Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1299, supporting the goals and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day. Every year the President issues a proclamation naming May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Of course, in the days leading up to May 15, thousands of peace officers and their families come to Washington, D.C. They come here to remember their fellow officers and their loved ones who have given their lives, all in the line of duty. They participate in conferences and memorial services. They honor the memories of those who worked so hard to protect our communities and, in the end, made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for the rest of us. Americans have been protected by peace officers for 217 years, ever since the early settlers in Boston, Massachusetts. They established a program called Night Watch to safeguard those Bostonians. Not a day goes by that law enforcement officers do not face danger in their mission to keep us safe from crime, acts of violence, and now terrorism. On May 17, 1792, New York City's Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith became the first recorded peace officer to be killed in the line of duty. Mr. Speaker, since that time, 18,600 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty. Let me repeat: 18,600 peace officers in the United States have been killed in the line of duty. On average, 58,000 law enforcement officers are assaulted every year; and in 2009, 125 of those officers were killed protecting other Americans. Five of those fallen officers were from my home State of Texas. Those individuals were Senior Corporal Norman Smith of the Dallas Police Department. He was killed by gunfire on June 6, 2009. Lieutenant Stuart Alexander from the Corpus Christi Police Department. He was killed by vehicular assault on March 11, 2009. Sergeant Randy White of the Bridgeport PD was killed by a vehicle pursuit on April 2, 2009. Houston police officer Henry Canales was killed by gunfire on June 23, 2009. And Jesse Hamilton was killed on August 25 by gunfire, and he was a member of the Pasadena Police Department of the State of Texas. 2009 was a particularly difficult year for peace officer families. On the 21st day of March 2009, four members of the Oakland, California Police Department were shot and killed in the line of duty. Sergeants Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans, Dan Sakai and Officer John Hege gave their lives in service to their fellow Americans, and we honor them in their service today. On November 29, 2009 four members of the Lakewood Police Department in Washington were brutally ambushed as they sat in a coffee shop catching up on paperwork and planning for their upcoming shift. Sergeant Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and Greg Richards were all veteran law enforcement officers, each with between 8 and 14 years of experience. This loss was a staggering blow to the Lakewood community and the national community of peace officers. We continue to mourn this senseless loss and honor them for their service. Although there has been great progress in protecting the safety of these men and women who wear the uniform, the death of every officer serves as a reminder to the whole country that our Nation's law enforcement officers still face dangerous and potentially deadly situations every day. During my 20 years as a judge in Texas, I had the privilege of working alongside some of America's finest police officers. Later, during my term on the bench, some of those police officers were killed in the line of duty. Now, as a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Victims Rights Caucus, I recognize that peace officers are too often victims of crimes they seek to prevent. When a peace officer puts on a uniform in the morning, they represent everything that is good, everything that is right about our country. And I am privileged to honor them here today. Mr. Speaker, we in this House of Representatives need to always remember that outside these Halls, on the rooftops and around the Capitol are the Capitol police officers watching and protecting those who come to the people's House, to the Capitol Building and the surrounding buildings. And we need to remember that in 1998, two of those Capitol police officers, Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson, were killed in the line of duty in this very building as they were protecting other Members of Congress from a gun-wielding assailant that came into this place. We should always remember that these peace officers every day are a cut above the rest of us, and they do represent everything that's good and fine and right about America. Later this week, not far from here, on the west side of the Capitol, there will be the families of the slain police officers in the United States. Surrounding them, in a group, will be thousands and thousands of peace officers in the United States, all wearing the uniform, wearing a badge that they wear above their heart and a black cloth across that badge. Those people stand in honor of those families that have lost loved ones who were peace officers that represented the rest of us and were killed in the line of duty. We owe them everything that we can say that is good and noble about their work. We honor them. We praise those that are in the line of duty. We remember those that were killed in the line of duty, and we also remember their families.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, is guaranteeing up to $321 billion in loans to bail out European Union countries, like Greece, Portugal and Spain. That means American taxpayers will be on the hook for billions of dollars for these unsecured loans. We're the IMF's largest contributor. Also, the European Union was formed to compete economically with the United States. Now it's crashing down like a socialist stack of cards. So U.S. taxpayers are going to pay to support our international competitor--the EU. Why should American taxpayers bail out Europe's big pensions--and their government-run health care? Greece is in the EU and it's the EU's responsibility, not ours. I don't see the IMF coming to the rescue of California and New Jersey. Their economies are bigger than Greece's and they are in financial chaos as well. Mr. Speaker, the American taxpayer is tapped out. We have 10 percent unemployment. We don't have the money to bail out Greece. It's time Uncle Sam quit being the ATM for the rest of the world, stop spending money we don't have, and stop the bailout nonsense. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in the last House resolution that we just discussed, Peace Officers Memorial Day, H. Res. 1299, I also want to mention the fact that Deputy Sheriff Shane Thomas Detwiler of the Chambers County Sheriff's Department in Texas was killed in the line of duty on July 13, 2009, and his cause of death was gunfire. In this resolution, H. Res. 1094, of course I support this resolution. And this resolution commemorates the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker. Ms. Tucker dedicated her life to eliminating racial barriers and fighting for civil rights and the rights of women. In 1927 she was born in Philadelphia. Her dad was a minister. After overcoming financial hardship and segregation during the Great Depression, she attended Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania at the Wharton School. As part of the postwar civil rights movement, she worked to register African American voters in the 1950 Philadelphia mayor's race. She later became the first African American and the first woman to serve on the Philadelphia Zoning Board. Then in 1965 she marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in support of the 1956 Voting Rights Act. In 1971 she became Secretary of the State of Pennsylvania, making her the first female African American Secretary of State in the whole United States. In 1984, Ms. Tucker founded the National Political Congress of Black Women, today known as the National Congress of Black Women; and with the help of this organization, she criticized the promotion of drugs and violence in gangsta rap music, and also how women were treated in the music industry. She was also the founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus, and she was head of the minority caucus of the Democratic National Committee. Her life's work on behalf of racial and gender equality truly reaped fruitful change in our country. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. I commend the sponsor of this resolution, Diane Watson from California.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, Brazil has become a haven for stolen children from the United States. There are over 50 kidnapped children in Brazil. Fox News 26 in Houston, Texas, first brought attention to the story of one little girl who was stolen from her father--my friend and constituent, Marty Pate. Marty lives in Crosby, Texas, and he has not seen his daughter, Nicole, in 4 years. Her mother, Monica, is a native of Brazil. She took Nicole on a trip there in 2006, and she never came back. Legal documents from Texas give Marty joint custody, and international law requires Brazil to return Nicole to America. Marty wants to see his daughter and have her visit her family in the United States, but officials in Brazil are still stonewalling and are ignoring their legal duty. Our State Department must pressure Brazil to follow its international treaty obligations, and Brazil must stop sanctioning the kidnapping of American children. Marty has the right to be reunited with his kidnapped daughter, Nicole. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Today is the National Day of Prayer. It's the day of the year that is proclaimed that we honor how prayer and how religion has affected our culture as a Nation. Every day, in this very House, we start with a prayer. Down the hallway in the United States Senate, every day, the U.S. Senate starts with a prayer. And then we have the Pledge of Allegiance. The Supreme Court has ruled that it is constitutional for us, the Senate, and all State legislatures, to start every day with a prayer. And so it is throughout the country. We have the National Day of Prayer today, but it has a long history of establishment here in the United States, where we recognize this very important day. Many Congresses and Presidents have proclaimed days of prayer and fasting throughout our Nation's history. From Washington all the way to Madison and all the way through World War II, Presidents set aside days of national prayer. In 1952, 58 years ago, a bill proclaiming an annual National Day of Prayer was unanimously passed by the House and the Senate and signed into law by President Truman. It's not often in our history that everything passes this House and the Senate by unanimous consent. The new law required the President to select a day for national prayer every year. In 1988, the day was fixed by Congress as the first Thursday in May of each year. That law was signed by President Ronald Reagan. Nobody is forced to pray on the National Day of Prayer. However, we now have a Federal judge who has ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, even though this day is set aside to honor God and the role that prayer has played throughout our history. Thanksgiving was set aside by President George Washington to honor the Almighty and to give prayer and thanksgiving for our history and for the work that the Lord plays in our very existence. Most people are surprised to learn the United States Capitol, this building, was the place where church services were held for a number of years. In fact, before Congress even started assembling here, we had church services before then. But yet a National Day of Prayer has been ruled by a Federal judge to be unconstitutional. Here's what the First Amendment says, Madam Speaker. It says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The First Amendment was written by James Madison, the author of the U.S. Constitution. In fact, he is the author of the first ten amendments. James Madison set in stone, proclaimed, Congress will make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Probably, James Madison knew more about the First Amendment than anybody else since he was the author; yet, in 1813, President Madison proclaimed a National Day of Prayer. It's ironic that the author of the First Amendment, who knew more about the First Amendment than anybody else, certainly Federal judges who live today, proclaimed the National Day of Prayer, and yet today, we have a Federal judge saying it's unconstitutional based upon the First Amendment. How ironic. Federal judges obviously--this particular Federal judge--forgot about the free exercise of religion part. That's why the National Day of Prayer is so important. The Federal Government sets aside one day a year that honors the First Amendment. People may pray. They don't have to pray. But it recognizes how important prayer is in our culture. It enshrines in the public consciousness the fact that Americans have the right to the free exercise of religious beliefs. ``In God We Trust,'' Madam Speaker, is above the American flag behind you. It is the national motto of the United States: In God We Trust. Ours is not a secular Nation. It was founded on religious principles. So I asked this Federal judge, What's next? Are you going to try to abolish Thanksgiving and Christmas as national holidays? Madam Speaker, the National Day of Prayer is not only a good idea, it is constitutionally legal, whether secular, antireligious Federal judges like it or not. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a friend of mine in Texas, John, sent me a recent article from the Tucson Weekly written by Leo Banks. The article shines a bright light on life in Arizona north of the border and the shock after the murder of Arizona rancher Robert Krentz. The murderer shot Rob, then his dog, and then fled down the Black Draw on the Geronimo Trail, headed back to Mexico. Rob's sister, Susan Pope, says things have gotten so bad, she can't honestly remember the last time she felt secure. The Popes' home is in the mountains and it has been broken into three times. Susan works as a bus driver and a teacher at the one-room Apache Elementary School. That elementary school has been burglarized so many times that nothing of value remains there. How can you teach children in an atmosphere like that? They say everybody there knew something like Rob Krentz' murder was about to happen. Susie Morales lives near Nogales. She said, when she cooks dinner in her kitchen, she can look out and see people, drug mules, with backpacks full of drugs. They are on a trail 75 yards from her front door. Another trail 50 yards from her back door exists. These trails are so close that, when Susie spots the paramilitary squads, she runs into her bathroom with her cell phone, hides and shuts the door. She has to keep her voice down so the drug cartels don't hear her calling for help, and she carries a .357 magnum with her at all times. Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano, however, says arrests are down on the border's 262-mile-wide Tucson sector. Those arrests are not numbers of actual crossers, however, and these misleading statistics are used to say border security is working. However, the truth is just the opposite. The people who got away from officially numbered arrests outnumber them three to one. Frontline lawmen will tell you that it is more like four or five to one to get away. The Feds boast of 628 miles of fencing now in place, but only 310 miles of that is actually fence. The rest of it, 318 miles, is vehicle barriers that don't stop anybody on foot. Foot traffic still pours over the mountains south of Sierra Vista to the tune of 1,500 a week according to local citizens who count them by placing hidden cameras on the trails. Rancher John Ladd counted some 350 illegals on his San Jose ranch over a period of 18 days before this newspaper interview. He says he is on the phone with the Border Patrol on an average of three times a day, seven days a week, to report groups crossing his ranch. As one resident said, ``We are under the gun all the time. There are people watching us all the time. The smugglers have scouts on the hills watching us, watching Customs, watching Border Patrol. They're terrorists, very militaristic, and they get a high out of it. As long as they can get away with it, it's okay. That's their mentality.'' They say the most dangerous thing you can do as a citizen is reach for your cell phone if seen by one of the drug smugglers. Forget you even own one. Keep your hands visible. And no sudden moves if you are spotted. If you encounter the wrong guy and he thinks you are calling Border Patrol, he might just start shooting at you. Now, when men go out to work at their corrals on the border on their ranches, sometimes miles from the house, their wives go along, too. They are afraid to be alone in their own home. That is no way to live, Mr. Speaker. People on the border are under siege by the crime cartels. The people-smuggling operations have been taken over by the drug cartels, and the coyotes and the drug cartels work together to smuggle people and drugs across the border, all in the name of money. To cross around Douglas, the rate has gone up to $2,500 per person. When they don't have the money to pay the drug smugglers and the coyotes, they carry drugs as payment to cross. Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said in recent Senate testimony, ``I guarantee that every group coming across that border today has a gun.'' Just Friday, a deputy sheriff was shot by narco-terrorists carrying AK-47s in Pinal County, 70 miles north of the border. Those ill-informed elites that don't live in a border State, but reside in high rises in New York or San Francisco, live in ``never- never land'' when they criticize Arizona for trying to protect its people. The border is not safe. Ask people who live on the border, both Mexicans in Mexico and Americans in the United States. Those residents call the border a war zone. The United States protects the borders of other nations. It's about time we protect our own border. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the great work of one of my fellow Texans, Herman Milholland. Herman Milholland is a truly special victim advocate who has served at the local, state and national levels. Since 1984 he has devoted his career to improving rights and services for victims of crime. In California, he directed a staff of over 125 people located in 43 offices--including law enforcement, prosecutors, courts and hospitals-- in providing direct victim advocacy, support and services to victims and survivors throughout the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. Since 2000, he has served as Director of the Texas Crime Victim Compensation Program, Director of the Statewide Automated Victim Notification Program, and since 2002, as Director/Chief of the Crime Victim Services Division of the Office of the Texas Attorney General. Mr. Milholland is recognized as a strong leader in our nation's crime assistance field. Whether his efforts are focused on an individual victim in need of help or on a national initiative, he is a dedicated and committed advocate for crime victims. In the crime victim assistance field, there is a great need for basic skills development in organizational development and management. Because Herman Milholland has ``walked the walk'' as a program developer, manager and administrator, he has been able to provide greatly needed guidance to programs and individuals across the nation who seek to improve the overall management of victim assistance agencies. Mr. Milholland has also created a crucial ``niche'' in the victim assistance field by focusing on the future of the field. He has devoted the past few years to developing important and greatly needed resources that address succession planning, mentoring, and guidelines for managing the new workforce-issues that, cumulatively, will strengthen individuals, organizations and the field as a whole. His colleagues can attest to his ongoing willingness to volunteer for many activities at the local, state and national levels that seek to improve overall crime victim assistance. He is often called upon to serve on countless committees and boards, and to serve as a volunteer facilitator for many projects that require a leader with outstanding organization and communications skills. He always rises to the occasion. Mr. Milholland is ``retiring'' in the fall of 2010. I highlight ``retiring,'' because I know that his life-long devotion to crime victim assistance will not cease when his official career ends. On April 14, 2010, I was proud to honor Herman Milholland at the Congressional Victims' Caucus Awards ceremony, where he was presented with the Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding Victim Advocacy. The award honors a professional whose efforts directly benefit crime victims and survivors. Herman Milholland is more than deserving of this award. I commend him for his outstanding contributions to the field of victim advocacy.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Deputy Louie Puroll was in his patrol vehicle last Friday afternoon in Pinal County, Arizona, patrolling the border, but he was 75 miles north of the border. There is not much Border Patrol activity there because it is so far north, but there is plenty of drug smuggling going on. Deputy Puroll spotted backpacks full of drugs and suspicious activity. He radioed for backup and began to track the group. A drug cartel paramilitary squad opened fire on him with automatic weapons. He was shot in the side by an AK-47. This is the first time one of these squads has shot a lawman that far north, just 50 miles from Phoenix. The shootout lasted 10 minutes. The wounded deputy called for help on his cell phone, and it took an hour to find him. The drug cartels, Mr. Speaker, are now shooting their way across our border. Until we put armed National Guard troops at the border to stop these violent narco-terrorists, we risk the lives of our lawmen that are outmanned, outgunned and outfinanced. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, before I was elected to the U.S. Congress, I served as a criminal court judge for over two decades in Houston, Texas. I've seen up close and personally how drugs destroy lives, drive up crime rates and tear families apart. So when I heard about the good progress in the fight against drugs in Colombia, I decided to come down and see it for myself. When I hiked in the jungles and flew over the coca fields about a month ago, I was accompanied by Brigadier General Francisco Patino Fonseca. I discovered one of the main reasons for Colombia's recent success battling the scourge of drugs is his strong, relentless zeal to capture the bad guys. A native of Bogota and a 1981 police school graduate, Gen. Patino has dedicated his life to law enforcement. He has done everything from working for the Tisquesusa Police Department to serving as the Police Attache at the Embassy of Colombia in Spain. Gen. Patino has been decorated some 58 times in his extensive service. With that kind of dedication and experience, he serves the Colombian people well in his role as the Director of Counternarcotics for the Colombian National Police (DIRAN). And as Director, Gen. Patino has placed a new focus on human intelligence--bringing in more intelligence officers and tripling the intelligence budget. He is also committed to making sure his courageous team of officers have the best training in the world. The DIRAN training regimen is so well-respected around the world that in recent years over 80 students from twelve countries have attended its International Jungla course. The DIRAN mobile training teams have responded to training requests from Afghanistan, Mexico, and Ecuador. Their training is paying off. Working hand in hand with American support, the Colombian Public Forces seized more cocaine, heroin, and chemicals used to make cocaine in 2009 than ever before. DIRAN accounts for less than five percent of the Colombian National Police force but has been responsible for the seizures of 66 percent of the cocaine, 90 percent of the heroin, 86 percent of the cocaine precursor chemicals and 63 percent of the drug labs by the entire police force. The war on drugs in the United States is inextricably linked to the war on drugs in Colombia. It is no secret that it is mostly American dollars that buy Colombian-grown drugs. As a Member of the U.S. Congress, I want to thank Gen. Patino, his officers and the good people of Colombia for their tremendous dedication to fighting the drug cartels and working with the people of the United States. After observing the distinguished leadership of Gen. Patino and his officers, I am more confident than ever that this is a war we can win together.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Experience Corps Program of South East Texas on 15 years of improving the academic and life outcomes of our area's neediest young students. The remarkable Experience Corps engages older Americans to serve as literacy tutors in elementary schools; and they have had a tremendous impact. Experience Corps South East Texas, initially known as Seniors for Schools, was one of the original five Experience Corps pilot projects across the country. It began as a demonstration grant in 1995-96 in two Port Arthur elementary schools with 17 members; and has grown locally to 67 members serving all seven PA elementary schools, 6 schools in Beaumont, and another in Vidor. They have served in excess of 2,875 students in these schools, and have always and continue to be the only tutoring program of their kind in the State of Texas. We are lucky to have such a program in our schools--not only because of the vitality and sense of family and community that these volunteers bring, but also the significant academic gains they have enabled. In 2006 Experience Corps South East Texas, Port Arthur was part of a national, gold standard evaluation conducted by Washington University in St. Louis which revealed that students in the Experience Corps program made 60% greater gains in reading comprehension and word attack skills than similar students who were not in the program. Very, very few literacy interventions have shown these kinds of results. The Principal of DeQueen Elementary School calls these volunteers, ``a dynamic, vibrant, knowledgeable, vivacious, caring group of people.'' I could not agree more. In fact, they are an inspiration to their peers and neighbors, and proof that the aging population has tremendous time, talent, skill, and a desire to share it all with younger generations. Experience Corps is a perfect match for these individuals. On May 13, Experience Corps South East Texas will celebrate 15 consecutive and successful years of service, and I am honored to call these motivated and caring adults my constituents. They have provided a meaningful and engaging opportunity for senior citizens to serve one on one with students in need, and a consistent tutoring program with measurable results for elementary students. I commend them for their terrific work over these past 15 years and hope they can continue to serve our students and community for many years to come.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, our homeland security today is paralyzed by denial, ignorance and political correctness. Systematic dependence on luck is not a national security plan; it is a disaster waiting to happen. From the borders to the big cities, America's national security is always in critical, or seems to be in critical disarray. In 1998, Osama bin Laden declared war on America, but we didn't pay attention to it. What is it going to take for our leaders to understand that radical Islamic terrorists want to murder our people? Law enforcement in New York--Federal, State, and city--has done an incredible job in a short amount of time to apprehend the Times Square terrorist despite dangerous political games being played by some officials. In spite of politics, our lawmen acted swiftly, efficiently, and effectively in the capture of this terrorist. But New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the media, ``If I had to guess 25 cents, this would be . . . homegrown, maybe a mentally deranged person or someone with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something.'' Now, isn't that helpful? The Times Square terrorist, Faisal Shahzad, was not a Tea Party-going taxpayer opposed to ObamaCare. There is no excuse for this reckless smear of the majority of Americans who opposes the government takeover of health care. It is irresponsible to play political games with national security; and even though Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano won't use the word ``terrorist,'' all of the indications are that this was an act of terror. The terrorist, Faisal Shahzad, was captured last night on an airplane bound for Dubai. Reports say the airline contacted the authorities to say that he made a last-minute reservation for the flight and that he got on the plane after paying cash. He is from Pakistan. Somehow, this radical terrorist was granted American citizenship in 2009. Shahzad told the FBI he went through a terror training camp in Pakistan in the region of Waziristan. He sounds like a terrorist to me. This is where the Taliban operates--the same Pakistani Taliban that immediately claimed responsibility for the Times Square foiled attack. Reports say Shahzad had been in Pakistan for the past several months. Eight people have now been arrested in Pakistan. Two of them are related to Shahzad. Over the past year, we have had a surge of attacks from radical Islamic jihadists who murder in the name of hate. For example, the Fort Hood shooter killed 14 Americans and injured 30 more. That was an act of terror. The attack on the Arkansas military recruiting station by a radical jihadist who killed an American soldier was an act of terror. Then there was the Christmas Day underwear bomber. That was an act of terror. In that case, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said ``the system worked'' when we caught the underwear bomber. That means the government plan in that case is for passengers on the plane to tackle terrorists who are trying to explode bombs that are hidden in their underwear. That's a plan? That's our national system? Combating terrorism takes vision. It takes moral clarity. There is no room for playing politics or politically correct games. Ronald Reagan once explained it this way: ``Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. ``It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. ``Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the court-martial of Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe for assault started yesterday in Norfolk, Virginia. This relentless American caught one of the worst terrorists in the world, Ahmed Abed, a terrorist who massacred and mutilated four Americans in Fallujah. However, Abed accused Petty Officer McCabe of poking him in the tummy once he was captured. Two other Navy SEALs were acquitted in trials last month of these false charges. It's not like we don't know the terrorists are going to lie about being roughed up when they are caught. You see, the al-Qaeda training manual instructs terrorists to allege brutality when captured because it is the U.S. policy to take warriors off the battlefield until such accusations are resolved. So we have three Navy SEALs sitting on the sidelines for over 6 months waiting. Meanwhile, news reports say Abed is set to be executed by the Iraqi Government for crimes committed against his own people. Madam Speaker, our priorities are backwards. Abed needs to be tried and executed for his crimes rather than our government paying attention to his whining about his capture. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I've spent my entire career advocating for victims, for those that have suffered at the hands of perpetrators both as a former judge in Texas and as founder and co- chair of the Victims' Rights Caucus. It grieves me that people resort to violence and commit such atrocities to their fellow neighbor. On April 6, 1994 and for the next three months our world learned an important lesson--violence is not the answer, nor is watching and doing nothing. Sixteen years ago, beginning on April 6, 1994 more than 800,000 persons were killed in the Rwandan genocide, many being Tutsis. A shot-down plane of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, and his death sparked the beginnings of the genocide because the very next day, April 7, 1994, the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) and the interahamwe went out and slaughtered thousands of people by setting up roadblocks and then going house to house killing Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The slaying went on for the next 100 days. On June 22, 1994 the U.S. used the word ``genocide'' only after the Security Council deployed French forces in South West Rwanda. On February 19, 1995 Western countries committed to sending $600 million in aid, with $60 million coming from the United States. Rwanda bears a deep and grave loss from this tragedy, and the international community has come around them to support, encourage and comfort. Much was said during this conflict, but little was done. We can do better. We must do better. We send our sympathies out to the loved ones who died in the Rwandan genocide. We know that they are still greatly missed even sixteen years later. May we remember this time when so many lost their lives, and may we do better in interceding during future conflicts. Let us always take a stand against violence.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, America is a Nation founded on the rule of law, not the rule of men. That's why we have a Constitution and not a king. Law must apply to everybody and it must apply equally, regardless of race, color, or creed. People don't get to pick and choose which laws are enforced. They don't get to decide which laws they like and which ones they don't. That would cause chaos. Federal law requires people to sign the guest book when they enter our country, otherwise they are here illegally. There is a lot of fear mongering, political hype, and misinformation about the State of Arizona trying to legally protect itself from illegal entry into its State. Arizona acts because Washington is blissfully silent and sleeps. Rather than join this rant, the White House should grant the request of border governors and send the National Guard to the border to enforce the rule of law. After all, that is the government's job. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I want to bring to the attention of the House a serious problem that we have encountered. It seems as though we have such a problem on our borders that now, in southeast Texas, in a small port city called Port Arthur, three illegal Brazilians have shown up in the last couple of days. They have come into the port of Port Arthur and they were stowaways on this massive ship that was bringing in Brazilian paper pulp. Thirteen thousand tons of this pulp was brought in on this ship, and through inspection by Federal authorities, they found three stowaways--three illegals from the nation of Brazil. Now, you probably assume that I'm talking about people, but I am not. Here is one of those stowaways, one that they actually captured and gave an identification number. You see, the three stowaways turned out to be three grasshoppers. Little bitty critters. Yet our United States Agriculture Department was able to investigate and find these three little illegal stowaways in this massive amount of paper pulp from Brazil. So they took the pulp, and it's sitting on the dock. It's going to be sprayed down for any disease. They even gave one of these grasshoppers an official government ID number. Here it is down here: 234735719. Of course, the grasshopper was found in Jefferson County, Texas. The other two, apparently, didn't look quite as bad as this one. They thought this one might be carrying some type of disease and it has, lo and behold, been brought to Washington, D.C., to be examined further by Federal authorities to see if it was carrying any type of disease or contamination from the nation of Brazil. Madam Speaker, I bring this to the House's attention for this reason: our United States Department of Agriculture is so good and so intense and so competent that they are able to keep out of the United States illegal grasshoppers about three inches long. They're able to find them on this massive ship in the port of Port Arthur, Texas, carrying 13,000 tons of paper pulp. They're able to capture these grasshoppers, send one to Washington, D.C., to be examined to see if it's carrying disease. I commend the Department of Agriculture for their work and tenacious activity in making sure illegal Brazilians--that are grasshoppers--don't enter the United States without being caught. Now it seems to me that if we are so advanced with technology and manpower and competence that we can capture illegal grasshoppers from Brazil in the holds of ships that are in a little small place in Port Arthur, Texas, on the Sabine River--the Sabine River, Madam Speaker, is the river that separates Texas from Louisiana--if we're able to do that as a country, how come we cannot capture the thousands of people that cross the border every day on the border of the United States? They're a little bigger than grasshoppers, and they should be able to be captured easier. Well, maybe it's because the country doesn't have the moral will, the government doesn't have the moral will, to protect the borders from people coming in. But we sure have the moral will as a Nation to keep these grasshopper critters from coming into the United States from Brazil. Maybe we need to make the guy down there in southeast Texas that captured this grasshopper from Brazil, he ought to be in charge of homeland security. If he's able to do this with grasshoppers, just think what he can do on the southern border of the United States. So, Madam Speaker, we have the technology; we have the capability. We need the moral will as a Nation to secure the border of the United States. That is the responsibility of the Federal Government. The Federal Government should take some lessons from the guy that captured this grasshopper and make sure that the southern border of the United States is protected from people who come here without permission. We can do it. Let's have the moral will. Let's send the National Guard, if necessary, to the border to protect the dignity of the Nation. Because that's the job of the Federal Government. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I bring you news from the third front--that being the southern border of the United States with Mexico. The first front, of course, is that engagement in Iraq; the second, in Afghanistan; the third, on our violent southern border. People are coming into the United States from all over the world through the country of Mexico. Because Mexico has a vast coastline in the Atlantic and the Pacific, people go to Mexico, sneak into Mexico, and then sneak into the United States through our southern border. Part of those people that are coming in are called drug cartels. They're coming in to sell narcotics--a profit of over $40 billion a year to the drug cartels that smuggle dope into this country. But also other people are coming into the United States. Here's a photograph that was taken in Zapata County, Texas. I'm sure you've never been there, Mr. Speaker, but it's down on the Texas-Mexico border. It's a small county. This is an RV parked near the border. But this happens to be a helicopter. It turns out it's a Russian-made helicopter with Mexican markings on it. It's about a mile and a half to two miles into the United States across the border. Now, the border with Mexico and Texas is not a land border. There's a river there. So there is no way somebody can be mistaken when they accidentally, they say, come into the United States. We don't know the intentions of this helicopter. Two weeks before this photograph was taken, other photographs were taken of either this helicopter or a similar helicopter, once again, coming into the United States-- intentions unknown. Are these folks guarding a shipment of drugs? Are they working with the drug cartels? Are they looking for bad guys, or what are they doing? We don't know. The problem is the border is porous. The southern border of the United States is porous with that border of Mexico. The violence in Mexico is escalating. Of course, it comes into the United States. There are 14 border counties in Texas that border Mexico. I recently talked to the sheriffs of those counties on the same day and asked them this question: How many people in your local jail are foreign nationals charged with crimes that are not immigration violations? The total number was 37 percent. That's right, 37 percent of the people in border county jails in Texas are foreign nationals charged with misdemeanors and felonies. That's a lot of folks. That costs somebody a lot of money. And that is because the crime problem goes back and forth across the border. It's in Texas and it's also in Mexico. It's because the borders are porous. We have down on the border with Mexico the Border Patrol. They're doing as marvelous a job as they possibly can, but they need some help. Here's a photograph, Mr. Speaker, that was also recently taken. This is a Border Patrol vehicle. It has been improvised. It's a pickup truck. They call these things the ``war wagons.'' Now why do they do that? Because they think they may be in a war zone down on the border. If you notice, Mr. Speaker, there's a mesh steel wire across the windshield, across all of the windows. There's even a mesh cage that protects the emergency lights on top of the vehicle. The question is, Why do they have that stuff on their Border Patrol vehicles? Well, you see, when they patrol the border with Mexico, people who wish to come into the United States illegally pelt rocks at our Border Patrol. And so they have to protect themselves and their vehicles by putting this wiring, this cage, around their own vehicle. Now, if somebody threw rocks at a police officer in the United States, normally those people get arrested and go to jail. But it doesn't seem like that is what is occurring, and so they have to protect themselves. This is just one example of the violence that is occurring. Border Patrol in the Tucson area, assaults against them this year are up 300 percent from last year. That's right, assaults on our agents who are trying to protect the border, protect us. So we have to do more than that. We have to support the Border Patrol, the sheriffs that work along the border; and we have to do what the Governors of some of those States have asked for, and that's send the National Guard down to the border. We protect the borders of other nations. Why don't we protect our own? We don't know. I think it's politics. It's time that we have the moral will to secure the dignity of the United States. It's about border security. It's about national security. It's not an issue of immigration. It's an issue of whether or not people can come into the United States legally or illegally. We must have the moral will to keep the criminal gangs, the drug cartels, the human smugglers out of the United States. They know our borders are porous. People in other countries know our borders are porous. They go through Mexico and come into the United States. The Federal Government has been missing in action. It's time that they show up on the border and send the National Guard to support our troops, support the border sheriffs, and support the Border Patrol. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a bipartisan group of Members representing all the southern border States today called for armed National Guard troops at the border. Our border State Governors have been specifically asking for troops over a year. Violence is escalating. Law enforcement lacks the manpower and equipment they need to protect the people on the border. National Guard troops must be armed and sent to the border, with clear and concise rules of engagement that allow them to defend themselves if fired upon. Seventy-nine American citizens were murdered in Juarez, Mexico, just last year. Last month, an Arizona rancher was shot dead on his own property. His murderer was tracked to the border. Assaults against Border Patrol agents have increased 16 percent so far this year. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was murdered in July--execution style. Border States need help. The Federal Government has been missing in action. National Guard troops should be sent to the border to help the Border Patrol and local sheriffs protect the safety and security of the people. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, as my friend has pointed out, this resolution, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the statistics really don't tell the story because it is a story about people. Real people. She mentioned one from her State of Wisconsin. And there are too many to mention and talk about. But I would like to talk about one person that impacted my life. Before I came to Congress, I spent all of my time at the courthouse in Houston, first as a prosecutor and then as a criminal court judge. Every day for years, almost 30, I saw criminal cases, either prosecuting them or hearing them as a judge. One of those cases involved a young lady. I will call her Lisa. Lisa was a student at the University of Houston. She was married and had a couple of sons. She worked in the daytime and went to school at night to get a second degree. She had left school one evening and she was driving down one of our freeways heading home out in the suburbs. The lights came on on the dash of her car, she had car trouble, and she pulled off to a service station she thought was open. It was not open, but she thought it was. Lisa talked to the service station attendant, turned out he wasn't the service station attendant but she thought he was, trying to get some help late at night. The first thing that happened, Luke Johnson pulled her out of that car. He kidnapped her. He took her to a remote area of east Texas in the piney woods. He sexually assaulted her. He beat her so bad with a pistol that he thought he had killed her. In fact, when he later was arrested, he was mad that he hadn't killed her. Lisa was a remarkable woman. She survived that brutal attack even though she laid in the woods for a couple of days before a hunter found her. She was rescued. Her physical needs were met. The person who committed that crime, Luke Johnson, was captured by the police. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault. He was tried in my court. Lisa came and testified about the events. Luke Johnson was convicted and sent to the penitentiary for 99 years. You see, Madam Speaker, we would hope that would be the rest of story and life would go on and victims would recover; but that is not the world we live in. Victims are people, and because they are people, things happen to them emotionally as well as physically. The first thing that happened to Lisa was she didn't go back to school; she never went back to that campus again. The next thing that happened is she lost her job; she was fired because she could not concentrate based upon this crime. Her husband, being the kind of guy he was, he decided he no longer wanted her. He filed for divorce, divorced her, got custody of the children, and moved to another State. Lisa started abusing drugs. First it was alcohol, then it was everything else. She couldn't quite handle the fact that she was a victim of crime, even though the perpetrator was off in the penitentiary. And not too long after this crime was committed, I received a phone call from Lisa's mother, and she told me that Lisa had taken her life. She left a note, Madam Speaker, that I still have in my office today across the street, and the note reads, ``I'm tired of running from Luke Johnson in my nightmares.'' See, she got the death penalty for being a victim of sexual assault. And we would hope that victims could handle it, that they could move on with their life, that they could cope, but that's not the world we operate in because they're real people. And we as a Nation need to be sensitive to victims of sexual assault. It's the most unusual crime in our culture. We can sort of see why people commit theft. We can see sometimes why people get mad and in a rage they might even commit a murder. But there is no logical reason why anybody would commit the crime of sexual assault against another person unless it's an attempt to steal the very soul of that person, and that's what criminals are trying to do when they commit this crime. That is why it is such a horrible crime, and we as a culture must be concerned about it. So this resolution helps bring that to the public forum, that Sexual Assault Awareness Month is something that we should be, as a people, concerned about because victims have rights, too. The same Constitution that protects defendants protects victims of crime. And as it has been said before, we are not judged by the way we treat the rich, the famous, the powerful, the important folks. We're judged by the way we treat the innocent, the weak, the victims of crime. That's how we as a people will be judged. So I commend the gentlelady from Wisconsin for sponsoring this resolution. I wholeheartedly support it and I urge its adoption. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, today the House considers House Resolution 1259, a resolution designating the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and I totally support this important legislation. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) for sponsoring this bill and bringing it to the attention of Congress again this year. It is important that we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month to bring awareness to this tragic crime that occurs throughout the United States. The goal of the resolution is to raise public awareness and educate communities and individuals about sexual assault and sexual violence. It encourages the prevention of sexual assault and the improvement of treatment of its survivors and the prosecution of perpetrators. The numbers tell the story we cannot ignore. On average, a person is sexually assaulted in the United States every 2\1/2\ minutes. According to the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics, individuals age 12 or older experienced an estimated 222,000 rapes or sexual assaults in 2008, the last year for which we have data. The Rape Abuse Incest National Network, called RAINN, provides statistics about incidents of sexual assault in this country. And according to RAINN, children and young adults are the greatest risk of sexual assault: 44 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18, and 80 percent are under the age of 30. One in six women and 1 in 33 men are victims of rape or attempted rape. And over the course of their lifetimes, 18 percent of all women in the United States are raped. Thankfully, there are thousands of advocates across the country who serve as a bridge to recovery and encourage survivors of sexual assault to report the crimes as soon as it occurs. As my friend from Wisconsin has pointed out, there are numerous victims groups. I call them the victims posse, who are out to help victims of crimes, especially in the area of sexual assault, and we commend them for their work in this country. As we work to empower victims of sexual assault, we also need to support the efforts of law enforcement officials to punish sex offenders and combat future occurrences. Unfortunately, only 41 percent of sexual assault victims report their attacks to law enforcement. We must encourage victims to report the crimes so we can aggressively prosecute rapists and remove them from our communities. That is why we build penitentiaries, to house rapists and people who sexually assault children. Today's House resolution increases public awareness of sexual assault and works to combat it through prevention, education, and punishment. As chairman and co-chair of the Victims Rights Caucus, along with my friend from California (Mr. Costa) we totally support this legislation. I have no further requests for time and am prepared to close.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, because the Federal Government refuses to secure the border, States like Arizona have become desperate to solve the crisis. Arizona has a new illegal immigration law that is causing some heartburn for the open borders crowd. The new law makes being in Arizona without proof of legal status a crime. The consequences range from a misdemeanor to a felony depending on whether one is a repeat offender, is trafficking drugs, or is smuggling human beings. The open borders lobby doesn't want the laws they don't like enforced, so they protested outside the Arizona State capitol building when the Governor signed the bill into law. They were caught on video pelting police with rocks and bottles. One even assaulted a cameraman. The inconsistent national media calls the peaceful TEA Party people fringe terrorists, but the violent pro-illegal immigration rock throwers get a pass. No matter how the open borders media crowd spins these rowdy demonstrations, entering this country illegally is still against the law. The Federal Government should do its job and secure the border. That is what they are supposed to do. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I bring you news from the third front. The third front is the border that the United States has with Mexico, almost 2,000 miles long. The first front, of course, is the battle in Iraq. The second is the one in Afghanistan. The third front is the violence that occurs on our southern border with our neighbors in Mexico. Tonight I would like to talk about one specific group, and that's our Border Patrol agents who are doing a noble job on the broard southern border with Mexico. Some people don't realize this, but our Border Patrol agents, Madam Speaker, are under constant attack, daily attack, and it's from people that are coming into the United States illegally. The assaults against our Border Patrol officers have increased up to 16 percent more than last year. Just in the Tucson area, assaults against Border Patrol agents in the first 2 months of this year have increased 300 percent from last year. Over 108 Border Patrol agents in a 2-month period have been assaulted in the Tucson area. Let me show you a photograph, Madam Speaker. I'm not sure you can see this. Let me hold it up. This is a Border Patrol vehicle. It's a pickup truck. But you can see that there is mesh steel across portions of this Border Patrol vehicle. The Border Patrol calls this vehicle and others like it a ``war wagon.'' Now, why would they have this mesh steel across their windows, across the front windshield, on the roof protecting the lights, the red lights? Why would they have this? Well, it's to protect themselves. You see, when these Border Patrol vehicles go up and down the U.S. border with Mexico, those people who want to come into the United States illegally are waiting for them in different parts of the border, on our side right on the border, and throw rocks at our Border Patrol, and that's how many of the assaults have occurred against our Border Patrol agents in recent years. So thus they have to build these war wagons, something that you might want to see in Afghanistan or Iraq, to protect themselves from those who enter the United States illegally because they are constantly throwing rocks at them to divert the attention of our Border Patrol. The rocks are a weapon of choice by those who want to come into the United States illegally and who confront our Border Patrol. It's not just the weapons of choice by them, our cartels, of course--the drug cartels. They use other weapons. A little more firepower. Border Patrol is out-manned, out-gunned, and out-financed by the vicious border cartels who bring drugs into the United States and make money off of the illegal use of narcotics in bringing those drugs into the United States. Now, finally, we have started hearing something about what is taking place on the border. It's because of the folks in Arizona; that's where Tucson is. That's where Border Patrol assaults on Border Patrol agents have increased 300 percent in 2 months. They have so desperately taken matters into their own hands and made it illegal to be in the United States if you do not have a passport or a legal document. They have taken the Federal law and allowed police officers, when they have reasonable suspicion, to arrest somebody that's illegally in the United States. In other words, they catch them for doing some other crime, they find out they're illegally in the country and it becomes a crime in Arizona. They had to pass that law because the Federal Government, who's supposed to protect the sovereignty of the country and protect citizens from people who throw rocks at our Border Patrol, for example, it's the Federal Government's job to do that. But the Federal Government-- because we're too busy, like today. We honor on the House floor all the assistant principals in the United States. Now I'm sure that was an important piece of legislation that we passed today, yet we're honoring assistant principals and naming post offices while we ought to be securing the borders of the United States. We secure the borders of foreign countries better than we secure our own borders. We secure the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan and Third World countries, but not our own border. So we have to leave our Border Patrol on patrol, driving these war wagons to protect themselves when they're trying to enforce the rule of law. I recently asked a Texas Ranger down in the Laredo area, I said, What's it like after the sun goes down? He said, Congressman Poe, it gets western. It gets western. What he meant by that, it gets violent. And it does get violent. The gunfire, the violence, the kidnappings, the murders all take place down there because the drug cartels are trying to bring drugs into the United States. And they out-man, out- gun, and out-finance our Border Patrol agents. Our Border Patrol agents are doing as good a job as we'll let them do, and we need to help them all we can. Several Governors on the border States have asked that the President send the National Guard down there. That's probably a good idea. Let's send the National Guard to the border, secure the border, and make sure that our Border Patrol agents and our sovereignty is protected. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, two of our three Navy SEALs responsible for catching one of the worst terrorists in the world-- Ahmed Hasim Abed--have been acquitted of all alleged assault charges related to the terrorist's capture. Abed planned the 2004 ambush and murder of four Blackwater security guards in Fallujah, Iraq. These Americans were set on fire, mutilated, dragged through the streets and hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River. Our SEALs captured this crybaby terrorist. He later accused them of punching him. Two SEALs have been acquitted--the other should be acquitted as well. Last week I visited the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and met with 10 amazing, intense midshipmen from my congressional district in Texas. The remarkable class of 2010 is expected to graduate over a thousand midshipmen, but only 27 will be selected for the SEALs program. Our SEALs are the best that we have. We are forever indebted to these great warriors for their service to American freedom. We should give the Navy SEALs that captured Abed medals and send them out there to capture another one. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, freedom of speech is under attack in the West today, brought to you by the same radical Islamic terrorists who use religion to kill in the name of hate. I've talked about Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, who is on trial in Amsterdam for insulting Islam. You see, he made a documentary movie about real terrorist acts and real radical Islamic clerics encouraging violence in the name of hate. Instead of being grateful for shining a light on this problem, the Dutch Government is putting Geert Wilders on trial. He is charged with discrimination and incitement to hatred, all for showing the world how radical Islamic clerics discriminate and incite people to hatred. Wilders spoke the truth, and he got charged with a crime in his own country. The Dutch Ministry of Justice says it doesn't matter if Wilders was telling the truth. The Dutch court says it's irrelevant whether Wilders' assertions actually are correct. What is relevant to the court is Wilders cannot speak freely about radical Islam because it might offend somebody. In the Netherlands the truth is no longer welcome in a court of law. Geert Wilders now lives under a threat of a 5-year prison sentence from his own government for freedom of speech for the right to tell the truth. His trial is set to resume in July, the trial where the Dutch court says truth doesn't matter. It only matters if Wilders' words hurt somebody's feelings. You see, Dutch law is intolerant of people who are intolerant of violence in the name of Islam. And that's a recipe for disaster. By denying free, truthful speech, the Dutch Government by its actions is encouraging radicals to incite violence worldwide. Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, grandnephew of the legendary artist Vincent van Gogh, also made a film the radical clerics didn't like. His was about Islam's harsh treatment of women and how they brutalized women and used them as property. The result, van Gogh was murdered in the streets of Amsterdam as he rode his bicycle to work. His partner in the film, now a former member of Parliament, fled the country in fear. Kurt Westergaard is one of the 12 artists who drew a satirical cartoon about the prophet Mohammed. So radical clerics incited their followers to murder people in the streets around the globe. Most of the clerics admitted later they had never seen the Mohammed cartoons. And Westergaard now lives in hiding under an armed guard. So much for freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Now the threats of violence are spreading to the United States. The popular animated TV program ``South Park'' insults everybody. It's a comedy program that uses satire to make social statements. ``South Park's'' creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, did a series of episodes that insulted various world religions, including Islam. The 200th episode broadcast depicted all the founders of the major religions. Mohammed was dressed in a bear suit because Islam forbids its followers to depict the religion's founders. One radical Islamic Web site called ``Revolutionary Muslim'' is upset about the program, so they issued threats saying ``South Park'' creators Stone and Parker would end up like Theo van Gogh, in other words, dead. And they put up the crime scene photos of van Gogh with his throat slit and a knife protruding from his chest. They also gave out the TV network address of Comedy Central in New York, addresses for Parker and Stone's Los Angeles production company, and their residences. The radical Web site said they published the addresses so people could go out there and protest. Yeah, right. The trouble is we have seen worldwide how these radicals protest. They kill people. Because of the threats of violence and fear for the safety of everyone from the receptionist to the series creators, Comedy Central censored and spiked a follow-up program. Free speech was intimidated again by radical Islamics. These terrorists are being handed veto power over free speech through threats of violence and murder. No charges have been brought in the United States against the author of these radical Islamic Web sites. Meanwhile, Geert Wilders is still on trial in the Netherlands for warning the world about these haters for speaking the truth. And that's just the way it is.