Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, one thing that most Americans can agree on is that we need to produce more energy at home. The more energy that we produce domestically, the less we need to rely on foreign sources of oil which often come from unstable parts of the world. Furthermore, domestic energy creates jobs right here at home, jobs that can help lead our nation out of the current recession. America's thirst for energy continues to grow and the more options we have to quench this thirst, the better off we will be. It is essential to look at all forms of domestic energy including domestic oil and natural gas, solar, renewable and the latest technology--waste to energy conversion. All options should be examined. I recently had the opportunity to learn about a new and exciting technology that could help us produce more domestic energy from shale deposits, tar sands, waste tires, heavy oil, coal, municipal solids wastes and drill cuttings. A U.S. company, Global Resource Corporation is the developer of a microwave technology that converts waste into energy through a conversion process that essentially decomposes carbon materials into reusable high value fuels. An added benefit of this technology is that microwaves do not produce emissions, the process does not require water and all output can be reused. It is vital to America that we support the development of new technologies like this one that will provide the energy and new jobs we desperately need in order to grow. This company is evaluating the option to build a plant in the Second Congressional District of Texas. With its large number of refineries, deposits and other waste, as well as old tires that will be converted into usable energy, this process would solve two problems at once, disposal of waste and used tires, and producing clean domestic energy. I support projects such as this one and hope that our country will adopt even more common sense solutions to our growing energy demands, utilizing the domestic resources we have available and creating jobs.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, since the rebirth of the nation of Israel over 60 years ago, radical jihadists have relentlessly tried to destroy this nation. Funded by Iran, Hezbollah attacks from the north and thousands of unguided rockets have rained down on Israeli villages. That is right: unguided missiles. That means they deliberately go anywhere and hit anybody where the missile is fired. That includes men, women, children. It doesn't matter to Hezbollah. They want to kill in the name of terror. Hamas does the same thing in the south. Over 12,000 missiles have been launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip alone. I have been to Israel, and it is a small country. It is the size or smaller than the size of New Jersey. But yet from the north they get missiles, from the south they get missiles. But they still exist, and they have the right to exist. Israeli citizens fight these radicals rather than give up and surrender. After all, victory never comes by taking the path of least resistance. These are unprovoked attacks into this nation. Israel is assured by us, the United States, that she has the right to defend herself, but sometimes we try to interfere with her own national defense. Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East, and we need to treat her as such. The whole situation is made even more complicated by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. The Tiny Tyrant in the Desert, Ahmadinejad, has the means to hit Israel with missiles. And not only Israel, but our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and to allow Ahmadinejad to have nuclear weapons is not a nuclear option. The Tiny Tyrant Ahmadinejad uses murder and brutality to try to silence protests in his own country of Iran. Imagine what he will do to the world if he has nuclear weapons. The best great hope for the world is that the people of Iran change their regime, and we should encourage and support the students, the academics, and others not to give in to their oppressive dictator. Israel has been fighting radical jihadists for decades, and they have been on the front lines. Terrorist attack after terrorist attack, they have endured. We all remember the massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich in 1972. And then there was the slaughter of Israeli teenagers in a pizza parlor in Jerusalem in 2002. Radical Islam kills people they hate. They kill them in the name of religion, people of different religions, like Jews, Christians, and even moderate Muslims. The modern State of Israel was founded in the wake of the Holocaust, after 6 million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis. The reestablishment of Israel reflects the best conscience of a civilized world. And Israel has the absolute right to exist, just as other nations do; and it has the absolute moral right to defend itself against those who want to eliminate her. Israel is our partner and ally in this fight against terrorists, terrorists who deliberately target civilians. Innocent women and children are considered military combatants to terrorists. Jihadists use women as hostages and hide behind their skirts for their cowardly cover. Some history is in store here, Mr. Speaker. Back in 1967, Israel was forced into a war by Arab nations. President Nasser of Egypt threatened to ``drive Israel into the sea,'' and the conflict is now called the Six Day War. The armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon amassed on the Israeli borders, and President Nasser of Egypt ordered the United Nations emergency troops to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula. So the whole world watched and waited for the destruction of Israel. The United Nations stood by and did nothing. But to the shock of the world, Israel turned back all of the aggressors in just 6 days and headed to the enemy capitals. Israel won a defensive war on the West Bank, Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. A cease-fire was then negotiated. International law says that countries must return land gained from a defensive war only under a negotiated peace. So Israel and Egypt have since signed a peace treaty. Israel gave back the Sinai. Time and again Israel has traded land for peace, but it still has no peace. All of the nations of the Middle East must condemn terror as a policy for change. The Palestinians and Israelis must settle their disputes now, some 60 years later, through mutual respect, cooperation, honesty, and understanding. But intimidation, terror, murder is not an acceptable foreign or domestic policy and should be publicly and jointly rejected by all sides. Make no mistake about it, Israel will not surrender or retreat in the wake of this violence. Israel shall never give in and never give up the right to exist, whether jihadists like it or not. And the United States should make it clear to terrorists that we will stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends and allies. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, most of the American people oppose the government plan to take over health care. It costs too much; it borrows too much; it taxes too much; it's inefficient; and it gives government bureaucrats the control of our personal medical decisions. We should just fix what's broken. People should be able to buy health insurance across State lines to get competitive rates. Small businesses should be able to pool together to get better rates through larger risk pools. Businesses that help take care of their employees should get tax breaks rather than tax increases. People should own their own health insurance policies--and that's real portability. If anybody loses or leaves their jobs, they don't lose their insurance. People should not be cancelled for having preexisting conditions, and we should figure out a way to provide for catastrophic illness, catastrophic injury and affordability. These are things that most Members agree on. These things don't cost billions of dollars. These things help keep government out of the doctor's office. We should fix what the American people want us to fix and keep the government from destroying America's health. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, today we honor one of our nation's bravest women, Sgt. Kimberly Munley. Sgt. Munley responded within three minutes after gunfire was reported at Ft. Hood, Texas. If it was not for her quick and heroic response, many more could have been killed. Sgt. Munley was shot during the exchange, but continued shooting at the gunman even after being wounded herself. Her bravery serves as a stark contrast to the cowardly actions of the shooter. Sgt. Munley portrayed the real courage that all of our men and women in the Armed Forces embody that we are all grateful for.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in the deep, dark dungeons of this Capitol, the government trolls are writing bills behind closed doors. Their aim has always been to take away our liberty one step at a time. It's what bureaucrats do. They look for ways to grow and take over more of our lives to justify their existence. So these elite government trolls think they know better how to run our lives than we do, and they keep their bills in secret so we, the people, won't know what's in them until it's too late, until the legislation is forced upon an unwilling, misinformed people. It has been decades since freedom and liberty faced a full frontal assault from a single piece of legislation, a bill that is so damaging in scope that by its passage, American freedom and American health will be sacrificed on the altar of more government control. Of course I'm talking about the universal government takeover of health care. This is the most important piece of legislation in modern history, and we were promised--we were promised that we in this House, we would have transparency. We would see what is taking place. The administration promised us that transparency. In fact, the administration invited interested parties in health care to the White House to discuss health care. Of course, for some reason I wasn't on that invitation list because I'm always willing to discuss my position and the position of the people I represent. We were promised that cameras would film the transparency, cameras like C-SPAN, cameras like the ones here in the House of Representatives, down the hallway in the U.S. Senate so the American people can see what takes place. I believe in cameras so that the American public can see what happens in our Republic. When I was a judge back in Texas, I was one of the first judges to allow cameras into the courtroom so the American people could see what took place in a criminal trial. I've offered legislation to have cameras in the United States Supreme Court, in their hearings, so the most important, most powerful Court in the United States and in the world, the people can see what takes place over there. Of course, that legislation hasn't gone anywhere. And C-SPAN, what do they do? Well, they're not a news organization in the sense that they have commentators. They just film what takes place, and the American public decides. C-SPAN wants to film what is taking place somewhere in the dungeons of this Capitol where the trolls are writing yet another health care bill. You know, Mr. Speaker, health care is more than about just government control of health care. It's about government control of our lives. It's more about government raising taxes, more government spending, more borrowing from the Chinese and from the Japanese and more oppression. A government takeover of health care is unhealthy, and it's not going to make the American health better. It's going to make the individual health of the American people actually worse, given that the government control over health and health care is not compatible with liberty. Mr. Speaker, if we love the competence of FEMA and the efficiency of the post office and the compassion of the IRS, we're going to love nationalized health care. Allowing our rulers to construct these bills in secret is exactly how they will bring about these liberty-killing laws. Patrick Henry, one of my heroes, said, ``The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. Let me repeat that: ``The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.'' And that's exactly what's taking place in this third health care bill that is supposedly being written by Members of the Senate and Members of the House somewhere in this Capitol. When rulers plot against the people in secret, it makes it hard for the people to fight back because they really don't know what's going on. But, Mr. Speaker, the people are fighting back. They are fighting back with ballots and not bullets. That was proven yesterday in Massachusetts. The way things are running in Washington, D.C., these days, the proof is purposely hidden from the people. And the question is why. Why can't the people see through C-SPAN what is taking place behind closed doors? Because it's giving power to government and not to the people. And that's why we're not being allowed to see what's taking place. It's about changing the phrase ``We the People'' to ``We the Subjects.'' And that's why We, the People, aren't allowed to see what's taking place behind these closed doors in secret. So much for transparency. Spending, taxing, regulating and borrowing, that's what's taking place. There is nothing more these days that the taxocrats won't try to tax or regulate. Ronald Reagan once said, ``Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream . . . It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was like once in the United States where men were free.'' Legislation, Mr. Speaker, especially the most important in recent years, health care, should be done openly, openly so we can see what's taking place. So I say, open up the steel gates, quit hiding the facts from the citizens. Mr. President, open the gates of transparency and openness. And, Mr. President, tear down these walls of secrecy. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First, I want to thank the ranking member, the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for introducing this resolution, and I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1013, which condemns the violent suppression of legitimate political dissent and gross human rights abuses in the Republic of Guinea. Analysts have been warning that Guinea, an impoverished yet resource- rich country in West Africa, has been teetering on the brink of chaos for years. Throughout the 1990s, Guinea was flanked by brutal civil wars in neighboring countries. This aggravated existing ethnic tensions within Guinea and left the entire subregion awash with small arms and mercenaries for hire. Demonstrations throughout the years 2006 and 2007 were brutally put down by military security forces, leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured. The ailing longtime president was so corrupt and unpopular that the citizens of Guinea reportedly readily embraced the military junta to replace him when he finally died in December of 2008. Unfortunately, the junta would not usher in peace. Despite initial positive signals, repeated delays in the elections and the timetable provoked increasing public discontent. On September 28, 2009, tens of thousands of unarmed civilians gathered at the national soccer stadium to protest against the junta. Security forces responded by surrounding the stadium, blocking the exits, and opening fire with live ammunition on the crowds. In the chaos that ensued, over 150 people were killed; more than 1,000 people were injured; at least 60 women were brutally raped, sexually assaulted, or killed by security officials in plain sight of commanding officers; and prominent opposition leaders were beaten and arrested while demonstrators and opposing party members were detained without any formal charge. Almost immediately, the United States, the European Union, and the Economic Community of West African States imposed targeted sanctions against the junta and called for the return of a civilian government. The junta then reportedly starting importing millions of dollars of weapons and recruiting ethnic militias. This prompted analysts to warn that Guinea had become a tinderbox that could blow at any time, potentially taking neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone with it. On December 3, 2009, junta leader Dadis was shot in the head by an aide and was flown to Morocco, where he remained for nearly 6 weeks. In his absence, the acting junta leader announced that a transitional government would be formed and that the opposition had been invited to select a prime minister. Despite a political agreement between the junta and the opposition being signed this past weekend, the situation in Guinea remains extremely fragile. Details about the formation of a transitional government and eventual return to civilian rule remain unclear. The mere suggestion that Dadis would return to Guinea last week prompted the acting junta leader to threaten his resignation. The junta leadership and the military remain deeply divided. Ethnic militias remain well-armed. The deterioration of security in Guinea threatens to undermine our massive investment in peace in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Ivory Coast. More importantly, a collapse of Guinea would create yet another pocket of opportunity for extremists and narcotraffickers who already exploit West Africa's weak institutions and vast ungoverned areas. To begin to address these issues, the ranking member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida, has introduced H. Res. 1013. And this is what it does: It expresses grave concern over the deterioration of security and the rule of law in Guinea. It calls on China to cancel its $7 billion in minerals and infrastructure deal with Guinea. It urges member states of the United Nations to join the United States, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the European Union, in imposing sanctions against the ruling junta in Guinea until constitutional order is restored. It supports regional efforts to resolve the conflict. It calls on members of the ruling junta to uphold their pledges to organize free and fair and transparent elections to restore civilian rule in Guinea. And it expresses solidarity with the people of Guinea during this time of extreme uncertainty in their lives. I want to thank the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Berman, for supporting this measure and enabling it to come to the floor today. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan, uncontroversial, and timely resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding. When this situation occurred in Haiti, when the earthquake came through and devastated the land, the buildings, and the lives of the people, there were over 30,000 Americans in Haiti at the time. Many of these Americans were there as volunteers to help this struggling nation. They were from churches throughout the United States. They were young people, civic organizations already there helping this struggling nation. One group particularly, from my hometown of Houston, a group of Rotarians, had just gotten there to work in two places. They were going to work in the hospitals, to make the hospitals better and more convenient and more efficient, and they were also there to dig water wells for the Haitian people. And all of these people that were there from America, most of them, were volunteers. It has been said that government can never replace a volunteer, and that is true. Americans are the most giving people on Earth, and they were helping Haiti. And I suspect Americans will go and help Haiti again, to volunteer, all of these civic religious organizations. And that is a good thing, because that is what we do in America. We help other people. We help our own people, and we help foreign nations and their people as well, because America in the time of crisis responds. So I commend the Americans that are working, along with the NGOs and the officials of our government and other governments, in this struggling time to help the people of Haiti get their lives back together so that they can once again be a productive nation in the community of countries.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on April 19, 1775, 235 years ago, shots rang out in Massachusetts that forever changed the history of the world. British redcoats were ordered to seize the weapons of the American militia, even though it's never a good idea to try to disarm the American people. The famous midnight ride of Paul Revere warned the Minutemen that the invincible British were coming. And as the sun rose over the town of Lexington, Massachusetts, the first shots rang out against the British tyranny, shots heard around the world. At the north bridge of Concord, patriots fought the British Army. The mighty British were defeated and turned back towards Boston. These were the first battles of the American Revolution to throw off the yoke of tyranny for a new idea of freedom. The people of Massachusetts have fired a second shot heard around the world. Yesterday, they fired back against big, intrusive government, not with bullets, but with ballots. The Senate election was a statement for freedom over oppression. Our government, like the British, would do well never to underestimate the American people. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, an al Qaeda jihadist committed an act of war over the skies of Detroit on Christmas Day. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, working with al Qaeda in Yemen, sewed explosives into his underwear. He tried to blow up the plane over Detroit, but the detonator failed and the terrorist was captured by passengers. Counting on faulty detonators is not a sound national security policy. We should be stopping terrorists from boarding planes in the first place. The underwear bomber got on the plane with a valid United States visa. Even though he was on a terrorist watch list, he boarded a plane for the U.S. anyway. After the 9/11 attacks, the State Department was ordered to open visa security units at all of our embassies. Eight years later, only 14 of the 220 American embassies have visa security units. Why is that? The underwear bomber got his U.S. visa in London. He got to keep his visa even though his father told our embassy in Nigeria that his son was a dangerous radical. American embassies in London and Nigeria don't have a visa security unit. And when the bomber's own father told us he was dangerous, the information was ignored by our State Department. The underwear bomber paid cash for a ticket, had no luggage, and he was on that watch list. The United States State Department was warned by the bomber's father that he was a threat. He had even previously been denied entry into the United Kingdom because he applied for a visa to go to a college that doesn't exist in the United Kingdom. But U.S. authorities let him fly the friendly skies anyway. He should not have been allowed on that airplane. The American people have the right to know why our Nation allowed this person to enter the United States with a visa, knowing all of these facts. After the failed attack, Abdulmutallab bragged about 20 more terrorists preparing to attack the United States. He said they were also training in Yemen. According to Slade Gorton, a member of the 9/11 Commission, He was singing like a canary, then we charged him in Federal court, he got a lawyer, and he quit talking. Instead of turning the terrorist over to the military authorities for interrogation, or even letting him just keep on talking, the administration treated this individual like a 2-bit car thief. They told him he had the right to remain silent, and then they got this jihadist a lawyer on the public dime and he quit talking. Under the new ``try the terrorists in Federal court'' policy, America has lost the ability to get vital information about al Qaeda. America is probably less safe as a result. The bomber could and should have been tried in a military court. There are legal allowances for enemies like the underwear bomber. And as an enemy combatant, he should have been held and interrogated by military officials under existing law. In Federal court now they're even talking about offering this terrorist a plea deal to get some information that he was willing to offer earlier with no deal. Now we are making a deal with the Devil. So the terrorists can avoid justice and get leniency by making a backroom agreement with authorities. Another problem these jihadists have, they are not your average, everyday criminals. They are radical jihadists on a mission to kill themselves and every American they can take with them. A few years in prison is not going to deter their mission. To the contrary, these who kill in the name of religion try to kill their prison guards. It's happened in the United States. Louis Pepe was once a prison guard at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. Ten months before the 9/11 terrorist attack, two al Qaeda inmates were held there. These are the ones who bombed the American Embassy in East Africa in 1998, killing over 200 people. A weak-kneed Federal judge gave these two al Qaeda terrorists permission to buy hot sauce in the penitentiary. So what they did is made it into mace to incapacitate the guard. They stabbed him in the eye with a knife they made by filing down a hair comb. They kicked and beat Pepe and smeared a cross on his chest in his own blood. He was left permanently blinded, partially paralyzed, and he lost most of his ability to speak. These terrorists were trying to get the keys to the cell block to take more hostages. Now, isn't that lovely? Jihadists are at war with this Nation and, when captured, they should be treated like military criminals. But first and foremost, when radicals are on a threat list, don't let them on the airplane. Why is that so difficult to comprehend? Meanwhile, Madam Speaker, the band keeps playing while the ship of common sense is sinking in the ocean. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, according to the 10th Amendment, any power not specifically granted to the Federal Government is reserved to the people and to the States. Those that demand government take over health care have yet to provide a constitutional example for such government oppression. Further, it doesn't say anywhere in the Constitution the Federal Government can force anybody to buy anything, including health insurance. It is not there. Some have said, what about car insurance? The States, not the Feds, regulate car insurance so drivers can pay for third-party injuries. And driving is a privilege, not a right. A better example would be if the Feds forced the people to buy a car from GM. ``Government Motors'' would pick the car they want the citizens to buy, then tax them to pay for it. That is unconstitutional. So is forcing people to buy health insurance. Thomas Jefferson said, ``The Federal Government is our servant, not our master.'' It is about time we put government in its place. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, teachers spend endless hours with our children preparing them for their future. These teachers are a role model for our children and continue to shape them each and every day. Lamar University honored four area educators on November 5, 2009 to be inducted into the Educator Hall of Fame--Joe Chenella, Ms. Sally House, Dr. Ron Sims, and Ms. Patty Sanderson. Mr. Chenella started his career at Bridge City High School as a math teacher. After working his way through the system, Mr. Chenella now serves as the Bridge City ISD Assistant Superintendent. He is proud to see his students involved in the community and the leadership roles they have chosen. Ms. House has taught students in Beaumont, Nederland, Lubbock, and Midland. She has been recognized for her outstanding work and continues her love for teaching by advising our future teachers at Lamar University. Dr. Sims has a passion for teaching and working with students. He has taught, served as assistant principal, and principal at local schools. He is now serving as Superintendent of Lumberton ISD. Ms. Sanderson has taught at Langham Elementary in Nederland for the past 14 years. She shows her love of teaching by encouraging her students and being a positive influence. On behalf of the Second District of Texas, I would like to congratulate these educators on their dedication and love for teaching. They truly inspire others and have made a difference in many students' lives.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, in July of 2008, a courageous mission was undertaken to rescue 15 hostages who were being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. Three of these hostages were American civilians. The operation was code named, Operation Willing Spirit, a perfect description of the valor demonstrated by all of the rescuers involved. Captain Bob Bernazal, a Kingwood, Texas native, was especially vital to the success of the operation in his role as the Information Operations Integration Strategy Division chief of the 612th Air Operations Center. Captain Bernazal's ability and dedication was clearly shown through his comprehensive planning of Operation Willing Spirit. The nine-year Air Force veteran has proved a fine example of the aptitude of our Armed Forces by ensuring mission success. He is praised by his superiors as an outstanding Information Operations expert, and is recognized for the development and implementation of a plan for utilizing IO duty officers. We are fortunate to have great men like Capt. Bob Bernazal at our side to outwit our enemies and protect our nation. It is with great pride and admiration that the Second District of Texas is able to commend Captain Bernazal as the Air Force-level Outstanding Information Operations Active Duty Company Grade Officer of the Year. This Kingwood, Texas native is truly deserving of this award as well as the respect of our nation. We thank him for his service. He is a great Texan and a true hero.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as we end the month, the year, the decade, this session of Congress, some observations: Fifteen million Americans are unemployed. We have 10 percent unemployment and higher throughout the United States. Spending is totally out of control. The country is broke, so we borrow money from China and Japan, and it seems they own our Nation. And the taxacrats have not seen a tax bill they didn't believe in. Domestic policy is simple: Spend money, spend money we don't have, then borrow it, and then raise taxes on the American people. The government's financial system is also simple: If it moves, tax it; if it keeps moving, regulate it; and if it stops moving, then subsidize it. Today we raised the debt ceiling so more money can be spent as soon as we get back in January. Now we're over $12 trillion in debt. The House has turned our Nation's health care over to the government. You know, the government who tried to run a health care vaccine program that was a total failure, where school kids didn't get the vaccine while Wall Street fat cats did. And yet the Federal Government wants to now run America's health. The House voted on a cap-and-trade tax bill that will add a tax on energy consumption for all Americans and punish energy consumption and encourage domestic oil producers to go somewhere else. Congress has given more money away to foreign countries that hate us while ignoring problems at home. Many Members of Congress have already left on planes, headed to Denmark to talk about how we must control the climate because man is the evildoer and scourge of the Earth. Of course, the Al Gore warmers have been caught this year hiding data that shows reasonable minds disagree with their theory of global warming. Plus, the warmers want to force Americans to spend millions of dollars to implement changes on their yet unproven theories. The government, in essence, has taken over Wall Street, the financial industry, the automobile industry. You know, General Motors needs to change its name to Government Motors. The Federal Government has taken over the mortgage industry, the banks, and the salaries of some executives. More American freedom and liberty has been stolen from us, and more assaults on the Constitution have occurred than at any time in our history. And today, the radical open border crowd has announced new legislation, arrogantly demanding amnesty for millions of illegals in this country with, also, visa preferences for those nations with the most foreigners in the United States. So much for border security. We have a new military strategy that's implemented. It's called the surge and retreat plan. That strategy is in Afghanistan where we're going to surge and send a bunch of troops in, but yet in 18 months, according to the administration, they're coming home. No strategy like that has ever been used in military history before. And of course Gitmo, down there in Cuba where we house terrorists, it's getting a new ZIP Code. We're moving it to the United States and putting it in Illinois. And of course the country has seen that we've prosecuted our Navy SEALs and given rides to terrorists. What an odd year it's been. It is the arrogance of power that says government is the answer to everything. Our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor have been turned over to government opportunists. Reagan said that government is the problem, not the answer, and I agree with him. But, Mr. Speaker, not all is gloom, doom, and despair. There is great hope. The American people are not fooled. People in our country now fear the government, and people are mad, and people are involved. And even though the D.C. crowd pays no attention to them, I've got news for the elites: The people are not going away in the darkness of the night. They will not give up without a fight, because the American cause is righteous, and the people's actions are just. Government should not underestimate the American soul and the American spirit. They are a force to be reckoned with. Mr. Speaker, the people want their country back, and they will get it back. After all, the Constitution says, ``We the People,'' not, ``We, the subjects.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity to be with our resilient troops last week in Afghanistan near the violent southern border with Pakistan. Part of their mission is to secure the border by preventing drugs, arms, money and Taliban criminals from crossing back and forth through the vast border regions. It's in America's interest to have our military in Afghanistan and protect the sovereignty of that country. It is ironic, however, we see the need to protect the borders of other nations; but because of political reasons, we don't have the moral will to protect our own borders. This is not the first administration that has given a wink and a nod to our porous borders, but it should be the last. Our southern border region is a haven for organized criminal cartels, gun smugglers, human smugglers and rogue outlaws that cross as freely as they did in the days of the old west. We should be as concerned about protecting our own border as we are about protecting the borders of Third World countries like Afghanistan. We should put our military on the border if necessary. After all, the first duty of government is protection of our own homeland. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, we debate throughout the world the concept of global warming, but we don't call it that any more; we call it climate change. All the big leaders of the world are in Denmark talking about how they can figure out a way to control man, to make sure that man, the evildoer, the polluter of the world, does not continue to pollute our wonderful climate. The consensus has been for some time that global warming, climate change, continues because man is the perpetrator. Now we are beginning to learn that may not be true, that there is not a consensus that there is global warming or climate change. We now have heard about Climategate, where the expert scientists hid emails in England that disagreed with the so-called consensus that there is global warming and global climate change. We have heard now new evidence that even NASA is involved in not revealing evidence that contradicts climate change. I think a history lesson is in order, Madam Speaker, and I would like to read from a couple of well thought of, in the science community, a couple of magazine articles. One of them is under the Science section of Time magazine. It's dated June 24, but the year is 1974. The article begins with this comment, ``Another Ice Age?'' So much for global warming. As they review the bizarre and unpredictable weather patterns of the past several years, a growing number of scientists are beginning to suspect that many seemingly contradictory events are occurring in global climate upheaval. The weather widely varies from place to place and time to time. When meteorologists take an average of temperatures around the globe, they find that the atmosphere has been growing gradually cooler the last three decades and the trend shows no indication of reversing. Let me repeat that. According to scientists in 1974, the trend shows no indication of reversing the cooling trend. Scientists are becoming increasingly apprehensive, for the weather aberrations they are studying may be the harbinger of another Ice Age. If we were to live in 1974, and, you know, I actually lived in 1974, I read this article then, I believed it. I believe we were all going to freeze in the dark. It goes on to say that a part of the problem is man polluting the atmosphere with farming. Because man farms and the dust gets up into the air, that blocks the sun rays from coming to Earth, and that actually cools the Earth. Maybe that's another new idea of carbon emission cooling that was in 1974. The following year that notable news magazine, Newsweek, April 28, 1975, under its Science section in the back, talks about the cooling world. There are ominous signs that the Earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may be bringing a drastic decline in food production throughout the world. To scientists these dramatic incidents represent the advanced signs of a fundamental change in the world's whether. The central fact, you got that word, fact, is that after three-quarters of a century of extraordinarily mild conditions, the Earth's climate seems to be cooling down. And that's from Newsweek. Here is a chart they put in their expert scientific article, and it's entitled--I think it's nice they put it in the ice-blue color-- Newsweek, ``The Cooling World,'' and it shows that average temperatures are getting colder. Of course, it goes off the chart, colder and colder, April 28, 1978. Like I said, Madam Speaker, I believed we were all going to freeze in the dark. The scientists told us that we were going to freeze in the dark because of the weather patterns. Climates do change, Madam Speaker. In the 1970s it was getting cooler. Now they say it's getting warmer. Now they just say it's climate change. Climates do change. That's what seasons are. Most of the world up here in the north has seasons. Now, we don't have seasons in Houston. We have two seasons--we have summer, and we have August. Other than that, the seasons change. In most parts of the world they get warm, they get cold. We are going to try to trust the world's climate predictions to a group of people from the 1970s and now, 2000, to a group of people who can't even predict correctly tomorrow's weather. You know, people in the weather industry are the only people I know who consistently can be wrong and keep their jobs. But yet, these same people who can't predict tomorrow's weather are trying to predict the weather from now on, that climate change is occurring because man is the culprit. And that's just the way it is. [From Newsweek, Apr. 28, 1975] (By Peter Gwynne) The Cooling World There are ominous signs that the earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may have drastic decline in food production--with serious political implications for just about every nation on earth. The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only ten years from now. The regions destined to feel its impact are the great wheat-producing lands of Canada and the U.S.S.R. in the north, along with a number of marginally self-sufficient tropical areas--parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indochina and Indonesia--where the growing season is dependent upon the rains brought by the monsoon. The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard- pressed to keep up with it. In England, farmers have seen their growing season decline by about two weeks since 1950, with a resultant over-all loss in grain production estimated at up to 100,000 tons annually. During the same time, the average temperature around the equator has risen by a fraction of a degree--a fraction that in some areas can mean drought and desolation. Last April, in the most devastating outbreak of tornadoes ever recorded, 148 twisters killed more than 300 people and caused half a billion dollars' worth of damage in thirteen U.S. states. Trend: To scientists, these incidents represent the advance signs of fundamental changes in the world's weather. The central fact is that after three quarters of a century of extraordinarily mild conditions, the earth's climate seems to be cooling down. Meteorologists disagree about the cause and extent of the cooling trend, as well as over its specific impact on local weather conditions. But they are almost unanimous in the view that the trend will reduce agricultural productivity for the rest of the century. If the climatic change is as profound as some of the pessimists fear, the resulting famines could be catastrophic. ``A major climatic change would force economic and social adjustments on a worldwide scale,'' warns a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, ``because the global patterns of food production and population that have evolved are implicitly dependent on the climate of the present century.'' A survey completed last year by Dr. Murray Mitchell of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals a drop of half a degree in average ground temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere between 1945 and 1968. According to George Kukla of Columbia University, satellite photos indicated a sudden, large increase in Northern Hemisphere snow cover in the winter of 1971-72. And a study released last month by two NOAA scientists notes that the amount of sunshine reaching the ground in the continental U.S. diminished by 1.3 percent between 1964 and 1972. To the layman, the relatively small changes in temperature and sunshine can be highly misleading. Reid Bryson of the University of Wisconsin points out that the earth's average temperature during the great Ice Ages was only about 7 degrees lower than during its warmest eras--and that the present decline has taken the planet about a sixth of the way toward the Ice Age average. Others regard the cooling as a reversion to the ``little ice age'' conditions that brought bitter winters to much of Europe and northern America between 1600 and 1900--years when the Thames used to freeze so solidly that Londoners roasted oxen on the ice and when iceboats sailed the Hudson River almost as far south as New York City. Just what causes the onset of major and minor ice ages remains a mystery. ``Our knowledge of the mechanisms of climat- ic change is at least as fragmentary as our data,'' concedes the National Academy of Sciences report ``Not only are the basic scientific questions largely unanswered, but in many cases we do not yet know enough to pose the key questions.'' Extremes: Meteorologists think that they can forecast the short-term results of the return to the norm of the last century. They begin by noting the slight drop in over-all temperature that produces large numbers of pressure centers in the atmosphere. These break up the smooth flow of westerly, winds over temperate areas. The stagnant air produced in this way causes an increase in extremes of local weather such as droughts, floods, extended dry spells, long freezes, delayed monsoons and even local temperature increases--all of which have a direct impact on food supplies. ``The world's food-producing system,'' warns Dr. James D. McQuigg of NOAA's Center for Climatic and Environmental Assessment, ``is much more sensitive to the weather variable than it was even five years ago.'' Furthermore, the growth of world population and creation of new national boundaries make it impossible for starving peoples to migrate from their devastated fields, as they did during past famines. Climatologists are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change, or even to allay its effects. They concede that some of the more spectacular solutions proposed, such as melting the arctic ice cap by covering it with black soot or diverting arctic rivers, might create problems far greater than those they solve. But the scientist see few signs that government leaders anywhere are even prepared to take the simple measures of stockpiling food or of introducing the variables of climatic uncertainty into economic projections of future food supplies. The longer the planners delay, the more difficult will they find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I appreciate the gentlewoman for yielding. I totally support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, the First Amendment to our Constitution is first for a reason. The items stated in the First Amendment--the right of freedom of religion, the right of freedom of speech and of a free press and the right to peaceably assemble--are in the First Amendment because they are the most important. Without those four, the rest of the amendments that follow are meaningless, especially the two which deal with freedom of speech and with the freedom of press. You will notice the amendment to our Constitution guarantees a free press. It does not guarantee a fair press, as ``fair'' is always in the eyes of the beholder; but it guarantees the right that a press may exist and communicate, first, through the written word about what is taking place in a free society, in a democracy, in a republic. Iran is a perfect example of a nation that does not believe in a free press or in a press of any kind. It does not want to have its illegitimate regime exposed to the world in order to let the world know what is taking place in that country. We have all seen the students who protested last summer and, more recently, in the last week and a half. We have all seen how the regime in Iran blocked Internet access and blocked cell phone usage so that photographs of what took place could not be transmitted somewhere else. We have seen that journalists were hauled off to jail and were tried before the star chamber in secret and that some of them were sentenced to the penitentiary. Speech is silenced in Iran, both that of the oral word and the written word. A free press is the enemy of a dictator. President Ahmadinejad is in defiance of world peace. He is determined to build nuclear weapons, and he is determined to build missiles that are capable of delivering those nuclear weapons. Of course, he has made those plans of his clear to destroy Israel and to be a constant threat to the West, especially to Europe and to the United States. He oppresses his own people. That is why those people, those young people, including journalists and reform clergy members, are opposing his legitimacy to be ruler over them. My own opinion is that, in that nation, the more the world hears about what takes place there, the more the world will support the people of Iran and a regime change. I hope that we stand by the people of Iran, who desire to have self-determination and to rule their country in spite of their rogue dictator. Of course, now before us today is another bill regarding sanctions of Iran. I, personally, am not a big fan of sanctions. Historically, they haven't worked. Some countries have always figured out a way to get around it. To me, sanctions usually mean that we kick the problem on down the road with the intention of maybe dealing with it later. However, preventing refined gasoline from getting to Iran is a good idea, and that is what this sanction that we will talk about later and vote on is all about. It may have the result of helping the people of Iran change their illegitimate government. Mr. Speaker, dictators hate a free press, but a free press is essential to a free people whether those free people are in the United States or whether those free people are in the nation of Iran. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, requiring Americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine or even go to jail if the fine tax is unpaid is utterly without constitutional authority. Under the Constitution, a citizen has no affirmative duty to purchase a mandated congressional product. Citizens have the right to do nothing. The bruisers of the Constitution claim people must buy car insurance. That analogy is flawed. First, States, not Congress, have authority under the 10th Amendment that is not given to Congress. Second, driving is a privilege, not a right, and to exercise that privilege, a driver must buy insurance. But no one is forced to drive a car. Third, car insurance is to protect a third party from the driver. No State requires a driver to buy insurance for themselves. A better analogy would be, in the name of promoting commerce, forcing all people to buy a car whether they wanted to or not, whether they could afford it or not, or be punished. Congress, by force, requiring all people to buy a product, whether it's health insurance or a car or even a box of doughnuts is unconstitutional and abuse of congressional authority. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the whole world has been watching what has taken place in Copenhagen, Denmark last week and this week. All the talk is about climate change and how man is affecting the climate, but what we need in this world is a climate change in Iran. That's right. We need to change the atmosphere in Iran with what has taken place with the little man from the desert, Ahmadinejad. Last week and even this week, thousands of students--and here is a photograph of some of them--have taken to the streets to protest the regime of Ahmadinejad and how oppressive it is. They are complaining in this peaceful protest against the tyranny against the people of Iran. Not only Ahmadinejad, but they are protesting the radical mullahs and the Iranian military. You see, these young people want what everybody throughout the world wants--freedom. Somewhere down in the way that we are made there is this spark; there is this flame of freedom. The people in Iran don't have that, so the young people have taken to the streets--the sons of Iran, the daughters of democracy--and they are protesting the oppressive government. They are protesting the fraudulent elections that got Ahmadinejad elected last summer. They are protesting the fact that they have no freedom in their own country. They have suffered the consequences for these protests. They have been beaten. They have been teargassed. They have been hauled off to jail. The press has been oppressed as well. In fact, what has occurred is that the Internet has been closed, and cell phones have been blocked-- all in the name of preventing young people and others from protesting this oppressive regime. We all remember this past summer how numerous students were murdered in the streets just because they complained to their government about what was taking place. Already 80 of those protesters, political prisoners, have been tried by the star chamber--in secret, away from anybody in a public trial--and 80 of them have received sentences in an Iranian prison of 15 years or more, and 5 of them have received a sentence of the death penalty. Why? What is their crime? Their crime is objecting to the oppression of their own government, and for that, they are punished. Of course, others have been shot in the streets just because they have taken to the streets to protest their government. You know, the students aren't the only ones who have been arrested. Journalists have been arrested. Clerics, who call themselves ``reform clerics,'' and other people--all for the same reason--objecting to their government. They object to what has taken place. By blocking the cell phones and Internet access, the government had hoped to keep the word from getting out to the rest of the world about this pollution, about this horrible climate in Iran, but the word has gotten out--photographs such as this one here. Here is another one of a young Iranian student having been beaten for taking to the streets to protest his government last week. This one also escaped the controlled press of the Iranian Government. You know, Iran violates its own constitution by not allowing its people to protest and to lawfully assemble. They are standing for basic human rights. That's right--the right to peaceably assemble and to object to your government and what it's doing to you. It's the right of free speech--a basic human right. It's the right of a free press, which is a right we take for granted in this country. So we need a regime change in Iran. The way to do that is to help these young people and the people who want to change their regime. We must support them. This country should support them in any way that we can. Yes, President Ahmadinejad is the pollution of the world, and we need a change of climate in Iran. The students are sending a message to Iran's rogue government that you can beat us, you can arrest us, you can imprison us, but you will not stop us, and you will not intimidate us because we are not going away. Good for them. We should be proud of those students. We should support them. We should have a climate change in Iran. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, in a purported letter to the editor, Alicia Church states, ``I don't understand why the White House is so upset about two party crashers . . . Is it appropriate and politically correct to call them party crashers just because they trespassed? ``Does that make them criminals? Isn't that discrimination? Shouldn't they be rewarded for such bold and brave behavior? Maybe they were just trying to feed their family? Isn't it more appropriate to call them undocumented guests? Just because they weren't officially invited guests doesn't mean they should be treated like criminals. ``Maybe they should get free health care, free housing, free legal services, and free White House green cards so next time they can enter legally. And they should be able to bring all of their relatives and family members, too. ``How can anyone be mad at them just because they crossed over some arbitrary man-made border? They were only doing things that regularly invited guests didn't want to do, like hang out with Vice President Biden. How can the White House punish these poor, oppressed, undocumented visitors?'' Madam Speaker, how ironic; the government panics about two White House trespassers while the thousands who illegally trespass across our borders are completely ignored. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, on December 10, 2009 the Iraqi government announced that it is going to forcibly displace thousands of Iranian dissidents living in Camp Ashraf to a remote prison in the Iraqi desert. The Iraqi government knows the world recognizes Camp Ashraf as a refuge for those who stand tall for freedom and democracy, so it is demolishing their homes they have lived in for over 20 years and moving them to southern Iraq, where the Iraqi government thinks it can do whatever it wants to them and the world won't notice. The families in Camp Ashraf's biggest crime is that they love freedom and oppose the oppressive Iranian regime. Tehran has for months now pressured the Iraqi government to hand over Camp Ashraf residents so it can imprison and torture them just like they do to all who dare speak out against the regime. This is no secret: Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani explicitly asked Iraqi lawmakers in early November to expel these dissidents from Iraqi soil. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, wanting to better relations with Iran, sent Iraqi government forces to brutally attack Camp Ashraf residents in July. It was a humanitarian catastrophe leaving 11 unarmed residents dead, 500 wounded, and 36 abducted. We cannot ignore any perpetrator, whether friend or foe, who seeks to violently and brutally oppress innocent people. America cannot forget the people of Camp Ashraf. Prime Minister Al-Maliki should stand by repeated and written assurances he has given to the United States and the United Nations to respect the fundamental rights of the residents of Ashraf. These are ``protected persons'' under the Fourth Geneva Convention. President Obama should honor the U.S. government's repeated promises to protect these people. The President and Secretary Clinton should undertake whatever steps necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents of Camp Ashraf. The increasingly vulnerable regime in Tehran must not be allowed to extend its repressive tentacles beyond Iran's border and crack down on its principal opposition. Someone must stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. It's bad enough that Iran brutalizes Iranian dissidents in Iran; the world cannot ignore Iran's intent to brutalize its own people in Camp Ashraf in the foreign country of Iraq as well. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, on Friday October 30, 2009 Jodi Esquivel passed away after a two-year long battle with kidney cancer. Jodi, a middle school English teacher in Nederland, Texas touched many lives in her short 27 years of life. Her smile was infectious and her unwavering strength and endless faith touched all those she met. In 2007, after suffering months of back pain, Jodi was diagnosed with kidney cancer. She was in the early stages of her second pregnancy when results of an MRI showed a cancerous tumor in her kidney that had spread to her spine in three places. Jodi leaves behind husband Justin and three year old daughter Hallie. Her family and friends celebrate Jodi for the love she shared with them and the lessons she taught them throughout her life.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of the Climategate scandal, we now learn that prominent scientists were so determined to advance the idea of human-made global warming that they worked together to hide contradictory temperature data, blackballed dissenting scientists, and manipulated the peer-review process. The New York Times says that Climategate is no big deal. In a recent article in the Times, an editor, Clark Hoyt, responded to criticism that the newspaper has downplayed the story. Predictably, Hoyt, a ``Warmer'' disagreed, writing that Climategate is not a ``three-alarm story.'' He defended the Times' decision to ignore evidence that doesn't support global warming. He failed to mention that global warming alarmism and fears are largely based on discredited data. The New York Times and the national media should report the news fairly, rather than downplaying stories that don't conform to their media bias agenda. Otherwise, Americans will continue to doubt the media's credibility. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, today the Second District of Texas recognizes attorney David Grove for being awarded the Mickey F. Mehaffy Award from the Jefferson County Bar Association, given each year to honor an attorney for their exceptional pro bono work. He has worked tirelessly to help less fortunate citizens find representation in the court of law. David was born in Midland and attended the Baylor University School of Law. In 1978, after spending a summer as a law clerk in Beaumont, he returned to Jefferson County as an Assistant District Attorney. He joined a private firm 6 years later and started his solo practice in 1999. David always donated his time and attention to pro bono work, however, he saw the need for it escalate after the double shot of Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008. Both of these hurricanes caused immense damage across Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. This left many residents with damage claims against insurance companies who could not afford representation. David is a leading advocate for the indigent, making sure they are treated fairly. He also donates a large amount of time to helping families through divorces or child custody cases. He realizes that some people do not have the resources available to defend themselves, their family, or their home, and he makes sure they have equal representation. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Second Congressional District and all of Southeast Texas, I want to congratulate David Grove for this wonderful accomplishment. Through his diligent efforts and dedication he has given a voice to many who thought they had none.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the people of the Second District of Texas are proud to recognize the students, faculty, and staff of Bayshore Elementary School in La Porte, Texas. Bayshore Elementary has earned the prestigious rating of ``Exemplary'' from the Texas Education Agency. This honor is especially meaningful for the students, teachers, and administrators of Bayshore Elementary because of the challenges they faced in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Despite being dispersed to five other neighboring campuses, the students of Bayshore still performed at the ``Exemplary'' level on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test. In the tradition of the Americans and Texans that have gone before them, the students and staff of Bayshore Elementary were able to rise above a difficult situation and achieve excellence in the face of adversity. This award not only recognizes their resilience but their determination to overcome difficulty and that is extremely honorable. The Second District of Texas is proud of Bayshore Elementary school and commends them for their ``Exemplary'' award.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, it seems the science behind man-made global warming is melting before our eyes. Now there is a chance that even NASA will be pulled into the worldwide Climategate scandal. For nearly 3 years, NASA has been stonewalling requests under the Freedom of Information Act for information surrounding their own temperature manipulations. Earlier, we learned that the University of Anglia in England where those global warming scientists house themselves had been hiding emails that contradict their theory of global warming. So now Climategate has a twin sister, NASAgate. Investors' Business Daily reported just yesterday on NASA being forced to change their climate records that the world has been using for years. They said, ``NASA was caught with its thermometers down when James Hansen, head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, announced that 1998 was the country's hottest year on record, with 2006 the third hottest.'' The last speaker, with all due respect, used these false statistics in his speech claiming global warming is a crisis. The fact is: ``NASA and Goddard were forced to correct the record in 2007 to show that 1934, decades before the old SUV, was in fact the warmest. In fact, the new numbers show that four of the country's 10 warmest years were in the 1930s.'' So how did NASA, the premier scientific agency of the United States, get such basic temperature calculations wrong? Did they cook the books too, just like the University of Anglia? We don't know. It turns out NASA has been blocking the Freedom of Information requests about that incident just like the scientists in Britain. What are they trying to hide? If global warming is a well-settled fact, why are these experts hiding the evidence to the contrary? And why isn't NASA following the Freedom of Information law? It's been 3 years since that information was requested. The public has a right to see the temperature data in these NASA emails. But there's more. Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency was caught suppressing dissenting views, just like the Climategate warmers in Britain and NASA. One of the EPA's own scientists wrote a report refuting manmade global warming science, using the latest, most current information that says the Earth is actually cooling right now. In fact, the Earth has been cooling for more than a decade. That's really an inconvenient truth for Al Gore and the global warmers. But the people at the EPA buried the dissenting report, just like the Climategate warmers did and maybe NASA. The EPA bureaucrats said their scientist's own report wasn't helping their agenda, so they hid it and threatened the scientist so he would keep his mouth shut. The question is: Why can't the public see the dissenting view from other scientists? Isn't that what science is all about? The reason: It appears to me that careers are at stake, along with millions upon billions of dollars. In the 1970s, Time and Newsweek predicted global cooling, that the world was all going to freeze. But when climates began to warm, scientists changed that name to global warming instead of global cooling. And have we noticed that the planet has actually began to cool again? Madam Speaker, it even snowed last week in Houston. It never snows in Houston. A snow in Houston is about as frequent as a hurricane in Iowa. But the warmers, again, have changed the name of that catastrophe. It's now no longer global warming; it is climate change. That's a safe bet, because the climate does change almost every day. And why would they do this? What's the motivation for these scientists to apparently cook the books on global cooling or warming or climate change? It's money. According to the leaked Climategate documents, the British university, the CRU at the center of the Climategate scandal, has received millions of dollars. NASA's climate change warmers stand to receive a billion dollars in funding this year alone. Global warming is big business. Fox News reported today that former Vice President Al Gore may be the world's first carbon billionaire. He makes money preaching fear in the name of global warming. It's a great thing to make money in America. That's what capitalism is all about. But it's not okay to earn money from investing in green technology companies and, at the same time, forcing expensive green laws and EPA regulations on the American people based upon science that is not a fact. In the real world of science, if your calculations are wrong by data and observation, you have to throw out the hypothesis. Some of the computer models using CRU data as a result are falsified. That includes the global warming claims. And these are the top warmer scientists. These scientists and their dogma of fear is about control and obtaining taxpayer money. Ronald Reagan said it best: Government does not solve problems; it just continues to subsidize them. And that's just the way it is.