will bring oil to my home State of Texas. Pipelines are the safest way to transport oil. The Keystone will deliver as much oil as we get from Saudi Arabia. The United States should work more with our neighbors--our normal neighbors--Canada and Mexico to develop our national resources and compete with OPEC. Mr. Speaker, this is a national security and energy security issue. We can make the Middle East, its politics, its oil, and its turmoil irrelevant. It is time to pick a horse and ride it. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the saga with North Korea and its band of tyrants has gone on far too long. On November 24th, Sony Pictures Entertainment was attacked. No its headquarters were not bombed, nor did anyone storm the buildings. This was a cyber attack. It is believed to be the worst of its type on a company on U.S. soil. Hackers released personal data of Sony employees, disabled Sony's IT systems, and destroyed data. Shortly after, anonymous emails threatened movie-goers hoping to see the Sony film, ``The Interview''. These threats warned about ``9/11- style'' terrorist attacks. A little over a month later, on December 29, the FBI said North Korea was responsible for the cyber attack. Contrary to what the President has called ``cyber vandalism'', this cyber terrorism deserves a bold, immediate response. The world's dictators and terrorists must know without a doubt that an attack--cyber or physical--on the U.S. will result in a devastating response. This starts with the little dictator of Pyongyang, Kim Jong- Un. It needs to immediately put North Korea back on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Representative Ros-Lehtinen has a bill that puts tough sanctions on North Korea and urges the Administration to put North Korea back on the list. I am an original cosponsor of the bill. There is no doubt that North Korea belongs on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. In July 2009, UAE officials discovered a North Korean ship full of weapons heading to Iran. Iran has been on the state sponsor of terrorism list since 1984 because it provides hundreds of millions of dollars and tons of weapons to terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. So when one hears about North Korea sending weapons to Iran, it is not a typical transfer of weapons. This is about giving a recognized state sponsor of terrorism more guns to put in the hands of known and designated terrorist groups. Five months after the UAE seizure, Thai authorities found 35 tons of North Korean weapons on a plane, also traveling to Iran and ultimately bound for delivery to foreign terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas. In April 2010, South Korean officials apprehended two North Korean military-trained agents who had orders to assassinate a defector from North Korea. On March 26, 2010, North Korea sunk a South Korean naval vessel, killing 46 sailors. On November 23, 2010 North Korea repeatedly bombed a small South Korean island, killing two civilians and two marines. So far, as punishment for the cyber attack on Sony, the President sanctioned ten individuals and three organizations tied to North Korea's intelligence, arms supply, and defense research. These sanctions are not enough. Other people or organizations not sanctioned by the U.S. can easily take over the same work. Reinstating North Korea on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list would deepen existing sanctions and could deliver a crippling blow to the little dictator of Pyonyang. This Administration cannot allow the United States to be bullied again and again. The West allowed Putin into Ukraine. We have watched ISIS behead our journalists. We have seen Americans die in Israel at the hands of Hamas. Now, we have let North Korea silence us. To have a country on the other side of the world not just threaten but actually take away one of America's most fundamental rights is outrageous. It is time to stop appeasing our enemies. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, they were down 31-6 as the fourth quarter began. A lead that they surely couldn't overcome. But, they never wavered. Down 34-13 with six minutes left. But still, they never wavered. The University of Houston football team, my alma-mater, displayed a calm confidence during their gutsy, 25-point comeback on the afternoon of January 2nd in the Armed Forces Bowl. To pull off the unthinkable, the Cougars had to recover back-to-back onside kicks--a feat that is almost never accomplished--and score multiple touchdowns in the closing minutes. They capped off the comeback with a miraculous two-point conversion that gave them a one point victory. Head Coach David Gibbs instilled in his team that day a will to fight to the end, no matter the odds, score, or deficit. The Cougars pulled off the largest comeback of the college football season that day, and held true to the words of the late great Vince Lombardi, who said ``Winners never quit and quitters never win.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the United States Congress has been sworn into office. We all took an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution. The Constitution, however, is under attack by the policies of the administration. The administration has unconstitutionally, illegally, and unwisely issued a decree that, in essence, grants amnesty to about 5 million people. The real issue is not an immigration issue because we need immigration reform, but it is a constitutional issue. The Constitution has been bruised by the improper act of the President. All Members who support the Constitution and constitutional government, rather than a government run by one person, should oppose the illegal action memo of the administration. Along with Representative Black of Tennessee, I have introduced the Separation of Powers Act. This bill will prohibit taxpayer funds to be used or appropriated for the recent illegal actions of the administration's granting amnesty. The President also has been sworn to support the Constitution, and it is Congress' duty to make the laws, whether the administration likes it or not. The Constitution is not a mere suggestion. It is the law of the land. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there is no one like Texas Congressman Ralph Hall. Congressman Ralph Hall is the oldest serving member of Congress, the oldest person to ever serve in the House of Representatives, the oldest person ever elected to a House term and the oldest House member ever to a cast a vote. Mr. Hall is also the last remaining Congressman who served our nation during World War II. And for all of these accomplishments, I would like to thank and congratulate Ralph one more time for his service to the country and his leadership in the Texas Congressional Delegation. Born in Fate, Texas on May 3, 1923, Hall did not know of his successful future which was ahead of him. At the age of 19, Hall enrolled into the U.S. Navy where he served as a lieutenant and combat aircraft carrier pilot from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. After serving for three years, Hall then went on to finish college and received his LL.B. from Southern Methodist University in 1951. He was admitted to the Texas Bar, and practiced law in Rockwall. Mr. Hall also participated in the business side of Rockwall where he took part in serving as President/CEO of Texas Aluminum Corp., General Counsel of Texas Extrusion Co., Chairman of Lakeside News, Inc., and was a founding member of Lakeside National Bank in Rockwall where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board. Ralph had the calling to serve Texas in the political arena in Texas politics, a combat sport. So he began his public service from 1950 to 1962 when he served as County Judge of Rockwall County, Texas. Mr. Hall also served as President of the State Judges and Commissioners Association in 1958-1959. From 1962 to 1972, Mr. Hall was elected and served as a Texas State Senator where he served as President Pro Tempore in 1968-1969. Congressman Ralph Hall was first elected to serve the 4th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980 and has been re- elected to each succeeding Congress. On November 27, 2012, Congressman Hall became the oldest member in the U.S. House of Representatives to ever cast a vote. The following month, on December 25, 2012, he became the oldest-serving Member of the U.S. House of Representatives in recorded history. Congressman Hall always ensured to serve his people and made sure their voice was heard on different issues throughout Congress. A noteworthy quote Mr. Hall often said was ``I'd rather be respected at home than liked in Washington.'' Ralph is a hardcore Texan with the unique knowledge of understanding all people from the rich and famous to the infamous and downtrodden. He was a proud conservative democrat and personally knew the likes of LBJ, Speaker Sam Rayburn, Muhammad Ali, baseball great Mickey Mantle, war veteran Audie Murphy, Senator John F. Kennedy, Ted Williams, President Ronald Reagan, Texas Governor John Connally, Texas Governor William ``Bill'' P. Clements, Jr., Texas Governor Ann Richards, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Curtis Cokes, General Tommy Franks, Lieutenant General Tom Stafford, astronauts Gene Cernan, Buzz Aldrin, Neal Armstrong, U.S. Representative Ray Roberts, U.S. Senator Phil Gramm, famous aviator Claire Chennault, President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, T. Boone Pickens, H. Ross Perot, Red Adair, Bo Derek, Chuck Norris, Ted Williams, Tom Hanks and The Ink Spots. He works well with both Republicans and Democrats, but he ``got religion,'' in 2004, and became a Republican. Never forgetting his Democrat roots, he commented, ``Being a Democrat was more fun.'' Ralph Hall always has a story and a new, but often used joke. He runs 2 miles a day and certainly symbolizes the best of the Greatest Generation. Ralph Hall's service and leadership has shaped him into an important role model that members of the Texas Delegation in Congress, on both sides of the aisle admire. His dedication and love for his public service illustrates how success is attainable when mixed with hard work and determination, along with a love of America and of course, Texas. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, you may not know it, but there is a group that, like the United States, thinks the Supreme Leader of Iran needs to go. They are a group of Iranians called the MEK. They want their countrymen to be free from the oppressive regime that has ruled with an iron fist since 1979. But the MEK is locked up in a prison-like camp in Iraq. 112 of its members have been killed. How we came to this point is a story worth telling. After the Iranian revolution, the MEK opposed the Supreme Leader. So the newly installed Islamic regime systematically arrested and executed members of the MEK. The MEK fled and found refuge in Iraq. They built a home in the middle of the desert in a place called Camp Ashraf. In August 2002, the MEK disclosed two previously unknown nuclear facilities in Iran. The Natanz enrichment facility and Arak heavy water facility triggered the IAEA inspection of Iranian sites for the first time. After the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, the MEK gave over all of its weapons to the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division. In return, the U.S. promised to protect the MEK, labeling them ``protected persons'' under the Fourth Geneva Convention. On January 1, 2009, U.S. forces handed control over to the Iraqi Security Forces. Then Prime Minister Maliki was beholden to Tehran so when the Supreme Leader asked him to crack down on the MEK, he obeyed. Maliki either allowed or facilitated two deadly attacks on the defenseless residents living in Camp Ashraf. In July 2009, 11 residents were killed and 500 more injured. Two years later, in April 2011, the Camp was attacked again. Videos would show Humvees running over residents and snipers shooting at residents as they ran for their lives. The attackers were not trying to talk. They were trying to kill. And they succeeded. 36 residents were killed and 345 injured. I and other Members of Congress met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in June 2011. The meeting that was supposed to last 20 minutes but went for 2 hours came to an abrupt halt when our delegation asked to see Camp Ashraf where the MEK members lived. Maliki's mood immediately changed and he said that there was no way we were going to see the Camp. Maliki did not allow us to go because he had something to hide. After pressure from the Government of Iraq and the U.S. Government, the remaining residents agreed to be transferred to Camp Hurriya near Baghdad as the UN worked to resettle them in some other country besides Iraq or Iran. But a new camp would still not keep them safe--not while Maliki was under the thumb of an Iranian regime that wanted to decimate the MEK. On three more occasions in 2013, 65 more unarmed residents were killed and over 600 injured. The UN has now resettled 600 residents, but there are still 3,200 living in squalid conditions in Camp Hurriya. They are confined to the Camp, not allowed to leave. Lawyers and family members cannot visit them. After a series of rocket attacks killed many of them, residents dug trenches and slept inside them because they had no other way to protect themselves. These conditions are worse than an American prison. This is no way to treat thousands of people who have risked their lives for three decades so that their countrymen may know the sweet taste of freedom. One day, I believe, we will not be talking about ensuring Iranian freedom fighters like the MEK have another country to live in. One day, the Supreme Leader will supremely fall. Democracy and freedom will once again flourish in Iran. And the freedom fighters, who have now been fighting for decades, can finally return home to join their families and their countrymen in building a new, peaceful Iran. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, over 72 years ago, the 2nd Battalion of the 131st Field Artillery Regiment (36th Division--Texas National Guard) gathered and met for the first time. The 2nd Battalion was predominately made up of a scrappy group of Northwest Texas farmhands who hailed from towns like Abilene, Wichita Falls and Lubbock. About a year after their initial encounter, the group was detached from its division in Texas and sent out west to the San Francisco Bay where they were told that they would soon be on route to PLUM, a code-name for a destination unknown to the boys from the prairie lands of Texas. The 2nd Battalion arrived in Pearl Harbor a few days later on November 28, but immediately departed after being warned of a possible Japanese attack. The tragic prediction came true, and on December 7, 1941, the 2nd Battalion was informed that Pearl Harbor was indeed attacked by the Japanese and that the United States was now at war. After leaving Hawaii, the Battalion headed over to Brisbane, Australia, where they spent Christmas until boarding a Dutch ship and setting sail for Java, an island in the Dutch East Indies, shortly before New Year's Day. They arrived at Java on January 11 and stayed for nearly two months, sharing the island with troops from the Netherlands and Australia, among other allied countries. After weeks of uncertainty, the boys started to grow restless as they pondered what their next assignment would be. Then, on February 28, their lives would change forever as they heard a quick succession of loud explosions. At this point explosions were sounding off faster than they could count and it became evident that the war's Pacific Theater was quickly encompassing their temporary island home of Java. As the melting pot of troops watched the horizon, they noticed something that appeared to be men swimming ashore. The dozens they first saw quickly turned into hundreds and the onshore troops soon learned that the men were all sailors aboard the USS Houston (a ship that was anchored nearby). The USS Houston was made up almost entirely of volunteers from the city of Houston, many of whom were just teenagers. That evening, Japanese forces surrounded and attacked the USS Houston, killing all but 368 of the 1,011 men aboard. The surviving sailors swam ashore, joined the 534 men of the 2nd Battalion, and would soon become known as the ``Lost Battalion.'' Though the allied troops on the beaches of Java held off for as long as they could, they finally succumbed to Japanese forces on March 8 after days of relentless, back-and-forth artillery fire. Within a matter of weeks, all of the remaining soldiers of the 2nd Battalion and the USS Houston were together at one camp as Japanese prisoners of war. This group of 902 men, nearly all of whom hailed from Texas, soon disappeared, not to be seen again for three and a half years. They would go on to be known as the ``Lost Battalion.'' For 42 months, these captured American sailors toiled away in different parts of Pacific Asia. Forced together through a tragic turn of events, these men banded together to overcome a set of truly awful circumstances. Physical beatings were daily and torture came to be expected. Hard labor and starvation were now part of their daily routines. But, perhaps the hardest part of it all was being separated from their families without any chance at communicating with them. Their wives, children, parents and siblings all believed they were dead. Though the Japanese camps attempted to make them wish for that fate, they never gave up hope. It was the memory of their families back in Texas that kept them going each day. Moving from island to island in the darkest, dampest bowels of the Japanese ships' smallest compartments, the men were treated like cattle. Then, once reaching their destinations they would be immediately forced into hard slave labor. Some built roads, some worked in Burmese jungles chopping down trees and some mined coal. One of the worst physical punishments was working on a railway that became known as ``The Railroad of Death.'' Working on this railroad amounted to constant torture. Over 70,000 allied soldiers died after being subjected to these horrible 20-plus hour work days. They were constantly starved, and when they did have the opportunity to eat, their food was rotten and full of insects. These men overcame slavery, torture, malnutrition, beatings and diseases, and came out of the atrocity stronger than ever with a bond that would last a lifetime. Liberation didn't come until the end of the war, and when it was all said and done, 163 of the 902 men had tragically lost their lives. Among these 163 were 89 from the 2nd Battalion of the 36th Division of the Texas National Guard and 74 sailors from the USS Houston. When the surviving men were finally liberated from their hell on earth, they headed back to Texas where a celebration in Wichita Falls was waiting for them. The boys from Texas had such a good time at the celebration that they decided to make it an annual get-together. They used this get-together to not only celebrate their families and lives, but to remember their 163 comrades who perished in Japanese war camps. Though they were now safe and back home with their families, many of them would go on to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, their mental fortitude helped them overcome many of the adversities they faced as POW's and then as victims of PTSD. The lesson the ``Lost Battalion'' taught us, and continues to teach us each day, goes further than just patriotism. Their resiliency, friendship, and faith in each other and in God are all important values that would benefit every American individual who chooses to observe them. The ``Lost Battalion'' is yet another group of that rare breed we call the Greatest Generation. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the United States has our military all over the world, and we have for a good number of years. In fact, the United States has been at war for a long, long time. This year, as we approach Christmas, families across America will gather around to enjoy homemade apple pie and turkey and each other's company, but our men and women in uniform, those volunteers, are still all over the world, protecting and representing the United States. These are America's best. It is the best we have in our country. In 2005, I had the opportunity to go over to Iraq and see our military during the Christmas season. But before I left, I decided I would ask local schoolchildren and their teachers to help make some homemade Christmas cards and holiday cards to give to our troops when I arrived in Iraq. So that year, after I landed, I took about 5,000 handmade Christmas cards--made primarily by schoolchildren--to our servicemen and -women in Iraq and also in Kosovo. Since that time, children in southeast Texas have been making handmade Christmas cards and holiday cards for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and other parts of the world every year, and these cards are either taken overseas by me or they are shipped. This year, the community in southeast Texas and the schools rallied, and the result is quite outstanding. I am proud to say that this holiday season we will be sending 96,000 handmade Christmas cards and holiday cards to our troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other parts of the world, primarily made by schoolkids in southeast Texas. Remember, Mr. Speaker, these are handmade cards. These are not store-bought cards. These cards were received from various Texas residents. Just to name a few: Kingwood High School, Sterling Middle School, Timberwood Middle School, Goose Creek Memorial High School, Alamo Elementary, Horace Mann Junior High, the Hi Neighbor Club in Kingwood, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baytown Chamber of Commerce, the Baytown school district, the Baytown Housing Authority, Victory Hospital, and Boy Scout and Girl Scout clubs in southeast Texas. Mr. Speaker, 80,000 of these came from the city of Baytown alone. So a big ``thank you'' to Rikki Wheeler, the executive vice president of the Baytown Chamber of Commerce, as well as to the Baytown schools, hospitals, and organizations for their remarkable contribution and organizing and managing the collection of these cards. The patriotic spirit of those folks in southeast Texas to me is quite heartwarming, and the outpouring of support from Texans, primarily schoolchildren, is quite exceptional. I want to thank all of those who have taken the time to bring joy to our troops in lands that are far, far away, those troops who will be separated from their families this Christmas. It is because of the schools, the teachers, and the schoolchildren that this is all made possible every year. This is a way that people in southeast Texas show appreciation to our troops who are separated from their families this time of the year. Remembering to thank them and send them special greetings is very important. Many of these schoolchildren have family members overseas who are serving in the military, and this small gesture brings comfort and cheer to all of those involved. A piece of home will mean so much to those who are representing us overseas, and it is possible only because the community volunteers to do this each year. The simple act of making a handmade card shows the connection between our warriors and our schoolchildren who are thinking about them this time of year. So this Christmas, as Americans celebrate, we remember to say a prayer for those who safeguard America's freedoms. We thank our volunteers in uniform, and we thank our volunteers who made this season quite special for our military by making these cards. And that is just the way it is. Mr. Speaker, at this point, I will also include for the Record a list of other groups who have made holiday cards for our troops. Advanced Aromatics/GCM High/Chevron Phillips Aramark/Stuart Career Ctr.-Culinary Arts Awards & Engraving/St. Joseph's/Byt Draft'g/Staff'g Bayer/Clark Elementary Baytown GMC/Bowie Elem. Baytown Sun/GCCISD Public Relations Beacon FCU/Ashbel Smith Elem. CenterPoint/Gentry Jr. Chevron Phillips/Crockett Elem. CRCU/Lamar Elem. Community Toyota/Highlands Jr. Crespo & Jirrels/Peter Hyland (ALP) ExxonMobil/RE Lee High ExxonMobil/Walker Elem. ExxonMobil/Travis Elem. ExxonMobil/San Jacinto Elem. ExxonMobil/Baytown Jr. ExxonMobil/Cedar Bayou Jr. Highlands C of C/Hopper Primary Highlands Rotary/Highlands Elementary Houston Methodist San Jac Hosp/RS Sterling High Kiwanis Club/Alamo Elem. LCY/Harlem Elem. Legacy/Point Alternative Rotary/DeZavala Elem. Shine Dental/Impact Early College High School SNC-GDS/Horace Mann Jr. Solvay/Carver Elem. Texas First/SF Austin Elem. GCCISD Special Olympics Stuart Career Ctr. Woodforest/Banuelos Elem. BCA 2nd Grade Class