[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   RESTORE THE RULE OF LAW TO SOCIETY

  (Mr. MARTINI asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MARTINI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a former Federal prosecutor 
to discuss a topic that this body will soon debate: crime reform.
  Crime in this country has reached epidemic proportions. It is time we 
as a body get serious about restoring the rule of law to our society.
  Alexander Bickel of Yale University once said:

       No society will long remain open and attached to peaceable 
     politics and the decent and controlled use of public force if 
     fear for personal safety is the ordinary experience for large 
     numbers.

  Yet sadly, today 8 out of every 10 Americans can expect to be the 
victim of a violent crime at least once in their lives.
  It is apparent that the debate over these crime bills embroils us in 
more than simply an exchange of competing partisan ideas.
  The coming debates will engage us in a struggle that affects the very 
core and future of American society.
  As the discussions begin, I urge my colleagues to take swift and 
strong action on behalf of the well-being and safety of a nation's 
people.


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