[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1686]]
   PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION TO STUDY THE CULTURE AND GLORIFICATION OF 
                        VIOLENCE IN AMERICA ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 1, 2008

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Presidential Commission to Study the Culture and Glorification of 
Violence in America Act. This bill will establish a commission tasked 
with not only studying the culture of violence in our country, but also 
the factors that contribute to this culture and the actions that can be 
taken to mitigate its effects.
  Members of this Commission will determine what connections exist 
between violence and access to firearms, psychological stress, and 
economic despair. They will further examine what role schools can play 
in preventing violence and propose possible solutions to address the 
glorification of violence in the United States.
  Madam Speaker, we have become a society that places violence and 
aggression above hard work and acts of kindness. Sadly, children today 
admire gangsters instead of teachers. They would rather be thugs and 
drug lords than doctors and philanthropists. They measure the strength 
of their character by the size of their gun and not by their generosity 
toward others.
  The American Academy of Pediatrics has found that prolonged exposure 
to violence in the media can increase acceptance of violence as an 
appropriate means of solving problems. It can glamorize weapons as 
sources of personal power and can contribute to aggressive behavior. It 
is, therefore no surprise that in 2005 alone, there were over 1.8 
million serious violent crimes in America and almost 420,000 firearm-
related incidents. In that same year, the Federal Government spent 
$35.4 billion on criminal justice and local governments spent nearly 
three times that amount. Worst of all however, teens and young adults 
experience the highest rates of violent crime.
  It is clear that we must make an effort to raise our children to 
recognize that violence is nothing more than the physical manifestation 
of fear and desperation. However, our society's glorification of 
violence has become so ingrained in our culture that it has become 
seemingly impossible to reverse.
  Madam Speaker, it is our collective responsibility to create a 
society that values respect toward our fellow citizens. This 
legislation is simply a small step toward addressing what has become a 
destructive parasite upon the future of our country. By learning how 
the media and society promote violence and examining ways in which we 
can address this most pressing dilemma, it is my hope that we can stem 
the tide of violence and crime in America so that subsequent 
generations can live in a more peaceful nation.
  I ask for my colleagues' support and urge the swift consideration of 
this bill.

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