[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S8173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION LAW ENFORCEMENT

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I rise to express a word of enthusiastic 
appreciation to the thousands of courageous and principled law 
enforcement members who did their utmost to allow the Republican 
National Convention in St. Paul to proceed in an orderly fashion. I saw 
some of their work with my own eyes and want them to know we respect 
them and the vital role they play in our Nation.
  It has been said that every society is defined by the boundary 
between each individual's right to do whatever they want and the 
broader community's right to peace and order. Societies without such a 
border disintegrate into chaos and eventually repression. That boundary 
is not an abstract philosophical construct, but the life's work of law 
enforcement personnel who enforce society's laws.
  This past week we saw an extreme test of that principle as self-
described anarchists, who represented a very small segment of thousands 
of peaceful demonstrators, sought to disrupt proceedings of the 
convention. Law enforcement personnel acted with professionalism, 
restraint and great skill in the face of serious threats to public 
safety. The great irony is the actions of law enforcement guarantee the 
future rights of protestors to protest. I only wish the small minority 
of violent protestors had not created a climate of fear that may have 
regrettably kept observers away and reduced the patronage of St. Paul 
businesses, that were counting on increased sales during the convention 
week.
  The convention, the first in Minnesota since 1892, presented many 
logistical obstacles. St. Paul is a town of less than 300,000, not the 
kind of metropolis where these events are usually held. The ability of 
multiple jurisdictions to work together to scale up their response to 
the level needed was a great example of the Minnesota can-do spirit.
  Many thanks are due, specifically to St. Paul chief of police John 
Harrington whose team was able to ensure the safety of all of our 
visitors, displaying Minnesota admirably in the national spotlight. 
Special thanks are also very much in order to the law enforcement 
officers who traveled from all over Minnesota and the rest of the 
country to assist in the security efforts.
  I would also like to take a moment to express my thanks for the 
excellent work of a few other individuals during the convention: St. 
Paul assistant chief of police Matt Bostrum, Minneapolis chief of 
police Tim Dolan, Minneapolis deputy chief of police Rob Allen, 
Bloomington chief of police John Laux, Ramsey County sheriff Bob 
Fletcher, Hennepin County sheriff Rich Stanek, and Minnesota Department 
of Public Safety commissioner Michael Campion all deserve our 
gratitude. They, and their departments, performed with excellence in 
the way they did their duty and their integration with other 
departments.
  The week of September 1, 2008, will be remembered by almost all of 
the thousands of visitors to Minnesota as a great week and proof-
positive that our State is capable of putting on a world class event. 
The ability of our excellent law enforcement personnel to play defense 
against those who sought to disrupt the festivities allowed the people 
attending the convention and a worldwide audience to see an orderly 
process of our democratic society at its finest.
  My heartfelt thanks to all the Minnesotans who worked so hard to make 
our dreams a reality.

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