[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 13, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2470-H2474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REMEMBERING VICTIMS OF OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1206) remembering the victims of 
the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, 
Oklahoma, and supporting the goals and ideals of the National Week of 
Hope, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1206

       Whereas, on April 19, 1995, at 9:02 a.m., a terrorist 
     detonated a truck bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal 
     Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
       Whereas this was one of the worst terrorist attacks ever to 
     occur on United States soil, taking the lives of 168 people 
     and injuring more than 850 others, many of them United States 
     Government employees who worked in the Alfred P. Murrah 
     Federal Building;
       Whereas this cowardly act of domestic terrorism directly 
     affected thousands of families and horrified millions of 
     people across the State of Oklahoma and the United States;
       Whereas the people of Oklahoma and the United States 
     responded to this tragedy through the remarkable efforts of 
     local, State, and Federal law enforcement personnel, 
     firefighters, search and rescue teams, public and private 
     medical personnel, other emergency services personnel, and 
     thousands of volunteers from the community who saved lives, 
     assisted the injured and wounded, comforted the bereaved, and 
     provided meals and support to those who came to Oklahoma City 
     to offer assistance;
       Whereas this courageous response set what has come to be 
     known as the ``Oklahoma Standard'', which was later emulated 
     by many Americans following the terrorist attacks of 
     September 11, 2001;
       Whereas, following the 1995 attack, the people of Oklahoma 
     and the United States pledged to build and maintain a 
     permanent national memorial to remember those who were 
     killed, those who survived, and those changed forever;
       Whereas this pledge was fulfilled by establishing the 
     Oklahoma City National Memorial, which draws hundreds of 
     thousands of visitors from around the world every year to the 
     site of the attack;
       Whereas the inscription on the wall of the Oklahoma City 
     National Memorial reads: ``We come here to remember those who 
     were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever. 
     May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this 
     memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope, and 
     serenity.'';
       Whereas the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention 
     of Terrorism was established to educate the Nation's 
     emergency responders about preventing and mitigating the 
     effects of terrorist attacks;
       Whereas the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building has been 
     replaced with a new, safe, secure, and functional Federal 
     building in downtown Oklahoma City that houses many of the 
     offices once housed in the Murrah Building, sending a message 
     that the people and Government of the United States will not 
     be cowed by terrorists; and
       Whereas the 15th anniversary of the terrorist bombing of 
     the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is April 19, 2010: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) joins with the people of the United States in sending 
     best wishes and prayers to the families, friends, and 
     neighbors of the 168 people killed in the terrorist bombing 
     of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, 
     Oklahoma; and
       (2) sends its best wishes and prayers to those injured in 
     the bombing and expresses gratitude to the thousands of first 
     responders, rescue workers, medical personnel, and volunteers 
     from the community and across the Nation who answered the 
     call for help on the morning of the attack and in the days 
     and weeks thereafter.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Connolly) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

[[Page H2471]]

all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Congresswoman Mary Fallin and our 
colleagues from Oklahoma for introducing this resolution. This 
resolution commemorates the lives of the Federal employees and other 
victims of this savage terrorist attack and reminds us of the ongoing 
terrorist threat in our borders.
  House Resolution 1206 was introduced by the gentlewoman from 
Oklahoma, Representative Mary Fallin, on March 23 of this year and was 
referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It comes 
to the floor today with the bipartisan support of over 50 cosponsors.
  Over the last year, we've witnessed a rise in violent rhetoric by 
extremist groups in America. In the most recent incident, Andrew Joseph 
Stack intentionally crashed his small plane into a Federal building in 
Austin, Texas, that included offices of the Internal Revenue Service, 
among others.
  According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there have been over 75 
violent attacks by domestic terrorists since 1995, Mr. Speaker. The 
resolution before us today is especially poignant because it is but the 
most destructive example of a recent frightening trend in domestic 
terrorism, that is to say, the incident in Oklahoma City.
  At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols 
used a truck full of explosives to attack the Alfred P. Murrah Federal 
Building in Oklahoma City. Their vicious attack, conducted at a time 
when most of the building's employees were at work and their children 
at a day care center, killed 168 people and wounded 850 others. The 
explosion was so powerful it reduced much of the building to rubble and 
damaged at least six adjacent buildings, including an apartment 
building, a church, and a YMCA. Some of the victims of the Murrah 
Federal Building were children who were in the day care center for 
building employees.
  McVeigh and Nichols appear to have been motivated by similar anti-
government ideology as the dozens of domestic terrorist who have 
attacked America in 15 years subsequent to that bombing.
  Seven emergency response crews responded to the attack after 
receiving a call reporting it in at 9:03 a.m., with Fire Station One's 
crew arriving first at the scene. Oklahoma City's police force set up 
an incident command system to manage a massive search and rescue 
operation. Average citizens, as well as the Civil Air Patrol, American 
Red Cross, and other organizations assisted with responses to the 
attack.
  After the attack, Oklahomans and other Americans responded with 
generous offers of assistance. Immediately after McVeigh detonated the 
explosives in the truck, many bystanders ran to the building to try to 
save people who were still in it. Oklahoma City restaurant owners gave 
first responders free meals. Blood drives were so overwhelmed with 
volunteers that long lines forced the city to ask blood donors to wait 
for the next drive.
  Workers actually left their boots on-site after response crews ran 
out of work boots. This collective sacrifice and outpouring of support 
earned the moniker ``Oklahoma Standard,'' which describes an 
extraordinary, spontaneous outpouring of community support in times of 
tragedy.
  Thank you again, Congresswoman Fallin, our colleague, for introducing 
this legislation which I'm a proud cosponsor of.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1206, 
remembering the victims of the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal 
Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
  Fifteen years ago, domestic terrorists set off a truck bomb in front 
of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in what would 
become one of the worst terrorist attacks to happen on American soil. 
In a matter of moments, the lives of 168 people, including 19 children, 
were cruelly brought to an end. In the aftermath, we learned that more 
than 850 people were injured, and 30 children were orphaned; 219 
children lost at least one parent in the tragedy.
  To those there, it seemed as if no one in Oklahoma escaped unscathed. 
Indeed, it has been said that ``at 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, every 
American became an Oklahoman.'' The outpouring of support for the 
people of Oklahoma in the hours, days, weeks and months following this 
attack revealed the depth of character of the citizens of this great 
Nation.
  Many of those killed and injured were Federal employees or the 
families of Federal employees. It is important that we take time to 
remember the civil servants who served our country honorably and 
perished in this tragedy. All of these employees' service to our 
country deserve recognition and distinction.
  I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to local, State and Federal 
law enforcement, firefighters and emergency response teams from 
Oklahoma and across the United States; the servicemen and -women, the 
medical personnel, and the thousands of volunteers who donated their 
time to help save lives and assist the injured and provide meals to 
those that came to help the people of Oklahoma. Without these brave men 
and women, countless more lives may have been lost that day.
  Oklahomans have demonstrated the depth of their own character by 
rebuilding in the wake of the bombing. This tragedy could have 
devastated the future of Oklahoma City; but in the 15 years since the 
bombing, the city and all Oklahomans have undergone profound healing. I 
commend them for their strength and for the continued commitment to 
triumph over such senseless violence, and I stand with them as they 
persevere.
  Rather than allowing fear to hinder them, the people of Oklahoma City 
determined to continue the city's growth while keeping alive the memory 
of those lost.
  Nowhere is that determination more beautifully exhibited than at the 
Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. This facility has attracted 
hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world each year 
since its opening. It serves as a reminder of not only the tragic event 
that took place 15 years ago, but also the way that all Americans came 
together to pick up the pieces and move on. It provides Oklahomans and 
all Americans with a sense of hope that we truly are able to rise from 
the ashes of terrorism and come out a stronger community and Nation.
  The Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism was also 
created to help educate the Nation's emergency responders and law 
enforcement about preventing and mitigating the effects of terrorist 
attacks.
  Before I close, I will quote the inscription on the wall of the 
memorial which sums up the lessons learned from this senseless tragedy. 
It reads: ``We come here to remember those who were killed, those who 
survived, and those who changed forever. May all who leave here know 
the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, 
peace, hope and serenity.''
  As we near the 15th anniversary of the bombing of the Murrah Federal 
Building in Oklahoma City, I hope we will keep those impacted by this 
in our minds and heed these important words.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, and I urge all of my 
colleagues to support this resolution.
  And, Mr. Speaker, I think this speaks volumes about what we are as a 
Nation. We're not a Nation of political parties. We're all Americans, 
and we come together in a tragedy like this to help heal. And I extend 
my condolences from the great State of Tennessee to Oklahoma. And I 
thank my friend from Virginia here today for helping us commemorate 
this.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I thank my friend from Tennessee for his 
kind words. And now I am pleased to recognize our colleague and friend 
from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) for 4 minutes.
  (Ms. McCOLLUM asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to remember the victims of 
the

[[Page H2472]]

1995 terrorist attack on Oklahoma City that killed 168 people. This act 
of terrorism was committed by a man who viewed the Federal Government 
as such a threat it justified mass murder.
  I applaud my colleague from Oklahoma for her resolution because it 
serves as a reminder that right-wing anti-government extremist groups 
are on the rise today. Only 2 weeks ago, members of a so-called 
Christian militia in Michigan were arrested by the FBI for plotting to 
kill law enforcement officers in the hopes of inciting an anti-
government uprising.
  A national civil rights organization has documented a growing number 
of hate groups in America and states they are ``driven largely by an 
angry backlash against non-white immigration, economic meltdown and the 
climb to power of an African American President.'' In one word: racism.
  Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center states: ``Individuals 
associated with the Patriot movement during its heydays in the 1990s 
produced an enormous amount of violence, most dramatically the Oklahoma 
City bombing.''
  Today Mr. Potok states: ``As the movement has exploded, so has the 
reaches of its ideas, aided and abetted by commentators and 
politicians.''
  Only last month a Fox News media commentator, with Members of 
Congress next to him, rallied a tea party crowd by disparaging Congress 
and calling the crowd ``all these Tim McVeigh wannabes here.'' To that, 
the crowds cheered and applauded.
  When Members of Congress compare health care legislation to 
``government tyranny,'' ``socialism'' or ``totalitarianism'' in the 
hopes of scoring political points, it's like pouring gas on the fire of 
extremism.
  Members of this House, Democrats and Republicans, have a duty and 
obligation to end the dangerous name-calling that can only inspire 
extremist militias and phony patriots. In the most free, prosperous and 
greatest democracy on Earth, it is time to return to civil, decent 
debate of public policy.
  I don't want another ``Oklahoma City'' to ever take place again. And 
just as we would not give aid and comfort to al Qaeda, let us not allow 
the words of elected leaders to give comfort and comfortable excuses to 
extremists bent on violence. Words have power for both good and evil, 
and I implore my colleagues to temper their rhetoric and not allow the 
words of a Member of Congress to ever be used by a violent militia or 
phony, hate-filled patriot to cause violence.
  The victims of the Oklahoma City bombing were women at work, men in 
line for government services, and children in a day care center. And 
these families were torn apart, and they struggle to heal. A community 
was devastated, but it is again filled with hope and memories.
  And I hope with this resolution every Member of Congress will reflect 
upon the victims of Oklahoma City, as well as our duty as elected 
leaders in a proud and free country.

           [From the Southern Poverty Law Center, Apr. 2010]

           Rage on the Right--The Year in Hate and Extremism

                            (By Mark Potok)

       The radical right caught fire last year, as broad-based 
     populist anger at political, demographic and economic changes 
     in America ignited an explosion of new extremist groups and 
     activism across the nation.
       Hate groups stayed at record levels--almost 1,000--despite 
     the total collapse of the second largest neo-Nazi group in 
     America. Furious anti-immigrant vigilante groups soared by 
     nearly 80%, adding some 136 new groups during 2009. And, most 
     remarkably of all, so-called ``Patriot'' groups--militias and 
     other organizations that see the federal government as part 
     of a plot to impose ``one-world government'' on liberty-
     loving Americans--came roaring back after years out of the 
     limelight.
       The anger seething across the American political 
     landscape--over racial changes in the population, soaring 
     public debt and the terrible economy, the bailouts of bankers 
     and other elites, and an array of initiatives by the 
     relatively liberal Obama Administration that are seen as 
     ``socialist'' or even ``fascist''--goes beyond the radical 
     right. The ``tea parties'' and similar groups that have 
     sprung up in recent months cannot fairly be considered 
     extremist groups, but they are shot through with rich veins 
     of radical ideas, conspiracy theories and racism.
       ``We are in the midst of one of the most significant right-
     wing populist rebellions in United States history,'' Chip 
     Berlet, a veteran analyst of the American radical right, 
     wrote earlier this year. ``We see around us a series of 
     overlapping social and political movements populated by 
     people [who are] angry, resentful, and full of anxiety. They 
     are raging against the machinery of the federal bureaucracy 
     and liberal government programs and policies including health 
     care, reform of immigration and labor laws, abortion, and gay 
     marriage.''
       Sixty-one percent of Americans believe the country is in 
     decline, according to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal 
     poll. Just a quarter think the government can be trusted. And 
     the anti-tax tea party movement is viewed in much more 
     positive terms than either the Democratic or Republican 
     parties, the poll found.
       The signs of growing radicalization are everywhere. Armed 
     men have come to Obama speeches bearing signs suggesting that 
     the ``tree of liberty'' needs to be ``watered'' with ``the 
     blood of tyrants.'' The Conservative Political Action 
     Conference held this February was co-sponsored by groups like 
     the John Birch Society, which believes President Eisenhower 
     was a Communist agent, and Oath Keepers, a Patriot outfit 
     formed last year that suggests, in thinly veiled language, 
     that the government has secret plans to declare martial law 
     and intern patriotic Americans in concentration camps. 
     Politicians pandering to the antigovernment right in 37 
     states have introduced ``Tenth Amendment Resolutions,'' based 
     on the constitutional provision keeping all powers not 
     explicitly given to the federal government with the states. 
     And, at the ``A Well Regulated Militia'' website, a recent 
     discussion of how to build ``clandestine safe houses'' to 
     stay clear of the federal government included a conversation 
     about how mass murderers like Timothy McVeigh and Olympics 
     bomber Eric Rudolph were supposedly betrayed at such houses.


                           Doing the Numbers

       The number of hate groups in America has been going up for 
     years, rising 54% between 2000 and 2008 and driven largely by 
     an angry backlash against non-white immigration and, 
     starting in the last year of that period, the economic 
     meltdown and the climb to power of an African American 
     president.
       According to the latest annual count by the Southern 
     Poverty Law Center (SPLC), these groups rose again slightly 
     in 2009--from 926 in 2008 to 932 last year--despite the 
     demise of a key neo-Nazi group. The American National 
     Socialist Workers Party, which had 35 chapters in 28 states, 
     imploded shortly after the October 2008 arrest of founder 
     Bill White for making threats against his enemies.
       At the same time, the number of what the SPLC designates as 
     ``nativist extremist'' groups--organizations that go beyond 
     mere advocacy of restrictive immigration policy to actually 
     confront or harass suspected immigrants--jumped from 173 
     groups in 2008 to 309 last year. Virtually all of these 
     vigilante groups have appeared since the spring of 2005.
       But the most dramatic story by far has been with the 
     antigovernment Patriots.
       The militias and the larger Patriot movement first came to 
     Americans' attention in the mid-1990s, when they appeared as 
     an angry reaction to what was seen as a tyrannical government 
     bent on crushing all dissent. Sparked most dramatically by 
     the death of 76 Branch Davidians during a 1993 law 
     enforcement siege in Waco, Texas, those who joined the 
     militias also railed against the Democratic Clinton 
     Administration and initiatives like gun control and 
     environmental regulation. Although the Patriot movement 
     included people formerly associated with racially based hate 
     groups, it was above all animated by a view of the federal 
     government as the primary enemy, along with a fondness for 
     antigovernment conspiracy theories. By early this decade, the 
     groups had largely disappeared from public view.
       But last year, as noted in the SPLC's August report, ``The 
     Second Wave: Return of the Militias,'' a dramatic resurgence 
     in the Patriot movement and its paramilitary wing, the 
     militias, began. Now, the latest SPLC count finds that an 
     astonishing 363 new Patriot groups appeared in 2009, with the 
     totals going from 149 groups (including 42 militias) to 512 
     (127 of them militias)--a 244% jump.
       That is cause for grave concern. Individuals associated 
     with the Patriot movement during its 1990s heyday produced an 
     enormous amount of violence, most dramatically the Oklahoma 
     City bombing that left 168 people dead.
       Already there are signs of similar violence emanating from 
     the radical right. Since the installation of Barack Obama, 
     right-wing extremists have murdered six law enforcement 
     officers. Racist skinheads and others have been arrested in 
     alleged plots to assassinate the nation's first black 
     president. One man from Brockton, Mass.--who told police he 
     had learned on white supremacist websites that a genocide was 
     under way against whites--is charged with murdering two black 
     people and planning to kill as many Jews as possible on the 
     day after Obama's inauguration. Most recently, a rash of 
     individuals with antigovernment, survivalist or racist views 
     have been arrested in a series of bomb cases.
       As the movement has exploded, so has the reach of its 
     ideas, aided and abetted by commentators and politicians in 
     the ostensible mainstream. While in the 1990s, the movement 
     got good reviews from a few lawmakers

[[Page H2473]]

     and talk-radio hosts, some of its central ideas today are 
     being plugged by people with far larger audiences like FOX 
     News' Glenn Beck and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn). 
     Beck, for instance, re-popularized a key Patriot conspiracy 
     theory--the charge that FEMA is secretly running 
     concentration camps--before finally ``debunking'' it.
       Last year also experienced levels of cross-pollination 
     between different sectors of the radical right not seen in 
     years. Nativist activists increasingly adopted the ideas of 
     the Patriots; racist rants against Obama and others coursed 
     through the Patriot movement; and conspiracy theories 
     involving the government appeared in all kinds of right-wing 
     venues. A good example is the upcoming Second Amendment March 
     in Washington, D.C. The website promoting the march is topped 
     by a picture of a colonial militiaman, and key supporters 
     include Larry Pratt, a long-time militia enthusiast with 
     connections to white supremacists, and Richard Mack, a 
     conspiracy-mongering former sheriff associated with the 
     Patriot group Oath Keepers.
       What may be most noteworthy about the march, however, is 
     its date--April 19. That is the date of the first shots fired 
     at Lexington in the Revolutionary War. And it is also the 
     anniversary of the fiery end of the government siege in Waco 
     and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I again offer my deepest 
sympathies to the victims of the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal 
Building, as well as to the families and friends of those victims. 
Fifteen years later, we remember and mourn their tragic loss.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H. Res. 1206.
  Ms. FALLIN. Mr. Speaker, fifteen years ago next Monday, America was 
shocked and saddened by a murderous attack in our heartland. 168 
Oklahomans died and hundreds others injured when a homegrown terrorist 
detonated a bomb outside the Oklahoma City Federal Building.
   Today I offer a resolution to commemorate that tragedy, but it is 
also a resolution of hope.
   On April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City, the State of Oklahoma and our 
Nation saw the face of evil. But rather than cower in fear we came 
together. From the very first moments after the blast, neighbors rushed 
forward to help neighbors. They lined up around the block to give 
blood. They became volunteer rescuers--and one, a nurse, gave her life 
in that effort.
   As our wounds began to heal, we vowed always to remember those we 
lost, those who were injured and those who were changed forever. Five 
years after the bombing, in 2000, a beautiful and peaceful outdoor 
memorial was dedicated on the same block that was once marked by blood 
and tears.
  That memorial includes 168 empty chairs in memory of those who died--
19 of them children. It contains a reflecting pool and a tough old tree 
that survived the blast. We call it the Survivor Tree, and it is the 
emblem of our memorial.
  A year later, we added a museum where visitors come each day to learn 
more about the bombing, and to absorb the lesson that in our free 
Nation, free speech is honorable, but violence is not.
  Those are the physical symbols of hope. There are others just as 
vital. Dozens of children lost one or more parent in the bombing, or 
were themselves injured. Today a special fund is sending some of those 
children to college.
  And each year, as we will next Monday, we gather again at the 
Oklahoma City National Memorial to pause for 168 seconds of silence, to 
honor memories, to see old friends with whom we share an unbreakable 
bond forged of both tragedy and hope. And we also come to renew that 
vow we made in 1995--we will never forget.
  Fifteen years ago this Congress and the Clinton administration 
stepped forward to bring the help and the justice the events of that 
day demanded. Subsequent laws made it easier to prosecute terrorists 
and bring them to final justice.
  This resolution continues the commitment of this Congress to stand 
with and for Oklahoma City. In memory of all those touched by the 
events of April 19, 1995, I urge its unanimous passage.''
  Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, at 9:02 a.m. on the morning of April 19th, 
1995, a truck bomb detonated outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal 
Building in downtown Oklahoma City killing 168 individuals--all of them 
unsuspecting women, children, and men--thereby becoming one of the most 
abhorrent acts of violence ever undertaken against the American people. 
Fifteen years after the bombing, we recognize on this day--April 19th, 
2010--all those both in Oklahoma and across the United States who were 
touched by this inexplicable articulation of violence, violence which 
signaled an irrevocable act of domestic terrorism. Our recollections of 
that nascent dawn are consequently entombed within these words as a 
small yet vital elegy to the mid-April daylight a decade and a half ago 
when our world exploded.
  We cannot and we must not allow the events from 15 years past to 
lapse in our memories. The actions of that day still scar the 
surrounding landscape like the ghosts of an enduring trauma, latent but 
ever present behind the unyielding advances of time. Within a 16-block 
radius of the blast site where 850 individuals were injured, where 19 
of the 168 killed were under the age of 6, where 324 structures were 
either damaged or destroyed, where 86 cars were utterly incinerated and 
where the window panes of 258 buildings were thoroughly shattered, the 
scorched earth campaign of Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols permanently 
impacted not only the existence of each and every Oklahoman but of all 
Americans. Yet, the remarkable efforts of local, State, and Federal law 
enforcement, fire and emergency services, search and rescue teams from 
near and far, medical personnel both public and private, as well as 
vast numbers of volunteers who willingly endangered themselves to save 
others, assist the injured, support the grieving, and provide amenities 
to those endangered or otherwise altered by this act of terrorism all 
attest to the irrepressible character of Oklahoma and of America as a 
whole.
  Today, after the chaos of tragedy unexpected, after the initial 
anguish of the moment, after the exposure of a malice which rocked us 
to our very core, the Oklahoma City National Memorial stands resilient 
in the downtown area as a sobering reminder of the attack on America's 
heartland 15 years previous. The memorial itself--set on the grounds of 
the incendiary assault, in the solitary shadow of an elm known as the 
Survivor Tree--bears the following inscription: ``We come here to 
remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed 
forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this 
memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.'' And, may 
we as Americans, never permit ourselves to forget the pilfered vitality 
those 168 empty chairs signify, especially the 16 smaller seats--each 
one a life, literally in its infancy, extinguished by the unmitigated 
cruelty of a terrorist plot planted and brought to fruition on American 
soil.
  Moreover, we cannot dismiss the somber relevance the beloved departed 
lend to the grievous affairs of that morning. We cannot dismiss the 580 
injured. Nor can we dismiss the countless number of volunteers from 
every corner of this country who came from near and far to aid in 
Oklahoma City's continued recovery. April 19th must remain firmly in 
our minds as the day America was altered permanently, as the day I urge 
us to recognize and to never forget.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. 
Res. 1206, ``Remembering the victims of the attack on the Alfred P. 
Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and supporting the 
goals and ideals of the National Week of Hope.''
  Let me begin by thanking my colleague Representative Mary Fallin for 
introducing this important piece of legislation into the House of 
Representatives as it is important that we always remember the men, 
women and children who lost their lives in the tragic bombing of the 
Oklahoma City Federal Building. I would also like to recognize 
Congresswoman Fallin for her bravery and leadership in the aftermath of 
the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
  Just four months after taking her initial oath of office as 
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, Representative Fallin was faced with 
this horrible attack. Through her courage and dedication to the people 
of Oklahoma however, Representative Fallin successfully worked toward 
the recovery and reconstruction of ground-zero and also formed a task 
force to rebuild the childcare center lost in the disaster.
  In one of the most shocking and horrifying terrorist attacks ever 
directed against the United States homeland, the Alfred P. Murrah 
Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was bombed by homegrown 
terrorist Timothy McVeigh, leading to the deaths of over one-hundred 
citizens and Federal employees.
  Timothy McVeigh detonated his homemade bomb in front of the Federal 
building on the morning of April 19, 1995, just as employees and 
citizens were arriving at work for the day. The large explosion took 
the lives of 168 people and injured more than 850 others in the area 
around ground-zero.
  I deplore in the strongest terms possible this cowardly act of 
terrorism against the men, women and children in a Federal building. 
This type of senseless violence is not welcome in our democratic 
society and we must work to see that this type of action is never 
allowed to take place again.
  I would especially like to recognize the fine men and women of the 
police, fire department and other first responders who provided 
immediate assistance in the aftermath of the bombing. Because of their 
courageous actions that day, many lives were able to be saved.

[[Page H2474]]

  As the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and 
Infrastructure protection I have consistently worked towards increasing 
the security in and around Federal buildings most notably through my 
sponsorship of H.R. 3225. I introduced H.R. 3225 right after 9/11 and 
pushed for the implementation of a uniform Federal alert standard that 
would go into effect in the event of an emergency or threat against a 
Federal or private facility.
  We must always ensure that the safety of the American people remains 
our top priority. Furthermore it is vitally important that we continue 
to work together to protect Federal infrastructure from future attack. 
Through the passage of this bill, we will help to ensure that the 
horrible bombing on the Oklahoma City Federal building, and those lost 
in the attack are never forgotten. We will also ensure that a strong 
emphasis is put on the protection of Federal infrastructure across the 
nation and across the globe.
  I would like to again thank my colleague Representative Mary Fallin 
for introducing H. Res. 1206. I ask my colleagues for their support of 
this legislation as well as their continued support for the families of 
those lost in the Oklahoma City Bombing and other acts of terrorism.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H. Res. 1206.
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1206, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``Resolution remembering the 
victims of the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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