[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 177 (Tuesday, December 8, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H9029-H9030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, in a conversation that I had recently, 
speaking about the other body, it was mentioned that that body is the 
deliberative body. There are opportunities for collaboration between 
Members, Democrat and Republican. But I am in the people's House, and I 
believe that Members also have the duty and commitment to collaborate 
and to be deliberative and thoughtful.
  This morning, I would like to offer just a number of points about our 
wonderful Constitution.
  I first want to begin by saying this is Restore the Vote Tuesday, and 
I am wearing a pin that highlights the importance of voting and the 
responsibilities of our civic constituency. My colleague from Alabama 
(Ms. Sewell) is on the floor, and I join her in recognizing how special 
this right is and to know that many of us--I attempted to register 
sharecroppers in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia in my 
college days, people who were still frightened about voting. I saw what 
the 1965 Voting Rights Act did, and we need to restore it.
  We have an election coming up in Houston on Saturday, and I want to 
say to my constituents that we will do all that we can to prevent any 
prohibitive barriers from voting, from your voting.
  That is a right, Mr. Speaker, just as it is the right to have the 
right to freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and freedom of 
religion.
  Mr. Speaker, one of our Presidential candidates took to the airwaves 
in the last 24 hours to pronounce or announce or demagogue, saying that 
no Muslims should be allowed in this country. Mr. Speaker, I believe 
that we, as Members of Congress, should be empathetic and sympathetic 
to the concern of the American people. Maybe some are frightened. I do 
not make light of that.
  I have been on the Homeland Security Committee since 9/11, and I now 
serve as the ranking member of the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, 
and Investigations Subcommittee. I take these obligations very 
seriously. For any of us who have been to Ground Zero even at that time 
and since that time, it is seared in our minds.
  I know the people in San Bernardino, those of us reflecting on Paris, 
but now our own brothers and sisters realize that government must act 
in a way for Americans to feel safe and secure. But I would say that 
having met and stood with the Muslim community in my district on 
Sunday, late in the afternoon,

[[Page H9030]]

we stood in front of the Mickey Leland Federal building with Christians 
alike. Arm in arm we prayed. But I just stood back and listened to one 
Muslim representative after another come and proclaim their patriotism 
and denouncing the violence and distortion of their faith.
  A young imam who had just moved from New Jersey just moved me. He 
began to articulate the elements of the Koran: benevolence and love. As 
a 25-year-old, he stood up to denounce this violence. That is the kind 
of American partnership that we need.
  When we concluded that meeting, we had a press conference and vigil. 
We said that we would form a task force. I encourage Members throughout 
this body to have task forces on this very issue: How can we help?
  Then as the President spoke--I want to thank him, for maybe people 
were not listening--the President was very clear that he is going to 
take the hunt and hunt down terrorist plotters to any country where 
they are. The President also indicated he will continue to provide 
training and equipment to Iraqi and Syrian forces and work with friends 
and allies to stop ISIL's operations; and with American leadership, the 
international community has begun to establish a process and timeline 
to pursue cease-fires and a political resolution to the Syrian war. Our 
President is focused. The Congress needs to be focused.
  Yes, we need to be able to put forward legislative ideas, not 
contentious. No terrorist should have the ability to get a gun. 
Therefore, we should pass this bill that indicates that any terrorist 
on the terrorist watch list should not be able to buy a gun in the 
United States of America. I have legislation in the Judiciary Committee 
that we are preparing to come to the floor: no-fly for foreign 
terrorists, stopping them in their tracks, from wherever they come 
from, from getting on any plane coming to the United States of America. 
That is not hostility. That is saying to the American people we care. 
As they say in the community: We have got your back.
  Then we must go back to the alert system, Mr. Speaker. We did it 
after 
9/11. We understand the Secretary is offering that thought, the red 
alert. It is interesting that I thought about that, to give the 
American people some sense.
  But let me finish, Mr. Speaker, by simply saying that I love this 
country. What a wonderful set of principles in the Constitution. And I 
want to say to the American people that, with our God, with our faith 
vested in a higher power, and the knowledge of democracy, we are going 
to withstand, survive, fight, and have a better nation. I know that 
that is the better way, not demagoguery and condemnation of a faith. I 
would never do that.

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